Healthy Relationships Act of 2015

To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to award grants on a competitive basis to public and private entities to provide qualified sexual risk avoidance education to youth and their parents. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Healthy Relationships Act of 2015 2. Sexual risk avoidance education (a) Grants The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, may award grants on a competitive basis to public and private entities to provide qualified sexual risk avoidance education to youth and their parents. (b) Qualified sexual risk avoidance education To qualify for funding under subsection (a), sexual risk avoidance education shall meet each of the following: (1) The primary emphasis and context for each topic covered through the funding shall be the unambiguous message that postponing sexual activity is the optimal sexual health behavior for youth. (2) The education shall be medically accurate. (3) The education shall be an evidence-based approach. (4) The education shall be age-appropriate. (5) The education shall thoroughly address each of the following: (A) The holistic individual and societal benefits associated with personal responsibility, success sequencing, self-regulation, goal setting, healthy decisionmaking, and a focus on the future. (B) The research-based advantage of reserving sexual activity for marriage, as associated with poverty prevention and optimal physical and emotional health for all youth, regardless of previous sexual experience. (C) The skills needed to resist the pervasive, sex-saturated culture that portrays teenage sexual activity as an expected norm, with few risks or negative consequences. (D) The foundational components of healthy relationships and their impact on the formation of healthy marriages and safe and stable families. (E) How to avoid sexual coercion, dating violence, and risk behaviors, such as drugs, alcohol, and the misuse of social media. (6) The education shall ensure that any information provided on contraception— (A) emphasizes the superior health benefits of sexual delay; and (B) does not exaggerate the effectiveness of contraception in preventing the physical and non-physical consequences of teenage sexual activity. (c) Priority In awarding grants under subsection (a), the Secretary shall give priority to applicants proposing programs to provide qualified sexual risk avoidance education that— (1) serves youth throughout the middle and high school grades; and (2) will promote parent-child communication regarding healthy sexual decisionmaking. (d) Definitions In this Act: (1) The term age-appropriate (2) The term evidence-based approach (A) has a clear theoretical framework integrating research findings with practical implementation relevant to the field; (B) matches the needs and desired outcomes for the intended audience; and (C) if effectively implemented, will demonstrate improved outcomes for the targeted population. (3) The term medically accurate (4) The term sexual risk avoidance (5) The term sexual activity (6) The term success sequencing (e) Authorization of appropriations (1) In general To carry out this Act, there is authorized to be appropriated $110,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 through 2020. Amounts authorized to be appropriated by the preceding sentence shall be derived exclusively from amounts in the Prevention and Public Health Fund established by section 4002 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300u–11 (2) Federal administrative costs Of the amount authorized to be appropriated by paragraph (1) for a fiscal year— (A) not more than $1,000,000 are authorized to be used for Federal administrative costs; and (B) of the amount used by the Secretary for administrative costs, at least 40 percent shall be used for training and technical assistance by qualified organizations whose— (i) sole focus is the development and advancement of sexual risk avoidance; (ii) have expertise in theory-based sexual risk avoidance curriculum development and implementation; (iii) have direct experience in developing sexual risk avoidance evaluation instruments; and (iv) can offer technical assistance and training on a wide range of topics relevant to the sexual risk avoidance field.

Summary: Healthy Relationships Act of 2015 This bill authorizes the Health Resources and Services Administration to award grants for qualified sexual risk avoidance education for youth and their parents. The unambiguous message that postponing sexual activity is the optimal sexual health behavior for youth must be the primary emphasis and context for each topic covered by the education. The education must be age appropriate, medically accurate, and evidence based. The education must address specified topics, including: the benefits associated with personal responsibility, success sequencing (sequential progression through: completing school, securing a job, and marrying before bearing children), goal setting, healthy decision making, and a focus on the future; the research-based advantage of reserving sexual activity for marriage; the skills needed to resist the pervasive, sex-saturated culture; the foundational components of healthy relationships; and how to avoid sexual coercion, dating violence, and risk behaviors, such as drugs, alcohol, and the misuse of social media. Priority in awarding grants must be given to programs serving youth in middle school and high school that will promote parent-child communication regarding healthy sexual decision making.