I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2678 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health 

and Human Services to carry out programs to provide youth in racial 

or ethnic minority or immigrant communities the information and skills 

needed to reduce teenage pregnancies. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 28, 2011 

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD (for herself, Ms. NORTON, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. LEE of 

California, Mr. COHEN, Mrs. MALONEY, and Ms. BASS of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the 

Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out 

programs to provide youth in racial or ethnic minority 

or immigrant communities the information and skills 

needed to reduce teenage pregnancies. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Communities of Color 

5 Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Act of 2011’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 The Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) Teenage pregnancy is one of the most crit4 ical issues facing the Nation today. The United 

5 States has the highest teenage pregnancy rate of 

6 any developed nation, with nearly 750,000 teenage 

7 girls (who are 15 to 19 years of age) becoming preg8 nant each year, and 82 percent of those pregnancies 

9 unplanned. 

10 (2) For the first time in more than a decade, 

11 between 2005 and 2006, the teenage pregnancy rate 

12 in the United States rose 3 percent. The decrease in 

13 teenage pregnancy rates in the 1990s was over14 whelmingly the result of more and better use of con15 traceptives. 

16 (3) Nationally, teenage pregnancy has signifi17 cant fiscal implications, costing taxpayers at least 

18 $10,900,000,000 annually. 

19 (4) Communities of color are disproportionately 

20 affected by teenage pregnancy. Fifty-two percent of 

21 Latinas and 50 percent of African-American girls 

22 will become pregnant at least once before they turn 

23 20. In comparison, only 19 percent of non-Hispanic 

24 White teenage girls under the age of 20 become 

25 pregnant. 


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1 (5) Between 2007 and 2009, the teenage birth 

2 rate decreased for most communities of color, how3 ever the birth rates for Hispanic, African-American, 

4 and Native American teenagers continue to be much 

5 higher than other racial and ethnic groups. 

6 (6) Research shows that starting a family too 

7 soon may have significant social, educational, and fi8 nancial impacts on the lives of young people. Less 

9 than half of teenage mothers finish high school and 

10 less than 2 percent go on to finish college, making 

11 it difficult to find and maintain a job. 

12 (7) Research also shows that teenage dating vi13 olence and abuse are serious public health problems 

14 and are associated with higher levels of teenage 

15 pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy. Adolescent 

16 girls in physically abusive relationships are three 

17 times more likely to become pregnant than non18 abused girls. 

19 (8) Promoting and building healthy relation20 ships are fundamental to preventing teenage preg21 nancies and unplanned pregnancies. 

22 SEC. 3. YOUTH PREGNANCY PREVENTION. 

23 Title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 

24 241 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following 

25 new part: 


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1 ‘‘PART W—YOUTH PREGNANCY PREVENTION 

2 PROGRAMS 

3 ‘‘SEC. 399OO. PURPOSE. 

4 ‘‘It is the purpose of this part to develop and carry 

5 out research and demonstration projects on new and exist6 ing program interventions to provide youth in racial or 

7 ethnic minority or immigrant communities the information 

8 and skills needed to reduce teenage pregnancies, build 

9 healthy relationships, and improve overall health and well10 being. 

11 ‘‘SEC. 399OO–1. DEMONSTRATION GRANTS TO REDUCE 

12 TEENAGE PREGNANCIES. 

13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award com14 petitive grants to eligible entities for establishing or ex15 panding programs to provide youth in racial or ethnic mi16 nority or immigrant communities the information and 

17 skills needed to avoid teenage pregnancy and develop 

18 healthy relationships. 

19 ‘‘(b) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec20 tion, the Secretary shall give priority to applicants— 

21 ‘‘(1) proposing to carry out projects in racial or 

22 ethnic minority or immigrant communities; 

23 ‘‘(2) that have a demonstrated history of effec24 tively working with such targeted communities; or 


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1 ‘‘(3) that have a demonstrated history of engag2 ing in a meaningful and significant partnership with 

3 such targeted communities. 

