[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1617 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1617

To strengthen communities through English literacy and civics education 
               for new Americans, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 15, 2011

Mr. Honda (for himself, Ms. Bordallo, Ms. Chu, Ms. Clarke of New York, 
 Mr. Ellison, Mr. Faleomavaega, Mr. Filner, Mr. Al Green of Texas, Mr. 
Grijalva, Mr. Gutierrez, Ms. Hirono, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. Matsui, 
 Mr. Polis, Mr. Quigley, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Sablan, Mr. Stark, Ms. 
 Zoe Lofgren of California, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Gene Green of Texas, 
and Ms. Hanabusa) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
              the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To strengthen communities through English literacy and civics education 
               for new Americans, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Strengthen and 
Unite Communities with Civics Education and English Development Act of 
2011''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Purposes.
TITLE I--EXPANDING ENGLISH LITERACY, U.S. HISTORY, AND CIVICS EDUCATION

Sec. 101. Increased investment in English literacy, U.S. history, and 
                            civics education under the Adult Education 
                            and Family Literacy Act.
Sec. 102. Definitions of English language learner.
Sec. 103. Research in adult education.
 TITLE II--SUPPORTING ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND ADULT EDUCATION 
                            IN THE WORKFORCE

Sec. 201. Presidential award for business leadership in promoting 
                            United States citizenship.
                TITLE III--BUILDING STRONGER COMMUNITIES

Sec. 301. Office of Citizenship and Immigrant Integration.
Sec. 302. Grants to States.
Sec. 303. Authorized activities.
Sec. 304. Reporting and evaluation.
Sec. 305. New citizens award program.
Sec. 306. Rule of construction.
Sec. 307. Authorization of appropriations.

SEC. 2. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to meet the growing need for English literacy, U.S. 
        history, and civics education programs for new Americans in the 
        United States; and
            (2) to encourage proactive policies to introduce new 
        Americans into the Nation in order to maximize the benefits 
        provided to these individuals and to the community.

TITLE I--EXPANDING ENGLISH LITERACY, U.S. HISTORY, AND CIVICS EDUCATION

SEC. 101. INCREASED INVESTMENT IN ENGLISH LITERACY, U.S. HISTORY, AND 
              CIVICS EDUCATION UNDER THE ADULT EDUCATION AND FAMILY 
              LITERACY ACT.

    (a) Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education Program.--
Section 203 of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 
9202) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (12) through (18) as 
        paragraphs (13) through (19), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (11), the following:
            ``(12) Integrated english literacy, u.s. history, and 
        civics education program.--The term `integrated English 
        literacy, U.S. history, and civics education program' means a 
        program of instruction designed to help an English language 
        learner achieve competence in English through contextualized 
        instruction on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, 
        naturalization procedures, civic participation, and United 
        States history and government to help such learner acquire the 
        skills and knowledge to become an active and informed parent, 
        worker, and community member.''.
    (b) State Leadership Activities.--Section 223(a) of the Adult 
Education and Family Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 9223(a)) is amended by 
inserting after paragraph (11) the following:
            ``(12) Technical assistance for grant applications of 
        faith- and community-based organizations.''.
    (c) National Institute for Literacy.--Section 242(c)(1) of the 
Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 9252(c)(1)) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (G), (H), and (I), as 
        subparagraphs (I), (J), and (K), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after subparagraph (F) the following:
                    ``(G) to coordinate and share information with 
                national organizations and associations that are 
                interested in integrated English literacy, U.S. 
                history, and civics education programs;
                    ``(H) to study the effectiveness of distance 
                learning or self-study programs in assisting the 
                English language learner population achieve competence 
                in English;''.
    (d) Report.--Section 242(k) of the Adult Education and Family 
Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 9252(k)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' after the 
        semicolon;
            (2) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4); and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
            ``(3) a separate analysis of--
                    ``(A) national and State adult English instruction 
                needs;
                    ``(B) data on the composition of recent immigration 
                flows and immigration settlement patterns across the 
                United States; and
                    ``(C) estimated instructional needs based on the 
                English ability and educational attainment of English 
                language learners under recent migration patterns; 
                and''.
    (e) National Leadership Activities.--Section 243 of the Adult 
Education and Family Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 9253) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ``and 
                integrated English literacy, U.S. history, and civics 
                education programs'' before the semicolon at the end; 
                and
                    (B) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ``and 
                integrated English literacy, U.S. history, and civics 
                education programs'' before ``, based on scientific 
                evidence''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ``and 
                integrated English literacy, U.S. history, and civics 
                education programs'' before the semicolon at the end;
                    (B) in subparagraph (D)(ii), by inserting 
                ``integrated English literacy, U.S. history, and civics 
                education programs,'' before ``and workplace literacy 
                programs''; and
                    (C) in subparagraph (E)--
                            (i) in clause (i), by inserting ``and 
                        integrated English literacy, U.S. history, and 
                        civics education programs'' before the 
                        semicolon at the end;
                            (ii) in clause (iii), by striking ``and'' 
                        after the semicolon;
                            (iii) in clause (iv)--
                                    (I) by striking ``section 231'' and 
                                inserting ``sections 231 and 244''; and
                                    (II) by inserting ``and'' after the 
                                semicolon; and
                            (iv) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(v) the extent to which integrated 
                        English literacy, U.S. history, and civics 
                        education programs carried out under section 
                        244 lead participants in such programs to 
                        increase their civic participation and, if 
                        applicable, lead such participants to become 
                        United States citizens;''.
    (f) Integrated English Literacy, U.S. History, and Civics 
Education.--Chapter 4 of subtitle A of the Adult Education and Family 
Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 9251 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following:

