[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 45 (Thursday, April 21, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: April 21, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
HEAD START ACT AMENDMENTS OF 1994
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will now
proceed to S. 2000, which the clerk will report.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 2000) to authorize appropriations for fiscal
years 1995 through 1998 to carry out the Head Start Act and
the Community Services Block Grant Act, and for other
purposes.
Thereupon, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill, which had been
reported from the Committee on Labor and Human Resources, with an
amendment to strike out all after the enacting clause and inserting in
lieu thereof the following:
TITLE I--HEAD START PROGRAMS
SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE; REFERENCES IN TITLE.
(a) Short Title.--This title may be cited as the ``Head
Start Act Amendments of 1994''.
(b) References.--Except as otherwise specifically provided,
whenever in this title an amendment or repeal is expressed in
terms of an amendment to, or a repeal of, a section or other
provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a
section or other provision of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C.
9831 et seq.).
SEC. 102. DEFINITIONS.
Section 637 (42 U.S.C. 9832) is amended--
(1) by striking paragraphs (4) and (5);
(2) by striking paragraph (9) and inserting the following
new paragraph:
``(9) The term `poverty line' means the income official
poverty line (as defined by the Office of Management and
Budget, and revised annually in accordance with section
673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C.
9902(2)) applicable to a family of the size involved.'';
(3) by adding after paragraph (11) the following new
paragraphs:
``(12) The term `family literacy services' includes
activities including interactive literacy activities between
parents and their children, training for parents on
techniques for being the primary teacher of their children
and full partners in the education of their children, parent
literacy training, and early childhood education.
``(13) The term `Indian tribe' means any tribe, band,
nation, pueblo, or other organized group or community of
Indians, including any Native village described in section
3(c) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C.
1602(c)) or established pursuant to such Act (43 U.S.C. 1601
et seq.), that is recognized as eligible for the special
programs and services provided by the United States to
Indians because of their status as Indians.'';
(4) by redesignating paragraphs (6), (7), (8), (9), (10),
(11), (12), and (13) as paragraphs (7), (8), (9), (11), (5),
(6), (4), and (10), respectively; and
(5)(A) by transferring paragraph (4), as so redesignated,
and inserting the paragraph after paragraph (3);
(B) by transferring paragraphs (5) and (6), as so
redesignated, and inserting the paragraphs after paragraph
(4), as so redesignated; and
(C) by transferring paragraph (10), as so redesignated, and
inserting the paragraph after paragraph (9), as so
redesignated.
SEC. 103. SERVICES.
Section 638(a)(1) (42 U.S.C. 9833(a)(1)) is amended by
striking ``health, nutritional, educational, social, and
other services'' and inserting ``health, education, parental
involvement, nutritional, social, and other services''.
SEC. 104. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
Section 639 (42 U.S.C. 9834) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by striking all that follows
``subchapter'' and inserting ``such sums as may be necessary
for fiscal year 1995 through 1998.''; and
(2) by striking subsections (b) and (c) and inserting the
following:
``(b) From the amount appropriated under subsection (a),
the Secretary shall make available--
``(1) $35,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1995 through
1998 to--
``(A) carry out the Head Start Transition Project Act; and
``(B) carry out activities authorized under section 642(d);
and
``(2) not more than $2,000,000 for fiscal year 1995, and
such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years
1996 through 1998, to carry out longitudinal research under
section 649(e).''.
SEC. 105. ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.
(a) Allocation and Use of Funds for Quality Improvement.--
Section 640(a)(3) (42 U.S.C. 9835(a)(3)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and (B) as
subparagraphs (C) and (D), respectively;
(2) by striking ``(3)(C)'' and all that follows through
``quality improvement activities:'' and inserting the
following:
``(3)(A)(i) In order to provide assistance for activities
specified in subparagraph (C) directed at the goals specified
in subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall reserve, from the
amount (if any) by which the funds appropriated under section
639(a) for a fiscal year exceed the adjusted prior year
appropriation, a share equal to the sum of--
``(I) 25 percent of such excess amount; and
``(II) any additional amount the Secretary may find
necessary to address a demonstrated need for such activities.
``(ii) As used in clause (i), the term `adjusted prior year
appropriation' means, with respect to a fiscal year, the
amount appropriated pursuant to section 639(a) for the
preceding fiscal year, adjusted to reflect the percentage
change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers
(issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics) during such
preceding fiscal year.
``(B) Funds reserved under this paragraph (referred to in
this paragraph as `quality improvement funds') shall be used
to accomplish any or all of the following goals:
``(i) Ensuring that Head Start programs meet or exceed
performance standards pursuant to section 641A(a)(1)(A).
``(ii) Ensuring that such programs have adequate qualified
staff, and that such staff are furnished adequate training.
``(iii) Ensuring that salary levels and benefits are
adequate to attract and retain qualified staff for such
programs.
``(iv) Using salary increases to improve staff
qualifications, and to assist with the implementation of
career development programs, for the staff of Head Start
programs.
``(v) Improving community-wide strategic planning and needs
assessments for such programs.
``(vi) Ensuring that the physical environments of Head
Start programs are conducive to providing effective program
services to children and families.
``(vii) Making such other improvements in the quality of
such programs as the Secretary may designate.
``(C) Quality improvement funds shall be used to carry out
any or all of the following activities:'';
(3) in subparagraph (C), as redesignated in paragraph (1),
by adding at the end the following new clause:
``(vii) Such other activities as the Secretary may
designate.''; and
(4) in subparagraph (D), as redesignated in paragraph (1)--
(A) in clause (i)--
(i) in the matter preceding subclause (I), by striking
``for the first, second, and third fiscal years for which
funds are so reserved''; and
(ii) in subclause (II), by inserting ``and Indian and
migrant Head Start programs,'' after ``States,'';
(B) by striking clauses (ii) and (iii);
(C) in clause (iv)--
(i) by striking ``To be expended'' and all that follows,
through ``reserved, funds'' and inserting ``Funds'';
(ii) by striking ``clause (ii)'' the first place it appears
and inserting ``clause (i)'';
(iii) by inserting before the period at the end of the
first sentence, ``, for expenditure for activities specified
in subparagraph (C)''; and
(iv) by striking the second sentence;
(D) in clause (vi), by striking ``paragraphs (2), (4), and
(5)'' and inserting ``paragraph (2) or (4)''; and
(E) by striking clause (v) and redesignating clauses (iv)
and (vi) as clauses (ii) and (iii), respectively.
(b) Funds Set-Aside.--Section 640(a) (42 U.S.C. 9835(a)) is
amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``through (5).'' and
inserting ``through (4), and subject to paragraphs (5) and
(6).'';
(2) in paragraph (2)--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``1990'' and inserting
``1994''; and
(B) in subparagraph (D), by inserting ``(including payments
for all costs (other than compensation of Federal employees)
of reviews of Head Start agencies and programs under section
641A(c), and of activities related to the development and
implementation of quality improvement plans under section
641A(d)(2))'' after ``Secretary'';
(3) in paragraph (3), by striking ``paragraph (5)'' each
place it appears and inserting ``paragraph (4)'';
(4) by striking paragraph (4), and redesignating paragraphs
(5) and (6) as paragraphs (4) and (7), respectively;
(5) in paragraph (4), as redesignated in paragraph (4), by
striking ``The'' and inserting ``Subject to section 639(b),
the''; and
(6) by adding after paragraph (4), as redesignated in
paragraph (4), the following new paragraphs:
``(5)(A) From amounts reserved and allotted pursuant to
paragraph (4), the Secretary shall reserve such sums as may
be necessary to award the collaboration grants described in
subparagraph (B).
``(B) From the reserved sums, the Secretary may award a
collaboration grant to each State to facilitate collaboration
regarding activities carried out in the State under this
subchapter, and other activities carried out in, and by, the
State that are targeted to low-income children and families.
``(C) A State that receives a grant under subparagraph (B)
shall--
``(i) appoint an individual to serve as a State liaison
between--
``(I) agencies and individuals carrying out Head Start
programs in the State; and
``(II) agencies and entities carrying out programs serving
low-income children and families;
``(ii) involve the State Head Start Association in the
selection of the individual, and involve the association in
determinations relating to the ongoing direction of the
collaboration;
``(iii) ensure that the individual holds a position with
sufficient authority and access to ensure that the
collaboration described in subparagraph (B) is effective and
involves a range of State agencies; and
``(iv) ensure that the collaboration described in
subparagraph (B) involves coordination of Head Start services
with health care, welfare, child care, education, and
national service activities, and activities relating to
children with disabilities.
``(D) As used in this paragraph, the term `low-income',
used with respect to children or families, shall not be
considered to refer only to children or families that meet
the low-income criteria prescribed pursuant to section
645(a)(1)(A).
``(6) From amounts reserved and allotted pursuant to
paragraphs (2) and (4), the Secretary shall use, for grants
for programs described in section 645A(a), a portion of the
combined total of such amounts equal to 3 percent for fiscal
year 1995, 4 percent for each of fiscal years 1996 and 1997,
and 5 percent for fiscal year 1998, of the amount
appropriated pursuant to section 639(a).''.
(c) Considerations for Allocation of Funds for Program
Expansion.--Section 640(g) (42 U.S.C. 9835(g)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``(g)'' and inserting ``(g)(1)''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
``(2) For the purpose of expanding Head Start programs, in
allocating funds to an applicant within a State, from amounts
allotted to a State pursuant to subsection (a)(4), the
Secretary shall take into consideration--
``(A) the quality of the applicant's programs (including
Head Start and other child care or child development
programs) in existence on the date of the allocation,
including, in the case of Head Start programs in existence on
the date of the allocation, the extent to which such programs
meet or exceed performance standards and other requirements
under this subchapter;
``(B) the applicant's capacity to expand services
(including, in the case of Head Start programs in existence
on the date of the allocation, whether the applicant
accomplished any prior expansions in an effective and timely
manner);
``(C) the extent to which the applicant has undertaken
community-wide strategic planning and needs assessments
involving other community organizations serving children and
families;
``(D) the numbers of eligible children in each community
who are not participating in a Head Start program; and
``(E) the concentration of low-income families in each
community.
``(3) In determining the amount of funds reserved pursuant
to subparagraph (A) or (B) of subsection (a)(2) to be used
for expanding Head Start programs under this subchapter, the
Secretary shall take into consideration, to the extent
appropriate, the factors specified in paragraph (2).''.
(d) Technical Amendment.--Section 640(h) (42 U.S.C.
9835(h)) is amended by striking ``Each Head Start program
may'' and inserting ``Financial assistance provided under
this subchapter may be used by each Head Start program to''.
(e) Compensation.--Section 640 (42 U.S.C. 9835) is amended
by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(j) Any agency that receives financial assistance under
this subchapter to improve the compensation of staff who
provide services under this Act shall use the financial
assistance to improve the compensation of such staff,
regardless of whether the agency has the ability to improve
the compensation of staff employed by the agency who do not
provide Head Start services.''.
SEC. 106. REPORT.
Section 640A (42 U.S.C. 9835a) is repealed.
SEC. 107. DESIGNATION.
(a) Indian Reservations.--Section 641(b) (42 U.S.C.
9836(b)) is amended by inserting after ``Indian reservation''
the following: ``(including members of Indian tribes living
near the reservation)''.
(b) Designation of Agencies--Section 641(c) (42 U.S.C.
9836(c)) is amended--
(1) by striking paragraphs (2) through (4);
(2) in the first sentence--
(A) by inserting ``(subject to paragraph (2))'' before ``,
the Secretary shall give priority''; and
(B) by striking ``unless'' and all that follows through the
end of subparagraph (A) and inserting the following: ``unless
the Secretary makes a finding that the agency involved fails
to meet program, financial management, and other requirements
established by the Secretary.'';
(3) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as paragraph (2);
(4) in paragraph (2), as so redesignated--
(A) by striking ``except that, if'' and inserting ``If'';
and
(B) by striking ``subparagraph (A)'' and inserting
``paragraph (1)'';
(5) by striking ``Notwithstanding any other provision of
this paragraph'' and inserting the following:
``(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of this
subsection''; and
(6) by aligning the margins of paragraph (2) with the
margins of paragraph (3).
(c) Considerations in Designating New Head Start
Agencies.--Section 641(d) (42 U.S.C. 9836(d)) is amended--
(1) in the first sentence, by striking all that precedes
``then the Secretary'' and inserting ``If no entity in a
community is entitled to the priority specified in subsection
(c),'';
(2) by striking the second sentence;
(3) in the third sentence--
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking
``and subject to the preceding sentence''; and
(B) in paragraph (4), to read as follows:
``(4) the plan of such applicant--
``(A) to seek the involvement of parents of participating
children in activities designed to help such parents become
full partners in the education of their children;
``(B) to afford such parents the opportunity to participate
in the development, conduct, and overall performance of the
program at the local level;
``(C) to offer (directly or through referral to local
entities, such as entities carrying out Even Start programs
under part B of chapter 1 of title I of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 2741 et seq.)) to
such parents--
``(i) family literacy services; and
``(ii) parenting skills training;
``(D) at the option of such applicant, to offer (directly
or through referral to local entities) to such parents--
``(i) parental social self-sufficiency training;
``(ii) substance abuse counseling; or
``(iii) any other activity designed to help such parents
become full partners in the education of their children; and
``(E) to provide, with respect to each participating
family, a family needs assessment that includes consultation
with such parents about the benefits of parent involvement
and about the activities described in subparagraphs (C) and
(D) in which such parents may choose to become involved
(taking into consideration their specific family needs, work
schedules, and other responsibilities);'';
(4) in paragraph (7), by inserting ``and'' after the
semicolon;
(5) by striking paragraph (8); and
(6) by redesignating paragraph (9) as paragraph (8).
(d) Conforming Amendment.--Section 641 (42 U.S.C. 9836) is
amended--
(1) by striking subsection (f); and
(2) by redesignating subsection (g) as subsection (f).
SEC. 108. MONITORING AND QUALITY ASSURANCE.
The Act is amended by inserting after section 641 (42
U.S.C. 9836) the following new section:
``SEC. 641A. QUALITY STANDARDS; MONITORING OF HEAD START
AGENCIES AND PROGRAMS.
``(a) Quality Standards.--
``(1) Establishment of standards.--The Secretary shall
establish by regulation standards applicable to Head Start
agencies, programs, and projects under this subchapter,
including--
``(A) performance standards with respect to services
required to be provided, including health, education,
parental involvement, nutritional, social, and other
services;
``(B) administrative and financial management standards;
``(C) standards relating to the condition and location of
facilities for such agencies, programs, and projects; and
``(D) such other standards as the Secretary finds to be
appropriate.
``(2) Minimum requirements.--The regulations promulgated
under this subsection shall establish the minimum levels of
overall accomplishment that a Head Start agency shall achieve
in order to meet the standards specified in paragraph (1).
``(3) Considerations in developing standards.--In
developing the regulations required under paragraph (1), the
Secretary shall--
``(A) consult with experts in the fields of child
development, early childhood education, family services,
administration, and financial management, and with persons
with experience in the operation of Head Start programs;
``(B) take into consideration--
``(i) past experience with use of the standards in effect
under this subchapter on the date of enactment of this
section;
``(ii) changes over the period since the date of enactment
of this Act in the circumstances and problems typically
facing children and families served by Head Start agencies;
``(iii) developments concerning best practices with respect
to child development, children with disabilities, family
services, program administration, and financial management;
and
``(iv) projected needs of an expanding Head Start program;
and
``(C)(i) not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of this section, review and revise as necessary the
performance standards in effect under 651(b) on the day
before the date of enactment of this section; and
``(ii) ensure that any such revisions in the performance
standards will not result in the elimination of or any
reduction in the scope or types of health, education,
parental involvement, nutritional, social, or other services
required to be provided under such standards as in effect on
November 2, 1978.
``(4) Standards relating to obligations to delegate
agencies.--In developing standards under this subsection, the
Secretary shall describe the obligations of a Head Start
agency to an agency (referred to in this subchapter as the
`delegate agency') to which the Head Start agency has
delegated responsibility for providing services under this
subchapter and determine whether the Head Start agency
complies with the standards. The Secretary shall consider
such compliance during the review described in subsection
(c)(1)(A) and in determining whether to renew financial
assistance to the Head Start agency under this subchapter.
``(b) Performance Measures.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this section, the Secretary, in consultation
with representatives of Head Start agencies and with experts
in the fields of child development, family services, and
program management, shall develop methods and procedures for
measuring, annually and over longer periods, the quality and
effectiveness of programs operated by Head Start agencies
(referred to in this subchapter as `performance measures').
``(2) Design of measures.--The performance measures
developed under this subsection shall be designed--
``(A) to assess the various services provided by Head Start
programs and, to the extent the Secretary finds appropriate,
administrative and financial management practices of such
programs;
``(B) to be adaptable for use in self-assessment and peer
review of individual Head Start agencies and programs; and
``(C) for other program purposes as determined by the
Secretary.
``(3) Use of measures.--The Secretary shall use the
performance measures developed pursuant to this subsection--
``(A) to identify strengths and weaknesses in the operation
of Head Start programs nationally and by region; and
``(B) to identify problem areas that may require additional
training and technical assistance resources.
``(c) Monitoring of Local Agencies and Programs.--
``(1) In general.--In order to determine whether Head Start
agencies meet standards established under this subchapter
with respect to program, administrative, financial
management, and other requirements, the Secretary shall
conduct the following reviews of designated Head Start
agencies, and of the Head Start programs operated by such
agencies:
``(A) A full review of each such agency at least once
during each 3-year period.
``(B) A review of each newly designated agency immediately
after the completion of the first year such agency carries
out a Head Start program.
``(C) Followup reviews including prompt return visits to
agencies and programs that fail to meet the standards.
``(D) Other reviews as appropriate.
``(2) Conduct of reviews.--The Secretary shall ensure that
reviews described in subparagraphs (A) through (C) of
paragraph (1)--
``(A) are performed, to the maximum extent practicable, by
employees of the Department of Health and Human Services who
are knowledgeable about Head Start programs; and
``(B) are supervised by such an employee at the site of
such Head Start agency.
``(d) Corrective Action; Termination.--
``(1) Determination.--If the Secretary determines, on the
basis of a review pursuant to subsection (c), that a Head
Start agency designated pursuant to section 641 fails to meet
the standards described in subsection (c), the Secretary
shall--
``(A) inform the agency of the deficiencies that shall be
corrected;
``(B) with respect to each identified deficiency, require
the agency--
``(i) to correct the deficiency immediately; or
``(ii) at the discretion of the Secretary (taking into
consideration the seriousness of the deficiency and the time
reasonably required to correct the deficiency), to comply
with the requirements of paragraph (2) concerning a quality
improvement plan; and
``(C) initiate proceedings to terminate the designation of
the agency unless the agency corrects the deficiency.
``(2) Quality improvement plan.--
``(A) Agency responsibilities.--In order to retain a
designation as a Head Start agency under this subchapter, a
Head Start agency that is the subject of a determination
described in paragraph (1) (other than an agency able to
correct a deficiency immediately) shall--
``(i) develop in a timely manner, obtain the approval of
the Secretary regarding, and implement a quality improvement
plan that specifies--
``(I) the deficiencies to be corrected;
``(II) the actions to be taken to correct such
deficiencies; and
``(III) the timetable for accomplishment of the corrective
actions specified; and
``(ii) eliminate each deficiency identified, not later than
the date for elimination of such deficiency specified in such
plan (which shall not be later than 1 year after the date the
agency received notice of the determination and of the
specific deficiency to be corrected).
``(B) Secretarial responsibility.--Not later than 30 days
after receiving from a Head Start agency a proposed quality
improvement plan pursuant to subparagraph (A), the Secretary
shall either approve such proposed plan or specify the
reasons why the proposed plan cannot be approved.
``(3) Training and technical assistance.--The Secretary
shall provide training and technical assistance to Head Start
agencies with respect to the development or implementation of
such quality improvement plans to the extent the Secretary
finds such provision to be feasible and appropriate given
available funding and other statutory responsibilities.
``(e) Summaries of Monitoring Outcomes.--The Secretary
shall publish annually, following the end of each fiscal
year, a summary report on the findings of reviews conducted
under subsection (c), and on the outcomes of quality
improvement plans implemented under subsection (d), during
such fiscal year.''.
SEC. 109. TRANSITION COORDINATION WITH SCHOOLS AND PARENT
INVOLVEMENT.
Section 642 (42 U.S.C. 9837) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (4), to read as follows: ``(4) seek the
involvement of parents of participating children in
activities designed to help such parents become full partners
in the education of their children, and to afford such
parents the opportunity to participate in the development,
conduct, and overall performance of the program at the local
level;'';
(B) in paragraph (5), by inserting ``and'' after the
semicolon;
(C) by striking paragraph (6);
(D) by redesignating paragraphs (5) and (7) as paragraphs
(8) and (9), respectively; and
(E) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following new
paragraphs: ``(5) offer (directly or through referral to
local entities, such as entities carrying out Even Start
programs under part B of chapter 1 of title I of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
2741 et seq.)), to parents of participating children, family
literacy services and parenting skills training; (6) at the
option of such agency, offer (directly or through referral to
local entities), to such parents, parental social self-
sufficiency training, substance abuse counseling, or any
other activity designed to help such parents become full
partners in the education of their children; (7) provide,
with respect to each participating family, a family needs
assessment that includes consultation with such parents about
the benefits of parent involvement and about the activities
described in paragraphs (4) through (6) in which such parents
may choose to be involved (taking into consideration their
specific family needs, work schedules, and other
responsibilities);'';
(2) in subsection (c), by striking ``schools that will
subsequently serve children in Head Start programs,''; and
(3) by adding after subsection (c) the following new
subsection:
``(d)(1) Each Head Start agency shall carry out the actions
specified in this subsection, to the extent feasible and
appropriate in the circumstances (including the extent to
which such agency is able to secure the cooperation of
parents and schools) to enable children to maintain the
developmental gains achieved in Head Start programs and to
build upon such gains in further schooling.
``(2) The Head Start agency shall take steps to coordinate
with the local educational agency (as defined in section
1471(12) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 2891(12)) serving the community involved and
with schools in which children participating in a Head Start
program operated by such agency will enroll following such
program, including--
``(A) developing and implementing a systematic procedure
for transferring Head Start program records for each
participating child to the school in which such child will
enroll;
``(B) establishing channels of communication between Head
Start staff and their counterparts in the schools (including
teachers, social workers, and health staff) to facilitate
coordination of programs;
``(C) conducting meetings involving parents, kindergarten
or elementary school teachers, and Head Start program
teachers to discuss the developmental and other needs of
individual children; and
``(D) organizing and participating in joint transition-
related training of school staff and Head Start staff.
``(3) In order to promote the continued involvement of the
parents of children that participate in Head Start programs
in the education of their children upon transition to school,
the Head Start agency shall--
``(A) provide training to the parents--
``(i) to inform the parents about their rights and
responsibilities concerning the education of their children;
and
``(ii) to enable the parents to understand and work with
schools in order to communicate with teachers and other
school personnel, to support the school work of their
children, and to participate as appropriate in decisions
relating to the education of their children; and
``(B) take other actions, as appropriate and feasible, to
support the active involvement of the parents with schools,
school personnel, and school-related organizations.
``(4) The Secretary of Health and Human Services and the
Secretary of Education shall assess the results of the
activities funded under the Head Start Transition Project Act
(42 U.S.C. 9855 et seq.) and shall work together to provide
technical assistance to enable communities to implement
proposed practices emerging from the activities, to improve
the Head Start programs and programs of the schools.''.
SEC. 110. FACILITIES AND ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS.
Section 644 (42 U.S.C. 9839) is amended--
(1) in subsection (d), by striking ``guidelines,
instructions,'';
(2) in subsection (f)--
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``640(a)(3)(A)(v)'' and
inserting ``640(a)(3)(C)(v)''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(3) Upon a determination by the Secretary that suitable
facilities are not otherwise available to Indian tribes to
carry out Head Start programs, and that the lack of suitable
facilities will inhibit the operation of such programs, the
Secretary, in the discretion of the Secretary, may authorize
the use of financial assistance, from the amount reserved
under section 640(a)(2)(A), to make payments for the purchase
of facilities owned by such tribes. The amount of such a
payment for such a facility shall not exceed the fair market
value of the facility.''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new subsections:
``(g)(1) Upon a determination by the Secretary that
suitable facilities (including public school facilities) are
not otherwise available to Indian tribes, rural communities,
and other low-income communities to carry out Head Start
programs, that the lack of suitable facilities will inhibit
the operation of such programs, and that construction of such
facilities is more cost effective than purchase of available
facilities or renovation, the Secretary, in the discretion of
the Secretary, may authorize the use of financial assistance
under this subchapter to make payments for capital
expenditures related to facilities that will be used to carry
out such programs. The Secretary shall establish uniform
procedures for Head Start agencies to request approval for
such payments, and shall promote, the extent practicable, the
collocation of Head Start programs with other programs
serving low-income children and families.
``(2) Such payments may be used for capital expenditures
(including paying the cost of amortizing the principal, and
paying interest on, loans) such as expenditures for--
``(A) construction of facilities that are not in existence
on the date of the determination;
``(B) major renovation of facilities in existence on such
date; and
``(C) purchase of vehicles used for programs conducted at
the Head Start facilities.
``(3) All laborers and mechanics employed by contractors or
subcontractors in the construction or renovation of
facilities to be used to carry out Head Start programs shall
be paid wages at not less than those prevailing on similar
construction in the locality, as determined by the Secretary
of Labor in accordance with the Act of March 3, 1931, as
amended (40 U.S.C. 276a et seq., commonly known as the
`Davis-Bacon Act').
``(h) In all personnel actions of the American Indian
Programs Branch of the Head Start Bureau of the
Administration for Children and Families, the Secretary shall
give the same preference to individuals who are members of an
Indian tribe as the Secretary gives to a disabled veteran, as
defined in section 2108(3)(C) of title 5, United States Code.
The Secretary shall take such additional actions as may be
necessary to promote recruitment of such individuals for
employment in the Administration.''.
SEC. 111. PARTICIPATION.
Section 645 (42 U.S.C. 9840) is amended
(1) in subsection (c)--
(A) in the first sentence, by striking ``may provide'' and
all that follows and inserting ``shall be permitted to
provide more than 1 year of Head Start services to eligible
children in the State.''; and
(B) by striking the second sentence; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(d)(1) An Indian tribe that--
``(A) operates a Head Start program;
``(B) enrolls as participants in the program all children
in the community served by the tribe (including a community
with a near-reservation designation, as defined by the Bureau
of Indian Affairs) from families that meet the low-income
criteria prescribed under subsection (a)(1)(A); and
``(C) has the resources to enroll additional children in
the community who do not meet the low-income criteria;
may enroll such additional children in a Head Start program,
in accordance with this subsection, if the program
predominantly serves children who meet the low-income
criteria.
``(2) The Indian tribe shall enroll the children in the
Head Start program in accordance with such requirements as
the Secretary may specify by regulation promulgated after
consultation with Indian tribes.
``(3) In providing services through a Head Start program to
such children, the Indian tribe may not use funds that the
Secretary has determined, in accordance with section
640(g)(3), are to be used for expanding Head Start programs
under this subchapter.''.
SEC. 112. INITIATIVE ON FAMILIES WITH INFANTS AND TODDLERS.
(a) Establishment.--The Act is amended by adding after
section 645 (42 U.S.C. 9840) the following new section:
``SEC. 645A. PROGRAMS FOR FAMILIES WITH INFANTS AND TODDLERS.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall make grants, in
accordance with the provisions of this section for--
``(1) programs providing family-centered services for low-
income families with very young children designed to promote
the development of the children, and to enable their parents
to fulfill their roles as parents and to move toward self-
sufficiency; and
``(2) provision of training and technical assistance to
entities carrying out programs, and evaluation of programs,
that were supported under the Comprehensive Child Development
Act (42 U.S.C. 9881 et seq.), as in effect on the day before
the date of enactment of this section.
``(b) Scope and Design of Programs.--In carrying out a
program described in subsection (a), an entity receiving
assistance under this section shall--
``(1) provide, either directly or through referral, early,
continuous, intensive, and comprehensive child development
and family support services that will enhance the physical,
social, emotional, and intellectual development of
participating children;
``(2) ensure that the level of services provided to
families responds to their needs and circumstances;
``(3) promote positive parent-child interactions;
``(4) provide services to parents to support their role as
parents and to help the families move toward self-sufficiency
(including educational and employment services as
appropriate);
``(5) coordinate services with services provided by
programs in the State and programs in the community to ensure
a comprehensive array of services (such as health and mental
health services);
``(6) ensure formal linkages with local Head Start programs
in order to provide for continuity of services for children
and families;
``(7) in the case of a Head Start agency that operates a
program and that also provides Head Start services through
the age of mandatory school attendance, ensure that children
and families participating in the program receive such
services through such age; and
``(8) meet such other requirements concerning design and
operation of the program described in subsection (a) as the
Secretary may establish.
``(c) Persons Eligible To Participate.--Persons who may
participate in programs described in subsection (a)(1)
include--
``(1) pregnant women; and
``(2) families with children under age 3 (or under age 5,
in the case of children served by an entity specified in
subsection (e)(3));
who meet the income criteria specified for families in
section 645(a)(1).
``(d) Eligible Service Providers.--To be eligible to
receive assistance under this section, an entity shall submit
an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner,
and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
Entities that may apply to carry out activities under this
section include--
``(1) entities operating Head Start programs under this
subchapter;
``(2) entities that, on the day before the date of
enactment of this section, were operating--
``(A) Parent-Child Centers receiving financial assistance
under section 640(a)(4), as in effect on such date; or
``(B) programs receiving financial assistance under the
Comprehensive Child Development Act, as in effect on such
date; and
``(3) other public entities, and nonprofit private
entities, capable of providing child and family services that
meet the standards for participation in programs under this
subchapter and meet such other appropriate requirements
relating to the activities under this section as the
Secretary may establish.
``(e) Time-Limited Priority for Certain Entities.--
``(1) In general.--From amounts allotted pursuant to
paragraphs (2) and (4) of section 640(a), the Secretary shall
provide financial assistance in accordance with paragraphs
(2) through (4).
``(2) Parent-child centers.--The Secretary shall make
financial assistance available under this section for each of
fiscal years 1995, 1996, and 1997 to any entity that--
``(A) complies with subsection (b); and
``(B) received funding as a Parent-Child Center pursuant to
section 640(a)(4), as in effect on the day before the date of
enactment of this section, for fiscal year 1994.
``(3) Comprehensive child development centers.--
``(A) In the case of an entity that received a grant for
fiscal year 1994 to operate a project under the Comprehensive
Child Development Act, the Secretary--
``(i) shall make financial assistance available under this
section, in a comparable amount and scope to the assistance
provided for fiscal year 1994, for the duration of the
project period specified in the grant award to such entity
under such Act; and
``(ii) shall permit such entity, in carrying out activities
assisted under this section, to serve children from birth
through age 5.
``(B) In the case of an entity that received a grant for
fiscal year 1989 to operate a project under the Comprehensive
Child Development Act, the Secretary shall make assistance
available under this section for each of fiscal years 1995,
1996, and 1997 to any entity that complies with subsection
(b).
``(4) Evaluations, training, and technical assistance.--The
Secretary shall make financial assistance available under
this section as necessary to provide for the evaluation of,
and furnishing of training and technical assistance to,
programs specified in paragraph (3)(A).
``(f) Selection of Other Grant Recipients.--From the
balance remaining of the portion specified in section
640(a)(6), after making grants to the eligible entities
specified in subsection (e), the Secretary shall award grants
under this subsection on a competitive basis to applicants
meeting the criteria specified in subsection (d) (giving
priority to entities with a record of providing early,
continuous, and comprehensive childhood development and
family services).
``(g) Distribution.--In awarding grants to eligible
applicants under this section, the Secretary shall--
``(1) ensure an equitable national geographic distribution
of the grants; and
``(2) award grants to applicants proposing to serve
communities in rural areas and to applicants proposing to
serve communities in urban areas.
``(h) Secretarial Responsibilities.--
``(1) Guidelines.--Not later than September 30, 1994, the
Secretary shall develop program guidelines concerning the
content and operation of programs assisted under this
section--
``(A) in consultation with experts in early childhood
development, experts in health, and experts in family
services; and
``(B) taking into consideration the knowledge and
experience gained from other early childhood programs,
including programs under the Comprehensive Child Development
Act.
