I 112th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 4034 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 15, 2012 Ms. Velázquez introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To amend title V of the Social Security Act to provide grants for school-based mentoring programs for at risk teenage girls to prevent and reduce teen pregnancy, and to provide student loan forgiveness for mentors participating in such programs.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Mentor-Mentee Teen Pregnancy Reduction Act of 2012.

2.

Findings

Congress finds the following: (1)The U.S. has the highest teenage pregnancy rate of any fully industrialized country. (2)One in three girls in the U.S. becomes pregnant at least once by the age of 20. (3)Girls who become pregnant are more likely to drop out of high school, less likely to complete college, more likely to give birth to low-birth weight babies, and more likely to live in poverty. (4)The children born to teenage mothers are more likely to have learning disabilities, less likely to complete high school, and more likely to live in poverty. (5)Girls born to teenage mothers are more likely to become teenage mothers themselves; boys born to teenage mothers are more likely to end up in prison. (6)Innovative initiatives, such as increasing parental involvement and portraying the consequences of teenage pregnancy through the media, exist that can reduce the rates of teenage pregnancy and give every young person a better hope for the future. (7)Research shows that a wide variety of programs have been successful at delaying sexual activity and reducing teenage pregnancy, including efforts that engage students in community service, promote youth development, provide preventive health services, offer sex and HIV/AIDS education, and more.

3.

Mentor-mentee teen pregnancy reduction grant program

Title V of the Social Security Act is amended— (1)in section 510(d) (42 U.S.C. 710(d)), by inserting and grants under section 514 after under subsection (a); and (2)by adding at the end the following new section:

514.

Mentor-mentee teen pregnancy reduction grant program

(a)From the amount appropriated in section 510(d) for a fiscal year (beginning with fiscal year 2013) which is not allotted to a State under section 510, the Secretary shall award competitive grants for the creation of school-based programs that provide mentoring to at-risk teenage girls to prevent and reduce teen pregnancy. In awarding such grants for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall give priority to programs in States that have elected not to receive an allotment under section 510 for the fiscal year. (b)(1)No grant may be awarded under this section except to an entity that is a local educational agency (as defined in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) or a community-based organization. (2)Funds provided under such a grant may only be used in a school-based setting for the following purposes: (A)To recruit, train, and support mentors. (B)To hire mentoring coordinators and provide professional development. (C)To pay for outreach materials. (D)To provide activities that will help in the development of a mentee, such as— (i)workshops, classes, and after-school activities, which may include family life and sex education and may provide— (I)information that stresses the importance of abstinence and postponing sexual involvement; (II)medically accurate information on the importance of contraception for those who are sexually active, on condom use, and on HIV and sexually transmitted diseases; and (III)information that reflects mores and values of the community involved. (ii)preparation for standardized examinations; (iii)assistance with college entrance; (iv)education in financial literacy; (v)tutoring; (vi)sports; (vii)education in health and nutrition; and (viii)education in the arts. (3)No grant may be awarded under this section unless the grantee agrees that, in carrying out the purposes described in paragraph (2), the grantee will, whenever possible, use strategies relating to family life and sex education that have been demonstrated to be effective, or that incorporate characteristics of effective programs. (4)No grant may be awarded under this section unless the grantee agrees that only qualified individuals will serve as mentors under this section. For the purposes of this paragraph, a qualified individual is an individual who— (A)has received at least a baccalaureate degree from an institution of higher education (as such term is defined in section 102(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002(a))); (B)is mentoring no more than two mentees under this section; and (C)has been trained and screened by a local educational agency or community-based organization to do the following for individual mentees: (i)To encourage setting goals and planning for the future. (ii)To promote responsible behavior and help delay sexual activity. (iii)To provide general guidance. (iv)To increase participation in school. (5)No grant shall be made under this section unless the grantee agrees to submit to the Secretary, in accordance with the criteria of the Secretary, a report that provides information on the program conducted under this section, including outcomes and increased education and awareness about the prevention of teen pregnancy under the grant. The Secretary shall make such reports available to the public. (6)Grantees under this section shall expend funds received under the grant not later than 18 months after the date such funds are provided under the grant. (c)(1)Paragraph (3) of section 502(a) shall apply to grants under this section in the same manner as it applies to funding made available under section 502(b). (2)Sections 507 and 508 shall apply to grants under this section to the same extent and in the same manner as such sections apply to allotments under section 502(c). (3)Section 506 shall apply to grants under this section to the extent determined by the Secretary to be appropriate. (d)The Secretary shall, directly or through contract, provide for evaluations of programs receiving funds under grants under this section. Such an evaluation shall cover at least 6 programs and programs representing at least 10 percent of the funding provided under this section. Each such evaluation for a program shall describe— (1)the activities carried out under the grant; and (2)the extent to which such activities were effective in changing attitudes and behavior to achieve the project strategies consistent with this section.

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4.

Loan forgiveness for mentors who participate in teen pregnancy reduction program

(a)

Program authorized

The Secretary of Health and Human Services is authorized, from the funds appropriated under subsection (g), to carry out a program to assume the obligation to repay a qualified loan amount (as determined under subsection (b)) for a Federal student loan, in accordance with this section, for an individual who— (1)is a qualified individual to serve as a mentor under subsection (b)(4) of section 514 of the Social Security Act; (2)has served as a mentor for the teen pregnancy reduction grant program authorized under section 514 of the Social Security Act for not less than 200 hours in an academic year or its equivalent (as determined by the Secretary); and (3)is not in default on a loan for which the individual seeks forgiveness. (b)

Qualified loan amount

The amount of loan forgiveness the Secretary provides under this section— (1)shall be equal to $2,000 for every 200 hours of service an individual serves as a mentor under section 514 of the Social Security Act in an academic year or its equivalent (as determined by the Secretary), after the date of the enactment of this section; and (2)may not exceed a total of $20,000 for an individual. (c)

Priority

In providing loan forgiveness under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to individuals who serve as mentors for programs under section 514 of the Social Security Act that are carried out by local educational agencies or community-based organizations that are located in areas with the highest rates of teen pregnancy, as determined by the Secretary. (d)

Construction

Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the refunding of any repayment of a loan. (e)

Regulations

The Secretary is authorized to issue such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section. (f)

Definitions

In this section: (1)

Federal student loan

(A)

In general

Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the term Federal student loan means any loan made, insured, or guaranteed under part B, D, or E of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. (B)

Treatment of consolidation loans

A loan amount for a loan made under section 428C or section 455(g) of such Act shall be considered a Federal student loan under this paragraph only to the extent that such loan amount was used to repay a loan made under section 428 or 428H of such Act, a Federal Direct Stafford Loan, or a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan for an individual who meets the requirements of subsection (a), as determined in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary. (2)

Secretary

The term Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services. (g)

Authorization of appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2013 and each of the 3 succeeding fiscal years.