[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2455 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2455

     To enhance Department of Education efforts to facilitate the 
involvement of small business owners in State and local initiatives to 
                           improve education.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 25, 2000

   Ms. Snowe introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To enhance Department of Education efforts to facilitate the 
involvement of small business owners in State and local initiatives to 
                           improve education.

    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 ``Small Business Employment and 
Education Enhancement Act of 2000''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

            (1) The authorizations of most programs providing Federal 
        aid to elementary and secondary education, and support for 
        educational research, statistics, and assessment activities, 
        including programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education 
        Act of 1965 (ESEA), the Goals 2000: Educate America Act (Goals 
        2000), the Educational Research, Development, Dissemination, 
        and Improvement Act of 1994 (ERDDIA), and the National 
        Education Statistics Act of 1994 (NESA), are scheduled to 
        expire during the 106th Congress.
            (2) The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary 
        Education Act of 1965 is likely to occur during the 106th 
        Congress.
            (3) The programs authorized under the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965, the Goals 2000: Educate 
        America Act, the Educational Research, Development, 
        Dissemination, and Improvement Act of 1994, and the National 
        Education Statistics Act of 1994, constitute the majority of 
        Federal grants for elementary and secondary education.
            (4) The business community, and small businesses in 
        particular, have an important stake in the education of our 
        Nation's youth.
            (5) One of the most fundamental needs that any growing 
        business will ever face is the need for employees with basic 
        skills.
            (6) Concerns have been expressed by the small business 
        community that students are not graduating with adequate basic 
        skills in reading, writing, mathematics, and science that allow 
        the students to succeed in today's workplace or become the 
        entrepreneurs of tomorrow.
            (7) A 1999 American Management Association survey on 
        workplace testing found that--
                    (A) approximately 36 percent of employees tested 
                for basic skills (reading, writing and mathematics) 
                were found to be deficient;
                    (B) small businesses had deficiency rates well 
                above the national average; and
                    (C) 60 percent of American Management Association 
                member companies reported that the availability of 
                skilled manpower was scarce, and 67 percent believe 
                that the shortages will continue.
            (8) A 1999 National Federation of Independent Business 
        report found that 18 percent of the members reported finding 
        qualified labor is the most important problem facing their 
        business.
            (9) A 1999 poll of the United States Chambers of Commerce 
        found that 83 percent of the members reported the ability (or 
        lack thereof) to get qualified workers is among the members' 
        biggest concerns, and 53 percent of the members said education 
        is the single most pressing public policy issue for the 
        members. 
            (10) The growth of high-skilled jobs is outpacing growth in 
        all other fields.
            (11) Small business is the driving force behind our 
        Nation's economy.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) locally-driven initiatives to improve education are 
        crucial;
            (2) the views of small business should be taken into 
        account in the debate over education;
            (3) in order to create jobs, our Nation must encourage 
        small business expansion and foster small business 
        entrepreneurship and job creation, and education initiatives 
        are key to this effort;
            (4) the Department of Education should facilitate the 
        sharing of ideas and best practices at the State and local 
        level, particularly with respect to partnerships between small 
        businesses and school systems; and
            (5) when and where Department of Education approval of a 
        program or proposal is required, the Department of Education 
        should expedite approval of such programs or proposals.

SEC. 4. INFORMATION DISSEMINATION AND SHARING.

    The Secretary of Education shall disseminate information and 
facilitate the sharing of information designed to assist small 
businesses in working with school systems to improve the education 
system through publication of guidance materials, best practices, 
checklists, and other formats on the World Wide Web, in Department of 
Education publications and articles, in letters, through links to other 
related World Wide Web sites, through public service announcements, and 
through other means at the Department's disposal.

SEC. 5. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CLEARINGHOUSE FOR INFORMATION.

    The Secretary of Education shall establish a centralized database 
of materials to act as a clearinghouse for information on successful 
initiatives and best practices regarding the involvement of small 
businesses in education. The clearinghouse shall receive, collect, 
process, assemble, and disseminate reliable information, including 
innovative, successful activities with a proven track record at the 
State and local level.

SEC. 6. OFFICE OF SMALL BUSINESS EDUCATION.

    Title II of the Department of Education Organization Act (20 U.S.C. 
3411 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 220. OFFICE OF SMALL BUSINESS EDUCATION.

