In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''Graduation Really Achieves Dreams
Act'' or the ''GRAD Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The national high school graduation rate is only 70
percent, and in urban districts that percentage drops further
to only 50 percent.
(2) The national graduation rate for the class of 2001 was
only 51 percent for African Americans and 52 percent for Latino
students.
(3) Each school day, approximately 3,000 secondary school
students drop out of school.
(4) Six million secondary students who make up the lowest
25 percent in terms of achievement scores are 3.5 times more
likely to drop out than students in the next highest quarter of
academic achievement, and are 20 times more likely to drop out
than high achieving students.
(5) Approximately 25 percent of secondary school students
are reading at ''below basic'' levels. The problem is even more
severe for poor students of color. The average minority or low-
income ninth grader performs at only the fifth or sixth grade
level in reading.
(6) Low graduation rates are evidence that, in the earlier
grades, schools are not meeting the fundamental achievement
needs of low-income students.
(7) Even those students who do graduate from secondary
schools and go on to college are struggling because they lack
the basic skills to succeed. Approximately 40 percent of all 4-
year college students take a remedial course and 63 percent of
all community college students are assigned to at least one
remedial course.
(8) A small percentage of low-income students who manage to
enter college are able to complete a degree. Of students from
families in the bottom 20 percent in terms of income who enter
college, only 27 percent go on to complete a two- or four-year
college degree within eight years.
(9) Graduation rates impact early drop-out rates in the
military. The attrition rates of both non-high school graduates
and GED recipients are 8 percentage points higher than the
rates of graduates. As a result, the Armed Services no longer
accepts high school drop-outs and put less value on alternative
certificates.
(10) Students who fail to graduate from high school are
more likely to engage in criminal activity than students who
graduate. A one percent increase in high school graduation
rates would save approximately $1.4 billion in costs associated
with incarceration, or about $2,100 for each male high school
graduate.
(11) In today's workplace, nearly 8 in 10 adults with
bachelors degrees are employed, but for those who completed
high school only, the figure falls to about 6 in 10. And for
students who dropped out, the figure drops further to 4 in 10.
(12) Employment projections indicate that jobs requiring
only a high school degree will grow by just 9 percent by the
year 2008, while those requiring a bachelor's degree will grow
by 25 percent and those requiring an associate's degree will
grow by 31 percent.
(13) Personalization of the school environment has been
proven to increase success rates for low-performing secondary
school students. Nearly 50 percent of middle school youth and
40 percent of high school youth report feelings of
disengagement from school. Rates are even higher for teens and
minorities in urban schools. These feelings result in failure
to work hard, to seek assistance, or to take appropriate
courses.
(14) Effective research-based education programs that
improve high school graduation rates are comprehensive in
nature and include interventions that begin in kindergarten and
span all the grades through 12th.

SEC. 3. PROJECT GRAD.

