Character Development Act

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Character 
Development Act''.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to reduce the school dropout rate for at-risk youth;
            (2) to improve the academic performance of at-risk youth; 
        and
            (3) to reduce juvenile delinquency and gang participation.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    For the purposes of this Act--
            (1) the term ``at-risk youth'' means a youth at risk of--
                    (A) educational failure;
                    (B) dropping out of school; or
                    (C) involvement in delinquent activities;
            (2) the term ``eligible local educational agency'' means a 
        local educational agency that has entered into a partnership, 
        with a community-based organization that provides one-to-one 
        mentoring services, to carry out the authorized activities 
        described in section 5 in accordance with this Act;
            (3) the terms ``elementary school'', ``local educational 
        agency'', and ``secondary school'', have the meanings given 
        such terms in section 14101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801);
            (4) the term ``mentor'' means a person who works with an 
        at-risk youth on a one-to-one basis, to establish a supportive 
        relationship with the youth and to provide the youth with 
        academic assistance and exposure to new experiences that 
        enhance the youth's ability to become a better student and a 
        responsible citizen; and
            (5) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of 
        Education.

SEC. 3. MENTORING PROGRAMS.

    (a) Grant Authority.--The Secretary is authorized to award grants 
to eligible local educational agencies to enable such agencies to 
establish mentoring programs that--
            (1) are designed to link--
                    (A) individual at-risk youth; with
                    (B) responsible, individual adults who serve as 
                mentors; and
            (2) are intended to--
                    (A) increase at-risk youth participation in, and 
                enhance the ability of such youth to benefit from, 
                elementary and secondary education;
                    (B) discourage at-risk youth from--
                            (i) using illegal drugs;
                            (ii) violence;
                            (iii) using dangerous weapons;
                            (iv) criminal activity not described in 
                        clauses (i), (ii), and (iii); and
                            (v) involvement in gangs;
                    (C) promote personal and social responsibility 
                among at-risk youth;
                    (D) encourage at-risk youth participation in 
                community service and community activities; or
                    (E) provide general guidance to at-risk youth.
    (b) Amount and Duration.--Each grant under this section shall be 
awarded in an amount not to exceed a total of $200,000 over a period of 
not more than three years.
    (c) Priority.--The Secretary shall give priority to awarding a 
grant under this section to an application submitted under section 7 
that--
            (1) describes a mentoring program in which 60 percent or 
        more of the at-risk youth to be served are eligible for 
        assistance under part A of title I of the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311 et seq.);
            (2) describes a mentoring program that serves at-risk youth 
        who are--
                    (A) at risk of dropping out of school; or
                    (B) involved in delinquent activities; and
            (3) demonstrates the ability of the eligible local 
        educational agency to continue the mentoring program after the 
        termination of the Federal funds provided under this section.
    (d) Other Considerations.--In awarding grants under this section, 
the Secretary shall give consideration to--
            (1) providing an equitable geographic distribution of such 
        grants, including awarding such grants for mentoring programs 
        in both rural and urban areas;
            (2) the quality of the mentoring program described in the 
        application submitted under section 7, including--
                    (A) the resources, if any, that will be dedicated 
                to providing participating at-risk youth with 
                opportunities for job training or postsecondary 
                education; and
                    (B) the degree to which parents, teachers, 
                community-based organizations, and the local community 
                participate in the design and implementation of the 
                mentoring program; and
            (3) the capability of the eligible local educational agency 
        to effectively implement the mentoring program.

SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION GRANTS.

    The Secretary is authorized to award grants to national 
organizations or agencies serving youth to enable such organizations or 
agencies--
            (1) to conduct a multisite demonstration project, involving 
        5 to 10 project sites, that--
                    (A) provides an opportunity to compare various one-
                to-one mentoring models for the purpose of evaluating 
                the effectiveness and efficiency of such models;
                    (B) allows for innovative programs designed under 
                the oversight of a national organization or agency 
                serving youth, which programs may include--
                            (i) technical assistance;
                            (ii) training; and
                            (iii) research and evaluation; and
                    (C) disseminates the results of such demonstration 
                project to allow for the determination of the best 
                practices for various mentoring programs;
            (2) to develop and evaluate screening standards for school-
        linked mentoring programs; and
            (3) to develop and evaluate volunteer recruitment 
        activities for school-linked mentoring programs.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.

    (a) Permitted Uses.--Grant funds awarded under this Act (other than 
grant funds awarded under section 4) shall be used for--
            (1) hiring of mentoring coordinators and support staff;
            (2) recruitment, screening and training of adult mentors;
            (3) reimbursement of mentors for reasonable incidental 
        expenditures, such as transportation, that are directly 
        associated with mentoring, except that such expenditures shall 
        not exceed $500 per mentor per calendar year; or
            (4) such other purposes as the Secretary determines may be 
        reasonable.
    (b) Prohibited Uses.--Grant funds awarded under this Act shall not 
be used--
            (1) to directly compensate a mentor, except as provided 
        under subsection (a)(3);
            (2) to obtain educational or other materials or equipment 
        that would otherwise be used in the ordinary course of the 
        grant recipient's operations;
            (3) to support litigation; or
            (4) for any other purposes that the Secretary determines 
        are prohibited.
SEC. 6. REGULATIONS AND GUIDELINES.