``(2) Standards.--Not later than December 30, 1994, the
Secretary shall develop and publish performance standards for
programs assisted under this section, and a grant
announcement based on the guidelines developed under
paragraph (1).
``(3) Monitoring, training, technical assistance, and
evaluation.--In order to ensure the successful operation of
programs assisted under this section, the Secretary shall use
funds from the balance described in subsection (f) to monitor
the operation of such programs, evaluate their effectiveness,
and provide training and technical assistance tailored to the
particular needs of such programs.''.
(b) Consolidation.--In recognition that the Comprehensive
Child Development Centers Act has demonstrated positive
results, and that its purposes and functions have been
consolidated into section 645A of the Head Start Act, the
Comprehensive Child Development Centers Act of 1988 (42
U.S.C. 9801 note) and the Comprehensive Child Development Act
(42 U.S.C. 9881 et seq.) are repealed.
SEC. 113. APPEALS, NOTICE, AND HEARING.
(a) Mediation and Hearing for Disputes With Delegate
Agencies.--Section 646(a) (42 U.S.C. 9841(a)) is amended--
(1) at the end of paragraph (2), by striking ``and'';
(2) at the end of paragraph (3), by striking the period and
inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(4) the Secretary shall develop and publish procedures
(including mediation procedures) to be used in order to--
``(A) resolve in a timely manner conflicts potentially
leading to adverse action between--
``(i) recipients of financial assistance under this
subchapter; and
``(ii) delegate agencies or Head Start Parent Policy
Councils; and
``(B) avoid the need for an administrative hearing.''.
(b) Termination of Designation Not Stayed Pending Appeal.--
Section 646 (42 U.S.C. 9841) is further amended by striking
subsection (b) and inserting the following new subsection:
``(b) In prescribing procedures for the mediation described
in subsection (a)(4), the Secretary shall specify--
``(1) the date by which a Head Start agency engaged in a
conflict described in subsection (a)(4) will notify the
appropriate regional office of the Department of the
conflict;
``(2) a reasonable period for the mediation;
``(3) a timeline for an administrative hearing, if
necessary, to resolve the conflict; and
``(4) a timeline by which the person conducting the
administrative hearing shall issue a decision based on the
hearing.
``(c) In any case in which a termination, reduction, or
suspension of financial assistance under this subchapter is
upheld in an administrative hearing under this section, such
termination, reduction, or suspension shall not be stayed
pending any judicial appeal of such administrative decision.
``(d)(1) The Secretary shall by regulation specify a
process by which an Indian tribe may identify and establish
an alternative agency, and request that the alternative
agency be designated under section 641 as the Head Start
agency providing services to the tribe, if--
``(A) the Secretary terminates financial assistance under
section 646 to the only agency that was receiving financial
assistance to provide Head Start services to the Indian
tribe; and
``(B) the tribe would otherwise be precluded from providing
such services to the members of the tribe.
``(2) The regulation required by this subsection shall
prohibit such designation of an alternative agency that
includes an employee who--
``(A) served on the administrative staff or program staff
of the agency described in paragraph (1)(A); and
``(B) was responsible for a deficiency that--
``(i) relates to the performance standards or financial
management standards described in section 641A(a)(1); and
``(ii) was the basis for the termination of financial
assistance described in paragraph (1)(A);
as determined by the Secretary after providing the notice and
opportunity described in subsection (a)(3).''.
SEC. 114. GOALS AND PRIORITIES FOR TRAINING AND TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE.
Section 648 (42 U.S.C. 9843) is amended--
(1) in the section heading to read as follows:
``technical assistance and training'';
(2) in subsection (a)(2), by striking ``Head Start
programs, including'' and inserting ``Head Start programs, in
accordance with the process, and the provisions for
allocating resources, set forth in subsections (b) and (c).
The Secretary shall provide, either directly or through
grants or other arrangements,'';
(3)(A) by redesignating the final sentence of subsection
(a), as amended by paragraph (2), as subsection (e);
(B) by transferring such subsection to the end of the
section; and
(C) by indenting such subsection and aligning the margins
of such subsection with the margins of subsection (d);
(4) by striking subsections (b) and (c); and
(5) by inserting after subsection (a) the following new
subsections:
``(b) The process for determining the technical assistance
and training activities to be carried out under this section
shall--
``(1) ensure that the needs of local Head Start agencies
and programs relating to improving program quality and to
program expansion are addressed to the maximum extent
feasible; and
``(2) incorporate mechanisms to ensure responsiveness to
local needs, including an ongoing procedure for obtaining
input from the individuals and agencies carrying out Head
Start programs.
``(c) In allocating resources for technical assistance and
training under this section, the Secretary shall--
``(1) give priority consideration to activities to correct
program and management deficiencies identified through
reviews pursuant to section 641A(c) (including the provision
of assistance to local programs in the development of quality
improvement plans under section 641A(d)(2));
``(2) address the training and career development needs of
classroom staff (including instruction for providing services
to children with disabilities) and nonclassroom staff,
including home visitors and other staff working directly with
families, including training relating to increasing parent
involvement and services designed to increase family literacy
and improve parenting skills;
``(3) assist Head Start agencies and programs in conducting
and participating in communitywide strategic planning and
needs assessment;
``(4) assist Head Start agencies and programs in the
development of sound management practices, including
financial management procedures; and
``(5) assist in efforts to secure and maintain adequate
facilities for Head Start programs.''.
SEC. 115. STAFF QUALIFICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT.
The Head Start Act is amended by inserting after section
648 (42 U.S.C. 9843) the following new section:
``SEC. 648A. STAFF QUALIFICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT.
``(a) Classroom Teachers.--
``(1) Degree requirements.--The Secretary shall ensure that
not later than September 30, 1996, each Head Start classroom
in a center-based program is assigned one teacher who has--
``(A) a child development associate (CDA) credential that
is appropriate to the age of the children being served in
center-based programs;
``(B) a State-awarded certificate for preschool teachers
that meets or exceeds the requirements for a child
development associate credential;
``(C) an associate, a baccalaureate, or an advanced degree
in early childhood education; or
``(D) a degree in a field related to early childhood
education with experience in teaching preschool children and
a State-awarded certificate to teach in a preschool program.
``(2) Waiver.--On request, the Secretary shall grant a 180-
day waiver of the requirements of paragraph (1) with respect
to an individual who--
``(A) is first employed after September 30, 1996, by a Head
Start agency as a teacher for a Head Start classroom;
``(B) is enrolled in a program that grants any credential,
certificate, or degree specified in subparagraph (A), (B),
(C), or (D) of paragraph (1); and
``(C) will receive such credential under the terms of such
program not later than 180 days after beginning employment as
a teacher with such agency.
``(3) Limitation.--The Secretary may not grant more than
one such waiver with respect to such individual.
``(b) Mentor Teachers.--
``(1) Definition; function.--For purposes of this
subsection, the term `mentor teacher' means an individual
responsible for observing and assessing the classroom
activities of a Head Start program and providing on-the-job
guidance and training to the Head Start program staff and
volunteers, in order to improve the qualifications and
training of classroom staff, to maintain high quality
education services, and to promote career development, in
Head Start programs.
``(2) Requirement.--In order to assist Head Start agencies
in establishing positions for mentor teachers, the Secretary
shall--
``(A) provide technical assistance and training to enable
Head Start agencies to establish such positions;
``(B) give priority consideration, in providing assistance
pursuant to subparagraph (A), to Head Start programs that
have substantial numbers of new classroom staff or that are
experiencing difficulty in meeting applicable education
standards; and
``(C) encourage Head Start programs to give priority
consideration for such positions to Head Start teachers at
the appropriate level of career advancement in such programs.
``(c) Family Service Workers.--In order to improve the
quality and effectiveness of staff providing in-home and
other services (including needs assessment, development of
service plans, family advocacy, and coordination of service
delivery) to families of children participating in Head Start
programs, the Secretary, in coordination with concerned
public and private agencies and organizations examining the
issues of standards and training for family service workers,
shall--
``(1) review and, as necessary, revise or develop new
qualification standards for Head Start staff providing such
services;
``(2) promote the development of model curricula (on
subjects including parenting training and family literacy)
designed to ensure the attainment of appropriate competencies
by individuals working or planning to work in the field of
early childhood and family services; and
``(3) promote the establishment of a credential that
indicates attainment of the competencies and that is accepted
nationwide.
``(d) Head Start Fellowships.--
``(1) Authority.--The Secretary may establish a program of
fellowships, to be known as `Head Start Fellowships', in
accordance with this subsection. The Secretary may award the
fellowships to individuals, to be known as `Head Start
Fellows', who are staff in local Head Start programs or other
individuals working in the field of child development and
family services.
``(2) Purpose.--The fellowship program established under
this subsection shall be designed to enhance the ability of
Head Start Fellows to make significant contributions to
programs authorized under this subchapter, by providing
opportunities to expand their knowledge and experience
through exposure to activities, issues, resources, and new
approaches, in the field of child development and family
services.
``(3) Assignments of fellows.--
``(A) Placement sites.--Fellowship positions under the
fellowship program may be located (subject to subparagraphs
(B) and (C))--
``(i) in agencies of the Department of Health and Human
Services administering programs authorized under this
subchapter (in national or regional offices of such
agencies);
``(ii) in local Head Start agencies and programs;
``(iii) in institutions of higher education;
``(iv) in public or private entities and organizations
concerned with services to children and families; and
``(v) in other appropriate settings.
``(B) Limitation for fellows other than head start
employees.--A Head Start Fellow who is not an employee of a
local Head Start agency or program may be placed only in a
fellowship position located in an agency or program specified
in clause (i) or (ii) of subparagraph (A).
``(C) No placement in lobbying organizations.--Head Start
Fellowship positions may not be located in any agency whose
primary purpose, or one of whose major purposes, is to
influence Federal, State, or local legislation.
``(4) Selection of fellows.--Head Start Fellowships shall
be awarded on a competitive basis to individuals (other than
Federal employees) selected from among applicants who are
working, on the date of application, in local Head Start
programs or otherwise working in the field of child
development and children and family services.
``(5) Duration.--Head Start Fellowships shall be for terms
of 1 year, and may be renewed for a term of 1 additional
year.
``(6) Authorized expenditures.--From amounts appropriated
under this subchapter and allotted under section
640(a)(2)(D), the Secretary is authorized to make
expenditures of not to exceed $1,000,000 for any fiscal year,
for stipends and other reasonable expenses of the fellowship
program.
``(7) Status of fellows.--Except as otherwise provided in
this paragraph, Head Start Fellows shall not be considered to
be employees or otherwise in the service or employment of the
Federal Government. Head Start Fellows shall be considered to
be employees for purposes of compensation for injuries under
chapter 81 of title 5, United States Code. Head Start Fellows
assigned to positions located in agencies specified in
paragraph (3)(A)(i) shall be considered employees in the
executive branch of the Federal Government for the purposes
of chapter 11 of title 18, United States Code, and for
purposes of any administrative standards of conduct
applicable to the employees of the agency to which they are
assigned.
``(8) Regulations.--The Secretary shall promulgate
regulations to carry out this subsection.
``(e) Model Staffing Plans.--Not later than 1 year after
the date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary, in
consultation with appropriate public agencies, private
agencies, and organizations and with individuals with
expertise in the field of children and family services, shall
develop model staffing plans to provide guidance to local
Head Start agencies and programs on the numbers, types,
responsibilities, and qualifications of staff required to
operate a Head Start program.''.
SEC. 116. RESEARCH, DEMONSTRATIONS, EVALUATION.
Section 649 (42 U.S.C. 9844) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 649. RESEARCH, DEMONSTRATIONS, AND EVALUATION.
``(a) In General.--
``(1) Requirement; general purposes.--The Secretary shall
carry out a continuing program of research, demonstration,
and evaluation activities, in order to--
``(A) foster continuous improvement in the quality of the
Head Start programs under this subchapter and in their
effectiveness in enabling participating children and their
families to succeed in school and otherwise; and
``(B) use the Head Start programs to develop, test, and
disseminate new ideas and approaches for addressing the needs
of low-income preschool children (including children with
disabilities) and their families and communities, and
otherwise to further the purposes of this subchapter.
``(2) Plan.--The Secretary shall develop, and periodically
update, a plan governing the research, demonstration, and
evaluation activities under this section.
``(b) Conduct of Research, Demonstration, and Evaluation
Activities.--The Secretary, in order to conduct research,
demonstration, and evaluation activities under this section--
``(1) may carry out such activities directly, or through
grants to, or contracts or cooperative agreements with,
public or private entities;
``(2) shall, to the extent appropriate, undertake such
activities in collaboration with other Federal agencies, and
with non-Federal agencies, conducting similar activities;
``(3) shall ensure that evaluation of activities in a
specific program or project is conducted by persons not
directly involved in the operation of such program or
project;
``(4) may require Head Start agencies to provide for
independent evaluations;
``(5) may approve, in appropriate cases, community-based
cooperative research and evaluation efforts to enable Head
Start programs to collaborate with qualified researchers not
directly involved in program administration or operation; and
``(6) may collaborate with organizations with expertise in
inclusive educational strategies for preschoolers with
disabilities.
``(c) Consultation and Collaboration.--In carrying out
activities under this section, the Secretary shall--
``(1) consult with--
``(A) individuals from relevant academic disciplines;
``(B) individuals who are involved in the operation of Head
Start programs and individuals who are involved in the
operation of other child and family service programs; and
``(C) individuals from other Federal agencies, and
individuals from organizations, involved with children and
families, ensuring that the individuals described in this
subparagraph reflect the multicultural nature of the children
and families served by the Head Start programs and the
multidisciplinary nature of the Head Start programs;
``(2) whenever feasible and appropriate, obtain the views
of persons participating in and served by programs and
projects assisted under this subchapter with respect to
activities under this section; and
``(3) establish, to the extent appropriate, working
relationships with the faculties of institutions of higher
education, as defined in section 1201(a) of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1141(a)), located in the
area in which any evaluation under this section is being
conducted, unless there is no such institution of higher
education willing and able to participate in such evaluation.
``(d) Specific Objectives.--The research, demonstration,
and evaluation activities under this subchapter shall include
components designed to--
``(1) permit ongoing assessment of the quality and
effectiveness of the programs under this subchapter;
``(2) contribute to developing knowledge concerning factors
associated with the quality and effectiveness of Head Start
programs and in identifying ways in which services provided
under this subchapter may be improved;
``(3) assist in developing knowledge concerning the factors
that promote or inhibit healthy development and effective
functioning of children and their families both during and
following participation in a Head Start program;
``(4) permit comparisons of children and families
participating in Head Start programs with children and
families receiving other child care, early childhood
education, or child development services and with other
appropriate control groups;
``(5) contribute to understanding the characteristics and
needs of population groups eligible for services provided
under this subchapter and the impact of such services on the
individuals served and the communities in which such services
are provided;
``(6) provide for disseminating and promoting the use of
the findings from such research, demonstration, and
evaluation activities; and
``(7) promote exploration of areas in which knowledge is
insufficient, and that will otherwise contribute to
fulfilling the purposes of this subchapter.
``(e) Longitudinal Studies.--In developing priorities for
research, demonstration, and evaluation activities under this
section, the Secretary shall give special consideration to
longitudinal studies that--
``(1) examine the developmental progress of children and
their families both during and following participation in a
Head Start program, including the examination of factors that
contribute to or detract from such progress;
``(2) examine factors related to improving the quality of
the Head Start programs and the preparation the programs
provide for children and their families to function
effectively in schools and other settings in the years
following participation in such a program; and
``(3) as appropriate, permit comparison of children and
families participating in Head Start programs with children
and families receiving other child care, early childhood
education, or child development services, and with other
appropriate control groups.
``(f) Ownership of Results.--The Secretary shall take
necessary steps to ensure that all studies, reports,
proposals, and data produced or developed with Federal funds
under this subchapter shall become the property of the United
States.''.
SEC. 117. ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVALUATIONS.
Section 650 (42 U.S.C. 9845) is repealed.
SEC. 118. REPORTS.
(a) In General.--Section 651 (42 U.S.C. 9846) is amended--
(1) by striking the section heading and all that follows
through subsection (f) and inserting:
``SEC. 651. REPORTS.'';
(2) by striking ``(g)'';
(3) in paragraph (10), by striking ``evaluations conducted
under section 641(c)(2)'' and inserting ``monitoring
conducted under section 641A(c)''; and
(4)(A) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (11);
(B) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (12) and
inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding after paragraph (12) the following new
paragraph:
``(13) a summary of information concerning the research,
demonstration, and evaluation activities conducted under
section 649, including--
``(A) a status report on ongoing activities; and
``(B) results, conclusions, and recommendations, not
included in any previous report, based on completed
activities.''.
(b) Redesignation.--Section 651 is redesignated as section
650.
SEC. 119. REPEALS.
Sections 651A and 652 (42 U.S.C. 9846a and 9847) are
repealed.
SEC. 120. STUDY OF BENEFITS FOR HEAD START EMPLOYEES.
(a) Study.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services
shall conduct a study regarding the benefits available to
individuals employed by Head Start agencies under the Head
Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.).
(b) Report.--
(1) Preparation.--The Secretary shall prepare a report,
containing the results of the study, that--
(A) describes the benefits, including health care benefits,
family and medical leave, and retirement pension benefits,
available to such individuals;
(B) includes recommendations for increasing the access of
the individuals to benefits, including access to a retirement
pension program; and
(C) addresses the feasibility of participation by such
individuals in the Federal Employees' Retirement System under
chapter 84 of title 5, United States Code.
(2) Submission.--The Secretary shall submit the report to
the appropriate committees of Congress.
SEC. 121. AUTOMATIC ELIGIBILITY OF HEAD START PARTICIPANTS.
The National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) is
amended--
(1) in section 9(b)(6) (42 U.S.C. 1758(b)(6))--
(A) in subparagraph (A)--
(i) in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking ``a
member of'';
(ii) in clause (i)--
(I) by inserting ``a member of'' after ``(i)''; and
(II) by striking ``or'' at the end of the clause;
(iii) in clause (ii)--
(I) by inserting ``a member of'' after ``(ii)''; and
(II) by striking the period at the end of the clause and
inserting ``; or''; and
(iv) by adding at the end the following new clause:
``(iii) enrolled as a participant in a Head Start program
authorized under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.),
on the basis of a determination that the child is a member of
a family that meets the low-income criteria prescribed under
section 645(a)(1)(A) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C.
9840(a)(1)(A)).''; and
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``food stamps or aid
to families with dependent children'' and inserting ``food
stamps, aid to families with dependent children, or
enrollment or participation in the Head Start program on the
basis described in subparagraph (A)(iii)''; and
(2) in section 17(c) (42 U.S.C. 1766(c)), by adding at the
end the following new paragraph:
``(5) A child shall be considered automatically eligible
for benefits under this section without further application
or eligibility determination, if the child is enrolled as a
participant in a Head Start program authorized under the Head
Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.), on the basis of a
determination that the child is a member of a family that
meets the low-income criteria prescribed under section
645(a)(1)(A) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C.
9840(a)(1)(A)).''.
SEC. 122. READY TO LEARN PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION.
(a) Eligible Entities.--Section 4702(b)(1) of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
3161a(b)(1)) is amended by striking ``, nongovernmental
entity'' and inserting ``entity (including public
telecommunications entities)''.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 4706(a) of
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
3161e(a)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``$25,000,000 for fiscal year 1993'' and
inserting ``$30,000,000 for fiscal year 1995''; and
(2) by striking ``for fiscal year 1994.'' and inserting
``for each of fiscal years 1996 and 1997.''.
SEC. 123. STATE DEPENDENT CARE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS.
Section 670A of the State Dependent Care Development Grants
Act (42 U.S.C. 9871) is amended by striking ``are authorized
to be appropriated'' and all that follows and inserting ``is
authorized to be appropriated $13,000,000 for fiscal year
1995.''.
SEC. 124. REAUTHORIZATION OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE
SCHOLARSHIP ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1985.
Section 606 of the Child Development Associate Scholarship
Assistance Act of 1985 (42 U.S.C. 10905) is amended by
striking ``$1,500,000'' and all that follows and inserting
``to carry out this title such sums as may be necessary for
fiscal year 1995.''.
SEC. 125. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.
(a) Head Start Transition Project Act.--Section 133(a) of
the Head Start Transition Project Act is amended by striking
``639(c)'' and inserting ``639(b)''.
(b) Social Security Act.--Section 1924(d)(3)(A)(i) of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396r-5(d)(3)(A)(i)) is
amended by striking ``sections 652 and 673(2)'' and inserting
``section 673(2)''.
SEC. 126. EFFECTIVE DATE AND APPLICATION.
(a) Effective Date.--This title, and the amendments made by
this title, shall take effect on the date of enactment of
this title.
(b) Application.--The requirements of this title and the
amendments made by this title shall not apply to Head Start
agencies and other recipients of financial assistance under
the Head Start Act until October 1, 1994.
TITLE II--COMMUNITY SERVICES BLOCK GRANT AMENDMENTS
SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE AND REFERENCES.
(a) Short Title.--This title may be cited as the
``Community Services Block Grant Amendments of 1994''.
(b) References.--Except as otherwise expressly provided,
whenever in this title an amendment or repeal is expressed in
terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other
provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a
section or other provision of the Community Services Block
Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9901 et seq.).
SEC. 202. AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) Authorization of Appropriation and Repeal.--
(1) Authorization of appropriations.--Subsection (b) of
section 672 (42 U.S.C. 9901(b)) is amended to read as
follows:
``(b) There are authorized to be appropriated $525,000,000
for fiscal year 1995, and such sums as may be necessary for
each of fiscal years 1996 through 1998, to carry out the
provisions of this subtitle.''.
(2) Repeal.--Section 408 of the Human Services
Reauthorization Act of 1986 (42 U.S.C. 9910b) is repealed.
(b) State Allocations.--Section 674 (42 U.S.C. 9903) is
amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (a), (b) and (c) as
subsections (b), (c) and (d), respectively; and
(2) by inserting before subsection (b) (as so
redesignated), the following new subsection:
``(a) Of the amounts appropriated for a fiscal year
pursuant to section 672(b), the Secretary may reserve not
less than one-half of 1 percent and not more than 1 percent
for training, technical assistance, planning, and evaluation
activities related to programs or projects carried out under
this Act. Such activities may be carried out by the Secretary
directly or through grants, contracts, or cooperative
agreements.''.
(c) Applications and Requirements.--
(1) Form and assurances.--Section 675(a) (42 U.S.C.
9904(a)) is amended by inserting ``or significant amendments
thereof'' before ``shall contain assurances''.
(2) Use of funds.--Section 675(c)(1) (42 U.S.C. 9904(c)(1))
is amended by striking ``use the funds available under this
Act'' and inserting ``ensure that, at its discretion and
consistent with agreements with the State, each recipient of
funds available under this Act will use such funds''.
(3) Assured activities.--Section 675(c)(1)(B) (42 U.S.C.
9904(c)(1)(B)) is amended by inserting ``homeless individuals
and families, migrants, and'' before ``the elderly poor''.
(4) State responsibilities.--Section 675(c)(2)(B) (42
U.S.C. 9904(c)(2)(B)) is amended to read as follows:
``(B) if less than 100 percent of the allotment is expended
under subparagraph (A), provide assurances that with respect
to the remainder of the allotment a reasonable amount shall
be used for--
``(i) providing training and technical assistance to those
entities in need of such assistance and such activities will
not be considered administrative expenses;
``(ii) coordinating State-operated programs and services
targeted to low-income children and families with services
provided by eligible entities funded under this Act,
including outposting appropriate State or local public
employees into entities funded under this Act to ensure
increased access to services provided by such State or local
agencies;
``(iii) supporting statewide coordination and communication
among eligible entities;
``(iv) administrative expenses at the State level,
including monitoring activities, but not more than $55,000 or
5 percent of its allotment under section 674; and
``(v) considering the distribution of funds under this Act
within the State to determine if such funds have been
targeted to the areas of highest need.''.
(5) Tripartite board.--Section 675(c)(3) (42 U.S.C.
9904(c)(3)) is amended--
(A) by inserting ``selected by the community action agency
or nonprofit private organization and'' after ``board will
be'';
(B) by redesignating subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) as
clauses (i), (ii), and (iii), respectively;
(C) by striking the comma after ``provide assurances that''
and inserting ``(A)''; and
(D) by inserting before the semicolon at the end thereof
``, and (B) in the case of a public organization receiving
funds under this subtitle, such organization either
establish--
``(i) a board of which at least one-third of the members
are persons chosen in accordance with democratic selection
procedures adequate to assure that they are representative of
the poor in the area served; or
``(ii) another mechanism specified by the State to assure
low-income citizen participation in the planning,
administration, and evaluation of projects for which such
organization has been funded;''.
(6) Regulations.--The next to last sentence of section
675(c) (42 U.S.C. 9904(c)) is amended by striking ``may not''
and inserting ``shall by regulation''.
(d) Community Action Agency Plan.--Section 675(c) (42
U.S.C. 9904(c)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (11)--
(A) by redesignating clauses (i) through (iii) of
subparagraph (A) as items (aa) through (cc), respectively;
(B) by realigning the margin of the sentence beginning with
``For purposes of'' so as to align with subparagraph (A) of
paragraph (1);
(C) by striking ``For purposes of'' and inserting ``(A) For
purposes of'';
(D) by striking ``(A) a statewide'' and inserting ``(i)(I)
a statewide'';
(E) by striking ``(B) the failure'' and inserting ``(ii)
the failure'';
(F) by inserting immediately before paragraph (12) the
following:
``(B) for purposes of making a determination with respect
to a termination, the term `cause' includes the material
failure of an eligible entity to comply with the terms of its
agreement and community action plan to provide services under
this subtitle;''.
(2) in paragraph (12) by striking the period and inserting
a semicolon; and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (12) the following new
paragraphs:
``(13) secure from each eligible entity as a condition to
its receipt of funding under this Act a community action plan
(which shall be available to the Secretary for inspection)
that includes--
``(A) a community needs assessment (including food needs);
``(B) a description of the service delivery system targeted
to low-income individuals and families in the service area;
``(C) a description of how linkages will be developed to
fill identified gaps in services through information,
referral, case management, and followup consultations;
``(D) a description of how funding under this Act will be
coordinated with other public and private resources; and
``(E) a description of outcome measures to be used to
monitor success in promoting self-sufficiency, family
stability, and community revitalization; and
``(14) provide assurances that cost and accounting
standards of the Office of Management and Budget shall apply
to a recipient of funds under this Act.''.
(e) Public Inspections of Plans.--Section 675(d)(2) (42
U.S.C. 9904(d)(2)) is amended by inserting ``or revision''
after ``Each plan''.
(f) Audits.--The last sentence of section 675(f) (42 U.S.C.
9904(f)) is amended by inserting before ``to the
legislature'' the following: ``to the eligible entity at no
charge,''.
SEC. 203. DISCRETIONARY AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY.
(a) Training and Activities.--Section 681(a) (42 U.S.C.
9910(a)) is amended--
(1) in the matter preceeding paragraph (1), by striking
``to provide for--'' and inserting ``to provide for'';
(2) by striking paragraphs (1) and (3);
(3) in paragraph (2)--
(A) by striking ``(2) ongoing'' and inserting ``ongoing'';
(B) by striking ``including special emphasis programs for''
and inserting ``with special emphasis on''; and
(C) by striking subparagraphs (A) through (F); and
(4) by inserting the following new paragraphs:
``(1) a Community Initiative Program, awarded on a
competitive basis, to fund private, nonprofit community
development corporations for the purposes of planning and
carrying out community and economic development activities in
economically distressed areas and in rural areas, as
described in subsection (c);
``(2) grants to eligible entities for the development and
implementation of innovative approaches to deal with critical
needs or problems of low-income individuals that are common
to a number of communities, including grants to provide
opportunities for leadership development, community
involvement and education success to disadvantaged persons
between the ages of 14 and 25; and
``(3) grants to support the design, development, and
widespread availability of interactive information technology
among the nationwide network of Community Service Block Grant
eligible entities, State administrators, national
associations and organizations, and program recipients to
promote electronic communication and access to program
information that would enhance the effective delivery of
social services.''.
(b) Community Initiative Program.--Subsection (b) of
section 681 (42 U.S.C. 9910) is amended to read as follows:
``(b) Community Initiative Program.--
``(1) In general.--
``(A) Economic development activities.--Economic
development activities under this section shall be designed
to address the economic needs of low-income individuals and
families by creating employment and business development
opportunities.
``(B) Consultation.--The Secretary shall exercise the
authority provided under subparagraph (A) in consultation
with other relevant Federal officials.
``(C) Governing boards.--Each community development
corporation receiving funds under this section shall be
governed by a board that shall consist of residents of the
community and business and civic leaders and shall have as a
principal purpose planning, developing or managing low-income
housing and community development projects.
``(D) Geographic distribution.--In providing assistance or
entering into other arrangements under this section, the
Secretary shall take into consideration the geographic
distribution of funds among States and the relative
proportion of funding among rural and urban areas.
``(E) Reservation.--Of the amounts made available to carry
out this section, the Secretary may reserve not to exceed 1
percent for each fiscal year to make grants to private
nonprofit organizations or to enter into contracts with
private nonprofit or for profit organizations to provide
technical assistance to aid community development
corporations in developing or implementing projects funded
under this section and to evaluate projects funded under this
section.
``(2) Rural community development activities.--Rural
community development activities under this section shall
include--
``(A) grants to private, nonprofit corporations that
provide assistance to rural low-income families in home
repair and in planning and developing low-income rural rental
housing units; and
``(B) grants to multistate, regional private, nonprofit
organizations that provide training and technical assistance
to small, rural communities in meeting their community
facility needs.''.
SEC. 204. COMMUNITY FOOD AND NUTRITION.
Subsection (d) of section 681A (42 U.S.C. 9910a(d)) is
amended to read as follows:
``(d) There are authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000
for fiscal year 1995, and such sums as may be necessary for
each of fiscal years 1996 through 1998, to carry out this
section.''.
SEC. 205. EFFECTIVE DATE.
This title, and the amendments made by this title, shall
take effect on October 1, 1994.
TITLE III--LOW-INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE AMENDMENTS
SECTION 301. SHORT TITLE AND REFERENCES.
(a) Short Title.--This title may be cited as the ``Low-
Income Home Energy Assistance Amendments of 1994''.
(b) References.--Except as otherwise expressly provided,
whenever in this title an amendment or repeal is expressed in
terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other
provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a
section or other provision of the Low-Income Home Energy
Assistance Act of 1981 (42 U.S.C. 8621 et seq.).
SEC. 302. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE.
Subsection (a) of section 2602 (42 U.S.C. 8621(a)) is
amended to read as follows:
``(a) The Secretary is authorized to make grants, in
accordance with the provisions of this title, to States to
assist low-income households, particularly those that pay a
high proportion of household income for home energy,
primarily in meeting their immediate home energy needs and,
where appropriate, to reduce the energy needs and costs of
such households and thereby improve their capacity to meet
such needs in the future.''.
SEC. 303. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) Amounts Authorized.--Section 2602 (42 U.S.C. 8621) is
amended--
(1) in subsection (b), by striking ``this title'' and all
that follows through the end of the first sentence and
inserting ``this title, $2,000,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 1995 through 1999.''; and
(2) in the last sentence of subsection (c)--
(A) by striking ``July 1'' and inserting ``October 1''; and
(B) by striking ``for which'' and inserting ``following the
year in which''.
(b) Incentive Program for Leveraging Non-Federal Sources.--
Subsection (d) of section 2602 (42 U.S.C. 8621(d)) is amended
to read as follows:
``(d) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out
section 2607A, $50,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1995
and 1996, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the
fiscal years 1997 through 1999.''.
SEC. 304. EMERGENCY FUNDS.
(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 2602 (42
U.S.C. 8621) as amended by section 3, is further amended by
adding at the end thereof the following new subsection:
``(d) There are authorized to be appropriated in any fiscal
year for payments under this title, in addition to amounts
appropriated for distribution to all the States in accordance
with section 2604 (other than subsection (g)), $600,000,000
for each of the fiscal years 1995 through 1999, to meet the
additional home energy assistance needs of one or more States
arising from a natural disaster or other emergency. Funds
appropriated pursuant to this subsection are hereby
designated to be emergency requirements pursuant to section
251(b)(2)(D) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985, except that such funds shall be made
available only after the submission to Congress of a formal
budget request by the President (for all or a part of the
appropriation pursuant to this subsection) that includes a
designation of the amount requested as an emergency
requirement as defined in such Act.''.
