[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7225 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7225

 To establish a National Parents Corps Program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 29, 2008

    Mr. Lewis of Georgia (for himself, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Stark, Ms. 
Bordallo, Mr. Filner, Ms. Schakowsky, and Mr. Grijalva) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
                                 Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish a National Parents Corps Program, and for other purposes.

    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 ``National Parents Corps Act of 
2008''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Most parents work and have limited time to volunteer at 
        the schools their children attend.
            (2) A parent's first responsibility is to the health, 
        safety, and stability of their children.
            (3) Nearly one-third of children in the United States ages 
        12 to 17 have used illicit drugs.
            (4) According to the American Lung Association, 
        approximately 4,000 children between the ages of 12 and 17 will 
        smoke their first cigarette, and adolescents who reported 
        smoking cigarettes in the last 30 days were more likely to use 
        alcohol, smoke marijuana, and use cocaine during the same 
        period.
            (5) Accidents, homicides, and suicides are the leading 
        causes of adolescent deaths. Most of these deaths are connected 
        to alcohol and drug use.
            (6) The Office of National Drug Control Policy reports that 
        early action from friends, parents, or loved-ones of a teen who 
        has started using drugs could help the teen stop before 
        treatment may be needed.
            (7) In response to concerns about youth violence and drug, 
        tobacco, and alcohol use by youth, the White House unveiled the 
        Parents Corps, a 3 year initiative operating in 9 States to 
        bring together citizenship, service, and responsibility to 
        empower parents to keep their children, schools, and 
        communities drug-free.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL PARENTS CORPS PROGRAM.

    (a) Grant To Establish the Program.--Subject to the availability of 
appropriations to carry out this Act, the Administrator shall, not 
later than 3 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, award 
a grant to an eligible nonprofit entity to establish a National Parents 
Corps Program (referred to in this Act as the ``Program'') to promote 
safety, combat youth violence, and combat drug and alcohol abuse in 
schools in the United States. The eligible nonprofit entity awarded 
such grant shall be known as the ``NPCP Nonprofit Partner''.
    (b) Program Activities.--The NPCP Nonprofit Partner shall use the 
grant awarded under this section to establish and administer the 
Program, which shall include--
            (1) employing Parent Leaders to carry out the Program at 
        eligible schools that are selected to host Parent Leaders, in 
        accordance with sections 4 and 5; and
            (2) working with schools, parents of children enrolled in 
        schools, local nonprofit organizations, and law enforcement 
        agencies and officers to promote safety, combat youth violence, 
        and combat drug, alcohol, and tobacco abuse in schools.

SEC. 4. PARTICIPATION OF SCHOOLS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of 
enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the NPCP Nonprofit 
Partner shall solicit applications from eligible schools desiring to 
participate in the Program by hosting a Parent Leader. Each eligible 
school selected to host a Parent Leader shall enter into a memorandum 
of understanding with the NPCP Nonprofit Partner--
            (1) in which the eligible school agrees to participate in 
        the Program and host a Parent Leader for the number of years 
        that is equal to the number of grade levels taught at the 
        school; and
            (2) that outlines the parameters and goals of hosting a 
        Parent Leader and carrying out the Program at the eligible 
        school, including how the Parent Leader and the operation of 
        the Program will address the cultural, social, and crime 
        prevention needs and goals of the students at such school.
    (b) Selection Considerations.--In selecting eligible schools to 
host Parent Leaders under this Act, the NPCP Nonprofit Partner shall 
ensure that, to the extent practicable, the eligible schools selected 
represent schools--
            (1) that are located in a variety of geographical regions 
        in the United States;
            (2) in urban, rural, and suburban areas; and
            (3) in ethnically and economically diverse communities.

SEC. 5. PARENT LEADERS.

