[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 966 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 966

  To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and the 
Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to award grants to prepare individuals 
    for the 21st century workplace and to increase America's global 
                competitiveness, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 13, 2015

 Mr. Yarmuth (for himself, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Mr. 
Clay, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Meeks, and Mr. Rangel) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 
                               Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and the 
Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to award grants to prepare individuals 
    for the 21st century workplace and to increase America's global 
                competitiveness, 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 cited as the ``Ready-to-Compete Act''.

         TITLE I--READY TO LEARN: SCHOOL READINESS AND SUCCESS

SEC. 101. READY-TO-LEARN GRANTS.

    Subpart 3 of part D of title II of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6775) is amended to read as follows:

                      ``Subpart 3--Ready-to-Learn

``SEC. 2431. SHORT TITLE.

    ``This subpart may be cited as `Ready-to-Learn Act'.

``SEC. 2432. READY-TO-LEARN INNOVATIVE MULTIPLATFORM EDUCATIONAL 
              PROGRAMMING AND SERVICES.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized to award grants to 
eligible entities to enable such entities--
            ``(1) to provide a coordinated Ready-to-Learn service 
        described in subsection (c); and
            ``(2) to award subgrants or enter into contracts or 
        cooperative agreements with an eligible subgrantee to enable 
        the eligible subgrantee to operate a high-quality Ready-to-
        Learn program that is a part of the coordinated Ready-to-Learn 
        service.
    ``(b) Ready-to-Learn Program Requirements.--Each eligible entity 
receiving a grant under this subpart shall operate a Ready-to-Learn 
program that--
            ``(1) develops, produces, and distributes innovative 
        multiplatform educational programming and services for young 
        children and youth (especially those young children and youth 
        served under part A of title I), and the parents, educators, 
        and caregivers of such children in order to help improve early 
        childhood development and student achievement in the areas of--
                    ``(A) reading;
                    ``(B) mathematics;
                    ``(C) science;
                    ``(D) health and wellness;
                    ``(E) social and emotional development; or
                    ``(F) other academic or developmentally appropriate 
                areas;
            ``(2) facilitates the development of--
                    ``(A) innovative multiplatform educational 
                programming and services, directly or through 
                contracts, with producers of innovative multiplatform 
                educational programming and services for young children 
                and youth;
                    ``(B) rigorous professional development for 
                educators and caregivers that supports effective use of 
                Ready-to-Learn innovative multiplatform educational 
                programming and services or improves the effectiveness 
                of teachers in classrooms serving young children and 
                youth;
                    ``(C) support materials and services that accompany 
                such innovative multiplatform educational programming 
                and services and professional development, including 
                outreach services, in order to promote the effective 
                use of such innovative multiplatform educational 
                programming and services; and
                    ``(D) related support resources for parents and 
                caregivers that are designed for nationwide 
                distribution over public television stations' digital 
                broadcasting channels and other high-tech delivery 
                platforms;
            ``(3) contracts with an entity that owns and operates a 
        television public broadcast station, as defined in section 
        397(6) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 397(6))--
                    ``(A) that demonstrates that the station is a 
                member of a strong, local, community-based partnership, 
                in order to deliver effective services which meet the 
                educational needs of the children in the community 
                served by the broadcast area; and
                    ``(B) so that innovative multiplatform educational 
                programming and services developed under this subpart 
                are disseminated and distributed to the widest possible 
                audience appropriately served by the most appropriate 
                distribution technologies; or
            ``(4) develops and disseminates educational or training 
        material, directly related to the television programs assisted 
        under this subpart, that is designed--
                    ``(A) to promote school readiness and success for 
                all children, especially children served under part A 
                of title I, including English language learners; and
                    ``(B) to promote the effective use of related 
                services and related support resources developed under 
                paragraphs (2) and (3), respectively, among parents, 
                caregivers, teachers, Head Start programs, reading and 
                literacy programs funded under the Elementary and 
                Secondary Education Act, family literacy programs, 
                child care providers, early childhood educators, public 
                and school libraries, museums, State educational 
                agencies, businesses, institutions of higher education, 
