I
104TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1605
To provide assistance to States and local communities to improve adult
education and family literacy, to help achieve the National Educational
Goals for all citizens, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 10, 1995
Mr. KILDEE (for himself, Mr. CLAY, Mr. WILLIAMS, Mr. MILLER of Califor-
nia, Mr. OWENS, Mr. SAWYER, and Mr. PAYNE of New Jersey) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Eco-
nomic and Educational Opportunities
A BILL
To provide assistance to States and local communities to
improve adult education and family literacy, to help
achieve the National Educational Goals for all citizens,
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
That this Act may be cited as the ‘‘Adult Education and
Family Literacy Reform Act of 1995’’.
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TITLE I—AMENDMENT TO THE ADULT
EDUCATION ACT AMENDMENT
SECTION 1. The Adult Education Act (20 U.S.C.
1201 et seq.; hereinafter referred to as ‘‘the Act’’) is
amended in its entirety to read as follows:
‘‘SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS
‘‘SEC. 101. (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be
cited as the ‘Adult Education and Family Literacy Act’.
‘‘(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents
for this Act is as follows:
‘‘TABLE OF CONTENTS
‘‘Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
‘‘Sec. 2. Findings; purpose.
‘‘Sec. 3. Authorization of appropriations.
‘‘TITLE I—ADULT EDUCATION AND FAMILY LITERACY
‘‘Sec. 101. Program authority; priorities.
‘‘Sec. 102. State grants for adult education and family literacy.
‘‘Sec. 103. State leadership activities.
‘‘Sec. 104. Even start family literacy program.
‘‘Sec. 105. State administration.
‘‘Sec. 106. State plan.
‘‘Sec. 107. Subgrants to eligible applicants.
‘‘Sec. 108. Applications from eligible applicants.
‘‘Sec. 109. State performance goals and indications.
‘‘Sec. 110. Evaluation, improvement, and accountability.
‘‘Sec. 111. Allotments; reallotment.
‘‘TITLE II—NATIONAL LEADERSHIP
‘‘Sec. 201. National leadership activities.
‘‘Sec. 202. Awards for national excellence.
‘‘Sec. 203. National institute for literacy.
‘‘TITLE III—GENERAL PROVISIONS
‘‘Sec. 301. Waivers.
‘‘Sec. 302. Definitions.
‘‘FINDING; PURPOSE
‘‘SEC. 2. (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that:
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‘‘(1) Our Nation’s well-being is dependent on
the knowledge, skills, and abilities of all of its citi-
zens.
‘‘(2) Advances in technology and changes in the
workplace are rapidly increasing the knowledge and
skill requirements for workers.
‘‘(3) Our social cohesion and success in combat-
ing poverty, crime, and disease also depend on the
Nation’s having an educated citizenry.
‘‘(4) The success of State and local educational
reforms supported by the Goals 2000: Educate
America Act and other programs that State and
local communities are implementing requires that
parents be well educated and possess the ability to
be a child’s first and most continuous teacher.
‘‘(5) There is a strong relationship between
educational attainment and welfare dependence.
Adults with very low levels of literacy are ten times
as likely to be poor as those with high levels of lit-
eracy.
‘‘(6) Studies, including the National Adult Lit-
eracy Survey, have found that more than one-fifth of
American adults demonstrate very low literacy skills
that make it difficult for them to enter high-skill,
high-wage jobs, to assist effectively in their chil-
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dren’s education, or to carry out their responsibil-
ities as citizens.
‘‘(7) National studies have also shown that ex-
isting federally supported adult education programs
have assisted many adults in acquiring basic literacy
skills, learning English, or acquiring a high school
diploma (or its equivalent), and family literacy pro-
grams have shown great potential for breaking the
intergenerational cycle of low literacy and having a
positive effect on later school performance and high
school completion, especially for children from low-
income families.
‘‘(8) Current adult education programs, how-
ever, are often narrowly focused on specific popu-
lations or methods of service delivery, have conflict-
ing or overlapping requirements, and are not admin-
istered in an integrated manner, thus inhibiting the
capacity of State and local officials to implement
programs that meet the needs of individual States
and localities.
‘‘(9) The president’s GI Bill for America’s
Workers, of which this Act is a key component, will
help strengthen the capacity of States, educational
institutions, and businesses, working together, to up-
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grade the skills and literacy levels of youth and
adults.