    (a) Regulations.--The Secretary, after consultation with the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Attorney General, and the 
Secretary of Labor, shall provide for the promulgation of regulations 
to implement this Act.
    (b) Guidelines.--The Secretary shall develop and distribute to 
eligible local educational agencies receiving a grant under section 3 
specific model guidelines for the screening of mentors.

SEC. 7. APPLICATIONS.

    (a) In General.--Each entity desiring a grant under this Act shall 
submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, 
and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may reasonably 
require.
    (b) Mentoring Programs.--Each application submitted under 
subsection (a) for a grant under section 3 shall contain--
            (1) information on the at-risk youth expected to be served;
            (2) a provision describing the mechanism for matching at-
        risk youth with mentors based on the needs of the at-risk 
        youth;
            (3) an assurance that no mentor will be assigned to more 
        than one at-risk youth, so as to ensure a one-to-one mentoring 
        relationship;
            (4) an assurance that a mentoring program operated in a 
        secondary school will provide at-risk youth with a variety of 
        experiences and support, including--
                    (A) an opportunity to spend time in a work 
                environment and, when possible, participate in the work 
                environment;
                    (B) an opportunity to witness the job skills that 
                will be required for the at-risk youth to obtain 
                employment upon graduation;
                    (C) assistance with homework assignments; and
                    (D) exposure to experiences that the at-risk youth 
                might not otherwise encounter;
            (5) an assurance that the mentoring program operated in 
        elementary schools will provide at-risk youth with--
                    (A) academic assistance;
                    (B) exposure to new experiences and activities that 
                at-risk youth might not encounter on their own; and
                    (C) emotional support;
            (6) an assurance that the mentoring program will be 
        monitored to ensure that each at-risk youth participating in 
        the mentoring program benefits from a mentor relationship, 
        including providing a new mentor assignment if the original 
        mentoring relationship is not beneficial to the at-risk youth;
            (7) the methods by which mentors and at-risk youth will be 
        recruited to the mentoring program;
            (8) the method by which prospective mentors will be 
        screened; and
            (9) the training that will be provided to mentors.

SEC. 8. EVALUATION.

    (a) Evaluation.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall 
enter into a contract, with an evaluating organization that has 
demonstrated experience in conducting evaluations, for the conduct of 
an ongoing rigorous evaluation of the programs and activities assisted 
under this Act.
    (b) Evaluation Criteria.--The Comptroller General of the United 
States, in consultation with the Secretary, shall establish minimum 
criteria for evaluating the programs and activities assisted under this 
Act. Such criteria shall provide for a description of the 
implementation of each program or activity assisted under this Act and 
such program or activity's effect on all participants, schools, 
communities, and youth served by such program or activity.

SEC. 9. REPORTS.

    (a) Report by Grant Recipients.--Each entity receiving a grant 
under this Act shall submit to the evaluating organization entering 
into the contract under section 8(a)(1) an annual report regarding any 
program or activity assisted under this Act. Each such report shall be 
submitted at such a time, in such a manner, and accompanied by such 
information, as such evaluating organization may require.
    (b) Reports by Comptroller General.--The Comptroller General shall 
submit to Congress not later than September 30, 1999, a report 
regarding the success and effectiveness of grants awarded under this 
Act in reducing the school dropout rate, improving academic performance 
of at-risk youth, and reducing juvenile delinquency and gang 
participation.

SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Mentoring Programs.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
$35,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 
2000 to carry out section 3.
    (b) Implementation and Evaluation Grants.--There is authorized to 
be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1996, 1997, 
1998, 1999, and 2000 to carry out section 4.

Summary: Character Development Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award:  (1) mentor program grants to eligible local educational agencies to establish mentoring programs designed to link individual at-risk youth with responsible, individual adults who serve as mentors; and (2) implementation and evaluation grants to national organizations or agencies serving youth to conduct a multisite demonstration project, involving five to ten project sites, develop and evaluate screening standards for school-linked mentoring programs, and develop and evaluate volunteer recruitment activities for school-linked mentoring programs. 
Sets forth permitted and prohibited uses of grant funds awarded under this Act. 
Directs the Secretary to develop and distribute to eligible local educational agencies receiving a mentor program grant specific model guidelines for the screening of mentors. 
Sets forth requirements for grant applications, program evaluations and reports by the Comptroller General, and reports by grant recipients. 
Authorizes appropriations for Mentoring Program Grants and Implementation and Evaluation Grants.