Title: Prioritizing Education in Conflict Zones Act of 2017
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Prioritizing Education in Conflict Zones Act of 2017
This bill amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), through the Director of Refugee Educational Assistance (to be designated by USAID), to provide long-term assistance to expand and improve primary and secondary education for displaced children from areas of conflict.
Such assistance shall be used to: (1) build the capacity for private sector and civil society organizations to develop and strengthen primary and secondary curricula, coordinate with host country educational facilities, and strengthen technical capacities; (2) establish and expand U.S.-host country educational partnerships; and (3) assist efforts to educate women and girls.
The director shall seek to use funding appropriated for the purposes of this bill to leverage private sector funding for such purposes and shall prioritize efforts to identify such sources of such private sector funding.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3612 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3612

 To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide assistance to 
 expand, improve, support, and promote primary and secondary education 
 for displaced children, including girls, from areas designated by the 
               Department of State as areas of conflict.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 28, 2017

  Mr. Payne introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide assistance to 
 expand, improve, support, and promote primary and secondary education 
 for displaced children, including girls, from areas designated by the 
               Department of State as areas of conflict.

    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 ``Prioritizing Education in Conflict 
Zones Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. ASSISTANCE TO IMPROVE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION FOR 
              DISPLACED CHILDREN FROM AREAS OF CONFLICT.

    The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 is amended by inserting after 
section 105 (22 U.S.C. 2151c) the following new section:

``SEC. 105A. ASSISTANCE TO IMPROVE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION FOR 
              DISPLACED CHILDREN FROM AREAS OF CONFLICT.

    ``(a) Authorization.--The Secretary of State and Administrator of 
the United States Agency for International Development, acting through 
the Director of Refugee Educational Assistance designated pursuant to 
subsection (c), is authorized to provide long-term assistance to 
expand, improve, support, and promote primary and secondary education 
for displaced children from areas of conflict.
    ``(b) Activities Supported.--Assistance provided under subsection 
(a) shall, to the maximum extent practicable, be used to--
            ``(1) build the capacity for private sector and civil 
        society organizations with a stated purpose of educating 
        children, including girls, in the areas of--
                    ``(A) development and strengthening of primary and 
                secondary curricula;
                    ``(B) coordination with educational facilities of 
                host countries; and
                    ``(C) technical capacities and expertise, including 
                strategies for cost-effective procurement of science 
                and technology equipment;
            ``(2) establish, expand, and promote linkages and 
        partnerships between host countries' educational facilities, 
        private sector and civil organizations, and United States 
        colleges and universities education programs; and
            ``(3) assist with efforts to educate women and girls.
    ``(c) Director of Refugee Educational Assistance.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
        enactment of this section, the Administrator of the United 
        States Agency for International Development shall designate a 
        Director of Refugee Educational Assistance, who shall report 
        directly to the Administrator, and who shall carry out the 
        responsibilities described in paragraph (2).
            ``(2) Responsibilities.--The responsibilities referred to 
        in paragraph (1) include--
                    ``(A) ongoing consultations with and the provision 
                of technical advice to host country governments, 
                particularly ministries of education, regional 
                organizations, and public tertiary and related 
                educational institutions, and education and educators' 
                organizations with respect to carrying out the 
                activities described in subsection (b);
                    ``(B) coordination and administration of long-term 
                assistance authorized under subsection (a) in support 
                of the activities described in subsection (b); and
                    ``(C) coordinating with other bureaus within the 
                United States Agency for International Development, 
                with other relevant United States Government agencies, 
                with the United States and international private 
                sectors, with the primary and secondary education 
                community and relevant research organizations in the 
                United States and host countries, and with other 
                bilateral and multilateral development partners to 
                maximize the gains and impact of activities carried out 
                under subsection (b)(1).
    ``(d) Public-Private Partnerships.--The Director of Refugee 
Educational Assistance shall seek, to the extent practicable, to use 
any funding appropriated for the purpose of carrying out the duties, 
goals, and functions described in this section to leverage equal or 
greater sources of private sector funding for such purposes, and shall 
undertake and prioritize efforts to identify such sources of private 
sector funding.
    ``(e) Definition.--In this section, the term `education' means 
primary and secondary academic training.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $970,000,000 for fiscal year 
2018 and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2019 
through 2028.''.
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