[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4261 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4261

  To authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants to States to 
  establish statewide screening programs for children who are 5 to 7 
                years of age to prevent reading failure.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 4, 2004

Mr. Cummings (for himself, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Ms. Corrine Brown of 
Florida, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Meeks of New York, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, 
 Ms. Kilpatrick, Mr. Ruppersberger, Mr. Wynn, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Ms. 
 Lee, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Millender-McDonald, Mr. Payne, Mr. Rush, Mr. 
 Hastings of Florida, and Mr. Ballance) introduced the following bill; 
   which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants to States to 
  establish statewide screening programs for children who are 5 to 7 
                years of age to prevent reading failure.

    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 ``Reading Failure Prevention Act of 
2004''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR SCREENING TO PREVENT READING FAILURE.

    (a) Grants.--The Secretary of Education may make grants to States 
to establish statewide screening programs for children who are 5 to 7 
years of age for the prevention of reading failure.
    (b) Use of Funds.--The Secretary may not make a grant to a State 
under this section unless the State agrees to use the grant for the 
following:
            (1) Development and implementation of a statewide screening 
        program for children who are 5 to 7 years of age to prevent 
        reading failure by screening such children for traits that 
        indicate the children have dyslexia or are otherwise at risk of 
        reading failure.
            (2) Providing adequate professional development for 
        personnel who administer screening programs under this section.
    (c) Determination of Traits.--The Secretary, using reliable, 
replicated, and scientifically based research, shall enumerate specific 
traits that may be screened under this section to determine whether a 
child has dyslexia or is otherwise at risk of reading failure.
    (d) Application.--To seek a grant under this section, a State shall 
submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, 
and containing such information as the Secretary may reasonably 
require.
    (e) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of 
        Education.
            (2) The term ``State'' includes the several States, the 
        District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 
        Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, 
        Guam, the Virgin Islands, and any other territory or possession 
        of the United States.
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