[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1345 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1345

   To aid and support pediatric involvement in reading and education.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 24, 2009

Mr. Reed (for himself, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Bayh, Ms. Collins, 
  Mr. Kerry, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Leahy, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. Lugar, Mrs. 
  Murray, Ms. Stabenow, and Mr. Whitehouse) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To aid and support pediatric involvement in reading and 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 ``Prescribe A Book Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a 
        nonprofit organization that has, as determined by the 
        Secretary, demonstrated effectiveness in the following areas:
                    (A) Providing peer-to-peer training to healthcare 
                providers in research-based methods of literacy 
                promotion as part of routine pediatric health 
                supervision visits.
                    (B) Delivering a training curriculum through a 
                variety of medical education settings, including 
                residency training, continuing medical education, and 
                national pediatric conferences.
                    (C) Providing technical assistance to local 
                healthcare facilities to effectively implement a high-
                quality Pediatric Early Literacy Program.
                    (D) Offering opportunities for local healthcare 
                facilities to obtain books at significant discounts, as 
                described in section 7.
                    (E) Integrating the latest developmental and 
                educational research into the training curriculum for 
                healthcare providers described in subparagraph (B).
            (2) Pediatric early literacy program.--The term ``Pediatric 
        Early Literacy Program'' means a program that--
                    (A) creates and implements a 3-part model through 
                which--
                            (i) healthcare providers, doctors, and 
                        nurses, trained in research-based methods of 
                        early language and literacy promotion, 
                        encourage parents to read aloud to their young 
                        children, and offer developmentally appropriate 
                        recommendations and strategies to parents for 
                        the purpose of reading aloud to their children;
                            (ii) healthcare providers, at health 
                        supervision visits, provide each child between 
                        the ages of 6 months and 5 years a new, 
                        developmentally appropriate children's book to 
                        take home and keep; and
                            (iii) volunteers in waiting areas of 
                        healthcare facilities read aloud to children, 
                        modeling for parents the techniques and 
                        pleasures of sharing books together;
                    (B) demonstrates, through research published in 
                peer-reviewed journals, effectiveness in positively 
                altering parent behavior regarding reading aloud to 
                children, and improving expressive and receptive 
                language in young children; and
                    (C) receives the endorsement of nationally 
                recognized medical associations and academies.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Education.

SEC. 3. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

    The Secretary is authorized to award grants to eligible entities to 
enable the eligible entities to implement Pediatric Early Literacy 
Programs.

SEC. 4. APPLICATIONS.

    An eligible entity that desires to receive a grant under section 3 
shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such 
manner, and including such information as the Secretary may reasonably 
require.

SEC. 5. MATCHING REQUIREMENT.

    An eligible entity receiving a grant under section 3 shall provide, 
either directly or through private contributions, non-Federal matching 
funds equal to not less than 50 percent of the grant received by the 
eligible entity under section 3. Such matching funds may be in cash or 
in-kind.

SEC. 6. USE OF GRANT FUNDS.

    (a) In General.--An eligible entity receiving a grant under section 
3 shall--
            (1) enter into contracts with private nonprofit 
        organizations, or with public agencies, selected based on the 
        criteria described in subsection (b), under which each 
        contractor will agree to establish and operate a Pediatric 
        Early Literacy Program;
            (2) provide such training and technical assistance to each 
        contractor of the eligible entity as may be necessary to carry 
        out this Act; and
            (3) include such other terms and conditions in an agreement 
        with a contractor as the Secretary determines to be appropriate 
        to ensure the effectiveness of such programs.
    (b) Contractor Criteria.--Each contractor shall be selected under 
subsection (a)(1) on the basis of the extent to which the contractor 
gives priority to serving a substantial number or percentage of at-risk 
children, including--
            (1) children from families with an income below 200 percent 
        of the poverty line (as defined by the Office of Management and 
        Budget and revised annually in accordance with section 673(2) 
        of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2))) 
        applicable to a family of the size involved, particularly such 
        children in high-poverty areas;
            (2) children without adequate medical insurance;
            (3) children enrolled in a State Medicaid program, 
        established under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 
        U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) or in the State Children's Health 
        Insurance Program established under title XXI of such Act (42 
        U.S.C. 1397aa et seq.);
            (4) children living in rural areas;
            (5) migrant children; and
            (6) children with limited access to libraries.

SEC. 7. RESTRICTION ON PAYMENTS.

    The Secretary shall make no payment to an eligible entity under 
this Act unless the Secretary determines that the eligible entity or a 
contractor of the eligible entity, as the case may be, has made 
arrangements with book publishers or distributors to obtain books at 
discounts that are at least as favorable as discounts that are 
customarily given by such publisher or distributor for book purchases 
made under similar circumstances in the absence of Federal assistance.

SEC. 8. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.

    An eligible entity receiving a grant under section 3 shall report 
annually to the Secretary on the effectiveness of the program 
implemented by the eligible entity and the programs instituted by each 
contractor of the eligible entity, and shall include in the report a 
description of each program.

SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act--
            (1) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
            (2) $16,000,000 for fiscal year 2011;
            (3) $17,000,000 for fiscal year 2012;
            (4) $18,000,000 for fiscal year 2013; and
            (5) $19,000,000 for fiscal year 2014.
                                 <all>