                and after-school, summer, and extended day and year 
                programs.
    ``(c) Coordinated Ready-to-Learn Service.--In awarding subgrants 
and entering into contracts and cooperative agreements under this 
subpart, an eligible entity shall provide a coordinated Ready-to-Learn 
service that--
            ``(1) shall include--
                    ``(A) innovative multiplatform educational 
                programming, determined by the eligible entity to be of 
                sound content and artistic excellence, aligned to--
                            ``(i) State academic content and academic 
                        achievement standards described under section 
                        1111 and State early learning standards, as 
                        appropriate;
                            ``(ii) rigorous professional development 
                        for educators and caregivers that supports 
                        effective use of Ready-to-Learn innovative 
                        multiplatform educational programming and 
                        services or improves the effectiveness of 
                        teachers in classrooms serving young children 
                        and youth; and
                            ``(iii) related services;
                    ``(B) effective, ongoing community outreach 
                programs and ongoing partnerships with local 
                organizations to help ensure that the programming--
                            ``(i) addresses specific community and 
                        school needs;
                            ``(ii) addresses needs of caregivers and 
                        educators;
                            ``(iii) reaches children served under part 
                        A of title I; and
                            ``(iv) engages multiple constituencies of 
                        children, parents, caregivers, and educators;
                    ``(C) academic and developmental television 
                programming described in subsection (b) (1) in--
                            ``(i) the topics described in subparagraphs 
                        (A) and (E) of subsection (b)(1); and
                            ``(ii) not less than 1 other topic 
                        described in subparagraphs (B), (C), (D), and 
                        (F) of subsection (b)(1); and
                    ``(D) a rigorous evaluation of the impact of the 
                innovative multiplatform educational programming and 
                services described in subsection (b)(l) on--
                            ``(i) school readiness skills of young 
                        children in various socioeconomic areas, 
                        including rural and urban areas;
                            ``(ii) school success of youth in various 
                        socioeconomic areas, including rural and urban 
                        areas;
                            ``(iii) teacher effectiveness; and
                            ``(iv) community engagement and awareness; 
                        and
            ``(2) may include a comprehensive preschool curriculum 
        based upon the Ready-to-Learn programs.
    ``(d) Technical Assistance, Materials, Training, and Curricula.--
The eligible entity shall provide eligible subgrantees that receive a 
subgrant or enter into a contract or cooperative agreement under this 
subpart with technical assistance, supporting materials, training, and 
curricula to ensure effective implementation of subsection (c).
    ``(e) Reservation of Funding.--The eligible entity shall use such 
sums as may be necessary from the funds received under this subpart to 
award subgrants to or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements 
with eligible subgrantees that are public broadcast stations, as 
defined in section 397(6) of the Communications Act of 1934, to carry 
out subsection (c)(1)(B) and section 2435(c).
    ``(f) Availability of Programming and Related Services.--In 
awarding a grant under this subpart, the Secretary shall ensure that 
each eligible entity makes innovative multiplatform educational 
programming and services widely available, with support materials 
available, as appropriate, to young children and youth, parents, 
caregivers, teachers, reading and literacy programs funded under the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act, family literacy programs, child 
care providers, early childhood educators, public and school libraries, 
museums, State educational agencies, businesses, institutions of higher 
education, and afterschool, summer, and extended day and year programs 
in order to increase the effective use of innovative multiplatform 
educational programming and services.

``SEC. 2433. COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES.

    ``In carrying out this subpart, an eligible entity shall--
            ``(1) consult with the Secretary and the Secretary of 
        Health and Human Services--
                    ``(A) to maximize the use of high-quality 
                innovative multiplatform educational programming and 
                services by young children and youth, and to make such 
                programming widely available to federally funded 
                programs serving such children; and
                    ``(B) to coordinate activities assisted under this 
                subpart with Federal programs that have a major 
                professional development component for educators of 
                young children and youth, including programs under the 
                Head Start Act, 21st Century Community Learning 
                Centers, title I, and the Child Care and Development 
                Block Grant Act of 1990; and
            ``(2) ensure that all materials acquired or produced by any 
        eligible subgrantee are determined to be of sufficient age-
        appropriate aesthetic appeal and educational effectiveness to 
        warrant national distribution and support in order to maximize 
        the impact of televised materials and the use of digital 
        content.