``SEC. 244. INTEGRATED ENGLISH LITERACY, U.S. HISTORY, AND CIVICS 
              EDUCATION PROGRAMS.

    ``(a) Program Authorized.--From funds appropriated to carry out 
this section, the Secretary shall award grants to States, from 
allocations under subsection (b), for integrated English literacy, U.S. 
history, and civics education programs.
    ``(b) Allocations.--
            ``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), from the 
        amount appropriated under subsection (c) for a fiscal year, the 
        Secretary shall allocate--
                    ``(A) 65 percent of such amount to States on the 
                basis of a State's need for integrated English, U.S. 
                history, and civics education programs, as determined 
                by calculating each State's share of a 10-year average 
                of the data compiled by the Office of Immigration 
                Statistics of the Department of Homeland Security, for 
                immigrants admitted for lawful permanent residence for 
                the 10 most recent years; and
                    ``(B) 35 percent of such amount to the States on 
                the basis of whether the State experienced growth, as 
                measured by the average of the 3 most recent years for 
                which data compiled by the Office of Immigration 
                Statistics of the Department of Homeland Security are 
                available, for immigrants admitted for lawful permanent 
                residence.
            ``(2) Minimum.--No State shall receive an allocation under 
        paragraph (1) in an amount that is less than $60,000.
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriation.--For the purpose of carrying 
out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $200,000,000 
for fiscal year 2012, $250,000,000 for fiscal year 2013, and 
$300,000,000 for fiscal year 2015.''.

SEC. 102. DEFINITIONS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER.

    (a) Adult Education and Family Literacy Act.--The Adult Education 
and Family Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 9201 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) in section 203(6) (20 U.S.C. 9202(6)), by striking 
        ``individuals of limited English proficiency'' and inserting 
        ``English language learners'';
            (2) in section 203 (20 U.S.C. 9202)--
                    (A) in paragraph (10)--
                            (i) in the paragraph heading, by striking 
                        ``Individual of limited english proficiency'' 
                        and inserting ``English language learner''; and
                            (ii) in the matter preceding subparagraph 
                        (A), by striking ``individual of limited 
                        English proficiency'' and inserting ``English 
                        language learner''; and
                    (B) by redesignating paragraphs (6), (7), (8), (9), 
                and (10), as paragraphs (7), (8), (9), (10), and (6), 
                respectively;
            (3) in section 224(b)(10)(D) (20 U.S.C. 9224(b)(10)(D)), by 
        striking ``individuals with limited English proficiency'' and 
        inserting ``English language learners''; and
            (4) in section 243(2)(D)(ii) (20 U.S.C. 9253(2)(D)(ii)), by 
        striking ``individuals with limited English proficiency who are 
        adults'' and inserting ``adult English language learners''.
    (b) Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.--
            (1) Amendment.--Section 9101(25) of the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801(25)) is amended 
        by striking the matter preceding subparagraph (A) and inserting 
        the following:
            ``(25) English language learner.--The term `English 
        language learner' means an individual--''.
            (2) References.--Any reference in the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) to an 
        individual who is limited English proficient shall be construed 
        to refer to an English language learner.

SEC. 103. RESEARCH IN ADULT EDUCATION.

