[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 128 (Tuesday, September 23, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9789-S9800]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           THE PROPERTY OWNERS ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT OF 1997

  Mr. COVERDELL. Mr. President, I am introducing today, with Senators 
Landrieu and Dorgan, the Property Owners Access to Justice Act of 1997, 
a bill to simplify access to the Federal courts for private property 
owners whose rights may have been injured by government action. The 
fifth amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides individuals with 
protection from having their property taken by the Government. The 
Constitution requires that when private property is taken for a public 
purpose, the property owner must be compensated.
  However, property owners seeking protection of their rights are 
frequently frustrated by endless bureaucratic delay and countless 
procedural hurdles that prevent them from having their day in court. 
They are told they must resolve all of their State court remedies and 
all of their administrative remedies before their case is ripe for a 
hearing in Federal court.
  Unfortunately, most property owners cannot afford the long and often 
fruitless process of resolving all possible remedies before their case 
is ripe. This process can mean years of court battles and tens of 
thousands of dollars in legal fees just to win the right to have the 
merits of the case heard in Federal court. The hurdles are so 
oppressive that one study concluded less than 6 percent of takings 
claims filed during the 1980's were ever deemed ripe for Federal court 
adjudication.
  This unfair result happens because the requirement to exhaust all 
administrative remedies before getting their day in court subjects 
property owners to endless rounds of appeals with the relevant agency. 
However, property owners should be able to know with some degree of 
certainty what rights they have in their own property. The Property 
Owners Access to Justice Act says that property owners must try to 
resolve their differences with the agency in question, but once the 
agency has denied their appeal or waiver attempt, the property owner 
has the right to go to court.
  The property owner would still shoulder the burden of proof that he 
or she has been injured and deserves compensation, but at least the 
owner will be able to have the merits of the case heard. And there is 
an end to the process, instead of leaving the property owner in the 
regulatory limbo of appealing and appealing and appealing before 
getting the right to seek relief in court.
  To deal with the problem of resolving all State court remedies, this 
bill essentially gives property owners a choice of how to assert their 
property rights under the Constitution. If the property owner wants to 
pursue action against a local or State agency that has infringed on his 
or her rights, the property owner can sue in State or local court, as 
he would now. Or, if the property owner wants to reject that route and 
instead pursue only a fifth amendment takings claim, the case can be 
heard in Federal court.
  This will correct the current situation in which a property owner can 
be bounced between State and Federal courts for years, with the merits 
of their Federal claim never being heard.
  The Property Owners Access to Justice Act of 1997 is strictly 
procedural in nature. It does not change substantive law. It does not 
define a taking or establish a trigger for when compensation is due. It 
does not give property owners any special access to the Federal courts. 
On the contrary, it allows property owners the same access to Federal 
courts that other claimants currently have. Citizens alleging 
violations of their first amendment rights or fourth amendment rights 
are not told to resolve their administrative and State court remedies 
first--they go to Federal court. Property owners deserve to be treated 
the same as everyone else.
  Mr. President, this bipartisan bill is simply an effort to provide 
property owners with a less complicated way to have their day in court. 
It gives them the access to justice and the chance to present the 
merits of their case that all Americans expect as a matter of simple 
fairness.
  I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the 
Property Owners Access to Justice Act of 1997 and ask unanimous consent 
that the full text of the bill be entered in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1204

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Property Owners Access to 
     Justice Act of 1997''.

     SEC. 2. JURISDICTION IN CIVIL RIGHTS CASES.

       Section 1343 of title 28, United States Code, is amended by 
     adding at the end the following:
       ``(c) Whenever a district court exercises jurisdiction 
     under subsection (a), it shall not abstain from exercising or 
     relinquish its jurisdiction to a State court in an action 
     where no claim of a violation of a State law, right, or 
     privilege is alleged.
       ``(d) Where the district court has jurisdiction over an 
     action under subsection (a) that cannot be decided without 
     resolution of a significant but unsettled question of State 
     law, the district court may certify the question of State law 
     to the highest appellate court of that State. After the State 
     appellate court resolves the question certified to it, the 
     district court shall proceed with resolving the merits. The 
     district court shall not certify a question of State law 
     under this subsection unless the question of State law--
       ``(1) will significantly affect the merits of the injured 
     party's Federal claim; and
       ``(2) is so unclear and obviously susceptible to a limiting 
     construction as to render premature a decision on the merits 
     of the constitutional or legal issue in the case.
       ``(e)(1) Any claim or action brought under section 1979 of 
     the Revised Statutes of the United States (42 U.S.C. 1983) to 
     redress the deprivation of a property right or privilege 
     secured by the Constitution shall be ripe for adjudication by 
     the district courts upon a final decision rendered by any 
     person acting under color of any statute, ordinance, 
     regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or territory of 
     the United States, that causes actual and concrete injury to 
     the party seeking redress.
       ``(2) For purposes of this subsection, a final decision 
     exists if--
       ``(A) any person acting under color of any statute, 
     ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or 
     territory of the United States, makes a definitive decision 
     regarding the extent of permissible uses on the property that 
     has been allegedly infringed or taken, without regard to any 
     uses that may be permitted elsewhere; and
       ``(B) the applicable statute, ordinance, regulation, 
     custom, or usage provides for a right of appeal or waiver 
     from such decision, and the party seeking redress has applied 
     for, but has been denied, one such appeal or waiver.

     The party seeking redress shall not be required to apply for 
     an appeal or waiver described in subparagraph (B) if the 
     prospects of success are reasonably unlikely and intervention 
     by the district court is warranted to decide the merits.
       ``(3) For purposes of this subsection, a final decision 
     shall not require the party seeking redress to exhaust 
     judicial remedies provided by any State or territory of the 
     United States.''.

     SEC. 3. UNITED STATES AS DEFENDANT.

       Section 1346 of title 28, United States Code, is amended by 
     adding at the end the following:
       ``(h)(1) Any claim brought under subsection (a) that is 
     founded upon a property right or privilege secured by the 
     Constitution, but was allegedly infringed or taken by the 
     United States, shall be ripe for adjudication upon a final 
     decision rendered by the United States, that causes actual 
     and concrete injury to the party seeking redress.
       ``(2) For purposes of this subsection, a final decision 
     exists if--
       ``(A) the United States makes a definitive decision 
     regarding the extent of permissible uses on the property that 
     has been allegedly infringed or taken, without regard to any 
     uses that may be permitted elsewhere; and
       ``(B) an applicable law of the United States provides for a 
     right of appeal or waiver from

[[Page S9790]]

     such decision, and the party seeking redress has applied for, 
     but has been denied, one such appeal or waiver.

     The party seeking redress shall not be required to apply for 
     an appeal or waiver described in subparagraph (B), if the 
     prospects of success are reasonably unlikely and intervention 
     by the district court or the United States Court of Federal 
     Claims is warranted to decide the merits.''.

     SEC. 4. JURISDICTION OF COURT OF FEDERAL CLAIMS.

       Section 1491(a) of title 28, United States Code, is amended 
     by adding at the end the following:
       ``(3) Any claim brought under this subsection founded upon 
     a property right or privilege secured by the Constitution, 
     but allegedly infringed or taken by the United States, shall 
     be ripe for adjudication upon a final decision rendered by 
     the United States, that causes actual and concrete injury to 
     the party seeking redress. For purposes of this paragraph, a 
     final decision exists if--
       ``(A) the United States makes a definitive decision 
     regarding the extent of permissible uses on the property that 
     has been allegedly infringed or taken, without regard to any 
     uses that may be permitted elsewhere; and
       ``(B) an applicable law of the United States provides for a 
     right of appeal or waiver from such final decision, and the 
     party seeking redress has applied for, but has been denied, 
     one such appeal or waiver.

     The party seeking redress shall not be required to apply for 
     an appeal or waiver described in subparagraph (B) if the 
     prospects of success are reasonably unlikely and intervention 
     by the United States Court of Federal Claims is warranted to 
     decide the merits.''.

     SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.

       The amendments made by this Act shall apply to actions 
     commenced on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.

  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I am proud to join my colleague from 
Georgia, Senator Coverdell, in introducing the Property Owners Access 
to Justice Act of 1997.
  Mr. President, in my view, this bill is particularly aptly named. 
Justice and fairness are what this bill is all about. Unlike other 
countries, when this Nation was created, we did so with a contract 
between the people and the Government. It is not very long, but the 
freedoms it guarantees are quite profound. Among its provisions is a 
simple promise from the Government to the people. Private property 
shall not be taken for public use without just compensation. These very 
few words included in our Constitution provide one of the strongest 
defenses we have against arbitrary government. The certainty that our 
property cannot be expropriated by government without our being 
compensated, provides the essential infrastructure for America's great 
economic strength. We could never be the world's largest market without 
such an assurance.
  However, for often well-intentioned reasons, all levels of government 
have made claims on private property which conflict with the 
protections of the fifth amendment. Whether through zoning, 
environmental protections, or claims of eminent domain, people have 
found their property rights under increasing assault. Unfortunately, 
not only are their rights under assault, but then they have inadequate 
protection in our legal system.
  We should not be confused as to whom this bill helps. Large 
corporations and wealthy landowners and developers do not need our help 
in Congress. They can hire a legion of lawyers and lobbyists to take up 
their case at city hall, at the statehouse, or even here in Washington. 
Whether this bill passes or not, their interests will be protected. The 
people we help with this bill are the small landowners and family 
farmers who lack the means to expedite the administrative process. It 
will help first-time home buyers in my State, who are trying to build 
their first home but have to put their plans on hold because they run 
into administrative deadlocks.
  Our bill will help these people and countless others in two ways. 
First, it will clarify when a person has exhausted their administrative 
remedies. Right now, property owners spend countless hours and great 
expense in fruitless litigation over this subject. Legislation to end 
this unproductive debate should be welcomed by all parties.
  Second, the bill would allow property owners to choose between 
bringing their claim for relief before Federal or State courts. As it 
stands, we all possess a fifth amendment right which we have no 
practical way of enforcing. The Supreme Court has interpreted the fifth 
amendment as applying to the States under the due process clause of the 
fourteenth amendment. However, the Federal courts have left it to State 
courts to adjudicate fifth amendment claims in this area. Only if 
issues of State law are resolved in the case, may plaintiffs have their 
constitutional claim heard in Federal court. Working people simply 
cannot afford a process that would require them to go all the way 
through the State court system and then into the federal courts to 
enforce their constitutional rights.
  Mr. President, it is my hope that our colleagues will join this 
bipartisan effort and take a concrete step to provide real relief to 
middle class people. We will all benefit by a judicial process that is 
more equitable and transparent.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mrs. MURRAY:
  S. 1205. A bill to amend the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant 
Responsibility Act of 1996 to clarify that records of arrival or 
departure are not required to be collected for purposes of the 
automated entry-exit control system developed under section 110 of such 
act for Canadians who are not otherwise required to possess a visa, 
passport, or border crossing identification card; to the Committee on 
the Judiciary.


       THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ACT CANADIAN EXEMPTION ACT OF 1997

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, today I am introducing legislation to 
amend a controversial provision in last year's illegal immigration 
legislation that threatens to stifle legal travel and commerce between 
the United States and Canada.
  Section 110 of the 1996 Immigration Reform Act requires the 
Immigration and Naturalization Service to develop an automated entry 
and exit system for the purpose of documenting the entry and departure 
of every alien entering and leaving the United States. The legislation 
I am introducing today, will amend the illegal immigration legislation 
to clarify that records of entry and departure are not required for 
Canadians. This is consistent with long-standing U.S. policy toward 
Canadian citizens traveling to the United States.
  My constituents are extremely concerned about the onerous 
implications of section 110. As a frequent visitor to Bellingham and 
Whatcom County, I hear again and again from the local community about 
the importance of unimpeded travel between the United States and 
Canada. I've visited the border crossings at Blaine, WA. At certain 
times, travel between the United States and Canada is already subject 
to lengthy delays and traffic back-ups that sometimes exceed 1 mile in 
length. Section 110 will further complicate border crossings if it is 
ever instituted on our northern border.
  I have been a long proponent of strengthening and promoting the 
partnership between Washington State and British Columbia, Canada. 
British Columbia is a billion dollar neighbor for my State, generating 
jobs and economic activity important to all of Washington. Canadian 
tourism and commerce is particularly important to Bellingham and 
northwest Washington where border trade thrives to the benefit of both 
Americans and Canadians.
  This legislative initiative follows up on a late 1996 letter I sent 
to Attorney General Janet Reno inquiring about section 110. The letter 
expressed my strong opposition to a border fee or other interpretation 
of section 110 which would inhibit legal tourism and trade between the 
United States and Canada. I continue to vigorously oppose nuisance 
measures that will unduly delay legal border crossings. A border tax is 
the most obvious nuisance measure, however, section 110 if fully 
implemented will have a potentially disastrous impact on communities in 
my state.
  I do not expect section 110 to ever be applied to Canadians. To do 
so, would be a phenomenal waste of limited resources. We can't neglect 
our northern Border, but we can certainly be a lot smarter. Exempting 
Canadians from section 110 is the smart thing, the right thing to do.
  I encourage my colleagues to review this important legislation and to 
join me in supporting the passage of this legislative exemption at the 
earliest opportunity.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Ms. SNOWE (for herself, Mr. Jeffords, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. 
        Allard, Mr. Harkin, and Mr. Grassley):

[[Page S9791]]

  S. 1206. A bill to provide for an enumeration of family caregivers as 
part of the 2000 decennial census of population; to the Committee on 
Governmental Affairs.


                   THE FAMILY CAREGIVERS ACT OF 1997

  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation to 
highlight the millions of family caregivers across this country, by 
calling on the Census Bureau to count family caregivers in the Census 
2000. This bill is a companion to House legislation introduced by 
Representative Canady. I would like to thank Senators Jeffords, 
Mikulski, Allard, Harkin, and Grassley for joining me in support of 
family caregivers by cosponsoring this bill.
  As the population of this country ages, more and more Americans have 
and will assume the role of family caregivers--people who provide 
noncompensated care for an elderly or disabled family member in their 
own home. Today, nearly 80 percent of elderly people needing long-term 
care services are estimated to reside outside the nursing home setting, 
and many nonelderly people are cared for by a family member as well. In 
fact, family caregivers provide two-thirds of all home care services in 
this country.
  The decision to care for a loved one who is ill or incapacitated on a 
full-time basis requires significant personal sacrifice on the 
caregiver's part. Yet the compassionate services provided by family 
caregivers to those who are unable to care for themselves is 
invaluable. Without the contributions of caregivers, immense pressure 
would be brought to bear on our nursing home and health care systems. 
Unfortunately, caregivers and their contributions to the Nation's 
public health system have historically gone unrecognized.
  While the issue of family caregivers has obvious policy implications, 
adequate statistical and survey information is not available to help 
policymakers address issues concerning these individuals. That is why I 
am introducing legislation to request that family caregivers be counted 
by the Census Bureau in the Census 2000. By counting caregivers in the 
census, we will be able to collect more information about this rapidly-
growing group and form policy solutions that will take into account 
their special needs.
  In her book, ``Helping Yourself Help Others,'' former First Lady 
Rosalynn Carter reminds us that there are only four kinds of people in 
the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are caregivers, 
those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers. I 
urge my colleagues to support this important legislation and to draw 
attention to the needs of family caregivers.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mrs. BOXER (for herself, Mr. Bingaman, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. 
        Daschle, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Wellstone, Mr. Conrad, Ms. 
        Landrieu, Mr. Reed, and Mrs. Murray):
  S. 1207. A bill to authorize the President to award a Congressional 
Gold Medal to the family of the late Raul Julia, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.


                  congressional gold medal legislation

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation 
authorizing the President of the United States to award a Congressional 
Gold Medal in honor of the late Raul Julia, a remarkable person who 
touched the lives of millions.
  Raul Julia is known to most people as a talented actor who performed 
in movies and on stage. He excelled in such films as ``The Kiss of the 
Spider Woman,'' ``Presumed Innocent,'' and ``The Eyes of Laura Mars.'' 
In his greater love, the theater, he starred in several productions, 
including the New York Shakespeare Festival's ``Macbeth,'' ``Othello,'' 
and ``The Taming of the Shrew.'' His brilliant career earned him four 
Tony Award nominations and a countless number of accolades.
  However, Raul Julia was more than just a remarkable actor and 
entertainer--through his work, he was able to conquer stereotypes 
unfairly attached to Latin actors and performers. It is clear that the 
Latino community still suffers discrimination in the entertainment 
field. Too many times, we see Latinos cast as gang members, drug 
dealers, and other negative characters.
  With his dignified presence and undeniable talent, Raul Julia was 
able to overcome these stereotypes. He became a role model for Latinos 
trying to break into the entertainment industry, and today is still an 
inspiration to Latino and non-Latino alike.
  Raul Julia was also a dedicated activist and humanitarian. He was 
especially concerned with worldwide hunger, in part because of his 
upbringing in Puerto Rico. In honor of his lifetime of unselfish 
giving, this legislation will divide profits from the sale of duplicate 
medals equally between the Raul Julia Hunger Fund and the National 
Hispanic Foundation for the Arts.
  A Congressional Gold Modal is a fitting tribute to the life and work 
of Raul Julia. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  I ask unanimous consent that the full text of the bill be printed at 
this point in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1207

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

       The Congress finds that--
       (1) Raul Julia was an accomplished, talented performer, 
     entertaining millions through his work in film and theater;
       (2) Raul Julia was a leader in the entertainment industry, 
     particularly as a tireless mentor and role model to emerging 
     Latino actors;
       (3) a dedicated activist and humanitarian, Raul Julia was a 
     major supporter and spokesperson for the Hunger Fund, a 
     nonprofit organization committed to the eradication of world 
     hunger; and
       (4) Raul Julia received the Hispanic Heritage Award 
     recognizing his many career achievements for the Latino 
     community, including his involvement in ``La Familia'', a New 
     York City outreach program for Latino families in need, the 
     Puerto Rican traveling theater, the Museo del Barrio, and the 
     New York Shakespeare Festival.

     SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

       (a) Presentation Authorized.--The President is authorized 
     to present, on behalf of the Congress, to the family of the 
     late Raul Julia a gold medal of appropriate design, in 
     recognition of his dedication to ending world hunger and his 
     great contributions to the Latino community and to the 
     performing arts.
       (b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation 
     referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury 
     (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') 
     shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and 
     inscriptions to be determined by the Secretary.
       (c) Gifts and Donations.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary may accept, use, and 
     disburse gifts or donations of property or money to carry out 
     this section.
       (2) Appropriation authorized.--No amount is authorized to 
     be appropriated to carry out this section.

     SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

       The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of 
     the gold medal struck pursuant to section 2 under such 
     regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at a price 
     sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, 
     materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, and 
     the cost of the gold medal.

     SEC. 4. STATUS OF MEDALS.

       The medals struck pursuant to this Act are--
       (1) national medals, for purposes of chapter 51 of title 
     31, United States Code; and
       (2) numismatic items, for purposes of section 5134 of title 
     31, United States Code.

     SEC. 5. TRANSFER OF ANY PROFIT TO LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.

       The Secretary shall transfer in equal amounts from the 
     Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund an amount equal to the 
     amount by which the sum of any gifts and donations received 
     by the Secretary in accordance with section 2(c)(1) and any 
     proceeds from the sale of duplicate medals pursuant to 
     section 3 exceeds the total amount of the costs incurred by 
     the Secretary in carrying out this Act to--
       (1) the Raul Julia Ending Hunger Fund; and
       (2) the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mrs. BOXER (for herself and Mrs. Murray):
  S. 1208. A bill to protect women's reproductive health and 
constitutional right to choice, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Labor and Human Resources.


         the family planning and choice protection act of 1997

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I come today to the Senate floor to 
introduce the Family Planning and Choice Protection Act of 1997, a 
comprehensive pro-choice, pro-family planning, and pro-women's health 
bill. The bill is cosponsored in the Senate by Senator

[[Page S9792]]

Murray, and the companion bill was introduced by Representative Nita 
Lowey.
  This bill has three purposes: to improve family planning programs and 
services; to strengthen women's right to choose; and to increase 
research on women's health.
  In the past months and years, Congress has curbed women's 
reproductive rights again and again. We've seen it in the 
appropriations process, as women in the military and military 
dependents are prevented from using their own funds to obtain an 
abortion at military facilities. Similarly, the District of Columbia 
has been prevented from using local funds to provide abortion services. 
These are just two examples. Bit by bit, anti-choice legislators are 
chipping away at women's fundamental right to choose.
  Even family planning programs and services have been under attack. In 
June, the House of Representatives voted to cut off funding for family 
planning to overseas organizations unless they comply with certain 
restrictions. These restrictions amount to a global gag rule, 
prohibiting these organizations from using even non-Federal funds to 
provide abortion services or advocate to change abortion laws or 
policies abroad.
  The Family Planning and Choice Protection Act of 1997 addresses these 
attacks. It is a positive statement of what freedom of choice really 
means. The bill has three parts--family planning, choice protection, 
and health.
  The family planning part does four things. First, it authorizes 
additional funds for family planning services. Second, it bans gag 
rules, which have restricted the information health providers can give 
and women can receive about reproductive health services. Third, it 
requires all health plans to cover contraceptive services and drugs if 
they cover other prescription drugs. Fourth, it promotes understanding 
of emergency contraceptives, which can be used after intercourse to 
prevent pregnancy.
  The part on choice protection has four elements. First and foremost, 
it takes the basic principles of Roe versus Wade and makes them Federal 
law. Second, it repeals the many restrictions that Congress has placed 
on funding of abortions, including services for poor women, women in 
the military, women in the District of Columbia, and Federal employees. 
Third, it calls for additional Federal resources to ensure that women 
and health care providers have safe access to reproductive health 
clinics, and protection against violence at these clinics. Fourth, it 
directs the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that the 
approval of RU-486 is based on health considerations only--not 
political decisions.
  The third part of the bill focuses on women's health. First, it 
supports funding for preventive health measures in all 50 States, such 
as screening for breast and cervical cancer and chlamydia. Second, it 
calls for funding for more research on contraception and infertility.
  The American people overwhelmingly support a woman's right to choose, 
family planning, and women's health research. Yet there are those in 
this Congress who are determined to turn the clock back. This bill 
works to ensure that no American woman will ever have to go back to the 
days of ignorance, isolation, and injustice. The women of America 
cannot afford to go back. The Family Planning and Choice Protection Act 
of 1997 calls on Congress to strengthen women's right to choose and to 
hold firm against further attacks on this fundamental right.
  I am proud to sponsor this important initiative in the Senate, and 
proud to join Representative Lowey and groups such as the National 
Abortion Rights Action League to make this positive statement for 
women's rights and health.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the full text of this 
bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1208