``SEC. 2434. APPLICATION.

    ``To be eligible to receive a grant under this subpart, an eligible 
entity shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in 
such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may 
reasonably require.

``SEC. 2435. REPORTS AND EVALUATIONS.

    ``(a) Annual Report to the Secretary.--In carrying out this 
subpart, an eligible entity shall prepare and submit to the Secretary 
an annual report that contains such information as the Secretary may 
require. At a minimum, the report shall describe the activities 
undertaken with funds received under the grant awarded to the eligible 
entity under this subpart, including each of the following:
            ``(1) Programming and related services; target 
        population.--The innovative multiplatform educational 
        programming and services developed, directly or indirectly, by 
        the eligible entity, and the target population served by the 
        programming and services.
            ``(2) Support or training and professional development 
        materials.--The support or training and professional 
        development materials developed to accompany the innovative 
        multiplatform educational programming and services, and the 
        method by which the materials were distributed to consumers and 
        users of the innovative multiplatform educational programming 
        and services.
            ``(3) Means of distribution.--The means by which innovative 
        multiplatform educational programming and services developed 
        under this subpart were distributed, including the technologies 
        that were used to make the innovative multiplatform educational 
        programming and services available, and the geographic 
        distribution achieved through such technologies.
            ``(4) Initiatives.--The initiatives undertaken by the 
        eligible entity to develop public-private partnerships to 
        secure non-Federal support for the development, distribution, 
        and broadcast of innovative multiplatform educational 
        programming and services.
            ``(5) Impact.--The impact of the innovative multiplatform 
        educational programming and services on teaching and learning, 
        including the impact on improving school readiness skills, 
        reading skills, mathematics skills, science skills, and skills 
        in other developmentally appropriate content areas.
    ``(b) Report to Congress.--The Secretary shall prepare and submit 
to the relevant committees of Congress an annual report that includes 
the following:
            ``(1) Activity summary.--A summary of the activities 
        assisted under section 2432.
            ``(2) Education, training, and professional development 
        materials.--A description of the education, training, and 
        professional development materials described in section 
        2432(b)(2)(B) that are made available under this subpart, the 
        manner in which outreach was conducted to inform parents and 
        child care providers of the availability of such materials, and 
        the manner in which such materials were distributed in 
        accordance with section 2432.
    ``(c) Evaluation of Outreach Activities.--In carrying out this 
subpart, an eligible entity shall require each eligible subgrantee that 
receives a subgrant or enters into a contract or cooperative agreement 
under this subpart to provide evaluation data that include descriptions 
of the impact of outreach activities carried out under this subpart, 
including--
            ``(1) the manner in which outreach was conducted to inform 
        parents, educators, and child care providers of the 
        availability of the innovative multiplatform educational 
        programming and services produced under this subpart, including 
        specific strategies used to reach a wide audience;
            ``(2) the extent to which the outreach programs included 
        multiple outreach efforts with the same organizations or groups 
        and resulted in lasting relationships with those organizations 
        or groups and the members of those organizations or groups; and
            ``(3) the effectiveness of the outreach programs and 
        services conducted and the number of children, families, 
        educators, and child care providers that had access to and 
        utilized the innovative multiplatform educational programming 
        and services provided under this subpart to improve school 
        readiness skills and school success.
    ``(d) Evaluation of Impact on School Readiness and Success.--The 
Secretary shall evaluate the impact of the outreach content and 
services provided under this subpart on improving school readiness 
skills and school success nationwide, particularly with respect to 
young children and youth in the most disadvantaged communities.

``SEC. 2436. ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.

    ``An eligible subgrantee that receives a subgrant or enters into a 
contract or cooperative agreement under this subpart may use not more 
than 5 percent of the amount received under the subgrant, contract, or 
cooperative agreement, respectively, for the normal and customary 
expenses of administering the grant, contract, or cooperative 
agreement, respectively.

