zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the Senate on May 12, 2016. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Rapid DNA Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the DNA Identification Act of 1994 to require the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to issue standards and procedures for using Rapid DNA instruments to analyze DNA samples of criminal offenders.

Rapid DNA instruments carry out a fully automated process to create a DNA analysis from a DNA sample.

DNA samples prepared by criminal justice agencies using Rapid DNA instruments in compliance the FBI-issued standards and procedures may be included in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).

(Sec. 3) The bill amends the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to allow the FBI to waive certain existing requirements if a DNA sample is analyzed using Rapid DNA instruments and the results are included in CODIS.

Date: 2015-12-03
Topic: Law and Crime (Court Administration)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Witness Security and Protection Grant Program Act of 2015

 This bill directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to award competitive matching grants to state, local, and tribal governments to establish or maintain witness protection programs in cases related to: (1) a homicide, serious violent felony, or serious drug offense; or (2) gangs or organized crime.

DOJ must evaluate grant applications based on certain criteria, including the prevalence of witness intimidation, the presence of organized crime, and the per capita number of homicides, violent felonies, or serious drug offenses.

 The bill also requires DOJ to: (1) consider urban and rural applicants and ensure equitable geographic distribution of grant awards; and (2) develop and disseminate best practice models to help state, local, and tribal governments address witness protection and assistance issues.

Date: 2015-12-09
Topic: Law and Crime (Court Administration)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Bankruptcy Judgeship Act of 2016

This bill amends the federal judicial code to:

 convert certain temporary bankruptcy judges to permanent bankruptcy judges and authorize the appointment of additional bankruptcy judges in Delaware and Michigan; convert temporary bankruptcy judges to permanent bankruptcy judges in specified judicial districts in Florida, Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, and Virginia; and authorize the appointment of additional bankruptcy judges in the middle district of Florida.

Date: 2016-01-19
Topic: Law and Crime (Court Administration)
Subject: Law
Federal Courts of Appeals Modernization Act

This bill establishes a Commission on Structural Alternatives for the Federal Courts of Appeals to: (1) study the present division of the U.S. courts of appeals, with particular references to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; and (2) submit to the President and Congress recommendations for changes in circuit boundaries or structure for the expeditious and effective disposition of the caseload of such courts.

The commission shall be composed of five members appointed by the Chief Justice of the United States.

Date: 2016-02-01
Topic: Law and Crime (Court Administration)
Subject: Law
Circuit Court of Appeals Restructuring and Modernization Act

This bill divides the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit into: (1) a new Ninth Circuit, to be composed of California, Guam, Hawaii, and Northern Mariana Islands; and (2) a newly established Twelfth Circuit, to be composed of Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.

The President must appoint five additional judges for the new Ninth Circuit and two additional temporary judges for the former Ninth Circuit.

The bill designates the locations where the new circuits are to hold regular sessions.

 The Circuit Executive and the Clerk of the Court of the Twelfth Circuit shall be located in Phoenix, Arizona.

The bill distributes active circuit judges of the former Ninth Circuit to the new circuits. Senior circuit judges of the former Ninth Circuit may elect their circuit assignment.

The bill authorizes the temporary assignment of circuit and district judges of the former Ninth Circuit between the new circuits.

Date: 2016-02-01
Topic: Law and Crime (Court Administration)
Subject: Law
Judicial Administration and Improvement Act of 2016

This bill divides the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit into: (1) a new Ninth Circuit, to be composed of California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands; and (2) a newly established Twelfth Circuit, to be composed of Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada. The bill designates locations where the new circuits are to hold regular sessions.

The bill distributes active circuit judges of the former Ninth Circuit to the new circuits. Circuit judges and senior circuit judges currently stationed in Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, or Nevada may elect their circuit assignment. For each circuit judge in regular service who elects to be assigned to the new Ninth Circuit, the President shall appoint one additional circuit judge for the Twelfth Circuit.