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Family Planning and Choice 
     Protection Act of 1997''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds that--
       (1) reproductive rights are central to the ability of women 
     to exercise full enjoyment of rights secured to women by 
     Federal and State law;
       (2) abortion has been a legal and constitutionally 
     protected medical procedure throughout the United States 
     since 1973 and has become part of mainstream medical practice 
     as is evidenced by the positions of medical institutions 
     including the American Medical Association, the American 
     College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American 
     Medical Women's Association, the American Nurses Association, 
     and the American Public Health Association;
       (3) the availability of abortion services is diminishing 
     throughout the United States, as evidenced by--
       (A) the fact that 84 percent of counties in the United 
     States have no abortion provider; and
       (B) the fact that, between 1982 and 1992, the number of 
     abortion providers decreased in 45 States; and
       (4)(A) the Department of Health and Human Services and the 
     Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences 
     have contributed to the development of a report entitled 
     ``Healthy People 2000'', which urges that the rate of 
     unintended pregnancy in the United States be reduced by 
     nearly 50 percent by the year 2000;
       (B) nearly 60 percent, or approximately 3,100,000, of all 
     pregnancies in the United States each year are unintended, 
     resulting in 1,500,000 abortions in the United States each 
     year; and
       (C) the provision of family planning services, including 
     emergency contraception, is a cost-effective way of reducing 
     the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions in the 
     United States; and
       (5) at a minimum, Congress must enact legislation 
     establishing or retaining the following policies to preserve 
     the choice and reproductive health of women:
       (A) Authorization of family planning programs.
       (B) The prohibition of any gag rule on information 
     pertaining to reproductive medical services.
       (C) The promotion of equitable treatment and coverage of 
     prescription contraception drugs and devices in the provision 
     of health insurance.
       (D) The provision of funding for emergency contraceptive 
     education.
       (E) The establishment of breast cancer, cervical cancer, 
     and chlamydia screening programs in all 50 States.
       (F) Full implementation of contraceptive and infertility 
     research programs.
       (G) Funding through the medicaid program under title XIX of 
     the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) for abortion 
     services.
       (H) Protection of women from clinic violence.
       (I) Final approval of the drug called Mifepristone or RU-
     486.
       (J) The maintenance of a fundamental right to choose, as 
     stated in the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 
     113 (1973).
       (K) The establishment of the right of the District of 
     Columbia to access locally raised revenue to provide abortion 
     services to low-income women.
       (L) The promotion of fairness in insurance.
       (M) The establishment of the ability of military personnel 
     overseas to obtain abortion services.
                          TITLE I--PREVENTION
                      Subtitle A--Family Planning

     SEC. 101. FAMILY PLANNING AMENDMENTS.

       Section 1001(d) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
     300(d)) is amended to read as follows:
       ``(d) For the purpose of making grants and entering into 
     contracts under this section, there are authorized to be 
     appropriated $275,000,000 for fiscal year 1999 and such sums 
     as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2000 through 
     2003.''.

     SEC. 102. FREEDOM OF FULL DISCLOSURE.

       Title XI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000h 
     et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

     ``SEC. 1107. INFORMATION ABOUT AVAILABILITY OF REPRODUCTIVE 
                   HEALTH CARE SERVICES.

       ``(a) Definition.--As used in this section, the term 
     `governmental authority' means any authority of the United 
     States.
       ``(b) General Authority.--Notwithstanding any other 
     provision of law, no governmental authority shall, in or 
     through any program or activity that is administered or 
     assisted by such authority and that provides health care 
     services or information, limit the right of any person to 
     provide, or the right of any person to receive, nonfraudulent 
     information about the availability of reproductive health 
     care services, including family planning, prenatal care, 
     adoption, and abortion services.''.
       Subtitle B--Prescription Equity and Contraceptive Coverage

     SEC. 111. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds that--
       (1) each year, approximately 3,100,000 pregnancies, or 
     nearly 60 percent of all pregnancies, in this country are 
     unintended;
       (2) contraceptive services are part of basic health care, 
     allowing families to both adequately space desired 
     pregnancies and avoid unintended pregnancy;
       (3) studies show that contraceptives are cost-effective: 
     for every $1 of public funds invested in family planning, $4 
     to $14 of public funds is saved in pregnancy and health care-
     related costs;

[[Page S9793]]

       (4) by reducing rates of unintended pregnancy, 
     contraceptives help reduce the need for abortion;
       (5) unintended pregnancies lead to higher rates of infant 
     mortality, low-birth weight, and maternal morbidity, and 
     threaten the economic viability of families;
       (6) the National Commission to Prevent Infant Mortality 
     determined that ``infant mortality could be reduced by 10 
     percent if all women not desiring pregnancy used 
     contraception'';
       (7) most women in the United States, including two-thirds 
     of women of childbearing age, rely on some form of private 
     employment-related insurance (through either their own 
     employer or a family member's employer) to defray their 
     medical expenses;
       (8) the vast majority of private insurers cover 
     prescription drugs, but many exclude coverage for 
     prescription contraceptives;
       (9) private insurance provides extremely limited coverage 
     of contraceptives: half of traditional indemnity plans and 
     preferred provider organizations, 20 percent of point-of-
     service networks, and 7 percent of health maintenance 
     organizations cover no contraceptive methods other than 
     sterilization;
       (10) women of reproductive age spend 68 percent more than 
     men on out-of-pocket health care costs, with contraceptives 
     and reproductive health care services accounting for much of 
     the difference;
       (11) the lack of contraceptive coverage in health insurance 
     places many effective forms of contraceptives beyond the 
     financial reach of many women, leading to unintended 
     pregnancies; and
       (12) the Institute of Medicine Committee on Unintended 
     Pregnancy recently recommended that ``financial barriers to 
     contraception be reduced by increasing the proportion of all 
     health insurance policies that cover contraceptive services 
     and supplies''.

     SEC. 112. AMENDMENTS TO THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME 
                   SECURITY ACT OF 1974.

       (a) In General.--Subpart B of part 7 of subtitle B of title 
     I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (as 
     added by section 603(a) of the Newborns' and Mothers' Health 
     Protection Act of 1996 and amended by section 702(a) of the 
     Mental Health Parity Act of 1996) is further amended by 
     adding at the end the following new section:

     ``SEC. 713. STANDARDS RELATING TO BENEFITS FOR 
                   CONTRACEPTIVES.

       ``(a) Requirements for Coverage.--A group health plan, and 
     a health insurance issuer providing health insurance coverage 
     in connection with a group health plan, may not--
       ``(1) exclude or restrict benefits for prescription 
     contraceptive drugs or devices approved by the Food and Drug 
     Administration, or generic equivalents approved as 
     substitutable by the Food and Drug Administration, if such 
     plan provides benefits for other outpatient prescription 
     drugs or devices; or
       ``(2) exclude or restrict benefits for outpatient 
     contraceptive services if such plan provides benefits for 
     other outpatient services provided by a health care 
     professional (referred to in this section as `outpatient 
     health care services').
       ``(b) Prohibitions.--A group health plan, and a health 
     insurance issuer providing health insurance coverage in 
     connection with a group health plan, may not--
       ``(1) deny to an individual eligibility, or continued 
     eligibility, to enroll or to renew coverage under the terms 
     of the plan because of the individual's or enrollee's use or 
     potential use of items or services that are covered in 
     accordance with the requirements of this section;
       ``(2) provide monetary payments or rebates to a covered 
     individual to encourage such individual to accept less than 
     the minimum protections available under this section;
       ``(3) penalize or otherwise reduce or limit the 
     reimbursement of a health care professional because such 
     professional prescribed contraceptive drugs or devices, or 
     provided contraceptive services, described in subsection (a), 
     in accordance with this section; or
       ``(4) provide incentives (monetary or otherwise) to a 
     health care professional to induce such professional to 
     withhold from a covered individual contraceptive drugs or 
     devices, or contraceptive services, described in subsection 
     (a).
       ``(c) Rules of Construction.--
       ``(1) In general.--Nothing in this section shall be 
     construed--
       ``(A) as preventing a group health plan and a health 
     insurance issuer providing health insurance coverage in 
     connection with a group health plan from imposing 
     deductibles, coinsurance, or other cost-sharing or 
     limitations in relation to--
       ``(i) benefits for contraceptive drugs under the plan, 
     except that such a deductible, coinsurance, or other cost-
     sharing or limitation for any such drug may not be greater 
     than such a deductible, coinsurance, or cost-sharing or 
     limitation for any outpatient prescription drug otherwise 
     covered under the plan;
       ``(ii) benefits for contraceptive devices under the plan, 
     except that such a deductible, coinsurance, or other cost-
     sharing or limitation for any such device may not be greater 
     than such a deductible, coinsurance, or cost-sharing or 
     limitation for any outpatient prescription device otherwise 
     covered under the plan; and
       ``(iii) benefits for outpatient contraceptive services 
     under the plan, except that such a deductible, coinsurance, 
     or other cost-sharing or limitation for any such service may 
     not be greater than such a deductible, coinsurance, or cost-
     sharing or limitation for any outpatient health care service 
     otherwise covered under the plan; and
       ``(B) as requiring a group health plan and a health 
     insurance issuer providing health insurance coverage in 
     connection with a group health plan to cover experimental or 
     investigational contraceptive drugs or devices, or 
     experimental or investigational contraceptive services, 
     described in subsection (a), except to the extent that the 
     plan or issuer provides coverage for other experimental or 
     investigational outpatient prescription drugs or devices, or 
     experimental or investigational outpatient health care 
     services.
       ``(2) Limitations.--As used in paragraph (1), the term 
     `limitation' includes--
       ``(A) in the case of a contraceptive drug or device, 
     restricting the type of health care professionals that may 
     prescribe such drugs or devices, utilization review 
     provisions, and limits on the volume of prescription drugs or 
     devices that may be obtained on the basis of a single 
     consultation with a professional; or
       ``(B) in the case of an outpatient contraceptive service, 
     restricting the type of health care professionals that may 
     provide such services, utilization review provisions, 
     requirements relating to second opinions prior to the 
     coverage of such services, and requirements relating to 
     preauthorizations prior to the coverage of such services.
       ``(d) Notice Under Group Health Plan.--The imposition of 
     the requirements of this section shall be treated as a 
     material modification in the terms of the plan described in 
     section 102(a)(1), for purposes of assuring notice of such 
     requirements under the plan, except that the summary 
     description required to be provided under the last sentence 
     of section 104(b)(1) with respect to such modification shall 
     be provided by not later than 60 days after the first day of 
     the first plan year in which such requirements apply.
       ``(e) Preemption.--Nothing in this section shall be 
     construed to preempt any provision of State law to the extent 
     that such State law establishes, implements, or continues in 
     effect any standard or requirement that provides protections 
     for enrollees that are greater than the protections provided 
     under this section.
       ``(f) Definition.--In this section, the term `outpatient 
     contraceptive services' means consultations, examinations, 
     procedures, and medical services, provided on an outpatient 
     basis and related to the use of contraceptive methods 
     (including natural family planning) to prevent an unintended 
     pregnancy.''.
       (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1 
     of such Act, as amended by section 603 of the Newborns' and 
     Mothers' Health Protection Act of 1996 and section 702 of the 
     Mental Health Parity Act of 1996, is amended by inserting 
     after the item relating to section 712 the following new 
     item:

``Sec. 713. Standards relating to benefits for contraceptives.''.