    (a) Parent Leader for Each School.--For each eligible school 
selected to participate in the Program as a host school under section 
4, the NPCP Nonprofit Partner shall, after consultation with the 
principal of the selected school, solicit applications for, hire, and 
employ one Parent Leader. The Nonprofit Partner shall use the grant 
funds provided under this Act to train, supervise, support, and provide 
a salary and benefits to each Parent Leader.
    (b) Duties of Parent Leaders.--Each Parent Leader employed by the 
Nonprofit Partner shall, with respect to the eligible school hosting 
the Parent Leader--
            (1) educate and mobilize parents of students at the school 
        to combat criminal and gang activity and prevent students from 
        social, cultural, and commercial forces that encourage children 
        and adolescents to initiate the use of drugs, alcohol, and 
        tobacco;
            (2) create a delivery system to provide parents of students 
        at the school with information regarding science-based 
        prevention and analysis related to early recognition of 
        behaviors and traits that may lead to or indicate drug, 
        alcohol, and tobacco use and abuse, gang activity, and 
        violence;
            (3) work with school officials, other parents of students 
        at the school, and students at the school to develop programs 
        and practices to treat, prevent, and reduce violence and drug, 
        alcohol, and tobacco addiction for students at the school;
            (4) assist parents of students at the school and school 
        administrators with finding professional assistance for any 
        child who--
                    (A) is using drugs, including referrals to 
                professionals who can assess the needs of the child for 
                counseling, treatment, and other appropriate 
                assistance; or
                    (B) is engaged in violent activities or gang 
                activities;
            (5) recruit and train parent and student volunteers from 
        the school to participate in drug and violence prevention and 
        education outreach and programming; and
            (6) consult with the NPCP Nonprofit Partner, school 
        administrators, local government authorities, local nonprofit 
        organizations, and other parents to develop best practices and 
        training models related to the prevention of school violence 
        and drug, alcohol, and tobacco use and abuse by students.
    (c) Parent Leader Eligibility.--To be eligible to be employed as a 
Parent Leader under this Act, an individual shall--
            (1) be the parent (as such term is defined in section 9101 
        of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 7801)) of at least one student who will be enrolled, 
        during the first year the individual will be employed as a 
        Parent Leader, in the lowest grade level offered at the school 
        that will host the Parent Leader;
            (2) not be employed full-time at any position other than as 
        a Parent Leader;
            (3) complete a background check, including criminal records 
        checks, fingerprint-based checks of State and national crime 
        information databases (as defined in section 534(e)(3)(A) of 
        title 28, United States Code), checks in any available child 
        abuse and neglect registries, and checks in any available sex 
        offender registries; and
            (4) enter into an agreement with the NPCP Nonprofit Partner 
        to serve as a Parent Leader for a number of years that is equal 
        to the number of years normally required for a student to 
        complete all of the grade levels offered at the school that 
        will host the Parent Leader (as determined by the school), 
        except that the individual shall not be required to continue to 
        serve as Parent Leader in the case of an extreme, unforeseen 
        circumstance (such as death, disability, relocation, or 
        criminal activity) that prevents the individual from completing 
        the term of service required under this paragraph.
    (d) Vacancies.--If an individual who is employed as a Parent Leader 
is unable to complete the term of service required under subsection 
(c)(4), the NPCP Nonprofit Partner shall, after consultation with the 
host school at which the Parent Leader was serving, promptly solicit 
applications for, hire, and employ another individual to serve as 
Parent Leader at such school, in accordance with the requirements of 
this section.

SEC. 6. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Reports by Parent Leaders.--Not less than once each calendar 
quarter during each year a Parent Leader is employed by the NPCP 
Nonprofit Partner, the Parent Leader shall submit to the NPCP Nonprofit 
Partner and the school hosting the Parent Leader a report including 
activities carried out by the Parent Leader to carry out the Program, 
the results of such activities, best practices observed and used by the 
Parent Leader to carry out the Program, and any other information the 
Parent Leader, the NPCP Nonprofit Partner, or the school hosting the 
Parent Leader determine to be appropriate.
    (b) Reports by NPCP Nonprofit Partner.--Not later than 6 months 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 6 months 
thereafter, the NPCP Nonprofit Partner shall prepare and submit to the 
Administrator a report on the progress and effectiveness of the 
Program, including--
            (1) statistics, trends, and other data analyzing whether 
        the Program is effective at preventing school violence and 
        drug, alcohol, and tobacco use and abuse by students;
            (2) a summary of the reports submitted by Parent Leaders; 
        and
            (3) the results and best practices reported by the Parent 
        Leader at each school hosting a Parent Leader.
    (c) Reports by Administrator.--Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the 
Administrator shall prepare and submit to the Attorney General and the 
appropriate Congressional committees a report relating to the progress 
and effectiveness of the Program.

SEC. 7. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of the Congress that eligible schools selected to 
host a Parent Leader in accordance with section 4 should take such 
actions as may be necessary to secure funding to employ a Parent Leader 
to carry out the Program after Federal funding is no longer available 
to carry out this Act.

SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 
        Prevention.
            (2) Eligible nonprofit entity.--The term ``eligible 
        nonprofit entity'' means an organization described in section 
        501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that--
                    (A) was operating on the day before the date of the 
                enactment of this Act;
                    (B) has demonstrated experience administering 
                Federal grants in a fiscally responsible manner, as 
                determined by the Administrator;
                    (C) has administered national programs relating to 
                addiction and parenting;
                    (D) has developed and administered programs similar 
                to the Program authorized under this Act;
                    (E) has worked with the Corporation for National 
                and Community Service, the Department of Health and 
                Human Services, and the Department of Justice in 
                assessing and developing initiatives relating to youth 
                drug prevention and parental involvement; and
                    (F) has as its mission to focus on child and youth 
                drug prevention.
            (3) Eligible school.--The term ``eligible school'' means a 
        public middle school or secondary school (as such term is 
        defined in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)) that has demonstrated a 
        commitment, as determined by the Secretary, to--
                    (A) increasing parental involvement in the school; 
                and
                    (B) reducing drug, alcohol, and tobacco abuse by 
                students enrolled in the school.
            (4) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate Congressional committees'' means the Committee on 
        the Judiciary, the Committee on Education and Labor, and the 
        Appropriations Committee in the House of Representatives, and 
        the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on Health, 
        Education, Labor and Pensions, and the Appropriations Committee 
        in the Senate.

SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--In addition to other amounts otherwise 
appropriated to carry out the purposes of this Act, there are 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $5,500,000 for each 
of the fiscal years 2009 through 2019.
    (b) Funding From Other Sources.--The Administrator, the NPCP 
Nonprofit Partner, and eligible schools selected to host a Parent 
Leader in accordance with section 4 are authorized to solicit, receive, 
and use funding from State, local, and private sources to carry out the 
Program, including for expenses related to employing Parent Leaders.
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