113 HR 2368 IH: Grants for Renewable Energy Education for the Nation Act
U.S. House of Representatives
2013-06-13
text/xml
EN
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		I
		113th CONGRESS
		1st Session
		H. R. 2368
		IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

			June 13, 2013
			Mr. McNerney
			 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
			 Committee on Education and the
			 Workforce

		A BILL
		To provide support to develop career and technical
		  education programs of study and facilities in the areas of renewable
		  energy.

		1.Short titleThis Act may be cited as the
			 Grants for Renewable Energy Education
			 for the Nation Act or the GREEN Act.
		2.Clean energy
			 curriculum development grants
			(a)AuthorizationThe Secretary of Education is authorized to
			 award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible partnerships to develop
			 programs of study (containing the information described in section 122(c)(1)(A)
			 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C.
			 2342)), that are focused on emerging careers and jobs in the fields of clean
			 energy, renewable energy, energy efficiency, climate change mitigation, and
			 climate change adaptation. The Secretary of Education shall consult with the
			 Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Energy prior to the issuance of a
			 solicitation for grant applications.
			(b)Eligible
			 PartnershipsFor purposes of this section, an eligible
			 partnership shall include—
				(1)at least 1 local
			 educational agency eligible for funding under section 131 of the Carl D.
			 Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2351) or an area
			 career and technical education school or education service agency described in
			 such section;
				(2)at least 1
			 postsecondary institution eligible for funding under section 132 of such Act
			 (20 U.S.C. 2352); and
				(3)representatives of
			 the community including business, labor organizations, and industry that have
			 experience in fields as described in subsection (a).
				(c)ApplicationAn
			 eligible partnership seeking a grant under this section shall submit an
			 application to the Secretary at such time and in such manner as the Secretary
			 may require. Applications shall include—
				(1)a
			 description of the eligible partners and partnership, the roles and
			 responsibilities of each partner, and a demonstration of each partner's
			 capacity to support the program;
				(2)a
			 description of the career area or areas within the fields as described in
			 subsection (a) to be developed, the reason for the choice, and evidence of the
			 labor market need to prepare students in that area;
				(3)a
			 description of the new or existing program of study and both secondary and
			 postsecondary components;
				(4)a
			 description of the students to be served by the new program of study;
				(5)a
			 description of how the program of study funded by the grant will be replicable
			 and disseminated to schools outside of the partnership, including urban and
			 rural areas;
				(6)a
			 description of applied learning that will be incorporated into the program of
			 study and how it will incorporate or reinforce academic learning;
				(7)a
			 description of how the program of study will be delivered;
				(8)a
			 description of how the program will provide accessibility to students,
			 especially economically disadvantaged, low performing, and urban and rural
			 students;
				(9)a
			 description of how the program will address placement of students in
			 nontraditional fields as described in section 3(20) of the Carl D. Perkins
			 Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302(20)); and
				(10)a description of
			 how the applicant proposes to consult or has consulted with a labor
			 organization, labor management partnership, apprenticeship program, or joint
			 apprenticeship and training program that provides education and training in the
			 field of study for which the applicant proposes to develop a curriculum.
				(d)PriorityThe
			 Secretary shall give priority to applications that—
				(1)use online
			 learning or other innovative means to deliver the program of study to students,
			 educators, and instructors outside of the partnership; and
				(2)focus on low
			 performing students and special populations as defined in section 3(29) of the
			 Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C.
			 2302(29)).
				(e)Peer
			 ReviewThe Secretary shall convene a peer review process to
			 review applications for grants under this section and to make recommendations
			 regarding the selection of grantees. Members of the peer review committee shall
			 include—
				(1)educators who have
			 experience implementing curricula with comparable purposes; and
				(2)business and
			 industry experts in fields as described in subsection (a).
				(f)Uses of
			 FundsGrants awarded under this section shall be used for the
			 development, implementation, and dissemination of programs of study (as
			 described in section 122(c)(1)(A) of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical
			 Education Act (20 U.S.C. 2342(c)(1)(A))) in career areas related to clean
			 energy, renewable energy, energy efficiency, climate change mitigation, and
			 climate change adaptation.
			3.Renewable energy
			 facilities grants
			(a)AuthorizationThe
			 Secretary of Education is authorized to award grants, on a competitive basis,
			 to eligible entities to promote development of career and technical education
			 facilities that are energy efficient and promote the use of renewable energy
			 practices.
			(b)Eligible
			 entitiesFor purposes of this section, eligible entities
			 include—
				(1)a
			 local education agency eligible for funding under section 131 of the Carl D.
			 Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2351) or an area
			 career and technical education school or education service agency described
			 under that section; or
				(2)a
			 postsecondary institution eligible for funding under section 132 of such Act
			 (20 U.S.C. 2352).
				(c)ApplicationAn
			 eligible entity seeking a grant under this section shall submit an application
			 to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information
			 as the Secretary may require.
			(d)Peer
			 reviewThe Secretary shall convene a peer review process to
			 review applications for grants under this section and to make recommendations
			 regarding the selection of grantees. Members of the peer review committee shall
			 include—
				(1)career and
			 technical education administrators who have experience with energy-efficient
			 facilities and equipment; and
				(2)business and
			 industry experts who build and work in renewable energy facilities.
				(e)Use of
			 fundsGrants awarded under this section shall be used for—
				(1)performing an
			 evaluation of the sustainability aspects of current facilities, unless such an
			 evaluation has been conducted prior to receiving a grant under this
			 section;
				(2)convening
			 stakeholders, including organizations devoted to the promotion and support of
			 renewable energy activities, to develop a plan to address needs identified in
			 such an evaluation, unless such a plan has already been developed prior to
			 receiving a grant under this section;
				(3)initiating
			 activities related to the construction, operation, and improvement of
			 facilities that promote the use of renewable energy practices;
				(4)purchasing
			 energy-efficient machinery, technology, or other physical equipment used as an
			 educational tool to deliver career and technical education courses;
				(5)measuring the
			 effectiveness of the new or improved facilities and infrastructure, such as
			 complying with existing renewable energy standards; and
				(6)communicating the
			 lessons and practices learned from the building upgrades to other
			 institutions.
				4.Authorization of
			 AppropriationsThere is
			 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Education $100,000,000 to
			 carry out the grant program established under this Act.