Date: 2016-02-03
Topic: Law and Crime (Court Administration)
Subject: Law
Civic Duty Act

This bill amends the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1991 to repeal the exemption of elected legislative branch officials from serving on grand or petit juries.

Date: 2016-02-11
Topic: Law and Crime (Court Administration)
Subject: Congress
This bill prohibits the Firearms Trace System database maintained by the National Trace Center of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from being immune from legal process. In state or federal civil actions or administrative proceedings, the contents of the database: (1) shall be subject to discovery and admissible as evidence; and (2) may be used, relied on, or disclosed in any manner. Testimony or other evidence may also be permitted based on that data.

Date: 2016-02-25
Topic: Law and Crime (Court Administration)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Probation Officer Protection Act of 2016

 This bill amends the federal criminal code to authorize a probation officer to arrest a person (i.e., a person other than the probationer) without a warrant if there is probable cause to believe the person forcibly assaulted or obstructed a probation officer engaged in the performance of official duties.

Date: 2016-04-27
Topic: Law and Crime (Court Administration)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Equal Justice Under Law Act of 2016

This bill states that an indigent individual facing criminal prosecution or juvenile delinquency in a state court is entitled to the effective assistance of counsel, as guaranteed by the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments, at the state's expense.

It authorizes a federal class action lawsuit against a state for its systemic failure to guarantee the right to effective assistance of counsel. The assistance of counsel is ineffective when a class of individuals demonstrates that counsel's performance was not reasonable under prevailing professional norms.

Additionally, the bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to modify the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program. Specifically, it requires a state or local government to consult with public defenders before distributing JAG funds to community organizations and local governments.

Date: 2016-07-07
Topic: Law and Crime (Court Administration)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Clarence Gideon Full Access to Justice Act or the Gideon Act

This bill amends the federal criminal code by establishing the Defender Office for Supreme Court Advocacy as a private, nonmembership, nonprofit corporation. It must advocate on behalf of individuals in noncapital cases involving an issue of federal criminal statutory law or constitutional law before: (1) the Supreme Court of the United States, and (2) the highest courts in the states when resources permit. The office may also provide assistance to attorneys advocating on behalf of those individuals.

Date: 2016-07-07
Topic: Law and Crime (Court Administration)
Subject: Law
Math & Science School Readiness Act of 2007 - Amends the Head Start Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish additional scientifically-based education performance standards to ensure that children participating in the Head Start program develop and demonstrate premathematics and prescience knowledge and skills, including number concepts and operations, geometry and spatial concepts, classification, and time and measurement concepts. Requires each Head Start classroom in a center-based program to be assigned one teacher with the competency to impart such knowledge and skills.

Date: 2007-01-04
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Teacher Recruitment Act of 2007 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to establish new programs for teacher student loan forgiveness under the guaranteed loan program and the direct loan program. Makes eligible for such student loan forgiveness any new borrower on or after October 1, 1998, who is: (1) employed as a full-time teacher in a public elementary or secondary school in an economically disadvantaged or depressed and underserved rural area; (2) state-certified or state-licensed to teach, and in compliance with state or local accountability standards; and (3) not in default on the loan. Directs the Secretary to establish a formula that ensures fairness and equality for applicants in the selection of borrowers for such loan repayment under this section, based on the amount available. Limits the portion of the outstanding loan obligation which the Secretary may repay to 15% for the first or second year of such service, 20% for the third or fourth year, and 30% for the fifth year.

Date: 2007-01-04
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Directs the Secretary of Education to allot funds to states for distribution to local educational agencies (LEAs) to recruit, hire, and train 100,000 new classroom paraprofessionals in order to improve educational achievement for children. Requires that 80% of a state's allotment be allocated to LEAs on the basis of relative numbers of children from families with incomes below the poverty line residing in their school districts, and that the remainder be allocated on the basis of relative enrollments.

Date: 2007-01-04
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Graduation Really Achieves Dreams Act or the GRAD Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to Project GRAD USA, a nonprofit educational organization for improving high school graduation and college attendance and completion 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.

