[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3180 Introduced in House (IH)]
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3180
To establish the National Advisory Committee on Rural Education in the
Department of Education.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 10, 2009
Mr. Perriello introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and Labor
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the National Advisory Committee on Rural Education in the
Department of Education.
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 ``SCORE (Strengthening Community
Opportunities through Rural Education) Act of 2009''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT.
There is established in the Department of Education an advisory
committee to be known as the ``National Advisory Committee on Rural
Education'' (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the ``Advisory
Committee'').
SEC. 3. FUNCTIONS.
The Advisory Committee shall study the unique challenges faced by
rural public school systems in providing elementary and secondary
education, including whether and how any of the following factors
affect those unique challenges:
(1) Difficulty in attracting and retaining new teachers.
(2) Deficient or inadequate school facilities and
infrastructure.
(3) Deficient or inadequate transportation infrastructure.
(4) Difficulty in effectively incorporating information
technology.
(5) Decreasing number of recent postsecondary graduates
returning to rural communities.
(6) Limited and varied levels of funding.
SEC. 4. COMPOSITION.
(a) In General.--The Advisory Committee shall be composed of 21
members who shall serve for the life of the Advisory Committee.
(b) Chair.--The Secretary of Education (hereinafter in this Act
referred to as the ``Secretary'') or the designee of the Secretary
shall be a member of the Advisory Committee and shall serve as the
chair of the Advisory Committee.
(c) Secretary of Agriculture.--The Secretary of Agriculture or the
designee of the Secretary of Agriculture shall be a member of the
Advisory Committee.
(d) Appointed Members.--
(1) The chair shall appoint the other 19 members in a
manner that ensures that the membership of the Advisory
Committee is fairly balanced in terms of the points of view
represented and the functions to be performed by the Advisory
Committee.
(2) Such members shall be selected from among experts on
rural public school systems. For the purposes of this
paragraph, the term ``experts on rural public school systems''
means any of the following:
(A) Teachers from such school systems.
(B) Administrators from such school systems.
(C) Members of school boards for such school
systems.
(D) Other individuals with experience or
qualifications that the Secretary determines relevant.
(3) Not less than 1 member shall be an individual with
expertise on incorporating and expanding the role of
information technology in providing education in rural public
school systems.
(4) Not less than 1 member shall be an individual who is
not a full-time or permanent part-time officer or employee of
the Federal Government.
(5) The chair shall fill a vacancy on the Advisory
Committee in the same manner in which the original appointment
was made.
SEC. 5. BYLAWS AND PROCEDURES.
(a) Meetings.--The Advisory Committee shall meet at the call of a
majority of the members of the Advisory Committee.
(b) Quorum.--Eleven members of the Advisory Committee shall
constitute a quorum but a lesser number may hold hearings.
(c) Members Not To Be Considered Federal Officers or Employees.--By
reason of their service on the Advisory Committee, members of the
Committee shall not be considered to be officers or employees of the
Federal Government for purposes of any Federal law.
(d) Travel Expenses.--Each member may receive travel expenses,
including per diem in lieu of subsistence, under subchapter I of
chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code.
SEC. 6. POWERS.
(a) In General.--The Advisory Committee may, for the purpose of
carrying out this Act, hold hearings, sit and act at times and places,
take testimony, and receive evidence as the Advisory Committee
determines appropriate.
(b) Members and Agents.--Any member or agent of the Advisory
Committee may, if authorized by the Advisory Committee, take any action
that the Advisory Committee is authorized to take by this section.
(c) Mails.--The Advisory Committee may use the United States mails
in the same manner and under the same conditions as other departments
and agencies of the United States.
(d) Contracts.--To the extent or in the amounts provided in advance
in appropriation Acts, the Advisory Committee may contract with and
compensate government and private agencies or persons for supplies or
services, without regard to section 3709 of the Revised Statutes. The
Advisory Committee may not enter into a contract if the terms of the
contract extend beyond the date the Advisory Committee terminates.
SEC. 7. STAFF.
On request of the Advisory Committee, the Secretary of Education
shall detail, on a reimbursable basis, not more than 4 personnel of the
Department of Education to the Advisory Committee to assist the
Advisory Committee in carrying out this Act.
SEC. 8. REPORT.
Two times each year, the Advisory Committee shall submit to the
Congress and the President and publish a report that--
(1) identifies the unique challenges faced by rural public
school systems in providing elementary and secondary education;
and
(2) makes policy recommendations on a national effort to
reform rural education by addressing or overcoming those
challenges.
SEC. 9. TERMINATION.
The Advisory Committee shall terminate on the date that is 2 years
after the effective date of this Act.
SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary, to remain
available for the life of the Advisory Committee, such sums as may be
necessary to carry out this Act.
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