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<dc:title>116 HR 1097 IH: Creating Hope and Opportunity through Increased Choice in Education Act</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. House of Representatives</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2021-02-18</dc:date>
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<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
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<distribution-code display="yes">I</distribution-code><congress display="yes">117th CONGRESS</congress><session display="yes">1st Session</session><legis-num display="yes">H. R. 1097</legis-num><current-chamber>IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES</current-chamber><action display="yes"><action-date date="20210218">February 18, 2021</action-date><action-desc><sponsor name-id="B001311">Mr. Bishop of North Carolina</sponsor> (for himself, <cosponsor name-id="O000086">Mr. Owens</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="N000190">Mr. Norman</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="H001084">Ms. Herrell</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="H001052">Mr. Harris</cosponsor>, <cosponsor name-id="S001214">Mr. Steube</cosponsor>, and <cosponsor name-id="C001104">Mr. Cawthorn</cosponsor>) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the <committee-name committee-id="HED00">Committee on Education and Labor</committee-name></action-desc></action><legis-type>A BILL</legis-type><official-title display="yes">To direct the Secretary of Education to establish a grant program to make grants to the parents of students served by local educational agencies that will not provide in-person instruction in a manner consistent with school year 2019–2020, and for other purposes.</official-title></form><legis-body id="H3F2B4554B02848B1A103485427326D58" style="OLC"><section id="HBD16C7EC0AC94385A33CA1DFC53B1836" section-type="section-one" commented="no"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>Creating Hope and Opportunity through Increased Choice in Education Act</short-title></quote> or the <quote><short-title>CHOICE Act</short-title></quote>. </text></section><section id="H0FB3BEF2FF77427CB25C852B2F3DDEC2"><enum>2.</enum><header>Opportunity grant program</header><subsection id="HBCDB814991A148B4B9C662090F88B2B4"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Secretary shall establish a grant program (to be known as the <quote>Opportunity Grant Program</quote>) to make grants to parents of eligible students for the purposes described in subsection (d).</text></subsection><subsection id="HE4DAD3BD71EB482ABCF07BA7CA0F2356"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Application</header><paragraph id="H0726E5078D5A4CC997BC1BA0A43C272D"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In general</header><text>To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, a parent of an eligible student shall submit to the Secretary an application demonstrating—</text><subparagraph id="H39FD5D03343C4B2797FB9F9FFAB4019F"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the household income of such eligible student; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H3DA5E89C74FD4DACA49FAEBBB283B16C"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">with respect to school year 2020–2021, that the local educational agency serving such eligible student has not provided in-person instruction in a manner consistent with school year 2019–2020.</text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="H0F6D6144A842465484F5FCCF53DF2A5B"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Other requirements</header><text>The Secretary shall accept applications under paragraph (1) on an annual rolling basis and make such application available as a standardized form in electronic and written format.</text></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="HCCC28EC47109447FA6CADEA9C9C08BB8" commented="no"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Amount of grants</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Subject to the availability of appropriations, each parent of an eligible student who the Secretary determines qualifies for a grant under this section shall receive a grant under this section in an amount that—</text><paragraph id="H325F4BE47D204F8C880BD44BBB0E272B" commented="no"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">in the case of an eligible student with a household income less than or equal to 100 percent of the reduced price lunch rate income, is equal to 100 percent of the per-pupil funding with respect to the local educational agency serving such eligible student, as determined by the Secretary;</text></paragraph><paragraph id="H6AD4B9490C064AA3AF06D566E3057EAD" commented="no"><enum>(2)</enum><text>in the case of an eligible student with a household income greater than 100 percent but less than or equal to 150 percent of the reduced price lunch rate income, is equal to 90 percent of the per-pupil funding with respect to the local educational agency serving such eligible student, as determined by the Secretary; </text></paragraph><paragraph id="H22B1D253592E456F88C5B43F9DD389BE" commented="no"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">in the case of an eligible student with a household income greater than 150 percent but less than or equal to 200 percent of the reduced price lunch rate income, is equal to 80 percent of the per-pupil funding with respect to the local educational agency serving such eligible student, as determined by the Secretary; and</text></paragraph><paragraph id="H72B8C043387C43FC881E15A685370015"><enum>(4)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">in the case of an eligible student with a household income greater than 200 percent but less than or equal to 250 percent of the reduced price lunch rate income, is equal to 70 percent of the per-pupil funding with respect to the local educational agency serving such eligible student, as determined by the Secretary.