Date: 2007-02-07
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Pell Grant Equity Act of 2007 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make the formula for calculation of an individual Pell Grant which includes, in part, the sum of the student's tuition, inapplicable for the 2007-2008 academic year. (Thus suspends for such year the "tuition sensitivity provision" which prohibits maximum Pell Grant awards to students attending low-tuition institutions of higher education even if their income is low enough to otherwise qualify for the maximum award.) Amends the Federal Family Education Loan program to lower from 23% to 22% for FY2008, the percentage of a borrower's student loan payment made subsequent to default that a guaranty agency may retain for deposit in its operating fund if the Secretary of Education has already reimbursed it for such default.

Date: 2007-02-12
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Head Start Accountability Act of 2007 - Amends the Head Start Act to require additional accountability measures for Head Start agencies, including: (1) agency designation period limits; (2) revised redesignation priorities; (3) local oversight boards; (4) revised administrative and financial management standards; (5) delegate agency evaluations and corrective actions; (6) shorter deadlines for agency corrective actions; (7) revised notice and hearing procedures for assistance suspensions, terminations, or reductions; and (8) annual audits. Prohibits recipients from using Head Start assistance to appeal any decision of the Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Act.

Date: 2007-03-21
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Families Learning and Understanding English Together Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to providers of family literacy services to improve the literacy and English skills of limited English proficient individuals who are parents or children in families where each parent is at least 16 years old and where at least one child is under age eight. Directs the Secretary to reserve certain funds to: (1) provide technical assistance and training to such grantees; (2) make grants to, or enter contracts with, national organizations that have family literacy service expertise to provide grantees with technical assistance and training; and (3) evaluate and improve such grant program. Requires grantees to meet specified outcome measures.

Date: 2007-03-29
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Legal Employee Verification Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require visas issued by the Secretary of State and immigration related documents issued by the Secretary of State or the Secretary of Homeland Security to comply with authentication and biometric standards recognized by domestic and international standards organizations. Requires the Commissioner of Social Security to: (1) establish an Employment Eligibility Confirmation System to respond to inquiries made by employers regarding the identities and employment authorizations of their employees; (2) design, implement, and maintain an Employment Eligibility Database, including annual reverification; and (3) develop a plan to phase all workers into the Database and phase out the employer verification system established in specified existing provisions. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (currently, the Attorney General) to implement an integrated entry and exit data system. Requires a process under which an H-2B alien (temporary nonagricultural worker) who files a nonfrivolous complaint regarding a violation of this Act and is otherwise eligible to remain and work in the United States may be allowed to seek other employment in the United States for a period not to exceed the maximum period of stay for that nonimmigrant.

Date: 2007-04-19
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Immigration
Teach for America Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to Teach For America, Inc. to implement and expand its program of recruiting, selecting, training, and supporting new teachers. Requires that grant funds be used to provide teachers to local educational agencies that serve a substantial percentage of students eligible for free or reduced price meals under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. Directs the Secretary of Education to provide for a study, at least once every three years, comparing the academic achievement of students taught by teachers assisted by this Act with the academic achievement of students taught by other teachers in the same schools and positions.

Date: 2007-04-19
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Adults Achieving the American Dream Act of 2007 - Amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act to reauthorize appropriations through FY2013 for adult education and literacy services, including integrated English literacy and civics education programs. Increases the maximum amounts that can be reserved from such funds for: (1) the National Institute for Literacy; and (2) national leadership activities. Reserves an amount for integrated English literacy and civics education programs. Directs the Secretary of Education to award grants to states for integrated English literacy and civics education programs for immigrants admitted for lawful residence in the United States.Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to reauthorize appropriations for Even Start Family Literacy Programs for FY2008 and each of the five succeeding fiscal years.Amends the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 to require the establishment of a national research and development center that includes research in adult education.Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for employer-provided adult education and literacy programs.