(b) Home Energy.--Section 2603 (42 U.S.C. 8622(3)) is
amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (4), (5),
(6), and (7) as paragraphs (2), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), and
(9), respectively;
(2) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as so redesignated),
the following new paragraph:
``(1) The term `energy burden' means the expenditures of
the household for home energy divided by the income of the
household.''; and
(3) by inserting before paragraph (4) (as so redesignated),
the following new paragraph:
``(3) The term `highest home energy needs' means the home
energy requirements of households that include members of
vulnerable populations, including very young children and the
frail elderly.''
(c) Allotment of Emergency Funds.--Section 2604 (42 U.S.C.
8623) is amended by adding at the end thereof the following
new subsection:
``(g) Notwithstanding subsections (a) through (f), the
Secretary may allot amounts appropriated pursuant to section
2602(d) to one or more than one State. In determining to
which State or States additional funds may be allotted, the
Secretary shall take into account the extent to which a State
was affected by the emergency or disaster, the availability
to an affected State of other resources under this or any
other program, and such other factors as the Secretary
determines relevant.''.
SEC. 305. AUTHORIZED USES OF FUNDS.
(a) In General.--Paragraph (1) of section 2605(b) (42
U.S.C. 8624(b)(1)) is amended to read as follows:
``(1) use the funds available under this title to--
``(A) conduct outreach activities and provide assistance to
low income households in meeting their home energy costs,
particularly those that pay a high proportion of household
income for home energy, consistent with paragraph (5);
``(B) intervene in energy crisis situations;
``(C) provide low-cost residential weatherization and other
cost-effective energy-related home repair; and
``(D) plan, develop, and administer the State's program
under this title including leveraging programs,
and the State agrees not to use such funds for any purposes
other than those specified in this title;''.
(b) Encouraged Reduced Home Energy Needs.--Section 2605(b)
(42 U.S.C. 8624(b)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (9)(B), by inserting before the semicolon
the following: ``(except for the costs of the activities
described in paragraph (16))'';
(2) in paragraph (15), by striking the period and inserting
``; and''; and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (15) the following new
paragraph:
``(16) subject the use of such funds to the requirements of
paragraph (9)(A) if it uses such funds to provide services
that encourage and enable households to reduce their home
energy needs and thereby the need for energy assistance,
including needs assessments, counseling, and assistance with
energy vendors.''.
SEC. 306. TARGETING OF ASSISTANCE TO HOUSEHOLDS WITH HIGH
HOME ENERGY BURDENS.
(a) Household Income.--Section 2605(b)(2)(B) (42 U.S.C.
8624(b)(2)(B)) is amended by striking the matter following
clause (ii) and inserting the following:
``except that a State may not exclude a household from
eligibility in a fiscal year solely on the basis of household
income if such income is less than 110 percent of the poverty
level for such State, but the State may give priority to
those households with the highest home energy costs or needs
in relation to household income;''.
(b) Outreach Activities.--Section 2605(b)(3) (42 U.S.C.
8624(b)(3)) is amended by striking ``are made aware'' and
inserting ``and households with high home energy burdens, are
made aware''.
(c) Assistance Levels.--Section 2605(b)(5) (42 U.S.C.
8624(b)(5)) is amended by inserting ``or needs'' after
``highest energy costs''.
(d) State Plan.--Section 2605(c)(1) (42 U.S.C. 8624(c)(1))
is amended--
(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) and (F) as
subparagraphs (F) and (H), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the following new
subparagraph:
``(E) describes any steps that will be taken (in addition
to those necessary to carry out the assurance contained in
paragraph (5) of subsection (b)) to target assistance to
households with high home energy burdens;''.
SEC. 307. REMOVAL OF CONSTRAINT ON SECRETARIAL PROGRAM
GUIDANCE.
Section 2605(b) (42 U.S.C. 8624(b)) is amended by striking
the first flush sentence immediately following paragraph
(14).
SEC. 308. CLARIFICATION OF AUDIT REQUIREMENT.
Section 2605 (42 U.S.C. 8624) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)(10), by striking ``and provide that''
and all that follows and inserting ``and provide that the
State will comply with the provisions of chapter 75 of title
31, United States Code (commonly known as the `Single Audit
Act');''; and
(2) in subsection (e), by striking ``at least every two
years'' and all that follows and inserting ``in accordance
with chapter 75 of title 31, United States Code.''.
SEC. 309. USE OF DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY WEATHERIZATION RULES TO
ACHIEVE PROGRAM CONSISTENCY.
Section 2605(c)(1)(D) (42 U.S.C. 8624(c)(1)(D)) is amended
by inserting before the semicolon at the end thereof the
following: ``, including any steps the State will take to
address the weatherization and energy-related home repair
needs of households that have high home energy burdens, and
describes any rules promulgated by the Department of Energy
for administration of its Low Income Weatherization
Assistance Program which the State, to the extent permitted
by the Secretary to increase consistency between federally
assisted programs, will follow regarding the use of funds
provided under this title by the State for such
weatherization and energy-related home repairs and
improvements''.
SEC. 310. MATTERS TO BE DESCRIBED IN ANNUAL APPLICATION.
Section 2605(c)(1) (42 U.S.C. 8624(c)(1)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (F) (as so redesignated by section
306(d) of this Act)--
(A) by striking ``and (13)'' and inserting ``(13), and
(15)''; and
(B) by striking ``and'' at the end thereof; and
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (F) (as so redesignated
by section 306(d) of this Act), the following new
subparagraph:
``(G) states, with respect to the 12-month period specified
by the Secretary, the number and income levels of households
which apply and the number which are assisted with funds
provided under this title, and the number of households so
assisted with--
``(i) one or more members who has attained 60 years of age;
``(ii) one or more members who were disabled; and
``(iii) one or more young children; and''.
SEC. 311. REPORT OF FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR OBLIGATION.
Section 2607(a) (42 U.S.C. 8628(a)) is amended--
(1) by inserting ``(1)'' after the subsection designation;
and
(2) by adding at the end thereof the following new
paragraph:
``(2) Each State shall notify the Secretary, not later than
2 months prior to the close of a fiscal year, of the amount
(if any) of its allotment for such year that will not be
obligated in such year, and, if such State elects to submit a
request described in subsection (b)(2), such State shall
submit such request at the same time. The Secretary shall
make no payment under paragraph (1) to a State for a fiscal
year unless the State has complied with this paragraph with
respect to the prior fiscal year.''.
SEC. 312. MISCELLANEOUS AND TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.
(a) In General.--
(1) Treatment of households.--Section 2605(b)(7)(D) (42
U.S.C. 8624(b)(7)(D)) is amended to read as follows:
``(D) ensure that the provision of vendored payments
remains at the option of the State in consultation with local
grantees and may be contingent on vendors taking appropriate
measures to alleviate the energy burdens of eligible
households, including providing for compacts between
suppliers and individuals eligible for benefits under this
Act that seek to reduce home energy costs, minimize the risks
of home energy crisis, and encourage regular payments by
individuals receiving financial assistance for home energy
costs;''.
(2) Incentive program.--Section 2607A(e) (42 U.S.C.
8626a(e)) is amended by striking ``July 31, of each year''
and inserting ``2 months after the close of the fiscal year
during which the State provided leveraged resources to
eligible households, as described in subsection (b)''.
(3) Training and technical assistance.--Section 2609A(a) is
amended by striking ``$500,000'' and inserting ``$250,000''.
(b) Technical Amendments.--
(1) Section 2602(b) (42 U.S.C. 8621(b)) is amended--
(A) by inserting ``(other than section 2607A)'' after ``to
carry out the provisions of this title''; and
(B) by striking the second period at the end thereof.
(2) Section 2603(2) (42 U.S.C. 8622(2)) is amended--
(A) by striking ``the'' in paragraph (2) and inserting
``The''; and
(B) by striking the semicolon at the end thereof and
inserting a period.
(3) The sentence that immediately precedes paragraph (15)
of section 2605(b) (42 U.S.C. 8624(b)) is transferred so as
to appear as a flush sentence immediately after paragraph
(16).
(4) Section 2605(b)(3) (42 U.S.C. 8624(b)(3)) is amended by
striking ``handicapped'' and inserting ``disabled''.
(5) Section 2607A(c)(2) (42 U.S.C. 8626a(c)(2)) is amended
by striking ``.0008 percent'' and inserting ``0.08 percent''.
(6) Section 2610(a) (42 U.S.C. 8629(a)) is amended--
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking the semicolon after
``used'' and inserting a semicolon after ``title''; and
(B) in paragraph (5)--
(i) by striking ``handicapped'' and inserting ``disabled'';
and
(ii) by inserting before the semicolon at the end thereof
``or include young children''.
SEC. 313. EFFECTIVE DATE.
The amendments and repeals made by this title shall become
effective on October 1, 1994.
TITLE IV--COMMUNITY-BASED FAMILY RESOURCE PROGRAMS
SEC. 401. COMMUNITY-BASED FAMILY RESOURCE PROGRAMS.
(a) In General.--Section 933 of the Claude Pepper Young
Americans Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12339) is amended to read as
follows:
``SEC. 933. COMMUNITY-BASED FAMILY RESOURCE PROGRAMS.
``(a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this section to
promote a systemic approach to prevention through the
promotion of innovative funding mechanisms for networks of
comprehensive family resource services provided through
collaborative approaches, including public-private
partnerships.
``(b) Authority.--The Commissioner shall make grants to
States on a formula basis for the purpose of--
``(1) establishing and expanding statewide networks of
community-based family resource programs, including funds for
the initial costs of providing specific family resource
services, that ensure family involvement in the design and
operation of family resource programs which are responsive to
the unique and diverse strengths of children and families;
``(2) promoting child abuse and neglect prevention
activities;
``(3) promoting the establishment and operation of State
trust funds or other mechanisms for integrating child and
family services funding streams in order to provide flexible
funding for the development of community-based family
resource programs;
``(4) establishing or expanding community-based
collaboration to foster the development of a continuum of
preventive services for children and families, which are
family-centered and culturally-relevant; and
``(5) encouraging public and private partnerships in the
establishment and expansion of family resource programs.
``(c) Eligibility for Grants.--A State is eligible for a
grant under this section for any fiscal year if--
``(1) such State has established or maintained in the
previous fiscal year--
``(A) a trust fund, including appropriations for such fund;
or
``(B) any other mechanism that pools State, Federal, and
private funds for integrating child and family service
resources; and
``(2) such trust fund or other funding mechanism includes
(in whole or in part) provisions making funding available
specifically for a broad range of child abuse and neglect
prevention activities and family resource programs.
``(d) Amount of Grant.--
``(1) In general.--Amounts appropriated for a fiscal year
to provide grants under this section shall be allotted, among
eligible States in each fiscal year so that--
``(A) 50 percent of the total amount appropriated for such
fiscal year is allotted among each State based on the number
of children under the age of 18 residing in each State,
except that each State shall receive not less than $100,000;
and
``(B) the remaining 50 percent of the total amount
appropriated for such fiscal year is allotted in an amount
equal to 25 percent of the total amount allocated by each
such State to the State's trust fund or other mechanism for
integrating family resource services in the fiscal year prior
to the fiscal year for which the allotment is being
determined.
``(e) Existing Grants.--A State that has a grant in effect
on the date of enactment of this section under the Family
Resource and Support Program or the Temporary Child Care and
Crisis Nurseries Program shall continue to receive funds
under such Programs, subject to the original terms under
which such funds were granted, through the end of the
applicable grant cycle.
``(f) Application.--No grant may be made to any eligible
State under this section unless an application is prepared
and submitted to the Secretary at such time, in such manner,
and containing or accompanied by such information as the
Commissioner determines to be essential to carry out the
purposes and provisions of this section, including--
``(1) a description of the agency designated by the Chief
Executive Officer of the State to administer the funds
provided under this section and assume responsibility for
implementation and oversight of the family resource programs
and other child abuse and neglect prevention activities, and
an assurance that the agency so designated--
``(A) is the trust fund advisory board or an existing
quasi-public organization with interdisciplinary governance
that pools State, Federal, and private funds for family
resource programs or integrating child and family service
resources; or
``(B) with respect to a State without a trust fund
mechanism or quasi-public organization that meets the
requirements of subparagraph (A), is an existing State
agency, or other public, quasi-public, or nonprofit private
agency responsible for the development and implementation of
a statewide network of community-based family resource
programs;
``(2) assurances that the agency designated under paragraph
(1) can demonstrate the capacity to fulfill the purposes
described in subsection (a), and shall have--
``(A) a demonstrated ability to work with other State and
community-based agencies, to provide training and technical
assistance; and
``(B) a commitment to parental participation in the design
and implementation of family resource programs;
``(3) an assurance that the State has an interagency
process coordinated by the agency designated in paragraph (1)
for effective program development that--
``(A) does not duplicate existing processes for developing
collaborative efforts to better serve children and families;
``(B) provides a written plan for the establishment of a
network of family resource programs publicly available; and
``(C) involves appropriate personnel in the process,
including--
``(i) parents and prospective participants in family
resource programs, including respite care programs;
``(ii) staff of existing programs providing family resource
services, including staff of Head Start programs and
community action agencies that provide such services;
``(iii) representatives of State and local government such
as social service, health, mental health, education,
employment, economic development agencies, and organizations
providing community services activities;
``(iv) representatives of the business community;
``(v) representatives of general purpose local governments;
``(vi) representatives of groups with expertise in child
abuse prevention, including respite and crisis care;
``(vii) representatives of local communities in which
family resource programs are likely to be located; and
``(viii) other individuals with expertise in the services
that the family resource and support programs of the State
intend to offer;
``(4) a description of the current family resource programs
operating in the State, the current unmet need for the
services provided under such programs, including the need for
building increased capacity to provide specific family
resource services, including respite care, and the intended
scope of the State family resource program, the population to
be served, the manner in which the program will be operated,
and the manner in which such program will relate to other
community services and public agencies;
``(5) evidence that Federal assistance received under this
section--
``(A) has been supplemented with nonFederal public and
private assistance, including a description of the projected
level of financial commitment by the State to develop a
family resource program; and
``(B) will be used to supplement and not supplant other
State and local public funds expended for family resource
programs;
``(6) a description of the core services, as required by
this section, and other support services to be provided by
the program and the manner in which such services will be
provided, including the extent to which either family
resources, centers, home visiting, or community
collaboratives will be used;
``(7) a description of any public information activities
the agency designated in paragraph (1) will undertake for the
purpose of promoting family stability and preventing child
abuse and neglect, including child sexual abuse;
``(8) an assurance that the State will provide funds for
the initial startup costs associated with specific family
resource services, including respite services, and a
description of the services to be funded;
``(9) assurances that the State program will maintain
cultural diversity;
``(10) a description of the guidelines for requiring
parental involvement in State and local program development,
policy design, and governance and the process for assessing
and demonstrating that parental involvement in program
development, operation, and governance occurs;
``(11) a description of the State and community-based
interagency planning processes to be utilized to develop and
implement family resource programs;
``(12) a description of the criteria that the State will
utilize for awarding grants for local programs so that they
meet the requirements of subsection (g);
``(13) a plan for providing training, technical assistance,
and other assistance to local communities in program
development;
``(14) a description of the methods to be utilized to
evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the family
resource programs within the State;
``(15) a description of proposed actions by the State that
will reduce practical and regulatory barriers to the
provision of comprehensive services to families, including
family resource programs; and
``(16) an assurance that the State will provide the
Secretary with reports, at such time and containing such
information as the Secretary may require.
``(g) Local Program Requirements.--
``(1) In general.--A State that receives a grant under this
section shall use amounts received under such grant to
establish local family resource programs that--
``(A) undertake a community-based needs assessment and
program planning process which involves parents, and local
public and nonprofit agencies (including those responsible
for providing health, education, employment training, Head
Start and other early childhood, child welfare, and social
services);
``(B) develop a strategy to provide comprehensive services
to families to meet identified needs through collaboration,
including public-private partnerships;
``(C) identify appropriate community-based organizations to
administer such programs locally;
``(D) provide core services, and other services directly or
through contracts or agreements with other local agencies;
and
``(E) involve parents in the development, operation, and
governance of the program.
``(2) Priority.--In awarding local grants under this
section, a State shall give priority to programs serving low-
income communities and programs serving young parents or
parents with young children and shall ensure that such grants
are equitably distributed among urban and rural areas.
``(h) Definitions.--As used in this section:
``(1) Community referral services.--The term `community
referral services' means services to assist families in
obtaining community resources, including respite services,
health and mental health services, employability development
and job training and other social services.
``(2) Family resource program.--The term `family resource
program' means a program that offers community-based services
that provide sustained assistance to families at various
stages in their development. Such services shall promote
parental competencies and behaviors that will lead to the
healthy and positive personal development of parents and
children through--
``(A) the provisions of assistance to build family skills
and assist parents in improving their capacities to be
supportive and nurturing parents;
``(B) the provision of assistance to families to enable
such families to use other formal and informal resources and
opportunities for assistance that are available within the
communities of such families; and
``(C) the creation of supportive networks to enhance the
childbearing capacity of parents and assist in compensating
for the increased social isolation and vulnerability of
families.
``(3) Family resource services.--The term `family resource
services' means--
``(A) core services that must be provided directly by the
family resource program under this section, including--
``(i) education and support services provided to assist
parents in acquiring parenting skills, learning about child
development, and responding appropriately to the behavior of
their children;
``(ii) early developmental screening of children to assess
the needs of such children and to identify the types of
support to be provided;
``(iii) outreach services;
``(iv) community referral services; and
``(v) follow-up services; and
``(B) other services, which may be provided either directly
or through referral, including--
``(i) early care and education (such as child care and Head
Start);
``(ii) respite care;
``(iii) job readiness and counseling services (including
skill training);
``(iv) education and literacy services;
``(v) nutritional education;
``(vi) life management skills training;
``(vii) peer counseling and crisis intervention, and family
violence counseling services;
``(viii) referral for health (including prenatal care) and
mental health services; and
``(ix) substance abuse treatment.
``(4) Interdisciplinary governance.--The term
`interdisciplinary governance' includes governance by
representatives from communities and representatives from
existing health, mental health, education, employment and
training, child welfare, and other agencies within the
State.''.
``(5) Respite services.--The term `respite services' means
short-term care services provided in the temporary absence of
the regular caregiver (parent, other relative, foster parent,
adoptive parent, guardian) to children who meet one or more
of the following categories:
``(A) The children are in danger of abuse or neglect.
``(B) The children have experienced abuse or neglect.
``(C) The children have disabilities, or chronic or
terminal illnesses.
Services provided within or outside the child's home shall be
short-term care, ranging from a few hours to a few weeks of
time, per year, and be intended to enable the family to stay
together and to keep the child living in the child's home and
community.''.
(b) Definition.--Section 926(7) of such Act (42 U.S.C.
12332(7)) is amended by inserting ``, and other caretakers''
after ``parents''.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 934 of such
Act (42 U.S.C. 12340) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1) of subsection (a), to read as follows:
``(1) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out
section 931 such sums as may be necessary for each of the
fiscal years 1995 through 1998.''; and
(2) in subsection (d), to read as follows:
``(h) Community-Based Family Resource Programs.--There are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out section 933,
$75,000,000 for fiscal year 1995, and such sums as may be
necessary for each of the fiscal years 1996 through 1998.''.
(d) Repeal of Existing Programs.--
(1) Community-based child abuse and neglect prevention
grants.--Title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment
Act (42 U.S.C. 5116 et seq.) is repealed.
(2) Emergency child abuse prevention services grants.--Sec.
107A of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42
U.S.C. 5106a-1) is repealed.
(3) Temporary child care and crisis nurseries.--The
Temporary Child Care for Children with Disabilities and
Crisis Nurseries Act of 1986 (42 U.S.C. 5117 et seq.) is
repealed.
SEC. 402. FEDERAL COUNCIL ON CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES.
Section 918 of the Claude Pepper Young Americans Act of
1990 (42 U.S.C. 12314) is amended--
(1) in subsection (k)--
(A) in paragraph (3), by striking out ``and'' at the end
thereof;
(B) in paragraph (4), by striking out the period and
inserting in lieu thereof a semicolon; and
(C) by adding at the end thereof the following new
paragraphs:
``(6) identify program regulations, practices, and
eligibility requirements that impede coordination and
collaboration and make recommendations for their
modifications or elimination; and
``(7) develop recommendations for creating jointly funded
programs, unified assessments, eligibility, and application
procedures, and confidentiality protections that facilitate
information sharing.'';
(2) in subsection (o), by striking ``1991 through 1994''
and inserting ``1995 through 1998''; and
(3) in subsection (p), by striking ``1995'' and inserting
``1998''.
SEC. 403. FAMILY RESOURCE ACT.
(a) National Center.--Section 958(b)(3) of the Claude
Pepper Young Americans Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12353(b)(3)) is
amended by strike ``model''.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 960 of the
Claude Pepper Young Americans Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12355)
is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ``$2,300,000'' and all
that follows through the end thereof and inserting
``$2,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1995 through
1998.''; and
(2) in subsection (b), by striking ``$700,000'' and all
that follows through the end thereof and inserting
``$1,000,000 for fiscal year 1995, and such sums as may be
necessary for each of the fiscal years 1996 through 1998.''.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts.
Mr. KENNEDY. Madam President, S. 2000, the Human Services
Reauthorization of 1994, is an important step in developing a sensible
family policy, and I urge the Senate to approve it.
Bipartisan members of the Labor and Human Resources Committee in the
Senate and the Education and Labor Committee in the House have worked
closely with the administration in developing this legislation, which
reauthorizes several of our Nation's most important antipoverty
programs.
Our goal is to provide a high-quality Head Start experience to all
eligible families in need. This legislation reaffirms our belief in the
core elements of the program. It takes what is good about Head Start
and makes it even better. It enhances program quality and extends the
program's reach, making it more responsive to current needs.
Low-income children and families today face enormous challenges. They
are struggling to survive in neighborhoods plagued by violence, drugs,
and lack of opportunity. Since we last reauthorized Head Start in 1990,
the number of children growing up in poverty has increased
dramatically--and so has the pressure on Head Start programs to help
turn the tide.
This is most true of the youngest and most vulnerable children--those
under the age of 3. The General Accounting Office recently reported a
26-percent increase in the number of infants and toddlers growing up in
poverty.
Today one out of every five children is born into poverty--twice the
rate for the elderly. In Springfield, MA, the figure is one out of
every three. In Detroit, it is one out of every two. These figures are
an indictment of our society and all that we stand for.
If we are serious about reducing juvenile crime and welfare
dependency and promoting family values and school readiness, Head Start
must continue to be a centerpiece of our community-based response. Head
Start strengthens families, builds communities, and gives children a
chance.
Current research and the program's long track record of success
demonstrate that Head Start achieves positive results, including
greater economic independence, fewer juvenile crimes, and fewer school
failures. For the price of a single space in a juvenile detention
facility, we can provide a full-day, full-year Head Start experience
for five young people. Prevention is more productive than prison--and
it is far more cost effective.
Too many children live on the edge of despair--and many have only
Head Start to turn to. Drug dealers and gang leaders get to them
young--and one of the greatest challenges we face is to get to them
first.
It is for this reason that the Attorney General, the FBI Director,
and the drug czar have all joined in support of increased Head Start
funding.
But for Head Start to live up to its potential, it needs additional
authority, support, and resources. And that is what this bill will
deliver.
This legislation is a centerpiece of President Clinton's Invest in
America plan. Children are our most valuable resources and our best
investment in the Nation's future.
Funding for Head Start in the current fiscal year is $3.2 billion.
Under the so-called current services budget, which reflects annual
increases for inflation, we would be spending $14 billion on Head Start
over the next 4 years.
This bill supports President Clinton's budget request and meets his
Invest in America goal by providing for an additional $6 billion for
Head Start over that 4-year period. That represents a 43-percent
increase in funding, for a total expenditure of $20 billion on Head
Start over the next 4 years.
The act builds on the commitment to program quality in the 1990
reauthorization. It sets aside at least 25 percent of all new funds for
quality improvements. These funds will be used to offer training and
career development opportunities to dedicated Head Start staff. They
will help provide a living wage and health benefits, in order to reduce
staff turnover and increase continuity of care.
The funds will also be used to increase the number of family service
workers in Head Start programs. We must reduce staff caseloads to
facilitate more extensive family support and encourage family literacy,
parental involvement, and other services.
The act also puts a stronger oversight system in place. Programs that
have been squeezed into trying to do too much with too little will be
given the support to improve. But those that cannot make the grade will
be opened up to others that can. Children and families deserve no less
than the best we can provide.
The act also expands the program to reach more eligible families and
to meet their needs more effectively. With the funds in the President's
budget request, the act will create more Head Start slots, and more
full-day, full-year programs to meet the needs of low-income working
parents. If we are serious about promoting self-sufficiency, we must be
prepared to assist in removing more obstacles.
In addition, it has become clear that Head Start needs to provide an
earlier start. Last week, the Carnegie report--entitled ``Meeting the
Needs of Our Youngest Children''--called for a national mobilization in
support of low-income children at the earliest ages.
This bill is a major step toward meeting that challenge. It sets
aside approximately $1 billion over 5 years to provide one-stop
shopping, family-friendly services from pregnancy to preschool. These
formative years are vital for the physical, social, emotional, and
intellectual development of children.
During this period, new parents can benefit most from training in
parenting skills and information on early childhood development. We
know that programs don't raise children--parents do. Government is not
taking over parenting. But a family-centered approach will help parents
to do a better job of raising their own children--right from the start.
The lessons we have learned from the Comprehensive Child Development
Centers and the Parent Child Centers have been incorporated into this
bill--and I am pleased we are moving forward with this effort.
We must also continue to work with the public school system to ease
the transition from Head Start to elementary school. The act continues
and expands this commitment.
I look forward to working with my colleagues as we move forward with
ESEA to ensure that we do all we can to stimulate cooperation and
coordination at the local level.
But Head Start is about more than coordination and monitoring. It is
about small children and poor families struggling against the rising
tide of poverty, violence, drugs, and hopelessness. It is about giving
hope a chance--and helping families build a future.
More than 1,000 families, from every State in the Nation, have taken
the time to write to my office to let us know what Head Start means to
them.
One letter sums up what Head Start can do. It was sent by William
Bryant, a single father in Plymouth, MA. He wrote:
Dear Head Start,
Thank you for the gift certificate for food at Christmas.
It made things easier for me and better for the children.
Thank you for the help with fuel assistance. It helped to
keep me from falling into debt.
Thank you to the staff and teachers, who visit our home
with concern for our family goals.
Thank you for the medical staff, who notify me of tests and
shots and checkups with the doctors. More importantly, thank
you for noticing my child's hearing problem. She is one of
only 5% of children with a lot of fluid in her ears. In order
to not become infected, she needs to have tubes put in.
Nobody noticed the problem until Head Start told me she
needed to be examined. Now she is scheduled for surgery, and
I am very grateful.
I could go on and on. The staff in general are the most
concerned of any agency, department or facility I've ever
been involved with.
I am just one of many grateful parents.
Signed, William Bryant.
We have received comments like that from all 50 States, and they have
inspired us to do more. This legislation will ensure families a better
Head Start.
This legislation also includes two other priorities--the Community
Services Block Grant and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
CSBG reauthorizes the community action programs and community
development corporations that serve on the frontlines of the war on
poverty.
We know we are falling behind. In recent years, we have witnessed a
much greater rise in the number of families living in poverty than in
the resources dedicated to reducing it.
We know that complex social problems do not come in neat categorical
packages--but far too often our responses do. Community action programs
were created to respond to the needs of individuals, families, and
communities in a holistic manner--not piecemeal. And in communities
across the country, these community-based public-private partnerships
are an integral part of the low-income service delivery network.
In reauthorizing the Community Services Block Grant, we seek to
promote self-sufficiency, family stability, and community
revitalization. The goal is to provide resources and support to develop
community action plans for moving forward, and to set realistic ways
for measuring progress.
In addition, we call on the States to provide more support and
technical assistance. We require them to enhance their coordination
with Community Action Programs, and to make State WIC, Medicaid, and
child support services more accessible to parents who need them.
We all know the fine work done by community development corporations.
These nonprofit organizations develop housing, build and renovate
commercial and industrial facilities, create jobs, and provide
financial and technical support to local business enterprises. Their
funds come not from just the Federal grant, but from a variety of
public and private sources. They are demonstrating that even in the
most embattled communities, people, given a chance, can build
productive futures. The community activities are continued and expanded
as part of the total CSBG effort.
Finallyd, the bill authorizes the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance
Program. This year's winter weather in New England and across the
country demonstrated the lifesaving nature of LIHEAP. President Clinton
recognized the importance of this program by approving a $300 million
emergency appropriation to help low-income families pay for the fuel
they need to survive. Without this heating assistance, we would have
lost far more lives.
No parents should have to chose between heating their homes and
feeding their children. Yet, every winter, doctors in Boston and cities
across the country see the number of malnourished children triple as
fuel costs rise.
Thanks to LIHEAP, many families are spared from making the ``heat or
eat'' decision.
This bipartisan legislation puts families first. It moves forward
with our desire to reinvent Government by consolidating similar
programs, by establishing outcome measures, and by paying for
performance. And while it will surely benefit millions of American
families living in poverty, it is equally important to our society as a
whole.
For American business that seeks a skilled and educated work force--
for American families who seek safe streets--and for all American
citizens who seek a country true to its ideals--this is essential
legislation, and I urge the Senate to approve it.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the people without
whom this legislation would never have happened.
First and foremost, I would like to thank the Labor and Human
Resources Committee staff--from both sides of the aisle--who worked
extremely well together on this effort. I hope this bipartisan
cooperation will continue as we move forward with the remainder of our
agenda.
Specifically, I would like to thank Patty Cole, from Senator Dodd's
subcommittee staff, Kimberly Barnes-O'Conner from Senator Kassebaum's
staff, and Stephanie Monroe from Senator Coats' staff. Together with
Midrell Iskowitz, my counsel, and Catriana McDonald, a legislative
fellow in my office--they formed the Senate team that made S. 2000 a
reality. They are to be commended for their efforts.
In the House, I would like to thank Alan Lopatin of Chairman Ford's
staff, Lee Cowen of Representative Goodling's staff, and Les Sweeting
and Terry Daschler of Representative Martinez' subcommittee staff. They
did a great job marking up the bill in the Ed and Labor Committee
today--and they too are to be congratulated for their efforts.
And we could not forget our friends in the administration who--from
the start--have been committed to an inclusive, productive, and
bipartisan process. I commend Secretary Shalala for establishing the
Head Start Advisory Committee that ``jump started'' the process,
brought the staff together, and created the family that hung together
throughout this legislative process.
I would also like to thank her able staff including Mary Jo Bane,
Olivia Golden, Helen Taylor, John Busa, Rich Tarlin, and Mary
Burdette--who reminded us how helpful it is to design programs with
those who actually implement them--I must say--it has been a while.
Last and most certainly not least--I would like to thank a few
special individuals who never give up and give in--but keep on keeping
on in the name of America's children. I would like to recognize three
longstanding friends of children and friends of the Labor and Human
Resources Committee--Joan Lombardi, now with HHS, Helen Blank of the
Children's Defense Fund, and Bill Harris of KIDS Project.
Their energy and their commitment knows no bounds and I am grateful
for their tireless efforts and for their friendship.
And we could not conclude without thanking those in the community
struggling day after day to give these words real meaning. Our work
here is far easier than theirs. In the Head Start community, I would
like to send a special thank you to Linda Likens of the National Head
Start Association, Janice Stanos of the New England Head Start
Association, and Marie Galvin of the Massachusetts Head Start
Association. And to the thousands of Head Start teacher and family
services workers who give it their all everyday--this one's for you.
To the community action programs, community development corporations,
community food and nutrition advocates, fuel assistance providers, and
all of the other frontline workers who use the resources authorized
under this act--I thank you for your dedication, your commitment, and
your efforts.
Mr. DODD addressed the Chair.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.
Mr. DODD. Madam President, let me commence by first of all thanking
the distinguished chairman of the committee, Senator Kennedy, for once
again his extremely valuable leadership on this issue and its many
components, the most important of which may be the extension of Head
Start to infants and toddlers zero to 3.
In fact, today the Subcommittee on Children and Families held a
hearing on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act focusing on a
transition period for Head Start into regular school, taking some of
the very valuable concepts of Head Start and trying to extend them into
the normal school process of young children.
