[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 26 (Thursday, February 17, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S888-S889]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Begich, Mr. 
        Blumenthal, Ms. Collins, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. 
        Sanders, Ms. Stabenow, and Mr. Whitehouse):
  S. 393. A bill to aid and support pediatric involvement in reading 
and education; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, today I introduce with my colleague, Senator 
Grassley, the Prescribe a Book Act. I thank Senators Begich, 
Blumenthal, Collins, Kerry, Lautenberg, Sanders, Stabenow, and 
Whitehouse for joining us as original cosponsors of this bipartisan 
bill.
  Our legislation would create a federal pediatric early literacy grant 
initiative

[[Page S889]]

based on the long-standing, successful Reach Out and Read program. The 
program would award grants on a competitive basis to high-quality non-
profit entities to train doctors and nurses in advising parents about 
the importance of reading aloud and to give books to children at 
pediatric check-ups from 6 months to 5 years of age, with a priority 
for children from low-income families. It builds on the relationship 
between parents and medical providers and helps families and 
communities encourage early literacy skills so children enter school 
prepared for success in reading.
  Since fiscal year 2000, Federal funding for Reach Out and Read 
through the Department of Education has been an essential piece of a 
successful public-private partnership that has been matched by tens of 
millions of dollars from the private sector and State governments. This 
funding has supported the training of nearly 50,000 health care 
providers in literacy promotion, and the operation of programs in more 
than 4,100 clinics and hospitals nationwide, including the 40 sites 
that operate in Rhode Island. The Prescribe a Book Act would establish 
a formal authorization for this successful partnership activity.
  The Reach Out and Read model has consistently demonstrated 
effectiveness in increasing parent involvement and boosting children's 
reading proficiency. Research published in peer-reviewed, scientific 
journals has found that parents who have participated in the program 
are significantly more likely to read to their children and include 
more children's books in their home, and that children served by the 
program show an increase of 4-8 points on vocabulary tests. I have seen 
up-close the positive impact of this program on children and their 
families when visiting a number of Rhode Island's Reach Out and Read 
sites.
  I urge my colleagues to cosponsor the Prescribe a Book Act.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 393

       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 ``Prescribe A Book Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a 
     nonprofit organization that has, as determined by the 
     Secretary, demonstrated effectiveness in the following areas:
       (A) Providing peer-to-peer training to healthcare providers 
     in research-based methods of literacy promotion as part of 
     routine pediatric health supervision visits.
       (B) Delivering a training curriculum through a variety of 
     medical education settings, including residency training, 
     continuing medical education, and national pediatric 
     conferences.
       (C) Providing technical assistance to local healthcare 
     facilities to effectively implement a high-quality Pediatric 
     Early Literacy Program.
       (D) Offering opportunities for local healthcare facilities 
     to obtain books at significant discounts, as described in 
     section 7.
       (E) Integrating the latest developmental and educational 
     research into the training curriculum for healthcare 
     providers described in subparagraph (B).
       (2) Pediatric early literacy program.--The term ``Pediatric 
     Early Literacy Program'' means a program that--
       (A) creates and implements a 3-part model through which--
       (i) healthcare providers, doctors, and nurses, trained in 
     research-based methods of early language and literacy 
     promotion, encourage parents to read aloud to their young 
     children, and offer developmentally appropriate 
     recommendations and strategies to parents for the purpose of 
     reading aloud to their children;
       (ii) healthcare providers, at health supervision visits, 
     provide each child between the ages of 6 months and 5 years a 
     new, developmentally appropriate children's book to take home 
     and keep; and
       (iii) volunteers in waiting areas of healthcare facilities 
     read aloud to children, modeling for parents the techniques 
     and pleasures of sharing books together;
       (B) demonstrates, through research published in peer-
     reviewed journals, effectiveness in positively altering 
     parent behavior regarding reading aloud to children, and 
     improving expressive and receptive language in young 
     children; and
       (C) receives the endorsement of nationally recognized 
     medical associations and academies.
       (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Education.

     SEC. 3. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

       The Secretary is authorized to award grants to eligible 
     entities to enable the eligible entities to implement 
     Pediatric Early Literacy Programs.

     SEC. 4. APPLICATIONS.

       An eligible entity that desires to receive a grant under 
     section 3 shall submit an application to the Secretary at 
     such time, in such manner, and including such information as 
     the Secretary may reasonably require.

     SEC. 5. MATCHING REQUIREMENT.

       An eligible entity receiving a grant under section 3 shall 
     provide, either directly or through private contributions, 
     non-Federal matching funds equal to not less than 50 percent 
     of the grant received by the eligible entity under section 3. 
     Such matching funds may be in cash or in-kind.

     SEC. 6. USE OF GRANT FUNDS.

       (a) In General.--An eligible entity receiving a grant under 
     section 3 shall--
       (1) enter into contracts with private nonprofit 
     organizations, or with public agencies, selected based on the 
     criteria described in subsection (b), under which each 
     contractor will agree to establish and operate a Pediatric 
     Early Literacy Program;
       (2) provide such training and technical assistance to each 
     contractor of the eligible entity as may be necessary to 
     carry out this Act; and
       (3) include such other terms and conditions in an agreement 
     with a contractor as the Secretary determines to be 
     appropriate to ensure the effectiveness of such programs.
       (b) Contractor Criteria.--Each contractor shall be selected 
     under subsection (a)(1) on the basis of the extent to which 
     the contractor gives priority to serving a substantial number 
     or percentage of at-risk children, including--
       (1) children from families with an income below 200 percent 
     of the poverty line (as defined by the Office of Management 
     and Budget and revised annually in accordance with section 
     673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 
     9902(2)) applicable to a family of the size involved, 
     particularly such children in high-poverty areas;
       (2) children without adequate medical insurance;
       (3) children enrolled in a State Medicaid program, 
     established under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 
     U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) or in the State Children's Health 
     Insurance Program established under title XXI of such Act (42 
     U.S.C. 1397aa et seq.);
       (4) children living in rural areas;
       (5) migrant children; and
       (6) children with limited access to libraries.

     SEC. 7. RESTRICTION ON PAYMENTS.

       The Secretary shall make no payment to an eligible entity 
     under this Act unless the Secretary determines that the 
     eligible entity or a contractor of the eligible entity, as 
     the case may be, has made arrangements with book publishers 
     or distributors to obtain books at discounts that are at 
     least as favorable as discounts that are customarily given by 
     such publisher or distributor for book purchases made under 
     similar circumstances in the absence of Federal assistance.

     SEC. 8. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.

       An eligible entity receiving a grant under section 3 shall 
     report annually to the Secretary on the effectiveness of the 
     program implemented by the eligible entity and the programs 
     instituted by each contractor of the eligible entity, and 
     shall include in the report a description of each program.

     SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
     Act $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2012 and such sums as may be 
     necessary for each of the succeeding 4 fiscal years.
                                 ______