Date: 2007-05-08
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Small Energy Efficient Businesses Act - Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to: (1) authorize financial assistance through the Small Business Administration (SBA) to state and local development companies for projects that reduce energy consumption by at least 10%, reduce the use of non-renewable energy sources, or generate renewable energy sources; and (2) provide loan limits for such projects. Amends the Small Business Act to direct the SBA Administrator to make small business loans to purchase energy efficient equipment or fixtures, or to reduce the borrower's energy consumption. Authorizes a small business development center to carry out a small business sustainability initiative (support to small businesses to evaluate their energy efficiency and achieve increased efficiency). Directs the Administrator to develop and coordinate a program to provide small business education on energy efficiency. Authorizes small business investment companies to issue Energy Saving debentures. Requires the Administrator to establish a Renewable Fuel Capital Investment Program under which the Administrator may: (1) enter into participation agreements with renewable fuel capital investment companies to promote the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of renewable energy sources; and (2) guarantee debentures issued by such companies.

Date: 2007-05-17
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Commerce
Prepare All Kids Act of 2007 - Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Prekindergarten Incentive Fund from which matching grants shall be awarded to states and, through them, subgrants to qualified prekindergarten providers to establish, expand, or enhance voluntary high quality full-day prekindergarten programs serving children ages three through five. Requires prekindergarten providers to target children from families with incomes at or below 200% of the poverty line and provide them with program services free of charge. Directs state grantees to set aside: (1) at least 10% of a grant for quality early childhood development programs for children ages zero through three; and (2) at least 10% of a grant to extend the hours of early childhood programs to create extended day and year programs.

Date: 2007-06-26
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Language Education for Success Act of 2007 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide student loan forgiveness under the Federal Family Education Loan and Direct loan programs to teachers of students of limited English proficiency who have taught for five consecutive complete school years at elementary or secondary schools that serve a high proportion of disadvantaged children. Directs the Commissioner of the National Center for Educational Statistics to study and report to Congress on the performance of recipients of grants for the language instruction of limited English proficient and immigrant students under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to measure student academic progress. Directs the Secretary of Education to compile and publicize a list of state instructional programs for such students that assesses the costs and benefits of each program. Authorizes the Secretary to provide grants under the Pell Grant program to institutions of higher education to provide: (1) foreign language and teacher preparation instruction to incoming first-year undergraduates during the months preceding their enrollment; and (2) scholarships to such students for the costs of such instruction.

Date: 2007-06-26
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow states, when determining whether disabled or limited English proficient student subgroups are making adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward state academic performance standards, to include in such subgroups students who are no longer identified as disabled or limited English proficient but who were so identified during any of the preceding three school years.

Date: 2007-07-18
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Path to Success: Gang Prevention through Community Partnerships Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to community colleges to establish partnerships with juvenile detention centers and secure juvenile justice residential facilities to provide assistance, services, and education to individuals age 16 through 19 who have served or are serving time in juvenile detention facilities for a gang-related offense who reenter the community and pursue: (1) a secondary education graduation certificate, a general equivalency diploma (GED), or equivalent certificate or diploma; (2) a certificate of completion for a specialized area of study; or (3) an associate's degree. Requires such education programs to establish a uniquely designed education plan for each individual program participant that requires the individual to receive at least a secondary education certificate or diploma in order to complete the program successfully.

Date: 2007-07-24
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Homeless Education Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to require each state and local educational agency (LEA) to ensure that each homeless child and each homeless youth has access to the same free, appropriate public education, including state-funded or LEA-funded preschool programs, as is provided to other children and youths. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to states and U.S. territories for specified state and local activities, including mandatory establishment or designation of an Office of Coordinator for Education of Homeless Children and Youths in each state educational agency (SEA). Prohibits segregation of such children and youths into separate schools or programs within schools. Requires each SEA to make subgrants to LEAs to facilitate the identification, enrollment, attendance, and success in school of homeless children and youths. Directs the Secretary to make grants to states for transportation for school stability, readiness, and success for such children and youths.

