[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6809 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6809

To award grants to assist public schools with the rising costs of fuel 
           for school buses and energy for school buildings.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 1, 2008

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To award grants to assist public schools with the rising costs of fuel 
           for school buses and energy for school buildings.

    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 ``Energy for Schools Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS TO STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES.

    (a) Grants to State Educational Agencies.--From the amounts 
appropriated under section 8, the Secretary of Education shall award 
grants to State educational agencies for the purpose of awarding 
subgrants to local educational agencies to assist public schools with 
the increased costs of fuel for school buses and energy for public 
school buildings in accordance with sections 5 and 6.
    (b) Grant Application.--To receive a grant under subsection (a), a 
State educational agency shall submit an application to the Secretary 
in such form, manner, and containing such information as the Secretary 
may require.

SEC. 3. SUBGRANTS TO LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES.

    (a) Subgrants to Local Educational Agencies.--
            (1) In general.--A State educational agency that receives a 
        grant under section 2 shall award subgrants to local 
        educational agencies to assist public schools with the 
        increased costs of fuel for school buses and energy for public 
        school buildings in accordance with sections 5 and 6.
            (2) Administrative costs.--A State educational agency that 
        receives a grant under section 2 shall use not more than 5 
        percent of such grant for the administrative costs of carrying 
        out the subgrant program.
    (b) Subgrant Application.--To receive a subgrant under subsection 
(a), a local educational agency shall submit an application to the 
State educational agency serving such local educational agency in such 
form, manner, and containing such information as such State educational 
agency may require.

SEC. 4. GRANTS TO LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES.

    (a) Grants to Local Educational Agencies.--From the amounts 
appropriated under section 8, the Secretary shall award grants to local 
educational agencies that did not receive a subgrant under section 3 to 
assist public schools with the increased costs of fuel for school buses 
and energy for public school buildings in accordance with sections 5 
and 6.
    (b) Application.--To receive a grant under subsection (a), a local 
educational agency shall submit an application to the Secretary in such 
form, manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may 
require.

SEC. 5. USES OF FUNDS.

    A local educational agency that receives a subgrant under section 3 
or a grant under section 4, shall use such funds to assist public 
schools within the jurisdiction of such local educational agency--
            (1) to pay for the increase in the cost of fuel for school 
        buses that serve such public schools; and
            (2) to pay for the increase in the cost of energy to heat, 
        to cool, or to provide electricity to the buildings of such 
        public schools.

SEC. 6. DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.

    To the extent practicable, a local educational agency that receives 
a subgrant under section 3 or a grant under section 4 shall distribute 
the funds allotted to cover the increase in the cost of fuel for school 
buses to the public schools within the jurisdiction of such local 
educational agency proportionally, based on such local educational 
agency's estimate of the total miles traveled by school buses that 
serve such public schools.

SEC. 7. REGULATIONS.

    The Secretary is authorized to prescribed regulations necessary to 
implement this Act.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this Act.

SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) In general.--The terms ``local educational agency'' and 
        ``State educational agency'' have the meanings given the terms 
        in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
        of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
            (2) Increase in the cost of fuel for school buses.--The 
        phrase ``increase in the cost of fuel for school buses'' means 
        the amount of increase in the cost of fuel for school buses 
        from the date one calendar year prior to the date of the 
        enactment of this Act to the date of the enactment of this Act.
            (3) Increase in the cost of energy.--The phrase ``increase 
        in the cost of energy'' means the amount of increase in energy 
        prices from the date one calendar year prior to the date of the 
        enactment of this Act to the date of the enactment of this Act.
            (4) Public school.--The term ``public school'' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 5145 of the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7217d).
            (5) School bus.--The term ``school bus'' means a bus or any 
        other vehicle used to transport students to and from their 
        homes to school, or to and from school-related activities and 
        events.
            (6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means Secretary of 
        Education.
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