    ``(a) There shall be in the Department an Office of Small Business 
Education (hereafter in this section referred to as the `Office'), to 
be administered by the Director of Small Business Education. The 
Director of Small Business Education shall report directly to the 
Secretary and shall perform such additional functions as the Secretary 
may prescribe.
    ``(b) The Director of Small Business Education, through the Office, 
shall--
            ``(1) review the needs of small businesses and the 
        contributions the small business community may make with 
        respect to efforts to improve education;
            ``(2) promote efforts to address the needs of small 
        businesses though education programs;
            ``(3) work to remove impediments to partnerships between 
        school systems and small businesses; and
            ``(4) propose solutions to education-related problems 
        facing small businesses.''.

SEC. 7. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.

    (a) In General.--The Director of the Office of Small Business 
Education shall provide technical assistance to small businesses, small 
business organizations, school systems, and communities working 
cooperatively to improve education outcomes.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary 
for fiscal year 2001 and each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.

SEC. 8. TAX CREDIT FOR QUALIFIED EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY EXPENSES.

    (a) In General.--Subpart D of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to business-related 
credits) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

``SEC. 45D. SMALL BUSINESS EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY CREDIT.

    ``(a) General Rule.--For purposes of section 38, in the case of a 
small business, the small business education opportunity credit 
determined under this section for the taxable year is an amount equal 
to 15 percent of qualified education opportunity credit expenses paid 
or incurred by the taxpayer during the taxable year.
    ``(b) Qualified Education Opportunity Expenses.--For purposes of 
this section--
            ``(1) In general.--The term `qualified education 
        opportunity expenses' means an amounts paid or incurred in 
        connection with an eligible work study program, including--
                    ``(A) administrative expenses of the taxpayer, and
                    ``(B) remuneration paid to participants in such 
                program for services performed by such participant.
            ``(2) Eligible work study program.--The term `eligible work 
        study program' means a written program--
                    ``(A) approved by the appropriate State educational 
                agency, and
                    ``(B) involving a partnership with a secondary 
                school to provide work study and internship 
                opportunities for eligible individuals
            ``(3) Eligible individual.--The term `eligible individual' 
        means an individual who is--
                    ``(A) a full-time student in a secondary school, or
                    ``(B) a full-time teacher in a secondary school.
            ``(4) Exceptions.--Such term does not include--
                    ``(A) expenses for which any other Federal or State 
                credit or payment is made, or
                    ``(B) expenses paid or incurred for a professional 
                conference or for an orientation program.
    ``(c) Definitions; Special Rules.--
            ``(1) Secondary school.--For purposes of this section, the 
        term `secondary school' has the meaning given such term by 
        section 14101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
        1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801), as in effect on the date of enactment of 
        this section.
            ``(2) Special rules.--Rules similar to the rules of 
        subsections (c), (d), and (e) of section 52 shall apply for 
        purposes of this section.
            ``(3) Aggregation rules.--All persons treated as a single 
        employer under subsection (a) or (b) of section 52 or 
        subsection (m) or (o) of section 414 shall be treated as one 
        person for purposes of subsection (a).
    ``(d) Denial of Double Benefit.--No deduction or credit shall be 
allowed under this chapter (other than a credit under this section) for 
any amount taken into account in determining the credit under this 
section.''.
    (b) Limitation on Carryback.--Section 39(d) of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986 (relating to transition rules) is amended by adding at the 
end the following new paragraph:
            ``(9) No carryback of small business education opportunity 
        credit before effective date.--No portion of the unused 
        business credit for any taxable year which is attributable to 
        the small business education opportunity credit determined 
        under section 45D may be carried to a taxable year ending 
        before the date of the enactment of section 45D.''.
    (c) Conforming Amendment.--Section 38(b) of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986 (relating to general business credit) is amended by 
striking ``plus'' at the end of paragraph (11), by striking the period 
at the end of paragraph (12) and inserting ``, plus'', and by adding at 
the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(13) the small business education opportunity credit 
        determined under section 45D(a).''.
    (d) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for subpart D of 
part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 45C the 
following new item:

                              ``Sec. 45D. Small business education 
                                        opportunity credit.''.
    (e) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2000.

SEC. 9. STUDY AND REPORT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 6 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education shall conduct a study 
and submit to Congress a report regarding the challenges facing small 
businesses in obtaining workers with adequate skills.
    (b) Contents.--The report shall include the following:
            (1) Information on the shortage, if any, of workers with 
        adequate skills in the small business sector.
            (2) An assessment of the impact on small business of the 
        shortage, if any.
            (3) The costs to small businesses associated with the 
        shortage, if any.
            (4) The recommendations of the Secretary, if any, on how to 
        address the challenges facing small businesses due to the 
        shortage, if any, of workers with adequate skills.
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