[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 119 (Tuesday, July 23, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S5206]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2930. Mr. CASSIDY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by him to the bill S. 4638, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2025 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of part I of subtitle F of title V, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. 578. INTERVENTIONS RELATING TO DYSLEXIA AT SCHOOLS 
                   OPERATED BY DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EDUCATION 
                   ACTIVITY.

       (a) Dyslexia Screening Program.--The Director of the 
     Department of Defense Education Activity shall establish a 
     dyslexia screening program, under which each school operated 
     by the Activity screens--
       (1) each student enrolled in the school for dyslexia near 
     the end of kindergarten and near the end of first grade; and
       (2) screens new enrollees in the school regardless of year, 
     unless the new enrollee has already been diagnosed with 
     dyslexia.
       (b) Other Interventions.--The Director shall--
       (1) develop and implement a plan for comprehensive literacy 
     instruction;
       (2) provide high-quality training for school personnel, 
     particularly specialized instructional support personnel 
     related to dyslexia; and
       (3) ensure that each district of schools operated by the 
     Activity employs at least one specialized instructional 
     support personnel who specializes in dyslexia.
       (c) Reports Required.--Not later than 60 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days 
     thereafter, the Director shall submit to Congress a report on 
     the implementation of the dyslexia screening program required 
     by subsection (a) and on the high-quality training for school 
     personnel required by subsection (b) that includes the number 
     of students identified as having dyslexia under the program.
       (d) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Comprehensive literacy instruction.--The term 
     ``comprehensive literacy instruction'' has the meaning given 
     that term in section 2221(b)(1) of the Elementary and 
     Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6641(b)(1)).
       (2) Dyslexia.--The term ``dyslexia'' means an unexpected 
     difficulty in reading for an individual who has the 
     intelligence to be a much better reader, most commonly caused 
     by a difficulty in the phonological processing (the 
     appreciation of the individual sounds of spoken language), 
     which affects the ability of an individual to speak, read, 
     and spell.
       (3) Dyslexia screening program.--The term ``dyslexia 
     screening program'' means a screening program for dyslexia 
     that is--
       (A) evidence-based (as defined in section 8101(21)(A)(i) of 
     the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     7801(21)(A)(i))) with proven psychometrics for validity;
       (B) efficient and low-cost; and
       (C) readily available.
       (4) Specialized instructional support personnel.--The term 
     ``specialized instructional support personnel'' means 
     personnel described in section 8101(47)(A)(ii) of the 
     Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     7801(47)(A)(ii)).
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