</text></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="H732F4B29510E49BF9A61A80BAA1D0050" display-inline="no-display-inline"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Use of funds</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Any amounts made available to a parent under this section may be used—</text><paragraph id="H17EB853EE46A4F7AB26C8D01A687221B"><enum>(1)</enum><text>with respect to an eligible student, to pay the tuition and fees for a private elementary school or a private secondary school; </text></paragraph><paragraph id="H54CBDC732CE0482BA359C494CE2B61C4"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">for private tutoring (including through a learning pod or microschool);</text></paragraph><paragraph id="HC5DD39C0D5754BE9885102167D7C9153"><enum>(3)</enum><text>for the home school expenses of such eligible student;</text></paragraph><paragraph id="HDC64DB03B3F44B99B28F52901B0F604C"><enum>(4)</enum><text>to purchase educational materials, including instruction materials and textbooks for such eligible student; </text></paragraph><paragraph id="H8504CE46AA324027BB2906F27C32EADD"><enum>(5)</enum><text>for purchasing electronic devices to facilitate the education of such eligible student; or</text></paragraph><paragraph id="HE09D0F4E106F4E7AB1BE2BDD14571BCD"><enum>(6)</enum><text>for such other purposes as the Secretary determines appropriate. </text></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="HC8474DD558784715AF5159FCE5160E6E"><enum>(e)</enum><header>Rules of construction</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Nothing in this section shall be construed—</text><paragraph id="HE86025C55B874A339F7CA8C33714AAB3"><enum>(1)</enum><text>to impact any aspect of private, religious, or home education providers;</text></paragraph><paragraph id="HF14A425BD2364C48A0099505ECD804FE"><enum>(2)</enum><text>to exclude private, religious, or home education providers from receiving funds pursuant to a grant under this section; or </text></paragraph><paragraph id="H78219729AC034FD0BC8FE662D837A520"><enum>(3)</enum><text>to require a qualified educational service provider to alter any creed, practice, admissions policy, or curriculum in order to receive funds pursuant to a grant under this section.</text></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="H37BC269F9F2F45628FB42C678F67F8BA" commented="no"><enum>(f)</enum><header>Funding</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">From any amounts appropriated for section 18003 of division B of the CARES Act on or after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall, notwithstanding any other provision of title XVIII of division B of the CARES Act (<external-xref legal-doc="public-law" parsable-cite="pl/116/136">Public Law 116–136</external-xref>), use 10 percent of such amounts to carry out this section and award opportunity grants to parents with approved applications in accordance with this section.</text></subsection><subsection id="H60C079AFB1E3483296FDBB58384B8D87"><enum>(g)</enum><header>Definitions</header><text>In this section:</text><paragraph id="H268A69A27CA1480BA26C903A763F536B"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Eligible student</header><text>The term <term>eligible student</term> means a student—</text><subparagraph id="H44E68878C9DC48BE819D4D7DA377F964"><enum>(A)</enum><text>served by a local educational agency that, with respect to school year 2020–2021, will not provide in-person instruction in a manner consistent with school year 2019–2020; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="HBB9E2379D78147A19DC0D90D4DEC2E52"><enum>(B)</enum><text>from a household with a household income that is less than 200 percent of the reduced price lunch rate income. </text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="HD475233804BD433EA4E899817F7CB79D"><enum>(2)</enum><header>ESEA terms</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The terms <term>local educational agency</term>, <term>parent</term>, and <term>Secretary</term> have the meanings given such terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/20/7801">20 U.S.C. 7801</external-xref>).</text></paragraph><paragraph id="H492AB0F590E14C1C83F3156E3A29B826"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Household income</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <term>household income</term> has the meaning given such term in <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/26/36B">section 36B(d)(2)</external-xref> of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/26/36B">26 U.S.C. 36B(d)(2)</external-xref>).</text></paragraph><paragraph id="H1888831384FA4EE1B72C4EE97BE844B6"><enum>(4)</enum><header>Reduced price lunch rate income</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <term>reduced price lunch rate income</term> means 185 percent of the applicable family size income levels contained in the nonfarm income poverty guidelines prescribed by the Office of Management and Budget, as adjusted annually in accordance with subparagraph (B) of section 9(b)(1) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/42/1758">42 U.S.C. 1758(b)(1)</external-xref>). </text></paragraph></subsection></section></legis-body></bill> 

