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[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1743 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1743

 To amend the Educational Organizational Act to establish an Office of 
 Women's Equity and to amend part A of title IV of the Elementary and 
 Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide grants to encourage gender 
      equity throughout the education system in the United States.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 20, 1993

  Mrs. Mink introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
 To amend the Educational Organizational Act to establish an Office of 
 Women's Equity and to amend part A of title IV of the Elementary and 
 Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide grants to encourage gender 
      equity throughout the education system in the United States.

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

SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF WOMEN'S EQUITY.

    (a) Office of Women's Equity.--The Department of Education 
Organization Act is amended--
            (1) by redesignating section 215 as 216; and
            (2) by inserting after section 214 the following:

``SEC. 215. OFFICE OF WOMEN'S EQUITY.

    ``(a) There shall be in the Department, an Office of Women's 
Equity, to be administered by a Director of Women's Equity, who shall 
be appointed by the Secretary. The Director shall promote, coordinate 
and evaluate gender equity programs, disseminate information, provide 
technical assistance, coordinate research activities, and administer 
grant programs. The Director shall report directly to the Secretary, 
and shall perform such additional functions as the Secretary shall 
prescribe.
    ``(b) The Director shall, not later than the final day of each 
fiscal year, submit a report to the President and the Congress setting 
forth the programs and activities assisted under the Women's 
Educational Equity Act, and provide for the distribution of such report 
to all interested groups and individuals.''.
    (b) Organizational Entity.--For purposes of section 413(a) of the 
Department of Education Organization Act, the Office of Women's Equity 
shall be considered to be an organizational entity established under 
such Act and shall not be subject to the reorganization authority of 
the Secretary of Education under such section or any other provision of 
law.

SEC. 2. WOMEN'S EDUCATIONAL EQUITY PROGRAM.

    Part A of title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 is amended to read as follows:

                  ``PART A--WOMEN'S EDUCATIONAL EQUITY

``SEC. 4001. SHORT TITLE.

    ``This part may be cited as the `Women's Educational Equity Act of 
1993'.

``SEC. 4002. FINDINGS AND STATEMENT OF PURPOSE.

    ``(a) Findings.--The Congress finds and declares that--
            (1) educational programs in the United States are 
        frequently inequitable as such programs relate to women and 
        girls;
            (2) such inequities limit the full participation of all 
        individuals in American society; and
            (3) efforts to improve the quality of public education also 
        must include efforts to ensure equal access to quality 
        education programs for all women and girls.
    ``(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this part is to provide gender 
equity in education in the United States, to provide financial 
assistance to enable educational agencies and institutions to meet the 
requirements of title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, and to 
provide equity in education to women and girls who suffer multiple 
forms of discrimination based on sex, race, ethnic origin, limited 
English proficiency, disability, or age.

``SEC. 4003. PROGRAMS AUTHORIZED.

    ``The Director of the Office of Women's Educational Equity 
(referred to in this part as the `Director' is authorized--
            ``(1) to promote, coordinate and evaluate gender equity 
        policies, programs, activities and initiatives in all Federal 
        education programs and offices;
            ``(2) to develop, maintain, and disseminate materials, 
        resources, analyses and research relating to education equity 
        for women and girls;
            ``(3) to provide information and technical assistance to 
        assure the effective implementation of gender equity programs;
            ``(4) coordinate gender equity programs and activities with 
        other Federal agencies that have jurisdiction over education 
        and related programs;
            ``(5) to provide grants to develop model equity programs;
            ``(6) to provide funds for the implementation of equity 
        programs in schools throughout the Nation; and
            ``(7) to coordinate or provide any other activities 
        consistent with achieving the purposes of this part.

``SEC. 4004. LOCAL IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS.

