[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3353 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3353

   To provide temporary financial relief for rural school districts 
    adversely impacted by the current energy crisis, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                July 29 (legislative day, July 28), 2008

   Mr. Casey introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To provide temporary financial relief for rural school districts 
    adversely impacted by the current energy crisis, 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 ``Rural Fuel for School Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Many rural schools are in sparsely populated areas, 
        leading to problems such as high transportation costs and 
        limited access to cultural and educational resources.
            (2) Rural schools have severe fiscal constraints due to 
        declining enrollment and a limited tax base to generate 
        revenue.
            (3) In 2006, the National Center for Education Statistics 
        determined that there were approximately 7,900 rural school 
        districts in the United States.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are the following:
            (1) To provide temporary financial relief for rural local 
        educational agencies adversely impacted by the current energy 
        crisis.
            (2) To establish a temporary grant program to provide 
        eligible local educational agencies with grants to help cover 
        the cost of transporting elementary and secondary students.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Eligible local educational agency.--The term ``eligible 
        local educational agency'' means a local educational agency 
        that--
                    (A) is classified as fringe rural, distant rural, 
                or remote rural by the National Center for Education 
                Statistics; and
                    (B) meets 1 or more of the following conditions:
                            (i) The agency has experienced an increase 
                        in annual fuel costs of not less than 20 
                        percent compared to the previous fiscal year.
                            (ii) The agency has experienced an increase 
                        in contract transportation costs of not less 
                        than 20 percent compared to the previous fiscal 
                        year.
                            (iii) The Secretary certifies that the 
                        agency has experienced extreme hardship in 
                        providing transportation to elementary and 
                        secondary students due to increased fuel 
                        prices.
            (2) Local educational agency.--The term ``local educational 
        agency'' has the meaning given the term in section 9101 of the 
        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        7801).
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Education.

SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall make grants to eligible local 
educational agencies to enable the eligible local educational agencies 
to continue providing transportation to elementary and secondary 
students.
    (b) Announcement.--The Secretary shall publish a notice announcing 
a grant competition under this Act, and solicit proposals for grants, 
not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
    (c) Award Basis.--The Secretary shall award grants under this Act 
in such a manner as to assist as many eligible local educational 
agencies as possible.
    (d) Limitations.--
            (1) Frequency.--An eligible local educational agency shall 
        only receive a grant under this Act once in a 3 year period.
            (2) Amount of grant.--Each grant under this Act shall be in 
        an amount that is not less than 10 percent and not more than 50 
        percent of an eligible local educational agency's annual total 
        transportation costs for the previous fiscal year.

SEC. 5. APPLICATIONS.

    (a) In General.--An eligible local educational agency that desires 
a grant under this Act shall submit to the Secretary an application at 
such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the 
Secretary may require.
    (b) Contents.--An application submitted under subsection (a) 
shall--
            (1) describe the activities for which assistance under this 
        section is sought; and
            (2) provide such additional assurances as the Secretary 
        determines to be necessary to ensure compliance with this 
        section.

SEC. 6. REPORTS.

    Not later than 1 year after the end of the grant period, each 
eligible local educational agency receiving a grant under this Act 
shall submit a report to the Secretary detailing the eligible local 
educational agency's performance of the activities described in section 
5(b)(1).

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act--
            (1) $5,000,000 for fiscal years 2009 through 2013; and
            (2) $2,500,000 for fiscal year 2014.

SEC. 8. SUNSET PROVISION.

    The authority to make grants under this Act shall expire on 
December 31, 2013.
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