It was noted that in Head Start programs roughly 60 percent of the
parents participate, and yet in kindergarten, the very next year, that
percentage of parental involvement drops to about 23 percent. And we
all appreciate the value of parental involvement in children's
education.
What the Senator from Massachusetts is suggesting here is that even
in the earlier stages Head Start can make a substantial difference in a
child's life. We need to extend the lessons of Head Start both upward
and downward.
And so while I chair the subcommittee, as my colleagues would
certainly appreciate, without the backing, leadership and strong
support of the full committee, none of this happens. Senator Kennedy
has done a remarkable job once again in this area.
Madam President, let me just mention a couple of things about this
bill very briefly. It is a late hour. And again I am appreciative of
the leadership for scheduling this even at this late hour so that we
can move on.
As the chairman of the committee, Senator Kennedy, pointed out, this
bill comes out of the Labor and Human Resources Committee with a 17 to
zero vote--another example I think of how this committee has been able
on numerous occasions to develop bipartisan legislation.
I should like to entend my thanks to Senator Nancy Kassebaum and
Senator Dan Coats of Indiana for their support and leadership on this
issue, on the Republican side. Senator Coats and I have worked on a
number of issues together. He, as the ranking minority member of my
subcommittee, played a pivotal role on the family and medical leave
bill, and once again demonstrated strong leadership in this area.
And secondly, I'd like to recognize the services of Secretary of
Health and Human Services, Donna Shalala, who did a splendid job.
As my colleagues are aware, a few months ago serious questions were
raised about the quality of Head Start programs, and many of those
questions were very legitimate. While some might have chosen to fight
that kind of criticism, Donna Shalala promptly reached out to those
raising those concerns and worked with them.
This legislation incorporates provisions which will help to maximize
the quality of Head Start programs and to guarantee us in coming years
the ability to monitor and watch that quality as well.
The timing of this bill happened to occur, Madam President,
coincidentally with two reports that came out last week.
Two years ago, I asked the General Accounting Office to examine the
condition of infants and toddlers and their their economic status in
this country.
Part of that report was released about 6 or 7 months ago. The last
part of it came out exactly on the very day that the Carnegie study
emerged as well, a lengthy study examining the condition of these
children.
The General Accounting Office report, Madam President, showed that
the number of poor children under the age of 6 grew by more than 25
percent during the 1980's. In fact, I did not ask for the study to
particularly examine my home State of Connecticut, but in Hartford, CT
some 47 percent of its young children are poor, the second highest
child poverty rate in the United States of America next to Detroit.
Youngest Americans are the poorest Americans. We are the only
industrialized nation in the world with that unique distinction. In any
other industrialized nation, as most people might predict, the poorest
sector of the population are older people who have finished their
working years, living on some fixed income. Costs continue to rise, and
unfortunately these individuals find themselves not in the strongest
financial shape. We are the only nation that has as the poorest sector
of our population our children, our infants. On the average, 26 percent
of infants and toddlers are growing up in poverty.
Now, it is not an excuse later on for these children to end up in a
juvenile justice system or as substance abusers or dropping out of
school.
But the facts of life are such that there is a high degree of
predictability. If you begin life far behind the 8 ball, as these
infants do, you are much more likely to end up doing just that, ending
up in our juvenile justice system, ending up being teen mothers and
teen fathers, end up being substance abusers, end up dropping out of
school and on the public assistance rolls of our Nation.
So these numbers ought to cause alarm across this Nation. They are a
warning sign of what we are up against if those numbers continue to
rise. And they have been rising.
This legislation, as the Senator from Massachusetts points out, does
not solve every one of these issues. But it does point us in the right
direction. It does try to assist in these areas by providing some
assistance.
Let me just mention very briefly what it does. The Carnegie study
suggested the need for a comprehensive approach to the terrible
problems of child poverty. This bill contains several provisions with
just such a comprehensive approach.
But before looking at that, I just want to point out to my
colleagues, the poverty rates for the population of the United States.
It may be difficult for some to read. But here are infants toddlers,
zero to 2 years of age; that is their poverty rate, the highest in the
country; 3 to 4; 5 to 17 and so forth. Here are older Americans again--
with a much lower poverty rate. If you begin life in this country and
you are the poorest in our society, odds are you will face tremendous
difficulties later on.
The second chart deals with the various groups of families
categorized as married couples and single mothers.
Again, you see here we have children, of married couples with a
poverty rate of 12.8 percent. Among whites it is 9 percent; 21 percent
in Afro-Americans; 30 percent for Hispanics. That is with married
couples. Now go over here to single mothers. These numbers go right off
the chart. Just look at Hispanic single mothers. Their children, 73
percent, three-quarters of these children are poor, and the numbers are
not far behind in the Afro-American community either.
So these are children under the age 3. Those are the conditions they
are being reared in.
This bill mirrors the recommendation of the Carnegie Foundation. It
takes Head Start as a model program that helps the whole child; that
is, with education, nutrition, and family services. It takes very
concrete steps to ensure quality. The bill contains a set aside, as I
mentioned, for younger children, to bring the power of Head Start to
all of them.
The Senator from Massachusetts, Senator Kennedy, deserves tremendous
credit for pursuing that particular idea and incorporating it in this
bill.
S. 2000 also contains provisions which I wrote to consolidate four
existing programs into one community-based family resource program. We
have heard about trying to consolidate in a number of areas. We do it
here. It creates what I call a ``seamless garment" for the whole
family.
Too often we think about families in need of the WIC programs. We
hear about Head Start families. We hear about families that have needs
in housing, or in a variety of areas. In fact, it is all the same
family. A WIC family is a Head Start family, is a family that needs
housing or health care as well.
This legislation encourages the States to in a sense reinvent
Government in ways that will serve these families most effectively.
The bill also contains critical social services programs, low-income
energy assistance, and community services bloc grants. Low-income
energy assistance is a critical part of that safety net needed to meet
the continually rising residential energy costs that so many parts of
the country, including ours in New England, face every year.
The Community Services Block Grant pioneered coordinated community
services many years ago, and we are just trying to bring that into line
with the needs of today.
This bill is important both for the programs it encompasses and the
statement it makes about the significance this body places on lending a
helping hand to children and other vulnerable Americans. So broad based
is the appeal of this legislation that it was reported out of the Labor
Committee by a unanimous vote on April 13. The bipartisanship and
particularly the leadership shown by Senators Kennedy and Kassebaum are
a testament to the urgency of the subject we are addressing and the
responses this bill contains.
This legislation is urgently needed because it could form part of the
cure to a grave illness that has beset our Nation. The symptoms of this
illness are becoming increasingly evident. And like many diseases, this
one has first attacked the most susceptible parts of the body, those
parts with fewer and weaker defenses.
I am talking of course about our Nation's children, for they are the
ones bearing the brunt of the social cancer ravaging our country.
Economic dislocation, the disintegration of the family, rising crime,
and declining health--each of these social ills has taken a terrible
toll on our youngest citizens. This diagnosis was delivered last week
by two highly respected, nonpartisan organizations.
gao report
First, there was a report I commissioned from the General Accounting
Office about the economic status of infants and toddlers in America. It
paralleled a similar report on preschool-aged children I received from
the GAO last summer. These reports contained a number of startling
statistics:
The number of poor children under the age of 6 in America increased
by more than 25 percent during the 1980's.
These numbers are worse in urban areas: 47 percent of young children
living in the capital of my own State of Connecticut are poor, making
Hartford the American city with the second highest child poverty rate.
The youngest Americans are also the poorest Americans. Those with
political power in this country--adults of working age and senior
citizens--have markedly lower poverty rates.
And the problem is growing worse: All but three States saw an
increase in the number of poor infants and toddlers from 1980 and 1990.
The opportunities for overcoming their disadvantages are few: In
1990, only about one in three children ages 3 or 4 participated in a
preschool program.
carnegie report
On the heels of the GAO report, the Carnegie Foundation released a
major study that echoed its findings:
One in four young children is in poverty--up from 20 percent just in
the time that elapsed between the 1990 census data used in the GAO
study and the 1993 information used by Carnegie.
The study demonstrates the terribly high poverty rate for children
under 3 being raised by single mothers. For children under 3 raised by
single Hispanic mothers, the poverty rate approaches 75 percent.
Between 1960 and 1988 the percentage of births in America to
unmarried mothers rose from 5 percent to 26 percent.
Between 1971 and 1991 the number of children under the age of 6
increased by less than 10 percent but the number of poor children under
the age of 6 increased by 60 percent.
The Carnegie Foundation report contained more than sobering
statistics like these: it contains recommendations on how we might
reverse them. As the Carnegie report suggests, we need to assess
families' problems in a comprehensive way and meet them in a
comprehensive way, with initiatives like family and medical leave, Head
Start, neighborhood family and child centers, child care, and violence
prevention.
head start
The centerpiece of today's legislation is one that the Carnegie
Foundation singled out for praise. Head Start has long been a model
program, because it pays attention to the whole child. To make sure
that the child has enough to eat, it provides nutritious meals. To make
sure that the child enters school ready to learn, it provides
developmental enrichment. To make sure that the child has a healthy
home life, it provides an array of social services for families.
All together, this package helps give children the edge they will
need to cut through the thicket of social problems described by the GAO
and the Carnegie Foundation. We have all heard testimonials about Head
Start effectiveness. I would like to take this opportunity to share
just one, from a mother in Lake Orion, MI.
She wrote me recently about the power of Head Start, and what it
meant for her daughter.
Until January of 1993 I didn't have a clue about Head Start
or what it could mean to a child and or parent. I have to
tell you on graduation day every child who had attended the
class took something positive away with him or her * * *
whether it be feeling more sure of themselves [or] the shine
of hope and pride in all the little faces, and believe me I
did see that look on all faces. And then and probably only
then did I realize what exactly Head Start could mean to the
future of these children and all children who qualify for the
program.
The reauthorization of Head Start we are considering today would
build on the success of the program and shore up its weaknesses. The
bill continues the provision enacted in 1990 that sets aside one-fourth
of all new appropriations for improving quality. This money already has
helped programs raise staff salaries, provide needed training, and
improve facilities and equipment.
To ensure that programs are offering quality services, the
legislation strengthens performance standards and monitoring procedures
so that programs that cannot correct their deficiencies within 1 year
are defunded. The bill seeks to build the work force Head Start needs
to guide children into the next century by developing qualifications
and credentials for family service workers and creating innovative
approaches such as mentor teachers and Head Start fellowships.
The reauthorization of Head Start also contains a set-aside for
expanded services to families with infants and toddlers. It takes the
comprehensive approach associated with Head Start and expands it to
vulnerable children at the earliest possible age. Such an expansion is
one of the Carnegie report's key recommendations.
family resource centers
The bill also contains a provision I authored to consolidate several
existing programs into an expanded community-based family resource
program. This new grant to States would help build networks of
comprehensive family resource centers and services and promote a
systematic approach to prevention. The concept of community-based
family and child centers that provide support to families was also
endorsed by the Carnegie report.
The approach rests on two guiding principles: Locality and
flexibility. It would provide comprehensive services at the local level
where they can do the most good, and it would encourage States to
approach family assistance creatively. This initiative also gives
families a voice in how services are provided in their communities.
Family resource services are about prevention, preventing problems
before they cause serious harm to children and families and preventing
problems before they become a serious drain on other Federal assistance
programs. The bill would authorize this program at $75 million for
fiscal 1995. This represents an increase over the total fiscal 1994
appropriations for the four consolidated programs, but it is far from
enough.
community services block grant
A third piece of the Human Services Act is also built around the
concept of comprehensive, community-based services. I am referring to
the reauthorization of the community services block grant, which
provides base funding to our nationwide network of community action
agencies. There are nearly 1,000 such agencies nationwide, and they
serve 99 percent of all American counties.
Although the community services block grant [CSBG] was established
through the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1981, its roots extend back
to Lyndon Johnson's war on poverty. The idea was a simple one: Provide
comprehensive services, allow local people to tailor them to fit local
needs, and give the low-income people in need of services a say in how
those services are provided.
Community action agencies and other organizations receiving community
services block grant funding use the money to provide crisis assistance
for families, to create linkages among other Federal programs, to offer
nutrition programs and to provide a number of other social services.
The reauthorization that is part of S. 2000 would strengthen this
program by making groups supported by it more accountable for the
dollars they spend. It would also take a number of steps to consolidate
and reorganize the small discretionary programs authorized through this
bill.
low-income home energy assistance
The final component to the Human Services Act is the Low-Income Home
Energy Assistance Program [LIHEAP], a critical segment of the safety
net we try to provide for our most vulnerable citizens. LIHEAP provides
millions of American families, many of them with elderly or disabled
members, with the bit of extra help they need to pay for one of modern
life's essentials: residential energy.
The bill before us would reauthorize LIHEAP at $2 billion for fiscal
1995. This puts Congress on record opposing the budget cuts that have
been proposed for the program. The bill also reinforces LIHEAP's
primary mission to help disadvantaged individuals afford energy bills
that would otherwise prove to be unaffordable.
In addition, the bill would create a permanent authorization for the
LIHEAP emergency fund and would allow the Secretary to target the money
during particularly harsh winters. Currently, Congress must act to
waive the normal LIHEAP formula before the release of emergency fund,
as happened earlier this year.
We were lucky that the earthquake relief bill provided a speedy
vehicle to grant this waiver. In future winters, such a convenient
vehicle might not be available and without the change we are proposing
today, millions might go cold.
conclusion
The bill before us will certainly not eradicate poverty or solve
every social problem we have. But it will certainly take us further
down the road toward that goal. I hope all of my colleagues will join
me in supporting it.
Madam President, Senator Kennedy mentioned, of course, that this work
does not get done without terrific staff work. There are many people to
congratulate and thank. I want to point out specifically the work of
Patty Cole, of my staff, and Joe Palmore, who did a terrific job in
working with the majority staff and the minority staff, Senator
Kennedy's staff, and others to put this together.
Senator Kennedy said in some ways--at this late hour there are very
few people here for this--but this is a very important piece of
legislation, a critical element of our efforts to see to it that we
will be a strong and vibrant Nation in the 21st Century.
I think it is worthwhile to note there was a program this evening on
one of the networks, I think the American Broadcasting Co. [ABC], that
talked about the things we really ought to be worried about in this
country, the real serious threats. Poverty is one of them. If you are
living in poverty in the United States, your life expectancy is 7 to 10
years shorter than other Americans. If you begin life as these children
do, growing up in poverty, that is not only a threat to us in society,
but it is a threat to them in their lives. So everyone suffers when
these children suffer. This legislation we hope will be a significant
step in reversing those trends.
Madam President, I yield the floor.
Mr. BINGAMAN. Madam President, it has come to my attention that
energy education has proven to be an effective method of increasing
energy efficiency, and thus the goals of LIHEAP. It is my understanding
that our colleagues in the House may include language in their version
of the legislation we are considering today that would promote energy
education. Would the Senator from Connecticut be inclined to consider
energy education measures in conference?
Mr. DODD. Madam President, I would indeed be inclined to favorably
consider energy education measures that did not detract from LIHEAP's
central purpose, which is to help low-income people pay their energy
bills. I would also encourage States and energy vendors to support such
activities with their own funds. In times of fiscal constraint, it is
important that we explore every opportunity to maximize the resources
available for providing low-income families with adequate energy.
Mr. WOFFORD. Madam President, I am pleased to cosponsor the
legislation we are considering to improve and expand Head Start. Today,
as violence pervades the lives of so many young children, the need for
Head Start is greater than ever.
The Head Start program is one of the best and most cost effective
educational investments we can make. It enables needy children to start
school ready and able to learn. Head Start lowers the drop-out rate and
the illiteracy rate, and gives our most vulnerable children the tools
they need to succeed in school.
Yet today only a third of eligible children participate in Head
Start. Clearly we must expand Head Start to enable all eligible
children to participate. But the quality of Head Start programs across
the country is uneven. We must not merely increase the number of
children served without ensuring that they are served well. This
legislation expands Head Start--but also improves the quality of the
programs. The goal of this legislation is that every Head Start center
will offer high quality and comprehensive family and educational
services. The quality improvements called for in this legislation
include further staff development, more effective federal oversight,
providing full day or full year services and services to younger
children, improving family literacy and strengthening linkages with
elementary schools.
The legislation we are voting on today is the first serious effort to
improve the quality of the Head Start program. We will need the vision
that created Head Start if we are to adapt it to fit the challenges
facing our children in the 1990's--increasing youth violence, drug
abuse, and teen pregnancy. Welfare reform and education reform are just
empty rhetoric if we don't give our most vulnerable children the tools
they need to succeed.
Mr. DURENBERGER. Madam President, I rise to support final passage of
S. 2000, legislation reauthorizing the Community Service Block Grant
Act and the Head Start Act. I have supported both of these important
programs during my entire 16 years of service in the Senate and look
forward to swift completion of this reauthorization, hopefully in time
to be signed into law on Head Start's 30th anniversary, on May 18.
This Head Start reauthorization enjoys strong bi-partisan support at
least in part because of the extensive consultation that went into its
drafting. And, on the merits, this bill deserves passage because it
responds to the growing interest in using Head Start expansion funds to
improve quality, as well as expand the numbers of children served.
There is no question that initiatives to improve quality must include
more business-like management practices in Head Start programs,
increased compensation for teachers and other employees, upgraded
facilities, and other program ``inputs''.
But, I also believe this authorization will force increased attention
to improved outcomes--improved health and nutrition for children,
better preparation for kindergarten, lower levels of family illiteracy,
and--in general--better support low income families.
I am also hopeful that this reauthorization will contribute to a
greater degree of collaboration between Head Start and child care and
other child and family support services in each local community.
That hope became more urgent for me during the recent Easter recess
when I had the opportunity to meet with a group of Head Start and child
care advocates in Minnesota.
One of the themes of that meeting was that collaboration among child
and family service programs is especially important to the growing
number of Head Start parents who are working or in school as part of
federal and state welfare reform initiatives. And, as additional
changes are made in AFDC and other welfare programs, we are likely to
see even more Head Start parents needing--and qualifying for--child
care services that extend beyond the traditional part-day, part-week
Head Start program.
Fortunately, Head Start and other early childhood advocates are
starting to respond to this growing need. In fact, five different
examples of child care/Head Start collaboration or other locally
designed Head Start delivery models were described to me in some detail
during the meeting I held in Minnesota during the Easter recess.
Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that a summary of the
initiatives, along with a listing of those who participated in the
meeting be printed at the conclusion of my statement.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
(See exhibit 1.)
Mr. DURENBERGER. Madam President, all five of these initiatives are
program models other than the traditional full-day, part-day, or home-
based models used by most Head Start agencies. All five meet or exceed
Head Start's performance standards. And, all five are designed to help
meet the changing needs of today's Head Start families.
In each case, however, the directors of these initiatives expressed
serious concerns that they will not be allowed to continue or replicate
these highly innovative programs. Reasons for that concern range from
uncertainty about future funding availability to bureaucratic
resistance.
the need to encourage flexibility
Madam President, there is no question that Head Start is serving a
different and more complex set of family needs today than were being
served when the program was established 25 years ago. Beyond the
increased stress placed on all families in the 1990's, the most
dramatic changes is the need that many Head Start families now have
full- or part-time child care outside the half-day, school year program
traditionally offered by most Head Start agencies.
Many parents in these families are working, in school or in job
training programs as a condition of receiving AFDC or other income
support assistance. The need for these services will continue to grow
as work or job preparation requirements are included in Federal and
State welfare reform initiatives.
At the same time, there are a large number of public and nonprofit,
services and programs available to assist these same families--
including programs that offer subsidized child care. So, especially
from the perspective of the families involved, there is a growing need
to encourage collaboration between these programs and Head Start--to
have various services provided at the same site, to be able to mix
funding sources, and to simplify differing eligibility and reporting
requirements.
Fortunately, Head Start has historically recognized the need for
different delivery models based on differences in family preferences
and the demographics of local communities. The most obvious variations
are Head Start's home-based program and the combination center-based/
home-based programs that are especially well-suited for less densely-
populated rural or suburban areas.
These options also respond to preferences that many parents have for
services that are delivered in the home rather than in a larger group
setting.
This respect for community and parent differences was reinforced in
the most recent round of Head Start rulemaking, by articulating three
different delivery options and by retaining authority on the part of a
senior HHS administrator to approved other locally designed options.
This centralized appeal and approval process is time consuming,
costly, and burdensome, however, and may discourage agencies from
designing and requesting approval for locally designed options. This
may be especially true in smaller agencies or agencies in rural areas
where collaboration may be even more difficult because there are fewer
organized child care and other support services available.
According to several of the Head Start directors I met with in
Minnesota, there also appears to be a presumption in the current system
that more traditional delivery models are preferred--perhaps because
they are easier to monitor and hold accountable.
In fact, one irony in the current laudable move to better monitor
Head Start quality and agency performance is that computerized data
gathering is much easier if programs are uniform in how they are
organized. The same may be true in designing and testing new forms of
results-oriented accountability.
Madam President, it's important to point out that Head Start has
always been a grass-roots, community and family-responsive program. So
having flexibility to tailor programs to meet unique community and
family needs is in keeping with the original purpose and history of
Head Start.
That is why I feel so strongly that this reauthorization be used to
encourage Head Start administrators to use expansion funding to offer
financial and other incentives to design unique and innovative local
delivery options--as long as the underlying principles and strengths of
Head Start are maintained and as long as local needs and results-
oriented performance standards are met.
Because of the importance of maximizing the use of all available
resources, any real or perceived barriers to collaboration with other
agencies and programs should also be removed. That would include
barriers to mixing funding sources and contracting with other agencies
who may actually employ teachers and other staff.
In addition, Madam President, there should be a presumption that
locally designed delivery options are acceptable unless its's
determined that they do not meet results-oriented standards through the
normal Head Start oversight process.
And, finally, whatever changes are needed in Head Start performance
standards to promote an innovation-friendly environment should be made.
Madam President, at least some encouragement to innovate and
collaborate may have to wait until we take up the child care components
of welfare reform later this year. But, I strongly believe
implementation of this Head Start reauthorization represents an
excellent opportunity to allow maximum flexibility in local communities
to use combined funding, waivers, demonstrations and administrative
flexibility to help meet the changing needs of Head Start families.
To seize that opportunity, I believe Head Start administrators should
do four things as they implement this reauthorization:
First, include the changing needs of Head Start families for child
care and the potential for collaboration with child care and other
early childhood and family services to Head Start's new quality
standards.
Second, ensure that new performance measures created for Head Start
agencies be adaptable for non-traditional program options including
collaborations with local child care programs.
Third, reward collaboration with other community organizations
serving children and families in the allocation of expansion funds
within states.
And, finally, use Head Start's R&D program to encourage the
development and testing of innovative locally designed program options
including programs that involve collaboration with child care and other
child and family service programs.
Madam President, I was an original cosponsor of this Head Start
reauthorization legislation. And, I intend to vote to adopt this
legislation today.
At the same time, I believe the full potential for serving today's
low income families and children will depend on how this legislation is
implemented and administered.
Now more than ever, Head Start must be responsive to the changing
needs of the families it serves. That means Head Start must be flexible
enough to meet those needs through a variety of different program
models. And, it means Head Start must encourage collaboration with
child care and other services available to those same families.
With that kind of locally initiated flexibility and collaboration,
Head Start will enter its second 30 years an even stronger and more
effective resource for this children and families of this nation.
Thank you, Madam President, I yield the floor.
Exhibit 1
Meeting the Changing Needs of Low Income Families--A Brief Summary of
Head Start Child Care Collaborations and Other Locally Designed Head
Start Program Options in Minnesota
On March 30, U.S. Senator Dave Durenberger met with a group
of Head Start and other early childhood advocates in
Minnesota to discuss this year's reauthorization of the Head
Start program.
The meeting included discussion of five different Head
Start programs in Minnesota. All five involve either
collaboration with other early childhood programs or a way of
delivering Head Start services other than the traditional
full- or part-day or home-based models.
Following is a brief summary of these five programs
including how they are authorized and funded and barriers to
their continuation or replication; as well as a listing of
participants in the March 30 meeting.
Example 1--Parents in Community Action (PICA) split-week program
Parents in Community Action, Inc. (PICA) is Minnesota's
largest Head Start agency, serving Minneapolis and most of
its Hennepin County suburbs. For the past 15 years, PICA has
run much of its program on a split-schedule program, with
three six-hour days of service for half the school year and
two six-hour days of service for the remainder of the school
year. Currently, the large majority of the approximately 2300
children enrolled in PICA Head Start programs are on a split-
week schedule.
PICA has found a high degree of parent satisfaction with
this scheduling option since it better accommodates parents'
work, education and child care schedules and arrangements. It
also results in savings on transportation expense when
compared to half-day programs. And, it results in each child
receiving 27 percent more classroom time than they would
under the traditional half-day model (3.5 hours per day for
at least four days per week).
Despite its positive past record, high degree of parent
satisfaction, and higher than required volume of classroom
time, PICA has been notified by Head Start's Chicago regional
volume that its split-week schedule is not in compliance with
the agency's regulations and that it must come into
compliance within a ``reasonable time,'' starting with use of
the next round of expansion funding.
With support from Senator Durenberger and other members of
the Minnesota Congressional Delegation, PICA is now appealing
this decision to the Commissioner of HHS's Administration on
Children, Youth and Families. This appeal is being made under
a provision of Head Start rules that allows the Commissioner
to fund alternative program variations ``to meet the unique
needs of communities or to demonstrate or test alternative
approaches for providing Head Start services.''
example 2--carver-scott-dakota scholarship program
The Head Start agency serving Scott, Carver and Dakota
Counties delivers services to 20-25 percent of its roughly
450 children through ``scholarships'' it make available to
eligible families. The program has been in place for nine
years.
These scholarships are used to place children in six
different private or non-profit day care centers, nursery
schools and pre-schools located throughout the agency's three
suburban and rural counties which are located south and
southwest of Minneapolis. The remainder of the agency's
children are served through more traditional part-day, home-
based, and combination home-based/center-based programs. The
agency has eight centers of its own which are used
exclusively for Head Start programs.
In addition to getting the group experience, the Head Start
families in the scholarship program also get home visits, and
the other health, nutrition and family support services
required by Head Start's performance standards.
At the present time, this program retains the traditional
half-day service model and does not include combining funding
with child care or other early childhood program funds. There
is some collaboration with the programs where children are
placed, however, including availability of training to non-
Head Start staff, regular visits and consultation from Head
Start teachers, and access to comprehensive Head Start
services for non-Head Start children and families in these
programs.
According to the program's director, this locally designed
option is popular with parents because it offers a group
environment in lower density areas that might not have enough
eligible children to justify a conveniently located Head
Start center.
This program also saves money on transportation since the
centers are closer to where families live and, the Head Start
agency saves money on expansion-driven start-up expenses--
including renovation of licensable facilities--by using
existing programs that already meet facility and other
licensing requirements.
Finally, this ``scholarship'' option appeals to at least
some parents who prefer to ``main-stream'' their children
with children from a variety of income groups, rather than
having them placed in a Head Start center that serves only
low income children.
Despite nine years of experience with this program and a
high degree of parent satisfaction, the local Head Start
agency is now getting signals from the HHS Chicago regional
office that it would rather not deal with a variety of
locally designed options. In particular, it appears that the
regional office is designing its reporting, oversight and
quality monitoring initiatives in ways that discourage non-
traditional programs models because they are harder to
monitor and evaluate than are traditional full- and half-day
or home-based options.
example 3--Ramsey Action Program collaboration with Children's Home
Society
A third alternative delivery model now operating in
Minnesota represents a more advanced version of the above
``scholarship model'' for offering Head Start services in
collaboration with other early childhood programs.
Under this model, the grantee--Ramsey Action Programs
(RAP)--has an arrangement with a non-profit day care center
run by the Children's Home Society that is located in the St.
Paul Technical College. The joint program began in 1991 after
almost four years of discussions and planning involving the
two agencies.
Currently 27 of the 34 children enrolled in this center are
in the RAP Head Start program. They are all children of
parents who are taking courses at the Technical College to
meet the education/job training requirements of the STRIDE
welfare reform program.
Under the agreement between RAP and the Children's Home
Society, 48 percent of the cost of placing these children in
the full-day program is paid by Head Start. The other 52
percent comes from a combination of public and private
funding sources including United Way, the child care subsidy
their parents are entailed to under the STRIDE program, and
the child care food program.
According to the center's director, the program's
advantages include the availability of full-day care for
children of parents going to school; increased parent
involvement because the center is located in the Technical
College building, and extra training for the center's
personnel through the RAP Head Start program.
According to RAP's Head Start director, this model also has
the potential to ease the difficulty that many Head Start
programs have in finding licensable space for expansion. In
some areas, licensable space may not be available, but there
may be unused capacity in existing licensed day care centers.
RAP would like to enter into similar collaborative ventures
with other child care programs. And, the Chicago regional
office has been supportive of this model up this point.
However, the regional office did not like the fact that
Children's Home Society retained responsibility for hiring
the day care center's employees. The concern is that this
arrangement resembles delegating operations to a ``sub-
grantee'' without going through the approval, accountability
and oversight procedures required of subgrantees under Head
Start's authorizing law, its administrative rules, and its
performance standards. As a result, proposals for similar
collaborations between RAP and Children's Home Society have
not been approved.
example 4--lakes and pines head start collaboration with someplace
special child care center in cambridge
The Lakes and Pines Head Start program has traditionally
used home-based services in the largely rural and small town
area it serves between the northern edge of the Twin Cities
and Duluth. It currently provides Head Start services to
approximately 400 children in home-based settings.
In recent years, however, there has been increasing demand
from parents who are working or going to school for center-
based and full-time services.
In response, the Lakes and Pines Head Start agency is now
in the first year of a collaborative venture with the
Someplace Special Child Care Center which is located in the
Cambridge Memorial Hospital. Under this program, eight of the
20 children in the center are Head Start children. Two are
enrolled part-time and the other six are full-time.
Under this arrangement, enhanced staffing is provided by a
Head Start teacher who works in the center. Non-personnel
expenses are split on a pro-rated basis between Head Start
and the center. Additional comprehensive Head Start services
are also offered outside the child care setting.
This partnership is supported through a Cornerstone grant
from the Minnesota Department of Jobs and Training. Other
revenue sources include child care subsidies, state Early
Childhood and Family Education funds, and the child care food
program. Because of parent interest, the Lakes and Pines
agency is now applying for permission to run a second
collaborative program with a day care center in Cloquet.
According to the agency's director, additional flexibility
is needed in mixing funding sources. He also believes that
child care programs should be offered financial incentives
and a source of start-up or cash flow funding will be needed
in order to make this type of collaboration readily
available.
Finally, the Lakes and Pines director urged that Head Start
administrators be open-minded about these types of
innovations. He noted that, although the Cambridge program
has been approved by Head Start officials, there is no
assurance that the Cloquet proposal or other similar
collaborations will be approved in the future.
example 5--mahube head start family child care project
The final model explored during the March 30 meeting with
Senator Durenberger is a demonstration now being run by the
MAHUBE Head Start agency that serves three primarily rural
counties in northwestern Minnesota (Becker, Hubbard and
Mahnomen). The project is funded by the HHS Head Start Bureau
under a three year grant which was awarded in 1991. It is now
in its second year.
This project includes up to 40 four year old children each
year who are placed in up to ten licensed family day care
homes through-out the three county area. The option is
available to income eligible parents who are working, in
school or training, or seeking employment.
Comprehensive Head Start services including education,
health nutrition, mental health, parent involvement and
social services are provided to each child and his or her
family in addition to full or part-day child care. The
maximum number of children in each home is limited to six in
order to ensure high quality, individualized care.
The licensed child care providers who participate are
placed on the Head Start Agency's payroll. They received
training and at a minimum, each provider has the Child
Development Associate (CDA) credential and 12 college credits
in early childhood education. Licensing is done by the county
social service department using the same rules and procedures
that apply to other licensed family day car providers in
Minnesota.
The MAHUBE Head Start agency provides overall management
and support to the program, as well as the full-range of
support and other services provided to children and families
under more traditional Head Start models. Funding comes from
both Head Start and county sliding fee child care funds.
Extensive evaluation is being done of the relative impact of
this option on children compared to a control group in a
traditional center-based program in the same agency.
According to the program's director, parents like this
option because it combines needed child care with Head Start
services in one convenient location. It also allows Head
Start services to be disbursed in what is a lower density
rural area, making Head Start services conveniently
accessible to more eligible parents.
