[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2883 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2883

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide 
  for the establishment of a National Environmental Education Center.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 5, 1993

Mr. Engel (for himself and Mr. Serrano) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide 
  for the establishment of a National Environmental Education Center.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Environmental Education Act of 
1993''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER.

    Part A of title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 2981 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following new subpart:

          ``Subpart 3--National Environmental Education Center

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary of Education shall, through a 
national competition, make grants to establish and support a center to 
be known as the `National Environmental Education Center' (in this Act 
referred to as the `Center'). Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, assistance provided under a grant made under this subsection may 
be used for purposes of constructing, renovating, or furnishing a 
building to be used for the Center.
    ``(b) Selection Criteria.--The Secretary shall award the grants 
authorized under subsection (a) to an applicant that demonstrates the 
ability to establish a Center that would--
            ``(1) synthesize the available knowledge in environmental 
        education to develop and disseminate new instructional models 
        consistent with current environmental and pedagogic thinking;
            ``(2) employ state-of-the-art technology so that teachers 
        have access to the best environmental education curricula for 
        immediate use in their classrooms;
            ``(3) furnish teachers, curriculum designers, university 
        staff, and wildlife biologists with a readily accessible forum 
        for sharing environmental education ideas;
            ``(4) use an unparalleled wildlife collection and award-
        winning natural habitat exhibits to teach basic biology and 
        conservation ecology;
            ``(5) inspire and perpetuate extensive networks of 
        environmental science educators, nationally and 
        internationally;
            ``(6) foster productive partnerships between educators in 
        schools and environmental institutions such as zoos, aquariums, 
        and nature preserves;
            ``(7) offer workshops, courses, and seminars to help 
        strengthen and revive the national science curricula and 
        inspire a new commitment to conservation;
            ``(8) generate instructional products in a variety of media 
        to promote environmental literacy;
            ``(9) develop and test model lesson plans, curriculum 
        packages, books, computer software, videotapes, audiotapes, 
        slide sets, and laser discs; and
            ``(10) be located in a building that would contain--
                    ``(A) a teacher training resource and media center;
                    ``(B) laboratories for teaching habitat ecology, 
                animal care, and animal behavior;
                    ``(C) classrooms for early childhood, elementary, 
                secondary, and adult education;
                    ``(D) natural environment teaching laboratories;
                    ``(E) a wildlife tour and environmental information 
                headquarters;
                    ``(F) a study center and library; and
                    ``(G) offices for teachers and administrators.
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated for purposes of carrying out this subpart $25,000,000 for 
each of the fiscal years 1994, 1995, and 1996.''.

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