[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5460 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5460

  To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and the 
 Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to 
 establish grant programs to help pregnant and parenting students stay 
                   in school, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 28, 2010

   Ms. Chu introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and the 
 Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to 
 establish grant programs to help pregnant and parenting students stay 
                   in school, 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 referred to as the ``Teen Parent Graduation and 
College Achievement Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Each year, nearly 750,000 American teenagers ages 15 
        through 19 become pregnant, giving the United States the 
        highest teenage pregnancy rate of all industrialized nations.
            (2) Overall, there has been an impressive decline in teen 
        pregnancy and birth rates since the early 1990s. Between 2005 
        and 2006, however, teen pregnancy rates increased for the first 
        time in 14 years.
            (3) Seventy percent of teenagers who become pregnant drop 
        out of high school, and teenage fathers tend to complete, on 
        average, one semester of high school fewer than men who delay 
        fatherhood until they are 21 years or older. Fewer economic 
        opportunities are available to these teenage parents.
            (4) Some teenagers drop out of school as a result of 
        subsequent pregnancies. In 2006, subsequent pregnancies 
        accounted for 85,000, or almost 20 percent, of all teenage 
        pregnancies.
            (5) Marginalized racial or ethnic minority and immigrant 
        communities generally have less access to the education, 
        support, and services needed for healthy growth and 
        development, and are at high risk for teenage pregnancy.
            (6) The high rate of teenage pregnancy in racial or ethnic 
        minority and immigrant communities can lead to a 
        disproportionate dropout rate in those communities. School 
        systems in many such communities lack the funding and expertise 
        to effectively counter high school teenage pregnancy dropout 
        rates.
            (7) Fifty-two percent of Latina teens and 50 percent of 
        African-American teen girls will become pregnant at least once 
        before they are 20 years old. Birth rates among Latina and 
        African-American youth ages 15 through 17 are more than twice 
        the birth rates of Caucasian youth in the same age range.
            (8) The 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey contained the 
        surprising finding that sexually active lesbian, gay, and 
        bisexual youth are three times as likely to face an unwanted 
        pregnancy as their heterosexual peers.
            (9) Only 51 percent of all teenage mothers, and 38 percent 
        of teenage mothers who have a child before they turn 18, have a 
        high school diploma, compared to 89 percent of all other women.
            (10) Parenthood is a leading cause of school dropout among 
        teenage women. Of all teenage women who have dropped out of 
        high school, 30 percent cited pregnancy or parenthood as a 
        reason they dropped out, including 36 percent of Latina women 
        and 38 percent of African-American women.
            (11) Two-thirds of all teenage births occur among teenagers 
        ages 18 and 19. Birth rates among women of those ages have 
        declined less significantly than among teenage women of other 
        ages. These older teenage parents would benefit from the 
        increased availability of services at institutions of higher 
        education, particularly at community colleges.
            (12) The responsibilities of pregnancy and parenting can 
        interfere with the attainment of a college degree. Sixty-one 
        percent of women who have children after enrolling in community 
        college do not graduate. Women who do not have children after 
        enrollment graduate at a 65 percent higher rate than women who 
        do.
            (13) Comprehensive support through schools, public 
        agencies, and community-based organizations can reduce high 
        school dropout rates and ensure that more pregnant and 
        parenting teenagers complete high school and enroll in 
        institutions of higher education.
            (14) More data on the prevalence of pregnant and parenting 
        teenagers is needed so that Federal assistance reaches the 
        communities in which it is most needed.

SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR ASSISTANCE TO PREGNANT AND PARENTING STUDENTS AT 
              ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

    (a) Establishment of Grant Program.--Part H of title I of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) 
is amended--
            (1) in section 1803 (20 U.S.C. 6553)--
                    (A) by striking ``this part'' and inserting 
                ``subparts 1 and 2'';
                    (B) by inserting ``(a)'' before the first sentence; 
                and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                subsection:
    ``(b) For the purpose of carrying out subpart 3, there are 
authorized to be appropriated $75,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 
through 2015.'';
            (2) in section 1822(a) (20 U.S.C. 6561a(a)), by striking 
        ``1803'' each place it appears and inserting ``1803(a)''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subpart:

 ``Subpart 3--Grants for Assistance to Pregnant and Parenting Students

``SEC. 1840. GRANTS FOR ASSISTANCE TO PREGNANT AND PARENTING STUDENTS.