Date: 2007-07-27
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Positive Behavior for Effective Schools Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to allow states to allocate school improvement funds under title I of the ESEA for coordinated, early intervention services for all students. Includes among such services, schoolwide positive behavior support, defined as a broad range of systemic and individualized strategies for achieving important social and learning outcomes while preventing problem behavior with all students. Requires improvements in schoolwide learning climates, including schoolwide positive behavior supports, to be a target of: (1) technical assistance provided by states to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools, and by LEAs to schools identified as needing improvement; (2) schoolwide programs that allow LEAs to consolidate educational funds to upgrade the entire educational program of schools that serve a high proportion of low-income families; (3) funding under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program; (4) elementary and secondary school counseling programs; and (5) professional development funding. Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to establish, within the Department of Education, an Office of Specialized Instructional Support Services to oversee and implement the provision of specialized instructional support services in schools by school counselors, social workers, psychologists, and other qualified professionals.

Date: 2007-08-03
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Bullying and Gang Reduction for Improved Education Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to add bullying and gang prevention to the violence and drug abuse prevention activities currently supported under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program. Provides that, in addition to fostering a safe and drug-free learning environment, such program should facilitate healthy, physically active lifestyles. Makes local park and recreation agencies eligible for funding under the program's mentoring programs for children.

Date: 2007-08-03
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Rural Students College, Career, and Community Readiness Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Education to award grants to up to two nonprofit organizations to conduct higher education and career readiness demonstration projects. Requires grantees to partner with rural local educational agencies and schools to enroll a cohort of seventh grade students and a cohort of ninth grade students into the demonstration projects, which are to provide such students with approximately 25 hours of informational and educational services in each grade through grade 12 that prepare them for higher education and a successful career.

Date: 2007-09-25
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Providing Resources to Improve Dual Language Education Act of 2007 or the PRIDE Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award up to five grants to partnerships of local educational agencies (LEAs), early childhood education programs, and technical assistance providers for the implementation of dual language demonstration programs designed to enhance and assess the biliteracy, bilingualism, and multicultural skills of low-income minority and limited English proficient students from preschool through grade five. Directs the Secretary to: (1) arrange for an entity that has dual language program experience to provide technical assistance to LEA grantees and evaluate the programs funded by this Act; and (2) disseminate information on model practices implemented under such programs that are appropriate for use by early childhood education providers to improve the school readiness of limited English proficient students.

Date: 2007-10-16
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Universal Prekindergarten Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide grants to a designated state agency for development of universal prekindergaten programs for all children three, four, and five years old in the state. Requires the state to: (1) match federal funds by at least 20%; and (2) submit with its grant application a plan to establish, coordinate, and implement a statewide universal prekindergarten program. Authorizes state agencies to set aside up to 5% of a grant for ongoing professional development activities for teachers and staff of prekindergarten programs that wish to participate.

Date: 2007-11-01
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
College and University Rural Education (CURE) Act of 2007 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to partnerships between rural institutions of higher education (IHEs) and rural local educational agencies, rural education service agencies, regional employers, or rural education nonprofit organizations for activities to: (1) improve the rural IHE enrollment rates of rural high school graduates and former attendees; and (2) encourage nontraditional students' participation in rural IHE degree programs. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to partnerships between rural IHEs and regional employers to: (1) provide additional training to rural IHE attendees in careers relevant to the regional economy; and (2) encourage regional businesses to employ rural IHE graduates. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to rural IHEs to create or strengthen academic programs that prepare graduates to enter high-need occupations in the regional and local economies. Requires the General Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate, and make recommendations to Congress regarding the improvement of, rural access to four-year IHEs and degree programs.

