[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2553 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2553

 To provide for the reduction of adolescent pregnancy, HIV rates, and 
      other sexually transmitted diseases, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 23, 2005

    Ms. Lee (for herself, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Baird, Mr. Bishop of 
  Georgia, Ms. Corrine Brown of Florida, Mrs. Capps, Ms. Carson, Mr. 
Crowley, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. DeFazio, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Farr, Mr. 
  Grijalva, Ms. Harman, Mr. Holt, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Ms. Eddie 
 Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Kennedy of Rhode Island, Mr. Kucinich, 
 Mr. Lantos, Ms. Zoe Lofgren of California, Ms. McCollum of Minnesota, 
Mr. McGovern, Mr. Michaud, Mr. George Miller of California, Mr. Nadler, 
Mr. Olver, Mr. Payne, Mr. Rangel, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Ackerman, Ms. 
 Baldwin, Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Carnahan, 
 Mrs. Christensen, Mr. Cummings, Mrs. Davis of California, Mr. Dicks, 
Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. 
Inslee, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Ms. Kilpatrick of 
     Michigan, Mr. Langevin, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mrs. Lowey, Mr. 
McDermott, Mr. McNulty, Ms. Millender-McDonald, Mr. Moran of Virginia, 
 Ms. Norton, Mr. Owens, Mr. Price of North Carolina, Mr. Rothman, Mr. 
Rush, Ms. Linda T. Sanchez of California, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Schiff, Mr. 
     Simmons, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. Stark, Mr. Thompson of 
California, Mr. Towns, Ms. Waters, Mr. Waxman, Mr. Wexler, Ms. Schwartz 
   of Pennsylvania, Mr. Wynn, Ms. Loretta Sanchez of California, Ms. 
 Schakowsky, Mr. Sherman, Ms. Slaughter, Ms. Solis, Mrs. Tauscher, Mr. 
 Tierney, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Ms. Watson, Mr. Weiner, Ms. Woolsey, 
  Mr. Larson of Connecticut, and Mr. Meek of Florida) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the reduction of adolescent pregnancy, HIV rates, and 
      other sexually transmitted diseases, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Responsible Education About Life 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) The American Medical Association (``AMA''), the 
        American Nurses Association (``ANA''), the American Academy of 
        Pediatrics (``AAP''), the American College of Obstetricians and 
        Gynecologists (``ACOG''), the American Public Health 
        Association (``APHA''), and the Society of Adolescent Medicine 
        (``SAM''), support responsible sexuality education that 
        includes information about both abstinence and contraception.
            (2) Recent scientific reports by the Institute of Medicine, 
        the American Medical Association and the Office on National 
        AIDS Policy stress the need for sexuality education that 
        includes messages about abstinence and provides young people 
        with information about contraception for the prevention of teen 
        pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases 
        (``STDs'').
            (3) Research shows that teenagers who receive sexuality 
        education that includes discussion of contraception are more 
        likely than those who receive abstinence-only messages to delay 
        sexual activity and to use contraceptives when they do become 
        sexually active.
            (4) Comprehensive sexuality education programs respect the 
        diversity of values and beliefs represented in the community 
        and will complement and augment the sexuality education 
        children receive from their families.
            (5) The median age of puberty is 13 years and the average 
        age of marriage is over 26 years old. American teens need 
        access to full, complete, and medically and factually accurate 
        information regarding sexuality, including contraception, STD/
        HIV prevention, and abstinence.
            (6) Although teen pregnancy rates are decreasing, there are 
        still between 750,000 and 850,000 teen pregnancies each year. 
        Between 75 and 90 percent of teen pregnancies among 15- to 19-
        year olds are unintended.
            (7) Research shows that 75 percent of the decrease in teen 
        pregnancy between 1988 and 1995 was due to improved 
        contraceptive use, while 25 percent was due to increased 
        abstinence.
            (8) More than eight out of ten Americans believe that young 
        people should have information about abstinence and protecting 
        themselves from unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted 
        diseases.
            (9) United States teens acquire an estimated 4,000,000 
        sexually transmitted infections each year. By age 24, at least 
        one in three sexually active people will have contracted a 
        sexually transmitted disease.
            (10) An average of two young people in the United States 
        are infected with HIV every hour of every day. African 
        Americans and Hispanic youth have been disproportionately 
        affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Although less than 16 
        percent of the adolescent population in the United States is 
        African American, nearly 50 percent of AIDS cases through June 
        2000 among 13- to 19-year olds were among Blacks. Hispanics 
        comprise 13 percent of the population and 20 percent of the 
        reported adolescent AIDS cases though June 2000.

SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE TO REDUCE TEEN PREGNANCY, HIV/AIDS, AND OTHER 
              SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES AND TO SUPPORT HEALTHY 
              ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT.

