[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1128 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1128

To amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to establish a 
  Summer of Service State grant program, a Summer of Service national 
 direct grant program, and related national activities, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 17, 2007

   Mr. Dodd (for himself, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Stevens, Mr. 
  Bingaman, Mr. Kerry, and Mr. Rockefeller) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to establish a 
  Summer of Service State grant program, a Summer of Service national 
 direct grant program, and related national activities, 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 ``Summer of Service Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Throughout the United States, there are pressing unmet 
        human, educational, environmental and public safety needs.
            (2) Americans desire to affirm common responsibilities and 
        shared values, and join together in positive experiences, that 
        transcend race, religion, gender, age, disability, region, 
        income, and education.
            (3) Americans of all ages can improve their communities and 
        become better citizens through service to their communities.
            (4) When youth participate in service activities and see 
        that they are able to improve the lives of others, the youth 
        feel better able to control their own lives in a positive way, 
        avoiding risky behaviors, strengthening their community 
        connections, and becoming more engaged in their own education.
            (5) When youth service is tied to learning objectives, that 
        service is shown to decrease alienation and behavior problems, 
        and increase knowledge of community needs, commitment to an 
        ethic of service, and understanding of politics and morality.
            (6) When service is tied to what students are learning in 
        school, the students make gains on achievement tests, complete 
        their homework more often, and increase their grade point 
        averages.
            (7) Students who engage in service-learning improve their 
        communication skills, increase their awareness of career 
        possibilities, have a deeper understanding of social and 
        economic issues that face the United States, and develop more 
        positive workplace attitudes, preparing them to take their 
        places as future leaders of the United States.
            (8) In a national poll, more than 80 percent of parents 
        said that their child would benefit from an after school 
        program that offered community service and 95 percent of teens 
        agreed that is important to volunteer time to community 
        efforts.
    (b) Purpose.--The purposes of this Act are to--
            (1) offer youth the chance to spend a summer in service to 
        their communities as a rite of passage before high school;
            (2) teach civic participation skills to youth and help 
        youth see themselves as resources and leaders for their 
        communities;
            (3) expand educational opportunities and discourage 
        ``summer slide'' by engaging youth in summer service-learning 
        opportunities;
            (4) encourage youth, regardless of age, income, or 
        disability, to engage in community service;
            (5) provide tangible benefits to the communities in which 
        Summer of Service programs are performed; and
            (6) enhance the social-emotional development of youth of 
        all backgrounds.

SEC. 3. SUMMER OF SERVICE PROGRAMS.

    Title I of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 
U.S.C. 12511 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subtitles F, G, H, and I as subtitles 
        G, H, I, and J, respectively;
            (2) by redesignating sections 160 through 166 as sections 
        159A through 159G, respectively; and
            (3) by inserting after subtitle E the following:

                ``Subtitle F--Summer of Service Programs

``SEC. 161. DEFINITIONS.

    ``In this subtitle:
            ``(1) Educational award.--The term `educational award' 
        means an award disbursed under section 162B(d) or 163B(d).
            ``(2) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means a 
        public or private nonprofit organization, an institution of 
        higher education, a local educational agency, a public 
        elementary school or public secondary school, or a consortium 
        of 2 or more of the entities described in this paragraph.
            ``(3) Eligible youth.--The term `eligible youth' means a 
        youth who will be enrolled in the sixth, seventh, eighth, or 
        ninth grade at the end of the summer for which the youth would 
        participate in community service under this subtitle.

            ``PART I--SUMMER OF SERVICE STATE GRANT PROGRAM

``SEC. 162. GRANTS TO STATES.