       (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section 
     shall apply with respect to plan years beginning on or after 
     January 1, 1998.

     SEC. 113. AMENDMENTS TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT 
                   RELATING TO THE GROUP MARKET.

       (a) In General.--Subpart 2 of part A of title XXVII of the 
     Public Health Service Act (as added by section 604(a) of the 
     Newborns' and Mothers' Health Protection Act of 1996 and 
     amended by section 703(a) of the Mental Health Parity Act of 
     1996) is further amended by adding at the end the following 
     new section:

     ``SEC. 2706. STANDARDS RELATING TO BENEFITS FOR 
                   CONTRACEPTIVES.

       ``(a) Requirements for Coverage.--A group health plan, and 
     a health insurance issuer providing health insurance coverage 
     in connection with a group health plan, may not--
       ``(1) exclude or restrict benefits for prescription 
     contraceptive drugs or devices approved by the Food and Drug 
     Administration, or generic equivalents approved as 
     substitutable by the Food and Drug Administration, if such 
     plan provides benefits for other outpatient prescription 
     drugs or devices; or
       ``(2) exclude or restrict benefits for outpatient 
     contraceptive services if such plan provides benefits for 
     other outpatient services provided by a health care 
     professional (referred to in this section as `outpatient 
     health care services').
       ``(b) Prohibitions.--A group health plan, and a health 
     insurance issuer providing health insurance coverage in 
     connection with a group health plan, may not--
       ``(1) deny to an individual eligibility, or continued 
     eligibility, to enroll or to renew coverage under the terms 
     of the plan because of the individual's or enrollee's use or 
     potential use of items or services that are covered in 
     accordance with the requirements of this section;
       ``(2) provide monetary payments or rebates to a covered 
     individual to encourage such individual to accept less than 
     the minimum protections available under this section;
       ``(3) penalize or otherwise reduce or limit the 
     reimbursement of a health care professional because such 
     professional prescribed contraceptive drugs or devices, or 
     provided contraceptive services, described in subsection (a), 
     in accordance with this section; or
       ``(4) provide incentives (monetary or otherwise) to a 
     health care professional to induce such professional to 
     withhold from a covered individual contraceptive drugs or 
     devices, or

[[Page S9794]]

     contraceptive services, described in subsection (a).
       ``(c) Rules of Construction.--
       ``(1) In general.--Nothing in this section shall be 
     construed--
       ``(A) as preventing a group health plan and a health 
     insurance issuer providing health insurance coverage in 
     connection with a group health plan from imposing 
     deductibles, coinsurance, or other cost-sharing or 
     limitations in relation to--
       ``(i) benefits for contraceptive drugs under the plan, 
     except that such a deductible, coinsurance, or other cost-
     sharing or limitation for any such drug may not be greater 
     than such a deductible, coinsurance, or cost-sharing or 
     limitation for any outpatient prescription drug otherwise 
     covered under the plan;
       ``(ii) benefits for contraceptive devices under the plan, 
     except that such a deductible, coinsurance, or other cost-
     sharing or limitation for any such device may not be greater 
     than such a deductible, coinsurance, or cost-sharing or 
     limitation for any outpatient prescription device otherwise 
     covered under the plan; and
       ``(iii) benefits for outpatient contraceptive services 
     under the plan, except that such a deductible, coinsurance, 
     or other cost-sharing or limitation for any such service may 
     not be greater than such a deductible, coinsurance, or cost-
     sharing or limitation for any outpatient health care service 
     otherwise covered under the plan; and
       ``(B) as requiring a group health plan and a health 
     insurance issuer providing health insurance coverage in 
     connection with a group health plan to cover experimental or 
     investigational contraceptive drugs or devices, or 
     experimental or investigational contraceptive services, 
     described in subsection (a), except to the extent that the 
     plan or issuer provides coverage for other experimental or 
     investigational outpatient prescription drugs or devices, or 
     experimental or investigational outpatient health care 
     services.
       ``(2) Limitations.--As used in paragraph (1), the term 
     `limitation' includes--
       ``(A) in the case of a contraceptive drug or device, 
     restricting the type of health care professionals that may 
     prescribe such drugs or devices, utilization review 
     provisions, and limits on the volume of prescription drugs or 
     devices that may be obtained on the basis of a single 
     consultation with a professional; or
       ``(B) in the case of an outpatient contraceptive service, 
     restricting the type of health care professionals that may 
     provide such services, utilization review provisions, 
     requirements relating to second opinions prior to the 
     coverage of such services, and requirements relating to 
     preauthorizations prior to the coverage of such services.
       ``(d) Notice.--A group health plan under this part shall 
     comply with the notice requirement under section 713(d) of 
     the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 with 
     respect to the requirements of this section as if such 
     section applied to such plan.
       ``(e) Preemption.--Nothing in this section shall be 
     construed to preempt any provision of State law to the extent 
     that such State law establishes, implements, or continues in 
     effect any standard or requirement that provides protections 
     for enrollees that are greater than the protections provided 
     under this section.
       ``(f) Definition.--In this section, the term `outpatient 
     contraceptive services' means consultations, examinations, 
     procedures, and medical services, provided on an outpatient 
     basis and related to the use of contraceptive methods 
     (including natural family planning) to prevent an unintended 
     pregnancy.''.
       (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section 
     shall apply with respect to group health plans for plan years 
     beginning on or after January 1, 1998.

     SEC. 114. AMENDMENT TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT RELATING 
                   TO THE INDIVIDUAL MARKET.

       (a) In General.--Subpart 3 of part B of title XXVII of the 
     Public Health Service Act (as added by section 605(a) of the 
     Newborn's and Mother's Health Protection Act of 1996) is 
     amended by adding at the end the following new section:

     ``SEC. 2752. STANDARDS RELATING TO BENEFITS FOR 
                   CONTRACEPTIVES.

       ``The provisions of section 2706 shall apply to health 
     insurance coverage offered by a health insurance issuer in 
     the individual market in the same manner as they apply to 
     health insurance coverage offered by a health insurance 
     issuer in connection with a group health plan in the small or 
     large group market.''.
       (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section 
     shall apply with respect to health insurance coverage 
     offered, sold, issued, renewed, in effect, or operated in the 
     individual market on or after January 1, 1998.
                  Subtitle C--Emergency Contraceptives

     SEC. 121. EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTIVE EDUCATION.

       (a) Definition.--In this section:
       (1) Emergency contraceptive.--The term ``emergency 
     contraceptive'' means a drug or device (as the terms are 
     defined in section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and 
     Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321)) that is designed--
       (A) to be used after sexual relations; and
       (B) to prevent pregnancy, by preventing ovulation, 
     fertilization of an egg, or implantation of an egg in a 
     uterus.
       (2) Health care provider.--The term ``health care 
     provider'' means anyone licensed or certified under State law 
     to provide health care services who is operating within the 
     scope of such license.
       (3) Institution of higher education.--The term 
     ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the 
     term in section 1201(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
     (20 U.S.C. 1141(a)).
       (b) Emergency Contraceptive Public Education Program.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
     Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for 
     Disease Control, shall develop and disseminate to the public 
     information on emergency contraceptives.
       (2) Development and dissemination.--The Secretary may 
     develop and disseminate the information directly or through 
     arrangements with nonprofit organizations, consumer groups, 
     institutions of higher education, Federal, State, or local 
     agencies, and clinics.
       (3) Information.--The information shall include, at a 
     minimum, information describing emergency contraceptives, and 
     explaining the use, effects, efficacy, and availability of 
     the contraceptives.
       (c) Emergency Contraceptive Information Program for Health 
     Care Providers.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
     Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health 
     Resources and Services Administration, shall develop and 
     disseminate to health care providers information on emergency 
     contraceptives.
       (2) Information.--The information shall include, at a 
     minimum--
       (A) information describing the use, effects, and efficacy 
     and availability of the contraceptives;
       (B) a recommendation from the Secretary regarding the use 
     of the contraceptives in appropriate cases; and
       (C) information explaining how to obtain copies of the 
     information developed under subsection (b), for distribution 
     to the patients of the providers.
       (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for 
     the period consisting of fiscal years 1999 through 2001.
                           TITLE II--RESEARCH

     SEC. 201. PREVENTIVE HEALTH MEASURES REGARDING BREAST AND 
                   CERVICAL CANCER AND CHLAMYDIA.

       It is the sense of Congress that the programs of grants 
     under section 318 and title XV of the Public Health Service 
     Act (42 U.S.C. 247c and 300k et seq.) should receive a level 
     of funding that is adequate for all States, or entities in 
     all States, as appropriate, to receive grants under such 
     section and title.

     SEC. 202. PROGRAMS REGARDING CONTRACEPTION AND INFERTILITY.

       (a) Research Centers.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
     program assisting research centers under section 452A of the 
     Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285g-5) should receive a 
     level of funding that is adequate for a reasonable number of 
     research centers to be operated under the program.
       (b) Loan Repayment Program Regarding Conduct of Research.--
     It is the sense of Congress that the program of loan-
     repayment contracts under section 487B of the Public Health 
     Service Act (42 U.S.C 288-2) should receive a level of 
     funding that is adequate for a reasonable number of 
     individuals to conduct research under the program.
                      TITLE III--CHOICE PROTECTION

     SEC. 301. FUNDING FOR ABORTION SERVICES.

       It is the sense of Congress that Federal and State 
     governments should provide funding for abortion services to 
     women eligible for assistance through the medicaid program 
     carried out under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 
     U.S.C. 1396 et seq.), as such services are essential to the 
     health and well-being of women.

     SEC. 302. CLINIC VIOLENCE.

       It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) Federal resources are necessary to ensure that women 
     have safe access to reproductive health facilities and that 
     health professionals can deliver services in a secure 
     environment free from violence and threats of force; and
       (2) it is necessary and appropriate to use Federal 
     resources to combat the nationwide campaign of violence and 
     harassment against reproductive health centers.

     SEC. 303. APPROVAL OF RU-486.

       The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall--
       (1) ensure that a decision by the Food and Drug 
     Administration to approve the drug called Mifepristone or RU-
     486 shall be made only on the basis provided in law; and
       (2) assess initiatives by which the Department of Health 
     and Human Services can promote the testing, licensing, and 
     manufacturing in the United States of the drug or other 
     antiprogestins.

