[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 152 (Tuesday, November 4, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11691-S11692]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DODD:
  S. 1369. A bill to provide truancy prevention and reduction, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources.


                 THE PREVENTION OF TRUANCY ACT OF 1997

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation that 
would help our communities respond to an increasingly serious problem 
in our country: truancy. Truancy is a dangerous and growing trend in 
our nation's schools. It not only prevents our children from receiving 
the education they need, but it is often the first warning of more 
serious problems to come. Truant students are at greater risk of 
falling into substance abuse, gangs, and violent behavior. Truancy is a 
gateway into all of these activities.
  In the past ten years, truancy has increased by 67 percent. In 1994, 
courts formally processed 36,400 truancy cases. And in some inner city 
schools, absentee rates approach 50 percent. Fortunately, truancy is a 
solvable problem. Many communities have begun to set up early 
intervention programs--to reach out and prevent truancy before it leads 
to delinquency and criminal behavior. These programs are showing signs 
of success, as several towns have reported drops in daytime burglary 
rates of as much as 75 percent after instituting truancy prevention 
initiatives.
  Unfortunately, implementing these programs has been a challenge. 
Truancy is considered an educational rather than a criminal issue, and, 
with growing classroom enrollments, many financially-strapped schools 
don't have the resources to adequately address this problem.
  Today, I am introducing ``The Prevention of Truancy [PTA] Act of 
1997'' whose goal is to promote anti-truancy partnerships between 
schools, parents, law enforcement agencies, and social service and 
youth organizations. This bill would provide $80 million in grant 
funding for the purpose of developing, implementing, or operating 
partnerships for the prevention and reduction of truancy. The 
partnerships would be administered by the Department of Education.
  All of the partnership programs would be required to sanction 
students engaging in truancy, as well as provide incentives for parents 
to take responsibility for their children. These programs would also be 
evaluated for their effectiveness in preventing truancy, increasing 
school attendance, and reducing juvenile crime.
  Truancy prevention programs produce long-term savings. By some 
estimates, truants cost this nation more than $240 billion in lost 
earnings and foregone taxes over their lifetimes. And billions more are 
spent on law enforcement, prisons, welfare, health care, and other 
social services for these individuals. Imagine what we could do with 
this money if we could keep our kids in school? Imagine how bright 
their futures could be? I hope my legislation will help communities 
build successful programs to prevent and reduce truancy so that one day 
we will realize these concrete savings and admire the accomplishments 
of the youth who benefitted from these programs.
  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. 1369

       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 ``Prevention of Truancy Act of 
     1997''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds that--
       (1) in 1994, courts in the United States formally processed 
     36,400 truancy cases, representing a 35 percent increase 
     since 1990, and a 67 percent increase since 1985, in the 
     formal processing of truancy cases;
       (2) in 1993, among individuals aged 16 through 24, 
     approximately 3,400,000,000 (11 percent of all individuals in 
     this age group) had not completed high school and were not 
     enrolled in school;
       (3) the economic and social costs of providing for the 
     increasing population of youth who are at risk of leaving or 
     who have left the educational mainstream are an enormous 
     drain on the resources of Federal, State, and local 
     governments and the private sector;
       (4) truancy is the first indicator that a young person is 
     giving up and losing his or her way;
       (5) students who become truant and eventually drop out of 
     school put themselves at a long-term disadvantage in becoming 
     productive citizens;
       (6) high school drop-outs are two and one-half times more 
     likely to be on welfare than high school graduates;
       (7) high school drop-outs are almost twice as likely to be 
     unemployed as high school graduates;
       (8) in 1993, 17 percent of youth under age 18 who entered 
     adult prisons had not completed grade school, one-fourth of 
     such youth had completed 10th grade, and 2 percent of such 
     youth had a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent;
       (9) truancy contributes to increased use of the foster care 
     and court systems;
       (10) truancy is a gateway to crime, and high rates of 
     truancy are linked to high daytime burglary rates and high 
     vandalism rates;
       (11) communities that have instituted truancy prevention 
     programs have seen daytime burglary rates decline by as much 
     as 75 percent; and
       (12) truancy prevention and reduction programs result in 
     significant increases in school attendance.

     SEC. 3. GOALS.

       The goals of this Act are to prevent and reduce truancy.

     SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Elementary school; secondary school.--The terms 
     ``elementary school''

[[Page S11692]]

     and ``secondary school'' have the meanings given the terms in 
     section 14101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
     of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801).
       (2) Parent.--The term ``parent'' means the biological 
     parent, adoptive parent, or legal guardian, of a child.
       (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Education.

     SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF TRUANCY PREVENTION AND CRIME CONTROL 
                   DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.

       (a) Demonstrations Authorized.--The Secretary shall make 
     grants to partnerships consisting of an elementary school or 
     secondary school, a local law enforcement agency, and a 
     social service and youth serving organization, for the 
     purpose of developing, implementing, or operating projects 
     for the prevention or reduction of truancy.
       (b) Use of Funds.--Grant funds under this section may be 
     used for programs that prevent or reduce truancy, such as 
     programs that use police officers or patrol officers to pick 
     up truant students, return the students to school, or take 
     the students to centers for assessment.
       (c) Application and Selection.--Each partnership desiring a 
     grant under this section shall submit an application to the 
     Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by 
     such information as the Secretary may require. Each such 
     application shall--
       (1) contain a description of the proposed truancy 
     prevention or reduction project to be established or improved 
     with funds provided under this Act;
       (2) specify the methods to be used to involve parents in 
     truancy prevention or reduction activities;
       (3) specify the types of sanctions that students will face 
     for engaging in truant behavior;
       (4) specify the incentives that will be used for parental 
     responsibility;
       (5) specify the types of initiatives, if any, that schools 
     will develop to combat the underlying causes of truancy; and
       (6) specify the linkages that will be made with local law 
     enforcement agencies.
       (d) Selection Criteria.--The Secretary shall give priority 
     in awarding grants under this Act to partnerships--
       (1) serving areas with concentrations of poverty, including 
     urban and rural areas; and
       (2) that meet any other criteria that the Secretary 
     determines will contribute to the achievement of the goals of 
     this Act.

     SEC. 6. EVALUATIONS AND REPORTS.

       (a) Project Evaluations.--
       (1) In general.--Each partnership receiving a grant under 
     this section shall--
       (A) provide for the evaluation of the project assisted 
     under this Act, which evaluation shall meet such conditions 
     and standards as the Secretary may require; and
       (B) submit to the Secretary reports, at such times, in such 
     formats, and containing such information, as the Secretary 
     may require.
       (2) Required information.--A report submitted under 
     subparagraph (1)(B) shall include information on and analysis 
     of the effect of the project with respect to--
       (A) prevention of or reduction in truancy;
       (B) increased school attendance; and
       (C) reduction in juvenile crime.
       (b) Reports to Congress.--The Secretary, on the basis of 
     the reports received under subsection (a), shall submit 
     interim reports, and, not later than March 1, 2002, submit a 
     final report, to Congress. Each report submitted under this 
     subsection shall contain an assessment of the effectiveness 
     of the projects assisted under this Act, and any 
     recommendations for legislative action that the Secretary 
     considers appropriate.

     SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
     carry out this Act--
       (1) $80,000,000 for fiscal year 1998; and
       (2) such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal 
     years 1999, 2000, and 2001.
       (b) Availability.--Funds appropriated under subsection (a) 
     shall remain available until expended.

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