Date: 2007-11-09
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Predominantly Black Institution Act of 2007 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide grants to Predominantly Black Institutions to: (1) enhance their capacity to serve more low- and middle-income Black American students; (2) expand higher education opportunities for students eligible for student assistance under title IV of the Act by encouraging such students to prepare for college and persist in secondary and postsecondary education; and (3) strengthen their financial ability to serve the academic needs of such students. Defines such institutions as accredited institutions serving at least 1,000 undergraduate students at least: (1) 50% of whom are pursuing a bachelor's or associate's degree; (2) 40% of whom are Black Americans; and (3) 50% of whom are low-income or first-generation college students. Requires the spending per full-time undergraduate student of such institutions to be low in comparison to that of institutions offering similar instruction. Allows grant recipients to use up to 20% of a grant on an endowment fund, provided they raise nonfederal matching funds at least equal to the amount of the grant used for such endowment. Allots funding among institutions on the basis of their share of Pell Grant recipients, graduates, and graduates pursuing a higher degree. Establishes a minimum allotment for each institution of $250,000, which is to be ratably reduced if appropriations are insufficient to pay such amount.

Date: 2007-11-15
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
School Choice for Foster Kids Act - Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to authorize states to use funds provided under the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence program to provide vouchers to foster children of all ages to cover their elementary and secondary private school tuition and public school transportation costs.

Date: 2007-12-06
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Securing American Families by Educating and Training Youth (SAFETY) Through Nonviolence Act of 2008 - Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to state or local governments, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and faith-based entities to prevent or alleviate the effects of community violence by educating, mentoring, and counseling youth regarding the principles and application of nonviolence in conflict resolution. Gives grant priority to applicants that agree to use the funds in communities experiencing an increase in violence, but lacking the resources to address violence prevention.

Date: 2008-03-13
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Mentor-Mentee Teen Pregnancy Reduction Act of 2008 - Amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award competitive grants to local educational agencies or community-based organizations for the creation of school-based programs that provide mentoring to at-risk teenage girls to prevent and reduce teen pregnancy. Requires program mentors to be women who: (1) have received at least a baccalaureate degree from an institution of higher education; (2) are mentoring no more than two program mentees; and (3) are trained and screened to encourage mentees to engage in responsible, goal-orientated behavior, delay their sexual activity, and increase their participation in school. Authorizes the Secretary to provide student loan forgiveness, under the Federal Family Education Loan, Direct Loan, or Perkins Loan programs of the Higher Education Act of 1965, to program mentors who serve for at least 200 hours in an academic year.

Date: 2008-04-15
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Getting Youth Re-invested in Environmental Education Now Act, or the GREEN Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to states and local educational agencies for the development of environmental justice curricula and co-op programs for middle and high school students at schools: (1) receiving school improvement funds under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; and (2) located in urban communities that may be disproportionately affected by climate change, pollution, and other environmental issues. Requires co-op programs to: (1) link students with career opportunities in the environmental field; (2) allow students to earn course or service learning credits during the summer through experiential learning; and (3) provide students with mentors to assist them in building the skills necessary for workforce success.

Date: 2008-04-24
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Strengthening Communities Through Education and Integration Act of 2008 - Amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (the Act) to allow state leadership activities grants to be used to: (1) provide technical assistance to faith and community-based organizations desiring grants under the Act; and (2) study the effectiveness of distance learning or self-study programs for English language learners. Directs the National Institute for Literacy to disseminate information regarding integrated English literacy and civics education programs. Makes such programs eligible for assistance under the Secretary of Education's national leadership activities program. Requires the Secretary to award grants to states for integrated English literacy and civics education programs, with each state's grant amount tied to the size and growth of their recent immigrant population. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to reauthorize appropriations for the Even Start Family Literacy program. Requires the Director of the National Institute for Literacy to conduct a longitudinal evaluation of the Even Start program and research into the components of successful family literacy services. Directs the Secretary to award matching grants to states and, through them, matching, competitive subgrants to local educational agencies for high quality expanded learning time programs that provide additional language and civics education to middle and secondary school students who are English language learners. Amends the Act and ESEA to replace references to individuals of limited English proficiency with references to English language learners. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide: (1) tax credits to teachers of English language learners; (2) tax deductions for the expenses of becoming certified as such teachers; and (3) tax credits for employers' expenses in making adult education and literacy services available to their employees. Requires the Commissioner for Education Research of the National Center for Education Research to establish a national research and development center for adult education and literacy, or include adult education if a center for adult literacy has already been established. Renames the Office of Citizenship within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the Department of Homeland Security the Office of Citizenship and Immigrant Integration (the Office). Includes among its functions, furthering the integration of immigrants into their communities. Authorizes the Chief of the Office to provide grants to states to: (1) form State New American Councils to develop and implement comprehensive immigrant integration plans; and (2) award subgrants, through such Councils, to local governments to assist them in integrating immigrants into communities pursuant to such plans.