The child care providers who participate also benefit from
increased income, more time to focus on fewer children,
additional training, supplies and equipment, and peer support
from other providers in the program.
According to MAHUBE's director, Head Start's performance
standards should be changed to accommodate alternative
delivery models like the one being used in this
demonstration. She believes that the performance standards
should place more emphasis on outcomes to be achieved by non-
traditional programs so that there could be a fairer basis
for deciding whether they should be approved and continued.
She also believes non-traditional programs designed to meet
unique community needs ``should be encouraged, not just
tolerated.''
participants in march 30 meeting in minnesota
U.S. Senator Dave Durenberger.
Jon Schroeder, Minnesota Director for Sen. Dave
Durenberger.
Carol Brennan, child care center director, Children's Home
Society, St. Paul.
Polly Keppel, executive director, Child Care Works,
Minneapolis.
Nancy Runnigen, president, Minnesota Head Start Directors
Association; director SEMCAC Head Start program, Rushford.
Valerie Peterson, child care center director, Cambridge
Memorial Hospital.
Gretchen Hengemuhle, school collaboration coordinator,
Parents in Community Action, Minneapolis.
Alyce Dillon, executive director, Parents in Community
Action, Minneapolis.
Robert Benes, director, Lakes and Pines Head Start program,
Mora.
Dale Anderson, director, Ramsey Action Programs, St. Paul.
Jackie Olafson, Children's Home Society, St. Paul.
Karen Svendsen, child care center director, Children's Home
Society, St. Paul.
Jim Nicholie, assistant executive director, Greater
Minneapolis Day Care Association, Minneapolis.
Francie Mathes, director, Scott-Carver-Dakota Head Start
program, Burnsville.
Leah Pigatti, director, MAHUBE Head Start program, Detroit
Lakes.
Bill Fairman, director, Ramsey Action Program Head Start
program, St. Paul.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Madam President, I rise in support of the
reauthorization of the Head Start Program, which provides essential and
effective services to low-income children and their families throughout
this country.
The effectiveness of a comprehensive approach: The key to the Head
Start Program is its comprehensiveness. Because it includes teaching of
interpersonal skills, academic concepts, parent involvement, nutrition,
and hygiene, Head Start is much more than a day-care program, and more
than many preschool programs. In fact, Head Start addresses the needs
of both the children and their parents, and as a result has been one of
the most successful and popular Federal programs of the last 25 years.
During my travels throughout California, I have spoken about the Head
Start Program, and everywhere I go people understand the need for early
childhood programs to help poor children. This popularity is due in
part to the fact that Head Start is an effective program, and in
participants in high-quality Head Start programs have been shown to
have a much higher likelihood of remaining healthy, succeeding in
school, graduating from school, and becoming employed after graduation.
According to Children Now, studies also show that Head Start is
effective in preparing children for future success, by making them less
likely to be placed in special education or held back in school. Head
Start parents also read to their children more and support their
children's efforts in school, behaviors that are essential for
children's success.
In some high-quality Head Start programs that have been studied in
the past, the gains achieved and the costs saved have been significant.
According to the Children's Defense Fund, while there has been no
large-scale longitudinal study of the program's effectiveness, high-
quality programs like Head Start--such as the Perry Preschool Program
in Ypsilanti, MI--have been shown to save as much as $7 for every $1
invested over a participant's lifetime.
The program is so cost-effective because it is balanced against the
costs of special and remedial education, incarceration, and other
social services--such as welfare and publicly funded medical care--that
low-income often children require throughout their lives.
For example, according to the High/Scope Perry Preschool Study of
participants who have now reach age 27, ``adults born in poverty who
attended a high-quality, active learning preschool program at ages 3
and 4 have half as many criminal arrests, higher earnings and property
wealth, and greater commitment to marriage.''
Over 70 percent of participants had graduated from high school
compared to 54 percent of the comparison group.
Only 7 percent of participants had been arrested more than five times
compared to 35 percent of the comparison group.
Almost 30 percent of participants were earning more than $2,000 per
month, compared to only 7 percent of the comparison group.
While not all programs have the same high quality, and some program
effects appear to fade in the years following the program, it still
seems clear that the program has made a tremendous difference in many
children's and families' lives, and that an expanded, quality Head
Start Program will prove increasingly effective over the next five
years.
The importance of family commitment: I have gone to schools and
talked to youngsters, and I have seen that without a family's
commitment, the education of the child cannot succeed. This is
confirmed by studies that show that the commitment and involvement of
the family is the most important indicator of the child's educational
achievement.
With the full support and participation of the family, however,
children can begin learning essential skills and habits very clearly on
in life, and these accomplishments will serve them extremely well as
they continue in school and move on to work.
Head Start develops this family commitment, because parent
participation is an integral part of the program. Those who are
involved with Head Start know that education does not just occur
between the teacher and the child; parents must become their children's
teachers, and Head Start helps this to happen in situations where the
parents might not know how to become involved most effectively.
The Need for Head Start: Despite the significant expansion of the
Head Start Program over the last four years; Head Start still only
serves fewer than half of the eligible children in the Nation. In
California and throughout the country, childhood poverty is growing
faster than the program can expand.
As a result, even though Head Start participation has increased to
nearly 714,000 children--a 50-percent increase since 1989--only half of
the four-year-olds and a fifth of the eligible three-year-olds are
enrolled, and, according to the GAO, only 1 percent of poor families
and toddlers are able to participate.
California: In California, the rise in childhood poverty has been
especially pronounced, making the need for continued expansion in the
Head Start Program all the more essential. According to a recent report
issued by the Children's Advocacy Institute, there are now more than 2
million children in California alone who live in poverty and are, as a
result, ill fed, and in poor health:
Childhood poverty in California has increased by 40 percent over the
last 5 years.
Thirty percent of the children under age 6 in the State now live in
poverty.
According to Children Now, a California-based advocacy organization,
because California has so many poor children, only one fourth of
eligible children in my State can participate in Head Start, leaving
out 165,000 eligible in the state.
Improvements to the Current Program: As a long-standing supporter of
this program, I am pleased that so many improvements have been
incorporated in the reauthorizing language, so that the quality and
consistency of Head Start can be improved and maintained as it
continues to expand to meet the growing numbers of poor children who
are eligible to participate.
The bill marked out of committee includes several provisions to
improve program quality through staff development and implementation of
key standards, including a requirement that 25 percent of new funds go
toward program improvement.
In addition, the bill targets expansion funds to States with large
numbers of unserved children, such as California.
Improvements in the access of Head Start services to Native American
children are another key feature of the reauthorization for California.
Conclusion: For these reasons, I urge your support for the
reauthorization of Head Start. Poor children in California and other
States deserve the chance to benefit from this program which has been
so successful and has such tremendous potential to become even more
effective in the future.
Mr. HARKIN. Madam President, I am pleased to support the Human
Services Reauthorization of 1994. I would like to recognize the Senator
Kennedy for his strong leadership in forging this bipartisan
legislation.
This bill reauthorizes three very important human service programs--
Head Start, the Community Services Block Grant and the Low-Income Home
Energy Assistance Program.
The first national education goal states that by the year 2000, all
children will start school ready to learn. I have spoken on many
occasions about the importance of this goal. It is the cornerstone on
which we build and reaching it is vital to our efforts to improve
student achievement in our Nation. Head Start plays an important role
in our ability to reach this very important goal.
I have been a strong and consistent supporter of the Head Start
program. When questions were raised last year about the quality of the
program, I shared the concerns and welcomed the questions. We must
always be willing to debate the merits of federal programs to make sure
that our tax money is well spent. In the case of Head Start, I believe
the investments in our children yield big dividends and am very pleased
that this legislation addressed the concerns about the quality of Head
Start programs. The bill significantly strengthens the program and
reaffirms our commitment to ensuring a strong Head Start Program
through the end of this century.
This legislation also reauthorizes the Community Service Block Grant
Program. The bill consolidates a number of small discretionary programs
into a single Community Initiative Program. This consolidation includes
the rural housing and community facilities program and the
demonstration partnership program.
I would like to emphasize that this consolidation does not lessen our
support for the activities of these two important programs. Both have
been helpful in addressing the needs of low-income individuals,
particularly in rural areas and this work should endure and they
continue to be funded. It is my belief that this bill will allow this
to happen, and hope that if this is not the case, this issue can be
revisited in conference.
And finally, this bill reauthorizes the Low-Income Home Energy
Assistance Program--a program that provides millions of low-income
families with assistance in meeting their heating and cooling bills.
Madam President, I am very pleased to support the Human Services
Reauthorization Act of 1994 and urge my colleagues to support this
bill.
Mr. DURENBERGER. Madam President, I have several questions I would
like to address to the chairman and ranking member of the Labor
Committee that deal with their intent in authoring this legislation.
Head Start agencies in Minnesota and a number of other States have
historically offered their services using a number of different
delivery models. They have included full- and part-time and mobile,
center- and home-based programs. Head Start's authorizing legislation
and its performance standards recognize the need for this diversity of
delivery models by granting national or regional HHS administrators the
authority to approve locally designed programs as long as they meet
those performance standards.
The need for variations in traditional part-day or part-week Head
Start models has grown along with the dramatic increase we've seen in
the number of lower-income parents who qualify for Head Start who are
also working or are in education or job training programs under State
and Federal welfare reform programs. Many of these families also
qualify for other types of assistance, including fully or partially
subsidized child care.
Is it the chairman's intent that head Start administrators continue
to approve funding requests made by local grantees that design head
Start services in ways that meet the varying needs of eligible parents,
including the need for full-day, full-week, or year-around services?
Mr. KENNEDY. The Senator is correct in noting that Head Start
administrators at the national and regional level have historically had
broad authority to approve locally designed ways of delivering Head
Start services. I am pleased that this authority continues under the
pending reauthorization.
It is essential that all local programs meet Head Start's performance
standards. I also believe that Head Start administrators should have
the flexibility to implement a variety of models. They might include
combinations of in-home and center-based programs, programs that extend
services beyond the traditional part-day or part-week model, and
jointly operated programs or other forms of collaboration with child
care and other early childhood and family services.
Mr. DURENBERGER. I ask Senator Kassebaum, in view of the changing
time demands being placed on Head Start parents who are working or
learning job skills, what is her intent on the need for not only
flexibility by Head Start administrators in approving different
delivery models, but also the need for flexibility in combining funding
from various early childhood programs and flexibility in granting
waivers to make joint funding or administration of early childhood and
family programs possible?
Mrs. KASSEBAUM. First, I agree with Senator Kennedy that HHS
administrators already have considerable authority to approve alternate
ways of delivering Head Start services. I would hope that authority is
used to meet the differing needs of families in local communities
around the country--as long as Head Start's performance standards
continue to be met.
I also believe it may be wise in many local communities to encourage
collaboration in the planning and delivery of early childhood and
family services between Head Start and subsidized child care and other
local programs that serve the same children and families. One good
example, is the potential or combining funding and services from Head
Start and subsidized child care for eligible children who have parents
working or in school at times that extend beyond a part-day of part-
week Head Start program.
Furthermore, I believe that, when administrative rules and
regulations are a barrier for effectively combining funds from
different Federal programs, a timely mechanism for requesting and
granting waivers should be put into place.
And, finally, I realize that many of these same issues need to be
addressed in the design of federally subsidized child care and other
programs that serve low-income children and families. I intend to
continue to work closely with Senator Durenberger, Senator Kennedy, and
others on these issues as we take up a variety of initiatives on
welfare reform later this year.
Mr. KENNEDY. I strongly agree with this move toward coordination and
consolidation of the various Federal child care programs and look
forward to continued bipartisan cooperation on its effort as we move
forward on welfare reform. Given the great need for child care services
for working poor families, we must do all we can to increase the
availability and the efficiency of funding for programs targeted to
these families.
I want to make sure that we are clear that when we are talking about
removing barriers to integration--we do not seek to in any way
undermine the integrity of Head Start performance standards. The
committee has acknowledged that these performance standards are
essential to ensuring program quality and continued program success.
What we are really talking about here is helping other community-
based programs which receive Head Start funds to meet Head Start
performance standards and eliminating administrative barriers that
prevent coordination. These barriers include delays in payments which
make providers with limited resources wait several months for
reimbursement, the lack of contracts guaranteeing a certain number of
slots and allowing for program planning, and conflicting reimbursement
rates. These differing payments schemes make it exceedingly difficult
to build linkages between Head Start and child care programs. I hope
that we can begin to deal with these differences in a manner that is in
the best interest in children.
Finally, I think it is exceedingly important to continue to allow
Head Start programs to use Head Start funds to provide full day, full
year services, when there is a need in the community for these
services. I am pleased that this legislation affirms the importance of
providing services that are responsive to family needs.
Mr. DURENBERGER. I thank Senator Kennedy and Senator Kassebaum for
clarifying their intent on these issues and for your continued
leadership on Head Start and on other programs that serve the needs of
low-income families and children.
Mr. DeCONCINI. Madam President, I rise today to support S. 2000, a
comprehensive bill which includes the reauthorization of Head Start as
well as other important anti-poverty programs.
I have a long history of support for Head Start. In 1990, I was a
cosponsor of the Head Start reauthorization bill and in 1991,
legislation to make Head Start an entitlement program. It is difficult
to find another Federal program which has been so universally
acknowledged as being as successful in its goals to improve the
prospects of underprivileged children. I have long recognized the
benefits at-risk children receive from this program. Today, we have
both bipartisan support in Congress and the President's backing to
improve and expand the already successful Head Start Program. I believe
this legislation is a big step toward achieving this goal, and I
commend the effective leadership of Senators Kennedy, Dodd, and
Kassebaum for their efforts.
To realize the importance of Head Start, we must only look at the
first goal of the bipartisan Goals 2000, passed earlier this year,
which states that all children must start school ready to learn. Head
Start provides children from low-income families with the skills and
self-confidence necessary to begin school. Unfortunately, so many of
our at-risk children do not receive the advantage of a ``Head Start''
and, regrettably, will most likely not reach school ready to learn.
Today, only an estimated 40 percent of eligible children are being
served by this program. It is clear that we are not reaching enough
children.
While I stand firm in my belief that Head Start is a success, I
recognize that beyond its expansion, there is also a dire need to
improve existing programs. This legislation does just that by setting
aside 25 percent of the funds for quality improvements to existing
programs. Specifically, the bill includes provisions emphasizing staff
training and adequate compensation for those who work to improve the
lives of these children who live on the margins of our society. For too
long, our society has not recognized the important contributions of the
child development professions. Low wages often lead to constant staff
turnover, which studies have shown is not conducive to a secure
learning environment. The bill also ensures the accountability of all
Head Start programs through performance standards. Funds may also be
used to improve facilities to ensure that children are in an
environment which enhances their learning. At a time of scarce Federal
resources, these are exactly the types of investments we must make in
order to get the most from our limited funds.
This legislation will open up Head Start to more children under the
age of three. In fiscal year 1993, only approximately 1 percent of the
economically eligible children in this age group were served. S. 2000
addresses the needs of infants and toddlers by creating a set-aside
which will provide comprehensive services for families with children
younger than three.
I am also pleased that this legislation took into account the unique
concerns of native American Head Start children. One way it does this
is by expanding the term Indian reservation to include members of
tribes living not just on, but near the reservations. Extending Head
Start programs to children near a reservation is consistent with other
Federal programs. It allows children, whose families must move off
their reservation due to employment, housing or other circumstances,
the ability to participate in a program which best relates to their
culture. It is important to recognize the special circumstances that
arise on the Indian reservations. This bill begins to address many of
these issues.
It is my hope that one day every eligible child in this country will
receive the ``Head Start'' he or she deserves. Passage of this bill
will bring us one step closer to achieving this goal.
Head Start is not the only program in S. 2000 which deserves
recognition. I have also been a long time supporter of the Family
Resource Program which is expanded in this bill. This program provides
at-risk families with a community network of comprehensive services
which will help them avoid crises that tear families apart. It is my
firm belief that funding this program now will save us so much more in
the long run.
I believe S. 2000 is a measure that addresses the unmet needs of our
Nation's children. It has my full support.
Mr. INOUYE. Madam President, I rise today in strong support of S.
2000, and in particular, the Labor Committee substitute to S. 1852,
which provides for the reauthorization of the Head Start Act. It is my
belief that this measure will profoundly affect the future of this
Nation. It is a measure which must command our fullest attention.
We Senators may sometimes make grand statements--proclaming that a
particular bill or issue at hand is of extreme significance--and often
times this may be true. But if there is one issue about which we must
all agree--one singular issue which must transcend rhetoric and
political gridlock, it must be the care and protection of our Nation's
children--the keepers of our future.
From the inner cities to remote Alaska Native villages, our children
are languishing, often caught in a cycle of poverty, desperation, and
violence.
It is the duty of this body, as it is the duty of all parents and
grandparents, to provide safeguards for these children, to provide
community support to better their living conditions, their health, and
education.
Head Start is a vital and imperative part of this equation. Head
Start seeks to provide comprehensive early childhood development,
educational, health, nutritional, and social services to those most in
need--low-income children and families.
I commend the efforts of my distinguished colleagues on the Labor and
Human Resources Committee, Chairman Kennedy and Senators Kassebaum,
Dodd, and Coats for spearheading the Head Start reauthorization process
and for seeking to expand the provision of Head Start services while
also seeking to improve the overall quality of Head Start programs.
I wish to especially acknowledge the Committee on Labor and Human
Resources for recognizing that not all Head Start communities are
alike--that American Indian and Alaska Native communities have unique
needs and concerns.
Some of the harshest living conditions in this Nation are found in
native American communities, where there are alarmingly high rates of
poverty and unemployment--communities which are located in rural areas
literally hundreds of miles removed from the nearest early child care
program or facility.
From the very inception of the Head Start Program, Indian tribes have
participated in the program. In 1965, 34 American Indian Head Start
programs were established. As of August 1993, there were 116 Indian
Head Start grantees providing services to 181 federally recognized
Indian and Alaska Native tribes.
Yet despite this history, the needs of Indian Head Start programs
have failed to receive the attention of the Congress that they
deserved. For the first time in the 30 years that Indian tribes have
been participating in the Head Start Program, the Senate held an
oversight hearing on Indian Head Start programs.
On March 25, 1994, the Committee on Labor and Human Resources and the
Committee on Indian Affairs convened a joint hearing to receive the
testimonies of the Department of Health and Human Services, the
National Head Start Association, the National Indian Head Start
Directors Association, tribal leaders, and Indian Head Start directors
and parents.
Having had the privilege of presiding over that hearing, I can attest
to the many concerns expressed regarding inequities in program
implementation in Indian country. Indian programs suffer from what
sadly appears to be omissions and oversights of the original act.
For instance, while Indian tribes are charged with administering the
provisions of the Head Start Act, they are simultaneously constrained
by language in the act that inadvertently penalizes them because of
their tribal status. Certainly, this was not the intent of the original
drafters.
As chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs, I am accordingly
extremely pleased with the committee substitute to S. 1852, represented
as title I in S. 2000.
This substitute reflects the responsiveness of the Labor Committee in
addressing Indian Head Start needs. This substitute also reflects in
many ways the hopes and desires of Indian tribes to enhance the quality
of the program and provide greater Head Start services to their Indian
communities.
I am sure that I speak on behalf of all of Indian country in
conveying my special regards and deep appreciation to Chairman Kennedy
for his sensitivity, perceptiveness, and perseverance regarding the
needs of native communities throughout this Head Start reauthorization
process. I urge my colleagues to give full and final consideration to
this important measure, and to act favorably in the interests of all
the children of this Nation.
Mr. BRADLEY. Madam President, for years now, I have risen before this
body and others to speak out about the desperate condition facing urban
America and the crisis facing our urban communities, our families, and
our children. While we can wallow in our frustration over decreased
funding and our inability to solve the complex problems of violence,
poverty, joblessness, and lack of opportunity that continue to hover
over our cities, today is not the day to do that. Today is a day to
recognize the programs that do work.
Head Start and the other community development programs authorized in
the Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1994, are well-tested
programs that work to strengthen children, families and communities;
they should not be abandoned. These programs have survived because they
represent the barest of safety nets: they protect, stimulate, and
nourish our children so that they start school ready to learn; they
provide support services to struggling families; and they invest in
community initiatives. All of these are indeed, worthy.
In this day and age, no group is more vulnerable than children to the
pressures of the city. Before they are old enough to know that life can
be better, children in our inner cities awake to the presence of drugs,
crime, guns, and violence. We know we are losing the game when in 1990,
20 percent of infants and toddlers lived in poverty. Three New Jersey
cities had poverty rates for young children above 25 percent while in
other cities and rural areas over 45 percent of all infants and
toddlers live in poverty. We know that poor and near poor infants and
toddlers are more likely to live in single parent families, are more
likely to be immigrants or linguistically isolated, or live in families
where the most educated parent has not completed high school. These
characteristics place children at high risk for not having the
essential support they need to learn effectively or grow to meet their
full potential.
As a result, we need to build communities that set children on a
sound course through life. The task is to ensure that practices of
daily life give the infant and toddler the security, stimulation and
encouragement that are the foundations of learning. We know from
studies that if children are provided not just healthy care during the
first year of life, but cognitive stimulation, behavior problems will
be reduced later, they will progress more quickly in education later
and the burden on the schools to remedy problems from early in life
will be reduced. That cognitive stimulation, healthy care, and loving
support needs to be provided in the home as well as in any child care
or educational setting. Unfortunately, parents in the inner cities tend
to be younger, less educated, less likely to be married. Young mothers
often do not realize the demands of raising a child, especially in the
midst of the pressures of the city--the economic pressures, drugs as
commonplace of life, crime, guns, and AIDS.
Recognizing the importance of early development during the first
years of life and beyond, last year I introduced a 15-month House bill
as part of a series of urban community-building initiatives. My 15-
month House bill would establish residential programs for low-income
and young mothers during the third trimester of the mother's pregnancy
and the first year of life. Among other things, the programs must
provide cognitive stimulation, immunizations and other care for the
infants as well as parenting education for the mothers.
I got the idea for this program from a community organization in Los
Angeles that set about to coordinate as many funding streams as
possible in order to build a community to set children on a sound
course through life. This 15-month housing initiative takes tools
invented at the community level and uses the power of Government
constructively to make those tools available to every community. It is
these creative initiatives that will significantly empower communities
to overcome desperate conditions though self-improvement. My hope is
that community initiatives like these will become the Head Start of the
next 30 years.
I hold this hope because of the success of Head Start, which by its
nature, requires community input and responsiveness to community needs.
Over the years, the program has adapted to the changing needs of our
children, families, and communities. Head Start is not simply a pre-
school education for children, it is an education for the parents, and
perhaps most importantly, an experience that involves both parents and
their children in a community.
Head Start is a federally funded locally administered program. It
operates within each community and has the flexibility to adapt
services to serve the unique needs of communities like migrant workers,
homeless or children of drug-addicted parents. And, after the passage
of this reauthorization bill, Head Start will be on its way toward
adapting to the needs of yet another part of our community, infants and
toddlers, age 0-3. I applaud the administration's recommendation and
the committee's decision to target specific funds to perhaps our most
vulnerable population, infants and toddlers. I am also encouraged by
the resources devoted to improve coordination between Head Start and
State and local programs. I encourage all involved with the
administration of the Head Start Program to accept nothing less than
the highest quality program possible.
Head Start has come a long way in the almost 30 years since its
inception; it has proven its impact and deserves our commitment.
However, to continue to rely on a scattering of well-designed basic
programs in not enough. We must look to these long-standing programs as
a platform from which to build a coherent strategy to further empower
our communities. Only by recognizing and investing Federal resources in
new and creative programs can we take that next hopeful step toward
rebuilding cities, empowering communities, strengthening families, and
providing an environment where children can grow up safe, healthy and
ready to face the challenges of school and life. I support the
reauthorization of this bill and encourage us all to continue to search
for our next generation of success stories.
Mr. COATS. Madam President, I am pleased today to join Senators
Kennedy, Dodd, and Kassebaum in recommending passage of S. 2000.
Few Federal programs engender the feelings of good will and
bipartisanship as do the programs we are discussing today. Head Start,
CSBG, LIHEAP, the Community Food and Nutrition Program--these programs
all have one important thing in common--they represent the Federal
Government at its best, forging public and private partnerships, and
unleashing the vast resources of one of our most important assets--the
local community.
S. 2000 represents months of effort and cooperation, aimed at not
only simply reauthorizing these important programs, but consolidating
and streamlining the programs as well.
This bill builds on an already successful Head Start Program by:
First, continuing to place strong emphasis on quality by authorizing
a minimum of 25 percent of new funds for quality enhancement efforts.
Second, allowing Head Start agencies to more effectively respond to
community needs by offering full day, full year services to their
working families.
Third, launching a broad new family-centered initiative to provide
valuable services and support to low-income families and their children
under the age of 3. In order to insure that quality is protected, S.
2000 requires the Secretary to convene a panel of experts to make
recommendations about the goals and guidelines for such a program
before significant Federal dollars are committed to it.
Whether in a Head Start classroom, a food bank, or family resource
centers, the programs we are about to reauthorize provide a valuable
link between families and the services and opportunities they need.
I have had the privilege of visiting a number of Head Start
facilities in my own State, and have found at each one a common
thread--the commitment of staff and of parents to be there for their
children. In Head Start centers across America, parents serve as
volunteers, as teachers, as aides, in whatever capacity they are
needed. Many have told me that thanks to Head Start, they have gone on
to higher education. Thanks to Head Start, their children have hope for
a future.
S. 2000 continues this legacy--and does so in a way that supports the
family as a unit. Head Start is a program serving children in families.
CSBG is a program serving families in communities. Family resource
programs and family literacy programs offer opportunities for parents
to become their child's best teacher.
S. 2000 offers families in need a hand up--not simply a hand out. And
it does so in a way that will enable and empower those families to give
back to their communities.
I am pleased to have had an opportunity to work on this legislation
and I would like to thank my chairman and ranking member for their
diligence in pulling this package together. This is a good bill, a
reasonable bill, and one that I think has the potential to really make
a difference. I look forward to its swift passage and implementation.
Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, as a cosponsor of the bill and advocate
for the Head Start Program, I rise in strong support of the Head Start
Amendments Act of 1994.
The Head Start Program has a long and distinguished history of
preparing pre-school children from disadvantaged backgrounds to enter
school ready to learn. It combines learning with social services and
parental involvement--an approach that is crucial to the health and
development of children in their early years.
I have argued many times that investment in our children is one of
the most important, cost-effective choices that we can make and key to
ensuring that they have a chance at the American dream.
The Head Start Program is one of those crucial investments. For every
dollar spent on Head Start, $3 is saved in future costs. Children who
get a ``head start'' in life have a much lower rate of educational
failure, teen pregnancy, welfare dependency, and crime than those who
do not.
The President has pledged to fully fund Head Start so that it can
serve every eligible 3, 4, and 5 year old and I support him. That is
why I offered an amendment to the Senate budget resolution to transfer
$1 billion from Government travel expenses to six children's programs,
including the Head Start Program.
If my amendment is adopted in conference, then the Head Start Program
would receive an additional $120 million, enough to provide slots for
approximately 24,000 children. My amendment overwhelmingly passed the
Senate by a bipartisan vote of 93-5 and I hope that my colleagues will
again vote to support the Head Start Program today.
Madam President, I know that many of my colleagues are concerned
about the quality of Head Start programs. This bill contains important
provisions to address those concerns. The bill sets aside 25 percent of
new Head Start funds for quality improvements. It creates a process to
update the existing performance standards and to identify poor
performing programs. The bill focuses on the need for better trained
staff by providing for the development of qualification standards and
model curricula. And, it creates new programs, such as the mentor
teacher program, where excellent teachers are identified to provide on
the job guidance to others.
Finally, the bill sets aside up to 5 percent of Head Start funds over
3 years for services for infants and toddlers up to age 3. I believe
that this provision may be the most important of all. According to a
recent report by the Carnegie Corp., scientific evidence shows that the
first three years of a child's life are the most critical for
development. If we are to truly give our children a head start, then we
must begin to consider the need for programs which serve our youngest
citizens.
I am proud to support the Head Start Amendments Act, and urge my
colleagues to do the same.
Mr. JEFFORDS. Madam President, I am pleased to rise in support of the
Human Services Reauthorization bill. This legislation reauthorizes many
important Federal programs, including the Low-Income Home Energy
Assistance Program [LIHEAP], the Community Services Block Grant [CSBG],
and Head Start.
With respect to Head Start, I am pleased that the President has
recommended a $700 million increase for Head Start for the coming
fiscal year. Since its creation, Head Start has served 13 million
children and has been an important tool in helping at-risk children and
their families. However, despite this proposed increase and increases
in years past, we are still far from serving all eligible children.
Today, less than 40 percent of all children eligible to participate
in Head Start do so. If we are to meet the goals that we established in
the Goals 2000: Educate America Act--especially Goal One which states
that by the year 2000, all children will start school ready to learn--
we must direct more of our efforts to the youngest, most vulnerable
members of society. In my mind, this means expanding Head Start.
This bill will help to expand Head Start services to more kids, while
assuring that kids who are enrolled receive the highest quality
services possible. It will help grantees better respond to the changing
needs of individual communities and working families. It strengthens
parental involvement in local Head Start programs and works to make the
transition to school easier. Furthermore--and I believe this is very
important--it creates a new initiative to serve children from birth to
age three. Study after study has shown that the earlier we reach at-
risk kids the better. The new zero to three program will give kids and
families the kinds of early, continuous, and comprehensive services
they need in order to be successful in later life.
The zero to three initiative builds on the success demonstrated by
the Comprehensive Child Development Program [CCDP]. CCDP was begun in
1988 to provide comprehensive social, health, education, nutrition, and
employment services to families with children up to age 5. There are 34
CCDP programs across the country, and I am fortunate to say that one is
in operation in my State of Vermont. The Windham County Family Support
Program has been providing services to families throughout the county,
and it has shown very positive results.
I was initially disappointed to hear that CCDP was being eliminated
as a separate program, for CCDP has had a significant impact on
families in Vermont over the past five years. Since that time, I have
learned that Vermont was not alone and that CCDPs in other states were
making a difference as well. For that reason, I fought to strengthen
the provisions giving priority to CCDP's in the bill and to include all
CCDP projects as priority entities for the new zero to three grants in
Head Start. In my mind, we were moving to eliminate a separate program,
which most would agree was making a difference in families' lives, but
which had had no comprehensive evaluations. I believe that when HHS
completes and releases its final comprehensive report on CCDP, it will
reaffirm the results that I have seen in Vermont.
I think that speaks to the need that while we move to ``reinvent
government'' and consolidate, terminate, or expand programs, we must be
cautious not to put quality programs on the chopping block. Before we
do so, we should have some measure of their success. If we have a
program that is performing well, we ought to keep it. If it is not, we
should stop it. But in order to do either, we must have data on the
results of the program, gathered through adequate studies and
evaluations.
The bill before us has a new strengthened research section for Head
Start which includes a priority that the Secretary conduct a
longitudinal study of Head Start. Nearly everyone will agree that Head
Start has made a significant difference in the lives of millions of at-
risk children. It has helped their social development, and it has
helped them do better in school. However, since Head Start was created
in 1965, few long-term studies have been done to see what effects the
program is having on its participants. I fully believe a longitudinal
study will reaffirm what most of us already know--that Head Start has
contributed to the success of those who have participated. It will help
us, as policymakers, by following the progress of Head Start kids
through the years to determine the long-term effects of Head Start.
And it is not just Head Start. I think all my colleagues would agree
that as we put billions of dollars into different programs, we need to
know which programs work, which ones don't, and act accordingly. I
would urge my colleagues to work with me to develop a policy of
adequately studying federal programs--reviewing and evaluating them,
and doing longitudinal studies where appropriate.
I think the Committee has done a commendable job with regard to
reauthorizing the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program [LIHEAP].
The reauthorization is relatively straightforward. We give the
administration and the States both guidance and flexibility. We
emphasize the need to target scarce LIHEAP resources to those
households with the highest home energy needs--basing such
determinations on income and energy burden. And we provide permanent
authorization for a contingency fund for weather emergencies such as
the unusually severe winter we experienced just a few months ago.
By the way, Madam President, while we have been enjoying the cherry
blossoms and dogwoods here in Washington, Vermonters are still
shoveling snow. More than a foot of snow remains on the ground in parts
of the State. And a few more inches fell earlier this week.
