[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1444 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1444

 To amend the Head Start Act to increase the reservation of funds for 
  programs for low-income families with very young children, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                July 22 (legislative day, July 21), 2003

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Head Start Act to increase the reservation of funds for 
  programs for low-income families with very young children, 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. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) All babies and toddlers need positive early learning 
        experiences to foster their intellectual, social, and emotional 
        development and to lay the foundation for later school success.
            (2) Babies and toddlers living in high-risk environments 
        need additional supports to promote their healthy growth and 
        development. Disparities in children's cognitive and social 
        abilities become evident well before the children enter Head 
        Start or pre-kindergarten programs at age 4.
            (3) The congressionally mandated National Evaluation of 
        Early Head Start, a rigorous, large-scale, random-assignment 
        evaluation, concluded that Early Head Start programs are making 
        a positive difference in areas associated with children's 
        success in school, family self-sufficiency, and parental 
        support of child development.
            (4) Only 3 percent of all estimated eligible families with 
        babies and toddlers are currently being served in Early Head 
        Start programs.

SEC. 2. RESERVATIONS.

    Section 640(a)(6)(A) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 
9835(a)(6)(A)) is amended by striking ``7.5 percent'' and all that 
follows through ``2003'' and inserting ``10 percent for fiscal year 
2003, 12 percent for fiscal year 2004, 14 percent for fiscal year 2005, 
16 percent for fiscal year 2006, 18 percent for fiscal year 2007, and 
20 percent for fiscal year 2008''.

SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENT.

    Section 639 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9834) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``1999 through 2003'' 
        and inserting ``2003 through 2008''; and
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by striking ``1999 through 2003'' and 
                        inserting ``2003 through 2008''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``fiscal year 1998'' and 
                        inserting ``fiscal year 2002'';
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``1999 through 
                2003'' and inserting ``2003 through 2008''; and
                    (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ``fiscal year 
                1999, and such sums as may be necessary for each of 
                fiscal years 2000 through 2003'' and inserting ``fiscal 
                year 2003, and such sums as may be necessary for each 
                of fiscal years 2004 through 2008''.
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