    ``(a) Grant Program Authorized.--The Secretary shall establish a 
program to award grants to local educational agencies to help pregnant 
and parenting students stay in school by expanding their access to 
services, including--
            ``(1) tutoring;
            ``(2) pregnancy-related healthcare;
            ``(3) child care;
            ``(4) transportation;
            ``(5) after-school support;
            ``(6) academic counseling;
            ``(7) school social work services; or
            ``(8) family planning services, including services for 
        subsequent pregnancy prevention.
    ``(b) Priority.--In awarding grants under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall give priority to a local educational agency that, in 
the determination of the Secretary--
            ``(1) is eligible for assistance under part A;
            ``(2) serves a school that will have a significant 
        percentage of pregnant and parenting students in the period for 
        which the grant is awarded; and
            ``(3) will expand the access of pregnant and parenting 
        students to each service described in subsection (a).
    ``(c) Limitation on Amount of Grant.--The amount of a grant awarded 
under subsection (a) shall not exceed $500,000.
    ``(d) Grant Conditions.--As a condition of receiving a grant under 
subsection (a), a local educational agency--
            ``(1) shall agree to enter into partnerships and share 
        grant funds, when appropriate, with public agencies or with 
        community-based organizations to carry out the purpose for 
        which the grant is awarded; and
            ``(2) shall not use more than 10 percent of the amount of 
        the grant for administrative costs.
    ``(e) Use of Funds.--Uses of funds from a grant awarded under 
subsection (a) may include--
            ``(1) compensating teachers and other employees for 
        performing additional services in carrying out the purpose of 
        the grant; and
            ``(2) encouraging training practicums for graduate students 
        in social work to carry out the purpose of the grant.
    ``(f) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
subsection (a), a local educational agency shall submit an application 
to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may require.
    ``(g) Reporting.--
            ``(1) Submission.--The Secretary shall submit to Congress a 
        report on the program established under subsection (a), 
        including the information specified in paragraph (2), on the 
        following dates:
                    ``(A) A date that is not later than September 30, 
                2013.
                    ``(B) A date that is not later than January 1, 
                2016.
            ``(2) Contents.--A report submitted under paragraph (1) 
        shall include the following information, as determined by the 
        Secretary:
                    ``(A) The number and graduation rate of pregnant 
                and parenting students who benefit from the program, 
                and their rate of enrollment in institutions of higher 
                education.
                    ``(B) The effectiveness of the program, in the long 
                term, in reducing costs to the Federal government, 
                including the costs of providing, to individuals 
                affected by the program, benefits under the Medicaid 
                program under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 
                U.S.C. 1396 et seq.), the Supplemental Nutrition 
                Assistance Program established under the Food and 
                Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), and 
                Federal foster care programs, and other income-tested 
                or need-based benefits.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 2 of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 note) is 
amended by inserting after the item relating to section 1830 the 
following:

 ``subpart 3--grants for assistance to pregnant and parenting students

``Sec. 1840. Grants for assistance to pregnant and parenting 
                            students.''.

SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR ASSISTANCE TO PREGNANT AND PARENTING STUDENTS AT 
              INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.

    Part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1001 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subpart:

 ``Subpart 11--Grants for Assistance to Pregnant and Parenting Students

``SEC. 420S. GRANTS FOR ASSISTANCE TO PREGNANT AND PARENTING STUDENTS.

    ``(a) Grant Program Authorized.--The Secretary shall establish a 
program to award grants to institutions of higher education to help 
pregnant and parenting students stay in school by expanding their 
access to services, including--
            ``(1) tutoring;
            ``(2) pregnancy-related healthcare;
            ``(3) child care;
            ``(4) transportation;
            ``(5) after-school support;
            ``(6) academic counseling;
            ``(7) school social work services; or
            ``(8) family planning services, including services for 
        subsequent pregnancy prevention.
    ``(b) Priority.--In awarding grants under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall give priority to an institution of higher education 
that, in the determination of the Secretary--
            ``(1) will have a significant percentage of pregnant and 
        parenting students in the period for which the grant is 
        awarded; and
            ``(2) will expand the access of pregnant and parenting 
        students to each service described in subsection (a).
    ``(c) Limitation on Amount of Grant.--The amount of a grant awarded 
under subsection (a) shall not exceed $500,000.
    ``(d) Grant Conditions.--As a condition of receiving a grant under 
subsection (a), an institution of higher education--
            ``(1) shall agree to enter into partnerships and share 
        grant funds, when appropriate, with public agencies or with 
        community-based organizations to carry out the purpose for 
        which the grant is awarded; and
            ``(2) may use no more than 10 percent of the amount of the 
        grant for administrative costs.
    ``(e) Use of Funds.--Uses of funds from a grant awarded under 
subsection (a) may include--
            ``(1) compensating teachers and other employees for 
        performing additional services in carrying out the purpose of 
        the grant; and
            ``(2) encouraging training practicums for graduate students 
        in social work to carry out the purpose of the grant.
    ``(f) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
subsection (a), an institution of higher education shall submit an 
application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information as the Secretary may require.
    ``(g) Reporting.--
            ``(1) Submission.--The Secretary shall submit to Congress a 
        report on the program established under subsection (a), 
        including the information specified in paragraph (2), on the 
        following dates:
                    ``(A) A date that is not later than September 30, 
                2013.
                    ``(B) A date that is not later than January 1, 
                2016.
            ``(2) Contents.--A report submitted under paragraph (1) 
        shall include the following information, as determined by the 
        Secretary:
                    ``(A) The number and graduation rate of pregnant 
                and parenting students who benefit from the program.
                    ``(B) The effectiveness of the program, in the long 
                term, in reducing costs to the Federal government, 
                including the costs of providing, to individuals 
                affected by the program, benefits under the Medicaid 
                program under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 
                U.S.C. 1396 et seq.), the Supplemental Nutrition 
                Assistance Program established under the Food and 
                Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), and 
                Federal foster care programs, and other income-tested 
                or need-based benefits.
    ``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $75,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2011 through 2015.''.
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