I hope the administration will come to realize that this program is a
vital safety net for millions of low-income households. I was deeply
disappointed that the administration sought, in its budget request, to
stretch the fiscal year 1995 advance appropriation over two years. In
effect, the Administration proposed to cut funding in half.
The Administration unpersuasively argues that the need for the
program has waned. Let's disavow that notion. Home energy costs
continue to swallow a disproportionately large share--15 to 20 percent
or more--of the meager resources low income households have to spend.
I might add that LIHEAP already has borne its share of budget-
cutting. The Bureau of Labor Statistics maintains a specific index of
household fuel and electricity prices. The years 1982 through 1984
serve as the index base. The average annual LIHEAP appropriation for
those three years was $1.96 billion. If we apply annual changes in the
index value to that average appropriation, we can determine the
appropriations necessary since the 1982-1984 period to maintain the
program's purchasing power. I did just that, and discovered that the
program lost a cumulative $3.63 billion in real purchasing power
through fiscal year 1993.
We have an obligation to taxpayers to be as frugal as possible. We
need to reduce the deficit. We have honored that obligation by freezing
the authorization for LIHEAP at $2.00 billion annually.
But we also have an obligation to protect the most vulnerable members
of our society.
I think we have reached that delicate balance already with regard to
LIHEAP. The $3.63 billion loss in purchasing power I just mentioned
came at the expense of the poorest households in our country--
households that typically have annual incomes below $8,000. We can't
take any more away from them.
I might add that some of the other programs contained in this
reauthorization bill will not meet our objectives for them if we
continue to hack away at LIHEAP, particularly Head Start.
During the reauthorization hearing on LIHEAP, the committee heard
eloquent testimony from Dr. Deborah Frank, who has studied the
relationship between cold weather, low incomes, and childhood
malnutrition at Boston City Hospital. It's the ``heat or eat''
syndrome. Dr. Frank has discovered that emergency room visits for
``low-weight-for-age cases'' peak one month after the coldest weather
occurs. And the risk of severely low weight births in the three months
following the coldest weather increases by 37 percent. Why is this so?
Well, parents know that their children will freeze before they starve.
Low income households literally go without food in order to pay their
utility bills.
Dr. Frank reviewed for the committee the considerable body of
evidence suggesting that children who are malnourished during this
critical period of early childhood ``are at lasting risk for later
school failure and deficits in attention and social behavior.''
I have just one other point I would like to make regarding LIHEAP.
And that concerns the contingency fund. I am pleased that we have given
the President permanent authority to seek up to $600 million in
emergency funds each year for any sort of crisis Mother Nature may
present. I think back to the events that unfolded this past winter, or
to the winter of 1989-1990, when much of the South, even, was frozen
and refineries shut down and heating oil simply wasn't available for
delivery even if tankers could have broken through the ice blocking our
Northeastern ports. We need this authority, but I want to make it
perfectly clear that the contingency fund is meant to supplement, not
supplant, the annual LIHEAP appropriation. Those of us who support
LIHEAP will not tolerate attempts to gut the program by arguing that
emergency funds are available.
Madam President, you may recall the Exxon and stripper well oil
overcharge cases. Back then, we were assured that oil overcharge moneys
flowing out of the settlements to the States were to ``supplement, not
supplant''. Yet within just a few years, the existence of the oil
overcharge funds was cited as a rationale for cutting LIHEAP. Not
again. The annual appropriation for LIHEAP has hovered around $1.50
billion in recent years. That's not sufficient, but I realize we cannot
expect much more. But it's the least we can do. It's the least we must
do. The contingency fund will not be used as a device to gut LIHEAP.
Finally, I think the Committee made some useful changes in the
Community Services Block Grant. We preserved some important programs,
but made some positive changes in them. The block grant provides vital
support to community action agencies across the country. These agencies
in turn are doing tremendous work to help low-income Americans. The
bill will also reconfigure the current community economic development
program, as well as the rural facilities program. And I am pleased that
the bill preserves the role of the community food and nutrition
program.
Madam President, in closing, I would like to commend my colleagues on
the Labor and Human Resources Committee, in particular Senators
Kennedy, Kassebaum, Dodd, and Coats, for their hard work crafting a
truly bipartisan bill we can all support.
Mrs. KASSEBAUM. Madam President, I rise today to join my colleagues
in supporting the passage of S. 2000, the Human Services
Reauthorization Act of 1994. This legislation reauthorizes several
important programs including the community services block grant, the
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act, the Ready to Learn Act, the
State Dependent Care Development programs, the Child Development
Associate Scholarship initiative, and the new Community-Based Family
Resource Program. I am particularly pleased that two programs with
which I have been very involved are included in this reauthorization
legislation--Head Start and the most critical portions of the Young
Americans Act.
I would first like to compliment the Clinton administration and the
Department of Health and Human Services for their commitment making
members of both parties in the House and Senate full partners in the
development of the Head Start legislation. The Head Start Act
Amendments Act of 1994 was the result of a unique process--with staff
representing Democrats and Republicans from the House and Senate
working daily with officials from the administration to craft the
legislation. I hope that this successful experience will serve as the
catalyst for more bipartisan, bicameral efforts.
In March 1993, I introduced the Head Start Quality Improvement Act
because I believed that it was important to ensure the quality of Head
Start as the program moved into a period of unprecedented expansion of
services and funding. I have been a longstanding supporter of the Head
Start Program. However, I believe program expansion and increased
funding are of limited value, unless steps are taken to improve the
quality of the services that are being provided--quantity with quality.
Many of the concerns which prompted the development of my Head Start
legislation are addressed in S. 2000--and in fact, several provisions
in the two bills are virtually identical. Specifically, the Human
Services Reauthorization Act increases funding for the Head Start
Transition Program, contains provisions for the expedited termination
of programs which do not meet minimum program standards, includes
improvements in the monitoring of Head Start programs, and increases
the training and technical assistance available to help programs. In
addition, the S. 2000 requires the Department of Health and Human
Services to review and update the 20-year-old performance standards for
Head Start programs. I am particularly proud of the Head Start section
of S. 2000, which is strong, effective legislation designed to help
Head Start move into the next decade of service for low-income children
and their families.
Another part of this legislation which I would particularly like to
mention is title IV, Community-Based Family Resource Programs. I would
like to compliment Senator Dodd for his work in crafting this section
of the bill. In addition to reauthorizing the Federal and State
coordination mechanisms of the Young Americans Act, this title combines
several small discretionary programs into a systematic approach to
prevention. The Community-Based Family Resource Programs title of S.
2000 promotes new ways of funding State networks of comprehensive
family services provided through collaborative approaches, including
public-private partnerships--putting the goals of the Young Americans
Act into practice.
I would like to take a moment to thank the staff from the House
Committee on Education and labor and Senate Committee on Labor and
Human Resources for their diligence and commitment to crafting a truly
bipartisan bill. This legislation is stronger and better because of
their efforts.
Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I rise today in support of this bill,
S. 2000, which will, among many other things, reauthorize Head Start
funding for the next several years.
Every child, no matter who he or she is, or where they come from,
must have the opportunity to succeed. I know this as well as anyone.
Because of education and opportunities that were given to me in this
great country, I am here today as a U.S. Senator. I believe in creating
opportunities and there is no group in this Nation more deserving than
children, all of our children.
Because Head Start creates opportunity for our most needy children, I
cosponsored the original reauthorizing bill and that is why I strongly
support this bill today.
This bill creates and improves opportunities through increased
quality of all Head Start programs. I know we have all heard the
concerns about Head Start effectiveness. Those concerns are important
and valid. In my mind, there is no question that the program works.
What is troubling is the quality of each program varies so much. This
bill seeks to correct this by establishing minimum quality levels,
performance standards and staff training guidance among many other
things. Quality is, and should be, a top priority of this program since
increased quality means increased opportunity for Head Start children
and their families.
I also want to mention a new section of this bill called programs for
Families with Infants and Toddlers. Several months ago I held a youth
violence forum in my State. We spent days discussing what to do with
our legal system, with our education system, and within our communities
to deal with youth violence. One of the participants had a great
analogy that I'd like to share with you.
She described our Nation as having a large river with many of our
troubled kids floating rapidly downstream in it. Many people spend much
time and effort standing on the shore pulling out as many of them as
fast as possible. The problem is we never go to the head of the river
and stop them from being thrown into the river in the first place.
Head Start comes closer to the head of that river and dealing with
what's putting our children there, particularly with the addition of
the infants and toddlers section because it reaches our children and
families early--before they get into that turbulent river. It provides
services to both children and parents all in an effort to enhance the
physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development of our
children. It recognizes the need to reach our children early in life
and, more importantly, to teach young parents how to be parents.
One service that has a proven track record of doing just this is the
Comprehensive Child Development Centers. I have had the opportunity to
visit one of these centers in my State and I would urge all of my
colleagues to do the same if they have one of these centers in their
State. I spoke at length with some of the families and I am convinced
that the work they are doing is making a difference for the children,
families, and communities they serve. They deserve our attention and
our support and I am pleased the committee included all of them in this
bill.
I am also supporting this bill because it does more than reauthorize
Head Start. It reauthorizes the State Dependent Care Development
Grants. This program provides the only source of Federal funds for the
planning, establishment, and expansion of school-age child care
programs throughout the Nation. In my home State of Washington, at
least 50,000 children ages 5 to 14 have no adult supervision during the
hours when schools are out, and parents are still at work, or in
training programs. Families who seek a safe and supportive place for
their school-age children often find care is unavailable, unaffordable,
or of uncertain quality. The dependent care block grant program helps
address this need.
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program which is also in this
bill is of great import to many families in Washington and across the
Nation. Through LIHEAP the risk of utility shut-off and homelessness is
decreased for families with the lowest incomes and the highest energy
costs. As a member of the Budget and Appropriations Committees, I am
working with many of my colleagues to maintain an adequate level of
funding for LIHEAP.
Finally, I am pleased to support the reauthorization of the community
services block grant program. I know the Community Action Agencies in
Washington provide vital services to thousands of low income residents
in all 39 counties--people in need of housing, emergency assistance,
educational services, employment guidance, basic nutrition, and relief
from abuse. Together, these provisions provide our most needy children
and families with opportunities to succeed and I want to urge all of my
colleagues to support this important piece of legislation.
Mr. DODD. Madam President, Senator Kennedy mentioned, of course, that
this work does not get done without terrific staff work. There are many
people to congratulate and thank. I want to point out specifically the
work of Patty Cole, of my staff, and Joe Palmore, who did a terrific
job in working with the majority staff and the minority staff, Senator
Kennedy's staff, and others to put this together.
Senator Kennedy said in some ways--at this late hour there are very
few people here for this--but this is a very important piece of
legislation, a critical element trying to see to it that we will be a
strong and vibrant Nation in the 21st century, and hopefully these
kinds of statistics we need to turn around.
I think it is worthwhile to note there was a program this evening on
one of the networks, I think the American Broadcasting Co., ABC, that
talked about the things we really ought to be worried about in this
country, the real serious threats. Poverty is one of them. If you are
living in poverty in the United States, your life expectancy is 7 to 10
years shorter than other Americans. If you begin life as these children
are growing up in poverty, that is not only a threat to us in society,
but it is a threat to them in their lives.
So everyone suffers when these children suffer. This legislation we
hope will be a significant step in reversing those trends.
Madam President, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is all time yielded?
Mr. KENNEDY. I yield back the remainder of time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. All time is yielded.
Under the previous order, the question is on agreeing to the
committee amendment in the nature of a substitute, as amended.
The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute, as amended,
was agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on the engrossment and third
reading of the bill.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, was read
the third time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The bill having been read the third time, the
question is, Shall the bill, as amended, pass?
The bill (S. 2000) as amended, was passed, as follows:
S. 2000
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
TITLE I--HEAD START PROGRAMS
SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE; REFERENCES IN TITLE.
(a) Short Title.--This title may be cited as the ``Head
Start Act Amendments of 1994''.
(b) References.--Except as otherwise specifically provided,
whenever in this title an amendment or repeal is expressed in
terms of an amendment to, or a repeal of, a section or other
provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a
section or other provision of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C.
9831 et seq.).
SEC. 102. DEFINITIONS.
Section 637 (42 U.S.C. 9832) is amended--
(1) by striking paragraphs (4) and (5);
(2) by striking paragraph (9) and inserting the following
new paragraph:
``(9) The term `poverty line' means the income official
poverty line (as defined by the Office of Management and
Budget, and revised annually in accordance with section
673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C.
9902(2)) applicable to a family of the size involved.'';
(3) by adding after paragraph (11) the following new
paragraphs:
``(12) The term `family literacy services' includes
activities including interactive literacy activities between
parents and their children, training for parents on
techniques for being the primary teacher of their children
and full partners in the education of their children, parent
literacy training, and early childhood education.
``(13) The term `Indian tribe' means any tribe, band,
nation, pueblo, or other organized group or community of
Indians, including any Native village described in section
3(c) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C.
1602(c)) or established pursuant to such Act (43 U.S.C. 1601
et seq.), that is recognized as eligible for the special
programs and services provided by the United States to
Indians because of their status as Indians.'';
(4) by redesignating paragraphs (6), (7), (8), (9), (10),
(11), (12), and (13) as paragraphs (7), (8), (9), (11), (5),
(6), (4), and (10), respectively; and
(5)(A) by transferring paragraph (4), as so redesignated,
and inserting the paragraph after paragraph (3);
(B) by transferring paragraphs (5) and (6), as so
redesignated, and inserting the paragraphs after paragraph
(4), as so redesignated; and
(C) by transferring paragraph (10), as so redesignated, and
inserting the paragraph after paragraph (9), as so
redesignated.
SEC. 103. SERVICES.
Section 638(a)(1) (42 U.S.C. 9833(a)(1)) is amended by
striking ``health, nutritional, educational, social, and
other services'' and inserting ``health, education, parental
involvement, nutritional, social, and other services''.
SEC. 104. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
Section 639 (42 U.S.C. 9834) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by striking all that follows
``subchapter'' and inserting ``such sums as may be necessary
for fiscal year 1995 through 1998.''; and
(2) by striking subsections (b) and (c) and inserting the
following:
``(b) From the amount appropriated under subsection (a),
the Secretary shall make available--
``(1) $35,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1995 through
1998 to--
``(A) carry out the Head Start Transition Project Act; and
``(B) carry out activities authorized under section 642(d);
and
``(2) not more than $2,000,000 for fiscal year 1995, and
such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years
1996 through 1998, to carry out longitudinal research under
section 649(e).''.
SEC. 105. ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.
(a) Allocation and Use of Funds for Quality Improvement.--
Section 640(a)(3) (42 U.S.C. 9835(a)(3)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and (B) as
subparagraphs (C) and (D), respectively;
(2) by striking ``(3)(C)'' and all that follows through
``quality improvement activities:'' and inserting the
following:
``(3)(A)(i) In order to provide assistance for activities
specified in subparagraph (C) directed at the goals specified
in subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall reserve, from the
amount (if any) by which the funds appropriated under section
639(a) for a fiscal year exceed the adjusted prior year
appropriation, a share equal to the sum of--
``(I) 25 percent of such excess amount; and
``(II) any additional amount the Secretary may find
necessary to address a demonstrated need for such activities.
``(ii) As used in clause (i), the term `adjusted prior year
appropriation' means, with respect to a fiscal year, the
amount appropriated pursuant to section 639(a) for the
preceding fiscal year, adjusted to reflect the percentage
change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers
(issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics) during such
preceding fiscal year.
``(B) Funds reserved under this paragraph (referred to in
this paragraph as `quality improvement funds') shall be used
to accomplish any or all of the following goals:
``(i) Ensuring that Head Start programs meet or exceed
performance standards pursuant to section 641A(a)(1)(A).
``(ii) Ensuring that such programs have adequate qualified
staff, and that such staff are furnished adequate training.
``(iii) Ensuring that salary levels and benefits are
adequate to attract and retain qualified staff for such
programs.
``(iv) Using salary increases to improve staff
qualifications, and to assist with the implementation of
career development programs, for the staff of Head Start
programs.
``(v) Improving community-wide strategic planning and needs
assessments for such programs.
``(vi) Ensuring that the physical environments of Head
Start programs are conducive to providing effective program
services to children and families.
``(vii) Making such other improvements in the quality of
such programs as the Secretary may designate.
``(C) Quality improvement funds shall be used to carry out
any or all of the following activities:'';
(3) in subparagraph (C), as redesignated in paragraph (1),
by adding at the end the following new clause:
``(vii) Such other activities as the Secretary may
designate.''; and
(4) in subparagraph (D), as redesignated in paragraph (1)--
(A) in clause (i)--
(i) in the matter preceding subclause (I), by striking
``for the first, second, and third fiscal years for which
funds are so reserved''; and
(ii) in subclause (II), by inserting ``and Indian and
migrant Head Start programs,'' after ``States,'';
(B) by striking clauses (ii) and (iii);
(C) in clause (iv)--
(i) by striking ``To be expended'' and all that follows,
through ``reserved, funds'' and inserting ``Funds'';
(ii) by striking ``clause (ii)'' the first place it appears
and inserting ``clause (i)'';
(iii) by inserting before the period at the end of the
first sentence, ``, for expenditure for activities specified
in subparagraph (C)''; and
(iv) by striking the second sentence;
(D) in clause (vi), by striking ``paragraphs (2), (4), and
(5)'' and inserting ``paragraph (2) or (4)''; and
(E) by striking clause (v) and redesignating clauses (iv)
and (vi) as clauses (ii) and (iii), respectively.
(b) Funds Set-Aside.--Section 640(a) (42 U.S.C. 9835(a)) is
amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``through (5).'' and
inserting ``through (4), and subject to paragraphs (5) and
(6).'';
(2) in paragraph (2)--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``1990'' and inserting
``1994''; and
(B) in subparagraph (D), by inserting ``(including payments
for all costs (other than compensation of Federal employees)
of reviews of Head Start agencies and programs under section
641A(c), and of activities related to the development and
implementation of quality improvement plans under section
641A(d)(2))'' after ``Secretary'';
(3) in paragraph (3), by striking ``paragraph (5)'' each
place it appears and inserting ``paragraph (4)'';
(4) by striking paragraph (4), and redesignating paragraphs
(5) and (6) as paragraphs (4) and (7), respectively;
(5) in paragraph (4), as redesignated in paragraph (4), by
striking ``The'' and inserting ``Subject to section 639(b),
the''; and
(6) by adding after paragraph (4), as redesignated in
paragraph (4), the following new paragraphs:
``(5)(A) From amounts reserved and allotted pursuant to
paragraph (4), the Secretary shall reserve such sums as may
be necessary to award the collaboration grants described in
subparagraph (B).
``(B) From the reserved sums, the Secretary may award a
collaboration grant to each State to facilitate collaboration
regarding activities carried out in the State under this
subchapter, and other activities carried out in, and by, the
State that are targeted to low-income children and families.
``(C) A State that receives a grant under subparagraph (B)
shall--
``(i) appoint an individual to serve as a State liaison
between--
``(I) agencies and individuals carrying out Head Start
programs in the State; and
``(II) agencies and entities carrying out programs serving
low-income children and families;
``(ii) involve the State Head Start Association in the
selection of the individual, and involve the association in
determinations relating to the ongoing direction of the
collaboration;
``(iii) ensure that the individual holds a position with
sufficient authority and access to ensure that the
collaboration described in subparagraph (B) is effective and
involves a range of State agencies; and
``(iv) ensure that the collaboration described in
subparagraph (B) involves coordination of Head Start services
with health care, welfare, child care, education, and
national service activities, and activities relating to
children with disabilities.
``(D) As used in this paragraph, the term `low-income',
used with respect to children or families, shall not be
considered to refer only to children or families that meet
the low-income criteria prescribed pursuant to section
645(a)(1)(A).
``(6) From amounts reserved and allotted pursuant to
paragraphs (2) and (4), the Secretary shall use, for grants
for programs described in section 645A(a), a portion of the
combined total of such amounts equal to 3 percent for fiscal
year 1995, 4 percent for each of fiscal years 1996 and 1997,
and 5 percent for fiscal year 1998, of the amount
appropriated pursuant to section 639(a).''.
(c) Considerations for Allocation of Funds for Program
Expansion.--Section 640(g) (42 U.S.C. 9835(g)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``(g)'' and inserting ``(g)(1)''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
``(2) For the purpose of expanding Head Start programs, in
allocating funds to an applicant within a State, from amounts
allotted to a State pursuant to subsection (a)(4), the
Secretary shall take into consideration--
``(A) the quality of the applicant's programs (including
Head Start and other child care or child development
programs) in existence on the date of the allocation,
including, in the case of Head Start programs in existence on
the date of the allocation, the extent to which such programs
meet or exceed performance standards and other requirements
under this subchapter;
``(B) the applicant's capacity to expand services
(including, in the case of Head Start programs in existence
on the date of the allocation, whether the applicant
accomplished any prior expansions in an effective and timely
manner);
``(C) the extent to which the applicant has undertaken
community-wide strategic planning and needs assessments
involving other community organizations serving children and
families;
``(D) the numbers of eligible children in each community
who are not participating in a Head Start program; and
``(E) the concentration of low-income families in each
community.
``(3) In determining the amount of funds reserved pursuant
to subparagraph (A) or (B) of subsection (a)(2) to be used
for expanding Head Start programs under this subchapter, the
Secretary shall take into consideration, to the extent
appropriate, the factors specified in paragraph (2).''.
(d) Technical Amendment.--Section 640(h) (42 U.S.C.
9835(h)) is amended by striking ``Each Head Start program
may'' and inserting ``Financial assistance provided under
this subchapter may be used by each Head Start program to''.
(e) Compensation.--Section 640 (42 U.S.C. 9835) is amended
by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(j) Any agency that receives financial assistance under
this subchapter to improve the compensation of staff who
provide services under this Act shall use the financial
assistance to improve the compensation of such staff,
regardless of whether the agency has the ability to improve
the compensation of staff employed by the agency who do not
provide Head Start services.''.
SEC. 106. REPORT.
Section 640A (42 U.S.C. 9835a) is repealed.
SEC. 107. DESIGNATION.
(a) Indian Reservations.--Section 641(b) (42 U.S.C.
9836(b)) is amended by inserting after ``Indian reservation''
the following: ``(including members of Indian tribes living
near the reservation)''.
(b) Designation of Agencies--Section 641(c) (42 U.S.C.
9836(c)) is amended--
(1) by striking paragraphs (2) through (4);
(2) in the first sentence--
(A) by inserting ``(subject to paragraph (2))'' before ``,
the Secretary shall give priority''; and
(B) by striking ``unless'' and all that follows through the
end of subparagraph (A) and inserting the following: ``unless
the Secretary makes a finding that the agency involved fails
to meet program, financial management, and other requirements
established by the Secretary.'';
(3) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as paragraph (2);
(4) in paragraph (2), as so redesignated--
(A) by striking ``except that, if'' and inserting ``If'';
and
(B) by striking ``subparagraph (A)'' and inserting
``paragraph (1)'';
(5) by striking ``Notwithstanding any other provision of
this paragraph'' and inserting the following:
``(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of this
subsection''; and
(6) by aligning the margins of paragraph (2) with the
margins of paragraph (3).
(c) Considerations in Designating New Head Start
Agencies.--Section 641(d) (42 U.S.C. 9836(d)) is amended--
(1) in the first sentence, by striking all that precedes
``then the Secretary'' and inserting ``If no entity in a
community is entitled to the priority specified in subsection
(c),'';
(2) by striking the second sentence;
(3) in the third sentence--
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking
``and subject to the preceding sentence''; and
(B) in paragraph (4), to read as follows:
``(4) the plan of such applicant--
``(A) to seek the involvement of parents of participating
children in activities designed to help such parents become
full partners in the education of their children;
``(B) to afford such parents the opportunity to participate
in the development, conduct, and overall performance of the
program at the local level;
``(C) to offer (directly or through referral to local
entities, such as entities carrying out Even Start programs
under part B of chapter 1 of title I of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 2741 et seq.)) to
such parents--
``(i) family literacy services; and
``(ii) parenting skills training;
``(D) at the option of such applicant, to offer (directly
or through referral to local entities) to such parents--
``(i) parental social self-sufficiency training;
``(ii) substance abuse counseling; or
``(iii) any other activity designed to help such parents
become full partners in the education of their children; and
``(E) to provide, with respect to each participating
family, a family needs assessment that includes consultation
with such parents about the benefits of parent involvement
and about the activities described in subparagraphs (C) and
(D) in which such parents may choose to become involved
(taking into consideration their specific family needs, work
schedules, and other responsibilities);'';
(4) in paragraph (7), by inserting ``and'' after the
semicolon;
(5) by striking paragraph (8); and
(6) by redesignating paragraph (9) as paragraph (8).
(d) Conforming Amendment.--Section 641 (42 U.S.C. 9836) is
amended--
(1) by striking subsection (f); and
(2) by redesignating subsection (g) as subsection (f).
SEC. 108. MONITORING AND QUALITY ASSURANCE.
The Act is amended by inserting after section 641 (42
U.S.C. 9836) the following new section:
``SEC. 641A. QUALITY STANDARDS; MONITORING OF HEAD START
AGENCIES AND PROGRAMS.
``(a) Quality Standards.--
``(1) Establishment of standards.--The Secretary shall
establish by regulation standards applicable to Head Start
agencies, programs, and projects under this subchapter,
including--
``(A) performance standards with respect to services
required to be provided, including health, education,
parental involvement, nutritional, social, and other
services;
``(B) administrative and financial management standards;
``(C) standards relating to the condition and location of
facilities for such agencies, programs, and projects; and
``(D) such other standards as the Secretary finds to be
appropriate.
``(2) Minimum requirements.--The regulations promulgated
under this subsection shall establish the minimum levels of
overall accomplishment that a Head Start agency shall achieve
in order to meet the standards specified in paragraph (1).
``(3) Considerations in developing standards.--In
developing the regulations required under paragraph (1), the
Secretary shall--
``(A) consult with experts in the fields of child
development, early childhood education, family services,
administration, and financial management, and with persons
with experience in the operation of Head Start programs;
``(B) take into consideration--
``(i) past experience with use of the standards in effect
under this subchapter on the date of enactment of this
section;
``(ii) changes over the period since the date of enactment
of this Act in the circumstances and problems typically
facing children and families served by Head Start agencies;
``(iii) developments concerning best practices with respect
to child development, children with disabilities, family
services, program administration, and financial management;
and
``(iv) projected needs of an expanding Head Start program;
and
``(C)(i) not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of this section, review and revise as necessary the
performance standards in effect under 651(b) on the day
before the date of enactment of this section; and
``(ii) ensure that any such revisions in the performance
standards will not result in the elimination of or any
reduction in the scope or types of health, education,
parental involvement, nutritional, social, or other services
required to be provided under such standards as in effect on
November 2, 1978.
``(4) Standards relating to obligations to delegate
agencies.--In developing standards under this subsection, the
Secretary shall describe the obligations of a Head Start
agency to an agency (referred to in this subchapter as the
`delegate agency') to which the Head Start agency has
delegated responsibility for providing services under this
subchapter and determine whether the Head Start agency
complies with the standards. The Secretary shall consider
such compliance during the review described in subsection
(c)(1)(A) and in determining whether to renew financial
assistance to the Head Start agency under this subchapter.
``(b) Performance Measures.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this section, the Secretary, in consultation
with representatives of Head Start agencies and with experts
in the fields of child development, family services, and
program management, shall develop methods and procedures for
measuring, annually and over longer periods, the quality and
effectiveness of programs operated by Head Start agencies
(referred to in this subchapter as `performance measures').
``(2) Design of measures.--The performance measures
developed under this subsection shall be designed--
``(A) to assess the various services provided by Head Start
programs and, to the extent the Secretary finds appropriate,
administrative and financial management practices of such
programs;
``(B) to be adaptable for use in self-assessment and peer
review of individual Head Start agencies and programs; and
``(C) for other program purposes as determined by the
Secretary.
``(3) Use of measures.--The Secretary shall use the
performance measures developed pursuant to this subsection--
``(A) to identify strengths and weaknesses in the operation
of Head Start programs nationally and by region; and
``(B) to identify problem areas that may require additional
training and technical assistance resources.
``(c) Monitoring of Local Agencies and Programs.--
``(1) In general.--In order to determine whether Head Start
agencies meet standards established under this subchapter
with respect to program, administrative, financial
management, and other requirements, the Secretary shall
conduct the following reviews of designated Head Start
agencies, and of the Head Start programs operated by such
agencies:
``(A) A full review of each such agency at least once
during each 3-year period.
``(B) A review of each newly designated agency immediately
after the completion of the first year such agency carries
out a Head Start program.
``(C) Followup reviews including prompt return visits to
agencies and programs that fail to meet the standards.
``(D) Other reviews as appropriate.
``(2) Conduct of reviews.--The Secretary shall ensure that
reviews described in subparagraphs (A) through (C) of
paragraph (1)--
``(A) are performed, to the maximum extent practicable, by
employees of the Department of Health and Human Services who
are knowledgeable about Head Start programs; and
``(B) are supervised by such an employee at the site of
such Head Start agency.
``(d) Corrective Action; Termination.--
``(1) Determination.--If the Secretary determines, on the
basis of a review pursuant to subsection (c), that a Head
Start agency designated pursuant to section 641 fails to meet
the standards described in subsection (c), the Secretary
shall--
``(A) inform the agency of the deficiencies that shall be
corrected;
``(B) with respect to each identified deficiency, require
the agency--
``(i) to correct the deficiency immediately; or
``(ii) at the discretion of the Secretary (taking into
consideration the seriousness of the deficiency and the time
reasonably required to correct the deficiency), to comply
with the requirements of paragraph (2) concerning a quality
improvement plan; and
``(C) initiate proceedings to terminate the designation of
the agency unless the agency corrects the deficiency.
``(2) Quality improvement plan.--
``(A) Agency responsibilities.--In order to retain a
designation as a Head Start agency under this subchapter, a
Head Start agency that is the subject of a determination
described in paragraph (1) (other than an agency able to
correct a deficiency immediately) shall--
``(i) develop in a timely manner, obtain the approval of
the Secretary regarding, and implement a quality improvement
plan that specifies--
``(I) the deficiencies to be corrected;
``(II) the actions to be taken to correct such
deficiencies; and
``(III) the timetable for accomplishment of the corrective
actions specified; and
``(ii) eliminate each deficiency identified, not later than
the date for elimination of such deficiency specified in such
plan (which shall not be later than 1 year after the date the
agency received notice of the determination and of the
specific deficiency to be corrected).
``(B) Secretarial responsibility.--Not later than 30 days
after receiving from a Head Start agency a proposed quality
improvement plan pursuant to subparagraph (A), the Secretary
shall either approve such proposed plan or specify the
reasons why the proposed plan cannot be approved.
``(3) Training and technical assistance.--The Secretary
shall provide training and technical assistance to Head Start
agencies with respect to the development or implementation of
such quality improvement plans to the extent the Secretary
finds such provision to be feasible and appropriate given
available funding and other statutory responsibilities.
``(e) Summaries of Monitoring Outcomes.--The Secretary
shall publish annually, following the end of each fiscal
year, a summary report on the findings of reviews conducted
under subsection (c), and on the outcomes of quality
improvement plans implemented under subsection (d), during
such fiscal year.''.
SEC. 109. TRANSITION COORDINATION WITH SCHOOLS AND PARENT
INVOLVEMENT.
Section 642 (42 U.S.C. 9837) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (4), to read as follows: ``(4) seek the
involvement of parents of participating children in
activities designed to help such parents become full partners
in the education of their children, and to afford such
parents the opportunity to participate in the development,
conduct, and overall performance of the program at the local
level;'';
(B) in paragraph (5), by inserting ``and'' after the
semicolon;
(C) by striking paragraph (6);
(D) by redesignating paragraphs (5) and (7) as paragraphs
(8) and (9), respectively; and
(E) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following new
paragraphs: ``(5) offer (directly or through referral to
local entities, such as entities carrying out Even Start
programs under part B of chapter 1 of title I of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
2741 et seq.)), to parents of participating children, family
literacy services and parenting skills training; (6) at the
option of such agency, offer (directly or through referral to
local entities), to such parents, parental social self-
sufficiency training, substance abuse counseling, or any
other activity designed to help such parents become full
partners in the education of their children; (7) provide,
with respect to each participating family, a family needs
assessment that includes consultation with such parents about
the benefits of parent involvement and about the activities
described in paragraphs (4) through (6) in which such parents
may choose to be involved (taking into consideration their
specific family needs, work schedules, and other
responsibilities);'';
(2) in subsection (c), by striking ``schools that will
subsequently serve children in Head Start programs,''; and
(3) by adding after subsection (c) the following new
subsection:
``(d)(1) Each Head Start agency shall carry out the actions
specified in this subsection, to the extent feasible and
appropriate in the circumstances (including the extent to
which such agency is able to secure the cooperation of
parents and schools) to enable children to maintain the
developmental gains achieved in Head Start programs and to
build upon such gains in further schooling.
