[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 83 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 H. R. 83

  To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to 
  require the Attorney General to establish guidelines to prevent and 
address occurrences of bullying, to provide for grant funding to States 
  for programs to prevent and address occurrences of bullying, and to 
     reauthorize the Juvenile Accountability Block Grants program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 5, 2011

   Ms. Jackson Lee of Texas introduced the following bill; which was 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to 
  require the Attorney General to establish guidelines to prevent and 
address occurrences of bullying, to provide for grant funding to States 
  for programs to prevent and address occurrences of bullying, and to 
     reauthorize the Juvenile Accountability Block Grants program.

    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 ``Bullying Prevention and Intervention 
Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. BULLYING PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION PROGRAMS; REAUTHORIZATION 
              OF JUVENILE ACCOUNTABILITY BLOCK GRANTS.

    (a) Allowing Juvenile Accountability Block Grants To Be Used for 
Bullying Prevention and Intervention Programs.--Section 1801 of the 
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b), in the matter preceding paragraph 
        (1), by inserting ``(and for the purpose described in 
        subsection (d)(1))'' after ``juvenile justice system''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) Bullying Prevention and Intervention Programs.--
            ``(1) In general.--Amounts paid to a State or a unit of 
        local government under this part may be used by the State or 
        unit of local government for bullying prevention and 
        intervention programs described in paragraph (2)(C) that, 
        subject to paragraph (3), follow the guidelines established 
        under such paragraph (2)(C).
            ``(2) Guidelines.--Not later than 6 months after the date 
        of this subsection, the Attorney General shall establish 
        voluntary guidelines for use by States and units of local 
        government--
                    ``(A) on ways for relevant entities to identify 
                occurrences of bullying;
                    ``(B) on ways to provide for the participation in 
                programs described in subparagraph (C) of juveniles who 
                are involved in such occurrences of bullying; and
                    ``(C) for purposes of developing bullying 
                prevention and intervention programs that, at a 
                minimum--
                            ``(i) provide services to juveniles;
                            ``(ii) provide educational services that 
                        focus on the accountability of such juveniles 
                        for their actions, with respect to occurrences 
                        of bullying, including when the outcome of such 
                        actions is not intended by such juveniles;
                            ``(iii) provide counseling services for 
                        both juveniles who commit acts of bullying and 
                        juveniles who are victims of such bullying;
                            ``(iv) include notification and involvement 
                        of parents and guardians of juveniles who are 
                        participating in such programs;
                            ``(v) address behavior and behavior 
                        modification of juveniles described in clause 
                        (iii); and
                            ``(vi) educate students, adult personnel 
                        (including school administration and staff and 
                        child care providers), and law enforcement 
                        officers about how to identify occurrences of 
                        bullying and how to address such occurrences.
            ``(3) Variation permitted.--A State or unit of local 
        government may modify the guidelines established under 
        paragraph (2) for use by such State or unit, respectively (or 
        entities within such State or unit, respectively) in order to 
        meet the specific needs or circumstances of relevant 
        populations.
            ``(4) Bullying defined.--For purposes of this subsection, 
        the term `bullying' includes the following behavior by juvenile 
        against another juvenile (or group of juveniles):
                    ``(A) Verbal acts, name-calling, and graphic and 
                written statements that may be threatening, harmful, or 
                humiliating and which may include use of cell phones, 
                the Internet, and other forms of electronic 
                communication.
                    ``(B) Conduct that may be physically threatening, 
                harmful, or humiliating.
                    ``(C) Conduct that creates a hostile environment 
                when the conduct is sufficiently severe, pervasive, or 
                persistent so as to interfere with or limit the ability 
                of such other juvenile to participate in or benefit 
                from the services, activities, or opportunities offered 
                by a school.
                    ``(D) Harassment based on race, color, national 
                origin, disability, sex, sexual orientation, or gender.
                    ``(E) Statements or other conduct that are based on 
                real or perceived imbalance of power, repeated over 
                time, and result in humiliation of the other juvenile.
        Behavior described in the previous sentence does not have to 
        include the intent to harm or be directed at a specific 
        juvenile to be considered bullying.''.
    (b) Reauthorization of Juvenile Accountability Block Grants.--
Section 1810(a) of such Act is amended by inserting before the period 
at the end the following: ``and for each of fiscal years 2012 through 
2016''.
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