    ``(a) Authority.--The Secretary is authorized to make grants to, 
and enter into contracts with, public agencies, private nonprofit 
agencies, organizations, and institutions, including students and 
community groups, for activities designed to achieve the purposes of 
this part at all levels of education, including preschool, elementary 
and secondary education, higher education, adult education and 
vocational and technical education; for the establishment and 
operation, for a period not exceeding 4 years, of local programs to 
ensure--
            ``(1) educational equity for women and girls;
            ``(2) equal opportunities for both sexes; and
            ``(3) to conduct activities incident to achieving 
        compliance with title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
    ``(b) Grant Program.--Authorized activities under subsection (a) 
may include--
            ``(1) introduction into the curriculum and classroom of 
        curricula, textbooks, and other material designed to achieve 
        equity for women and girls;
            ``(2) implementation of preservice and inservice training 
        with special emphasis on programs and activities designed to 
        provide educational equity for women and girls;
            ``(3) evaluation of promising or exemplary model programs 
        to assess the ability of such programs to improve local efforts 
        to advance educational equity for women and girls;
            ``(4) implementation of programs and policies to address 
        sexual harassment and violence against women and girls and to 
        ensure that educational institutions are free from threats to 
        the safety of students and personnel;
            ``(5) implementation of guidance and counseling activities, 
        including career education programs, designed to ensure 
        educational equity for women and girls;
            ``(6) implementation of nondiscriminatory tests of aptitude 
        and achievement and of alternative assessments that eliminate 
        biased assessment instruments from use;
            ``(7) implementation of programs to increase educational 
        opportunities, including higher education, vocational training, 
        and other educational programs for low-income women; including 
        underemployed and unemployed women and women receiving Aid to 
        Families with Dependent Children benefits;
            ``(8) implementation of programs to improve representation 
        of women in educational administration at all levels; and
            ``(9) planning, development and initial implementation of--
                    ``(A) comprehensive plans for implementation of 
                equity programs in State and local educational agencies 
                and institutions of higher education, including 
                community colleges;
                    ``(B) innovative approaches to school-community 
                partnerships for educational equity; and
                    ``(C) innovative approaches to equity programs 
                addressing combined bias, stereotyping, and 
                discrimination on the basis of sex and race, ethnic 
                origin, limited English proficiency, and disability.
    ``(c) Application; Participation.--A grant may be made, and a 
contract may be entered into, under this part only upon application to 
the Secretary, at such time, in such form, and containing or 
accompanied by such information as the Secretary may prescribe. Each 
such application shall--
            ``(1) provide that the program or activity for which 
        assistance is sought will be administered by or under the 
        supervision of the applicant and in cooperation with 
        appropriate educational and community leaders, including 
        parent, teacher and student organizations, educational 
        institutions, business leaders, community-based organizations 
        serving women, and other significant groups and individuals;
            ``(2) describe a program for carrying out the purposes 
        described in section 4004(b) which is likely to make a 
        substantial contribution in attaining such purposes;
            ``(3) describe plans for continuation and 
        institutionalization of the program with local support 
        following completion of the grant period and termination of 
        Federal support under this part;
            ``(4) establish policies and procedures which ensure 
        adequate documentation and evaluation of the activities 
        intended to be carried out under the application.
    ``(d) Criteria; Priorities; Categories of Competition.--The 
Secretary shall establish criteria, priorities, and categories of 
competition for awards under this part to ensure that available funds 
are used to achieve the purposes of this part.
            ``(1) The criteria shall address the extent to which--
                    ``(A) the program addresses the needs of women and 
                girls of color and women and girls with disabilities;
                    ``(B) the program meets locally defined and 
                documented educational equity needs and priorities, 
                including compliance with the requirements of title IX 
                of the Education Amendments of 1972;
                    ``(C) the program is a significant component of a 
                comprehensive plan for educational equity and 
                compliance with the requirements of title IX of the 
                Education Amendments of 1972 in the particular local 
                educational agency, institution of higher education, 
                vocational-technical institution, or other educational 
                agency or institution; and
                    ``(D) the program implements an institutional 
                strategy with long-term impact that will continue as a 
                central activity of the applicant agency or institution 
                after the grant is completed.
            ``(2) The Secretary shall establish not more than 4 
        priorities, 1 of which shall be a priority for compliance with 
        title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972. Not more than 
        60 percent of the funds available in each fiscal year under 
        this part which implement the 4 priorities.
            ``(3) The Secretary shall establish 3 categories of 
        competition, distinguishing among 3 types of applicants and 
        levels of education that are--
                    ``(A) grants to local educational agencies, State 
                education agencies, and other agencies and 
                organizations providing elementary and secondary 
                education;
                    ``(B) grants to institutions of higher education, 
                including community colleges and other agencies and 
                organizations providing postsecondary education, 
                including vocational-technical education, adult 
                education, and other programs; and
                    ``(C) grants to nonprofit organizations, including 
                community-based organizations groups representing 
                students, parents, and women, including women and girls 
                of color and women and girls with disabilities.
    ``(e) Requirement.--Not less than 25 percent of funds used to 
support activities covered by subsection (b) shall be used for awards 
under each category of competition in each fiscal year.
    ``(f) Special Rule.--The Secretary shall ensure that the grants 
awarded each year address--
            ``(1) all levels of education, including preschool, 
        elementary and secondary education, higher education, 
        vocational education, and adult education;
            ``(2) all regions of the United States, including at least 
        1 grant in each of the 10 Federal regions; and
            ``(3) urban, rural, and suburban educational institutions.