     SEC. 304. FREEDOM OF CHOICE.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
       (1) The 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, 410 
     U.S. 113 (1973) established constitutionally based limits on 
     the power of States to restrict the right of a woman to 
     choose to terminate a pregnancy. Under the strict scrutiny 
     standard enunciated in the Roe v. Wade decision, States were 
     required to demonstrate that laws restricting the right of a 
     woman to choose to terminate a pregnancy were the least 
     restrictive means available to achieve a compelling State 
     interest. Since 1989, the Supreme Court has no longer applied 
     the strict scrutiny standard in reviewing challenges to the 
     constitutionality of State laws restricting such rights.
       (2) As a result of the recent modification by the Supreme 
     Court of the strict scrutiny

[[Page S9795]]

     standard enunciated in the Roe v. Wade decision, certain 
     States have restricted the right of women to choose to 
     terminate a pregnancy or to utilize some forms of 
     contraception, and the restrictions operate cumulatively to--
       (A)(i) increase the number of illegal or medically less 
     safe abortions, often resulting in physical impairment, loss 
     of reproductive capacity, or death to the women involved;
       (ii) burden interstate and international commerce by 
     forcing women to travel from States in which legal barriers 
     render contraception or abortion unavailable or unsafe to 
     other States or foreign nations;
       (iii) interfere with freedom of travel between and among 
     the various States;
       (iv) burden the medical and economic resources of States 
     that continue to provide women with access to safe and legal 
     abortion; and
       (v) interfere with the ability of medical professionals to 
     provide health services;
       (B) obstruct access to and use of contraceptive and other 
     medical techniques that are part of interstate and 
     international commerce;
       (C) discriminate between women who are able to afford 
     interstate and international travel and women who are not, a 
     disproportionate number of whom belong to racial or ethnic 
     minorities; and
       (D) infringe on the ability of women to exercise full 
     enjoyment of rights secured to the women by Federal and State 
     law, both statutory and constitutional.
       (3) Although Congress may not by legislation create 
     constitutional rights, Congress may, where authorized by a 
     constitutional provision enumerating the powers of Congress 
     and not prohibited by a constitutional provision, enact 
     legislation to create and secure statutory rights in areas of 
     legitimate national concern.
       (4) Congress has the affirmative power under section 8 of 
     article I of the Constitution and under section 5 of the 14th 
     amendment to the Constitution to enact legislation to 
     prohibit State interference with interstate commerce, 
     liberty, or equal protection of the laws.
       (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to establish, 
     as a statutory matter, limitations on the power of a State to 
     restrict the freedom of a woman to terminate a pregnancy in 
     order to achieve the same limitations as were provided, as a 
     constitutional matter, under the strict scrutiny standard of 
     review enunciated in the Roe v. Wade decision and applied in 
     subsequent cases from 1973 through 1988.
       (c) Definition.--As used in this section, the term 
     ``State'' includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth 
     of Puerto Rico, and each other territory or possession of the 
     United States.
       (d) General Authority.--A State--
       (1) may not restrict the freedom of a woman to choose 
     whether or not to terminate a pregnancy before fetal 
     viability;
       (2) may restrict the freedom of a woman to choose whether 
     or not to terminate a pregnancy after fetal viability unless 
     such a termination is necessary to preserve the life or 
     health of the woman; and
       (3) may impose requirements on the performance of abortion 
     procedures if such requirements are medically necessary to 
     protect the health of women undergoing such procedures.
       (e) Rules of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall 
     be construed to--
       (1) prevent a State from protecting unwilling individuals 
     or private health care institutions from being required to 
     participate in the performance of abortions to which the 
     individuals or institutions are conscientiously opposed;
       (2) prevent a State from declining to pay for the 
     performance of abortions; or
       (3) prevent a State from requiring a minor to involve a 
     parent, guardian, or other responsible adult before 
     terminating a pregnancy.

     SEC. 305. FAIRNESS IN INSURANCE.

       Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no Federal law 
     shall be construed to prohibit a health plan from offering 
     coverage for the full range of reproductive health care 
     services, including abortion services.

     SEC. 306. REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN THE MILITARY.

       Section 1093 of title 10, United States Code, is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a), by inserting before the period the 
     following: ``or in a case in which the pregnancy involved is 
     the result of an act of rape or incest or the abortion 
     involved is medically necessary or appropriate'';
       (2) by striking subsection (b) (as added by section 738 of 
     the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996 
     (Public Law 104-106; 110 Stat. 383)); and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(b) Abortions in Facilities Overseas.--Subsection (a) 
     does not limit the performing of an abortion in a facility of 
     the uniformed services located outside the 48 contiguous 
     States of the United States if--
       ``(1) the cost of performing the abortion is fully paid 
     from a source or sources other than funds available to the 
     Department of Defense;
       ``(2) abortions are not prohibited by the laws of the 
     jurisdiction where the facility is located; and
       ``(3) the abortion would otherwise be permitted under the 
     laws applicable to the provision of health care to members 
     and former members of the uniformed services and their 
     dependents in such facility.''.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. KENNEDY (for himself, Mr. Dodd, and Mr. Kerry):
  S. 1209. A bill improving teacher preparation and recruitment; to the 
Committee on Labor and Human Resources.


      the higher education act title v reauthorization act of 1997

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I am honored to introduce President 
Clinton's proposal for the reauthorization of title V of the Higher 
Education Act. The goal of this important legislation is to improve the 
quality of teacher preparation programs and to bring more qualified 
teachers into America's classrooms, particularly in the areas of 
highest need.
  Investing in teachers is an investment in the Nation's children and 
its future. The Nation is clearly committed to the highest quality 
training for our doctors, engineers, and attorneys, both in their 
initial training and in subsequent professional development 
opportunities. President Clinton is right to ask us to make that same 
commitment to the training of teachers who are charged with educating 
the Nation's most precious resource--our children. Not since the 
Teacher Corps initiatives of the 1970's has the Federal Government 
given such high priority to teaching and teachers. Through inaction, 
the Nation has tacitly condoned low standards in too many schools, 
particularly in urban and rural areas. Through inaction, we have left 
too many of these schools understaffed and unsupported. We must 
recognize the urgency of this situation and act now.
  In other initiatives, we are already asking teachers to ensure that 
children meet high standards, but we are not asking whether teachers 
are ready to meet this challenge. Because of the shortage of teachers, 
many educators are forced to teach subjects outside their certification 
area. This shortage is especially serious in communities with high 
concentrations of students from low-income families. Annually, more 
than 50,000 underprepared teachers enter the classroom. One in four new 
teachers do not fully meet State certification requirements, and 12 
percent of new hires have had not teacher training at all. Students in 
inner-city schools have only a 50-percent chance of being taught by a 
qualified science or math teacher. In Massachusetts, 30 percent of 
teachers in high-poverty schools do not even have a minor degree in 
their field.
  This gap is unacceptable. Teachers must have a strong knowledge base 
in their subject area, so that they can motivate young learners and 
teach strong basic skills. Teachers must be comfortable with topics, so 
that they encourage extended thinking and questioning on issues. 
Teachers must also have opportunities to improve their own skills, 
learn how to integrate technology, and employ strategies that encourage 
all students to achieve.
  Clearly, we must invest in better teacher preparation, do all we can 
to ensure that all of our schools are fully staffed with qualified 
teachers. We must attract the best and the brightest new teachers to 
adequately prepare students to compete in the global marketplace. 
During the next decade, because of rising student enrollment and 
massive teacher retirement, the Nation will need over 2 million new 
teachers. But teacher preparation programs are currently producing 
between 100,000 and 150,000 new teachers a year, leaving the system 
with an annual deficit of at least 50,000 teachers, particularly in 
underserved, high-poverty schools.
  The Federal Government, through the Eisenhower Professional 
Development Program, already invests in upgrading the skills of current 
teachers, but the investment is far from sufficient. In addition, we 
must invest in the front end of teacher training, to ensure that the 
Nation's children are taught by highly qualified, well informed 
teachers. The President's proposal will help improve teacher 
preparation and bring well-qualified teachers into more classrooms.
  The legislation addresses these issues by encouraging strong 
partnerships among institutions of higher education with exemplary 
teacher preparation programs, other institutions that want to improve 
their programs, and the school districts that they serve. The program 
would be authorized at $67

[[Page S9796]]

million for fiscal year 1999. A Lighthouse Partnership Program will 
identify lead institutions from the variety of successful teacher 
preparation programs that now exist. These programs provide aspiring 
teachers with the newest information about the best classroom 
practices, and give them the concrete clinical experiences they need to 
develop the skills to help students achieve high standards.
  State and local education agencies, community colleges, and other 
professional groups will participate as partner institutions. The lead 
institutions will demonstrate their strength in cutting-edge, 
clinically based teacher preparation and course content. They must also 
demonstrate that they are committed to strong ongoing cooperation with 
school districts that serve needy families in rural and urban America.
  A second major part of the President's proposal focuses on recruiting 
the best and the brightest teachers to serve in needy school districts. 
It supports partnerships between teacher preparation institutions and 
local education agencies that provide scholarships and other assistance 
to students who complete teacher preparation programs and agree to 
teach in targeted underserved areas for at least 3 years.
  President Clinton's proposal is far-reaching, and it discusses broad 
bipartisan support. The United States is in urgent need of creating and 
maintaining a stronger supply of world-class teachers. These wise 
investments will provide high-quality opportunities today to the 
teachers who will be teaching the Nation's children tomorrow. I look 
forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to 
enact this major teacher recruitment and training proposal.
   Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1209

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

       TITLE V--EDUCATOR RECRUITMENT, PREPARATION, AND INDUCTION

Sec. 501.  Findings.
Sec. 502.  Purpose.
Sec. 503.  Authorization of appropriations.

                    Part A--Lighthouse Partnerships

Sec. 511.  Definitions.
Sec. 512.  Grants to Lighthouse Partnerships.
Sec. 513.  Preapplications and applications.
Sec. 514.  Uses of funds.
Sec. 515.  Selection of applications.
Sec. 516.  Evaluation.
Sec. 517.  National activities.

         Part B--Recruiting New Teachers for Underserved Areas

Sec. 521.  Program authorized.
Sec. 522.  Definitions.
Sec. 523.  Grant conditions.
Sec. 524.  Grant applications.
Sec. 525.  Uses of funds.
Sec. 526.  Selection of applicants.
Sec. 527.  Duration and amount of assistance; relation to other 
              assistance.
Sec. 528.  Scholarship conditions.
Sec. 529.  Service requirements.
Sec. 530.  Evaluation.
Sec. 531.  National activities.