    ``(a) Grants.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Chief Executive Officer shall award 
        grants on a competitive basis to States, to enable the State 
        Commissions--
                    ``(A) to carry out State-level activities under 
                subsection (d); and
                    ``(B) to award subgrants on a competitive basis 
                under section 162A to eligible entities to pay for the 
                Federal share of the cost of carrying out community 
                service projects.
            ``(2) Funds for educational awards.--The Chief Executive 
        Officer shall decide whether funds appropriated to carry out 
        this part and available for educational awards (referred to in 
        this part as `educational award funds') shall be--
                    ``(A) included in the funds for such grants to 
                States and subgrants to eligible entities; or
                    ``(B) reserved by the Chief Executive Officer, 
                deposited in the National Service Trust for educational 
                awards, and disbursed according to paragraphs (1) and 
                (3) of section 162B(d).
            ``(3) Periods of grants.--The Chief Executive Officer shall 
        award the grants for periods of 3 years.
            ``(4) Amounts of grants.--The Chief Executive Officer shall 
        award such a grant to a State for a program in a sum equal to--
                    ``(A) the amount obtained by multiplying $500 and 
                the number of youth who will participate in the program 
                (to be used for program expenses);
                    ``(B) unless the Chief Executive Officer decides to 
                deposit funds for educational awards in the National 
                Service Trust, as described in paragraph (2)(B), an 
                additional amount equal to the amount described in 
                subparagraph (A) (to be used for educational awards); 
                and
                    ``(C) an amount sufficient to provide for the 
                reservation for State-level activities described in 
                subsection (d).
    ``(b) State Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
this section, a State shall submit an application to the Chief 
Executive Officer at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Chief Executive Officer may require, including 
information that--
            ``(1) designates the State Commission as the agency 
        responsible for the administration and supervision of the 
        community service program carried out under this part in the 
        State;
            ``(2) describes how the State Commission will use funds 
        received under this part, including funds reserved for State-
        level activities under subsection (d);
            ``(3) describes the procedures and criteria the State 
        Commission will use for reviewing applications and awarding 
        subgrants on a competitive basis under section 162A to eligible 
        entities for projects, including how the State Commission will 
        give priority to an entity that--
                    ``(A) offers a quality plan for or has an 
                established track record of carrying out the activities 
                described in the entity's application;
                    ``(B) has a leadership position in the community 
                from which the youth participating in the project 
                described in the application will be drawn;
                    ``(C) proposes a project that focuses on service by 
                the participants during the transition year before high 
                school;
                    ``(D) plans to ensure that at least 50 percent of 
                the participants are low-income eligible youth;
                    ``(E) proposes a project that encourages or enables 
                youth to continue participating in community service 
                throughout the school year;
                    ``(F) plans to involve the participants in the 
                design and operation of the project, including 
                involving the participants in conducting a needs-based 
                assessment of community needs;
                    ``(G) proposes a project that involves youth of 
                different ages, races, sexes, ethnic groups, religions, 
                disability categories, or economic backgrounds serving 
                together; and
                    ``(H) proposes a project that provides high quality 
                service-learning experiences;
            ``(4) describes the steps the State Commission will take, 
        including the provision of ongoing technical assistance 
        described in subsection (d)(2) and training, to ensure that 
        projects funded under section 162A will implement effective 
        strategies; and
            ``(5) describes how the State Commission will evaluate the 
        projects, which shall include, at a minimum--
                    ``(A) a description of the objectives and 
                benchmarks that will be used to evaluate the projects; 
                and
                    ``(B) a description of how the State Commission 
                will disseminate the results of the evaluations, as 
                described in subsection (d)(4)(C).
    ``(c) Applicant Review.--
            ``(1) Selection criteria.--The Chief Executive Officer 
        shall evaluate applications for grants under this section based 
        on the quality, innovation, replicability, and sustainability 
        of the State programs proposed by the applicants.
            ``(2) Review panels.--The Chief Executive Officer shall 
        employ the review panels established under section 165A in 
        reviewing the applications.
            ``(3) Notification of applicants.--If the Chief Executive 
        Officer rejects an application submitted under this section, 
        the Chief Executive Officer shall promptly notify the applicant 
        of the reasons for the rejection of the application.
            ``(4) Resubmission and reconsideration.--The Chief 
        Executive Officer shall provide an applicant notified of 
        rejection with a reasonable opportunity to revise and resubmit 
        the application. At the request of the applicant, the Chief 
        Executive Officer shall provide technical assistance to the 
        applicant as part of the resubmission process. The Chief 
        Executive Officer shall promptly reconsider an application 
        resubmitted under this paragraph.
    ``(d) State-Level Activities.--A State that receives a grant under 
this section may reserve up to 5 percent of the grant funds for State-
level activities, which may include--
            ``(1) hiring staff to administer the program carried out 
        under this part in the State;
            ``(2) providing technical assistance, including technical 
        assistance concerning the professional development and training 
        of personnel, to eligible entities that receive subgrants under 
        section 162A;
            ``(3) conducting outreach and dissemination of program-
        related information to ensure the broadest possible involvement 
        of eligible entities and local eligible youth in the program 
        carried out under this part; and
            ``(4)(A) conducting an evaluation of the projects carried 
        out by eligible entities under this part;
            ``(B) using the results of the evaluation to collect and 
        compile information on best practices and models for such 
        projects; and
            ``(C) disseminating widely the results of the evaluation.

``SEC. 162A. SUBGRANTS TO ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.