    (a) In General.--Section 133(c)(2)(A) of the Education Sciences 
Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9533(c)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting 
``education and'' before ``literacy''.
    (b) National Research and Development Center.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Education shall direct 
        the Commissioner for Education Research of the National Center 
        for Education Research established pursuant to section 131 of 
        the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9531) to 
        establish a national research and development center for adult 
        education and literacy as described in section 133(c)(2)(A) of 
        such Act (20 U.S.C. 9533(c)(2)(A)) (as amended by subsection 
        (a)).
            (2) Provision for expansion of research.--If, as of the 
        date of enactment of this Act, the Commissioner has established 
        a center for adult literacy in accordance with section 
        133(c)(2)(A) of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, the 
        Commissioner shall expand the topic of research of such center 
        to include adult education, in accordance with the amendment 
        made by subsection (a).

 TITLE II--SUPPORTING ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND ADULT EDUCATION 
                            IN THE WORKFORCE

SEC. 201. PRESIDENTIAL AWARD FOR BUSINESS LEADERSHIP IN PROMOTING 
              UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established the Presidential Award for 
Business Leadership in Promoting United States Citizenship (referred to 
in this section as the ``Presidential Citizenship Award''), which shall 
be awarded to companies and other organizations that make extraordinary 
efforts in assisting their employees and members to learn English and 
increase their understanding of United States history and civics.
    (b) Selection and Presentation of Award.--
            (1) Selection.--The President shall periodically award the 
        Presidential Citizenship Award to large and small companies and 
        other organizations described in subsection (a) after reviewing 
        recommendations to the President with respect to such award by 
        the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of 
        Commerce.
            (2) Presentation.--The presentation of the Presidential 
        Citizenship Award shall be made by the President, or a designee 
        of the President, in conjunction with an appropriate ceremony.

                TITLE III--BUILDING STRONGER COMMUNITIES

SEC. 301. OFFICE OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION.

    (a) Renaming of the Office of Citizenship and Immigrant 
Integration.--
            (1) In general.--The Office of Citizenship within United 
        States Citizenship and Immigration Services of the Department 
        of Homeland Security shall be renamed the ``Office of 
        Citizenship and Immigrant Integration''.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--Section 451(f) of the Homeland 
        Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 271(f)) is amended--
                    (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 
                ``Citizenship.'' and inserting ``Citizenship and 
                Immigrant Integration.'';
                    (B) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``and Immigrant 
                Integration'' after ``Office of Citizenship''; and
                    (C) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``and Immigrant 
                Integration'' after ``Office of Citizenship''.
            (3) References.--Any reference in a law, regulation, 
        document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
        Office of Citizenship within United States Citizenship and 
        Immigration Services of the Department of Homeland Security 
        shall be deemed to be a reference to the ``Office of 
        Citizenship and Immigrant Integration''.
    (b) Functions.--Section 451(f)(2) of the Homeland Security Act of 
2002 (6 U.S.C. 271(f)(2)), as amended by subsection (a)(2)(C), is 
further amended by striking ``for promoting'' and all that follows 
through the period and inserting ``for--
                    ``(A) establishing national goals for introducing 
                new Americans into the United States and measuring the 
                degree to which such goals are met;
                    ``(B) assessing and coordinating Federal policies, 
                regulations, task forces, and commissions related to 
                introducing immigrants into the United States;
                    ``(C) continuing with the efforts of the Task Force 
                on New Americans established under Executive Order No. 
                13404 to facilitate a dialogue among Federal agencies, 
                make recommendations to the President of the United 
                States, and follow through with initiatives 
                administered by the Task Force under the authority of 
                such Executive Order;
                    ``(D) serving as a liaison and intermediary with 
                State and local governments and other entities to 
                assist in establishing local goals, task forces, and 
                councils to assist in introducing immigrants to the 
                United States;
                    ``(E) coordinating with other Federal agencies to 
                provide information to State and local governments on 
                the demand for English acquisition programs and best 
                practices in place on the Federal and State level for 
                aliens who have recently arrived in the United States;
                    ``(F) assisting States in coordinating activities 
                with the grant program carried out under title III of 
                the Strengthen and Unite Communities with Civics 
                Education and English Development Act of 2011; and
                    ``(G) promoting instruction and training on 
                citizenship responsibilities for aliens interested in 
                becoming naturalized citizens of the United States, 
                including the development of educational materials for 
                such aliens.''.
    (c) Donations.--Section 451(f) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 
(6 U.S.C. 271(f)), as amended by this section, is further amended by 
adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Donations.--
                    ``(A) Acceptance of donations.--The Chief of the 
                Office of Citizenship and Immigrant Integration may 
                accept monetary and in-kind donations to support the 
                activities described in paragraph (2).
                    ``(B) Dedication of funds.--Notwithstanding any 
                other provision of law--
                            ``(i) any funds donated to the Office of 
                        Citizenship and Immigrant Integration to 
                        support the activities described in paragraph 
                        (2) shall be deposited entirely into an account 
                        established for such purpose;
                            ``(ii) the funds contained in such account 
                        shall be used solely to support such 
                        activities; and
                            ``(iii) funds that were not donated for the 
                        exclusive purpose of supporting such activities 
                        may not be deposited into such account.''.
    (d) Report to Congress.--The Chief of the Office of Citizenship and 
Immigrant Integration shall submit a biennial report to the authorizing 
Committees in Congress that describes the activities of the office.