(a) Purpose.--The purpose of the program authorized under this Act
is--
(1) to provide support and assistance to programs
implementing integrated education reform services to improve
high school graduation and college going rates for
disadvantaged students; and
(2) to promote the establishment of new programs to
implement such integrated education reform services.
(b) Grant Authorized.--The Secretary is authorized to award a grant
to Project GRAD USA, a nonprofit educational organization that has as
its primary purpose the improvement of high school graduation and
college going rates for disadvantaged students (hereinafter in this
section referred to as the ''grantee''), to provide support and
technical assistance to existing programs implementing the set of
integrated education reform services described in subsection (d)(2) and
to promote the expansion of such programs.
(c) Requirements of Grant Agreement.--The Secretary shall enter
into an agreement with the grantee that requires that--
(1) the grantee will enter into subcontracts with nonprofit
educational organizations (hereinafter in this section referred
to as ''subgrantees'') under which the subgrantees will agree
to establish, operate, and provide the non-Federal share of the
cost of implementing Project GRAD programs;
(2) the grantee will provide such technical assistance to
the subgrantees as may be necessary to carry out the provisions
of this section;
(3) funds made available under the grant can be used to pay
the Federal share of the cost of establishing and operating
programs as provided in paragraph (1) and costs associated with
the provision of technical assistance as provided in paragraph
(2); and
(4) the grantee will select only subgrantees that serve a
substantial number or percentage of low-income students.
(d) Supported Programs.--
(1) Designation; feeder patterns.--The programs supported
with funds available under this section shall be known as
''Project GRAD programs''. Such programs shall, with the
agreement of the grantee, identify one or more groups of public
schools at which services will be provided through establishing
a ''feeder pattern'' through which elementary and secondary
schools channel students having participated in Project GRAD
services into an identified high school.
(2) Integrated education reform services.--The services
provided through project GRAD programs shall include--
(A) research-based programs in reading,
mathematics, and classroom management;
(B) campus-based social services programs including
a systematic approach to increase family and community
involvement in the schools served;
(C) a college access program, which includes the
provision of a college scholarship for students that
meet established criteria, proven approaches to
increasing student and family college awareness, and
assistance for those students in applying to college
for financial aid; and
(D) such other services identified by the grantee
as necessary to increase high school graduation and
college going rates.
(e) Use of Funds.--Not less than 75 percent of the funds received
by the grantee under this section shall be used to fund awards to
subgrantees to carry out the requirements of subsection (d)(1). The
balance of such funds shall be used by grantee to carry out the
requirements of subsection (d)(2), as well as other such activities to
promote greater public awareness of integrated education reform
services to improve high school graduation and college going rates for
disadvantaged students as described in subsection (d)(2).
(f) Federal Share.--
(1) In general.--For purposes of subsection (c), the term
''Federal share'' means, with respect to the costs of Project
GRAD programs authorized in subsection (c), subgrants provided
by the grantee averaging $200 per pupil, adjusted to take into
consideration the resources available to the school at which
the subgrantee will implement the program, and the need for
Project GRAD USA services to improve student outcomes.
(2) Exception.--Nothing in this subsection shall preclude
the awarding of subgrants reflecting a per student cost of more
than $200 if the grantee determines that additional resources
were not available consistent with the requirements placed on
the grantee in subsection (c)(4).
(3) More may be required.--If funds or resources are
available to a subgrantee, the grantee may elect to award the
subgrantee less than the Federal share of the cost associated
with the program.
(g) Evaluation.--
(1) Evaluation by the secretary.--The Secretary shall
select an independent entity to evaluate every 3 years the
performance of students who participate in a program under this
section. The evaluation shall be contracted using the strongest
possible research design for determining the effectiveness of
programs funded under this section. The evaluation shall
include a comparison of reading and mathematics achievement
and, where applicable, high school graduation, college going,
and college completion rates of students who participate in the
programs funded under this section with those indicators for
students of similar backgrounds who do not participate in such
programs.
(2) Evaluation by grantee and subgrantees.--The grantee
shall require each subgrantee to prepare an in-depth report of
the results of the programs supported with funds, and the use
of funds, made available under this section. Such review shall
include data on the reading and math achievement of students
involved in the programs and statistics on high school
graduation, college going, and college completion rates, and
such financial reporting as deemed relevant to review the
effectiveness and efficiency of the program. The report shall
be in a form and include such content as shall be determined by
the grantee in consultation with the Secretary or the entity
selected by the Secretary to evaluate the Project GRAD program.
(3) Availability of evaluations.--Copies of any evaluation
or report prepared pursuant to this section shall be available
to the Secretary and the Chairman and ranking member of the
Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor
and Pensions of the Senate.
(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to make grants under this section $27,000,000 for fiscal
year 2005 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 5
succeeding fiscal years.
(i) Low-Income Student.--For purposes of this section, the term
''low-income student'' means a student who is determined by a local
educational agency to be from a low-income family using the measures
described in section 1113(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965.
Graduation Really Achieves Dreams Act - GRAD Act - Authorizes a grant to Project GRAD USA, a nonprofit educational organization for improving high school graduation and college-going rates for disadvantaged students, to provide technical assistance and support through subgrants to existing and new programs that implement a set of integrated education reform services.

