[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3659 Engrossed in House (EH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3659

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
     To establish an Anti-Bullying Roundtable to study bullying in 
 elementary and secondary schools in the United States, 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; FINDINGS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as ``Danny's Law''.
    (b) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) This Act is named in honor of Daniel Fitzpatrick, who, 
        in August 2016, when he was 13 years old, tragically took his 
        own life as a direct result of bullying.
            (2) According to the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention, bullying is among the most commonly reported 
        discipline problems in public schools.
            (3) Potential effects of bullying include social and 
        emotional distress, physical injury, and increased risk for 
        lowering academic achievement.

SEC. 2. ANTI-BULLYING ROUNDTABLE.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established an independent commission 
to be known as the ``Anti-Bullying Roundtable'' (in this Act referred 
to as the ``Roundtable'').
    (b) Duties.--The duties of the Roundtable shall be to study and 
report on bullying in elementary schools and secondary schools in the 
United States by consulting with State educational agencies and local 
educational agencies regarding--
            (1) current policies on bullying;
            (2) teacher education on bullying and bullying prevention 
        policies;
            (3) parent and student education on bullying and bullying 
        prevention policies;
            (4) instances of student violence as a result of bullying;
            (5) instances of student self-harm as a result of bullying;
            (6) preventative measures in place at State and local 
        levels; and
            (7) instances of cyberbullying and practices for addressing 
        cyberbullying.
    (c) Membership.--
            (1) In general.--The Roundtable shall be composed of 15 
        members, appointed as follows:
                    (A) Three members shall be appointed by the 
                Secretary of Education, and those three members shall 
                represent three different categories of stakeholders 
                described in paragraph (2).
                    (B) Six members shall be appointed by the Speaker 
                of the House of Representatives, three of whom shall be 
                appointed on the recommendation of the majority leader 
                of the House of Representatives, and three of whom 
                shall be appointed on the recommendation of the 
                minority leader of the House of Representatives. The 
                Speaker, the majority leader, and the minority leader 
                of the House of Representatives shall each select 
                individuals who represent at least three different 
                categories of stakeholders described in paragraph (2).
                    (C) Six members shall be appointed by the President 
                pro tempore of the Senate, three of whom shall be 
                appointed on the recommendation of the majority leader 
                of the Senate, and three of whom shall be appointed on 
                the recommendation of the minority leader of the 
                Senate. The President pro tempore, the majority leader, 
                and the minority leader of the Senate shall each select 
                individuals who represent at least three different 
                categories of stakeholders described in paragraph (2).
                    (D) In appointing members of the Roundtable, the 
                Secretary of Education, the Speaker of the House of 
                Representatives, and the President pro tempore of the 
                Senate, to the extent practicable, shall take into 
                account all the other nominees to the Roundtable to 
                ensure as many as possible of the categories of 
                stakeholders described in paragraph (2) are 
                represented.
            (2) Representation.--The members of the Roundtable shall 
        include, to the extent practicable, at least one representative 
        of each of the following:
                    (A) Teachers.
                    (B) School leaders.
                    (C) Parents of schoolchildren.
                    (D) Individuals who are at least 16 years of age 
                and who have experienced bullying.
                    (E) Physicians.
                    (F) Child psychologists.
                    (G) Paraprofessionals.
                    (H) School resource officers or other appropriate 
                professionals responsible for school security.
                    (I) Specialized instructional support personnel.
                    (J) Other staff.
                    (K) Other individuals with expertise working with 
                bullied youth.
            (3) Chair.--The members of the Roundtable shall elect one 
        individual to serve as chair.
            (4) Terms.--Each member shall be appointed for the duration 
        of the existence of the Roundtable.
            (5) Vacancies.--A vacancy in the Roundtable shall be filled 
        in the manner in which the original appointment was made under 
        paragraph (1) and in accordance with the requirements of 
        paragraph (2).
            (6) Pay.--Members of the Roundtable shall serve without 
        pay.
    (d) Time Frame for Formation.--Not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the designated Members of Congress and 
the Secretary shall appoint the members described in subsection (c)(1).
    (e) Powers of Roundtable.--
            (1) Hearings and sessions.--The Roundtable may, for the 
        purpose of carrying out this section, hold hearings, sit and 
        act at times and places, take testimony, and receive evidence 
        as the Roundtable considers appropriate.
            (2) Obtaining official data.--Upon request of the chair of 
        the Roundtable, the Secretary of Education shall work with the 
        heads of appropriate departments or agencies to furnish 
        requested information to the Roundtable.
            (3) Mails.--The Roundtable may use the United States mails 
        in the same manner and under the same conditions as other 
        departments and agencies of the United States.
            (4) Administrative support services.--Upon request of the 
        Roundtable, the Secretary of Education shall provide to the 
        Roundtable the administrative support services necessary for 
        the Roundtable to carry out its responsibilities under this 
        Act.
    (f) Reports.--
            (1) Best practices report.--Not later than 270 days after 
        the date on which the Roundtable has been formed, the 
        Roundtable shall submit to the Secretary of Education, and the 
        Secretary shall make public, a report on best practices 
        concerning bullying, including cyberbullying, in elementary 
        schools and secondary schools in the United States that 
        contains, among other items--
                    (A) recommendations for how to prevent bullying;
                    (B) recommendations for how to best educate 
                educators, administrators, and all relevant school 
                staff on recognizing bullying;
                    (C) recommendations for how parents can best 
                address and discuss with their children the early 
                warning signs of bullying;
                    (D) recommendations for addressing underlying 
                causes of bullying behavior;
                    (E) recommendations to address bullying of at-risk 
                students, including students who are at greater risk of 
                self-harm; and
                    (F) examples of successful evidence-based bullying 
                prevention programming.
            (2) Final report.--Not later than 1 year after the date on 
        which the Roundtable has been formed, the Roundtable shall 
        transmit a final report to the Secretary of Education and the 
        Congress containing--
                    (A) a detailed statement of the findings and 
                conclusions of the Roundtable; and
                    (B) recommendations for lawmakers regarding 
                effective bullying prevention policies.
    (g) Termination.--The Roundtable shall terminate upon submission of 
the final report pursuant to subsection (f)(2).
    (h) Rule of Construction.--No data obtained under this Act from 
State educational agencies, local educational agencies, Federal 
departments or agencies, or other sources, including information 
described in subsection (e)(2), shall include or reveal personally 
identifiable information about any individual.
    (i) Definitions.--In this Act, the terms ``elementary school'', 
``local educational agency'', ``paraprofessional'', ``parent'', ``other 
staff'', ``school leader'', ``secondary school'', ``Secretary'', 
``specialized instructional support personnel'', and ``State 
educational agency'' have the meaning given those terms, respectively, 
under section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).

            Passed the House of Representatives September 16, 2020.

            Attest:

                                                                 Clerk.
116th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                               H. R. 3659

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

     To establish an Anti-Bullying Roundtable to study bullying in 
 elementary and secondary schools in the United States, and for other 
                               purposes.