4 ‘‘(c) PROGRAM SETTINGS.—Programs funded 

5 through a grant under subsection (a) shall be provided— 

6 ‘‘(1) through classroom-based settings, such as 

7 school health education, humanities, language arts, 

8 or family and consumer science education; after9 school programs; community-based programs; work10 force development programs; and health care set11 tings; or 

12 ‘‘(2) in collaboration with systems that serve 

13 large numbers of at-risk youth such as juvenile jus14 tice or foster care systems. 

15 ‘‘(d) PROJECT REQUIREMENTS.—As a condition of 

16 receipt of a grant under this section, an entity shall agree 

17 that, with respect to information and skills provided 

18 through the grant— 

19 ‘‘(1) such information and skills will be— 

20 ‘‘(A) age-appropriate; 

21 ‘‘(B) evidence-based or evidence-informed; 

22 ‘‘(C) provided in accordance with section 

23 399OO–5(b); and 

24 ‘‘(D) culturally sensitive and relevant to 

25 the target populations; and 


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1 ‘‘(2) any information provided about contracep2 tives shall include the health benefits and side ef3 fects of all contraceptives and barrier methods. 

4 ‘‘(e) EVALUATION.—Of the total amount made avail5 able to carry out this section for a fiscal year, the Sec6 retary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Dis7 ease Control and Prevention and other agencies as appro8 priate, shall allot up to 10 percent of such amount to carry 

9 out a rigorous, independent evaluation to determine the 

10 extent and the effectiveness of activities funded through 

11 this section during such fiscal year in changing attitudes 

12 and behavior of teenagers with respect to healthy relation13 ships and childbearing. 

14 ‘‘(f) GRANTS FOR INDIAN TRIBES OR TRIBAL ORGA15 NIZATIONS.—Of the total amount made available to carry 

16 out this section for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall re17 serve 5 percent of such amount to award grants under 

18 this section to Indian tribes and tribal organizations in 

19 such manner, and subject to such requirements, as the 

20 Secretary, in consultation with Indian tribes and tribal or21 ganizations, determines appropriate. 

22 ‘‘(g) ELIGIBLE ENTITY DEFINED.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In this section, the term 

24 ‘eligible entity’ means a State, local, or tribal agen25 cy; a school or postsecondary institution; an afterVerDate Mar 15 2010 06:00 Jul 29, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2678.IH H2678

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1 school program; a nonprofit organization; or a com2 munity or faith-based organization. 

3 ‘‘(2) PREVENTING EXCLUSION OF SMALLER

4 COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS.—In carrying 

5 out this section, the Secretary shall ensure that the 

6 amounts and requirements of grants provided under 

7 this section do not preclude receipt of such grants 

8 by community-based organizations with a dem9 onstrated history of effectively working with adoles10 cents in racial or ethnic minority or immigrant com11 munities or engaged in meaningful and significant 

12 partnership with such communities. 

13 ‘‘SEC. 399OO–2. MULTIMEDIA CAMPAIGNS TO REDUCE 

14 TEENAGE PREGNANCIES. 

15 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award com16 petitive grants to public and private entities to carry out 

17 multimedia campaigns to provide public education and in18 crease public awareness regarding teenage pregnancy and 

19 related social and emotional issues, such as violence pre20 vention. 

21 ‘‘(b) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec22 tion, the Secretary shall give priority to applicants pro23 posing to carry out campaigns developed for racial or eth24 nic minority or immigrant communities. 


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1 ‘‘(c) INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED.—As a condi2 tion of receipt of a grant under this section, an entity shall 

3 agree to use the grant to carry out multimedia campaigns 

4 described in subsection (a) that— 

5 ‘‘(1) at a minimum, shall provide information 

6 on— 

7 ‘‘(A) the prevention of teenage pregnancy; 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(B) healthy relationship development; and 

10 ‘‘(2) may provide information on the prevention 

11 of dating violence. 