Date: 2008-07-24
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Increased Student Achievement Through Increased Student Support Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive, renewable, five-year grants to partnerships between low-income local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools offering graduate programs in school counseling, social work, or psychology to increase the number of program graduates employed by low-income LEAs. Defines "low-income LEAs" as those that: (1) serve students at least 20% of which are from low-income families; (2) have ratios of school counselors, social workers, and psychologists to students that fall at least 10% below specified target ratios; and (3) have been identified as needing improvement or corrective action or include at least one school identified as needing improvement, corrective action, or restructuring under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Allows the use of grant funds to: (1) provide program graduate students with field training at partnership LEA schools; (2) contribute to program graduates' salaries at such schools for up to three years after they graduate; (3) increase the number of school counselors, social workers, and psychologists per student in such schools; (4) enhance the capacity of partnership graduate schools to train such professionals; (5) develop course work designed to facilitate such graduates' service to low-income LEAs and at-risk students; and (6) provide tuition credits to such graduate students and student loan forgiveness to program graduates employed as school counselors, social workers, or psychologists by low-income LEAs for at least five consecutive years. Directs the Secretary to establish a program providing student loan forgiveness to non-participants in this Act's grant program who have been employed for at least five consecutive years as school counselors, social workers, or psychologists by low-income LEAs. Requires the Secretary to identify a formula for future use in designating regions as eligible for benefit programs because of having a shortage of such school personnel.

Date: 2008-07-30
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Innovation Districts for School Improvement Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to 10 urban and 10 non-urban local educational agencies (LEAs) for the creation of innovation districts. Requires the LEAs to: (1) establish tests and longitudinal data systems to track the academic progress of each elementary and secondary school student and use such performance measures in evaluating and awarding school personnel and programs; (2) work with teacher representatives and other community partners to attain the administrative flexibility to staff more equitably all agency schools with effective personnel; (3) evaluate and award effective teachers on the basis of student progress and observations of teacher performance; (4) provide grants to recent college graduates and mid-career professionals to attend LEA-established Teacher Academies which provide classroom mentoring and concurrent teacher education from partner institutions in exchange for three years of service in hard-to-staff schools; (5) establish career ladders allowing teachers to progress from novice to master with a concomitant increase in compensation and responsibility for the development of fellow teachers; and (6) plan for the recruitment, training, and evaluation of school principals who are to serve as instructional leaders in the schools and hold significant responsiblity for teacher hiring and placement. Allows the LEAs to support new schools or networks of public schools, serving predominantly disadvantaged students, which are sponsored by universities, education management organizations, or nonprofit organizations.

Date: 2007-01-04
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Amends the Head Start Act to require Head Start agencies to obtain written parental consent before administering any nonemergency intrusive physical examination of a child in connection with participation in a Head Start program.

Date: 2007-01-04
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Greater Access to Education Act of 2007 - Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to the Hope Scholarship tax credit to: (1) include room, board, fees, books, supplies, and equipment as expenses eligible for such credit; (2) exclude Pell and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants from types of scholarship assistance which reduce the allowable amount of such credit; and (3) exempt certain expenses eligible for such credit from tax information reporting requirements.Makes the Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning tax credits refundable.

