[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 41 (Monday, March 26, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2900-S2901]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. COCHRAN:
  S. 617. A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 to improve student and teacher performance and access to education 
in the critically challenged Lower Mississippi Delta region; to the 
Committee

[[Page S2901]]

on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Lower 
Mississippi Delta Education Access and Improvement Act of 2001.
  The character and fabric of our Nation have been significantly 
enhanced by the Mississippi Delta's unique blend of the talents that 
created blues music and Pulitzer Prize literature. But the problems 
facing this region today overshadow the triumphs of the past and 
foretell a future without hope. These problems include: below average 
reading skills among elementary school children, low graduation rates 
and ACT scores among high school students, lower levels of 
accreditation among teachers, and poor scores from the State Department 
of Education Performance Based Accreditation System. Poverty is another 
issue facing the school districts, evidenced by the fact that 86 
percent of the students are eligible for free lunch.
  However, there is a sense of optimism among community leaders and 
educators about overcoming the difficulties that confront the 
educational system of the area. Universities, community based 
organizations, and schools are developing comprehensive initiatives to 
achieve new success in teacher training and retention, preschool 
learning readiness, parental education, school-wide performance, birth 
to kindergarten preventative health care and immunization delivery. 
These are the people who best know their problems, and more 
importantly, how to solve them. In my opinion, these are efforts that 
deserve federal support.
  This bill will authorize grants to institutions of higher learning 
located in the Lower Mississippi Delta for the improvement of education 
and student and teacher performance.
  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. 617

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

     SECTION 1. LOWER MISSISSIPPI DELTA EDUCATION ACCESS AND 
                   IMPROVEMENT.

       Title XIII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
     1965 (20 U.S.C. 8601 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
     the following:

   ``Part E--Lower Mississippi Delta Education Access and Improvement

     ``SEC. 13501. SHORT TITLE.

       ``This part may be cited as the ``Lower Mississippi Delta 
     Education Access and Improvement Act''.

     ``SEC. 13502. DEFINITIONS.

       ``In this part:
       ``(1) Eligible institution.--The term `eligible 
     institution' means an institution of higher education--
       ``(A) that has a school or college of education located in 
     the Lower Mississippi Delta; and
       ``(B) that has an established, working partnership or 
     consortium with one or more local educational agencies and 
     nonprofit and community organizations, with the purpose of 
     such partnership or consortium being the improvement of 
     education in the Lower Mississippi Delta.
       ``(2) Institution of higher education.--The term 
     `institution of higher education' has the meaning given the 
     term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
     (20 U.S.C. 1001).
       ``(3) Lower mississippi delta.--The term `Lower Mississippi 
     Delta' means those counties designated as being part of the 
     Delta Regional Authority jurisdiction in the States of 
     Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee.
       ``(4) Medically underserved population.--The term 
     `medically underserved population' has the meaning given the 
     term in section 330(b)(3) of the Public Health Service Act 
     (42 U.S.C. 254b(b)(3)).

     ``SEC. 13503. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

       ``(a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized to award 
     grants to eligible institutions to allow such eligible 
     institutions to carry out the activities described in section 
     13506.
       ``(b) Limitation.--The Secretary may award not fewer than 1 
     or more than 4 grants under this part in each fiscal year.
       ``(c) Period.--Grants under this part may be awarded for 
     periods of up to 5 years.

     ``SEC. 13504. APPLICATION.

       ``(a) In General.--Each eligible institution desiring a 
     grant under this part shall submit an application to the 
     Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by 
     such information as the Secretary may require.
       ``(b) Contents.--Each application submitted under 
     subsection (a) shall contain a description of the activities 
     that the eligible institution desires to carry out using 
     funds made available under this part, including a description 
     of the specific population to be served by such activities.

     ``SEC. 13505. PRIORITY.

       ``In awarding grants under this part, the Secretary shall 
     give priority to applications describing proposed projects in 
     counties--
       ``(1) that possess no single incorporated municipality 
     having a population of more than 75,000 people;
       ``(2) in which the local school districts serve populations 
     of which more than 50 percent of all students are eligible 
     for free or reduced priced lunches; and
       ``(3) in which more than 50 percent of the population is 
     medically underserved.

     ``SEC. 13506. AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.

       ``(a) In General.--Each eligible institution receiving a 
     grant under this part shall use amounts received under the 
     grant for activities that focus on research, development, and 
     dissemination of programs, plans or demonstration projects 
     designed to improve the following:
       ``(1) School-wide performance.
       ``(2) Teacher and administrator training.
       ``(3) Teacher retention.
       ``(4) Parent and mentor education.
       ``(5) Assessment.
       ``(6) Cultural based education and regional identity 
     building.
       ``(7) Workforce.
       ``(8) Family literacy.
       ``(9) Preschool learning readiness.
       ``(10) Birth to kindergarten components of early 
     preventative health care, educational intervention, and 
     immunization delivery.
       ``(b) Limitation.--Grants awarded under this part shall be 
     used for projects only in the predominately rural and 
     agriculture-centered counties and communities of the Lower 
     Mississippi Delta.

     ``SEC. 13507. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       ``There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
     part $18,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, and such sums as 
     may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal 
     years.''.
                                 ______