I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7225 
To establish a National Parents Corps Program, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 29, 2008 
Mr. LEWIS of Georgia (for himself, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. STARK, Ms. 
BORDALLO, Mr. FILNER, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, and Mr. GRIJALVA) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Edu-
cation and Labor 
A BILL 
To establish a National Parents Corps Program, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Parents 
Corps Act of 2008’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
(1) Most parents work and have limited time to 
volunteer at the schools their children attend. 
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(2) A parent’s first responsibility is to the 
health, safety, and stability of their children. 
(3) Nearly one-third of children in the United 
States ages 12 to 17 have used illicit drugs. 
(4) According to the American Lung Associa-
tion, approximately 4,000 children between the ages 
of 12 and 17 will smoke their first cigarette, and 
adolescents who reported smoking cigarettes in the 
last 30 days were more likely to use alcohol, smoke 
marijuana, and use cocaine during the same period. 
(5) Accidents, homicides, and suicides are the 
leading causes of adolescent deaths. Most of these 
deaths are connected to alcohol and drug use. 
(6) The Office of National Drug Control Policy 
reports that early action from friends, parents, or 
loved-ones of a teen who has started using drugs 
could help the teen stop before treatment may be 
needed. 
(7) In response to concerns about youth vio-
lence and drug, tobacco, and alcohol use by youth, 
the White House unveiled the Parents Corps, a 3 
year initiative operating in 9 States to bring to-
gether citizenship, service, and responsibility to em-
power parents to keep their children, schools, and 
communities drug-free. 
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SEC. 3. NATIONAL PARENTS CORPS PROGRAM. 
(a) GRANT TO ESTABLISH THE PROGRAM.—Subject 
to the availability of appropriations to carry out this Act, 
the Administrator shall, not later than 3 months after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, award a grant to an 
eligible nonprofit entity to establish a National Parents 
Corps Program (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Program’’) 
to promote safety, combat youth violence, and combat 
drug and alcohol abuse in schools in the United States. 
The eligible nonprofit entity awarded such grant shall be 
known as the ‘‘NPCP Nonprofit Partner’’. 
(b) PROGRAM ACTIVITIES.—The NPCP Nonprofit 
Partner shall use the grant awarded under this section 
to establish and administer the Program, which shall in-
clude— 
(1) employing Parent Leaders to carry out the 
Program at eligible schools that are selected to host 
Parent Leaders, in accordance with sections 4 and 
5; and 
(2) working with schools, parents of children 
enrolled in schools, local nonprofit organizations, 
and law enforcement agencies and officers to pro-
mote safety, combat youth violence, and combat 
drug, alcohol, and tobacco abuse in schools. 
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SEC. 4. PARTICIPATION OF SCHOOLS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 
date of enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the 
NPCP Nonprofit Partner shall solicit applications from el-
igible schools desiring to participate in the Program by 
hosting a Parent Leader. Each eligible school selected to 
host a Parent Leader shall enter into a memorandum of 
understanding with the NPCP Nonprofit Partner— 
(1) in which the eligible school agrees to partici-
pate in the Program and host a Parent Leader for 
the number of years that is equal to the number of 
grade levels taught at the school; and 
(2) that outlines the parameters and goals of 
hosting a Parent Leader and carrying out the Pro-
gram at the eligible school, including how the Parent 
Leader and the operation of the Program will ad-
dress the cultural, social, and crime prevention needs 
and goals of the students at such school. 
(b) SELECTION CONSIDERATIONS.—In selecting eligi-
ble schools to host Parent Leaders under this Act, the 
NPCP Nonprofit Partner shall ensure that, to the extent 
practicable, the eligible schools selected represent 
schools— 
(1) that are located in a variety of geographical 
regions in the United States; 
(2) in urban, rural, and suburban areas; and 
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(3) in ethnically and economically diverse com-
munities. 
SEC. 5. PARENT LEADERS. 
(a) PARENT LEADER FOR EACH SCHOOL.—For each 
eligible school selected to participate in the Program as 
a host school under section 4, the NPCP Nonprofit Part-
ner shall, after consultation with the principal of the se-
lected school, solicit applications for, hire, and employ one 
Parent Leader. The Nonprofit Partner shall use the grant 
funds provided under this Act to train, supervise, support, 
and provide a salary and benefits to each Parent Leader. 
(b) DUTIES OF PARENT LEADERS.—Each Parent 
Leader employed by the Nonprofit Partner shall, with re-
spect to the eligible school hosting the Parent Leader— 
(1) educate and mobilize parents of students at 
the school to combat criminal and gang activity and 
prevent students from social, cultural, and commer-
cial forces that encourage children and adolescents 
to initiate the use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco; 
(2) create a delivery system to provide parents 
of students at the school with information regarding 
science-based prevention and analysis related to 
early recognition of behaviors and traits that may 
lead to or indicate drug, alcohol, and tobacco use 
and abuse, gang activity, and violence; 
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(3) work with school officials, other parents of 
students at the school, and students at the school to 
develop programs and practices to treat, prevent, 
and reduce violence and drug, alcohol, and tobacco 
addiction for students at the school; 
(4) assist parents of students at the school and 
school administrators with finding professional as-
sistance for any child who— 
(A) is using drugs, including referrals to 
professionals who can assess the needs of the 
child for counseling, treatment, and other ap-
propriate assistance; or 
(B) is engaged in violent activities or gang 
activities; 
(5) recruit and train parent and student volun-
teers from the school to participate in drug and vio-
lence prevention and education outreach and pro-
gramming; and 
(6) consult with the NPCP Nonprofit Partner, 
school administrators, local government authorities, 
local nonprofit organizations, and other parents to 
develop best practices and training models related to 
the prevention of school violence and drug, alcohol, 
and tobacco use and abuse by students. 