      ``TITLE V--EDUCATOR RECRUITMENT, PREPARATION, AND INDUCTION


                               ``findings

       ``Sec. 501. The Congress finds as follows:
       ``(1) What teachers know and can do has a critical impact 
     on student achievement, yet too often prospective teachers 
     are not receiving the initial preparation they need in order 
     to teach children from diverse backgrounds to challenging 
     standards.
       ``(2) A number of elementary and secondary schools 
     throughout the United States are implementing educational 
     reform strategies that are research-based, have records of 
     demonstrated effectiveness in enabling students to achieve to 
     high State or local standards, are replicable in diverse and 
     challenging circumstances, and are supported by networks of 
     researchers and experienced practitioners. Yet preparation to 
     implement these strategies is not generally a central 
     component of initial teacher preparation.
       ``(3) Institutions of higher education that provide 
     teachers for urban and rural schools that enroll 
     concentrations of children from low-income families often 
     have the greatest need to restructure their teacher 
     preparation programs because the teachers they graduate will 
     face the greatest classroom challenges.
       ``(4) Improvement of teacher preparation in mathematics and 
     reading represents a particular challenge for American 
     education. For example, most future elementary and middle-
     school mathematics teachers take no more than one or two 
     college-level mathematics courses, and these courses are not 
     designed for prospective teachers and do not cover the 
     mathematics content that elementary and middle-school 
     teachers should teach to enable students to meet 
     challenging mathematics standards. In reading, most 
     teacher preparation programs have not incorporated the 
     large body of research on effective reading instruction.
       ``(5) If current trends continue, American schools will 
     need to hire more than two million teachers in the next 
     decade to educate an increasing number of students and to 
     replace current teachers who will retire or leave the 
     profession. High-poverty urban and rural schools will 
     experience the most severe teacher shortages. Of the more 
     than two million teachers needed, approximately 15 percent, 
     or 345,000, will be needed in central cities, in schools with 
     large concentrations of low-income students. An additional 
     207,000 teachers will be needed in isolated, and often poor, 
     rural areas. Recent trends in the number of people preparing 
     to enter teaching indicate that the normal operation of the 
     labor market, by itself, will not produce the number of 
     qualified teachers schools will need.
       ``(6) Schools are already having trouble recruiting 
     qualified teachers. Nearly three-quarters of physical science 
     students and one-third of English students in high-poverty 
     schools take classes with teachers who lack even a college 
     minor in their field. The National Commission on Teaching and 
     America's Future found that 50,000 uncertified individuals 
     annually enter teaching because schools, frequently those in 
     urban and rural areas with large concentrations of children 
     from low-income families, cannot find all the certified 
     teachers they need.
       ``(7) Teaching excellence and diversity are inextricably 
     connected. By bringing distinctive life experiences and 
     perspectives into the classroom, enriching the instructional 
     curriculum and the school climate, and strengthening 
     connections to parents and communities, teachers from diverse 
     racial and ethnic groups, and those with disabilities, 
     enhance the quality of American education. Yet today, while 
     one-third of American students are members of minority 
     groups, members of racial and ethnic minority groups make up 
     only 13 percent of the teaching force and nearly half the 
     school districts in the Nation have no minority teachers. In 
     addition, few individuals with disabilities are teaching in 
     American classrooms.
       ``(8) The Federal Government, by itself, cannot ensure 
     needed improvements in teacher preparation or solve the 
     problem of teacher shortages. However, the Government can 
     make limited, targeted investments that--
       ``(A) encourage more institutions of higher education that 
     operate teacher preparation programs, working in partnership 
     with local educational agencies and States, to adopt the 
     practices and strategies of the best programs;
       ``(B) encourage a more diverse mix of Americans to enter 
     teaching and complete high-quality preparation programs; and
       ``(C) encourage more Americans to serve as teachers in 
     underserved communities.


                               ``purpose

       ``Sec. 502. The purpose of this title is to help meet the 
     national need to recruit, prepare, and retain a high-quality 
     and diverse supply of elementary and secondary education 
     teachers, and to help meet the needs of schools in urban and 
     rural areas with concentrations of children from low-income 
     families, by--
       ``(1) authorizing support for partnerships among 
     institutions of higher education that operate exemplary 
     teacher preparation programs, other institutions of higher 
     education seeking to improve their programs, public 
     elementary and secondary schools, and States, in order to 
     improve the quality of the initial preparation of teachers 
     for high-poverty communities;
       ``(2) authorizing support for partnerships to increase the 
     number and diversity of students who enter teacher education 
     programs and complete high-quality preparation programs, and 
     to increase the quality of teaching in underserved urban and 
     rural communities; and
       ``(3) encouraging, through such partnerships, the creation 
     of a more diverse teaching force, through the recruitment and 
     preparation of minority individuals, including language 
     minority individuals, and individuals with disabilities, to 
     enter teaching.


                   ``Authorization of Appropriations

       ``Sec. 503. (a) Authorization for Parts A and B.--There are 
     authorized to be appropriated--
       ``(1) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 1999 and such sums as may 
     be necessary for each of the four succeeding fiscal years to 
     carry out the program of Lighthouse Partnerships under part 
     A; and
       ``(2) $37,000,000 for fiscal year 1999 and such sums as may 
     be necessary for each of the four succeeding fiscal years to 
     carry out the program of Recruiting New Teachers for 
     Underserved Areas under part B.
       ``(b) Transition.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
     law, the Secretary may use funds appropriated under 
     subsection (a) to make continuation awards for projects that 
     were funded under subpart 2 of part E of title V of this Act, 
     as in effect prior to enactment of [inset name of 
     reauthorization Act].

                   ``Part A--Lighthouse Partnerships


                              ``Defintions

       ``Sec. 511. As used in this part, the following terms have 
     the following meanings:
       ``(1)(A) The term `lead institution' means an institution 
     of higher education that--

[[Page S9797]]

       ``(i) operates an exemplary teacher preparation program of 
     significant size in one or more areas of teacher preparation, 
     which may include the preparation of principals and other 
     educational administrators;
       ``(ii) desires to assist other institutions of higher 
     education in improving their programs and to serve as a 
     national model for effective teacher preparation; and
       ``(iii) places a significant percentage of its teacher 
     preparation graduates in teaching positions in urban and 
     rural communities with concentrations of children from low-
     income families.
       ``(B) A lead institution may participate in a consortium 
     with one or more two-year colleges with which it has 
     articulation agreements relating to teacher preparation.
       ``(2) The term `lighthouse partnership' means a partnership 
     of a lead institution, partner institutions, and State and 
     local educational agencies, that is dedicated to improving 
     the quality of teacher preparation programs. Within each 
     partnership, the lead institution shall act as the fiscal 
     agent for the grant.
       ``(3) The term `local educational agency' has the meaning 
     given that term in section 14101(18) of the Elementary and 
     Secondary Education Act of 1965.
       ``(4) The term `partner institution' means an institution 
     of higher education that--
       ``(A) prepares teachers for their initial entry into the 
     teaching profession;
       ``(B) desires to improve its program with assistance from a 
     lead institution; and
       ``(C) prepares teachers for teaching positions in urban and 
     rural communities with concentrations of children from low-
     income families.
       ``(5) The term `teacher preparation program' means a 
     program operated by an institution of higher education that 
     prepares students to obtain initial teacher licensure and to 
     teach in elementary and second schools. Such a program may 
     also prepare students to become preschool teachers if the 
     institution serves a State or school districts in which 
     preschool education is provided as free, public education.


                  ``Grants to Lighthouse Partnerships

       ``Sec. 512. (a) Grants Authorized.--(1) From funds 
     appropriated under section 503(a)(1) for this part for each 
     fiscal year, the Secretary shall make competitive grants to 
     lighthouse partnerships.
       ``(2) Each grant under paragraph (1) shall be for a period 
     not to exceed five years.
       ``(3) The Secretary shall--
       ``(A) make continuation awards, for the second and 
     succeeding years, only after determining that the partnership 
     is making satisfactory progress in carrying out the grant; 
     and
       ``(B) conduct an intensive review of the partnership's 
     progress, with the assistance of outside experts, before 
     making the continuation award for the fourth year of the 
     grant.
       ``(b) Limitation.--No partnership may receive more than two 
     grants under this part.


                   ``preapplications and applications

       ``Sec. 513. (a) Preapplications.--Each lead institution 
     that wishes to participate in a lighthouse partnership that 
     will apply for a grant under this part shall submit a 
     preapplication to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, 
     and containing such information as the Secretary may require, 
     except that the lead institution need not identify the other 
     members of the partnership until it submits an application 
     under subsection (b). The Secretary shall use a peer review 
     process to review these preapplications.
       ``(b) Applications Required.--Any lighthouse partnership 
     desiring to receive a grant under this part shall submit an 
     application to the Secretary at such time, in such form, and 
     containing such information as the Secretary may require.
       ``(c) Contents.--Each application shall include--
       ``(1) a description of the teacher preparation program 
     operated by the lead institution, including information on 
     the curriculum, the faculty, and the number and 
     characteristics of students served;
       ``(2) evidence of the quality of the institution's teacher 
     preparation program, covering--
       ``(A) the extent to which the institution provides a 
     coherent program that--
       ``(i) reflects the best of what is known, from research and 
     practice;
       ``(ii) prepares teachers to implement research-based 
     instructional programs of demonstrated effectiveness and to 
     teach their students, particularly those in high-poverty 
     schools, to high State and local content standards; and
       ``(iii) reflects high standards for teaching, such as the 
     standards of the National Board for Professional Teaching 
     Standards, and for teacher education;
       ``(B) the commitment of the institution to its program of 
     teacher preparation;
       ``(C) the connections between the institution's teacher 
     preparation program and its departments or schools of arts 
     and sciences, to ensure the integration of pedagogy and 
     content in teacher preparation;
       ``(D) the extent to which the institution operates a 
     clinically based teacher preparation program, particularly in 
     high-poverty schools, through which prospective teachers 
     participate in intensive, structured clinical experiences, 
     with extensive faculty involvement, throughout their 
     preservice education, and the extent to which those 
     experiences are integrated into the curriculum;
       ``(E) the extent to which the institution's program offers 
     continuous assistance to its graduates during their initial 
     years in the classroom;
       ``(F) the extent to which the institution's program meets 
     the needs of, and has strong connections with, elementary and 
     secondary education (particularly with urban and rural 
     schools and school systems that serve concentrations of 
     students from low-income families and with the education 
     reforms under way in the institution's State), which may 
     include the involvement of elementary and secondary educators 
     in the continuing development, improvement, and 
     implementation of the teacher preparation program;
       ``(G) the success of the institution in preparing teachers 
     to teach individuals from diverse populations effectively;
       ``(H) the extent to which the institution is preparing 
     teachers to use technology to teach children to high 
     standards;
       ``(I) the record of the institution's teacher preparation 
     program in attracting and graduating a diverse student body 
     (including the recruitment and enrollment of individuals with 
     disabilities);
       ``(J) the procedures the institution uses to measure the 
     quality of its teacher preparation program (including the 
     extent to which graduates improve their subject matter 
     knowledge and teaching ability as a result of their 
     participation in the program) and to improve its program, 
     using information generated through those procedures;
       ``(K) the success of the program in graduating students who 
     are fully qualified to teach to high standards in the State 
     or region served by the institution;
       ``(L) the quality of the program's graduates, as documented 
     through such evidence as the graduates' record of obtaining 
     (and retaining) teaching positions and the opinions of school 
     district officials, in the State or region, of the quality of 
     those graduates;
       ``(M) if applicable, the quality of the institution's 
     program for the preparation of school principals and other 
     school administrators, and of the success of that program; 
     and
       ``(N) involvement and leadership of the institution in 
     national, regional, and State efforts to improve teacher 
     education and licensure;
       ``(3) evidence of the extent to which--
       ``(A) graduates have taken teaching positions in urban and 
     rural schools in communities with concentrations of students 
     from low-income families; and
       ``(B) the institution recruits and serves students (such as 
     education paraprofessionals) from those communities;
       ``(4) evidence of the experience of the lead institution in 
     creating or participating in networks with other institutions 
     to improve the quality of teacher preparation programs;
       ``(5) a description of how the partnership will operate a 
     program under this part, including--
       ``(A) a description of the governance structure that the 
     partnership will establish (through a written partnership 
     agreement) for the grant, which shall include the active 
     involvement of high-level administrators of the lead 
     institution and representatives of--
       ``(i) both the teacher preparation program and the school 
     or department of arts and sciences in the lead institution;
       ``(ii) the partner institutions involved with the grant;
       ``(iii) local educational agencies (including teachers and 
     other school-level officials) served by the lead institution 
     and one or more of the partner institutions; and
       ``(iv) State officials with authority over teacher 
     licensure and teacher preparation in the States in which the 
     lead institution and one or more of the partner institutions 
     are located;
       ``(B) a description of how the partnership will fully 
     engage local educational agencies in the activities carried 
     out under the grant, including how the partnership will use 
     grant funds to address the teacher training needs of the 
     local educational agencies that are members of the 
     partnership, consistent with section 514;
       ``(C) a description of how the activities undertaken with 
     the grant will support, and be integrated with, the 
     educational reforms under way in the States of the lead and 
     the partner institutions, including a description of plans 
     for coordinating activities carried out under the grant with 
     activities carried out under other Federal or State 
     professional development programs or activities designed to 
     improve pre-service and in-service teacher training; and
       ``(D) a description of--
       ``(i) the measurable goals the partnership expects to 
     achieve through the grant, including--
       ``(I) goals for improvements in the teacher preparation 
     programs of the partner institutions;
       ``(II) goals for improvements in the quality, and increases 
     in the number, of the graduates of teacher preparation 
     programs operated by members of the partnership who take 
     teaching positions in high-poverty schools of the local 
     educational agencies in the partnership;
       ``(III) goals for meeting the teacher preparation needs of 
     the local educational agencies in the partnership, in order 
     to improve student achievement; and
       ``(IV) such other goals, consistent with the purposes of 
     this part, as the partnership may select;
       ``(ii) how the partnership will achieve the goal of 
     increased diversity among its teacher preparation graduates; 
     and
       ``(iii) how the partnership will determine whether it is 
     meeting the goals described in clauses (i) and (ii); and

