[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 82 (Thursday, June 5, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7495-S7496]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. STEVENS (for himself and Ms. Murkowski):
  S. 1205. A bill to provide discounted housing for teachers and other 
staff in rural areas of States with a population less than 1,000,000 
and with a high population of Native Americans or Alaska Natives; to 
the Committee on Indian Affairs.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, on behalf of Senator Murkowski, I rise to 
introduce the Rural Teacher Housing Act of 2003.
  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I rise to introduce a bill that will 
have a profound effect on the retention of good teachers, 
administrators, and other school staff in remote and rural areas of 
Alaska and in the rest of our Nation.
  In rural areas of Alaska, school districts face the challenge of 
recruiting and retaining teachers, administrators and other school 
staff due to the lack of affordable housing. In one school district, 
they hire one teacher for every

[[Page S7496]]

six who decide not to accept job offers. Half of the applicants not 
accepting a teaching position in that district indicated that their 
decision was related to the lack of housing options.
  Recently, I traveled throughout rural Alaska with Education Secretary 
Rod Paige. I wanted him to see the challenges of educating children in 
such a remote and rural environment. At one rural school, the principal 
must sleep in his office due to the lack of housing in that village. In 
the same village, there is not enough housing for each teacher to have 
their own separate home--several teachers must share a single home. 
Therefore, there is not enough room for the teachers' spouses.
  Rural Alaskan school districts also experience a high annual rate of 
teacher turnover due to the dearth of affordable housing. Apparently, 
up to 30 percent of teachers leave rural school districts due to 
housing issues. How can we expect our children to thrive and to meet 
the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act in such an educational 
environment? Clearly, the lack of affordable teacher housing in rural 
Alaska is an issue that needs to be addressed in order to ensure that 
children in rural Alaska receive an educational experience that is 
second to none and is also respectful of cultural differences.
  My bill authorizes the Department of Housing and Urban Development to 
provide funds to States to address the shortage of teacher housing in 
rural areas in Alaska and in the rest of our Nation. Specifically, my 
bill provides funds to States that have a population of 1 million or 
fewer people and include qualifying municipalities, which have 
populations of 6,500 or fewer people and also do not have direct access 
to either a State or interstate highway system. The appropriate state 
housing authority will accept such funds and will then transfer the 
funds to an eligible school district in a qualifying municipality. An 
eligible school district must be within the boundaries of an Indian 
reservation, one or more Alaska Native villages or land owned by one or 
more Alaska Native village corporations. This legislation will allow 
the eligible school districts to address the housing shortage in the 
following ways: construct housing units, purchase and rehabilitate 
existing housing units, or rehabilitate housing units that are already 
owned by a school district. Once this phase is complete, eligible 
school districts shall provide the housing to teachers or other school 
staff under terms agreed upon by the school district and the teacher or 
other staff.
  It is imperative that we address this important issue immediately and 
allow the flexibility for the disbursement of funds to be handled at 
the local level. The quality of education of our rural children is at 
stake.
  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. 1205

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       The Act may be cited as the ``Rural Teacher Housing Act of 
     2003''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Elementary school.--The term ``elementary school'' has 
     the meaning given that term in section 9101 of the Elementary 
     and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
       (2) Eligible school district.--The term ``eligible school 
     district'' means a school district located within a qualified 
     municipality within an eligible State and is within the 
     boundaries of--
       (A) Indian lands;
       (B) 1 or more Native villages; or
       (C) land owned by 1 or more Village Corporations.
       (3) Eligible State.--The term ``eligible State'' means any 
     State having a population of fewer than 1,000,000 people, 
     based upon the most recent Government census.
       (4) Indian lands.--The term ``Indian lands'' has the 
     meaning given that term in section 2103 of the Revised 
     Statutes (25 U.S.C. 81).
       (5) Native village.--The term ``Native village'' has the 
     meaning given that term in section 3 of the Alaska Claims 
     Settlement Act (43 U.S.C 1602).
       (6) Other staff.--The term ``other staff'' means pupil 
     services personnel, librarians, career guidance and 
     counseling personnel, education aides, and other 
     instructional and administrative personnel.
       (7) Qualified municipality.--The term ``qualified 
     municipality'' means a municipality or unorganized borough 
     within an eligible State--
       (A) that has a total population of 6,500 or fewer people, 
     based upon the most recent Government census; and
       (B) does not have direct access to either a State or 
     interstate highway system.
       (8) Secondary school.--The term ``secondary school'' has 
     the meaning given that term in section 9101 of the Elementary 
     and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
       (9) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Housing and Urban Development.
       (10) Teacher.--The term ``teacher'' means an individual who 
     is employed as a teacher in a public elementary or secondary 
     school, and meets the certification or licensure requirements 
     of the eligible State.
       (11) Village Corporation.--The term ``Village Corporation'' 
     has the meaning given that term in section 3 of the Alaska 
     Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1602).

     SEC. 3. RURAL TEACHER HOUSING PROGRAM.

       (a) Grants Authorized.--The Secretary shall provide funds 
     to eligible States, in accordance with such procedures as the 
     Secretary determines are appropriate, to be used as provided 
     in subsection (b).
       (b) Use of Funds.--
       (1) In general.--Funds received pursuant to subsection (a) 
     shall be used by the eligible State to make grants to 
     eligible school districts to be used as provided in paragraph 
     (2).
       (2) Use of funds by eligible school districts.--Grants 
     received by an eligible school district pursuant to paragraph 
     (1) shall be used for--
       (A) the construction of new housing units within a 
     qualified municipality;
       (B) the purchase and rehabilitation of existing housing 
     units within a qualified municipality; or
       (C) the rehabilitation of housing units within a qualified 
     municipality that are owned by an eligible school district.
       (c) Ownership of Housing.--All housing units constructed or 
     purchased with grant funds awarded under this Act shall be 
     owned by the relevant eligible school district.
       (d) Occupancy of Housing Units.--Each housing unit 
     constructed, purchased, or rehabilitated with grant funds 
     under this Act shall be provided to teachers or other staff 
     who are employed by the public school district in which the 
     housing unit is located, under terms agreed upon by the 
     eligible school district and the teacher or other staff
       (e) Compliance With Building Codes.--Each eligible school 
     district receiving a grant under this Act shall ensure that 
     all housing units leased pursuant to subsection (d) meet all 
     applicable State and local building codes.
       (f) Matching Requirement.--Each State that receives Federal 
     funds under this Act shall provide matching funds from non-
     Federal sources in an amount equal to 20 percent of such 
     Federal funds.

     SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated to the Department 
     of Housing and Urban Development $50,000,000 for each of the 
     fiscal years 2004 through 2013 to carry out this Act.

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