``SEC. 2437. CONTINUATION OF AWARDS.

    ``Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an eligible 
subgrantee that received a subgrant or enters into a contract or 
cooperative agreement under this subpart (as this subpart existed on 
the day before the date of enactment of the Ready-to-Learn Act) shall 
continue to receive funds in accordance with the terms of the subgrant, 
contract, or cooperative agreement, respectively, until the date on 
which the subgrant, contract, or cooperative agreement, respectively, 
terminates under such terms.

``SEC. 2438. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this subpart $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2016 and such sums as may 
be necessary for each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.
    ``(b) Reservation.--In any fiscal year in which the amount 
appropriated is greater than $30,000,000, the Secretary shall reserve 
50 percent of such excess for innovative multiplatform educational 
programming and services for youth.

``SEC. 2439. DEFINITIONS.

    ``In this subpart--
    ``(a) the term `eligible entity' means a public telecommunications 
entity that is able to demonstrate--
            ``(1) a capacity for the development and national 
        distribution of educational and instructional television 
        programming of high quality that is accessible by a large 
        majority of disadvantaged preschool and elementary school 
        children;
            ``(2) a capacity to contract with the producers of 
        children's television programming for the purpose of developing 
        educational television programming of high quality;
            ``(3) a capacity to integrate children's television 
        programming with innovative multiplatform educational 
        programming and services;
            ``(4) a capacity, consistent with the entity's mission and 
        nonprofit nature, to negotiate such contracts in a manner that 
        returns to the entity an appropriate share of any ancillary 
        income from sales of any program-related products; and
            ``(5) a capacity to localize programming and materials to 
        meet specific State and local needs and to provide educational 
        outreach at the local level;
    ``(b) the term `eligible subgrantee' means--
            ``(1) a national nonprofit membership organization that 
        acquires and distributes programming to noncommercial 
        educational television broadcasters through the national public 
        television interconnection system that the organization manages 
        and operates;
            ``(2) a local or statewide public television station or 
        system; or
            ``(3) a nonprofit producer of high-quality children's 
        educational television and other media programming;
    ``(c) the term `innovative multiplatform educational programming 
and services' means high-quality programming that is--
            ``(1) packaged for distribution over broadband, digital, 
        and over-the-airwaves television;
            ``(2) packaged with companion content for distribution over 
        the Internet, mobile devices, classroom devices, and any other 
        technologies appropriate for the content;
            ``(3) aligned across all platforms to a central curriculum 
        and story;
            ``(4) accessible to students in all regions, including 
        rural areas via distance learning technologies;
            ``(5) designed to target the research-identified needs of 
        young children or youth, or a subset thereof; and
            ``(6) designed to reach students in the targeted age range 
        age-appropriately and via the media that reaches them most 
        effectively;
    ``(d) the term `school success' means improved academic achievement 
or engagement in subject areas referenced in section 2432(b)(1);
    ``(e) the term `young children' means children ages 2-8; and
    ``(f) the term `youth' means children ages 9-13.''.

                     TITLE II--READY-TO-EARN GRANTS

SEC. 201. READY-TO-EARN GRANTS.

    Chapter 4 of subtitle A of title II of the Workforce Investment Act 
of 1998 (20 U.S.C. 9251 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:

