[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1436 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1436

 To award grants to eligible entities to enable the entities to reduce 
 the rate of underage alcohol use and binge drinking among students at 
                   institutions of higher education.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 20, 2005

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To award grants to eligible entities to enable the entities to reduce 
 the rate of underage alcohol use and binge drinking among students at 
                   institutions of higher education.

    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 ``Campus-Based Underage Alcohol Use 
Reduction Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Drinking alcohol under the age of 21 is illegal in each 
        of the 50 States and the District of Columbia. Enforcement of 
        current laws and regulations in States and communities, such as 
        minimum age drinking laws, zero tolerance laws, and laws and 
        regulations which restrict availability of alcohol, must 
        supplement other efforts to reduce underage drinking.
            (2) Data collected by the Department of Health and Human 
        Services and the Department of Transportation indicate that 
        alcohol use by youth has many negative consequences, such as 
        immediate risk from acute impairment; traffic fatalities; 
        violence; suicide; and unprotected sex.
            (3) A significant percentage of the total alcohol 
        consumption in the United States each year is by underage 
        youth. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
        Administration reports that the percentage is over 11 percent.
            (4) College and university presidents have cited alcohol 
        abuse as the number one health problem on college and 
        university campuses.
            (5) According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse 
        and Alcoholism, two of five college students are binge 
        drinkers; 1,400 college students die each year from alcohol-
        related injuries, a majority of which involve motor vehicle 
        crashes; more than 70,000 students are victims of alcohol-
        related sexual assault; and 500,000 students are injured under 
        the influence of alcohol each year.
            (6) Research shows that school-based and community-based 
        interventions can reduce underage drinking and associated 
        problems, and that positive outcomes can be achieved by 
        combining environmental and institutional change with theory-
        based health education--a comprehensive, community-based 
        approach.

SEC. 3. GRANTS DIRECTED AT REDUCING HIGHER-EDUCATION ALCOHOL ABUSE.

    (a) Authorization of Program.--The Secretary shall award grants to 
eligible entities to enable the entities to reduce the rate of underage 
alcohol use and binge drinking among students at institutions of higher 
education.
    (b) Applications.--An eligible entity that desires to receive a 
grant under this Act shall submit an application to the Secretary at 
such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the 
Secretary may require. Each application shall include--
            (1) a description of how the eligible entity will work to 
        enhance an existing, or where none exists to build a, statewide 
        coalition;
            (2) a description of how the eligible entity will target 
        underage students in the State;
            (3) a description of how the eligible entity intends to 
        ensure that the statewide coalition is actually implementing 
        the purpose of this Act and moving toward indicators described 
        in section (d);
            (4) a list of the members of the statewide coalition or 
        interested parties involved in the work of the eligible entity;
            (5) a description of how the eligible entity intends to 
        work with State agencies on substance abuse prevention and 
        education;
            (6) the anticipated impact of funds provided under this Act 
        in reducing the rates of underage alcohol use;
            (7) outreach strategies, including ways in which the 
        eligible entity proposes to--
                    (A) reach out to students;
                    (B) promote the purpose of this Act;
                    (C) address the range of needs of the students and 
                the surrounding communities; and
                    (D) address community norms for underage students 
                regarding alcohol use; and
            (8) such additional information as required by the 
        Secretary.
    (c) Uses of Funds.--Each eligible entity that receives a grant 
under this section shall use the grant funds to carry out the 
activities described in such entity's application submitted pursuant to 
subsection (b).
    (d) Accountability.--On the date on which the Secretary first 
publishes a notice in the Federal Register soliciting applications for 
grants under this section, the Secretary shall include in the notice 
achievement indicators for the program authorized under this section. 
The achievement indicators shall be designed--
            (1) to measure the impact that the statewide coalitions 
        assisted under this Act are having on the institutions of 
        higher education and the surrounding communities, including 
        changes in the number of alcohol incidents of any kind 
        (including violations, physical assaults, sexual assaults, 
        reports of intimidation, disruptions of school functions, 
        disruptions of student studies, mental health referrals, 
        illnesses, or deaths);
            (2) to measure the quality and accessibility of the 
        programs or information offered by the statewide coalitions; 
        and
            (3) to provide such other measures of program impact as the 
        Secretary determines appropriate.
    (e) Supplement Not Supplant.--Grant funds provided under this Act 
shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, Federal and non-Federal 
funds available for carrying out the activities described in this 
section.
    (f) Definitions.--For purposes of this section:
            (1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a 
        State, institution of higher education, or nonprofit entity.
            (2) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1001(a)).
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Education.
            (4) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the 50 States, 
        the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
            (5) Statewide coalition.--The term ``statewide coalition'' 
        means a coalition that--
                    (A) includes--
                            (i) institutions of higher education within 
                        a State; and
                            (ii) a nonprofit group, a community 
                        underage drinking prevention coalition, or 
                        another substance abuse prevention group within 
                        a State; and
                    (B) works toward lowering the alcohol abuse rate by 
                targeting underage students at institutions of higher 
                education throughout the State and in the surrounding 
                communities.
            (6) Surrounding community.--The term ``surrounding 
        community'' means the community--
                    (A) that surrounds an institution of higher 
                education participating in a statewide coalition;
                    (B) where the students from the institution of 
                higher education take part in the community; and
                    (C) where students from the institution of higher 
                education live in off-campus housing.
    (g) Administrative Expenses.--Not more than 5 percent of a grant 
under this section may be expended for administrative expenses.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2006, 
and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2007 
through 2010.
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