[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1812 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1812

To provide for the elimination of the Department of Education, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 5, 1997

 Mr. Hefley (for himself, Mr. Inglis of South Carolina, Mr. Crane, Mr. 
  Stenholm, Mr. Bartlett of Maryland, Mr. Herger, and Mr. Hostettler) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
   Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on 
   Government Reform and Oversight, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for the elimination of the Department of Education, 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 ``Department of Education Elimination 
Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.

    (a) Elimination.--The Department of Education is hereby eliminated.
    (b) Effective Date.--Subsection (a) shall take effect on January 1, 
2000.

SEC. 3. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, prior 
to January 1, 2000, the Secretary of Education (hereafter in this Act 
referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall take such actions as may be 
necessary to--
            (1) consolidate into a block grant program those programs 
        that are administered by the Department of Education and are 
        appropriate for States to administer; and
            (2) otherwise provide for the complete elimination of the 
        Department of Education pursuant to section 2.
    (b) Submissions to Congress.--
            (1) Strategic plan.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
        of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 
        Congress a plan to carry out subsection (a), which shall 
        include any recommendations for--
                    (A) legislation necessary to carry out subsection 
                (a); and
                    (B) transfers of functions and activities, 
                including all existing obligations to other existing or 
                successor Federal or State agencies.
            (2) Abolishment of department of education.--Not later than 
        180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
        shall submit to the Congress a report which shall include--
                    (A) recommendations and a strategic plan for the 
                complete transfer of those programs and agencies 
                considered appropriate for continued Federal 
                administration to other existing departments, and the 
                abolishment of those programs and agencies that are 
                redundant, obsolete, or otherwise unnecessary; and
                    (B) a description of the projected cost savings to 
                the Federal Government that would be achieved through 
                the implementation of such recommendation and strategic 
                plan.

SEC. 4. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE RECOMMENDATIONS.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Director of the Congressional Budget Office shall submit to the 
Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities of the House of 
Representatives a list of recommendations for minimizing the cost of 
Federal education programs through the elimination of the Department of 
Education.

SEC. 5. GAO REPORT.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the 
Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities of the House of 
Representatives a report which shall include recommendations for the 
most efficient means of achieving--
            (1) the complete elimination of the Department of 
        Education; and
            (2) the transfer of appropriate functions of the Department 
        of Education to other existing or successor Federal or State 
        agencies.
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