12 ‘‘SEC. 399OO–3. RESEARCH ON REDUCING TEENAGE PREG13 NANCIES AND TEENAGE DATING VIOLENCE 

14 AND IMPROVING HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS. 

15 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 

16 the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Pre17 vention, shall make grants to public and private entities 

18 to conduct, support, or coordinate research on teenage 

19 pregnancy, dating violence, and healthy relationships 

20 among racial or ethnic minority or immigrant communities 

21 that— 

22 ‘‘(1) improves data collection on— 

23 ‘‘(A) sexual and reproductive health, in24 cluding teenage pregnancies and births, among 

25 all minority communities and subpopulations in 


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1 which such data are not collected, including 

2 American Indian and Alaska Native youth; 

3 ‘‘(B) sexual behavior, sexual or reproduc4 tive coercion, and teenage contraceptive use 

5 patterns at the State level, as appropriate; and 

6 ‘‘(C) teenage pregnancies among youth in 

7 and aging out of foster care or juvenile justice 

8 systems and the underlying factors that lead to 

9 teenage pregnancy among youth in foster care 

10 or juvenile justice systems; 

11 ‘‘(2) investigates— 

12 ‘‘(A) the variance in the rates of teenage 

13 pregnancy by— 

14 ‘‘(i) racial and ethnic group (such as 

15 Hispanic, Asian, African-American, Pacific 

16 Islander, American Indian, and Alaskan 

17 Native); and 

18 ‘‘(ii) socioeconomic status, including 

19 as based on the income of the family and 

20 education attainment; 

21 ‘‘(B) factors affecting the risk for youth of 

22 teenage pregnancy or dating abuse, including 

23 the physical and social environment, level of ac24 culturation, access to health care, aspirations 


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1 for the future, and history of physical or sexual 

2 violence or abuse; 

3 ‘‘(C) the role that violence and abuse play 

4 in teenage sex, pregnancy, and childbearing; 

5 ‘‘(D) strategies to address the dispropor6 tionate rates of teenage pregnancies and dating 

7 violence in racial or ethnic minority or immi8 grant communities; 

9 ‘‘(E) how effective interventions can be 

10 replicated or adapted in other settings to serve 

11 racial or ethnic minority or immigrant commu12 nities; and 

13 ‘‘(F) the effectiveness of media campaigns 

14 in addressing healthy relationship development, 

15 dating violence prevention, and teenage preg16 nancy; and 

17 ‘‘(3) tests research-based strategies for address18 ing high rates of unintended teenage pregnancy 

19 through programs that emphasize healthy relation20 ships and violence prevention. 

21 ‘‘(b) PRIORITY.—In carrying out this section, the 

22 Secretary shall give priority to research that incor23 porates— 

24 ‘‘(1) interdisciplinary approaches; 


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1 ‘‘(2) a strong emphasis on community-based 

2 participatory research; or 

3 ‘‘(3) translational research. 

4 ‘‘SEC. 399OO–4. HHS ADOLESCENT HEALTH WORK GROUP. 

5 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—Not later than 30 days after the 

6 date of the enactment of this part, the Secretary shall di7 rect the interagency adolescent health workgroup within 

8 the Office of Adolescent Health of the Department of 

9 Health and Human Services to— 

10 ‘‘(1) include in the work of the group strategies 

11 for teenage dating violence prevention and healthy 

12 teenage relationships with a particular focus among 

13 racial or ethnic minority or immigrant communities; 

14 and 

15 ‘‘(2) with respect to including such strategies, 

16 consult, to the greatest extent possible, with the 

17 Federal Interagency Workgroup on Teen Dating Vi18 olence formed under the leadership of the National 

19 Institute of Justice of the Department of Justice. 

20 ‘‘(b) REPORT REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary, 

21 through the Office of Adolescent Health, shall periodically 

22 submit to Congress a report that— 

23 ‘‘(1) includes a review of the evidence-based 

24 programs on preventing teenage pregnancy, which 

25 are carried out and identified by the Office; and 


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1 ‘‘(2) identifies the programs of the Department 

2 of Health and Human Services that include teenage 

3 dating violence prevention and the promotion of 

4 healthy teenage relationships as part of a strategy to 

5 prevent teenage pregnancy. 