    ``(a) Subgrants.--
            ``(1) In general.--A State that receives a grant under 
        section 162 shall use the grant funds to award subgrants on a 
        competitive basis to eligible entities to pay for the Federal 
        share of the cost of carrying out community service projects.
            ``(2) Periods of subgrants.--The State shall award the 
        subgrants for periods of 3 years.
            ``(3) Amounts of subgrants.--The State shall award such a 
        subgrant to an eligible entity for a project in a sum equal 
        to--
                    ``(A) the amount obtained by multiplying $500 and 
                the number of youth who will participate in the project 
                (to be used for project expenses); and
                    ``(B) unless the Chief Executive Officer decides to 
                deposit funds for educational awards in the National 
                Service Trust, as described in section 162(a)(2)(B), an 
                additional amount equal to the amount described in 
                subparagraph (A) (to be used for educational awards).
    ``(b) Applications.--To be eligible to receive a subgrant under 
this section for a project, an entity shall submit an application to 
the State Commission at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the State Commission may require, including information 
that--
            ``(1) designates the community in which the entity will 
        carry out the project, which community may be the service area 
        of an elementary school or secondary school, a school district, 
        a city, town, village, or other locality, a county, the area in 
        which a public housing project is located, a neighborhood, or 
        another geographically or politically designated area;
            ``(2) describes the manner in which the entity will--
                    ``(A) engage a substantial portion of the youth in 
                the designated community;
                    ``(B) engage a variety of entities and individuals, 
                such as youth organizations, elementary schools or 
                secondary schools, elected officials, organizations 
                offering summer camps, civic groups, nonprofit 
                organizations, and other entities within the designated 
                community to offer a variety of summer service 
                opportunities as part of the project;
                    ``(C) ensure that the youth participating in the 
                project engage in service-learning;
                    ``(D) engage as volunteers in the project business, 
                civic, or community organizations or individuals, which 
                may include older individuals, volunteers in the 
                National Senior Volunteer Corps established under title 
                II of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42 
                U.S.C. 5000 et seq.), participants in the school-based 
                and community-based service-learning programs carried 
                out under parts I and II of subtitle B, participants in 
                the AmeriCorps program carried out under subtitle C, or 
                students enrolled in secondary schools or institutions 
                of higher education;
                    ``(E) ensure that youth participating in the 
                project provide at least 100 hours of community service 
                for the project;
                    ``(F) recruit eligible youth to participate in the 
                project;
                    ``(G) recruit service sponsors for community 
                service activities carried out through the project, if 
                the eligible entity intends to enter into an 
                arrangement with such sponsors to provide project 
                placements for the youth;
                    ``(H) promote leadership development and build an 
                ethic of civic responsibility among the youth;
                    ``(I) provide team-oriented, adult-supervised 
                experiences through the project;
                    ``(J) conduct opening and closing ceremonies 
                honoring participants in the project;
                    ``(K) involve youth who are participating in the 
                project in the design and planning of the project; and
                    ``(L) provide training, which may include life 
                skills, financial education, and employment training, 
                in addition to training concerning the specific 
                community service to be provided through the project, 
                for the youth; and
            ``(3)(A) specifies project outcome objectives relating to 
        youth development or education achievement, community 
        strengthening, and community improvement;
            ``(B) describes how the eligible entity will establish 
        annual benchmarks for the objectives, and annually conduct an 
        evaluation to measure progress toward the benchmarks; and
            ``(C) provides an assurance that the eligible entity will 
        annually make the results of such evaluation available to the 
        State.
    ``(c) Continued Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive funds under 
this section for a second or subsequent year of a subgrant period, an 
entity shall demonstrate that the entity has met the annual benchmarks 
for the objectives described in subsection (b)(3).
    ``(d) Selection of Subgrant Recipients.--In awarding subgrants 
under this section, the State shall ensure that projects are funded in 
a variety of geographic areas, including urban and rural areas.

``SEC. 162B. SUMMER OF SERVICE PROJECTS.

