Title: GO Ag Act
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Growing Opportunities in Agriculture Act or the GO Ag Act
This bill directs the Department of Education to award competitive grants to eligible entities (e.g., local educational agencies) to create new agricultural education programs in secondary schools. Agricultural education refers to career and technical education that is focused on agriculture, including classroom or laboratory instruction, work-based learning, and leadership education that is delivered through career and technical student organizations.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8535 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8535

To amend the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 
     to direct the Secretary of Education to award grants for new 
         agricultural education programs in secondary schools.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 6, 2020

    Ms. Finkenauer (for herself, Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
Luetkemeyer, and Mr. Brindisi) introduced the following bill; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 
     to direct the Secretary of Education to award grants for new 
         agricultural education programs in secondary schools.

    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 ``Growing Opportunities in Agriculture 
Act'' or the ``GO Ag Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM FOR NEW AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS.

    Section 114 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education 
Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2324) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (f), in the matter preceding paragraph 
        (1), by inserting ``(other than subsection (g))'' after 
        ``section''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(g) Grant Program for New Agricultural Education Programs.--
            ``(1) Grant program authorized.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall award 
                grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to 
                support the creation of new agricultural education 
                programs in secondary schools.
                    ``(B) Grant duration.--A grant awarded under this 
                subsection may not exceed a 5-year grant period.
            ``(2) Application.--
                    ``(A) In general.--To receive a grant under this 
                subsection, an eligible entity shall submit an 
                application to the Secretary at such time, in such 
                manner, and containing such information as the 
                Secretary may require, including--
                            ``(i) an identification and the role with 
                        respect to each program to be funded under the 
                        grant of any eligible partners of the eligible 
                        entity, including an assurance the grant under 
                        this subsection will not be used to prepare 
                        students for employment with solely one or more 
                        of such eligible partners;
                            ``(ii) an assurance that each program that 
                        will receive assistance under the grant is not 
                        yet in operation and such grant will be used to 
                        start such program;
                            ``(iii) a description of the grant budget, 
                        how each program will fund necessary expenses 
                        for the program not covered by the grant (such 
                        as any funds to be provided by State, local, or 
                        private entities), and how the eligible entity 
                        will continue each such program after the grant 
                        is exhausted;
                            ``(iv) a description of how grant will 
                        directly benefit students, including special 
                        populations, served by the eligible entity;
                            ``(v) a description of how each such 
                        program will be coordinated with the activities 
                        carried out under section 124 or 135;
                            ``(vi) a description of how each such 
                        program reflects the needs of regional, State, 
                        or local employers, as demonstrated by the 
                        comprehensive needs assessment under section 
                        134(c) carried out by the eligible entity; and
                            ``(vii) an assurance that the eligible 
                        entity will--
                                    ``(I) provide information to the 
                                Secretary, as requested, for the 
                                evaluation under paragraph (4) and any 
                                evaluations that the Secretary may 
                                carry out; and
                                    ``(II) make data available to third 
                                parties for validation, in accordance 
                                with applicable data privacy laws, 
                                including section 444 of the General 
                                Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 
                                1232g, commonly known as the `Family 
                                Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 
                                1974').
                    ``(B) Process.--The Secretary shall create a 
                process for evaluating applications submitted under 
                subparagraph (A) and determining the amount of each 
                grant for successful applications, except that in no 
                case may an eligible entity receive a grant exceeding 
                $100,000.
            ``(3) Uses of funds.--Each eligible entity receiving a 
        grant under this subsection shall use such grant for the 
        creation of new agricultural education programs in secondary 
        schools, which may include--
                    ``(A) curriculum development and delivery, 
                including classroom or laboratory instruction, work-
                based learning, and leadership education delivered 
                through career and technical student organizations;
                    ``(B) the purchase of equipment, technology, and 
                course materials; and
                    ``(C) other costs the Secretary may determine to be 
                eligible.
            ``(4) Evaluation and annual report.--Each eligible entity 
        receiving a grant under this subsection shall provide for an 
        independent evaluation of the activities carried out using such 
        grant and submit to the Secretary an annual report that 
        includes--
                    ``(A) a description of how the grant was used;
                    ``(B) the performance of each program assistance 
                with such grant with respect to, at a minimum, the 
                performance indicators described under section 113, as 
                applicable, and disaggregated--
                            ``(i) by subgroups of students described in 
                        section 1111(c)(2)(B) of the Elementary and 
                        Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
                        6311(c)(2)(B)); and
                            ``(ii) by each special population; and
                    ``(C) a quantitative analysis of the effectiveness 
                of each such program.
            ``(5) Authorization of appropriations.--There are 
        authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection 
        $5,000,000, to remain available through fiscal year 2025.
            ``(6) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Agricultural education.--The term 
                `agricultural education' means career and technical 
                education that is focused on agriculture, including 
                classroom or laboratory instruction, work-based 
                learning, and leadership education delivered through 
                career and technical student organizations.
                    ``(B) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' 
                has the meaning given the term `eligible recipient' in 
                section 3(21)(A) of the Carl D. Perkins Career and 
                Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 
                2302(21)(A)).
                    ``(C) Eligible partner.--The term `eligible 
                partner' means--
                            ``(i) an institution of higher education or 
                        a consortium of such institutions; or
                            ``(ii) a community stakeholder relevant to 
                        a program to be funded under this subsection, 
                        including a labor organization, a local or 
                        regional business or industry, or a local 
                        workforce development board.''.
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