[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1556 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1556

    To establish a National Commission on the Prevention of School 
                               Violence.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 26, 1999

 Mr. Greenwood (for himself, Mr. Castle, Mr. Goodling, Mr. Kildee, Mr. 
    Pickering, Mr. Tancredo, Mr. Berry, Mr. Inslee, Mr. Maloney of 
Connecticut, Mrs. Cubin, Mr. Boehlert, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Bilirakis, and 
 Mr. Deutsch introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To establish a National Commission on the Prevention of School 
                               Violence.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Prevention of 
School Violence Act of 1999''.
    (b) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Students have a right to be safe and secure in their 
        persons while attending school.
            (2) While America's schools are among the safest places to 
        be on a day-to-day basis, the recent tragic and sudden acts of 
        violence in some of our Nation's schools, including the 
        incidents in Pearl, Mississippi; Paducah, Kentucky; Jonesboro, 
        Arkansas; Springfield, Oregon; Edinboro, Pennsylvania; 
        Fayetteville, Tennessee; and Littleton, Colorado, remind us 
        that no school and no community can be complacent in their 
        efforts to make their schools even safer and in doing so 
        provide a high quality learning environment for their students.
            (3) There is an increasing and urgent need to better 
        understand the causes of violence committed by students and to 
        identify those initiatives and strategies that are effective in 
        preventing acts of violence in our schools.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE PREVENTION OF 
              SCHOOL VIOLENCE.

    There is established a Commission to be known as the ``National 
Commission on the Prevention of School Violence'' (hereafter in this 
Act referred to as the ``Commission'').

SEC. 3. MEMBERSHIP OF COMMISSION.

    (a) Appointment.--
            (1) Generally.--The Commission shall be composed of 11 
        members as follows:
                    (A) Three individuals shall be appointed by the 
                Speaker of the House.
                    (B) One individual shall be appointed by the 
                Minority Leader of the House.
                    (C) Three individuals shall be appointed by the 
                Majority Leader of the Senate.
                    (D) One individual shall be appointed by the 
                Minority Leader of the Senate.
                    (E) One individual shall be appointed by the 
                Secretary of Education.
                    (F) One individual shall be appointed by the 
                Attorney General.
                    (G) One individual shall be appointed by the 
                Secretary of Health and Human Services.
            (2) Consultation by appointing officials.--The appointing 
        officials shall consult with each other on their appointments 
        to assure the qualifications set forth in subsection (b) are 
        met.
    (b) Qualifications.--
            (1) Generally.--Each of the individuals appointed under 
        subsection (a) shall be--
                    (A) a nationally recognized individual prominently 
                acknowledged by that individual's peers, through 
                publication, awards, or other such honors, as having 
                expertise in fields related to child and adolescent 
                behavior;
                    (B) an individual with expertise and experience in 
                dealing with at-risk children and adolescents; or
                    (C) an individual with expertise and experience in 
                school safety and violence issues.
            (2) Special qualifications.--The expertise of each 
        individual appointed shall relate to the impact of these issues 
        on producing a high quality learning experience. The panel 
        shall include a parent and a recent high school graduate from a 
        school where a recent violent incident has occurred. The panel 
        shall include professionals with expertise in issues dealing 
        with violent and delinquent youth, juvenile justice, or the 
        impact of media and entertainment on children and adolescents. 
        Such professionals shall be representative of the fields of 
        psychology, psychiatry, mental health, social work, school 
        safety, school counseling, behavioral science, juvenile 
        justice; the impact of media and entertainment on children and 
        adolescents. Whenever possible, preference shall be given to 
        those who are also parents.
    (c) Consultation.--In the course of carrying out their 
responsibilities, the members of the Commission shall consult--
            (1) experts from education, such as school administrators, 
        teachers, counselors, and principals;
            (2) experts from the criminal justice field, such as law 
        enforcement officers, judges, prosecutors, and juvenile 
        probation officers;
            (3) behavioral scientists with experience with violent or 
        delinquent youth;
            (4) organizations or research facilities with expertise in 
        school violence and safety issues;
            (5) school safety experts such as school security 
        officials;
            (6) school psychologists with experience in identifying 
        youth at risk of violence;
            (7) organizations with experience in dealing with at risk 
        youth;
            (8) members of the public who come in contact with at risk 
        youth;
            (9) public health officials who have studied violence as a 
        public health problem;
            (10) statisticians who have studied youth and interpersonal 
        violence;
            (11) criminologists;
            (12) students and parents; and
            (13) other experts in the field of school violence and 
        school safety issues.
    (d) Chairperson and Vice Chairperson.--The members of the 
Commission shall elect a Chairman and a Vice Chairperson. In the 
absence of the Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson will assume the duties 
of the Chairperson.
    (e) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Commission shall 
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
    (f) Appointments.--All appointments under subsection (a) shall be 
made within 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act. In the 
event that an officer authorized to make an appointment under 
subsection (a) has not made such appointment within such 30 days, the 
appointment may be made for such officer as follows:
            (1) the Chairman of the Committee on Education and the 
        Workforce may act under such subsection for the Speaker of the 
        House of Representatives;
            (2) the Ranking Minority Member of the Committee on 
        Education and the Workforce may act under such subsection for 
        the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives;
            (3) the Chairman of the Committee on Labor and Human 
        Resources may act under such subsection for the Majority Leader 
        of the Senate; and
            (4) the Ranking Minority Member of the Committee on Labor 
        and Human Resources may act under such subsection for the 
        Minority Leader of the Senate.
    (g) Voting.--Each member of the Commission shall be entitled to one 
vote, which shall be equal to the vote of every other member of the 
Commission.
    (h) Vacancies.--Any vacancy on the Commission shall not affect its 
powers, but shall be filled in the manner in which the original 
appointment was made.
    (i) Prohibition of Additional Pay.--Members of the Commission shall 
receive no additional pay, allowances, or benefits by reason of their 
service on the Commission. Members appointed from among private 
citizens of the United States may be allowed travel expenses, including 
per diem, in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by law for persons 
serving intermittently in the government service to the extent funds 
are available for such expenses.
    (j) Initial Meeting.--The initial meeting of the Commission shall 
occur within 40 days after the date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. FUNCTIONS OF COMMISSION.