    (a) In General.--Each eligible State shall be entitled to receive 
from the Secretary of Health and Human Services, for each of the fiscal 
years 2006 through 2010, a grant to conduct programs of family life 
education, including education on both abstinence and contraception for 
the prevention of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, 
including HIV/AIDS.
    (b) Requirements for Family Life Programs.--For purposes of this 
Act, a program of family life education is a program that--
            (1) is age-appropriate and medically accurate;
            (2) does not teach or promote religion;
            (3) teaches that abstinence is the only sure way to avoid 
        pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases;
            (4) stresses the value of abstinence while not ignoring 
        those young people who have had or are having sexual 
        intercourse;
            (5) provides information about the health benefits and side 
        effects of all contraceptives and barrier methods as a means to 
        prevent pregnancy;
            (6) provides information about the health benefits and side 
        effects of all contraceptives and barrier methods as a means to 
        reduce the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, 
        including HIV/AIDS;
            (7) encourages family communication about sexuality between 
        parent and child;
            (8) teaches young people the skills to make responsible 
        decisions about sexuality, including how to avoid unwanted 
        verbal, physical, and sexual advances and how not to make 
        unwanted verbal, physical, and sexual advances; and
            (9) teaches young people how alcohol and drug use can 
        effect responsible decisionmaking.
    (c) Additional Activities.--In carrying out a program of family 
life education, a State may expend a grant under subsection (a) to 
carry out educational and motivational activities that help young 
people--
            (1) gain knowledge about the physical, emotional, 
        biological, and hormonal changes of adolescence and subsequent 
        stages of human maturation;
            (2) develop the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure 
        and protect their sexual and reproductive health from 
        unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease, 
        including HIV/AIDS throughout their lifespan;
            (3) gain knowledge about the specific involvement of and 
        male responsibility in sexual decisionmaking;
            (4) develop healthy attitudes and values about adolescent 
        growth and development, body image, gender roles, racial and 
        ethnic diversity, sexual orientation, and other subjects;
            (5) develop and practice healthy life skills including 
        goal-setting, decisionmaking, negotiation, communication, and 
        stress management;
            (6) promote self-esteem and positive interpersonal skills 
        focusing on relationship dynamics, including, but not limited 
        to, friendships, dating, romantic involvement, marriage and 
        family interactions; and
            (7) prepare for the adult world by focusing on educational 
        and career success, including developing skills for employment 
        preparation, job seeking, independent living, financial self-
        sufficiency, and workplace productivity.

SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that while States are not required to 
provide matching funds, they are encouraged to do so.

SEC. 5. EVALUATION OF PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--For the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of 
programs of family life education carried out with a grant under 
section 3, evaluations of such program shall be carried out in 
accordance with subsections (b) and (c).
    (b) National Evaluation.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall provide for a national 
        evaluation of a representative sample of programs of family 
        life education carried out with grants under section 3. A 
        condition for the receipt of such a grant is that the State 
        involved agree to cooperate with the evaluation. The purposes 
        of the national evaluation shall be the determination of--
                    (A) the effectiveness of such programs in helping 
                to delay the initiation of sexual intercourse and other 
                high-risk behaviors;
                    (B) the effectiveness of such programs in 
                preventing adolescent pregnancy;
                    (C) the effectiveness of such programs in 
                preventing sexually transmitted disease, including HIV/
                AIDS;
                    (D) the effectiveness of such programs in 
                increasing contraceptive knowledge and contraceptive 
                behaviors when sexual intercourse occurs; and
                    (E) a list of best practices based upon essential 
                programmatic components of evaluated programs that have 
                led to success in subparagraphs (A) through (D).
            (2) Report.--A report providing the results of the national 
        evaluation under paragraph (1) shall be submitted to the 
        Congress not later than March 31, 2011, with an interim report 
        provided on a yearly basis at the end of each fiscal year.
    (c) Individual State Evaluations.--
            (1) In general.--A condition for the receipt of a grant 
        under section 3 is that the State involved agree to provide for 
        the evaluation of the programs of family education carried out 
        with the grant in accordance with the following:
                    (A) The evaluation will be conducted by an 
                external, independent entity.
                    (B) The purposes of the evaluation will be the 
                determination of--
                            (i) the effectiveness of such programs in 
                        helping to delay the initiation of sexual 
                        intercourse and other high-risk behaviors;
                            (ii) the effectiveness of such programs in 
                        preventing adolescent pregnancy;
                            (iii) the effectiveness of such programs in 
                        preventing sexually transmitted disease, 
                        including HIV/AIDS; and
                            (iv) the effectiveness of such programs in 
                        increasing contraceptive knowledge and 
                        contraceptive behaviors when sexual intercourse 
                        occurs.
            (2) Use of grant.--A condition for the receipt of a grant 
        under section 3 is that the State involved agree that not more 
        than 10 percent of the grant will be expended for the 
        evaluation under paragraph (1).

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act:
            (1) The term ``eligible State'' means a State that submits 
        to the Secretary an application for a grant under section 3 
        that is in such form, is made in such manner, and contains such 
        agreements, assurances, and information as the Secretary 
        determines to be necessary to carry out this Act.
            (2) The term ``HIV/AIDS'' means the human immunodeficiency 
        virus, and includes acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
            (3) The term ``medically accurate'', with respect to 
        information, means information that is supported by research, 
        recognized as accurate and objective by leading medical, 
        psychological, psychiatric, and public health organizations and 
        agencies, and where relevant, published in peer review 
        journals.
            (4) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Health 
        and Human Services.

SEC. 7. APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--For the purpose of carrying out this Act, there is 
authorized to be appropriated $206,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
2006 through 2010.
    (b) Allocations.--Of the amounts appropriated under subsection (a) 
for a fiscal year--
            (1) not more than 7 percent may be used for the 
        administrative expenses of the Secretary in carrying out this 
        Act for that fiscal year; and
            (2) not more than 10 percent may be used for the national 
        evaluation under section 5(b).
                                 <all>