SEC. 302. GRANTS TO STATES.

    (a) Authority To Provide Grants.--Subject to subsections (c) and 
(d), the Chief of the Office of Citizenship and Immigrant Integration 
is authorized to provide competitive grants to States to form State New 
American Councils as described in subsection (b) to carry out 
activities described in section 303.
    (b) State New American Councils.--A State New American Council 
shall consist of not less than 15 and not more than 19 individuals from 
the State and shall include, to the extent practicable, representatives 
from the following sectors:
            (1) Business.
            (2) Faith-based organizations.
            (3) Civic organizations.
            (4) Philanthropic leaders.
            (5) Nonprofit organizations, including those with 
        experience working with immigrant communities.
            (6) Representatives from key education stakeholders, such 
        as State educational agencies, local educational agencies, 
        community colleges, teachers, or organizations representing 
        teachers and other employees.
            (7) Representatives of State adult education offices.
            (8) Representatives of State or local public libraries.
            (9) Representatives of statewide or local government 
        officials.
    (c) Waiver of Requirement.--
            (1) Authority to grant.--The Chief of the Office of 
        Citizenship and Immigrant Integration may award a grant under 
        subsection (a) to a State without requiring the State to form a 
        State New American Council if the Chief determines that the 
        State is carrying out similar statewide initiatives to 
        introduce immigrants into the State and into the United States.
            (2) Guidelines.--The Chief shall establish guidelines for 
        awarding grants to States described in paragraph (1).
    (d) Grants to Local Governments.--The Chief of the Office of 
Citizenship and Immigrant Integration may provide a grant under 
subsection (a) to a local government at the discretion of the Chief.
    (e) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
section, an applicant shall submit an application to the Chief of the 
Office of Citizenship and Immigrant Integration at such time, in such 
manner, and containing such information as the Chief may reasonably 
require. Such application shall include--
            (1) if the applicant is a State seeking to form a State New 
        American Council, an assurance that such State New American 
        Council will meet the requirements of subsection (b);
            (2) the number of immigrants in the State in which the 
        applicant is located;
            (3) a description of the challenges in introducing new 
        Americans in the State and local community; and
            (4) any other information that the Chief may reasonably 
        require.
    (f) Duration.--A grant awarded under subsection (a) shall be for a 
period of 5 years.
    (g) Priority.--Priority shall be given to grant applications that--
            (1) use matching funds, from non-Federal sources, which may 
        include in-kind contributions; and
            (2) demonstrate collaboration with private entities to 
        achieve the goals of their comprehensive plan.
    (h) Additional Consideration.--Additional consideration shall be 
given to grant applications submitted by States with a large increase 
in the population of immigrants over the previous 10 years relative to 
past migration patterns, based on data compiled by the Office of 
Immigration Statistics of the Department of Homeland Security.
    (i) Grant Amount.--The amount of a grant awarded under subsection 
(a) shall be not less than $500,000 and not more than $5,000,000 for 
each fiscal year.
    (j) Reservations.--
            (1) National.--The Chief of the Office of Citizenship and 
        Immigrant Integration shall reserve not more than 1 percent of 
        the amount appropriated to carry out this section for such 
        Office, including the evaluation of funds distributed.
            (2) States.--A State awarded a grant under subsection (a) 
        may reserve not more than 10 percent of such grant amount for 
        the creation and operation of the State New American Council.

SEC. 303. AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.

