[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2867 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2867

To provide for the funding and administration of a Veterans Mission for 
        Youth Initiative within the Troops-to-Teachers Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 13, 2000

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for the funding and administration of a Veterans Mission for 
        Youth Initiative within the Troops-to-Teachers Program.

    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 ``Veterans Mission for Youth Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Since 1994, 17,148 retired members of the United States 
        Armed Forces have applied to participate in the Troops-to-
        Teachers program and 3,720 such members have been hired as 
        teachers in 50 States.
            (2) The mission of the Troops-to-Teachers program is to 
        help improve American Education by providing mature, motivated, 
        experienced, and dedicated personnel for the nation's 
        classrooms.
            (3) The Troops-to-Teachers program provides positive role 
        models for the nation's public school students.
            (4) Ninety percent of Troops-to-Teachers participants are 
        male, compared to 26 percent of the existing teaching force.
            (5) Nearly 30 percent of Troops-to-Teachers participants 
        are minorities compared to 10 percent in the existing teaching 
        force.
            (6) The Troops-to-Teachers program helps relieve teacher 
        shortages, especially in the subjects of math and science.
            (7) School administrators who work with Troops-to-Teachers 
        participants were asked to rate such participants in their 
        schools, 54 percent of such administrators said that the former 
        military personnel turned teachers were well above average or 
        were among the best teachers at the schools.
            (8) The 1999 Alternative Teacher Certification study by C, 
        Emily Feistritzer found that 30 percent of Troops-to-Teachers 
        participants are minorities compared to 10 percent of all 
        teachers, 30 percent are teaching math compared to 13 percent 
        of all teachers, 25 percent teach in urban schools, and 90 
        percent are male compared to the current teaching force which 
        is 74 percent female.
            (9) America's 25,000,000 veterans have exhibited the ideals 
        of discipline, order, courage, and civic responsibility that 
        are important lessons for America's children.
            (10) The recent survey of American youth, the ``New 
        Millennium Project'' found that students chose as their 3 
        lowest-ranking priorities in life--being a good citizen who 
        cares about the good of the country, being involved in 
        democracy and voting, and being involved in helping make one's 
        community a better place.
            (11) A recent survey by the Horatio Alger Society found 
        that 21 percent of students had no heroes.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF A VETERANS MISSION FOR YOUTH INITIATIVE.

    Title XVII of the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 
2000 (commonly known as the Troops-to-Teachers Program Act of 1999 (20 
U.S.C. 9301 et seq.)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 1710. VETERANS MISSION FOR YOUTH INITIATIVE.

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Defense, acting through the 
Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support Division of the 
Department of Defense, shall establish an initiative to be known as the 
`Veterans Mission for Youth Initiative' to award grants to eligible 
organizations to provide mentoring, tutoring, after-school and other 
programs for youth.
    ``(b) Eligibility.--
            ``(1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
        subsection (a), an organization shall--
                    ``(A) be a community organization that provides, or 
                intends to provide, services to link individuals 
                described in paragraph (2) with youth;
                    ``(B) prepare and submit to the Secretary an 
                application at such time, in such manner, and 
                containing such information as the Secretary may 
                require;
                    ``(C) provides assurances to the Secretary that the 
                organization with provide matching funds as required 
                under paragraph (3); and
                    ``(D) meet such other requirements as the Secretary 
                may prescribe.
            ``(2) Individuals eligible to provide services.--An 
        individual described in this paragraph is any member of the 
        Armed Forces--
                    ``(A) who was--
                            ``(i) discharged or released from active 
                        duty after 6 or more years of continuous active 
                        duty immediately before the discharge or 
                        release; or
                            ``(ii) involuntarily discharged or released 
                        from active duty for purposes of a reduction of 
                        force after 6 or more years of continuous 
                        active duty immediately before the discharge or 
                        release; and
                    ``(B) who's last period of service in the Armed 
                Forces was characterized as honorable; and
                    ``(C) who satisfies such other criteria for 
                selection as the Secretary may prescribe.
            ``(3) Matching requirement.--To be eligible to receive a 
        grant under this section an eligible organization shall agree 
        to make available (directly or through donations from public or 
        private entities) non-Federal contributions toward the cost of 
        carrying out the program established under the grant in an 
        amount equal to the amount provided under the grant.
    ``(c) Use of Funds.--An organization shall use amounts provided 
under a grant under this section to carry out a program to facilitate 
linkages between individuals described in subsection (b)(2) and youth 
through the provision by such individuals of mentoring, tutoring, 
after-school and other services.
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section, $75,000,000 for fiscal year 
2001, and such sums as may be necessary for each subsequent fiscal 
year.''.
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