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(c) PARENT LEADER ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to 
be employed as a Parent Leader under this Act, an indi-
vidual shall— 
(1) be the parent (as such term is defined in 
section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)) of at least one 
student who will be enrolled, during the first year 
the individual will be employed as a Parent Leader, 
in the lowest grade level offered at the school that 
will host the Parent Leader; 
(2) not be employed full-time at any position 
other than as a Parent Leader; 
(3) complete a background check, including 
criminal records checks, fingerprint-based checks of 
State and national crime information databases (as 
defined in section 534(e)(3)(A) of title 28, United 
States Code), checks in any available child abuse 
and neglect registries, and checks in any available 
sex offender registries; and 
(4) enter into an agreement with the NPCP 
Nonprofit Partner to serve as a Parent Leader for 
a number of years that is equal to the number of 
years normally required for a student to complete all 
of the grade levels offered at the school that will 
host the Parent Leader (as determined by the 
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school), except that the individual shall not be re-
quired to continue to serve as Parent Leader in the 
case of an extreme, unforeseen circumstance (such 
as death, disability, relocation, or criminal activity) 
that prevents the individual from completing the 
term of service required under this paragraph. 
(d) VACANCIES.—If an individual who is employed as 
a Parent Leader is unable to complete the term of service 
required under subsection (c)(4), the NPCP Nonprofit 
Partner shall, after consultation with the host school at 
which the Parent Leader was serving, promptly solicit ap-
plications for, hire, and employ another individual to serve 
as Parent Leader at such school, in accordance with the 
requirements of this section. 
SEC. 6. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. 
(a) REPORTS BY PARENT LEADERS.—Not less than 
once each calendar quarter during each year a Parent 
Leader is employed by the NPCP Nonprofit Partner, the 
Parent Leader shall submit to the NPCP Nonprofit Part-
ner and the school hosting the Parent Leader a report 
including activities carried out by the Parent Leader to 
carry out the Program, the results of such activities, best 
practices observed and used by the Parent Leader to carry 
out the Program, and any other information the Parent 
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Leader, the NPCP Nonprofit Partner, or the school 
hosting the Parent Leader determine to be appropriate. 
(b) REPORTS BY NPCP NONPROFIT PARTNER.—Not 
later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, and every 6 months thereafter, the NPCP Non-
profit Partner shall prepare and submit to the Adminis-
trator a report on the progress and effectiveness of the 
Program, including— 
(1) statistics, trends, and other data analyzing 
whether the Program is effective at preventing 
school violence and drug, alcohol, and tobacco use 
and abuse by students; 
(2) a summary of the reports submitted by Par-
ent Leaders; and 
(3) the results and best practices reported by 
the Parent Leader at each school hosting a Parent 
Leader. 
(c) REPORTS BY ADMINISTRATOR.—Not later than 
one year after the date of the enactment of this section, 
and annually thereafter, the Administrator shall prepare 
and submit to the Attorney General and the appropriate 
Congressional committees a report relating to the progress 
and effectiveness of the Program. 
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SEC. 7. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of the Congress that eligible schools 
selected to host a Parent Leader in accordance with sec-
tion 4 should take such actions as may be necessary to 
secure funding to employ a Parent Leader to carry out 
the Program after Federal funding is no longer available 
to carry out this Act. 
SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Office of Ju-
venile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. 
(2) ELIGIBLE NONPROFIT ENTITY.—The term 
‘‘eligible nonprofit entity’’ means an organization de-
scribed in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986 that— 
(A) was operating on the day before the 
date of the enactment of this Act; 
(B) has demonstrated experience admin-
istering Federal grants in a fiscally responsible 
manner, as determined by the Administrator; 
(C) has administered national programs 
relating to addiction and parenting; 
(D) has developed and administered pro-
grams similar to the Program authorized under 
this Act; 
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(E) has worked with the Corporation for 
National and Community Service, the Depart-
ment of Health and Human Services, and the 
Department of Justice in assessing and devel-
oping initiatives relating to youth drug preven-
tion and parental involvement; and 
(F) has as its mission to focus on child 
and youth drug prevention. 
(3) ELIGIBLE
SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘eligible 
school’’ means a public middle school or secondary 
school (as such term is defined in section 9101 of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)) that has demonstrated a 
commitment, as determined by the Secretary, to— 
(A) increasing parental involvement in the 
school; and 
(B) reducing drug, alcohol, and tobacco 
abuse by students enrolled in the school. 
(4) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate Congressional com-
mittees’’ means the Committee on the Judiciary, the 
Committee on Education and Labor, and the Appro-
priations Committee in the House of Representa-
tives, and the Committee on the Judiciary, the Com-
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mittee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, 
and the Appropriations Committee in the Senate. 
SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—In addition to other amounts oth-
erwise appropriated to carry out the purposes of this Act, 
there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
Act $5,500,000 for each of the fiscal years 2009 through 
2019. 
(b) FUNDING FROM OTHER SOURCES.—The Admin-
istrator, the NPCP Nonprofit Partner, and eligible schools 
selected to host a Parent Leader in accordance with sec-
tion 4 are authorized to solicit, receive, and use funding 
from State, local, and private sources to carry out the Pro-
gram, including for expenses related to employing Parent 
Leaders. 
Æ 
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