AFTER SCHOOL Act

Bill: 118-s-3980
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN]
Introduced: 2024-03-19
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Latest action: action_date: 2024-03-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Summaries:

tv_txt: II 118th CONGRESS 2nd Session S. 3980 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 19, 2024 Mrs. Blackburn (for herself and Ms. Cortez Masto ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To award grants to local educational agencies to operate after school programs in certain areas with a high rate of juvenile crime.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Advancing Frequent and Tailored Education to Rebuild Safe Communities and Help Orchestrate Opportunities and Learning Act or the AFTER SCHOOL Act . 2. Grants for after school programs (a) Definitions In this section: (1) ESEA Terms The terms local educational agency and secondary school have the meanings given those terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 7801 ). (2) Eligible local educational agency The term eligible local educational agency means a local educational agency that serves 1 or more secondary schools that are located in a county in which the juvenile offense rate is not less than 10 percent. (3) Eligible nonprofit organization The term eligible nonprofit organization means an organization described in section 501(c)(3) and exempt from tax under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that has experience in operating an after school program or similar program for secondary school students. (4) Eligible students The term eligible students means students in any of grades 6 through 12. (5) Juvenile offense rate The term juvenile offense rate means the percentage of violent offenses committed by any individual who is not more than 19 years of age as compared to the total number of violent offenses committed by all age groups in a given county, as published in the Uniform Crime Reporting Program of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. (b) Program established The Attorney General shall award grants, in accordance with subsection (c), to eligible local educational agencies that have an approved application in order to enable those eligible local educational agencies to provide after school programs for eligible students, as described in subsection (e). (c) Formula From the total amount made available to carry out this section, the Attorney General shall allot to each eligible local educational agency having an application approved under subsection (d), an amount that bears the same relationship to that total amount as the number of eligible students who will be served by such eligible local educational agency under this section bears to the number of eligible students who will be served by all eligible local educational agencies under this section. (d) Application An eligible local educational agency seeking a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Attorney General at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Attorney General may require, including— (1) the juvenile offense rate for the most recent fiscal year for which data are available for the county in which 1 or more secondary schools served by the local educational agency are located; (2) an assurance that the local educational agency will carry out the after school programs or will partner only with an eligible nonprofit organization to carry out such programs; and (3) information about the activities and frequency of the after school programs that will be carried out with grant funds under this section. (e) Uses of funds (1) In general An eligible local educational agency that receives a grant under this section shall use such grant funds to operate after school programs for eligible students, which may include— (A) expanding existing after school programs for eligible students; (B) developing and carrying out new after school programs for eligible students; or (C) partnering with an eligible nonprofit organization to administer and operate after school programs for eligible students. (2) After school programs An eligible local educational agency that receives a grant under this section shall ensure that the after school programs carried out with grant funds include activities that have an educational purpose. (f) Reports (1) Local educational agency reports Each eligible local educational agency that receives a grant under this section shall submit an annual report to the Attorney General that describes— (A) the number of schools served by an after school program established or maintained using funds under this section; (B) the number of children served at each such school; and (C) the general successes and vulnerabilities of the after school programs established or maintained using funds under this section. (2) Attorney General report Not later than 90 days after the date as of which the Attorney General has received all the reports for a year under paragraph (1), the Attorney General shall submit to Congress a report summarizing the reports received under that paragraph. (g) Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025, 2026, 2027, and 2028.