‘‘(10) The Federal Government can, through a
performance partnership with States and localities
based on clear State-developed goals and indicators,
increase State and local flexibility, improved ac-
countability and incentives for performance, and en-
hanced consumer choice and information, assist
States and localities with the improvement and ex-
pansion of their adult education and family literacy
programs.
‘‘(11) The Federal Government can also assist
States and localities by carrying out research, devel-
opment, demonstration, dissemination, evaluation,
capacity-building, data collection, professional devel-
opment, and technical assistance activities that sup-
port State and local efforts to implement success-
fully services and activities that are funded under
this Act, as well as adult education and family lit-
eracy activities supported with non-Federal re-
sources.
‘‘(b) PURPOSE.—(1) It is the purpose of this Act to
create a performance partnership with States and local-
ities for the provision of adult education and family lit-
eracy services so that, as called for in the National Edu-
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cation Goals, all adults who need such services will, as ap-
propriate, be able to—
‘‘(A) become literate and obtain the knowledge
and skills needed to complete in a global economy
and exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizen-
ship;
‘‘(B) complete a high school education;
‘‘(C) become and remain actively involved in
their children’s education in order to ensure their
children’s readiness for, and success in, school.
‘‘(2) This purpose shall be pursued through—
‘‘(A) building on State and local education re-
forms supported by the Goals 2000: Educate Amer-
ica Act and other Federal and State legislation;
‘‘(B) consolidating numerous Federal adult edu-
cation and literacy programs into a single, flexible
grant;
‘‘(C) tying local programs to challenging State-
developed performance goals that are consistent with
the purpose of this Act;
‘‘(D) holding States and localities accountable
for achieving such goals;
‘‘(E) building program quality through such
measures as encouraging greater use of new tech-
nologies in adult education and family literacy pro-
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grams and better professional development of edu-
cators working in those programs;
‘‘(F) integrating adult education and family lit-
eracy programs with States’ school-to-work opportu-
nities systems, career preparation education services
and activities, job training programs, early childhood
and elementary school programs, and other related
activities; and
‘‘(G) supporting the improvement of State and
local activities through nationally significant efforts
in research, development, demonstration, dissemina-
tion, evaluation, capacity-building, data collection,
professional development, and technical assistance.
‘‘AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS
‘‘SEC. 3. (a) STATE GRANTS FOR ADULT EDUCATION
AND FAMILY LITERACY.—For the purpose of carrying out
this Act there are authorized to be appropriated
$490,487,000 for fiscal year 1996 and such sums as may
be necessary for each of the fiscal years 1997 through
2005.
‘‘(b) RESERVATIONS.—(1) Except as provided in
paragraph (2), from the amount appropriated for any fis-
cal year under subsection (a), the Secretary may reserve—
‘‘(A) not more than 5 percent to carry out sec-
tion 202;
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cluding adults with disabilities or other special
needs, to attend and complete programs.
‘‘STATE GRANTS FOR ADULT EDUCATION AND FAMILY
LITERACY
‘‘SEC. 102. (a) STATE GRANT.—From the funds
available for State grants under section 3 for each fiscal
year, the Secretary shall, in accordance with section 111,
make a grant to each State that has an approved State
plan under section 106, to assist that State in developing,
implementing, and improving adult education and family
literacy programs within the State.
‘‘(b) RESERVATION OF FUNDS.—From the amount
awarded to a State for any fiscal year under subsection
(a), the State—
‘‘(1) may use up to 5 percent, or $80,000,
whichever is greater, for the cost of administering its
program under this title;
‘‘(2) may use up to 10 percent for leadership
activities under section 103;
‘‘(3)(A) may, beginning in fiscal year 1998, use
up to 5 percent for financial incentives or awards to
one or more eligible recipients in recognition of—
‘‘(i) exemplary quality or innovation in
adult education or family literacy services and
activities;
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‘‘(ii) exemplary services and activities for
individuals who are most in need of such serv-
ices and activities, or are hardest to serve, such
as adults with disabilities or other special
needs; or
‘‘(iii) both.
‘‘(B) The incentives or awards made under sub-
paragraph (A) shall be determined by the State
through a peer review process, using the perform-
ance goals and indicators described in section 109
and, if appropriate, other criteria; and
‘‘(4) shall use the remainder for subgrants to
eligible applicants under section 107, except that at
least 25 percent of the remainder shall be used for
Even Start family literacy programs under section
104, unless the State demonstrates in its State plan
under section 106, to the satisfaction of the Sec-
retary, that it will otherwise meet the needs of indi-
viduals in the State for family literacy programs in
a manner that is consistent with the purpose of this
Act.
