I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7692 
To provide a grant program for elementary schools, secondary schools, and 
institutions of higher education to help offset costs associated with com-
plying with guidelines, recommendations, and other public health commu-
nications issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
or a State, Indian Tribe, Tribal organization, or locality related to 
mitigating the hazards presented by COVID–19. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 20, 2020 
Ms. TITUS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To provide a grant program for elementary schools, sec-
ondary schools, and institutions of higher education to 
help offset costs associated with complying with guide-
lines, recommendations, and other public health commu-
nications issued by the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, or a State, Indian Tribe, Tribal organization, 
or locality related to mitigating the hazards presented 
by COVID–19. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Reopen Schools Safely 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. STATE GRANT PROGRAM TO SAFELY REOPEN 
SCHOOLS. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 
has the meaning given the term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ in 
section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu-
cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 
(2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 102 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002). 
(3) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term 
‘‘local educational agency’’ has the meaning given 
the term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Sec-
ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
(4) OUTLYING
AREAS.—The term ‘‘outlying 
areas’’ means American Samoa, the Commonwealth 
of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the 
United States Virgin Islands. 
(5) PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT.—The 
term ‘‘personal protective equipment’’ has the mean-
ing given the term in section 20005 of the CARES 
Act (Public Law 116–136). 
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(6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Education. 
(7) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 
the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 
(8) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘Tribal 
organization’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘trib-
al organization’’ in section 4 of the Indian Self-De-
termination and Education Assistance Act (25 
U.S.C. 5304). 
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF GRANT PROGRAM.— 
(1) RESERVATION.—From the amount appro-
priated to carry out this section for a fiscal year, the 
Secretary shall reserve one-half of 1 percent for the 
Bureau of Indian Education and one-half of 1 per-
cent for the outlying areas. 
(2) 
AUTHORIZATION.—The 
Secretary 
shall 
award grants to States from allotments made to the 
States under paragraph (3) to offset costs associated 
with complying with guidelines, recommendations, 
and other public health communications issued by 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or 
a State, Indian Tribe, Tribal organization, or local-
ity related to mitigating the hazards presented by 
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19). 
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time, in such manner, and accompanied by such in-
formation as the Secretary may require. 
(2) TIMELINE.—The Secretary shall— 
(A) not later than 15 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, issue a notification for 
applications for grants under this section; and 
(B) not later than 30 days after the date 
of notification for applications for grants under 
this section, begin to award grants under this 
section. 
(d) ALLOWABLE USES OF FUNDS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—A State that receives a 
grant under this section shall use not less than 95 
percent of the grant funds to award subgrants only 
to local educational agencies or institutions of higher 
education to enable such agencies and institutions to 
offset costs associated with complying with guide-
lines, recommendations, and other public health 
communications issued by the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, or a State, Indian Tribe, 
Tribal organization, or locality related to mitigating 
the hazards presented by Coronavirus Disease 2019 
(COVID–19), including by carrying out the fol-
lowing: 
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(A) Designing and implementing exposure 
control plans. 
(B) Hiring personnel and purchasing 
equipment necessary for health screenings, in-
cluding temperature screenings. 
(C) Purchasing in vitro diagnostic products 
(as defined in section 809.3 of title 21, Code of 
Federal Regulations) for the detection of 
SARS–CoV–2 or the diagnosis of the virus that 
causes COVID–19 that are approved, cleared, 
or authorized under section 510(k), 513, or 564 
of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act 
(21 U.S.C. 360(k); 360c; 360bbb–3), including 
both diagnostic and serological tests, as appro-
priate. 
(D) Purchasing and installing physical 
barriers and reconfiguring physical public 
school buildings, including classrooms and other 
aspects of the school’s learning environment, to 
provide for adequate social distancing. 
(E) Providing students, educators, and 
school staff with personal protective equipment. 
(F) Purchasing sanitation supplies, includ-
ing EPA-approved disinfectant and hiring ade-
quate personnel to conduct school cleanings. 
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(G) Developing and providing training re-
lated to COVID–19, including the use of per-
sonal protective equipment. 
(H) Purchasing and installing new ventila-
tion systems, as necessary. 
(I) Purchasing any other items, personnel, 
or services determined necessary or rec-
ommended by the Secretary or a State, Indian 
Tribe, Tribal organization, or locality related to 
mitigating the hazards presented by COVID– 
19. 
(J) Hiring transportation personnel and 
purchasing vehicles to transport students. 
(K) Purchasing connected devices for stu-
dents to use at home, high-speed internet or 
broadband access, or other technology to ensure 
students can complete all schoolwork at home. 
(L) Purchasing secure, third-party applica-
tions for symptom monitoring and associated 
information technology services. 
(2) CONSULTATION.—A State that receives a 
grant under this section shall engage in meaningful 
consultation on the distribution of grant funds with 
local educational agencies, institutions of higher edu-
cation, labor organizations, parents, students, school 
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support staff, public health experts, the State edu-
cational agency, and educators. 
(3) ADMINISTRATIVE FUNDS.—A State that re-
ceives a grant under this section may reserve not 
more than 5 percent of the grant funds for adminis-
trative costs and to develop State standards for miti-
gating COVID–19 in schools. 