    ``(a) Use of Funds.--
            ``(1) In general.--An eligible entity that receives a 
        subgrant under section 162A shall use the subgrant funds to 
        carry out a community service project.
            ``(2) Specific uses.--The eligible entity may use the 
        subgrant funds to pay for--
                    ``(A) hiring staff to administer the project;
                    ``(B) developing or acquiring service-learning 
                curricula for the project, to be integrated into 
                academic programs, including making modifications for 
                students who are individuals with disabilities and 
                students with limited English proficiency;
                    ``(C) forming local partnerships to develop and 
                offer a variety of service-learning programs for local 
                youth participating in the project;
                    ``(D) establishing benchmarks, conducting 
                evaluations, and making evaluation results available, 
                as described in subparagraphs (B) and (C) of section 
                162A(b)(3);
                    ``(E) conducting outreach and dissemination of 
                program-related information to ensure the broadest 
                possible involvement of local eligible youth and 
                community partners in the project;
                    ``(F) conducting ceremonies as described in section 
                162A(b)(2)(J);
                    ``(G) carrying out basic implementation of the 
                community service project; and
                    ``(H) carrying out planning activities, during an 
                initial 6 to 9 months of the subgrant period.
            ``(3) Non-federal share.--An eligible entity that receives 
        a subgrant under section 162A shall provide the non-Federal 
        share of the costs described in section 162A(a)(1) from private 
        or public sources other than the subgrant funds. The sources 
        may include fees charged to the parents of the youth 
        participating in the community service project involved and 
        determined on a sliding scale based on income.
    ``(b) Service Projects.--
            ``(1) Eligible service categories.--The eligible entity may 
        use the subgrant funds to carry out a community service project 
        to meet unmet human, educational, environmental, or public 
        safety needs.
            ``(2) Ineligible service categories.--The eligible entity 
        may not use the subgrant funds to carry out a service project 
        in which participants perform service described in section 
        132(a).
    ``(c) Period of Service Projects.--The eligible entity--
            ``(1) shall carry out the community service project funded 
        under section 162A during a period, the majority of which 
        occurs in the months of June, July, and August; and
            ``(2) may carry out the project in conjunction with a 
        related after school or in-school service-learning project 
        operated during the remaining months of the year.
    ``(d) Educational Award.--
            ``(1) Eligibility.--Each eligible youth who provides at 
        least 100 hours of community service for a project carried out 
        under this part shall be eligible to receive an educational 
        award of not more than $500. An eligible youth may participate 
        in more than 1 such project but shall not receive in excess of 
        $1,000 in total for such participation.
            ``(2) Disbursements by eligible entity.--If the Chief 
        Executive Officer decides under section 162(a)(2)(A) to include 
        educational award funds in subgrants under this part, the 
        eligible entity carrying out the project shall--
                    ``(A) disburse an educational award described in 
                paragraph (1) in accordance with regulations issued by 
                the Chief Executive Officer, which--
                            ``(i) may permit disbursal of the award to 
                        the parents of the youth that have established 
                        a qualified tuition program account under 
                        section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code of 
                        1986, for deposit into the account; but
                            ``(ii) shall not otherwise permit disbursal 
                        of the award to the parents; or
                    ``(B) enter into a contract with a private sector 
                organization to hold the educational award funds and 
                disburse the educational award as described in 
                subparagraph (A).
            ``(3) Disbursements by chief executive officer.--If the 
        Chief Executive Officer decides under section 162(a)(2)(B) to 
        reserve educational award funds, the Chief Executive Officer 
        shall disburse the educational award as described in paragraph 
        (2)(A).

``SEC. 162C. SUPPLEMENTAL GRANTS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Chief Executive Officer may award a 
supplemental grant to an eligible entity that demonstrates the matters 
described in subsection (b), to assist the entity in carrying out a 
community service project in accordance with the requirements of this 
part, as determined appropriate by the Chief Executive Officer.
    ``(b) Application.--To be eligible to receive a supplemental grant 
under subsection (a), an entity shall submit an application to the 
Chief Executive Officer, at such time, in such manner, and containing 
such information as the Chief Executive Officer may require, including 
information demonstrating--
            ``(1) that the entity received a subgrant under section 
        162A for a community service project; and
            ``(2) that the entity would be unable to carry out the 
        project without substantial hardship unless the entity received 
        a supplemental grant under subsection (a).
    ``(c) Amount of Grant.--The Chief Executive Officer shall award 
such a grant to an eligible entity for the project in the amount 
obtained by multiplying $250 and the number of youth who will 
participate in the project (to be used for project expenses).

``SEC. 162D. INDIAN TRIBES AND TERRITORIES.

    ``From the funds made available to carry out this part under 
section 165(b)(2)(A) for any fiscal year, the Chief Executive Officer 
shall reserve an amount of not more than 3 percent for payments to 
Indian tribes, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, 
and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, to be used in 
accordance with the requirements of this part, as determined 
appropriate by the Chief Executive Officer.

       ``PART II--SUMMER OF SERVICE NATIONAL DIRECT GRANT PROGRAM

``SEC. 163. NATIONAL DIRECT GRANTS.