``(2) The Head Start agency shall take steps to coordinate
with the local educational agency (as defined in section
1471(12) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 2891(12)) serving the community involved and
with schools in which children participating in a Head Start
program operated by such agency will enroll following such
program, including--
``(A) developing and implementing a systematic procedure
for transferring Head Start program records for each
participating child to the school in which such child will
enroll;
``(B) establishing channels of communication between Head
Start staff and their counterparts in the schools (including
teachers, social workers, and health staff) to facilitate
coordination of programs;
``(C) conducting meetings involving parents, kindergarten
or elementary school teachers, and Head Start program
teachers to discuss the developmental and other needs of
individual children; and
``(D) organizing and participating in joint transition-
related training of school staff and Head Start staff.
``(3) In order to promote the continued involvement of the
parents of children that participate in Head Start programs
in the education of their children upon transition to school,
the Head Start agency shall--
``(A) provide training to the parents--
``(i) to inform the parents about their rights and
responsibilities concerning the education of their children;
and
``(ii) to enable the parents to understand and work with
schools in order to communicate with teachers and other
school personnel, to support the school work of their
children, and to participate as appropriate in decisions
relating to the education of their children; and
``(B) take other actions, as appropriate and feasible, to
support the active involvement of the parents with schools,
school personnel, and school-related organizations.
``(4) The Secretary of Health and Human Services and the
Secretary of Education shall assess the results of the
activities funded under the Head Start Transition Project Act
(42 U.S.C. 9855 et seq.) and shall work together to provide
technical assistance to enable communities to implement
proposed practices emerging from the activities, to improve
the Head Start programs and programs of the schools.''.
SEC. 110. FACILITIES AND ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS.
Section 644 (42 U.S.C. 9839) is amended--
(1) in subsection (d), by striking ``guidelines,
instructions,'';
(2) in subsection (f)--
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``640(a)(3)(A)(v)'' and
inserting ``640(a)(3)(C)(v)''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(3) Upon a determination by the Secretary that suitable
facilities are not otherwise available to Indian tribes to
carry out Head Start programs, and that the lack of suitable
facilities will inhibit the operation of such programs, the
Secretary, in the discretion of the Secretary, may authorize
the use of financial assistance, from the amount reserved
under section 640(a)(2)(A), to make payments for the purchase
of facilities owned by such tribes. The amount of such a
payment for such a facility shall not exceed the fair market
value of the facility.''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new subsections:
``(g)(1) Upon a determination by the Secretary that
suitable facilities (including public school facilities) are
not otherwise available to Indian tribes, rural communities,
and other low-income communities to carry out Head Start
programs, that the lack of suitable facilities will inhibit
the operation of such programs, and that construction of such
facilities is more cost effective than purchase of available
facilities or renovation, the Secretary, in the discretion of
the Secretary, may authorize the use of financial assistance
under this subchapter to make payments for capital
expenditures related to facilities that will be used to carry
out such programs. The Secretary shall establish uniform
procedures for Head Start agencies to request approval for
such payments, and shall promote, the extent practicable, the
collocation of Head Start programs with other programs
serving low-income children and families.
``(2) Such payments may be used for capital expenditures
(including paying the cost of amortizing the principal, and
paying interest on, loans) such as expenditures for--
``(A) construction of facilities that are not in existence
on the date of the determination;
``(B) major renovation of facilities in existence on such
date; and
``(C) purchase of vehicles used for programs conducted at
the Head Start facilities.
``(3) All laborers and mechanics employed by contractors or
subcontractors in the construction or renovation of
facilities to be used to carry out Head Start programs shall
be paid wages at not less than those prevailing on similar
construction in the locality, as determined by the Secretary
of Labor in accordance with the Act of March 3, 1931, as
amended (40 U.S.C. 276a et seq., commonly known as the
`Davis-Bacon Act').
``(h) In all personnel actions of the American Indian
Programs Branch of the Head Start Bureau of the
Administration for Children and Families, the Secretary shall
give the same preference to individuals who are members of an
Indian tribe as the Secretary gives to a disabled veteran, as
defined in section 2108(3)(C) of title 5, United States Code.
The Secretary shall take such additional actions as may be
necessary to promote recruitment of such individuals for
employment in the Administration.''.
SEC. 111. PARTICIPATION.
Section 645 (42 U.S.C. 9840) is amended
(1) in subsection (c)--
(A) in the first sentence, by striking ``may provide'' and
all that follows and inserting ``shall be permitted to
provide more than 1 year of Head Start services to eligible
children in the State.''; and
(B) by striking the second sentence; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(d)(1) An Indian tribe that--
``(A) operates a Head Start program;
``(B) enrolls as participants in the program all children
in the community served by the tribe (including a community
with a near-reservation designation, as defined by the Bureau
of Indian Affairs) from families that meet the low-income
criteria prescribed under subsection (a)(1)(A); and
``(C) has the resources to enroll additional children in
the community who do not meet the low-income criteria;
may enroll such additional children in a Head Start program,
in accordance with this subsection, if the program
predominantly serves children who meet the low-income
criteria.
``(2) The Indian tribe shall enroll the children in the
Head Start program in accordance with such requirements as
the Secretary may specify by regulation promulgated after
consultation with Indian tribes.
``(3) In providing services through a Head Start program to
such children, the Indian tribe may not use funds that the
Secretary has determined, in accordance with section
640(g)(3), are to be used for expanding Head Start programs
under this subchapter.''.
SEC. 112. INITIATIVE ON FAMILIES WITH INFANTS AND TODDLERS.
(a) Establishment.--The Act is amended by adding after
section 645 (42 U.S.C. 9840) the following new section:
``SEC. 645A. PROGRAMS FOR FAMILIES WITH INFANTS AND TODDLERS.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall make grants, in
accordance with the provisions of this section for--
``(1) programs providing family-centered services for low-
income families with very young children designed to promote
the development of the children, and to enable their parents
to fulfill their roles as parents and to move toward self-
sufficiency; and
``(2) provision of training and technical assistance to
entities carrying out programs, and evaluation of programs,
that were supported under the Comprehensive Child Development
Act (42 U.S.C. 9881 et seq.), as in effect on the day before
the date of enactment of this section.
``(b) Scope and Design of Programs.--In carrying out a
program described in subsection (a), an entity receiving
assistance under this section shall--
``(1) provide, either directly or through referral, early,
continuous, intensive, and comprehensive child development
and family support services that will enhance the physical,
social, emotional, and intellectual development of
participating children;
``(2) ensure that the level of services provided to
families responds to their needs and circumstances;
``(3) promote positive parent-child interactions;
``(4) provide services to parents to support their role as
parents and to help the families move toward self-sufficiency
(including educational and employment services as
appropriate);
``(5) coordinate services with services provided by
programs in the State and programs in the community to ensure
a comprehensive array of services (such as health and mental
health services);
``(6) ensure formal linkages with local Head Start programs
in order to provide for continuity of services for children
and families;
``(7) in the case of a Head Start agency that operates a
program and that also provides Head Start services through
the age of mandatory school attendance, ensure that children
and families participating in the program receive such
services through such age; and
``(8) meet such other requirements concerning design and
operation of the program described in subsection (a) as the
Secretary may establish.
``(c) Persons Eligible To Participate.--Persons who may
participate in programs described in subsection (a)(1)
include--
``(1) pregnant women; and
``(2) families with children under age 3 (or under age 5,
in the case of children served by an entity specified in
subsection (e)(3));
who meet the income criteria specified for families in
section 645(a)(1).
``(d) Eligible Service Providers.--To be eligible to
receive assistance under this section, an entity shall submit
an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner,
and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
Entities that may apply to carry out activities under this
section include--
``(1) entities operating Head Start programs under this
subchapter;
``(2) entities that, on the day before the date of
enactment of this section, were operating--
``(A) Parent-Child Centers receiving financial assistance
under section 640(a)(4), as in effect on such date; or
``(B) programs receiving financial assistance under the
Comprehensive Child Development Act, as in effect on such
date; and
``(3) other public entities, and nonprofit private
entities, capable of providing child and family services that
meet the standards for participation in programs under this
subchapter and meet such other appropriate requirements
relating to the activities under this section as the
Secretary may establish.
``(e) Time-Limited Priority for Certain Entities.--
``(1) In general.--From amounts allotted pursuant to
paragraphs (2) and (4) of section 640(a), the Secretary shall
provide financial assistance in accordance with paragraphs
(2) through (4).
``(2) Parent-child centers.--The Secretary shall make
financial assistance available under this section for each of
fiscal years 1995, 1996, and 1997 to any entity that--
``(A) complies with subsection (b); and
``(B) received funding as a Parent-Child Center pursuant to
section 640(a)(4), as in effect on the day before the date of
enactment of this section, for fiscal year 1994.
``(3) Comprehensive child development centers.--
``(A) In the case of an entity that received a grant for
fiscal year 1994 to operate a project under the Comprehensive
Child Development Act, the Secretary--
``(i) shall make financial assistance available under this
section, in a comparable amount and scope to the assistance
provided for fiscal year 1994, for the duration of the
project period specified in the grant award to such entity
under such Act; and
``(ii) shall permit such entity, in carrying out activities
assisted under this section, to serve children from birth
through age 5.
``(B) In the case of an entity that received a grant for
fiscal year 1989 to operate a project under the Comprehensive
Child Development Act, the Secretary shall make assistance
available under this section for each of fiscal years 1995,
1996, and 1997 to any entity that complies with subsection
(b).
``(4) Evaluations, training, and technical assistance.--The
Secretary shall make financial assistance available under
this section as necessary to provide for the evaluation of,
and furnishing of training and technical assistance to,
programs specified in paragraph (3)(A).
``(f) Selection of Other Grant Recipients.--From the
balance remaining of the portion specified in section
640(a)(6), after making grants to the eligible entities
specified in subsection (e), the Secretary shall award grants
under this subsection on a competitive basis to applicants
meeting the criteria specified in subsection (d) (giving
priority to entities with a record of providing early,
continuous, and comprehensive childhood development and
family services).
``(g) Distribution.--In awarding grants to eligible
applicants under this section, the Secretary shall--
``(1) ensure an equitable national geographic distribution
of the grants; and
``(2) award grants to applicants proposing to serve
communities in rural areas and to applicants proposing to
serve communities in urban areas.
``(h) Secretarial Responsibilities.--
``(1) Guidelines.--Not later than September 30, 1994, the
Secretary shall develop program guidelines concerning the
content and operation of programs assisted under this
section--
``(A) in consultation with experts in early childhood
development, experts in health, and experts in family
services; and
``(B) taking into consideration the knowledge and
experience gained from other early childhood programs,
including programs under the Comprehensive Child Development
Act.
``(2) Standards.--Not later than December 30, 1994, the
Secretary shall develop and publish performance standards for
programs assisted under this section, and a grant
announcement based on the guidelines developed under
paragraph (1).
``(3) Monitoring, training, technical assistance, and
evaluation.--In order to ensure the successful operation of
programs assisted under this section, the Secretary shall use
funds from the balance described in subsection (f) to monitor
the operation of such programs, evaluate their effectiveness,
and provide training and technical assistance tailored to the
particular needs of such programs.''.
(b) Consolidation.--In recognition that the Comprehensive
Child Development Centers Act has demonstrated positive
results, and that its purposes and functions have been
consolidated into section 645A of the Head Start Act, the
Comprehensive Child Development Centers Act of 1988 (42
U.S.C. 9801 note) and the Comprehensive Child Development Act
(42 U.S.C. 9881 et seq.) are repealed.
SEC. 113. APPEALS, NOTICE, AND HEARING.
(a) Mediation and Hearing for Disputes With Delegate
Agencies.--Section 646(a) (42 U.S.C. 9841(a)) is amended--
(1) at the end of paragraph (2), by striking ``and'';
(2) at the end of paragraph (3), by striking the period and
inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(4) the Secretary shall develop and publish procedures
(including mediation procedures) to be used in order to--
``(A) resolve in a timely manner conflicts potentially
leading to adverse action between--
``(i) recipients of financial assistance under this
subchapter; and
``(ii) delegate agencies or Head Start Parent Policy
Councils; and
``(B) avoid the need for an administrative hearing.''.
(b) Termination of Designation Not Stayed Pending Appeal.--
Section 646 (42 U.S.C. 9841) is further amended by striking
subsection (b) and inserting the following new subsection:
``(b) In prescribing procedures for the mediation described
in subsection (a)(4), the Secretary shall specify--
``(1) the date by which a Head Start agency engaged in a
conflict described in subsection (a)(4) will notify the
appropriate regional office of the Department of the
conflict;
``(2) a reasonable period for the mediation;
``(3) a timeline for an administrative hearing, if
necessary, to resolve the conflict; and
``(4) a timeline by which the person conducting the
administrative hearing shall issue a decision based on the
hearing.
``(c) In any case in which a termination, reduction, or
suspension of financial assistance under this subchapter is
upheld in an administrative hearing under this section, such
termination, reduction, or suspension shall not be stayed
pending any judicial appeal of such administrative decision.
``(d)(1) The Secretary shall by regulation specify a
process by which an Indian tribe may identify and establish
an alternative agency, and request that the alternative
agency be designated under section 641 as the Head Start
agency providing services to the tribe, if--
``(A) the Secretary terminates financial assistance under
section 646 to the only agency that was receiving financial
assistance to provide Head Start services to the Indian
tribe; and
``(B) the tribe would otherwise be precluded from providing
such services to the members of the tribe.
``(2) The regulation required by this subsection shall
prohibit such designation of an alternative agency that
includes an employee who--
``(A) served on the administrative staff or program staff
of the agency described in paragraph (1)(A); and
``(B) was responsible for a deficiency that--
``(i) relates to the performance standards or financial
management standards described in section 641A(a)(1); and
``(ii) was the basis for the termination of financial
assistance described in paragraph (1)(A);
as determined by the Secretary after providing the notice and
opportunity described in subsection (a)(3).''.
SEC. 114. GOALS AND PRIORITIES FOR TRAINING AND TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE.
Section 648 (42 U.S.C. 9843) is amended--
(1) in the section heading to read as follows:
``technical assistance and training'';
(2) in subsection (a)(2), by striking ``Head Start
programs, including'' and inserting ``Head Start programs, in
accordance with the process, and the provisions for
allocating resources, set forth in subsections (b) and (c).
The Secretary shall provide, either directly or through
grants or other arrangements,'';
(3)(A) by redesignating the final sentence of subsection
(a), as amended by paragraph (2), as subsection (e);
(B) by transferring such subsection to the end of the
section; and
(C) by indenting such subsection and aligning the margins
of such subsection with the margins of subsection (d);
(4) by striking subsections (b) and (c); and
(5) by inserting after subsection (a) the following new
subsections:
``(b) The process for determining the technical assistance
and training activities to be carried out under this section
shall--
``(1) ensure that the needs of local Head Start agencies
and programs relating to improving program quality and to
program expansion are addressed to the maximum extent
feasible; and
``(2) incorporate mechanisms to ensure responsiveness to
local needs, including an ongoing procedure for obtaining
input from the individuals and agencies carrying out Head
Start programs.
``(c) In allocating resources for technical assistance and
training under this section, the Secretary shall--
``(1) give priority consideration to activities to correct
program and management deficiencies identified through
reviews pursuant to section 641A(c) (including the provision
of assistance to local programs in the development of quality
improvement plans under section 641A(d)(2));
``(2) address the training and career development needs of
classroom staff (including instruction for providing services
to children with disabilities) and nonclassroom staff,
including home visitors and other staff working directly with
families, including training relating to increasing parent
involvement and services designed to increase family literacy
and improve parenting skills;
``(3) assist Head Start agencies and programs in conducting
and participating in communitywide strategic planning and
needs assessment;
``(4) assist Head Start agencies and programs in the
development of sound management practices, including
financial management procedures; and
``(5) assist in efforts to secure and maintain adequate
facilities for Head Start programs.''.
SEC. 115. STAFF QUALIFICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT.
The Head Start Act is amended by inserting after section
648 (42 U.S.C. 9843) the following new section:
``SEC. 648A. STAFF QUALIFICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT.
``(a) Classroom Teachers.--
``(1) Degree requirements.--The Secretary shall ensure that
not later than September 30, 1996, each Head Start classroom
in a center-based program is assigned one teacher who has--
``(A) a child development associate (CDA) credential that
is appropriate to the age of the children being served in
center-based programs;
``(B) a State-awarded certificate for preschool teachers
that meets or exceeds the requirements for a child
development associate credential;
``(C) an associate, a baccalaureate, or an advanced degree
in early childhood education; or
``(D) a degree in a field related to early childhood
education with experience in teaching preschool children and
a State-awarded certificate to teach in a preschool program.
``(2) Waiver.--On request, the Secretary shall grant a 180-
day waiver of the requirements of paragraph (1) with respect
to an individual who--
``(A) is first employed after September 30, 1996, by a Head
Start agency as a teacher for a Head Start classroom;
``(B) is enrolled in a program that grants any credential,
certificate, or degree specified in subparagraph (A), (B),
(C), or (D) of paragraph (1); and
``(C) will receive such credential under the terms of such
program not later than 180 days after beginning employment as
a teacher with such agency.
``(3) Limitation.--The Secretary may not grant more than
one such waiver with respect to such individual.
``(b) Mentor Teachers.--
``(1) Definition; function.--For purposes of this
subsection, the term `mentor teacher' means an individual
responsible for observing and assessing the classroom
activities of a Head Start program and providing on-the-job
guidance and training to the Head Start program staff and
volunteers, in order to improve the qualifications and
training of classroom staff, to maintain high quality
education services, and to promote career development, in
Head Start programs.
``(2) Requirement.--In order to assist Head Start agencies
in establishing positions for mentor teachers, the Secretary
shall--
``(A) provide technical assistance and training to enable
Head Start agencies to establish such positions;
``(B) give priority consideration, in providing assistance
pursuant to subparagraph (A), to Head Start programs that
have substantial numbers of new classroom staff or that are
experiencing difficulty in meeting applicable education
standards; and
``(C) encourage Head Start programs to give priority
consideration for such positions to Head Start teachers at
the appropriate level of career advancement in such programs.
``(c) Family Service Workers.--In order to improve the
quality and effectiveness of staff providing in-home and
other services (including needs assessment, development of
service plans, family advocacy, and coordination of service
delivery) to families of children participating in Head Start
programs, the Secretary, in coordination with concerned
public and private agencies and organizations examining the
issues of standards and training for family service workers,
shall--
``(1) review and, as necessary, revise or develop new
qualification standards for Head Start staff providing such
services;
``(2) promote the development of model curricula (on
subjects including parenting training and family literacy)
designed to ensure the attainment of appropriate competencies
by individuals working or planning to work in the field of
early childhood and family services; and
``(3) promote the establishment of a credential that
indicates attainment of the competencies and that is accepted
nationwide.
``(d) Head Start Fellowships.--
``(1) Authority.--The Secretary may establish a program of
fellowships, to be known as `Head Start Fellowships', in
accordance with this subsection. The Secretary may award the
fellowships to individuals, to be known as `Head Start
Fellows', who are staff in local Head Start programs or other
individuals working in the field of child development and
family services.
``(2) Purpose.--The fellowship program established under
this subsection shall be designed to enhance the ability of
Head Start Fellows to make significant contributions to
programs authorized under this subchapter, by providing
opportunities to expand their knowledge and experience
through exposure to activities, issues, resources, and new
approaches, in the field of child development and family
services.
``(3) Assignments of fellows.--
``(A) Placement sites.--Fellowship positions under the
fellowship program may be located (subject to subparagraphs
(B) and (C))--
``(i) in agencies of the Department of Health and Human
Services administering programs authorized under this
subchapter (in national or regional offices of such
agencies);
``(ii) in local Head Start agencies and programs;
``(iii) in institutions of higher education;
``(iv) in public or private entities and organizations
concerned with services to children and families; and
``(v) in other appropriate settings.
``(B) Limitation for fellows other than head start
employees.--A Head Start Fellow who is not an employee of a
local Head Start agency or program may be placed only in a
fellowship position located in an agency or program specified
in clause (i) or (ii) of subparagraph (A).
``(C) No placement in lobbying organizations.--Head Start
Fellowship positions may not be located in any agency whose
primary purpose, or one of whose major purposes, is to
influence Federal, State, or local legislation.
``(4) Selection of fellows.--Head Start Fellowships shall
be awarded on a competitive basis to individuals (other than
Federal employees) selected from among applicants who are
working, on the date of application, in local Head Start
programs or otherwise working in the field of child
development and children and family services.
``(5) Duration.--Head Start Fellowships shall be for terms
of 1 year, and may be renewed for a term of 1 additional
year.
``(6) Authorized expenditures.--From amounts appropriated
under this subchapter and allotted under section
640(a)(2)(D), the Secretary is authorized to make
expenditures of not to exceed $1,000,000 for any fiscal year,
for stipends and other reasonable expenses of the fellowship
program.
``(7) Status of fellows.--Except as otherwise provided in
this paragraph, Head Start Fellows shall not be considered to
be employees or otherwise in the service or employment of the
Federal Government. Head Start Fellows shall be considered to
be employees for purposes of compensation for injuries under
chapter 81 of title 5, United States Code. Head Start Fellows
assigned to positions located in agencies specified in
paragraph (3)(A)(i) shall be considered employees in the
executive branch of the Federal Government for the purposes
of chapter 11 of title 18, United States Code, and for
purposes of any administrative standards of conduct
applicable to the employees of the agency to which they are
assigned.
``(8) Regulations.--The Secretary shall promulgate
regulations to carry out this subsection.
``(e) Model Staffing Plans.--Not later than 1 year after
the date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary, in
consultation with appropriate public agencies, private
agencies, and organizations and with individuals with
expertise in the field of children and family services, shall
develop model staffing plans to provide guidance to local
Head Start agencies and programs on the numbers, types,
responsibilities, and qualifications of staff required to
operate a Head Start program.''.
SEC. 116. RESEARCH, DEMONSTRATIONS, EVALUATION.
Section 649 (42 U.S.C. 9844) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 649. RESEARCH, DEMONSTRATIONS, AND EVALUATION.
``(a) In General.--
``(1) Requirement; general purposes.--The Secretary shall
carry out a continuing program of research, demonstration,
and evaluation activities, in order to--
``(A) foster continuous improvement in the quality of the
Head Start programs under this subchapter and in their
effectiveness in enabling participating children and their
families to succeed in school and otherwise; and
``(B) use the Head Start programs to develop, test, and
disseminate new ideas and approaches for addressing the needs
of low-income preschool children (including children with
disabilities) and their families and communities, and
otherwise to further the purposes of this subchapter.
``(2) Plan.--The Secretary shall develop, and periodically
update, a plan governing the research, demonstration, and
evaluation activities under this section.
``(b) Conduct of Research, Demonstration, and Evaluation
Activities.--The Secretary, in order to conduct research,
demonstration, and evaluation activities under this section--
``(1) may carry out such activities directly, or through
grants to, or contracts or cooperative agreements with,
public or private entities;
``(2) shall, to the extent appropriate, undertake such
activities in collaboration with other Federal agencies, and
with non-Federal agencies, conducting similar activities;
``(3) shall ensure that evaluation of activities in a
specific program or project is conducted by persons not
directly involved in the operation of such program or
project;
``(4) may require Head Start agencies to provide for
independent evaluations;
``(5) may approve, in appropriate cases, community-based
cooperative research and evaluation efforts to enable Head
Start programs to collaborate with qualified researchers not
directly involved in program administration or operation; and
``(6) may collaborate with organizations with expertise in
inclusive educational strategies for preschoolers with
disabilities.
``(c) Consultation and Collaboration.--In carrying out
activities under this section, the Secretary shall--
``(1) consult with--
``(A) individuals from relevant academic disciplines;
``(B) individuals who are involved in the operation of Head
Start programs and individuals who are involved in the
operation of other child and family service programs; and
``(C) individuals from other Federal agencies, and
individuals from organizations, involved with children and
families, ensuring that the individuals described in this
subparagraph reflect the multicultural nature of the children
and families served by the Head Start programs and the
multidisciplinary nature of the Head Start programs;
``(2) whenever feasible and appropriate, obtain the views
of persons participating in and served by programs and
projects assisted under this subchapter with respect to
activities under this section; and
``(3) establish, to the extent appropriate, working
relationships with the faculties of institutions of higher
education, as defined in section 1201(a) of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1141(a)), located in the
area in which any evaluation under this section is being
conducted, unless there is no such institution of higher
education willing and able to participate in such evaluation.
``(d) Specific Objectives.--The research, demonstration,
and evaluation activities under this subchapter shall include
components designed to--
``(1) permit ongoing assessment of the quality and
effectiveness of the programs under this subchapter;
``(2) contribute to developing knowledge concerning factors
associated with the quality and effectiveness of Head Start
programs and in identifying ways in which services provided
under this subchapter may be improved;
``(3) assist in developing knowledge concerning the factors
that promote or inhibit healthy development and effective
functioning of children and their families both during and
following participation in a Head Start program;
``(4) permit comparisons of children and families
participating in Head Start programs with children and
families receiving other child care, early childhood
education, or child development services and with other
appropriate control groups;
``(5) contribute to understanding the characteristics and
needs of population groups eligible for services provided
under this subchapter and the impact of such services on the
individuals served and the communities in which such services
are provided;
``(6) provide for disseminating and promoting the use of
the findings from such research, demonstration, and
evaluation activities; and
``(7) promote exploration of areas in which knowledge is
insufficient, and that will otherwise contribute to
fulfilling the purposes of this subchapter.
``(e) Longitudinal Studies.--In developing priorities for
research, demonstration, and evaluation activities under this
section, the Secretary shall give special consideration to
longitudinal studies that--
``(1) examine the developmental progress of children and
their families both during and following participation in a
Head Start program, including the examination of factors that
contribute to or detract from such progress;
``(2) examine factors related to improving the quality of
the Head Start programs and the preparation the programs
provide for children and their families to function
effectively in schools and other settings in the years
following participation in such a program; and
``(3) as appropriate, permit comparison of children and
families participating in Head Start programs with children
and families receiving other child care, early childhood
education, or child development services, and with other
appropriate control groups.
``(f) Ownership of Results.--The Secretary shall take
necessary steps to ensure that all studies, reports,
proposals, and data produced or developed with Federal funds
under this subchapter shall become the property of the United
States.''.
SEC. 117. ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVALUATIONS.
Section 650 (42 U.S.C. 9845) is repealed.
SEC. 118. REPORTS.
(a) In General.--Section 651 (42 U.S.C. 9846) is amended--
(1) by striking the section heading and all that follows
through subsection (f) and inserting:
``SEC. 651. REPORTS.'';
(2) by striking ``(g)'';
(3) in paragraph (10), by striking ``evaluations conducted
under section 641(c)(2)'' and inserting ``monitoring
conducted under section 641A(c)''; and
(4)(A) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (11);
(B) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (12) and
inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding after paragraph (12) the following new
paragraph:
``(13) a summary of information concerning the research,
demonstration, and evaluation activities conducted under
section 649, including--
``(A) a status report on ongoing activities; and
``(B) results, conclusions, and recommendations, not
included in any previous report, based on completed
activities.''.
(b) Redesignation.--Section 651 is redesignated as section
650.
SEC. 119. REPEALS.
Sections 651A and 652 (42 U.S.C. 9846a and 9847) are
repealed.
SEC. 120. STUDY OF BENEFITS FOR HEAD START EMPLOYEES.
(a) Study.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services
shall conduct a study regarding the benefits available to
individuals employed by Head Start agencies under the Head
Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.).
(b) Report.--
(1) Preparation.--The Secretary shall prepare a report,
containing the results of the study, that--
(A) describes the benefits, including health care benefits,
family and medical leave, and retirement pension benefits,
available to such individuals;
(B) includes recommendations for increasing the access of
the individuals to benefits, including access to a retirement
pension program; and
(C) addresses the feasibility of participation by such
individuals in the Federal Employees' Retirement System under
chapter 84 of title 5, United States Code.
(2) Submission.--The Secretary shall submit the report to
the appropriate committees of Congress.
SEC. 121. AUTOMATIC ELIGIBILITY OF HEAD START PARTICIPANTS.
The National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) is
amended--
(1) in section 9(b)(6) (42 U.S.C. 1758(b)(6))--
(A) in subparagraph (A)--
(i) in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking ``a
member of'';
(ii) in clause (i)--
(I) by inserting ``a member of'' after ``(i)''; and
(II) by striking ``or'' at the end of the clause;
(iii) in clause (ii)--
(I) by inserting ``a member of'' after ``(ii)''; and
(II) by striking the period at the end of the clause and
inserting ``; or''; and
(iv) by adding at the end the following new clause:
``(iii) enrolled as a participant in a Head Start program
authorized under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.),
on the basis of a determination that the child is a member of
a family that meets the low-income criteria prescribed under
section 645(a)(1)(A) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C.
9840(a)(1)(A)).''; and
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``food stamps or aid
to families with dependent children'' and inserting ``food
stamps, aid to families with dependent children, or
enrollment or participation in the Head Start program on the
basis described in subparagraph (A)(iii)''; and
(2) in section 17(c) (42 U.S.C. 1766(c)), by adding at the
end the following new paragraph:
``(5) A child shall be considered automatically eligible
for benefits under this section without further application
or eligibility determination, if the child is enrolled as a
participant in a Head Start program authorized under the Head
Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.), on the basis of a
determination that the child is a member of a family that
meets the low-income criteria prescribed under section
645(a)(1)(A) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C.
9840(a)(1)(A)).''.
SEC. 122. READY TO LEARN PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION.
(a) Eligible Entities.--Section 4702(b)(1) of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
3161a(b)(1)) is amended by striking ``, nongovernmental
entity'' and inserting ``entity (including public
telecommunications entities)''.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 4706(a) of
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
3161e(a)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``$25,000,000 for fiscal year 1993'' and
inserting ``$30,000,000 for fiscal year 1995''; and
(2) by striking ``for fiscal year 1994.'' and inserting
``for each of fiscal years 1996 and 1997.''.
SEC. 123. STATE DEPENDENT CARE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS.
Section 670A of the State Dependent Care Development Grants
Act (42 U.S.C. 9871) is amended by striking ``are authorized
to be appropriated'' and all that follows and inserting ``is
authorized to be appropriated $13,000,000 for fiscal year
1995.''.
SEC. 124. REAUTHORIZATION OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE
SCHOLARSHIP ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1985.
Section 606 of the Child Development Associate Scholarship
Assistance Act of 1985 (42 U.S.C. 10905) is amended by
striking ``$1,500,000'' and all that follows and inserting
``to carry out this title such sums as may be necessary for
fiscal year 1995.''.
SEC. 125. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.
(a) Head Start Transition Project Act.--Section 133(a) of
the Head Start Transition Project Act is amended by striking
``639(c)'' and inserting ``639(b)''.
(b) Social Security Act.--Section 1924(d)(3)(A)(i) of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396r-5(d)(3)(A)(i)) is
amended by striking ``sections 652 and 673(2)'' and inserting
``section 673(2)''.
SEC. 126. EFFECTIVE DATE AND APPLICATION.
(a) Effective Date.--This title, and the amendments made by
this title, shall take effect on the date of enactment of
this title.
(b) Application.--The requirements of this title and the
amendments made by this title shall not apply to Head Start
agencies and other recipients of financial assistance under
the Head Start Act until October 1, 1994.
TITLE II--COMMUNITY SERVICES BLOCK GRANT AMENDMENTS
SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE AND REFERENCES.
(a) Short Title.--This title may be cited as the
``Community Services Block Grant Amendments of 1994''.
(b) References.--Except as otherwise expressly provided,
whenever in this title an amendment or repeal is expressed in
terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other
provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a
section or other provision of the Community Services Block
Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9901 et seq.).