[[Page S9798]]

       ``(6) a description of the partnership's plan for 
     institutionalizing the activities it is carrying out under 
     this part, so that those activities will continue once 
     Federal funding ceases.


                            ``uses of funds

       ``Sec. 514. (a) Required Activities.--In order to increase 
     the quality and number of teachers it is preparing for 
     positions in urban and rural areas with concentrations of 
     low-income families, and to increase the diversity of 
     elementary and secondary teachers, each partnership selected 
     to receive a grant under this part shall use the grant funds 
     for each of the following purposes:
       ``(1) Further development, refinement, assessment of, and 
     dissemination of information on, the teacher preparation 
     programs operated by the lead institution, including 
     activities that document, for other institutions nationally 
     and for policymakers, effective practices in teacher 
     preparation and that produce curricular and other materials 
     for use by other institutions preparing teachers.
       ``(2) Technical assistance by the lead institution to the 
     partner institutions in improving the partner institutions' 
     teacher preparation programs (and, if applicable, their 
     principal and other administrator preparation programs), 
     based on the experience of the lead institution and the 
     particular needs of the partners.
       ``(3) Making subgrants to the partner institutions for 
     implementation of program improvements at those institutions, 
     through adoption or adaptation of the teacher preparation 
     practices of the lead institution, to meet the needs of the 
     high-poverty schools in the urban and rural communities they 
     serve. Each partnership shall use at least 40 percent of its 
     grant for this purpose.
       ``(4) Joint activities with the local educational agencies 
     in the partnership, and with other local educational 
     agencies, that increase the involvement of classroom teachers 
     and school administrators in the design and implementation of 
     teacher preparation programs operated by the lead and partner 
     institutions (and thereby make those programs more responsive 
     to the needs of teachers and administrators), and other 
     activities to improve teaching and administration, and to 
     support new teachers, in the high-poverty schools of those 
     local educational agencies.
       ``(5) Cooperation and interaction with other lighthouse 
     partnerships and with other institutions, organizations, and 
     public agencies, on activities aimed at the improvement of 
     teacher preparation nationally, including improvement of 
     teacher licensure and relicensure requirements.
       ``(6) Assessment of the effectiveness of the activities 
     carried out under the grant, including the extent to which 
     the partnership is achieving its goals under section 
     513(c)(5)(D).
       ``(b) Optional Activities.--Each partnership selected to 
     receive a grant under this part may also use the grant funds 
     for joint activities with States that promote the development 
     and implementation of State policies to facilitate the 
     improvement of teacher preparation programs (and, if 
     applicable, principal and other administrator preparation 
     programs) within the States, as a component of comprehensive 
     education reforms.


                      ``selection of applications

       ``Sec. 515. (a) Peer Review.--The Secretary shall, using a 
     peer review process, select applicants to receive grants 
     under this part on the basis of--
       ``(1) the quality of the teacher preparation program 
     operated by the lead institution in a proposed partnership;
       ``(2) the quality of the partnership's plan for carrying 
     out activities under the grant; and
       ``(3) the capacity of the lead institution and its partners 
     to carry out the proposed activities successfully.
       ``(b) Criteria.--(1) In selecting grantees under this part, 
     the Secretary shall seek to ensure that--
       ``(A) lighthouse partnerships represent a variety of 
     approaches to teacher preparation;
       ``(B) lead institutions represent a variety of institutions 
     of higher education; and
       ``(C) there is an equitable geographic distribution of 
     awards.
       ``(2) In addition to complying with paragraph (1), the 
     Secretary shall give special consideration to applications 
     for--
       ``(A) projects that are likely to have the most significant 
     impact on the quality of teaching in high-poverty urban and 
     rural schools;
       ``(B) projects that are likely to result in improvement of 
     teacher preparation in the areas of mathematics and reading; 
     and
       ``(C) projects that are likely to prepare a significant 
     number of minority individuals, including language minority 
     individuals, and individuals with disabilities to be 
     effective teachers.
       ``(c) Second Five-Year Grants.--In selecting grantees to 
     receive second grants under this part, the Secretary shall 
     give a preference to applicants whose projects have resulted 
     in--
       ``(1) the placement and retention of a substantial number 
     of high-quality graduates in teaching positions in 
     underserved, high-poverty schools;
       ``(2) the adoption of effective teacher preparation 
     programs, particularly those meeting the needs of high-
     poverty urban and rural ares, by the partner institutions; 
     and
       ``(3) effective partnerships with elementary and secondary 
     schools that are supporting improvements in student 
     achievement.


                              ``evaluation

       ``Sec. 516. The Secretary shall provide for an evaluation 
     of the program carried out under this part, including an 
     assessment of such issues as--
       ``(1) the extent to which the activities carried out 
     through Lighthouse Partnership grants result in significant 
     and positive changes in the teacher preparation programs 
     operated by partner institutions, as well as improvements in 
     the programs operated by lead institutions, that are likely 
     to lead to improvements in teaching and learning;
       ``(2) the extent to which lighthouse Partnership grants 
     enhance the effectiveness, including the technological 
     proficiency, and the diversity, of students completing 
     teacher preparation programs in the institutions of higher 
     education participating in the grants; and
       ``(3) the involvement of elementary and secondary schools 
     and school districts serving concentrations of children from 
     low-income families in the activities carried out under this 
     part, and the extent to which those activities result in 
     benefits to those schools and districts, including 
     information on the extent to which involvement in the grants 
     improves the instructional programs and the educational 
     outcomes for students in those schools and districts.


                         ``national activities

       ``Sec. 517. The Secretary may reserve up to 5 percent of 
     the funds appropriated to carry out this part for any fiscal 
     year for--
       ``(1) peer review of applications;
       ``(2) evaluation of the program under section 516, and 
     measurement of its effectiveness in accordance with the 
     Government Performance and Results Act of 1993;
       ``(3) conferences and networks of lighthouse partnerships, 
     and other entities, in order to facilitate the exchange of 
     information and ideas among the participating partnerships 
     and other institutions, agencies, and individuals, including 
     recipients of funds under part B of this title, who are 
     interested in the improvement of teacher preparation and 
     parallel improvements in principal and administrator 
     preparation; and
       ``(4) technical assistance and other activities to enhance 
     the success of the program carried out under this part or of 
     teacher education more generally.

        ``Part B--Recruiting New Teachers for Underserved Areas


                          ``program authorized

       ``Sec. 521. From funds appropriated to carry out this part 
     under section 503(a)(2) for each fiscal year, the Secretary 
     shall make competitive grants to eligible applicants for 
     programs that--
       ``(1) provide scholarships and, as necessary, support 
     services for students with high potential to become 
     effective teachers, particularly minority students, 
     including language minority students, and students with 
     disabilities, seeking to complete teacher preparation 
     programs;
       ``(2) increase the quality and number of new teachers 
     nationally; and
       ``(3) increase the ability of schools in underserved areas 
     to recruit a qualified teaching staff.


                             ``definitions

       ``Sec. 522. As used in this part, the following terms have 
     the following meanings:
       ``(1)(A) The term `eligible applicant' means a partnership 
     of--
       ``(i) an institution of higher education that grants 
     baccalaureate degrees and prepares teachers for their initial 
     entry into the teaching profession; and
       ``(ii) one or more local educational agencies that are in 
     underserved areas.
       ``(B) Such a partnership may also include--
       ``(i) two-year colleges that operate teacher preparation 
     programs and maintain articulation agreements, with the 
     baccalaureate-granting institution, for the transfer of 
     credits in teacher preparation;
       ``(ii) State agencies that have responsibility for policies 
     related to teacher preparation and licensure; and
       ``(iii) other public and private, nonprofit agencies and 
     organizations that serve, or are located in, communities 
     served by the local educational agencies in the partnership, 
     and that have an interest in teacher recruitment, 
     preparation, and induction.
       ``(2) The term `local educational agency' has the meaning 
     given that term in section 14101(18) of the Elementary and 
     Secondary Education Act of 1965.
       ``(3) The term `support service' includes--
       ``(A) academic advice and counseling;
       ``(B) tutorial services;
       ``(C) mentoring; and
       ``(D) child care and transportation, if funding for those 
     services cannot be arranged from other sources; and
       ``(4) The term `underserved area' means--
       ``(A) the three local educational agencies in the State 
     that have the highest numbers of children, ages 5 through 17, 
     from families below the poverty level (based on data 
     satisfactory to the Secretary); and
       ``(B) any other local educational agency in which the 
     percentage of such children is at least 20 percent, or the 
     number of such children is at least 10,000.