    (a) Specific Findings and Recommendations.--The Commission shall 
study incidents of school violence. To the extent feasible, the 
Commission shall interview the perpetrators of school shootings, 
members of their families, their friends, and associates, teachers, 
guidance counselors, and other professionals who can provide insight 
into the perpetrators experiences, feelings, and expressions. The 
Commission shall make findings and specific recommendations regarding 
the following:
            (1) The extent, patterns, and root of the problem 
        surrounding violence in and around schools, at school events, 
        and on the way to and from school.
            (2) The key factors relating to school violence, including 
        the characteristics of both perpetrator and victim, as well as 
        their families and communities; the relationship between 
        perpetrator and victim; social interactions; family dynamics; 
        and the impact of entertainment, media, and cultural 
        influences.
            (3) Successful approaches to preventing school violence, 
        including such programs as early identification of troubled 
        children, anger management, conflict resolution, and problem 
        solving.
            (4) Recommendations to parents, educators, communities, and 
        government entities as to those programs and strategies that 
        will best prevent school violence and ensure the safety of 
        students, faculty, and others, and lead to a high quality 
        learning environment.
    (b) Final Report.--
            (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), the Commission 
        shall submit to the President and to the Congress, not later 
        than 1 year after the date of the first meeting of the 
        Commission, a report which shall contain a detailed statement 
        of the findings and conclusions of the Commission, including 
        the Commission's recommendations for administrative and 
        legislative action that the Commission considers advisable.
            (2) Majority vote required for recommendations.--Any 
        recommendation described in paragraph (1) shall be made by the 
        Commission to the President and to the Congress only if such 
        recommendation is adopted by a majority vote of the members of 
        the Commission who are present and voting.

SEC. 5. POWERS OF COMMISSION.

    (a) Hearings.--The Commission may, for the purpose of carrying out 
this Act, hold such hearings and sit and act at such times and places, 
as the Commission may find advisable.
    (b) Rules and Regulations.--The Commission may adopt such rules and 
regulations as may be necessary to establish the Commission's 
procedures and to govern the manner of the Commission's operations, 
organization, and personnel.
    (c) Assistance From Federal Agencies.--
            (1) Information.--The Commission may request from the head 
        of any Federal agency or instrumentality such information as 
        the Commission may require for the purpose of this Act. Each 
        such agency or instrumentality shall, to the extent permitted 
        by law and subject to the exceptions set forth in section 552 
        of title 5, United States Code (commonly referred to as the 
        Freedom of Information Act), furnish such information to the 
        Commission, upon request made by the Chairperson of the 
        Commission.
            (2) Facilities and services, personnel detail authorized.--
        Upon request of the Chairperson of the Commission, the head of 
        any Federal agency or instrumentality shall, to the extent 
        possible and subject to the discretion of such head--
                    (A) make any of the facilities and services of such 
                agency or instrumentality available to the Commission; 
                and
                    (B) detail any of the personnel of such agency or 
                instrumentality to the Commission, on a nonreimbursable 
                basis, to assist the Commission in carrying out the 
                Commission's duties under this Act.
    (d) Mails.--The Commission may use the United States mails in the 
same manner and under the same conditions as other Federal agencies.
    (e) Contracting.--The Commission, to such extent and in such 
amounts as are provided in appropriation Acts, may enter into contracts 
with State agencies, private firms, institutions, and individuals for 
the purpose of conducting research or surveys necessary to enable the 
Commission to discharge the Commission's duties under this Act.
    (f) Staff.--Subject to such rules and regulations as may be adopted 
by the Commission, and to such extent and in such amounts as are 
provided in appropriation Acts, the Chairperson of the Commission shall 
have the power to appoint, terminate, and fix the compensation (without 
regard to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing 
appointments in the competitive service, and without regard to the 
provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such 
title, or of any other provision, or of any other provision of law, 
relating to the number, classification, and General Schedule rates) of 
an Executive Director, and of such additional staff as the Chairperson 
deems advisable to assist the Commission, at rates not to exceed a rate 
equal to the maximum rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule under 
section 5332 of such title.

SEC. 6. EXPENSES OF COMMISSION.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to pay any expenses of the 
Commission such sums as may be necessary not to exceed $650,000. Any 
sums appropriated for such purposes are authorized to remain available 
until expended, or until one year after the termination of the 
Commission pursuant to section 7, whichever occurs first.

SEC. 7. TERMINATION OF COMMISSION.

    The Commission shall cease to exist on the date that is 60 days 
after the date on which the Commission is required to submit its final 
report in accordance with section 4(b).
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