``SEC. 244. TELEVISION BROADCAST WORKFORCE TRAINING GRANT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized to award grants, on 
a competitive basis, to an entity that owns and operates a television 
public broadcast station, as defined in section 397(6) of the 
Communications Act of 1934, or a partnership of such entities, for the 
purpose of developing, disseminating, and providing online and on-air 
education and training services for adults, including adult education, 
adult literacy, high school equivalency test preparation, workforce 
training, and related outreach services that are priorities for the 
community.
    ``(b) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
this section, an entity shall--
            ``(1) own or operate a local television public broadcast 
        station, as defined in section 397(6) of the Communications Act 
        of 1934, that is able to demonstrate a capacity for the 
        development and distribution of high-quality educational 
        digital content and services in the areas of adult education, 
        adult literacy, high school equivalency test preparation, 
        workforce training, and related outreach services;
            ``(2) partner with an eligible agency as defined in section 
        203(4) or a State Board as described in section 111 or 
        institutions of higher education in order to implement a high-
        quality program in accordance with this section; and
            ``(3) conduct a needs assessment of the proposed community 
        to be served through online and on-air education and training 
        services.
    ``(c) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
section, an eligible entity, or partnership of eligible entities, shall 
submit an application to the Secretary. Each application shall--
            ``(1) describe the innovative, high-quality training, 
        tools, products, and educational digital content and services 
        that will be developed and used to improve the quality and 
        delivery of adult education, adult literacy, high school 
        equivalency test preparation, workforce training, and related 
        outreach services;
            ``(2) describe the partnership and the roles of the 
        partners in implementing a high-quality program in accordance 
        with this section;
            ``(3) describe how the eligible entity or entities will 
        address the needs of adults who are non-English speakers;
            ``(4) describe how the comprehensive program described in 
        this section will meet the needs of that community and include 
        partnerships with community-based organizations that serve 
        adults in need of such services;
            ``(5) describe the research-based practices and advanced 
        technologies that the program funded under this section will 
        use to carry out the purposes of this section;
            ``(6) describe the rigorous evaluation the eligible entity 
        or entities will use to support continuous improvement of the 
        program and services, including the report described under 
        subsection (g); and
            ``(7) contain such additional assurances as the Secretary 
        may reasonably require.
    ``(d) Required Uses of Funds.--Grant funds provided under this 
section shall be used for--
            ``(1) the development, training and use of innovative, 
        high-quality tools, products, and educational digital content 
        and services for--
                    ``(A) adult education, adult literacy, high school 
                equivalency test preparation, workforce training, and 
                related outreach services;
                    ``(B) professional development; and
                    ``(C) community and family outreach;
            ``(2) professional development and training of staff;
            ``(3) evaluation as described in subsection (g);
            ``(4) outreach activities to engage adult learners and 
        community organizations;
            ``(5) English language education and services for non-
        English speakers; and
            ``(6) other activities as needed to meet the purposes of 
        this section.
    ``(e) Duration.--A grant under this section shall be awarded for a 
period of 5 years.
    ``(f) Administrative Costs.--An entity that receives a grant under 
this section may not use more than 5 percent of the amount received 
under the grant for administrative costs.
    ``(g) Reports and Evaluation.--An entity receiving a grant under 
this section shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an annual report 
that contains such information as the Secretary may require. At a 
minimum, such report shall describe the program activities undertaken 
with funds received under the grant, including--
            ``(1) the success in engaging families and the number of 
        such families;
            ``(2) the impact of professional development and training 
        for staff on the acquisition of training and job skills;
            ``(3) the effectiveness of the specific, innovative, high-
        quality training, tools, products, and educational digital 
        content and services developed and used to improve the quality 
        and delivery of adult education, adult literacy, high school 
        equivalency test preparation, workforce training, and related 
        outreach services; and
            ``(4) the impact of the program on adult literacy and 
        English language skills, workforce skills, job placements, and 
        high school equivalency test passage rates.
    ``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2016 
and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 5 succeeding fiscal 
years.
    ``(i) Definition.--In this section, the term `institution of higher 
education' has the meaning given such term in section 101 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001).''.

SEC. 202. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

    The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 is amended--
            (1) in section 111(b)(1)(C)(vii), by inserting ``, and 
        public broadcasting entities'' after ``juvenile justice 
        programs'';
            (2) in section 117(b)(2)(B), by inserting ``including 
        public broadcasting entities'' after ``entities'';
            (3) in section 122(a)(2)(C), by inserting ``, including a 
        public broadcasting entity'' after ``training services'';
            (4) in section 129(c)(2)(A), by inserting ``, including 
        educational digital content and services'' after 
        ``instruction'';
            (5) in section 203(5)(H), by inserting ``including a public 
        broadcasting entity'' after ``institution''; and
            (6) in section 231(e)(6), by inserting ``and educational 
        digital content and services'' after ``computers''.
                                 <all>