                           ``grant conditions

       ``Sec. 523. (a) Grants Authorized.--(1)(A) The Secretary 
     shall carry out this part by making competitive grants to 
     eligible applicants.
       ``(B) Each grant under subparagraph (A) shall be for a 
     period not to exceed five years.
       ``(2) The Secretary shall--

[[Page S9799]]

       ``(A) make continuation awards, for the second and 
     succeeding years, only after determining that the grantee is 
     making satisfactory progress in carrying out the grant; and
       ``(B) conduct an intensive review of the grantee's 
     progress, with the assistance of outside experts, before 
     making the award for the fourth year of the grant.
       ``(3) No partnership may receive more than two grants under 
     this subsection.
       ``(b) Matching Requirement.--(1) The Federal share of the 
     cost of activities carried out under a grant made under 
     subsection (a) shall not exceed--
       ``(A) 90 percent of the cost in the first year of the 
     grant;
       ``(B) 80 percent in the second year;
       ``(C) 70 percent in the third year;
       ``(D) 60 percent in the fourth year; and
       ``(E) 50 percent in the fifth year and any succeeding year 
     (including each year of the second grant, if any).
       ``(2) The non-Federal share of activities carried out with 
     a grant under subsection (a) may be provided in cash or in 
     kind, fairly evaluated, and may be obtained from any non-
     Federal public or private source.
       ``(c) Planning Grants.--(1) The Secretary may make planning 
     grants to eligible applicants that are not yet ready to 
     implement programs under subsection (a).
       ``(2) Each planning grant shall be for a period of not more 
     than one year, which shall be in addition to the period of 
     any grant under subsection (a).
       ``(3) Any recipient of a planning grant under this 
     subsection that wishes to receive a grant under subsection 
     (a)(1) shall separately apply for a competitive grant under 
     that subsection.


                          ``grant applications

       ``Sec. 524. (a) Applications Required.--Any eligible 
     applicant desiring to receive a grant under this part shall 
     submit an application at such time, in such form, and 
     containing such information as the Secretary may require.
       ``(b) Application Contents.--Each application for a grant 
     under section 523(a) shall include--
       ``(1) a designation of the institution or agency, within 
     the partnership, that will serve as the fiscal agent for the 
     grant;
       ``(2) information on the quality of the institution's 
     teacher preparation program, which may include the types of 
     information described in section 513(c)(2), and how the 
     applicant will ensure, through improvements in its teacher 
     preparation practices or other appropriate strategies, that 
     scholarship recipients will receive high-quality preparation;
       ``(3) a description of the assessment the institution, the 
     local educational agency partners, and other partners have 
     undertaken--
       ``(A) to determine--
       ``(i) the most critical needs of the local educational 
     agencies, particularly the needs of schools in high-poverty 
     areas, for new teachers (which may include teachers in 
     particular subject areas or at certain grade levels, 
     including the prekindergarten level, minority teachers, and 
     teachers who are disabled who will contribute to the 
     diversity of the local educational agency's teachers, or 
     teachers who are fluent in languages spoken by students in 
     the local educational agency); and
       ``(ii) how the project carried out under the grant will 
     address those needs; and
       ``(B) that reflects the input of all significant entities 
     in the community (including organizations representing 
     teachers and parents) that have an interest in teacher 
     recruitment, preparation, and induction;
       ``(4) a description of the project the applicant will carry 
     out with the grant, including information on--
       ``(A) the recruitment and outreach efforts the applicant 
     will undertake to publicize the availability of scholarships 
     and other assistance under the program;
       ``(B)(i) the number and types of students that the 
     applicant will serve under the program, which may include 
     education paraprofessionals seeking to achieve full teacher 
     certification; teachers whom the partner local educational 
     agencies have hired under `emergency certification' 
     procedures; or former military personnel, mid-career 
     professionals, or AmeriCorps or Peace Corps volunteers, who 
     desire to enter teaching; and
       ``(ii) the criteria that the applicant will use in 
     selecting those students, including criteria to determine 
     whether individuals have the capacity to benefit from the 
     program, complete teacher certification requirements, and 
     become effective teachers;
       ``(C) the activities the applicant will carry out under the 
     grant, including a description of, and justification for, any 
     support services the institution will offer to participating 
     students;
       ``(D) the number and funding range of the scholarships the 
     institution will provide to students; and
       ``(E) the procedures the institution will establish for 
     entering into, and enforcing, agreements with scholarship 
     recipients regarding their fulfillment of the service 
     commitment described in section 529;
       ``(5) a description of how the institution will use funds 
     provided under the grant only to increase the number of 
     students with high potential to be effective teachers, 
     participating in its teacher preparation programs, or in the 
     particular type or types of preparation programs that the 
     grant would support, or to increase the number of their 
     graduates with high potential to be effective teachers who 
     are minority individuals, including language minority 
     individuals, or individuals with disabilities;
       ``(7) a description of commitments, by the partner local 
     educational agencies, to hire qualified scholarship 
     recipients in their schools and in the subject areas or grade 
     levels for which the recipients will be trained, and 
     description of the actions the grantee institution, the local 
     educational agencies, and the other partners will take to 
     facilitate the successful transition of those recipients into 
     teaching; and
       ``(8) a description of the applicant's plan for 
     institutionalizing the activities it is carrying out under 
     this part, so that those activities will continue once 
     Federal funding ceases.


                            ``USES OF FUNDS

       ``Sec. 525. In General.--Each grantee under section 523 (a) 
     shall use the grant funds for the following:
       ``(1) Scholarships to help students pay the costs of 
     tuition, room, board, and other expenses of completing a 
     teacher preparation program.
       ``(2) Support services, if needed to enable scholarship 
     recipients to complete postsecondary education programs.
       ``(3) Follow-up services provided to former schoalrship 
     recipients during their first three years of teaching.
       ``(4) Payments to partner local educational agencies, if 
     needed to enable them to permit paraprofessional staff to 
     participate in teacher preparation programs (such as the cost 
     of `release time' for those staff).
       ``(5) If appropriate, and if no other funds are available, 
     paying the costs of additional courses taken by former 
     scholarship recipients during their initial three years of 
     teaching.
       ``(b) Planning Grants.--A recipient of a planning grant 
     under section 523(c) shall use the grant funds for the costs 
     of planning for the implementation of a grant under section 
     523(a).


                       ``SELECTION OF APPLICANTS

       ``Sec. 526. (a) Peer Review.--The Secretary, using a peer 
     review process, shall select applicants to receive funding 
     under this part on the basis of--
       ``(1) the quality of the teacher preparation program 
     offered by the institution;
       ``(2) the quality of the program that would be carried out 
     under the application; and
       ``(3) the capacity of the partnership to carry out the 
     grant successfully.
       ``(b) Criteria.--(1) making selections, the Secretary shall 
     seek to ensure that--
       ``(A) in the aggregate, grantees carry out a variety of 
     approaches to preparing new teachers; and
       ``(B) there is an equitable geographic distribution of 
     awards.
       ``(2) In addition to complying with paragraph (1), the 
     Secretary shall give special consideration to--
       ``(A) applications most likely to result in the preparation 
     of increased numbers of individuals with high potential for 
     effective teaching who are minority individuals, including 
     language minority individuals, and individuals with 
     disabilities; and
       ``(B) applications from historically black colleges and 
     universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and Tribal 
     Colleges and Universities, as defined in title III of this 
     Act.
       ``(c) Second Five-Year Grants.--In selecting grantees to 
     receive second grants under this part, the Secretary shall 
     give a preference to applicants whose projects have resulted 
     in--
       ``(1) the placement and retention of a substantial number 
     of high-quality graduates in teaching positions in 
     undeserved, high-poverty schools;
       ``(2) the adoption of effective programs that meet the 
     teacher preparation needs of high-poverty urban and rural 
     areas; and
       ``(3) effective partnerships with elementary and secondary 
     schools that are supporting improvements in student 
     achievement.


   ``duration and amount of assistance; relation to other assistance

       ``Sec. 527. (a) Duration of Assistance.--No individual may 
     receive scholarship assistance under this part--
       ``(1) for more than five years of postsecondary education; 
     and
       ``(2) unless that individual satisfies the requirements of 
     section 484(a)(5) of this Act.
       ``(b) Amount of Assistance.--No individual may receive an 
     award under this program that exceeds the cost of attendance, 
     as defined in section 472 of this Act, at the institution the 
     individual is attending.
       ``(c) Relation to Other Assistance.--A scholarship awarded 
     under this part--
       ``(1) shall not be reduced on the basis of the individual's 
     receipt of other forms of Federal student financial 
     assistance; and
       ``(2) shall be regarded as other financial assistance 
     available to the student, within the meaning of sections 
     471(3) and 480(j)(1) of this Act, in determining the 
     student's eligibility for grant, loan, or work assistance 
     under title IV of this Act.


                        ``scholarship conditions

       ``Sec. 528. (a) In General.--A recipient of a scholarship 
     under this part shall continue to receive the assistance only 
     as long as he or she is--
       ``(1) enrolled as a full-time student and pursuing a course 
     of study leading to teacher certification, unless he or she 
     is working in a public school (as a paraprofessional, or as a 
     teacher under emergency credentials) while participating in 
     the program; and
       ``(2) maintaining satisfactory progress as determined by 
     the institution.

[[Page S9800]]

       ``(b) Special Rule.--Each grantee shall modify the 
     application of section 527(a)(1) and of subsection (a)(1) of 
     this section to the extent necessary to accommodate the 
     rights of students with disabilities under section 504 of the 
     Rehabilitation Act of 1973.


                         ``service requirements

       ``Sec. 529. (a) Requirement.--Each partnership receiving a 
     grant under this part shall enter into an agreement, with 
     each student to whom it awards a scholarship under this part, 
     providing that a scholarship recipient who completes a 
     teacher preparation program under this part shall, within 
     five years of completing that program, teach full-time for at 
     least three years in a high-poverty school in an underserved 
     geographic area or repay the amount of the scholarship, under 
     the terms and conditions established by the Secretary.
       ``(b) Regulations.--The Secretary shall prescribe 
     regulations relating to the requirements of subsection (a), 
     including any provisions for waiver of those requirements.


                              ``evaluation

       ``Sec. 530. The Secretary shall provide for an evaluation 
     of the program carried out under this part, which shall 
     assess such issues as--
       ``(1) whether institutions taking part in the partnerships 
     are successful in preparing scholarship recipients to teach 
     to high State and local standards;
       ``(2) whether scholarship recipients are successful in 
     completing teacher preparation programs, becoming fully 
     certified teachers, and obtaining teaching positions in 
     underserved areas, and whether they continue teaching in 
     those areas over a period of years;
       ``(3) the national impact of the program in assisting local 
     educational agencies in underserved areas to recruit, 
     prepare, and retain diverse, high-quality teachers in the 
     areas in which they have the greatest needs;
       ``(4) the long-term impact of the grants on teacher 
     preparation programs conducted by grantees and on grantees' 
     relationships with their partner local educational agencies 
     and other partners; and
       ``(5) the relative effectiveness of different approaches 
     for preparing new teachers to teach in underserved areas, 
     including their effectiveness in preparing new teachers to 
     teach to high content and performance standards.


                         ``national activities

       ``Sec. 531. The Secretary may retain up to five percent of 
     the funds appropriated for this part for any fiscal year 
     for--
       ``(1) peer review of applications;
       ``(2) conducting the evaluation required under section 530; 
     and
       ``(3) technical assistance and other activities to 
     facilitate the exchange of information and ideas among 
     participating partnerships, and other activities to enhance 
     the success of the program carried out under this part.''.

                          ____________________