6 ‘‘SEC. 399OO–5. GENERAL GRANT PROVISIONS. 

7 ‘‘(a) APPLICATIONS.—To seek a grant under this 

8 part, an entity shall submit an application to the Secretary 

9 in such form, in such manner, and containing such agree10 ments, assurances, and information as the Secretary may 

11 require. 

12 ‘‘(b) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—A grant may be 

13 made under this part only if the applicant involved agrees 

14 that information, activities, and services provided under 

15 the grant— 

16 ‘‘(1) will be evidence-based or evidence in17 formed; 

18 ‘‘(2) will be factually and medically accurate 

19 and complete; and 

20 ‘‘(3) if directed to a particular population 

21 group, will be provided in an appropriate language 

22 and cultural context. 

23 ‘‘(c) TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Of the total amount made 

25 available to carry out this part for a fiscal year, the 


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1 Secretary shall use 10 percent to provide, directly or 

2 through a competitive grant process, training and 

3 technical assistance to the grant recipients under 

4 this part, including by disseminating research and 

5 information regarding effective and promising prac6 tices, providing consultation and resources on a 

7 broad array of teenage and unintended pregnancy 

8 and violence prevention strategies, and developing 

9 resources and materials. 

10 ‘‘(2) COLLABORATION.—In carrying out this 

11 subsection, the Secretary shall collaborate with enti12 ties that have expertise in the prevention of teenage 

13 pregnancy, healthy relationship development, minor14 ity health and health disparities, and violence pre15 vention. 

16 ‘‘SEC. 399OO–6. DEFINITIONS. 

17 ‘‘In this part: 

18 ‘‘(1) MEDICALLY ACCURATE AND COMPLETE.— 

19 The term ‘medically accurate and complete’ means, 

20 with respect to information, activities, or services, 

21 verified or supported by the weight of research con22 ducted in compliance with accepted scientific meth23 ods and— 

24 ‘‘(A) published in peer-reviewed journals, 

25 where applicable; or 


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1 ‘‘(B) comprising information that leading 

2 professional organizations and agencies with 

3 relevant expertise in the field recognize as accu4 rate, objective, and complete. 

5 ‘‘(2) RACIAL OR ETHNIC MINORITY OR IMMI6 GRANT COMMUNITIES.—The term ‘racial or ethnic 

7 minority or immigrant communities’ means commu8 nities with a substantial number of residents who 

9 are members of racial or ethnic minority groups or 

10 who are immigrants. 

11 ‘‘(3) REPRODUCTIVE COERCION.—The term ‘re12 productive coercion’ means, with respect to a person, 

13 coercive behavior that interferes with the ability of 

14 such person to control the reproductive decision15 making of such person, such as intentionally expos16 ing such person to sexually transmitted infections; in 

17 the case such person is a female, attempting to im18 pregnate such person against her will; intentionally 

19 interfering with the person’s birth control; or threat20 ening or acting violent if the person does not comply 

21 with the perpetrator’s wishes regarding contracep22 tion or the decision whether to terminate or continue 

23 a pregnancy. 

24 ‘‘(4) YOUTH.—The term ‘youth’ means individ25 uals who are 11 to 19 years of age. 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 399OO–7. REPORTS. 

2 ‘‘(a) REPORT ON USE OF FUNDS.—Not later than 

3 1 year after the date of the enactment of this part, the 

4 Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the use 

5 of funds provided pursuant to this part. 

6 ‘‘(b) REPORT ON IMPACT OF PROGRAMS.—Not later 

7 than March 1, 2016, the Secretary shall submit to Con8 gress a report on the impact that the programs under this 

9 part had on reducing teenage pregnancies. 

10 ‘‘SEC. 399OO–8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

11 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be ap12 propriated to carry out this part such sums as may be 

13 necessary for each of the fiscal years 2012 through 2016. 

14 ‘‘(b) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts appropriated pursu15 ant to subsection (a)— 

16 ‘‘(1) are authorized to remain available until ex17 pended; and 

18 ‘‘(2) are in addition to amounts otherwise made 

19 available for such purposes.’’. 

Æ 


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