Requires the grantee to select only subgrantees that serve a substantial number or percentage of low-income students. Requires the programs to identify one or more groups of public schools at which services will be provided through a feeder pattern through which elementary and secondary schools channel students having participated in program services into an identified high school. Requires program services to include: (1) research-based programs in reading, mathematics, and classroom management; (2) campus-based social services programs, including increasing family and community involvement in schools; (3) a college access program, including providing college scholarships for students who meet established criteria, increasing student and family college awareness, and assisting students to apply for college financial aid; and (4) other services the grantee identifies as necessary.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''American Missile Protection Act of
1998''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The threat of weapons of mass destruction delivered by
long-range ballistic missiles is among the most serious
security issues facing the United States.
(A) In a 1994 Executive Order, President Clinton
certified, that ''I ... find that the proliferation of
nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons ('weapons of
mass destruction') and the means of delivering such
weapons, constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat
to the national security, foreign policy, and economy
of the United States, and hereby declare a national
emergency to deal with that threat.'' This state of
emergency was reaffirmed in 1995, 1996, and 1997.
(B) In 1994 the President stated, that ''there is
nothing more important to our security and the world's
stability than preventing the spread of nuclear weapons
and ballistic missiles''.
(C) Several countries hostile to the United States
have been particularly determined to acquire missiles
and weapons of mass destruction. President Clinton
observed in January of 1998, for example, that ''Saddam
Hussein has spent the better part of this decade, and
much of his nation's wealth, not on providing for the
Iraqi people, but on developing nuclear, chemical and
biological weapons and the missiles to deliver them''.
(D) In 1996, the Senate affirmed that, ''it is in
the supreme interest of the United States to defend
itself from the threat of limited ballistic missile
attack, whatever the source.''
(2) The long-range ballistic missile threat to the United
States is increasing.
(A) Several adversaries of the United States have
stated their intention to acquire intercontinental
ballistic missiles capable of attacking the United
States.
(i) Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi has
stated, ''If they know that you have a
deterrent force capable of hitting the United
States, they would not be able to hit you. If
we had possessed a deterrent--missiles that
could reach New York--we would have hit it at
the same moment. Consequently, we should build
this force so that they and others will no
longer think about an attack.''
(ii) Abu Abbas, the head of the Palestine
Liberation Front, has stated, ''I would love to
be able to reach the American shore, but this
is very difficult. Someday an Arab country will
have ballistic missiles. Someday an Arab
country will have a nuclear bomb. It is better
for the United States and for Israel to reach
peace with the Palestinians before that day.''
(iii) Saddam Hussein has stated, ''Our
missiles cannot reach Washington. If we could
reach Washington, we would strike if the need
arose.''
(iv) Iranian actions speak for themselves.
Iran's aggressive pursuit of medium-range
ballistic missiles capable of striking Central
Europe--aided by the continuing collaboration
of outside agents--demonstrates Tehran's intent
to acquire ballistic missiles of ever-
increasing range.
(B) Over 30 non-NATO countries possess ballistic
missiles, with at least 10 of those countries
developing over 20 new types of ballistic missiles.
(C) From the end of World War II until 1980,
ballistic missiles were used in one conflict. Since
1980, thousands of ballistic missiles have been fired
in at least six different conflicts.
(D) The clear trend among countries hostile to the
United States is toward having ballistic missiles of
greater range.
(i) North Korea first acquired 300-
kilometer range Scud Bs, then developed and
deployed 500-kilometer range Scud Cs, is
currently deploying the 1000-kilometer range
No-Dong, and is developing the 2000-kilometer
range Taepo-Dong 1 and 6000-kilometer range
Taepo-Dong 2, which would be capable of
striking Alaska and Hawaii.
(ii) Iran acquired 150-kilometer range CSS-
8s, progressed through the Scud B and Scud C,
and is developing the 1300-kilometer range
Shahab-3 and 2000-kilometer range Shahab-4,
which would allow Iran to strike Central
Europe.
(iii) Iraq, in a two-year crash program,
produced a new missile, the Al-Hussein, with
twice the range of its Scud Bs.
(iv) Experience gained from extending the
range of short- and medium-range ballistic
missiles facilitates the development of
intercontinental ballistic missiles.
(E) The technical information, hardware, and other
resources necessary to build ballistic missiles are
increasingly available and accessible worldwide.
(i) Due to advances in information
technology, a vast amount of technical
information relating to ballistic missile
design, much of it formerly classified, has
become widely available and is increasingly
accessible through the Internet and other
distribution avenues.
(ii) Components, tools, and materials to
support ballistic missile development are
increasingly available in the commercial
