H. R. 6—439
‘‘Subtitle B—Education for Homeless Children and Youth
‘‘Sec. 721. Statement of policy.
‘‘Sec. 722. Grants for State and local activities for the education of homeless chil-
dren and youth.
‘‘Sec. 723. Local educational agency grants for the education of homeless children
and youth.
‘‘Sec. 724. Secretarial responsibilities.
‘‘Sec. 725. Definitions.
‘‘Sec. 726. Authorization of appropriations.’’.
SEC. 322. ADULT EDUCATION FOR THE HOMELESS.
Subtitle A of title VII of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11421 et seq.) is amended to read as
follows:
‘‘Subtitle A—Adult Education for the
Homeless
‘‘SEC. 701. STATE LITERACY INITIATIVES.
‘‘(a) GENERAL AUTHORITY.—
‘‘(1) GRANTS.—The Secretary of Education is authorized
to make grants to State educational agencies to enable each
such agency to implement, either directly or through contracts
and grants, a program of literacy training and academic remedi-
ation for adult homeless individuals within the State, which
program shall—
‘‘(A) include outreach activities; and
‘‘(B) be coordinated with other agencies or organiza-
tions, such as community-based organizations, nonprofit
literacy-action organizations, and recipients of funds under
the Adult Education Act, title II of the Job Training Part-
nership Act, the Youth Fair Chance program under part
H of title IV of the Job Training Partnership Act, the
Volunteers in Service to America program under part A
of title I of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973,
part C of this title, or the Job Opportunity and Basic
Skills program under part F of title IV of the Social Security
Act.
‘‘(2) ESTIMATES AND AMOUNTS.—The Secretary of Education,
in awarding grants under this section, shall give special consid-
eration to the estimates submitted in the application submitted
under subsection (b) and make such awards in whatever
amounts such Secretary determines will best serve the purposes
of this section.
‘‘(b) APPLICATION.—Each State educational agency desiring to
receive a grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary
of Education an application at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Secretary may reasonably
require. Each such application shall include an estimate of the
number of homeless individuals in the State and the number of
such individuals expected to be served.
‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the purpose of
carrying out the adult literacy training and academic remediation
programs authorized by this section, there are authorized to be
appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal
years 1995 through 1999.
‘‘(d) DEFINITION.—As used in this section, the term ‘State’
means each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Common-
H. R. 6—440
wealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa,
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Palau
(until the effective date of the Compact of Free Association with
the Government of Palau).’’.
SEC. 323. EDUCATION FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTH.
Subtitle B of title VII of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.) is amended to read as
follows:
‘‘Subtitle B—Education for Homeless
Children and Youth
‘‘SEC. 721. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
‘‘It is the policy of the Congress that—
‘‘(1) each State educational agency shall ensure that each
child of a homeless individual and each homeless youth has
equal access to the same free, appropriate public education,
including a public preschool education, as provided to other
children and youth;
‘‘(2) in any State that has a compulsory residency require-
ment as a component of the State’s compulsory school attend-
ance laws or other laws, regulations, practices, or policies that
may act as a barrier to the enrollment, attendance, or success
in school of homeless children and youth, the State will review
and undertake steps to revise such laws, regulations, practices,
or policies to ensure that homeless children and youth are
afforded the same free, appropriate public education as provided
to other children and youth;
‘‘(3) homelessness alone should not be sufficient reason
to separate students from the mainstream school environment;
and
‘‘(4) homeless children and youth should have access to
the education and other services that such children and youth
need to ensure that such children and youth have an oppor-
tunity to meet the same challenging State student performance
standards to which all students are held.
‘‘SEC. 722. GRANTS FOR STATE AND LOCAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE EDU-
CATION OF HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTH.
‘‘(a) GENERAL AUTHORITY.—The Secretary is authorized to make
grants to States in accordance with the provisions of this section
to enable such States to carry out the activities described in sub-
sections (d), (e), (f), and (g).
‘‘(b) APPLICATION.—No State may receive a grant under this
section unless the State educational agency submits an application
to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing
or accompanied by such information as the Secretary may reason-
ably require.
‘‘(c) ALLOCATION AND RESERVATIONS.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2) and section
724(c), from the amounts appropriated for each fiscal year
under section 726, the Secretary is authorized to allot to each
State an amount that bears the same ratio to the amount
appropriated for such year under section 726 as the amount
allocated under section 1122 of the Elementary and Secondary
H. R. 6—441
Education Act of 1965 to the State for that year bears to
the total amount allocated under section 1122 to all States
for that year, except that no State shall receive less than
$100,000.
‘‘(2) RESERVATION.—(A) The Secretary is authorized to
reserve 0.1 percent of the amount appropriated for each fiscal
year under section 726 to be allocated by the Secretary among
the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth
of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Palau (until the effective
date of the Compact of Free Association with the Government
of Palau), according to their respective need for assistance
under this subtitle, as determined by the Secretary.