(4) APPLICATION
FOR
SUBGRANTS.—A State 
that receives a grant under this section shall estab-
lish an application process for local educational 
agencies and institutions of higher education to 
apply for subgrants under this section. 
(e) REIMBURSEMENT OF FUNDS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—A State that receives a 
grant under this section may reimburse a local edu-
cational agency or institution of higher education for 
costs associated with safely reopening if the local 
educational agency or institution of higher education 
purchased or had expenditures that qualify as an al-
lowable use of funds under subsection (d). 
(2) DATE OF REIMBURSEMENT ELIGIBILITY.— 
A local educational agency or institution of higher 
education may only be reimbursed under paragraph 
(1) for a cost incurred after the date of the COVID– 
19 national emergency. 
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(3) COVID–19 
NATIONAL
EMERGENCY.—In 
this subsection, the term ‘‘COVID–19 national 
emergency’’ means the national emergency declared 
by the President under the National Emergencies 
Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) on March 13, 2020, 
with respect to the coronavirus. 
(f) RECEIPTS AND RECORDS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—A State that receives a 
grant under this section or a local educational agen-
cy or institution of higher education that receives a 
subgrant under this section shall keep all receipts 
and records on the use of such grant or subgrant 
funds. 
(2) 
RECEIPTS
FOR
REIMBURSEMENT
OF 
FUNDS.—Prior to reimbursing a local educational 
agency or institution of education for an allowable 
use of funds under subsection (d) pursuant to sub-
section (e), the State shall certify that such funds 
were spent on expenses that are deemed an allowable 
use of funds as described in subsection (d). 
(g) REPORTS.— 
(1) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY AND INSTI-
TUTION
OF
HIGHER
EDUCATION
REPORTS.—Each 
local educational agency or institution of higher edu-
cation that receives a subgrant under this section 
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shall submit a report to the State that awarded the 
subgrant that details the use of the subgrant funds. 
(2) STATE REPORTS.—Each State that receives 
a grant under this section shall submit an annual re-
port to the Secretary that details the use of the 
grant funds, including the amount of funds reim-
bursed by the State to local educational agencies or 
institutions of higher education. 
(3) 
SECRETARY
REPORT.—The 
Secretary 
shall— 
(A) submit an annual report to Congress 
on the grant program carried out under this 
section; and 
(B) make such report publicly available. 
(h) RETURNING FUNDS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Any funds received under 
this section that are unexpended on the date that is 
1 year after the date of receipt of the funds shall be 
returned to the Secretary. 
(2) REALLOCATION.—The Secretary shall re-
allocate funds returned under paragraph (1) to the 
remaining States in accordance with subsection 
(b)(3). 
(i) RESTRICTIONS.—A State that receives a grant 
under this section or a local educational agency or institu-
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tion of higher education that receives a subgrant under 
this section may not resell any unused supplies or mate-
rials purchased with funds received under this section. 
(j) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—A State’s applica-
tion for grant funds under this section shall include assur-
ances that the State shall, to the greatest extent prac-
ticable, maintain support for elementary and secondary 
education, and State support for higher education (which 
shall include State funding to institutions of higher edu-
cation and State need-based financial aid, and shall not 
include support for capital projects or for research and 
development or tuition and fees paid by students) in fiscal 
years 2020, 2021, and 2022 at least at the levels of such 
support that is the average of such State’s support for 
elementary and secondary education and for higher edu-
cation provided in the 3 fiscal years preceding the date 
of enactment of this Act. 
(k) EQUITABLE SERVICES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.— 
(A) PROVISION
OF
EQUITABLE
SERV-
ICES.—Subject to subparagraphs (B) and (C), 
a local educational agency receiving funds 
under this section shall provide equitable serv-
ices to students from low-income families, and 
teachers of such students, in non-public schools 
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in the same manner as provided under section 
1117 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6320) (including 
the 
specific 
requirements 
of 
subsections 
(a)(4)(A)(i) and (c) of such section), subject to 
paragraph (2), as determined in consultation 
with representatives of non-public schools. 
(B) DETERMINATION
OF
PROPORTIONAL 
SHARE.—In determining the proportional share 
of expenditures for the equitable services de-
scribed in subparagraph (A), a local educational 
agency shall use the proportion determined 
under section 1117(a)(4)(A)(i) of the Elemen-
tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 6320(a)(4)(A)(i)) for the purposes of 
part A of title I of such Act for fiscal year 
2019. 
(C) ELIGIBLE
STUDENTS
AND
TEACH-
ERS.—A local educational agency required to 
provide equitable services under subparagraph 
(A) shall provide such services to students and 
teachers at non-public schools whose students 
or teachers were eligible to receive equitable 
services from such local educational agency dur-
ing fiscal year 2019 under section 1117 of the 
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Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6320). 
(2) PUBLIC CONTROL OF FUNDS.—The control 
of funds for the services and assistance provided to 
a non-public school under paragraph (1), and title to 
materials, equipment, and property purchased with 
such funds, shall be in a public agency, and a public 
agency shall administer such funds, materials, equip-
ment, and property and shall provide such services 
(or may contract for the provision of such services 
with a public or private entity). 
(l) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$90,000,000,000 for fiscal years 2020 through 2022. 
Æ 
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