Date: 2007-01-23
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax deduction for charitable contributions by individuals and corporations of real property interests for conservation purposes.

Date: 2007-01-31
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Taxation
High School Sports Information Collection Act of 2007 - Amends the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 to direct the Statistics Commissioner (of the National Center for Education Statistics in the Institute of Education Sciences in the Department of Education) to collect information from coeducational secondary schools with respect to equality in their athletic programs. Requires such information to include total budget and expenditures for each team, season and postseason schedules and successes, as well as identification of: (1) each participant's gender, race, and ethnicity; and (2) each coach's gender and qualifications.

Date: 2007-02-07
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Incentives to Educate American Children (I Teach) Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a tax credit of $1,000 for: (1) teachers in public elementary or secondary schools or public kindergartens in rural areas or areas with high poverty; and (2) teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Grants a credit of $2,000 for a teacher meeting both criteria.

Date: 2007-03-14
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Taxation
Healthy Families Act - Requires certain employers, who employ 15 or more employees for each working day during 20 or more workweeks a year, to provide a minimum paid sick leave and employment benefits of: (1) seven days annually for those who work at least 30 hours per week; and (2) a prorated annual amount for those who work less than 30 but at least 20 hours a week, or less than 1,500 but at least 1,000 hours per year. Allows employees to use such leave to meet their own medical needs or to care for the medical needs of certain family members. Directs the Secretary of Labor to exercise certain investigative and enforcement authority with respect to this Act's provisions for employees covered by title I of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 or the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991. Provides that, for employees under their jurisdiction, such authority shall be exercised by the Librarian of Congress, the Comptroller General, the Board of Directors of the congressional Office of Compliance, or the Merit Systems Protection Board. Declares that the requirements under this Act are minimum requirements, and are not to be construed to discourage employers from adopting or retaining more generous leave policies.

Date: 2007-03-15
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Labor and employment
Striving Readers Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Education to provide peer-reviewed grants for literacy initiatives benefiting students in grades 4 through 12 to: (1) local educational agencies (LEAs) eligible for school improvement funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, if appropriations under this Act are less than $200 million; or (2) state educational agencies (SEAs), and through them, to LEAs, if appropriations equal or exceed such amount. Allots funds to SEAs on the basis of their relative proportion of needy children aged 5 to 17 and eighth graders underachieving in reading. Requires SEAs, in addition to providing subgrants, to use grant funds to: (1) provide professional development assistance to LEAs; (2) enhance public higher education for students preparing to teach any of grades 4 through 12; (3) recommend improvements to state licensure and certification standards for reading instruction in such grades; and (4) report to the Secretary of Education on SEA and LEA progress in improving adolescent literacy. Requires LEAs to use grant or subgrant funds on literacy initiatives that include: (1) student need and progress assessments and reports; (2) development of adolescent literacy plans for underperforming students that provide intensive, accelerated, and extended instruction for such students and professional development for teachers; and (3) initiative training for school leaders. Prohibits the use of subgrant funds on schools that do not meet specified need criteria. Authorizes the withholding of grant or subgrants funds from SEAs and LEAs making insufficient progress in improving adolescent literacy. Requires a national evaluation and the dissemination of information regarding the effectiveness of the grant and subgrant programs.

Date: 2007-03-22
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education
Prepare All Kids Act of 2007 - Amends the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Prekindergarten Incentive Fund from which matching grants shall be awarded to states and, through them, subgrants to qualified prekindergarten providers to establish, expand, or enhance voluntary high quality full-day prekindergarten programs serving children ages three through five. Requires prekindergarten providers to target children from families with incomes at or below 200% of the poverty line and provide them with program services free of charge. Directs state grantees to set aside: (1) at least 10% of a grant for quality early childhood development programs for children ages zero through three; and (2) at least 10% of a grant to extend the hours of early childhood programs to create extended day and year programs.

Date: 2007-05-11
Topic: Education (Underprivileged)
Subject: Education