    (a) Mandatory Activities.--A grant awarded under section 302(a) 
shall be used--
            (1) to develop, implement, expand, or enhance a 
        comprehensive plan to introduce new immigrants into the State, 
        including the increase in English literacy, U.S. history, and 
        civics education;
            (2) to provide subgrants to local communities as described 
        in subsection (c);
            (3) if the grant is awarded to a State to form a State New 
        American Council, to convene meetings of the State New American 
        Council not less frequently than once each quarter;
            (4) to disseminate best practices and other information 
        compiled by the Office of Citizenship and Immigrant Integration 
        that pertains to effective programs for English acquisition and 
        civics education; and
            (5) to convene public hearings not less frequently than 
        once each year to report on the activities carried out by such 
        grant.
    (b) Permissible Activities.--A grant awarded under section 302(a) 
may be used--
            (1) to solicit and disseminate solutions and remedies to 
        the challenges of introducing new Americans in the State or 
        municipality in which the grant is awarded;
            (2) to provide technical assistance, training, or 
        coordination for State or local agencies to improve programs to 
        introduce new Americans into the United States, such as English 
        literacy, U.S. history, and civics education;
            (3) to review and develop strategies to expand distance 
        learning as a method of instruction for English literacy, U.S. 
        history, and civics education and available technological 
        programs that may supplement or supplant quality classroom 
        instruction;
            (4) to coordinate with entities of other States engaged in 
        activities under this title or other activities to introduce 
        new Americans into the State or community; and
            (5) to develop materials focused on preparation for the 
        naturalization test, engage in outreach and educational 
        activities on the naturalization process, and provide 
        assistance to immigrants with the naturalization application, 
        where appropriate.
    (c) Subgrants to Local Communities.--
            (1) Requirement to award.--A grant under section 302(a) 
        shall be used to award subgrants to entities of local 
        governments to assist communities with local efforts to 
        introduce new Americans into the community.
            (2) Authorized activities.--Subgrants shall be awarded 
        under paragraph (1) to entities of local governments for use to 
        carry out activities in accordance with--
                    (A) a comprehensive plan described in subsection 
                (a)(1); and
                    (B) any guidance provided by the Chief of the 
                Office of Citizenship and Immigrant Integration.
            (3) Subgrant amount.--The amount of a subgrant awarded 
        under this subsection shall be not less than $100,000 and not 
        more than $600,000 for a fiscal year.

SEC. 304. REPORTING AND EVALUATION.

    (a) Reporting Requirement.--
            (1) In general.--Each entity awarded a grant under section 
        302(a) shall submit a report annually to the Office of 
        Citizenship and Immigrant Integration that--
                    (A) describes the activities of the State New 
                American Council and subgrant recipients and how these 
                activities meet the goals of--
                            (i) the Chief of the Office of Citizenship 
                        and Immigrant Integration; and
                            (ii) the comprehensive plan described in 
                        section 303(a)(1); and
                    (B) describes the geographic areas being served, 
                the number of immigrants in such areas, and the primary 
                languages spoken there.
            (2) Other requirements.--The Chief of the Office of 
        Citizenship and Immigrant Integration may set out other 
        requirements as the Chief sees fit in order to--
                    (A) impose accountability; and
                    (B) measure the outcomes of the activities carried 
                out with grants awarded under section 302(a).
    (b) Annual Evaluation.--The Chief of the Office of Citizenship and 
Immigrant Integration shall conduct an annual evaluation of the grant 
program established under this title and use such evaluation--
            (1) to improve the effectiveness of programs carried out by 
        the Chief;
            (2) to assess future needs of immigrants and of State and 
        local governments related to immigrants;
            (3) to determine the effectiveness of such grant program; 
        and
            (4) to ensure that the grantees and subgrantees are acting 
        within the scope and purpose of this title.

SEC. 305. NEW CITIZENS AWARD PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a new citizens award 
program to recognize citizens who--
            (1) have made an outstanding contribution to the United 
        States; and
            (2) are naturalized during the 10-year period ending on the 
        date of such recognition.
    (b) Presentation Authorized.--
            (1) In general.--The President is authorized to present a 
        medal, in recognition of outstanding contributions to the 
        United States, to citizens described in subsection (a).
            (2) Maximum number of awards.--Not more than 10 citizens 
        may receive a medal under this section in any calendar year.

SEC. 306. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

    Nothing in this title shall be construed to limit the authority of 
the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Director of 
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services or such other 
officials of the Department of Homeland Security as the Secretary of 
Homeland Security may direct, to manage, direct, and control the 
activities of the Chief of the Office of Citizenship and Immigrant 
Integration.

SEC. 307. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this title 
$100,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2012 through 2017.
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