    ``(a) Grants.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Chief Executive Officer shall award 
        grants on a competitive basis to public or private 
        organizations (referred to individually in this part as an 
        `organization')--
                    ``(A) to carry out quality assurance activities 
                under subsection (d); and
                    ``(B) to pay for the Federal share of the cost of 
                carrying out a community service program--
                            ``(i) in a State where the State Commission 
                        does not apply for funding under part I; or
                            ``(ii) in multiple States.
            ``(2) Funds for educational awards.--The Chief Executive 
        Officer shall decide whether funds appropriated to carry out 
        this part and available for educational awards (referred to in 
        this part as `educational award funds') shall be--
                    ``(A) included in the funds for such grants to 
                organizations and any subgrants to local providers; or
                    ``(B) reserved by the Chief Executive Officer, 
                deposited in the National Service Trust for educational 
                awards, and disbursed according to paragraphs (1) and 
                (3) of section 163B(d).
            ``(3) Periods of grants.--The Chief Executive Officer shall 
        award the grants for periods of 3 years.
            ``(4) Amounts of grants.--The Chief Executive Officer shall 
        award such a grant to an organization for a program in a sum 
        equal to--
                    ``(A) the amount obtained by multiplying $500 and 
                the number of youth who will participate in the program 
                (to be used for program expenses);
                    ``(B) unless the Chief Executive Officer decides to 
                deposit funds for educational awards in the National 
                Service Trust, as described in paragraph (2)(B), an 
                additional amount equal to the amount described in 
                subparagraph (A) (to be used for educational awards); 
                and
                    ``(C) an amount sufficient to provide for the 
                reservation for quality assurance activities described 
                in subsection (d).
    ``(b) National Direct Applications.--To be eligible to receive a 
grant under this section for a community service program, an 
organization shall submit an application to the Chief Executive Officer 
at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the 
Chief Executive Officer may require, including information that--
            ``(1) describes how the organization will use funds 
        received under this part, including funds reserved for quality 
        assurance activities under subsection (d);
            ``(2)(A) describes the procedures and criteria the 
        organization will use for reviewing applications and awarding 
        subgrants on a competitive basis under section 163A to local 
        providers for projects, including how the organization will 
        give priority to a provider that, with respect to each project 
        described in the application--
                    ``(i) offers a quality plan for or has an 
                established track record of carrying out the activities 
                described in the provider's application;
                    ``(ii) has a leadership position in the community 
                from which the youth participating in the project will 
                be drawn;
                    ``(iii) proposes a project that focuses on service 
                by the participants during the transition year before 
                high school;
                    ``(iv) plans to ensure that at least 50 percent of 
                the participants are low-income eligible youth;
                    ``(v) proposes a project that encourages or enables 
                youth to continue participating in community service 
                throughout the school year;
                    ``(vi) plans to involve the participants in the 
                design and operation of the project, including 
                involving the participants in conducting a needs-based 
                assessment of community needs;
                    ``(vii) proposes a project that involves youth of 
                different ages, races, sexes, ethnic groups, religions, 
                disability categories, or economic backgrounds serving 
                together; and
                    ``(viii) proposes a project that provides high 
                quality service-learning experiences; or
            ``(B) if the organization will carry out the community 
        service program directly, demonstrates that the organization 
        meets the requirements of clauses (i) through (viii) of 
        subparagraph (A) with respect to each project described in the 
        application;
            ``(3) describes the steps the organization will take, 
        including the provision of ongoing technical assistance 
        described in subsection (d)(2) and training, to ensure that 
        projects funded under this part will implement effective 
        strategies; and
            ``(4) describes how the organization will evaluate the 
        projects funded under this part, which shall include, at a 
        minimum--
                    ``(A) a description of the objectives and 
                benchmarks that will be used to evaluate the projects; 
                and
                    ``(B) a description of how the organization will 
                disseminate widely the results of the evaluations, as 
                described in subsection (d)(3)(C).
    ``(c) Applicant Review.--
            ``(1) Selection criteria.--The Chief Executive Officer 
        shall evaluate applications for grants under this section based 
        on the quality, innovation, replicability, and sustainability 
        of the programs proposed by the applicants.
            ``(2) Review panels.--The Chief Executive Officer shall 
        employ the review panels established under section 165A in 
        reviewing the applications.
            ``(3) Notification of applicants.--If the Chief Executive 
        Officer rejects an application submitted under this section, 
        the Chief Executive Officer shall promptly notify the applicant 
        of the reasons for the rejection of the application.
            ``(4) Resubmission and reconsideration.--The Chief 
        Executive Officer shall provide an applicant notified of 
        rejection with a reasonable opportunity to revise and resubmit 
        the application. At the request of the applicant, the Chief 
        Executive Officer shall provide technical assistance to the 
        applicant as part of the resubmission process. The Chief 
        Executive Officer shall promptly reconsider an application 
        resubmitted under this paragraph.
    ``(d) Quality Assurance Activities.--An organization that receives 
a grant under this section may reserve up to 5 percent of the grant 
funds for quality assurance activities, which may include--
            ``(1) hiring staff to administer the program carried out 
        under this part by the organization;
            ``(2) providing technical assistance, including technical 
        assistance concerning the professional development and training 
        of personnel, to local providers that receive subgrants under 
        section 163A; and
            ``(3)(A) conducting an evaluation of the projects carried 
        out by local providers of the organization under this part;
            ``(B) using the results of the evaluation to collect and 
        compile information on best practices and models for such 
        projects; and
            ``(C) disseminating widely the results of the evaluation.

``SEC. 163A. SUBGRANTS TO LOCAL PROVIDERS.