``SEC. 4005. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT GRANTS.

    ``(a) Authority.--The Secretary is authorized to make grants to, 
and enter into contracts with, public agencies, private nonprofit 
agencies, organizations, and institutions, including students, and 
community groups, for activities designed to achieve the purpose of 
this part at all levels of education, including preschool, elementary 
and secondary education, higher education, adult education, and 
vocational-technical education, to develop model policies and programs, 
and to conduct research to address and ensure educational equities for 
women and girls, including but not limited to--
            ``(1) the development and evaluation of gender-equitable 
        curricula, textbooks, software, and other educational material 
        and technology;
            ``(2) the development of model preservice and inservice 
        training programs for educational personnel with special 
        emphasis on programs and activities designed to provide 
        educational equity;
            ``(3) the development of guidance and counseling 
        activities, including career education programs, designed to 
        ensure gender equity;
            ``(4) the development and evaluation of nondiscriminatory 
        assessment systems;
            ``(5) the development of policies and programs to address 
        and prevent sexual harassment and violence to ensure that 
        educational institutions are free from threats to safety of 
        students and personnel;
            ``(6) the development and improvement of programs and 
        activities to increase opportunity for women, including 
        continuing educational activities, vocational education, and 
        programs for low-income women, including underemployed and 
        unemployed women, and women receiving Aid to Families with 
        Dependent Children;
            ``(7) the development of instruments and strategies for 
        program evaluation and dissemination of promising or exemplary 
        programs designed to improve local efforts to achieve gender 
        equity;
            ``(8) the development of instruments and procedures to 
        assess the presence or absence of gender equity in educational 
        settings; and
            ``(9) the development and evaluation of various strategies 
        to institutionalize gender equity in education.
    ``(b) Application.--A grant may be made, and a contract may be 
entered into, under this part only upon application to the Secretary, 
at such time, in such form, and containing or accompanied by such 
information as the Secretary may prescribe. Each such application 
shall--
            ``(1) provide that the program or activity for which 
        assistance is sought will be administered by or under the 
        supervision of the applicant;
            ``(2) describe a plan for carrying out 1 or more research 
        and development activities authorized in subsection (a) above, 
        which is likely to make substantial contribution toward 
        attaining the purposes of this part; and
            ``(3) set forth policies and procedures which ensure 
        adequate documentation, data collection, and evaluation of the 
        activities intended to be carried out under the application, 
        including an evaluation or estimate of the potential for 
        continued significance following completion of the grant 
        period.
    ``(c) Criteria and Priorities.--(1) The Secretary shall establish 
criteria and priorities to ensure that available funds are used for 
programs that most effectively will achieve the purposes of this part.
    (2) The criteria and priorities shall be promulgated in accordance 
with section 431 of the General Education Provisions Act.
    (3) In establishing priorities the Secretary shall establish not 
more than 4 priorities, 1 of which shall be a program which addresses 
the educational needs of women and girls who suffer multiple or 
compound discrimination based on sex and on race, ethnic origin, 
disability, or age.
    ``(d) Special Rule.--The Secretary shall ensure that the total of 
grants awarded each year address--
            ``(1) all levels of education, including preschool, 
        elementary and secondary education, higher education, 
        vocational education, and adult education;
            ``(2) all regions of the United States.
    ``(e) Limitation.--Nothing in this part shall be construed as 
prohibiting men and boys from participating in any programs or 
activities assisted under this part.

``SEC. 4006. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated $100,000,000 for the 
fiscal year 1994, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 
fiscal years 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998, to carry out the provisions of 
section 4004 of this part; and $10,000,000 for the fiscal year 1994, 
and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 1995, 
1996, 1997, and 1998 to carry out the provisions of section 4005 of 
this part.''.

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