[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3940 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3940

To provide for a reduction in the rate of teenage pregnancy through the 
  evaluation of public and private prevention programs, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 1, 1996

Mrs. Lowey (for herself, Mr. Castle, Mrs. Johnson of Connecticut, Mrs. 
  Clayton, Mr. Porter, Mrs. Thurman, and Mrs. Morella) introduced the 
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for a reduction in the rate of teenage pregnancy through the 
  evaluation of public and private prevention programs, and for other 
                               purposes.

    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 ``Teenage Pregnancy Reduction Act of 
1996''.

SEC. 2. EVALUATION OF EFFECTIVE PROGRAMS FOR PREVENTION OF TEENAGE 
              PREGNANCY.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
(directly or through grants or contracts awarded to public or nonprofit 
private entities) arrange for the evaluation of a wide variety of 
promising programs designed in whole or part to prevent pregnancy in 
teenagers, including programs that do not receive grants from the 
Federal Government for the operation of the programs. The purpose of 
the evaluation shall be the determination of--
            (1) the factors contributing to the effectiveness of the 
        programs; and
            (2) methods for replicating the programs in other 
        locations.
    (b) Participation of Federal Agencies and Private Organizations.--
In carrying out the evaluation under subsection (a), the Secretary 
shall as appropriate--
            (1) provide for the participation of the Director of the 
        Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Director of the 
        Office of Population Affairs, the Assistant Secretary for 
        Children and Families, and the Director of the National 
        Institute of Child Health and Human Development; and
            (2) provide for the participation of private organizations, 
        including the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, a 
        nonpartisan organization.
    (c) Design of Evaluation.--Subject to subsection (d), the Secretary 
shall select a design for the evaluation under subsection (a) from 
among proposals that--
            (1) provide for the evaluation of programs in various 
        geographic regions;
            (2) with respect to the populations served by the programs, 
        provide for determining factors that are specific to various 
        socioeconomic groups and various racial and ethnic minority 
        groups;
            (3) provide for recommendations for future programs 
        designed to reduce the rate of teen pregnancy; and
            (4) meet such criteria as the Secretary may establish.
    (d) Measures of Effectiveness.--The Secretary shall define the 
measures of effectiveness used in evaluating the programs designed to 
reduce the rate of teenage pregnancy, and shall include a variety of 
measures of effectiveness in the definition.
    (e) Scientific Peer Review.--The Secretary may provide funds for a 
proposal pursuant to subsection (a) only if the proposal has been 
recommended for approval pursuant to a process of scientific peer 
review utilizing one or more panels of experts. Such panels shall 
include experts from public entities and from private entities.
    (f) Submission of Report to Congress and Secretary.--Not later than 
December 1, 1999, the evaluation under subsection (a) shall be 
completed and a report describing the findings made in the evaluation 
shall be submitted to the Congress and to the Secretary.
    (g) Dissemination of Information.--After the submission of the 
report under subsection (f), the Secretary shall disseminate the 
findings presented in the report. The categories of individuals to whom 
the information is disseminated shall include administrators of 
prevention programs, public and private entities that provide financial 
support to such programs, professional medical associations, entities 
providing public health services, entities providing social work 
services, and school administrators.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying 
out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $3,500,000 for 
each of the fiscal years 1997 through 1999.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE ON PREVENTION PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the completion of 
the evaluation under section 2, the Secretary shall (directly or though 
grants or contracts awarded to public or nonprofit private entities) 
establish an information clearinghouse to be known as the National 
Clearinghouse on Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Programs (in this section 
referred to as the ``Clearinghouse'').
    (b) Functions.--The Clearinghouse shall carry out the following 
activities:
            (1) Collect, maintain, and disseminate information on 
        prevention programs, including information on the following:
                    (A) The state of program development.
                    (B) All types of prevention programs.
                    (C) Findings made in the report submitted under 
                section 2(f).
            (2) Develop networks of prevention programs for the purpose 
        of sharing and disseminating information.
            (3) Develop and disseminate materials that provide 
        technical assistance to public and private entities in 
        establishing or improving prevention programs.
            (4) Participate in activities designed to encourage and 
        enhance public media campaigns regarding pregnancy in 
        teenagers.
            (5) Such other activities as will assist in the development 
        and carrying out of activities to reduce pregnancy in 
        teenagers.
    (c) Dissemination to Certain Entities.--The categories of entities 
to which the Clearinghouse disseminates information shall include 
administrators of prevention programs, public and private entities that 
provide financial support to such programs, professional medical 
associations, entities providing public health services, entities 
providing social work services, and school administrators.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying 
out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as 
may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2000 through 2003.

SEC. 4. ONE-TIME INCENTIVE GRANTS FOR EFFECTIVE PREVENTION PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--In the case of a prevention program that pursuant 
to the evaluation under section 2 has been found to be effective, the 
Secretary may under this section make not more than one grant to the 
entity that operates the program. The purpose of the grant shall be to 
assist the entity with the expenses of operating the program.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--For carrying out subsection 
(a), there is authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000, in the 
aggregate, for the fiscal years 2000 through 2003. Such authorization 
is in addition to any other authorization of appropriations that is 
available for making grants for the operational expenses of prevention 
programs.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    (a) Prevention Programs.--
            (1) Rule of construction.--The provisions of this Act apply 
        with respect to a prevention program without regard to which of 
        the various programmatic approaches for the prevention of 
        pregnancy in teenagers (as defined in paragraph (2)) is the 
        focus of the program.
            (2) Programmatic approaches.--For purposes of this Act, the 
        term ``programmatic approaches'', with respect to prevention 
        programs, includes advocating abstinence from sexual relations; 
        providing family planning services (including contraception); 
        fostering academic achievement; mentoring by adults; providing 
        employment assistance or job training; providing professional 
        counseling or peer counseling; providing for recreational or 
        social events; and any combination thereof.
    (b) Other Definitions.--For purposes of this Act:
            (1) The term ``prevention program'' means a program for the 
        prevention of pregnancy in teenagers.
            (2) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Health 
        and Human Services.
                                 <all>