Title: Youth Empowerment Act of 2017
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Youth Empowerment Act of 2017
This bill creates, and makes appropriations in FY2018 and FY2019 for, the Youth Empowerment Program. The program shall fund allotments to states or other entities to implement education exclusively about sexual risk avoidance (voluntarily refraining from sexual activity). Up to 20% of an allotment may be used to build evidence for sexual risk avoidance education.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3900 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3900

   To amend section 510 of the Social Security Act regarding a youth 
                          empowerment program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 2, 2017

  Mr. Flores (for himself and Mr. Hultgren) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend section 510 of the Social Security Act regarding a youth 
                          empowerment program.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Youth Empowerment Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Section 510 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
710) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 510. YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) In General.--
            ``(1) Allotments to states.--For the purpose described in 
        subsection (b), the Secretary shall, for each of fiscal years 
        2018 and 2019, allot to each State which has transmitted an 
        application for the fiscal year under section 505(a) an amount 
        equal to the product of--
                    ``(A) the amount appropriated pursuant to 
                subsection (e)(1) for the fiscal year, minus the amount 
                reserved under subsection (e)(2) for the fiscal year; 
                and
                    ``(B) the proportion that the number of low-income 
                children in the State bears to the total of such 
                numbers of children for all the States.
            ``(2) Other allotments.--
                    ``(A) Other entities.--For the purpose described in 
                subsection (b), the Secretary shall, for each of fiscal 
                years 2018 and 2019, for any State which has not 
                transmitted an application for the fiscal year under 
                section 505(a), allot to one or more entities in the 
                State the amount that would have been allotted to the 
                State under paragraph (1) if the State had submitted 
                such an application.
                    ``(B) Process.--The Secretary shall select the 
                recipients of allotments under subparagraph (A) by 
                means of a competitive grant process under which--
                            ``(i) not later than 30 days after the 
                        deadline for the State involved to submit an 
                        application for the fiscal year under section 
                        505(a), the Secretary publishes a notice 
                        soliciting grant applications; and
                            ``(ii) not later than 120 days after such 
                        deadline, all such applications must be 
                        submitted.
    ``(b) Purpose.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except for research under paragraph (5) 
        and information collection and reporting under paragraph (6), 
        the purpose of an allotment under subsection (a) to a State (or 
        to another entity in the State pursuant to subsection (a)(2)) 
        is to enable the State or other entity to implement education 
        exclusively on sexual risk avoidance (meaning voluntarily 
        refraining from sexual activity).
            ``(2) Required components.--Education on sexual risk 
        avoidance pursuant to an allotment under this section shall--
                    ``(A) ensure that the unambiguous and primary 
                emphasis and context for each topic described in 
                paragraph (3) is a message to youth that normalizes the 
                optimal health behavior of avoiding nonmarital sexual 
                activity;
                    ``(B) be medically accurate and complete;
                    ``(C) be age-appropriate; and
                    ``(D) be based on adolescent learning and 
                developmental theories for the age group receiving the 
                education.
            ``(3) Topics.--Education on sexual risk avoidance pursuant 
        to an allotment under this section shall address each of the 
        following topics:
                    ``(A) The holistic individual and societal benefits 
                associated with personal responsibility, self-
                regulation, goal setting, healthy decisionmaking, and a 
                focus on the future.
                    ``(B) The advantage of refraining from nonmarital 
                sexual activity in order to improve the future 
                prospects and physical and emotional health of youth.
                    ``(C) The increased likelihood of avoiding poverty 
                when youth attain self-sufficiency and emotional 
                maturity before engaging in sexual activity.
                    ``(D) The foundational components of healthy 
                relationships and their impact on the formation of 
                healthy marriages and safe and stable families.
                    ``(E) How other youth risk behaviors, such as drug 
                and alcohol usage, increase the risk for teen sex.
                    ``(F) How to resist and avoid, and receive help 
                regarding, sexual coercion and dating violence, 
                recognizing that even with consent teen sex remains a 
                youth risk behavior.
            ``(4) Contraception.--Education on sexual risk avoidance 
        pursuant to an allotment under this section shall ensure that--
                    ``(A) any information provided on contraception is 
                medically accurate and ensures that students understand 
                that contraception offers physical risk reduction, but 
                not risk elimination; and
                    ``(B) the education does not include 
                demonstrations, simulations, or distribution of 
                contraceptive devices.
            ``(5) Research.--
                    ``(A) In general.--A State or other entity 
                receiving an allotment pursuant to subsection (a) may 
                use up to 20 percent of such allotment to build the 
                evidence base for sexual risk avoidance education by 
                conducting or supporting research.
                    ``(B) Requirements.--Any research conducted or 
                supported pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall be--
                            ``(i) rigorous;
                            ``(ii) evidence-based; and
                            ``(iii) designed and conducted by 
                        independent researchers who have experience in 
                        conducting and publishing research in peer-
                        reviewed outlets.
            ``(6) Information collection and reporting.--A State or 
        other entity receiving an allotment pursuant to subsection (a) 
        shall, as specified by the Secretary--
                    ``(A) collect information on the programs and 
                activities funded through the allotment; and
                    ``(B) submit reports to the Secretary on the data 
                from such programs and activities.
    ``(c) National Evaluation.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) in consultation with appropriate State and 
                local agencies, conduct one or more rigorous 
                evaluations of the education funded through this 
                section and associated data; and
                    ``(B) submit a report to the Congress on the 
                results of such evaluations, together with a summary of 
                the information collected pursuant to subsection 
                (b)(6).
            ``(2) Consultation.--In conducting the evaluations required 
        by paragraph (1), including the establishment of evaluation 
        methodologies, the Secretary shall consult with relevant 
        stakeholders.
    ``(d) Applicability of Certain Provisions.--
            ``(1) Sections 503, 507, and 508 apply to allotments under 
        subsection (a) to the same extent and in the same manner as 
        such sections apply to allotments under section 502(c).
            ``(2) Sections 505 and 506 apply to allotments under 
        subsection (a) to the extent determined by the Secretary to be 
        appropriate.
    ``(e) Funding.--
            ``(1) In general.--To carry out this section, there is 
        appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise 
        appropriated, $75,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 and 
        2019.
            ``(2) Reservation.--The Secretary shall reserve, for each 
        of fiscal years 2018 and 2019, not more than 20 percent of the 
        amount appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1) for administering 
        the program under this section, including the conducting of 
        national evaluations and the provision of technical assistance 
        to the recipients of allotments.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section takes 
effect on October 1, 2017.
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