vision watching, getting their children library cards
and urging their children to use them regularly, and
seeking the support they may need to help their chil-
dren learn to read.
(5) Research underscores the importance of
one-on-one tutoring in helping students improve
their reading ability. Effective tutoring programs
typically rely on trained tutors who provide reading
help, on a regular basis outside of school hours, to
young children who are behind in reading. Effective
programs often use funds for reading specialists and
program coordinators, are linked with in-school
reading programs, and support the active involve-
ment of parents.
(6) When appropriately trained, concerned indi-
viduals from all walks of life, from libraries, schools,
community-based organizations, religious organiza-
tions, colleges and universities, businesses and other
employers, senior citizen groups, parent associations,
youth and civic groups, and literacy coalitions, can
serve as reading tutors for young children to support
their reading success.
(7) Early efforts to teach reading are particu-
larly important to children from language minority
backgrounds, and data from the National Assess-
ment of Educational Progress indicate that a large
gap in reading achievement between students from
non-English backgrounds and the general population
is present by the early grades and persists through
secondary school.
SEC. 102. PURPOSE AND DEFINITIONS.
(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to help all
children read well and independently by the end of the
third grade so that they can succeed in school, later in
the workplace, and in life. This Act assists in achieving
that purpose primarily by providing financial support for
effective local reading programs for preschool-age children
and children attending both public and private schools.
(b) LOCAL READING PROGRAM.—As used in this Act,
the term ‘‘local reading program’’ means a program
that—
(1) helps children read well and independently
by the end of the third grade;
(2) serves an area with a high number or per-
centage of children from low-income families or with
the greatest need for reading assistance;
(3) recruits, and provides appropriate and effec-
tive training for, tutors for after-school, weekend, or
summer reading programs, or for other proven read-
ing programs, for children from preschool through
fourth grade;
(4) uses qualified and trained individuals, such
as—
(A) program coordinators to organize and
supervise the program; and
(B) reading specialists who can train par-
ticipating tutors to effectively supplement the
in-school reading program;
(5) ensures that all program personnel are
screened to meet State and local safety standards;
(6) builds on and supports the in-school reading
programs for the children being served, and main-
tains regular communication between program staff
and school personnel;
(7) makes parental involvement and support a
high priority, and is coordinated with early childhood
and family literacy programs, such as Head Start
and Even Start programs, and with related pro-
grams carried out under title I of the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
6301 et seq.); and
(8) provides information to the public about the
program’s strategies for, and progress in, helping
children read well and independently by the end of
the third grade.
(c) OTHER DEFINITIONS.—As used in this Act:
(1) CHIEF
EXECUTIVE
OFFICER.—The term
‘‘Chief Executive Officer’’ means the Chief Executive
Officer of the Corporation for National and Commu-
nity Service.
(2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian tribe’’
has the meaning given that term in section 102(2)
of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of
1994 (25 U.S.C. 479a(2)).
(3) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term
‘‘local educational agency’’ has the meaning given
that term in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section
14101(18) of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801(18)).
(4) NATIONAL SERVICE LAWS.—The term ‘‘na-
tional service laws’’ means the National and Com-
munity Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12501 et
seq.) and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of
1973 (42 U.S.C. 4950 et seq.).
(5) READING SPECIALIST.—The term ‘‘reading
specialist’’ means an individual with advanced train-
ing in reading who is licensed or certified to teach
reading by the State in which the individual will
serve a local reading program.
(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) STATE
COMMISSION
ON
NATIONAL
AND
COMMUNITY
SERVICE.—The term ‘‘State Commis-
sion on National and Community Service’’ means a
State commission described in section 178 of the
National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42
U.S.C. 12638), including any alternative administra-
tive entity approved by the Chief Executive Officer
under subsection (a)(2) of that section.
(9) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term
‘‘State educational agency’’ has the meaning given
that term in section 14101(28) of the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act of 1965.
SEC. 103. FUNDS APPROPRIATED AND FUNDS CONTRIB-
UTED BY CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND
COMMUNITY SERVICE.
(a) FUNDS APPROPRIATED TO THE SECRETARY OF
EDUCATION.—
(1) APPROPRIATION.—For the purpose of car-
rying out this Act jointly with the Chief Executive
Officer, there are appropriated to the Secretary,
from funds not otherwise appropriated—
(A) $260,000,000 for fiscal year 1998;
(B) $290,000,000 for fiscal year 1999;
(C) $335,000,000 for fiscal year 2000;
(D) $380,000,000 for fiscal year 2001;
and
(E) $460,000,000 for fiscal year 2002.
(2) SUPPORTIVE ACTIVITIES.—Of the funds ap-
propriated by paragraph (1) for any fiscal year, the
Secretary may reserve up to five percent or
$15,000,000, whichever is less, for supportive activi-
ties under section 401.