    ``(a) Subgrants.--
            ``(1) In general.--An organization that receives a grant 
        under section 163 may use the grant funds to award subgrants on 
        a competitive basis to local providers to pay for the Federal 
        share of the cost of carrying out community service projects.
            ``(2) Periods of subgrants.--The organization shall award 
        the subgrants for periods of 3 years.
            ``(3) Amounts of subgrants.--The organization shall award 
        such a subgrant to a local provider for a project in a sum 
        equal to--
                    ``(A) the amount obtained by multiplying $500 and 
                the number of youth who will participate in the project 
                (to be used for project expenses); and
                    ``(B) unless the Chief Executive Officer decides to 
                deposit funds for educational awards in the National 
                Service Trust, as described in section 163(a)(2)(B), an 
                additional amount equal to the amount described in 
                subparagraph (A) (to be used for educational awards).
    ``(b) Local Provider Application.--To be eligible to receive a 
subgrant under this section, a local provider shall submit an 
application to the organization at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information as the organization may require, including 
information that--
            ``(1) designates the communities in which the local 
        provider will carry out projects under the subgrant, each of 
        which communities may be the service area of an elementary 
        school or secondary school, a school district, a city, town, 
        village, or other locality, a county, the area in which a 
        public housing project is located, a neighborhood, or another 
        geographically or politically designated area;
            ``(2) for each project described in such application, 
        describes the manner in which the local provider will--
                    ``(A) engage a substantial portion of the youth in 
                the designated community involved;
                    ``(B) engage a variety of entities and individuals, 
                such as youth organizations, elementary schools or 
                secondary schools, elected officials, organizations 
                offering summer camps, civic groups, nonprofit 
                organizations, and other entities within the designated 
                community to offer a variety of summer service 
                opportunities as part of the project;
                    ``(C) ensure that the youth participating in the 
                project engage in service-learning;
                    ``(D) engage as volunteers in the project business, 
                civic, or community organizations or individuals, which 
                may include older individuals, volunteers in the 
                National Senior Volunteer Corps established under title 
                II of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42 
                U.S.C. 5000 et seq.), participants in the school-based 
                and community-based service-learning programs carried 
                out under parts I and II of subtitle B, participants in 
                the AmeriCorps program carried out under subtitle C, or 
                students enrolled in secondary schools or institutions 
                of higher education;
                    ``(E) ensure that youth participating in the 
                project provide at least 100 hours of community service 
                for the project;
                    ``(F) recruit eligible youth to participate in the 
                project;
                    ``(G) recruit service sponsors for community 
                service activities carried out through the project, if 
                the local provider intends to enter into an arrangement 
                with such sponsors to provide project placements for 
                the youth;
                    ``(H) promote leadership development and build an 
                ethic of civic responsibility among the youth;
                    ``(I) provide team-oriented, adult-supervised 
                experiences through the project;
                    ``(J) conduct opening and closing ceremonies 
                honoring participants in the project;
                    ``(K) involve youth who are participating in the 
                project in the design and planning of the project; and
                    ``(L) provide training, which may include life 
                skills, financial education, and employment training, 
                in addition to training concerning the specific 
                community service to be provided through the project, 
                for the youth; and
            ``(3)(A) specifies project outcome objectives relating to 
        youth development or education achievement, community 
        strengthening, and community improvement;
            ``(B) describes how the local provider will establish 
        annual benchmarks for the objectives, and annually conduct an 
        evaluation to measure progress toward the benchmarks; and
            ``(C) provides an assurance that the local provider will 
        annually make the results of such evaluation available to the 
        organization.
    ``(c) Continued Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive funds under 
this section for a second or subsequent year of a subgrant period, a 
local provider shall demonstrate that all the projects for which the 
subgrant was awarded met the annual benchmarks for the objectives 
described in subsection (b)(3).
    ``(d) Selection of Subgrant Recipients.--In awarding subgrants 
under this section, the organization shall ensure that projects are 
funded in a variety of geographic areas, including urban and rural 
areas.

``SEC. 163B. SUMMER OF SERVICE PROJECTS.

