1.This Act may be cited as the Simon
Wiesenthal Holocaust Education Assistance Act
.
2.
(a)The Congress makes the following
findings:
(1)The Holocaust was an historical event that
resulted in the systemic, state-sponsored mass murders by Nazi Germany of
approximately 6,000,000 Jews, along with millions of others, in the name of
racial purity.
(2)Six States (California, Florida, Illinois,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York) now mandate that the Holocaust be
taught in the educational curriculum, 11 States (Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana,
Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee,
Virginia, and Washington) recommend teaching the Holocaust but do not provide
sufficient funds to assist in the training and educating of teachers, and 3
States (Alabama, Mississippi, and West Virginia) have established councils or
commissions that promote Holocaust education.
(3)The Holocaust is a sensitive and difficult
issue about which to teach, and to do so effectively, educators need
appropriate teaching tools and training to increase their knowledge to enhance
the educational experience.
(b)The purposes of this Act are the
following:
(1)To educate Americans so that they
can—
(A)explore the lessons that the Holocaust
provides for all people; and
(B)be less susceptible to the falsehood of
Holocaust denial and to the destructive messages of hate that arise from
Holocaust denial.
(2)To provide resources and support for
education programs that—
(A)portray accurate historical information
about the Holocaust;
(B)sensitize communities to the circumstances
that gave rise to the Holocaust;
(C)convey the lessons that the Holocaust
provides for all people; and
(D)by developing curriculum guides and
providing training, help teachers incorporate into their mainstream disciplines
the study of the Holocaust and its lessons.
3.From any amounts made
available to carry out this Act, the Secretary may make grants under this Act
to educational organizations to carry out proposed or existing Holocaust
education programs.
4.
(a)An educational
organization receiving grant amounts under this Act shall use such grant
amounts only to carry out the Holocaust education program for which the grant
amounts were provided.
(b)An educational organization receiving grant
amounts under this Act shall comply with the following requirements:
(1)Continuation of
eligibilityThe educational
organization shall, throughout the period that the educational organization
receives and uses such grant amounts, continue to be an educational
organization.
(2)Supplementation
of existing fundsThe
educational organization shall ensure that such grant amounts are used to
supplement, and not supplant, non-Federal funds that would otherwise be
available to the educational organization to carry out the Holocaust education
program for which the grant amounts were provided.
(c)The Secretary may
require additional terms and conditions in connection with the use of grant
amounts provided under this Act as the Secretary considers appropriate.
5.
(a)The Secretary shall
award grant amounts under this Act in accordance with competitive criteria to
be established by the Secretary.
(b)Consultation
With Holocaust EducatorsIn
establishing the competitive criteria under subsection (a), the Secretary shall
consult with a variety of individuals, to be determined by the Secretary, who
are prominent educators in the field of Holocaust education.
6.The Secretary may award grant amounts under
this Act only to an educational organization that has submitted an application
to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information
as the Secretary may require.
7.
(a)The Secretary shall
review at least annually each educational organization receiving grant amounts
under this Act to determine the extent to which the educational organization
has complied with the provisions of this Act.
(b)The Secretary may
impose sanctions on an educational organization for any failure of the
educational organization to comply substantially with the provisions of this
Act. The Secretary shall establish the sanctions to be imposed for a failure to
comply substantially with the provisions of this Act.
8.Not later than February
1 of each year, the Secretary shall submit to the Senate and House of
Representatives a report describing the activities carried out under this Act
and containing any related information that the Secretary considers
appropriate.
9.For purposes of this Act, the following
definitions shall apply:
(1)The term
educational organization means an entity—
(A)described in section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
(B)exempt from tax under section 501(a) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and
(C)organized and operated for cultural,
literary, or educational purposes.
(2)Holocaust
education programThe term
Holocaust education program means a program that—
(A)has as its specific and primary purpose to
improve awareness and understanding of the Holocaust; and
(B)to achieve such purpose, furnishes one or
more of the following:
(i)Classes, seminars, or conferences.
(ii)Educational materials.
(iii)Teacher training.
(iv)Any other good or service designed to
improve awareness and understanding of the Holocaust.
(3)The term Holocaust means the
historical event that resulted in the systemic, state-sponsored mass murders by
Nazi Germany of approximately 6,000,000 Jews, along with millions of others, in
the name of racial purity.
(4)The term Secretary means the
Secretary of Education.
10.The Secretary shall issue any regulations
necessary to carry out this Act.
11.Authorization of
appropriationsFor grants
under this Act, there is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary
$2,000,000 each fiscal year for five fiscal years, beginning with the first
fiscal year to commence after the date of enactment of this Act, to remain
available until expended.