‘‘(c) FEDERAL SHARE.—(1) The Federal share of ex-
penditures to carry out a State plan under section 106
shall be paid from the State’s grant under subsection (a).
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‘‘(2) The Federal share shall be no greater than 75
percent of the cost of carrying out the State plan for each
fiscal year, except that with respect to Guam, American
Samoa, the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Is-
lands the Federal share may be 100 percent.
‘‘(3) The State’s share of expenditures to carry out
a State plan submitted under section 106 may be in cash
or in kind, fairly evaluated, and may include only non-
Federal funds that are used for adult education and family
literacy activities in a manner that is consistent with the
purpose of this Act.
‘‘(d) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—(1) A State may
receive funds under this title for any fiscal year only if
the Secretary finds that the aggregate expenditures of the
State for adult education and family literacy by such State
for the preceding fiscal year were not less than 90 percent
of such aggregate expenditures for the second preceding
fiscal year.
‘‘(2) The Secretary shall reduce the amount of the
allocation of funds under section 111 for any fiscal year
in the exact proportion to which a State fails to meet the
requirement of paragraph (1) by falling below 90 percent
of the aggregate expenditures for adult education and
family literacy for the second preceding fiscal year.
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‘‘(3) The Secretary may waive the requirements of
this subsection if the Secretary determines that a waiver
would be equitable due to exceptional or uncontrollable cir-
cumstances, such as a natural disaster or a precipitous
decline in the financial resource of the State.
‘‘(4) No lesser amount of State expenditures under
paragraphs (2) and (3) may be used for computing the
effort required under paragraph (1) for subsequent years.
‘‘STATE LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES
‘‘SEC. 103. (a) STATE LEADERSHIP.—Each State
that receives a grant under section 102(a) for any fiscal
year shall use funds reserved for State leadership under
section 102(b)(2) to conduct activities of Statewide signifi-
cance that develop, implement, or improve programs of
adult education and family literacy, consistent with its
State plan under section 106.
‘‘(b) USES OF FUNDS.—States shall use funds under
subsection (a) for one or more of the following—
‘‘(1) professional development and training;
‘‘(2) disseminating curricula for adult education
and family literacy programs;
‘‘(3) monitoring and evaluating the quality of,
and improvement in, services and activities con-
ducted with assistance under this title, including es-
tablishing performance goals and indicators under
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section 109(a), in order to assess program quality
and improvement;
‘‘(4) establishing State content standards for
adult education and family literacy programs;
‘‘(5) establishing challenging State performance
standards for literacy proficiency;
‘‘(6) promoting the integration of literacy in-
struction and occupational skill training, and link-
ages with employers
‘‘(7) promoting the use of and acquiring in-
structional and management software and tech-
nology;
‘‘(8) establishing or operating State or regional
adult literacy resource centers;
‘‘(9) developing and participating in networks
and consortia of States that seek to establish and
implement adult education and family literacy pro-
grams that have significance to the State or region,
and may have national significance; and
‘‘(10) other activities of Statewide significance
that promote the purposes of this Act.
‘‘EVEN START FAMILY LITERACY PROGRAMS
‘‘SEC. 104. (a) EVEN START GRANTS.—Each State
that receives a grant under section 102(a) for any fiscal
year shall use funds reserved under section 102(b)(4) to
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award subgrants to partnerships described in subsection
(b)(5) to carry out Even Start family literacy programs.
‘‘(b) PROGRAM ELEMENTS.—An Even Start family
literacy program shall—
‘‘(1) provide opportunities (including opportuni-
ties for home-based instructional services) for joint
participation by parents or guardians (including par-
ents or guardians who are within the State’s com-
pulsory school attendance age range, so long as a
local educational agency provides, or ensures the
availability of, their basic education), other family
members, and children;
‘‘(2) provide developmentally appropriate child-
hood education for children from birth through age
seven;
‘‘(3) identify and recruit families that are most
in need of family literacy services, as indicated by
low levels of income and adult literacy (including
limited English proficiency), and such other need-re-
lated indicators as may be appropriate;
‘‘(4) enable participants, including individuals
with disabilities or other special needs, to succeed
through services and activities designed to meet
their needs, such as support services and flexible
class schedules; and