    ``(a) Use of Funds.--
            ``(1) In general.--A local provider that receives a 
        subgrant under section 163A shall use the subgrant funds to 
        carry out a community service project.
            ``(2) Specific uses.--The local provider may use the 
        subgrant funds, to pay for--
                    ``(A) hiring staff to administer the project;
                    ``(B) developing or acquiring service-learning 
                curricula for the project, to be integrated into 
                academic programs, including making modifications for 
                students who are individuals with disabilities and 
                students with limited English proficiency;
                    ``(C) forming local partnerships to develop and 
                offer a variety of service-learning programs for local 
                youth participating in the project;
                    ``(D) establishing benchmarks, conducting 
                evaluations, and making evaluation results available, 
                as described in subparagraphs (B) and (C) of section 
                163A(b)(3);
                    ``(E) conducting outreach and dissemination of 
                program-related information to ensure the broadest 
                possible involvement of local eligible youth and 
                community partners in the project;
                    ``(F) conducting ceremonies as described in section 
                163A(b)(2)(J);
                    ``(G) carrying out basic implementation of the 
                community service project; and
                    ``(H) carrying out planning activities, during an 
                initial 6 to 9 months of the grant period.
            ``(3) Non-federal share.--A local provider that receives a 
        subgrant under section 163A shall provide the non-Federal share 
        of the cost described in section 163A(a)(1) from private or 
        public sources other than the subgrant funds. The sources may 
        include fees charged to the parents of the youth participating 
        in the community service project involved and determined on a 
        sliding scale based on income.
    ``(b) Service Projects.--
            ``(1) Eligible service categories.--The local provider may 
        use the subgrant funds to carry out a community service project 
        to meet unmet human, educational, environmental, or public 
        safety needs.
            ``(2) Ineligible service categories.--The local provider 
        may not use the subgrant funds to carry out a service project 
        in which participants perform service described in section 
        132(a).
    ``(c) Period of Service Projects.--The local provider--
            ``(1) shall carry out the community service project funded 
        under section 163A during a period, the majority of which 
        occurs in the months of June, July, and August; and
            ``(2) may carry out the project in conjunction with a 
        related after school or in-school service-learning project 
        operated during the remaining months of the year.
    ``(d) Educational Award.--
            ``(1) Eligibility.--Each eligible youth who provides at 
        least 100 hours of community service for a project carried out 
        under this part shall be eligible to receive an educational 
        award of not more than $500. An eligible youth may participate 
        in more than 1 such project but shall not receive in excess of 
        $1,000 in total for such participation.
            ``(2) Disbursements by local provider.--If the Chief 
        Executive Officer decides under section 163(a)(2)(A) to include 
        educational award funds in subgrants under this part, the local 
        provider carrying out the project shall--
                    ``(A) disburse an educational award described in 
                paragraph (1) in accordance with regulations issued by 
                the Chief Executive Officer, which--
                            ``(i) may permit disbursal of the award to 
                        the parents of the youth that have established 
                        a qualified tuition program account under 
                        section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code of 
                        1986, for deposit into the account; but
                            ``(ii) shall not otherwise permit disbursal 
                        of the award to the parents; or
                    ``(B) enter into a contract with a private sector 
                organization to hold the educational award funds and 
                disburse the educational award as described in 
                subparagraph (A).
            ``(3) Disbursements by chief executive officer.--If the 
        Chief Executive Officer decides under section 163(a)(2)(B) to 
        reserve educational award funds, the Chief Executive Officer 
        shall disburse the educational award as described in paragraph 
        (2)(A).
    ``(e) Application of Section.--References in this section to local 
providers, with respect to the use of subgrant funds received under 
section 163A, apply equally to organizations that carry out community 
service projects directly, with respect to the use of grant funds 
received under section 163.

``SEC. 163C. SUPPLEMENTAL GRANTS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Chief Executive Officer may award a 
supplemental grant to a local provider that demonstrates the matters 
described in subsection (b), to assist the provider in carrying out a 
community service project in accordance with the requirements of this 
part, as determined appropriate by the Chief Executive Officer.
    ``(b) Application.--To be eligible to receive a supplemental grant 
under subsection (a), a provider shall submit an application to the 
Chief Executive Officer, at such time, in such manner, and containing 
such information as the Chief Executive Officer may require, including 
information demonstrating--
            ``(1) that the provider received a subgrant under section 
        163A for a community service project; and
            ``(2) that the provider would be unable to carry out the 
        project without substantial hardship unless the provider 
        received a supplemental grant under subsection (a).
    ``(c) Amount of Grant.--The Chief Executive Officer shall award 
such a grant to a local provider for the project in the amount obtained 
by multiplying $250 and the number of youth who will participate in the 
project (to be used for project expenses).

           ``PART III--SUMMER OF SERVICE NATIONAL ACTIVITIES

``SEC. 164. NATIONAL ACTIVITIES.

    ``(a) National Quality and Outreach Activities.--The Chief 
Executive Officer may use funds reserved under section 165(b)(1), 
either directly or through grants and contracts, to--
            ``(1) provide technical assistance and training to 
        recipients of grants and subgrants under parts I and II;
            ``(2) conduct outreach and dissemination of program-related 
        information to ensure the broadest possible involvement of 
        States, eligible entities, organizations, local providers, and 
        eligible youth in programs carried out under parts I and II; 
        and
            ``(3) to carry out other activities designed to improve the 
        quality of programs carried out under parts I and II.
    ``(b) National Evaluation.--
            ``(1) Reservation.--For each fiscal year, the Chief 
        Executive Officer shall reserve not more than the greater of 
        $500,000, or 1 percent, of the funds described in subsection 
        (a) for the purposes described in paragraph (2).
            ``(2) Evaluation.--The Chief Executive Officer shall use 
        the reserved funds--
                    ``(A) to arrange for an independent evaluation of 
                the programs carried out under parts I and II, to be 
                conducted in the second and third years in which the 
                programs are implemented; and
                    ``(B) using the results of the evaluation, to 
                collect and compile information on models and best 
                practices for such programs; and
                    ``(C) to disseminate widely the results of the 
                evaluation.
            ``(3) Report.--The Chief Executive Officer shall annually 
        submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
        Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and Labor 
        of the House of Representatives, a report concerning the 
        results of the evaluations conducted under paragraph (2). Such 
        reports shall also contain information on models of best 
        practices and any other findings or recommendations developed 
        by the Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluations. Such 
        reports shall be made available to the general public.