aerospace industry.
(iii) Increasing demand for satellite-based
telecommunications is adding to the demand for
commercial Space Launch Vehicles, which employ
technology that is essentially identical to
that of intercontinental ballistic missiles. As
this increasing demand is met, the technology
and expertise associated with space launch
vehicles also proliferate.
(F) Russia and China have provided significant
technical assistance to rogue nation ballistic missile
programs, accelerating the pace of those efforts. In
June of 1997, the Director of Central Intelligence,
reporting to Congress on weapons of mass destruction-
related equipment, materials, and technology, stated
that ''China and Russia continued to be the primary
suppliers, and are key to any future efforts to stem
the flow of dual-use goods and modern weapons to
countries of concern.''
(G) Russia and China continue to engage in missile
proliferation.
(i) Despite numerous Russian assurances not
to assist Iran with its ballistic missile
program, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of
State for Nonproliferation testified to the
Senate, that ''the problem is this: there is a
disconnect between those reassurances, which we
welcome, and what we believe is actually
occurring.''
(ii) Regarding China's actions to
demonstrate the sincerity of its commitment to
nonproliferation, the Director of Central
Intelligence testified to the Senate on January
28, 1998, that, ''the jury is still out on
whether the recent changes are broad enough in
scope and whether they will hold over the
longer term. As such, Chinese activities in
this area will require continued close
watching.''
(H) The inability of the United States to defend
itself against weapons of mass destruction delivered by
long-range ballistic missile provides additional
incentive for hostile nations to develop long-range
ballistic missiles with which to threaten the United
States. Missiles are widely viewed as valuable tools
for deterring and coercing a vulnerable United States.
(3) The ability of the United States to anticipate future
ballistic missile threats is questionable.
(A) The Intelligence Community has failed to
anticipate many past technical innovations (for
example, Iraq's extended-range Al-Hussein missiles and
its development of a space launch vehicle) and outside
assistance enables rogue states to surmount traditional
technological obstacles to obtaining or developing
ballistic missiles of increasing range.
(B) In June of 1997, the Director of Central
Intelligence reported to Congress that ''many Third
World countries--with Iran being the most prominent
example--are responding to Western counter-
proliferation efforts by relying more on legitimate
commercial firms as procurement fronts and by
developing more convoluted procurement networks.''
(C) In June of 1997, the Director of Central
Intelligence stated to Congress that ''gaps and
uncertainties preclude a good projection of exactly
when 'rest of the world' countries will deploy ICBMs.''
(D) In 1997, the Director of Central Intelligence
testified that Iran would have a medium-range missile
by 2007. One year later the Director stated, ''since I
testified, Iran's success in getting technology and
materials from Russian companies, combined with recent
indigenous Iranian advances, means that it could have a
medium-range missile much sooner than I assessed last
year.'' Department of State officials have testified
that Iran could be prepared to deploy such a missile as
early as late 1998, nine years earlier than had been
predicted one year before by the Director of Central
Intelligence.
(4) The failure to prepare adequately for long-range
ballistic missile threats could have severe national security
and foreign policy consequences for the United States.
(A) An attack on the United States by a ballistic
missile equipped with a weapon of mass destruction
could inflict catastrophic death or injury to citizens
of the United States and severe damage to their
property.
(B) A rogue state's ability to threaten the United
States with an intercontinental ballistic missile may
constrain the United States' options in dealing with
regional threats to its interests, deter the United
States from taking appropriate action, or prompt allies
to question United States security guarantees, thereby
weakening alliances of the United States and the United
States' world leadership position.
(5) The United States must be prepared for rogue nations
acquiring long-range ballistic missiles armed with weapons of
mass destruction.
(A) In its resolution of ratification for the START
II Treaty, the United States Senate declared that
''because deterrence may be inadequate to protect the
United States against long-range ballistic missile
threats, missile defenses are a necessary part of new
deterrent strategies.''
(B) In September of 1994, Secretary of Defense
Perry stated that in the post-Cold War era, ''we now
have opportunity to create a new relationship based not
on MAD, not on Mutual Assured Destruction, but rather
on another acronym, MAS, or Mutual Assured Safety.''
(C) On February 12, 1997, the Under Secretary of
Defense for Policy testified to the Senate that ''I and
the administration are quite willing to acknowledge
that if we saw a rogue state, a potential proliferant,
beginning to develop a long-range ICBM capable of
reaching the United States, we would have to give very,
very serious attention to deploying a limited national
missile defense.''
(6) The United States has no defense deployed against
weapons of mass destruction delivered by long-range ballistic
missiles and no policy to deploy such a national missile
defense system.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE POLICY.

