[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2906 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2906

  To establish a pilot program under which the Secretary of Education 
 makes grants to establish and support the 10th Congressional District 
                 of Illinois School Conservation Corps.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 28, 2007

   Mr. Kirk introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish a pilot program under which the Secretary of Education 
 makes grants to establish and support the 10th Congressional District 
                 of Illinois School Conservation Corps.

    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 ``10th Congressional District of 
Illinois School Conservation Corps Act''.

SEC. 2. SCHOOL CONSERVATION CORPS PILOT PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--From amounts made available to carry out this 
section, the Secretary of Education shall carry out a pilot program 
under which the Secretary makes grants to chapters to establish and 
support a school conservation corps.
    (b) Scope.--The pilot program shall be carried out in the 10th 
congressional district of Illinois.
    (c) Chapters.--In this section, the term ``chapter'' means a group, 
at a public high school, consisting of at least 10 students of that 
high school and at least one advisor age 21 or older.
    (d) Amount of Grants.--
            (1) In general.--Each grant under this section--
                    (A) shall include a base amount of $1,000; and
                    (B) may, at the discretion of the Secretary, 
                include an additional amount of up to $5,000, subject 
                to paragraph (2).
            (2) Matching requirement for additional amounts.--An 
        additional amount under paragraph (1)(B) may be included only 
        to the following extent:
                    (A) In general.--The chapter matches each $1 of the 
                additional amount with $1 from non-Federal sources 
                raised by the chapter.
                    (B) Partnerships.--The chapter matches each $1.03 
                of the additional amount with $1 from non-Federal 
                sources raised by the chapter for an activity sponsored 
                in collaboration with one or more of the following 
                entities:
                            (i) Illinois Open Lands.
                            (ii) Illinois Audubon Society.
                            (iii) Ducks Unlimited.
                            (iv) Environmental Defense.
    (e) Use of Grant Amounts.--
            (1) In general.--Amounts granted under this section shall 
        be used to sponsor activities to improve environmental 
        protection in the region in which the pilot program is being 
        carried out.
            (2) 10th congressional district of illinois.--With respect 
        to the congressional district specified in subsection (b), the 
        activities sponsored shall include, in order of priority, the 
        following:
                    (A) Providing volunteers for cleaning up the Lake 
                Michigan watershed.
                    (B) Finding ways for schools and families to reduce 
                their greenhouse gas emissions.
                    (C) Establishing recycling programs for student and 
                school waste.
                    (D) Becoming volunteers to assist in the cleanup of 
                Waukegan Harbor.
                    (E) Leading seminars for local leaders and the 
                public on the dangers of mercury pollution.
                    (F) Meeting with local mayors and village councils 
                to encourage their reduction of greenhouse gases and 
                encourage recycling.
                    (G) Forming groups to ask large companies to 
                provide financial tax incentives to lower greenhouse 
                gas emissions.
    (f) Duration.--The pilot program shall be carried out in fiscal 
years 2008 and 2009.
    (g) Evaluation.--
            (1) In general.--After the period of the pilot program, the 
        Secretary shall evaluate the success of the pilot program. In 
        carrying out the evaluation, the Secretary shall determine 
        whether the pilot program met the following goals:
                    (A) Achieving 29 percent of the activities 
                specified in subsection (e)(2).
                    (B) Involving 21 percent of all public high school 
                students in the congressional district specified in 
                subsection (b) with the program.
            (2) Report and recommendations.--Upon completing the 
        evaluation, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on 
        the evaluation. The report shall include the Secretary's 
        recommendations as to whether--
                    (A) to expand the program to other congressional 
                districts;
                    (B) to change the current goals; or
                    (C) to allow the program to continue unchanged.
    (h) Funding.--From amounts appropriated to the Environmental 
Protection Agency, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
Agency shall transfer to the Secretary such sums as may be necessary to 
carry out the pilot program.
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