                     ``PART IV--GENERAL PROVISIONS

``SEC. 165. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS AND AVAILABILITY.

    ``(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this subtitle $100,000,000 for fiscal year 
2008 and such sums as may be necessary for each subsequent fiscal year.
    ``(b) Availability.--Of the funds appropriated under subsection (a) 
for a fiscal year, the Chief Executive Officer--
            ``(1) shall reserve not more than 4 percent to carry out 
        activities under part III (relating to national activities); 
        and
            ``(2) from the remainder of such funds, shall make 
        available--
                    ``(A) a portion equal to 66\2/3\ percent of such 
                funds for programs carried out under part I (relating 
                to the State grant program), including programs carried 
                out under section 162D; and
                    ``(B) a portion equal to 33\1/3\ percent of such 
                funds for programs carried out under part II (relating 
                to the national direct grant program).
    ``(c) Reallocation.--If the Chief Executive Officer determines that 
funds from the portion described in subsection (b)(2)(A) will not be 
needed to carry out programs under part I for a fiscal year, the Chief 
Executive Officer shall make the funds available for programs under 
part II for that fiscal year.

``SEC. 165A. REVIEW PANELS.

    ``The Chief Executive Officer shall establish panels of experts for 
the purpose of reviewing applications submitted under sections 162, 
162C, 162D, and 163.

``SEC. 165B. CONSTRUCTION.

    ``An individual participating in service in a program described in 
this subtitle shall not be considered to be an employee engaged in 
employment for purposes of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 
U.S.C. 201 et seq.).''.

SEC. 4. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

    (a) Redesignation of Subtitles.--
            (1) Section 118(a) of the National and Community Service 
        Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12551(a)) is amended by striking 
        ``subtitle H'' and inserting ``subtitle I''.
            (2) Section 122(a)(2) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 12572(a)(2)) 
        is amended by striking ``subtitle I'' and inserting ``subtitle 
        J''.
            (3) Section 193A(f)(1) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 12651d(f)(1)) 
        is amended by striking ``subtitles C and I'' and inserting 
        ``subtitles C and J''.
            (4) Section 501(a)(2) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 12681(a)(2)) 
        is amended--
                    (A) in the paragraph heading, by striking 
                ``Subtitles c, d, and h'' and inserting ``Subtitles c, 
                d, and i'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``subtitles C 
                and H'' and inserting ``subtitles C and I''; and
                    (C) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``subtitle H'' 
                and inserting ``subtitle I''.
    (b) Redesignation of Sections.--
            (1) Section 155(d)(3) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 12615(d)(3)) 
        is amended by striking ``section 162(a)(3)'' and inserting 
        ``section 159C(a)(3)''.
            (2) Section 156(d) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 12616(d)) is 
        amended by striking ``section 162(a)(3)'' and inserting 
        ``section 159C(a)(3)''.
            (3) Section 159(c) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 12619(c)) is 
        amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (2)(C)(i), by striking ``section 
                162(a)(2)'' and inserting ``section 159C(a)(2)''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (3), by striking ``section 
                162(a)(2)(A)'' and inserting ``section 159C(a)(2)(A)''.
            (4) Section 159B(b)(1)(B) of such Act (as redesignated by 
        section 3(2)) is amended by striking ``section 162(a)(3)'' and 
        inserting ``section 159C(a)(3)''.
    (c) Relationship to National Service Educational Award 
Provisions.--
            (1) National service trust.--Section 145 of the National 
        and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12601) is 
        amended--
                    (A) in subsection (a)--
                            (i) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' 
                        at the end;
                            (ii) in paragraph (3), by striking the 
                        period and inserting ``, other than interest or 
                        proceeds described in paragraph (4)(B); and''; 
                        and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4)(A) any amounts deposited in the Trust under subtitle 
        F; and
            ``(B) the interest on, and proceeds from the sale or 
        redemption of, any obligations held by the Trust for a program 
        carried out under subtitle F.''; and
                    (B) in subsection (c), by inserting ``(other than 
                any amounts deposited in the Trust under subtitle F)'' 
                after ``Amounts in the Trust''.
            (2) Availability of amounts in national service trust.--
        Section 148(a) of the National and Community Service Act of 
        1990 (42 U.S.C. 12604(a)) is amended by inserting ``(other than 
        any amounts deposited in the Trust under subtitle F)'' after 
        ``Amounts in the Trust''.
                                 <all>