It is the policy of the United States to deploy as soon as is
technologically possible an effective National Missile Defense system
capable of defending the territory of the United States against limited
ballistic missile attack (whether accidental, unauthorized, or
deliberate).
American Missile Protection Act of 1998 - States as U.S. policy to deploy as soon as technologically possible an effective National Missile Defense system capable of defending U.S. territory against limited ballistic missile attack (whether accidental, unauthorized, or deliberate).

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''Railroad Shipper Protection Act of
1997''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds that--
(1) the railroad industry has consolidated dramatically
since passage of the Staggers Rail Act of 1980 (94 Stat. 1895
et seq.), leaving the railroad industry with only a few major
carriers and providing shippers with limited competitive
options;
(2) the financial health of the railroad industry has
improved substantially since the passage of the Staggers Rail
Act of 1980;
(3) due partly to the continued consolidation of the
railroad industry, captive rail shippers--
(A) continue to exist; and
(B) are increasing in number; and
(4) rail shippers, including captive rail shippers, will
benefit from increased competition among railroads and a
streamlined process under which the Surface Transportation
Board determines the reasonableness of captive rail shipper
rates.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:
(1) Secretary.--The term ''Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Transportation.
(2) Surface transportation board.--The term ''Surface
Transportation Board'' or ''Board'' means the Surface
Transportation Board established under section 701 of title 49,
United States Code.

SEC. 4. PURPOSES.

The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to clarify the rail transportation policy of the United
States;
(2) to ensure rail competition for shippers in geographic
areas in which rail competition is physically available;
(3) to ensure reasonable rates for captive rail shippers;
and
(4) to remove unnecessary regulatory burdens from the rate
reasonableness process of the Surface Transportation Board.

SEC. 5. CLARIFICATION OF RAIL TRANSPORTATION POLICY.

Section 10101 of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by inserting ''(a) In General.--'' before ''In
regulating''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
''(b) Primary Objectives.--The primary objectives of the rail
transportation policy of the United States shall be--
''(1) to ensure effective competition among rail carriers
at origin and destination; and
''(2) to maintain reasonable rates in the absence of
effective competition.''.

SEC. 6. REQUIREMENT OF RAILROADS TO ESTABLISH RATES TO FACILITATE RAIL
TO RAIL COMPETITION.