(b) CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY
SERVICE.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—From the amounts appro-
priated to carry out the national service laws for
each of the fiscal years 1998 through 2002, the full
amount in each fiscal year that exceeds the amount
appropriated for fiscal year 1997 to carry out the
national service laws, up to a maximum of
$200,000,000 each fiscal year, will be available to
with the relative amount each State received under
part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311 et seq.) for
the preceding fiscal year.
(2) 30 percent of the funds from each source
shall be distributed among some or all of the States
on the basis of the quality of their applications sub-
mitted under section 203, and the extent to which
the State has mobilized a broad base of local and
statewide organizations to help many more children
read well and independently and has adopted a
promising approach to promote reading success from
early childhood through fourth grade. However, be-
ginning with the third year of grants under this
title, the Secretary and the Chief Executive Officer
may adjust distributions under this paragraph on
the basis of the relative performance of the States
in achieving the purpose of this Act.
(c) REALLOCATIONS AND DIRECT LOCAL GRANTS.—
(1) FAILURE TO SUBMIT APPLICATION.—If a
State does not submit an application under this title,
the Secretary and the Chief Executive Officer may
use the State’s allocations under subsection (b)(1) to
make direct grants to eligible applicants in that
State to carry out local reading programs, consistent
with sections 205 and 206.
(2) APPLICATION
FOR
FUNDS
FROM
SINGLE
SOURCE.—If a State does not request funds under
this title from both the Secretary and the Chief Ex-
ecutive Officer, the Secretary or the Chief Executive
Officer, as the case may be, shall reallocate the
funds for which the State is not applying to other
States in the manner they determine will best
achieve the purpose of this Act.
SEC. 203. STATE APPLICATIONS.
(a) JOINT APPLICATIONS REQUIRED.—
(1) FEDERAL CONTACT PERSON.—A State that
wishes to receive funds under this title shall submit
an application to a single contact identified by the
Secretary and the Chief Executive Officer, to be
known as the ‘‘America Reads’’ contact.
(2) 
PREPARATION.—The 
State 
educational
agency and the State Commission on National and
Community Service for a State shall jointly prepare
the application, in consultation with appropriate in-
dividuals, agencies, and organizations, and shall pro-
vide a reasonable period for public comment on the
application before submitting it to the America
Reads contact.
(b) CONTENTS.—Each application shall—
(1) describe how the State will make competi-
tive subgrants, in accordance with section 205, to
develop, carry out, or expand local reading programs
that—
(A) will reach the children in greatest need
of assistance, such as those children who are
from low-income families or who have limited
English proficiency, to read well and independ-
ently by the end of the third grade; and
(B) use effective practices that have shown
the most promise in helping all children, includ-
ing children with limited English proficiency
and children with disabilities, to read well and
independently;
(2) describe the State’s strategy for building on
existing literacy initiatives in the State, including
family literacy initiatives such as those carried out
under the Even Start program, and for attracting
other resources to promote the purpose of this Act,
including how the State will work with the business
sector and with other public and private agencies,
such as school districts, elementary schools, libraries,
literacy organizations, reading associations, institu-
tions of higher education, senior citizens groups, arts
and cultural groups, religious and other community
groups, and programs funded under the national
service laws, to implement that strategy;
(3) describe the State’s intended distribution of
funds for Parents as First Teachers programs and
activities under section 206 and how the State will
consult with representatives of programs for pre-
school children (including the State’s Head Start
program), family literacy programs (such as Even
Start programs), and programs funded under the
Adult Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1201 et seq.), in
carrying out that section;
(4) describe how local programs assisted under
this title will be evaluated and how the State will as-
sess its progress toward meeting the purpose of this
Act if it does not participate in the biennial assess-
ments of fourth grade reading proficiency through
the National Assessment of Educational Progress
under section 411 of the National Education Statis-
tics Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 9010);
(5) describe the proposed uses of funds re-
quested from the Corporation for National and Com-
munity Service under this title;
(6) include an assurance that the State, and
other recipients of funds under this title in the
State, will comply with this Act and other applicable
laws; and
(7) include such other information and assur-
ances as the Secretary and the Chief Executive offi-
cer may require.
(c) APPLICABLE REVIEW.—
(1) JOINT REVIEW AND APPROVAL.—The Sec-
retary and the Chief Executive Officer shall jointly
review each State application submitted under this
title and shall jointly approve each application that
meets the requirements of this section.
(2) FAILURE TO APPROVE.—If a State’s appli-
cation does not meet the requirements of this sec-
tion, the Secretary and the Chief Executive Officer
shall give the State a reasonable opportunity to re-
vise and resubmit the application and, at the State’s
request, shall provide technical assistance to the
State regarding the revision of the application.
SEC. 204. AWARD OF FUNDS.
Except as provided in section 202(c), for each State
whose application is approved under this title—
(1) the Secretary shall award the State’s share
of the funds described in section 201(a) to the State
educational agency; and