[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4265 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4265

 To establish a pilot program to provide grants to encourage eligible 
institutions of higher education to establish and operate pregnant and 
  parenting student services offices for pregnant students, parenting 
 students, prospective parenting students who are anticipating a birth 
 or adoption, and students who are placing or have placed a child for 
                               adoption.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 9, 2005

   Ms. Hart introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish a pilot program to provide grants to encourage eligible 
institutions of higher education to establish and operate pregnant and 
  parenting student services offices for pregnant students, parenting 
 students, prospective parenting students who are anticipating a birth 
 or adoption, and students who are placing or have placed a child for 
                               adoption.

    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 ``Elizabeth Cady Stanton Pregnant and 
Parenting Student Services Act of 2005''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) pregnant college students should not have to make a 
        choice between keeping their baby and staying in school;
            (2) the pilot program under this Act will help interested, 
        eligible institutions of higher education establish pregnancy 
        and parenting student services offices that will operate 
        independent of Federal funding no later than 5 years after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act; and
            (3) amounts appropriated to carry out other Federal 
        programs should be reduced to offset the costs of this Act.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Eligible institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``eligible institution of higher education'' means an 
        institution of higher education (as such term is defined in 
        section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        1001)) that has established and operates, or agrees to 
        establish and operate upon the receipt of a grant under this 
        Act, a pregnant and parenting student services office described 
        in section 7.
            (2) Parent; parenting.--The terms ``parent'' and 
        ``parenting'' refer to a parent or legal guardian of a minor.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Education.

SEC. 4. PREGNANT AND PARENTING STUDENT SERVICES PILOT PROGRAM.

    From amounts appropriated under section 9 for a fiscal year, the 
Secretary shall establish a pilot program to award grants to eligible 
institutions of higher education to enable the eligible institutions to 
establish (or maintain) and operate pregnant and parenting student 
services offices in accordance with section 7.

SEC. 5. APPLICATION; NUMBER OF GRANTS.

    (a) Application.--An eligible institution of higher education that 
desires to receive a grant under this Act shall submit an application 
to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may require
    (b) Requests for Additional Information.--The Secretary may require 
an eligible institution submitting an application under subsection (a) 
to provide additional information if the Secretary determines such 
information is necessary to process the application.
    (c) Number of Grants.--Subject to the availability of 
appropriations under section 9, the Secretary shall award grants under 
this Act to no more than 200 eligible institutions.

SEC. 6. MATCHING REQUIREMENT.

     An eligible institution of higher education that receives a grant 
under this Act shall contribute to the conduct of the pregnant and 
parenting student services office supported by the grant an amount from 
non-Federal funds equal to the amount of the grant. The non-Federal 
share may be in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, including services, 
facilities, supplies, or equipment.

SEC. 7. USE OF FUNDS.

    (a) In General.--An eligible institution of higher education that 
receives a grant under this Act shall use grant funds to establish (or 
maintain) and operate a pregnant and parenting student services office, 
located on the campus of the eligible institution, that carries out the 
following programs and activities:
            (1) Hosts an initial pregnancy and parenting resource 
        forum--
                    (A) to assess pregnancy and parenting resources, 
                located on the campus or within the local community, 
                that are available to meet the needs described in 
                paragraph (2); and
                    (B) to set goals for--
                            (i) improving such resources for pregnant, 
                        parenting, and prospective parenting students; 
                        and
                            (ii) improving access to such resources.
            (2) Annually assesses the performance of the eligible 
        institution and the office in meeting the following needs of 
        students enrolled in the eligible institution who are pregnant 
        or are parents:
                    (A) The inclusion of maternity coverage and the 
                availability of riders for additional family members in 
                student health care.
                    (B) Family housing.
                    (C) Child care.
                    (D) Flexible or alternative academic scheduling, 
                such as telecommuting programs.
                    (E) Education to improve parenting skills for 
                mothers and fathers and to strengthen marriages.
                    (F) Resources to assist parents and prospective 
                parents in meeting the material needs of their 
                children.
                    (G) Post-partum counseling and support groups.
            (3) Identifies public and private service providers, 
        located on the campus of the eligible institution or within the 
        local community, that are qualified to meet the needs described 
        in paragraph (2), and establishes programs with qualified 
        providers to meet such needs.
            (4) Assists pregnant and parenting students and their 
        spouses in locating and obtaining services that meet the needs 
        described in paragraph (2).
            (5) If appropriate, provides referrals for prenatal care 
        and delivery, infant or foster care, or adoption, to a student 
        who requests such information. An office shall make such 
        referrals only to service providers that primarily serve the 
        following types of individuals:
                    (A) Parents.
                    (B) Prospective parents awaiting adoption.
                    (C) Women who are pregnant and plan on parenting or 
                placing the child for adoption.
                    (D) Parenting or prospective parenting couples who 
                are married or who plan on marrying in order to provide 
                a supportive environment for each other and their 
                child.
    (b) Expanded Services.--In carrying out the programs and activities 
described in subsection (a), an eligible institution of higher 
education receiving a grant under this Act may choose to provide access 
to such programs and activities to a pregnant or parenting employee of 
the eligible institution, and the employee's spouse.

SEC. 8. REPORTING.

    (a) Annual Report by Institutions.--
            (1) In general.--For each fiscal year that an eligible 
        institution of higher education receives a grant under this 
        Act, the eligible institution shall prepare and submit to the 
        Secretary, by the date determined by the Secretary, a report 
        that--
                    (A) itemizes the pregnant and parenting student 
                services office's expenditures for the fiscal year;
                    (B) contains a review and evaluation of the 
                performance of the office in fulfilling the 
                requirements of this Act, using the specific 
                performance criteria or standards established under 
                paragraph (2)(A); and
                    (C) describes the achievement of the office in 
                meeting the needs listed in section 7(a)(2) of the 
                students served by the eligible institution, and the 
                frequency of use of the office by such students.
            (2) Performance criteria.--Not later than 180 days before 
        the date the annual report described in paragraph (1) is 
        submitted, the Secretary--
                    (A) shall identify the specific performance 
                criteria or standards that shall be used to prepare the 
                report; and
                    (B) may establish the form or format of the report.
            (3) Additional information.--After reviewing an annual 
        report of an eligible institution of higher education, the 
        Secretary may require that the eligible institution provide 
        additional information if the Secretary determines that such 
        additional information is necessary to evaluate the pilot 
        program.
    (b) Report by Secretary.--The Secretary shall annually prepare and 
submit a report on the findings of the pilot program under this Act, 
including the number of eligible institutions of higher education that 
were awarded grants and the number of students served by each pregnant 
and parenting student services office receiving funds under this Act, 
to the appropriate committees of the Senate and the House of 
Representatives.

SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act no 
more than $10,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2010.
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