(a) Establishment of Rate.--Section 11101(a) of title 49, United
States Code, is amended by inserting after the first sentence the
following: ''Upon the request of a shipper, a rail carrier shall
establish a rate for transportation requested by the shipper between
any 2 points on the system of that rail carrier where traffic
originates, terminates, or may be interchanged. A rate established
under the preceding sentence shall apply to the shipper that makes the
request for the rate without regard to whether the rate established is
for part of a through transportation route between an origin and a
destination or whether the shipper has made arrangements for
transportation over any other part of that through route.''.
(b) Review of Reasonableness of Rate.--Section 10701(d) of title
49, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4); and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
''(3) If a rail carrier establishes a rate for transportation
between any 2 points on the system of that rail carrier where rail
traffic originates, terminates, or may be interchanged, the shipper may
challenge the reasonableness of--
''(A) that rate; or
''(B) the aggregate rate between origin and destination (if
the rate established is for part of a through route).''.

SEC. 7. SIMPLIFIED STANDARD FOR MARKET DOMINANCE.

Section 10707(d) of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by striking paragraph (2);
(2) by striking ''(1)(A)'' and inserting ''(3)'';
(3) by striking ''(B) For purposes'' and inserting ''(4)
For purposes''; and
(4) by inserting before paragraph (3), as redesignated, the
following:
''(1) In making a determination under this section, the Board shall
find that the rail carrier establishing the challenged rate referred to
in subsection (b) has market dominance over the transportation to which
the rate applies if that rail carrier--
''(A) is the only rail carrier serving the origin,
destination, or intermediate portion of the route involved; and
''(B) does not prove to the Board that the rate charged
results in a revenue-variable cost percentage for that
transportation that is less than 180 percent.
''(2) In making a market dominance determination under this section
in any case in which 2 or more rail carriers provide service at an
origin or destination, the Board shall consider only transportation
competition at that origin or destination.''.

SEC. 8. REVENUE ADEQUACY DETERMINATIONS.

(a) Rail Transportation Policy.--Section 10101(3) of title 49,
United States Code, is amended by striking '', as determined by the
Board;''.
(b) Authority for Revenue Adequacy Determination.--Section 10704(a)
of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by striking ''(a)(1)'' and inserting ''(a)''; and
(2) by striking paragraphs (2) and (3).

SEC. 9. REDUCTION OF PROCEDURAL BARRIERS FACED BY SMALL SHIPPERS.

(a) Administrative Relief.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Surface Transportation Board shall--
(1) review the rules and procedures applicable to rate
complaints and other complaints filed with the Board by small
shippers;
(2) identify any such rules or procedures that are unduly
burdensome to small shippers; and
(3) take such action, including rulemaking, as is
appropriate to reduce or eliminate the aspects of the rules and
procedures that the Board determines under paragraph (2) to be
unduly burdensome to small shippers.
(b) Legislative Relief.--The Board shall notify the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee
on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives if
the Board determines that additional changes in the rules and
procedures described in subsection (a) are appropriate and require
commensurate changes in statutory law. In making that notification, the
Board shall make recommendations concerning those changes.
Railroad Shipper Protection Act of 1997 - Amends Federal transportation law to declare as primary objectives for U.S. rail transportation policy: (1) ensuring effective competition among rail carriers at origin and destination; and (2) maintaining reasonable rates in the absence of such competition.
Requires a rail carrier, upon request from a shipper, to establish a rail transportation rate between any two points on the carrier's system where traffic originates, terminates, or may be interchanged. Authorizes such shipper to then challenge the reasonableness of the rate established or the aggregate rate between origin and destination (if the rate established is for part of a through rate).
Requires the Surface Transportation Board to find that the rail carrier establishing a challenged rail rate has market dominance over the transportation to which the rate applies if such carrier: (1) is the only carrier serving the origin, destination, or intermediate portion of the route involved; or (2) does not prove to the Board that the rate charged results in a revenue-variable cost percentage for that transportation that is less than 180 percent.
Terminates Board authority to determine the revenue adequacy of rail carriers.
Directs the Board to: (1) review and take appropriate action with respect to the rules and procedures applicable to rate complaints and other complaints filed with the Board by small shippers; and (2) notify specified congressional committees if it determines that additional (legislative) changes in such rules and procedures are appropriate.