IV
108th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 775
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 14, 2004
Mr. Sherman submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to the continuity of Government and the smooth transition of executive power.

Whereas members of the House of Representatives, regardless of political party affiliation, agree that the American people deserve a Government that is failsafe and foolproof, and that terrorists should never have the ability to disrupt the operations of the Government;
Whereas continuity of governmental operations in the wake of a catastrophic terrorist attack remains a pressing issue of national importance before the United States Congress;
Whereas at a minimum, terrorists should never have the ability, by launching a terrorist attack, to change the political party that is in control of the Government, regardless of which party is in power;
Whereas whenever control of the White House shall change from one political party to another, the outgoing President and the incoming President should work together, and with the Senate to the extent determined appropriate by the Senate, to ensure a smooth transition of executive power, in the interest of the American people;
Whereas under the current presidential succession statute in section 19 of title 3, United States Code, the members of the cabinet, defined as the heads of the statutory executive departments under section 101 of title 5, United States Code, fall within the line of succession to the presidency;
Whereas during previous presidential transition periods, the incoming President has had to serve with cabinet members from the prior administration, including subcabinet officials from the prior administration acting as cabinet members, for at least some period of time;
Whereas the Constitution vests the appointment power of executive branch officials in the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, and nothing in this resolution is intended to alter either the constitutional power of the President or the constitutional function of the Senate with regard to the confirmation of presidential nominees;
Whereas an incoming President cannot exercise the constitutional powers of the President, in order to ensure a smooth transition of Government, until noon on the 20th day of January, pursuant to the terms of the twentieth amendment to the Constitution;
Whereas cooperation between the incoming and the outgoing President is therefore the only way to ensure a smooth transition of Government;
Whereas Congress throughout history has acted consistently and in a bipartisan fashion to encourage measures to ensure the smooth transition of executive power from one President to another, such as through the enactment of the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 (3 U.S.C. 102 note; Public Law 88–277) and subsequent amendments;
Whereas Congress has previously concluded that [t]he national interest requires that the orderly transfer of the executive power in connection with the expiration of the term of office of a President and the inauguration of a new President . . . be accomplished so as to assure continuity in the faithful execution of the laws and in the conduct of the affairs of the Federal Government, both domestic and foreign under the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 (3 U.S.C. 102 note; Public Law 88–277);
Whereas Congress has further concluded that [a]ny disruption occasioned by the transfer of the executive power could produce results detrimental to the safety and well-being of the United States and its people under the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 (3 U.S.C. 102 note; Public Law 88–277);
Whereas Congress has previously expressed its intent that appropriate actions be authorized and taken to avoid or minimize any disruption and that all officers of the Government so conduct the affairs of the Government for which they exercise responsibility and authority as (1) to be mindful of problems occasioned by transitions in the office of the President, (2) to take appropriate lawful steps to avoid or minimize disruptions that might be occasioned by the transfer of the executive power, and (3) otherwise to promote orderly transitions in the office of President under the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 (3 U.S.C. 102 note; Public Law 88–277);
Whereas the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States established under title VI of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 (6 U.S.C. 101 note; Public Law 107–306) expressly recognized the need to Improve the Transitions between Administrations in its final report;
Whereas the Commission specifically recommended that, [s]ince a catastrophic attack could occur with little or no notice, we should minimize as much as possible the disruption of national security policymaking during the change of administrations by accelerating the process for national security appointments and that the process could be improved significantly so transitions can work more effectively and allow new officials to assume their new responsibilities as quickly as possible;
Whereas the Commission suggested that [a] president-elect should submit lists of possible candidates for national security positions to begin obtaining security clearances immediately after the election, so that their background investigations can be complete before January 20, that [a] president-elect should submit the nominations of the entire new national security team, through the level of under secretary of cabinet departments, not later than January 20, that [t]he Senate, in return, should adopt special rules requiring hearings and votes to confirm or reject national security nominees within 30 days of their submission, and that an outgoing Administration should work cooperatively with an incoming President to ensure a smooth transition, in the interest of national security; and
Whereas there is no more important national security position than the office of President, and thus it is essential to national security that any new administration establish its own clear and stable line of succession to the presidency as quickly as possible: Now, therefore, be it

That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that during the period preceding the end of a term of office in which a President will not be serving a succeeding term—
(1)that President should consider submitting the nominations of individuals to the Senate who are selected by the President-elect for offices that fall within the line of succession;
(2)the Senate should consider conducting confirmation proceedings and votes on the nominations described under paragraph (1), to the extent determined appropriate by the Senate, between January 3 and January 20 before the Inauguration; and
(3)that President should consider agreeing to sign and deliver commissions for all approved nominations on January 20 before the Inauguration to ensure continuity of Government.