I
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4539
To direct the Secretary of Education to provide grants to promote Holocaust
education and awareness.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 24, 2000
Mr. SAXON (for himself and Mr. ANDREWS) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Education to provide grants to
promote Holocaust education and awareness.
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 ‘‘Holocaust Education
and Awareness Act of 2000’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) The Holocaust was the government-spon-
sored event that occurred in Europe between 1933
and 1945 in which Nazis and their collaborators—
both to suppress dissidence and in the name of ra-
cial, ethnic, and social purity—systemically mur-
dered 11 million people, including Jews, Jehovah’s
Witnesses, Serbs, Gypsies, homosexuals, Polish intel-
ligentsia, and German opponents of Nazism.
(2) Six States—California, Florida, Illinois,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York—cur-
rently mandate that the Holocaust be taught in the
educational curriculum and 10 States—Connecticut,
Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsyl-
vania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and
Washington—recommend teaching the Holocaust
but do not provide sufficient funds to assist in train-
ing and educating teachers about it.
(3) Revisionist historians and Holocaust deniers
throughout the world, including those in the United
States, perpetuate inaccuracies and falsehoods re-
garding the Holocaust and thereby make it more dif-
ficult for educators effectively to teach students
about the Holocaust.
SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR HOLOCAUST EDUCATION AND AWARE-
NESS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Education shall
devise and administer a program to make grants—
(1) to provide the necessary tools and resources
to educate Americans regarding the Holocaust;
(2) to dispel falsehoods circulated by Holocaust
deniers; and
(3) to facilitate Holocaust awareness in commu-
nities throughout the United States.
(b) REQUIREMENTS.—Such program shall—
(1) provide for grants of not more than
$10,000 each for new or existing Holocaust edu-
cation programs; and
(2) condition each grant on assurance of match-
ing funds either from State or local governmental
sources or from private sources, or from both, com-
bined to total not less than 50 percent of the
amount of Federal funds to be provided by such
grant;and
(3) be established in coordination with the
United States Holocaust Memorial Council estab-
lished under chapter 23 of title 36, United States
Code.
(c) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—The Secretary of Edu-
cation shall submit to the Congress a report detailing the
criteria used in administering the grant program in sub-
section (a) and listing program expenditures and grant
amounts and recipients. Such report shall be submitted
not later than 180 days after the date on which funds
are appropriated to carry out this Act and twice annually
thereafter for the duration of the program.
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act—
(1) the term ‘‘Holocaust’’ means the historical
event described in section 2(1); and
(2) the term ‘‘Holocaust education program’’
means a program which encourages and promotes
awareness and historical accuracy about the Holo-
caust in public and private schools, community
groups, State and local governments, and other or-
ganizations.
(e) REGULATIONS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of
Education may establish regulations to carry out this Act.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out
this Act $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2001 through
2005, to remain available until expended.
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