SEC. 202. AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) Authorization of Appropriation and Repeal.--
(1) Authorization of appropriations.--Subsection (b) of
section 672 (42 U.S.C. 9901(b)) is amended to read as
follows:
``(b) There are authorized to be appropriated $525,000,000
for fiscal year 1995, and such sums as may be necessary for
each of fiscal years 1996 through 1998, to carry out the
provisions of this subtitle.''.
(2) Repeal.--Section 408 of the Human Services
Reauthorization Act of 1986 (42 U.S.C. 9910b) is repealed.
(b) State Allocations.--Section 674 (42 U.S.C. 9903) is
amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (a), (b) and (c) as
subsections (b), (c) and (d), respectively; and
(2) by inserting before subsection (b) (as so
redesignated), the following new subsection:
``(a) Of the amounts appropriated for a fiscal year
pursuant to section 672(b), the Secretary may reserve not
less than one-half of 1 percent and not more than 1 percent
for training, technical assistance, planning, and evaluation
activities related to programs or projects carried out under
this Act. Such activities may be carried out by the Secretary
directly or through grants, contracts, or cooperative
agreements.''.
(c) Applications and Requirements.--
(1) Form and assurances.--Section 675(a) (42 U.S.C.
9904(a)) is amended by inserting ``or significant amendments
thereof'' before ``shall contain assurances''.
(2) Use of funds.--Section 675(c)(1) (42 U.S.C. 9904(c)(1))
is amended by striking ``use the funds available under this
Act'' and inserting ``ensure that, at its discretion and
consistent with agreements with the State, each recipient of
funds available under this Act will use such funds''.
(3) Assured activities.--Section 675(c)(1)(B) (42 U.S.C.
9904(c)(1)(B)) is amended by inserting ``homeless individuals
and families, migrants, and'' before ``the elderly poor''.
(4) State responsibilities.--Section 675(c)(2)(B) (42
U.S.C. 9904(c)(2)(B)) is amended to read as follows:
``(B) if less than 100 percent of the allotment is expended
under subparagraph (A), provide assurances that with respect
to the remainder of the allotment a reasonable amount shall
be used for--
``(i) providing training and technical assistance to those
entities in need of such assistance and such activities will
not be considered administrative expenses;
``(ii) coordinating State-operated programs and services
targeted to low-income children and families with services
provided by eligible entities funded under this Act,
including outposting appropriate State or local public
employees into entities funded under this Act to ensure
increased access to services provided by such State or local
agencies;
``(iii) supporting statewide coordination and communication
among eligible entities;
``(iv) administrative expenses at the State level,
including monitoring activities, but not more than $55,000 or
5 percent of its allotment under section 674; and
``(v) considering the distribution of funds under this Act
within the State to determine if such funds have been
targeted to the areas of highest need.''.
(5) Tripartite board.--Section 675(c)(3) (42 U.S.C.
9904(c)(3)) is amended--
(A) by inserting ``selected by the community action agency
or nonprofit private organization and'' after ``board will
be'';
(B) by redesignating subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) as
clauses (i), (ii), and (iii), respectively;
(C) by striking the comma after ``provide assurances that''
and inserting ``(A)''; and
(D) by inserting before the semicolon at the end thereof
``, and (B) in the case of a public organization receiving
funds under this subtitle, such organization either
establish--
``(i) a board of which at least one-third of the members
are persons chosen in accordance with democratic selection
procedures adequate to assure that they are representative of
the poor in the area served; or
``(ii) another mechanism specified by the State to assure
low-income citizen participation in the planning,
administration, and evaluation of projects for which such
organization has been funded;''.
(6) Regulations.--The next to last sentence of section
675(c) (42 U.S.C. 9904(c)) is amended by striking ``may not''
and inserting ``shall by regulation''.
(d) Community Action Agency Plan.--Section 675(c) (42
U.S.C. 9904(c)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (11)--
(A) by redesignating clauses (i) through (iii) of
subparagraph (A) as items (aa) through (cc), respectively;
(B) by realigning the margin of the sentence beginning with
``For purposes of'' so as to align with subparagraph (A) of
paragraph (1);
(C) by striking ``For purposes of'' and inserting ``(A) For
purposes of'';
(D) by striking ``(A) a statewide'' and inserting ``(i)(I)
a statewide'';
(E) by striking ``(B) the failure'' and inserting ``(ii)
the failure'';
(F) by inserting immediately before paragraph (12) the
following:
``(B) for purposes of making a determination with respect
to a termination, the term `cause' includes the material
failure of an eligible entity to comply with the terms of its
agreement and community action plan to provide services under
this subtitle;''.
(2) in paragraph (12) by striking the period and inserting
a semicolon; and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (12) the following new
paragraphs:
``(13) secure from each eligible entity as a condition to
its receipt of funding under this Act a community action plan
(which shall be available to the Secretary for inspection)
that includes--
``(A) a community needs assessment (including food needs);
``(B) a description of the service delivery system targeted
to low-income individuals and families in the service area;
``(C) a description of how linkages will be developed to
fill identified gaps in services through information,
referral, case management, and followup consultations;
``(D) a description of how funding under this Act will be
coordinated with other public and private resources; and
``(E) a description of outcome measures to be used to
monitor success in promoting self-sufficiency, family
stability, and community revitalization; and
``(14) provide assurances that cost and accounting
standards of the Office of Management and Budget shall apply
to a recipient of funds under this Act.''.
(e) Public Inspections of Plans.--Section 675(d)(2) (42
U.S.C. 9904(d)(2)) is amended by inserting ``or revision''
after ``Each plan''.
(f) Audits.--The last sentence of section 675(f) (42 U.S.C.
9904(f)) is amended by inserting before ``to the
legislature'' the following: ``to the eligible entity at no
charge,''.
SEC. 203. DISCRETIONARY AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY.
(a) Training and Activities.--Section 681(a) (42 U.S.C.
9910(a)) is amended--
(1) in the matter preceeding paragraph (1), by striking
``to provide for--'' and inserting ``to provide for'';
(2) by striking paragraphs (1) and (3);
(3) in paragraph (2)--
(A) by striking ``(2) ongoing'' and inserting ``ongoing'';
(B) by striking ``including special emphasis programs for''
and inserting ``with special emphasis on''; and
(C) by striking subparagraphs (A) through (F); and
(4) by inserting the following new paragraphs:
``(1) a Community Initiative Program, awarded on a
competitive basis, to fund private, nonprofit community
development corporations for the purposes of planning and
carrying out community and economic development activities in
economically distressed areas and in rural areas, as
described in subsection (c);
``(2) grants to eligible entities for the development and
implementation of innovative approaches to deal with critical
needs or problems of low-income individuals that are common
to a number of communities, including grants to provide
opportunities for leadership development, community
involvement and education success to disadvantaged persons
between the ages of 14 and 25; and
``(3) grants to support the design, development, and
widespread availability of interactive information technology
among the nationwide network of Community Service Block Grant
eligible entities, State administrators, national
associations and organizations, and program recipients to
promote electronic communication and access to program
information that would enhance the effective delivery of
social services.''.
(b) Community Initiative Program.--Subsection (b) of
section 681 (42 U.S.C. 9910) is amended to read as follows:
``(b) Community Initiative Program.--
``(1) In general.--
``(A) Economic development activities.--Economic
development activities under this section shall be designed
to address the economic needs of low-income individuals and
families by creating employment and business development
opportunities.
``(B) Consultation.--The Secretary shall exercise the
authority provided under subparagraph (A) in consultation
with other relevant Federal officials.
``(C) Governing boards.--Each community development
corporation receiving funds under this section shall be
governed by a board that shall consist of residents of the
community and business and civic leaders and shall have as a
principal purpose planning, developing or managing low-income
housing and community development projects.
``(D) Geographic distribution.--In providing assistance or
entering into other arrangements under this section, the
Secretary shall take into consideration the geographic
distribution of funds among States and the relative
proportion of funding among rural and urban areas.
``(E) Reservation.--Of the amounts made available to carry
out this section, the Secretary may reserve not to exceed 1
percent for each fiscal year to make grants to private
nonprofit organizations or to enter into contracts with
private nonprofit or for profit organizations to provide
technical assistance to aid community development
corporations in developing or implementing projects funded
under this section and to evaluate projects funded under this
section.
``(2) Rural community development activities.--Rural
community development activities under this section shall
include--
``(A) grants to private, nonprofit corporations that
provide assistance to rural low-income families in home
repair and in planning and developing low-income rural rental
housing units; and
``(B) grants to multistate, regional private, nonprofit
organizations that provide training and technical assistance
to small, rural communities in meeting their community
facility needs.''.
SEC. 204. COMMUNITY FOOD AND NUTRITION.
Subsection (d) of section 681A (42 U.S.C. 9910a(d)) is
amended to read as follows:
``(d) There are authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000
for fiscal year 1995, and such sums as may be necessary for
each of fiscal years 1996 through 1998, to carry out this
section.''.
SEC. 205. EFFECTIVE DATE.
This title, and the amendments made by this title, shall
take effect on October 1, 1994.
TITLE III--LOW-INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE AMENDMENTS
SECTION 301. SHORT TITLE AND REFERENCES.
(a) Short Title.--This title may be cited as the ``Low-
Income Home Energy Assistance Amendments of 1994''.
(b) References.--Except as otherwise expressly provided,
whenever in this title an amendment or repeal is expressed in
terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other
provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a
section or other provision of the Low-Income Home Energy
Assistance Act of 1981 (42 U.S.C. 8621 et seq.).
SEC. 302. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE.
Subsection (a) of section 2602 (42 U.S.C. 8621(a)) is
amended to read as follows:
``(a) The Secretary is authorized to make grants, in
accordance with the provisions of this title, to States to
assist low-income households, particularly those that pay a
high proportion of household income for home energy,
primarily in meeting their immediate home energy needs and,
where appropriate, to reduce the energy needs and costs of
such households and thereby improve their capacity to meet
such needs in the future.''.
SEC. 303. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) Amounts Authorized.--Section 2602 (42 U.S.C. 8621) is
amended--
(1) in subsection (b), by striking ``this title'' and all
that follows through the end of the first sentence and
inserting ``this title, $2,000,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 1995 through 1999.''; and
(2) in the last sentence of subsection (c)--
(A) by striking ``July 1'' and inserting ``October 1''; and
(B) by striking ``for which'' and inserting ``following the
year in which''.
(b) Incentive Program for Leveraging Non-Federal Sources.--
Subsection (d) of section 2602 (42 U.S.C. 8621(d)) is amended
to read as follows:
``(d) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out
section 2607A, $50,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1995
and 1996, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the
fiscal years 1997 through 1999.''.
SEC. 304. EMERGENCY FUNDS.
(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 2602 (42
U.S.C. 8621) as amended by section 3, is further amended by
adding at the end thereof the following new subsection:
``(d) There are authorized to be appropriated in any fiscal
year for payments under this title, in addition to amounts
appropriated for distribution to all the States in accordance
with section 2604 (other than subsection (g)), $600,000,000
for each of the fiscal years 1995 through 1999, to meet the
additional home energy assistance needs of one or more States
arising from a natural disaster or other emergency. Funds
appropriated pursuant to this subsection are hereby
designated to be emergency requirements pursuant to section
251(b)(2)(D) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985, except that such funds shall be made
available only after the submission to Congress of a formal
budget request by the President (for all or a part of the
appropriation pursuant to this subsection) that includes a
designation of the amount requested as an emergency
requirement as defined in such Act.''.
(b) Home Energy.--Section 2603 (42 U.S.C. 8622(3)) is
amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (4), (5),
(6), and (7) as paragraphs (2), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), and
(9), respectively;
(2) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as so redesignated),
the following new paragraph:
``(1) The term `energy burden' means the expenditures of
the household for home energy divided by the income of the
household.''; and
(3) by inserting before paragraph (4) (as so redesignated),
the following new paragraph:
``(3) The term `highest home energy needs' means the home
energy requirements of households that include members of
vulnerable populations, including very young children and the
frail elderly.''
(c) Allotment of Emergency Funds.--Section 2604 (42 U.S.C.
8623) is amended by adding at the end thereof the following
new subsection:
``(g) Notwithstanding subsections (a) through (f), the
Secretary may allot amounts appropriated pursuant to section
2602(d) to one or more than one State. In determining to
which State or States additional funds may be allotted, the
Secretary shall take into account the extent to which a State
was affected by the emergency or disaster, the availability
to an affected State of other resources under this or any
other program, and such other factors as the Secretary
determines relevant.''.
SEC. 305. AUTHORIZED USES OF FUNDS.
(a) In General.--Paragraph (1) of section 2605(b) (42
U.S.C. 8624(b)(1)) is amended to read as follows:
``(1) use the funds available under this title to--
``(A) conduct outreach activities and provide assistance to
low income households in meeting their home energy costs,
particularly those that pay a high proportion of household
income for home energy, consistent with paragraph (5);
``(B) intervene in energy crisis situations;
``(C) provide low-cost residential weatherization and other
cost-effective energy-related home repair; and
``(D) plan, develop, and administer the State's program
under this title including leveraging programs,
and the State agrees not to use such funds for any purposes
other than those specified in this title;''.
(b) Encouraged Reduced Home Energy Needs.--Section 2605(b)
(42 U.S.C. 8624(b)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (9)(B), by inserting before the semicolon
the following: ``(except for the costs of the activities
described in paragraph (16))'';
(2) in paragraph (15), by striking the period and inserting
``; and''; and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (15) the following new
paragraph:
``(16) subject the use of such funds to the requirements of
paragraph (9)(A) if it uses such funds to provide services
that encourage and enable households to reduce their home
energy needs and thereby the need for energy assistance,
including needs assessments, counseling, and assistance with
energy vendors.''.
SEC. 306. TARGETING OF ASSISTANCE TO HOUSEHOLDS WITH HIGH
HOME ENERGY BURDENS.
(a) Household Income.--Section 2605(b)(2)(B) (42 U.S.C.
8624(b)(2)(B)) is amended by striking the matter following
clause (ii) and inserting the following:
``except that a State may not exclude a household from
eligibility in a fiscal year solely on the basis of household
income if such income is less than 110 percent of the poverty
level for such State, but the State may give priority to
those households with the highest home energy costs or needs
in relation to household income;''.
(b) Outreach Activities.--Section 2605(b)(3) (42 U.S.C.
8624(b)(3)) is amended by striking ``are made aware'' and
inserting ``and households with high home energy burdens, are
made aware''.
(c) Assistance Levels.--Section 2605(b)(5) (42 U.S.C.
8624(b)(5)) is amended by inserting ``or needs'' after
``highest energy costs''.
(d) State Plan.--Section 2605(c)(1) (42 U.S.C. 8624(c)(1))
is amended--
(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) and (F) as
subparagraphs (F) and (H), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the following new
subparagraph:
``(E) describes any steps that will be taken (in addition
to those necessary to carry out the assurance contained in
paragraph (5) of subsection (b)) to target assistance to
households with high home energy burdens;''.
SEC. 307. REMOVAL OF CONSTRAINT ON SECRETARIAL PROGRAM
GUIDANCE.
Section 2605(b) (42 U.S.C. 8624(b)) is amended by striking
the first flush sentence immediately following paragraph
(14).
SEC. 308. CLARIFICATION OF AUDIT REQUIREMENT.
Section 2605 (42 U.S.C. 8624) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)(10), by striking ``and provide that''
and all that follows and inserting ``and provide that the
State will comply with the provisions of chapter 75 of title
31, United States Code (commonly known as the `Single Audit
Act');''; and
(2) in subsection (e), by striking ``at least every two
years'' and all that follows and inserting ``in accordance
with chapter 75 of title 31, United States Code.''.
SEC. 309. USE OF DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY WEATHERIZATION RULES TO
ACHIEVE PROGRAM CONSISTENCY.
Section 2605(c)(1)(D) (42 U.S.C. 8624(c)(1)(D)) is amended
by inserting before the semicolon at the end thereof the
following: ``, including any steps the State will take to
address the weatherization and energy-related home repair
needs of households that have high home energy burdens, and
describes any rules promulgated by the Department of Energy
for administration of its Low Income Weatherization
Assistance Program which the State, to the extent permitted
by the Secretary to increase consistency between federally
assisted programs, will follow regarding the use of funds
provided under this title by the State for such
weatherization and energy-related home repairs and
improvements''.
SEC. 310. MATTERS TO BE DESCRIBED IN ANNUAL APPLICATION.
Section 2605(c)(1) (42 U.S.C. 8624(c)(1)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (F) (as so redesignated by section
306(d) of this Act)--
(A) by striking ``and (13)'' and inserting ``(13), and
(15)''; and
(B) by striking ``and'' at the end thereof; and
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (F) (as so redesignated
by section 306(d) of this Act), the following new
subparagraph:
``(G) states, with respect to the 12-month period specified
by the Secretary, the number and income levels of households
which apply and the number which are assisted with funds
provided under this title, and the number of households so
assisted with--
``(i) one or more members who has attained 60 years of age;
``(ii) one or more members who were disabled; and
``(iii) one or more young children; and''.
SEC. 311. REPORT OF FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR OBLIGATION.
Section 2607(a) (42 U.S.C. 8628(a)) is amended--
(1) by inserting ``(1)'' after the subsection designation;
and
(2) by adding at the end thereof the following new
paragraph:
``(2) Each State shall notify the Secretary, not later than
2 months prior to the close of a fiscal year, of the amount
(if any) of its allotment for such year that will not be
obligated in such year, and, if such State elects to submit a
request described in subsection (b)(2), such State shall
submit such request at the same time. The Secretary shall
make no payment under paragraph (1) to a State for a fiscal
year unless the State has complied with this paragraph with
respect to the prior fiscal year.''.
SEC. 312. MISCELLANEOUS AND TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.
(a) In General.--
(1) Treatment of households.--Section 2605(b)(7)(D) (42
U.S.C. 8624(b)(7)(D)) is amended to read as follows:
``(D) ensure that the provision of vendored payments
remains at the option of the State in consultation with local
grantees and may be contingent on vendors taking appropriate
measures to alleviate the energy burdens of eligible
households, including providing for compacts between
suppliers and individuals eligible for benefits under this
Act that seek to reduce home energy costs, minimize the risks
of home energy crisis, and encourage regular payments by
individuals receiving financial assistance for home energy
costs;''.
(2) Incentive program.--Section 2607A(e) (42 U.S.C.
8626a(e)) is amended by striking ``July 31, of each year''
and inserting ``2 months after the close of the fiscal year
during which the State provided leveraged resources to
eligible households, as described in subsection (b)''.
(3) Training and technical assistance.--Section 2609A(a) is
amended by striking ``$500,000'' and inserting ``$250,000''.
(b) Technical Amendments.--
(1) Section 2602(b) (42 U.S.C. 8621(b)) is amended--
(A) by inserting ``(other than section 2607A)'' after ``to
carry out the provisions of this title''; and
(B) by striking the second period at the end thereof.
(2) Section 2603(2) (42 U.S.C. 8622(2)) is amended--
(A) by striking ``the'' in paragraph (2) and inserting
``The''; and
(B) by striking the semicolon at the end thereof and
inserting a period.
(3) The sentence that immediately precedes paragraph (15)
of section 2605(b) (42 U.S.C. 8624(b)) is transferred so as
to appear as a flush sentence immediately after paragraph
(16).
(4) Section 2605(b)(3) (42 U.S.C. 8624(b)(3)) is amended by
striking ``handicapped'' and inserting ``disabled''.
(5) Section 2607A(c)(2) (42 U.S.C. 8626a(c)(2)) is amended
by striking ``.0008 percent'' and inserting ``0.08 percent''.
(6) Section 2610(a) (42 U.S.C. 8629(a)) is amended--
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking the semicolon after
``used'' and inserting a semicolon after ``title''; and
(B) in paragraph (5)--
(i) by striking ``handicapped'' and inserting ``disabled'';
and
(ii) by inserting before the semicolon at the end thereof
``or include young children''.
SEC. 313. EFFECTIVE DATE.
The amendments and repeals made by this title shall become
effective on October 1, 1994.
TITLE IV--COMMUNITY-BASED FAMILY RESOURCE PROGRAMS
SEC. 401. COMMUNITY-BASED FAMILY RESOURCE PROGRAMS.
(a) In General.--Section 933 of the Claude Pepper Young
Americans Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12339) is amended to read as
follows:
``SEC. 933. COMMUNITY-BASED FAMILY RESOURCE PROGRAMS.
``(a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this section to
promote a systemic approach to prevention through the
promotion of innovative funding mechanisms for networks of
comprehensive family resource services provided through
collaborative approaches, including public-private
partnerships.
``(b) Authority.--The Commissioner shall make grants to
States on a formula basis for the purpose of--
``(1) establishing and expanding statewide networks of
community-based family resource programs, including funds for
the initial costs of providing specific family resource
services, that ensure family involvement in the design and
operation of family resource programs which are responsive to
the unique and diverse strengths of children and families;
``(2) promoting child abuse and neglect prevention
activities;
``(3) promoting the establishment and operation of State
trust funds or other mechanisms for integrating child and
family services funding streams in order to provide flexible
funding for the development of community-based family
resource programs;
``(4) establishing or expanding community-based
collaboration to foster the development of a continuum of
preventive services for children and families, which are
family-centered and culturally-relevant; and
``(5) encouraging public and private partnerships in the
establishment and expansion of family resource programs.
``(c) Eligibility for Grants.--A State is eligible for a
grant under this section for any fiscal year if--
``(1) such State has established or maintained in the
previous fiscal year--
``(A) a trust fund, including appropriations for such fund;
or
``(B) any other mechanism that pools State, Federal, and
private funds for integrating child and family service
resources; and
``(2) such trust fund or other funding mechanism includes
(in whole or in part) provisions making funding available
specifically for a broad range of child abuse and neglect
prevention activities and family resource programs.
``(d) Amount of Grant.--
``(1) In general.--Amounts appropriated for a fiscal year
to provide grants under this section shall be allotted, among
eligible States in each fiscal year so that--
``(A) 50 percent of the total amount appropriated for such
fiscal year is allotted among each State based on the number
of children under the age of 18 residing in each State,
except that each State shall receive not less than $100,000;
and
``(B) the remaining 50 percent of the total amount
appropriated for such fiscal year is allotted in an amount
equal to 25 percent of the total amount allocated by each
such State to the State's trust fund or other mechanism for
integrating family resource services in the fiscal year prior
to the fiscal year for which the allotment is being
determined.
``(e) Existing Grants.--A State that has a grant in effect
on the date of enactment of this section under the Family
Resource and Support Program or the Temporary Child Care and
Crisis Nurseries Program shall continue to receive funds
under such Programs, subject to the original terms under
which such funds were granted, through the end of the
applicable grant cycle.
``(f) Application.--No grant may be made to any eligible
State under this section unless an application is prepared
and submitted to the Secretary at such time, in such manner,
and containing or accompanied by such information as the
Commissioner determines to be essential to carry out the
purposes and provisions of this section, including--
``(1) a description of the agency designated by the Chief
Executive Officer of the State to administer the funds
provided under this section and assume responsibility for
implementation and oversight of the family resource programs
and other child abuse and neglect prevention activities, and
an assurance that the agency so designated--
``(A) is the trust fund advisory board or an existing
quasi-public organization with interdisciplinary governance
that pools State, Federal, and private funds for family
resource programs or integrating child and family service
resources; or
``(B) with respect to a State without a trust fund
mechanism or quasi-public organization that meets the
requirements of subparagraph (A), is an existing State
agency, or other public, quasi-public, or nonprofit private
agency responsible for the development and implementation of
a statewide network of community-based family resource
programs;
``(2) assurances that the agency designated under paragraph
(1) can demonstrate the capacity to fulfill the purposes
described in subsection (a), and shall have--
``(A) a demonstrated ability to work with other State and
community-based agencies, to provide training and technical
assistance; and
``(B) a commitment to parental participation in the design
and implementation of family resource programs;
``(3) an assurance that the State has an interagency
process coordinated by the agency designated in paragraph (1)
for effective program development that--
``(A) does not duplicate existing processes for developing
collaborative efforts to better serve children and families;
``(B) provides a written plan for the establishment of a
network of family resource programs publicly available; and
``(C) involves appropriate personnel in the process,
including--
``(i) parents and prospective participants in family
resource programs, including respite care programs;
``(ii) staff of existing programs providing family resource
services, including staff of Head Start programs and
community action agencies that provide such services;
``(iii) representatives of State and local government such
as social service, health, mental health, education,
employment, economic development agencies, and organizations
providing community services activities;
``(iv) representatives of the business community;
``(v) representatives of general purpose local governments;
``(vi) representatives of groups with expertise in child
abuse prevention, including respite and crisis care;
``(vii) representatives of local communities in which
family resource programs are likely to be located; and
``(viii) other individuals with expertise in the services
that the family resource and support programs of the State
intend to offer;
``(4) a description of the current family resource programs
operating in the State, the current unmet need for the
services provided under such programs, including the need for
building increased capacity to provide specific family
resource services, including respite care, and the intended
scope of the State family resource program, the population to
be served, the manner in which the program will be operated,
and the manner in which such program will relate to other
community services and public agencies;
``(5) evidence that Federal assistance received under this
section--
``(A) has been supplemented with nonFederal public and
private assistance, including a description of the projected
level of financial commitment by the State to develop a
family resource program; and
``(B) will be used to supplement and not supplant other
State and local public funds expended for family resource
programs;
``(6) a description of the core services, as required by
this section, and other support services to be provided by
the program and the manner in which such services will be
provided, including the extent to which either family
resources, centers, home visiting, or community
collaboratives will be used;
``(7) a description of any public information activities
the agency designated in paragraph (1) will undertake for the
purpose of promoting family stability and preventing child
abuse and neglect, including child sexual abuse;
``(8) an assurance that the State will provide funds for
the initial startup costs associated with specific family
resource services, including respite services, and a
description of the services to be funded;
``(9) assurances that the State program will maintain
cultural diversity;
``(10) a description of the guidelines for requiring
parental involvement in State and local program development,
policy design, and governance and the process for assessing
and demonstrating that parental involvement in program
development, operation, and governance occurs;
``(11) a description of the State and community-based
interagency planning processes to be utilized to develop and
implement family resource programs;
``(12) a description of the criteria that the State will
utilize for awarding grants for local programs so that they
meet the requirements of subsection (g);
``(13) a plan for providing training, technical assistance,
and other assistance to local communities in program
development;
``(14) a description of the methods to be utilized to
evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the family
resource programs within the State;
``(15) a description of proposed actions by the State that
will reduce practical and regulatory barriers to the
provision of comprehensive services to families, including
family resource programs; and
``(16) an assurance that the State will provide the
Secretary with reports, at such time and containing such
information as the Secretary may require.
``(g) Local Program Requirements.--
``(1) In general.--A State that receives a grant under this
section shall use amounts received under such grant to
establish local family resource programs that--
``(A) undertake a community-based needs assessment and
program planning process which involves parents, and local
public and nonprofit agencies (including those responsible
for providing health, education, employment training, Head
Start and other early childhood, child welfare, and social
services);
``(B) develop a strategy to provide comprehensive services
to families to meet identified needs through collaboration,
including public-private partnerships;
``(C) identify appropriate community-based organizations to
administer such programs locally;
``(D) provide core services, and other services directly or
through contracts or agreements with other local agencies;
and
``(E) involve parents in the development, operation, and
governance of the program.
``(2) Priority.--In awarding local grants under this
section, a State shall give priority to programs serving low-
income communities and programs serving young parents or
parents with young children and shall ensure that such grants
are equitably distributed among urban and rural areas.
``(h) Definitions.--As used in this section:
``(1) Community referral services.--The term `community
referral services' means services to assist families in
obtaining community resources, including respite services,
health and mental health services, employability development
and job training and other social services.
``(2) Family resource program.--The term `family resource
program' means a program that offers community-based services
that provide sustained assistance to families at various
stages in their development. Such services shall promote
parental competencies and behaviors that will lead to the
healthy and positive personal development of parents and
children through--
``(A) the provisions of assistance to build family skills
and assist parents in improving their capacities to be
supportive and nurturing parents;
``(B) the provision of assistance to families to enable
such families to use other formal and informal resources and
opportunities for assistance that are available within the
communities of such families; and
``(C) the creation of supportive networks to enhance the
childbearing capacity of parents and assist in compensating
for the increased social isolation and vulnerability of
families.
``(3) Family resource services.--The term `family resource
services' means--
``(A) core services that must be provided directly by the
family resource program under this section, including--
``(i) education and support services provided to assist
parents in acquiring parenting skills, learning about child
development, and responding appropriately to the behavior of
their children;
``(ii) early developmental screening of children to assess
the needs of such children and to identify the types of
support to be provided;
``(iii) outreach services;
``(iv) community referral services; and
``(v) follow-up services; and
``(B) other services, which may be provided either directly
or through referral, including--
``(i) early care and education (such as child care and Head
Start);
``(ii) respite care;
``(iii) job readiness and counseling services (including
skill training);
``(iv) education and literacy services;
``(v) nutritional education;
``(vi) life management skills training;
``(vii) peer counseling and crisis intervention, and family
violence counseling services;
``(viii) referral for health (including prenatal care) and
mental health services; and
``(ix) substance abuse treatment.
``(4) Interdisciplinary governance.--The term
`interdisciplinary governance' includes governance by
representatives from communities and representatives from
existing health, mental health, education, employment and
training, child welfare, and other agencies within the
State.''.
``(5) Respite services.--The term `respite services' means
short-term care services provided in the temporary absence of
the regular caregiver (parent, other relative, foster parent,
adoptive parent, guardian) to children who meet one or more
of the following categories:
``(A) The children are in danger of abuse or neglect.
``(B) The children have experienced abuse or neglect.
``(C) The children have disabilities, or chronic or
terminal illnesses.
Services provided within or outside the child's home shall be
short-term care, ranging from a few hours to a few weeks of
time, per year, and be intended to enable the family to stay
together and to keep the child living in the child's home and
community.''.
(b) Definition.--Section 926(7) of such Act (42 U.S.C.
12332(7)) is amended by inserting ``, and other caretakers''
after ``parents''.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 934 of such
Act (42 U.S.C. 12340) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1) of subsection (a), to read as follows:
``(1) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out
section 931 such sums as may be necessary for each of the
fiscal years 1995 through 1998.''; and
(2) in subsection (d), to read as follows:
``(h) Community-Based Family Resource Programs.--There are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out section 933,
$75,000,000 for fiscal year 1995, and such sums as may be
necessary for each of the fiscal years 1996 through 1998.''.
(d) Repeal of Existing Programs.--
(1) Community-based child abuse and neglect prevention
grants.--Title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment
Act (42 U.S.C. 5116 et seq.) is repealed.
(2) Emergency child abuse prevention services grants.--Sec.
107A of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42
U.S.C. 5106a-1) is repealed.
(3) Temporary child care and crisis nurseries.--The
Temporary Child Care for Children with Disabilities and
Crisis Nurseries Act of 1986 (42 U.S.C. 5117 et seq.) is
repealed.
SEC. 402. FEDERAL COUNCIL ON CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES.
Section 918 of the Claude Pepper Young Americans Act of
1990 (42 U.S.C. 12314) is amended--
(1) in subsection (k)--
(A) in paragraph (3), by striking out ``and'' at the end
thereof;
(B) in paragraph (4), by striking out the period and
inserting in lieu thereof a semicolon; and
(C) by adding at the end thereof the following new
paragraphs:
``(6) identify program regulations, practices, and
eligibility requirements that impede coordination and
collaboration and make recommendations for their
modifications or elimination; and
``(7) develop recommendations for creating jointly funded
programs, unified assessments, eligibility, and application
procedures, and confidentiality protections that facilitate
information sharing.'';
(2) in subsection (o), by striking ``1991 through 1994''
and inserting ``1995 through 1998''; and
(3) in subsection (p), by striking ``1995'' and inserting
``1998''.
SEC. 403. FAMILY RESOURCE ACT.
(a) National Center.--Section 958(b)(3) of the Claude
Pepper Young Americans Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12353(b)(3)) is
amended by strike ``model''.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 960 of the
Claude Pepper Young Americans Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12355)
is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ``$2,300,000'' and all
that follows through the end thereof and inserting
``$2,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1995 through
1998.''; and
(2) in subsection (b), by striking ``$700,000'' and all
that follows through the end thereof and inserting
``$1,000,000 for fiscal year 1995, and such sums as may be
necessary for each of the fiscal years 1996 through 1998.''.
Mr. KENNEDY. Madam President, I move to reconsider the vote by which
the bill was passed.
Mr. DODD. I move to lay that motion on the table.
The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
____________________