‘‘(B)(i) The Secretary is authorized to transfer one percent
of the amount appropriated for each fiscal year under section
726 to the Department of the Interior for programs for Indian
students served by schools funded by the Secretary of the
Interior, as determined under the Indian Self-Determination
and Education Assistance Act, that are consistent with the
purposes of this Act.
‘‘(ii) The Secretary and the Secretary of the Interior shall
enter into an agreement, consistent with the requirements of
this part, for the distribution and use of the funds described
in clause (i) under terms that the Secretary determines best
meet the purposes of the programs described in such clause.
Such agreement shall set forth the plans of the Secretary
of the Interior for the use of the amounts transferred, including
appropriate goals, objectives, and milestones.
‘‘(3) DEFINITION.—As used in this subsection, the term
‘State’ shall not include the Virgin Islands, Guam, American
Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands,
or Palau.
‘‘(d) ACTIVITIES.—Grants under this section shall be used—
‘‘(1) to carry out the policies set forth in section 721 in
the State;
‘‘(2) to provide activities for, and services to, homeless
children, including preschool-aged children, and homeless youth
that enable such children and youth to enroll in, attend, and
succeed in school, or, if appropriate, in preschool programs;
‘‘(3) to establish or designate an Office of Coordinator of
Education of Homeless Children and Youth in the State edu-
cational agency in accordance with subsection (f);
‘‘(4) to prepare and carry out the State plan described
in subsection (g); and
‘‘(5) to develop and implement professional development
programs for school personnel to heighten their awareness of,
and capacity to respond to, specific problems in the education
of homeless children and youth.
‘‘(e) STATE AND LOCAL GRANTS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—(A) Subject to subparagraph (B), if the
amount allotted to the State educational agency for any fiscal
year under this subtitle exceeds the amount such agency
received for fiscal year 1990 under this subtitle, such agency
shall provide grants to local educational agencies for purposes
of section 723.
‘‘(B) The State educational agency may reserve not more
than the greater of 5 percent of the amount such agency
receives under this subtitle for any fiscal year, or the amount
H. R. 6—442
such agency received under this subtitle for fiscal year 1990,
to conduct activities under subsection (f) directly or through
grants or contracts.
‘‘(2) SPECIAL RULE.—If the amount allotted to a State edu-
cational agency for any fiscal year under this subtitle is less
than the amount such agency received for fiscal year 1990
under this subtitle, such agency, at such agency’s discretion,
may provide grants to local educational agencies in accordance
with section 723 or may conduct activities under subsection
(f) directly or through grants or contracts.
‘‘(f) FUNCTIONS
OF
THE
OFFICE
OF
COORDINATOR.—The
Coordinator of Education of Homeless Children and Youth estab-
lished in each State shall—
‘‘(1) estimate the number of homeless children and youth
in the State and the number of such children and youth served
with assistance provided under the grants or contracts under
this subtitle;
‘‘(2) gather, to the extent possible, reliable, valid, and com-
prehensive information on the nature and extent of the prob-
lems homeless children and youth have in gaining access to
public preschool programs and to public elementary and second-
ary schools, the difficulties in identifying the special needs
of such children and youth, any progress made by the State
educational agency and local educational agencies in the State
in addressing such problems and difficulties, and the success
of the program under this subtitle in allowing homeless children
and youth to enroll in, attend, and succeed in, school;
‘‘(3) develop and carry out the State plan described in
subsection (g);
‘‘(4) prepare and submit to the Secretary not later than
October 1, 1997, and on October 1 of every third year thereafter,
a report on the information gathered pursuant to paragraphs
(1) and (2) and such additional information as the Secretary
may require to carry out the Secretary’s responsibilities under
this subtitle;
‘‘(5) facilitate coordination between the State educational
agency, the State social services agency, and other agencies
providing services to homeless children and youth, including
homeless children and youth who are preschool age, and fami-
lies of such children and youth; and
‘‘(6) develop relationships and coordinate with other rel-
evant education, child development, or preschool programs and
providers of services to homeless children, homeless families,
and runaway and homeless youth (including domestic violence
agencies, shelter operators, transitional housing facilities, run-
away and homeless youth centers, and transitional living pro-
grams for homeless youth), to improve the provision of
comprehensive services to homeless children and youth and
their families.
‘‘(g) STATE PLAN.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State shall submit to the Secretary
a plan to provide for the education of homeless children and
youth within the State, which plan shall describe how such
children and youth are or will be given the opportunity to
meet the same challenging State student performance stand-
ards all students are expected to meet, shall describe the proce-
dures the State educational agency will use to identify such