    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 134, 116th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    Public Law 116-141
    116th Congress

    An Act

    To authorize the Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
    to support Holocaust education programs, and for other
    purposes. <>

    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 ``Never Again Education Act''.
    SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
    (1) The United States has demonstrated a commitment to
    remembrance and education about the Holocaust through bilateral
    relationships and engagement in international organizations such
    as the United Nations and the International Holocaust
    Remembrance Alliance; the United States works to promote
    Holocaust education as a means to understand the importance of
    democratic principles, use and abuse of power, and to raise
    awareness about the importance of genocide prevention today.
    (2) The Congress has played a critical role in preserving
    the memory of the Holocaust and promoting awareness, including
    by authorizing the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum as an
    independent establishment of the Federal Government to ensure
    that ``the study of the Holocaust become part of the curriculum
    in every school system in the country'', as well as by
    establishing a national Holocaust Remembrance Day in 1978.
    (3) 75 years after the conclusion of World War II, with the
    decreasing number of eyewitnesses and growing distance of
    students and their families from this history, it is important
    to institutionalize education about the events of the Holocaust
    such as the German Nazis' racist ideology, propaganda, and plan
    to lead a state to war and, with their collaborators, kill
    millions--including the systematic murder of 6,000,000 Jewish
    people; as well as the persecution and murder of millions of
    others in the name of racial purity, political, ideological, and
    behavioral grounds, among them Roma, the disabled, the Slavs,
    Communists, Socialists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and homosexuals.
    (4) As intolerance, antisemitism, and bigotry are promoted
    by hate groups, Holocaust education provides a context in which
    to learn about the danger of what can happen when hate goes
    unchallenged and there is indifference in the face of the

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    oppression of others; learning how and why the Holocaust
    happened is an important component of the education of citizens
    of the United States.
    (5) Today, those who deny that the Holocaust occurred or
    distort the true nature of the Holocaust continue to find
    forums, especially online; this denial and distortion dishonors
    those who were persecuted, and murdered, making it even more of
    a national imperative to educate students in the United States
    so that they may explore the lessons that the Holocaust provides
    for all people, sensitize communities to the circumstances that
    gave rise to the Holocaust, and help youth be less susceptible
    to the falsehood of Holocaust denial and distortion and to the
    destructive messages of hate that arise from Holocaust denial
    and distortion.
    (6) Currently, 12 States (California, Connecticut, Florida,
    Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey, New York,
    Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island) require by law that
    schools teach students about the Holocaust; more schools and
    teachers, including those in underserved communities, can and
    should deliver quality Holocaust education.
    (7) For more than 30 years, the United States Holocaust
    Memorial Museum has worked to build and support the field of
    Holocaust education, and advance the quality and sustainability
    of Holocaust education at the local, State, and national levels,
    by engaging teachers and students across disciplines and grade
    levels.
    (8) The Federal Government, through support for educational
    activities of national museums established under Federal law,
    can assist teachers in efforts to incorporate historically
    accurate instruction on human rights atrocities, including the
    Holocaust, in curricula.
    SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
    (1) Antisemitism.--The term ``antisemitism'' means a certain
    perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward
    Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are
    directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals or their
    property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious
    facilities.
    (2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
    the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
    (3) Eligible program participant.--The term ``eligible
    program participant'' means--
    (A) a high school teacher, a teacher of one of the
    middle grades, or a school leader of a high school or a
    school that includes one of the middle grades (as such
    terms are defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and
    Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801));
    (B) an educational leader or expert who is not
    employed by a local educational agency (as defined in
    section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education
    Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)) or an elementary school or
    secondary school (as such terms are so defined) that is
    independent of any local educational agency; or

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    (C) a prospective teacher enrolled in a program of
    postsecondary education coursework or preservice
    clinical education.
    (4) Holocaust.--The term ``the Holocaust'' means the
    systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder
    of 6,000,000 Jews by the Nazi regime and its allies and
    collaborators. During the era of the Holocaust, German
    authorities also targeted other groups because of their
    perceived ``racial inferiority'', such as Roma, the disabled,
    and Slavs. Other groups were persecuted on political,
    ideological, and behavioral grounds, among them Communists,
    Socialists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and homosexuals.
    (5) Holocaust denial and distortion.--The term ``Holocaust
    denial and distortion'' means discourse and propaganda that deny
    the historical reality and the extent of the extermination of
    the Jews by the Nazis and their accomplices during World War II,
    known as the Holocaust. Holocaust denial refers specifically to
    any attempt to claim that the Holocaust did not take place.
    Holocaust distortion refers to efforts to excuse or minimize the
    events of the Holocaust or its principal elements, including
    collaborators and allies of Nazi Germany, to blame the Jews for
    causing their own genocide, or to portray the Holocaust as a
    positive historical event.
    (6) Holocaust education center.--The term ``Holocaust
    education center'' means an institution that furthers the
    teaching and learning about the Holocaust by offering programs
    for students and training for teachers and other types of
    professional leadership audiences.
    (7) Holocaust education program.--The term ``Holocaust
    education program'' means a program that has as its specific and
    primary purpose to improve awareness and understanding of the
    Holocaust and educate individuals on the lessons of the
    Holocaust as a means to raise awareness about the importance of
    preventing genocide, hate, and bigotry against any group of
    people.
    SEC. 4. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

    (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
    appropriated to carry out this Act $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2021 and
    each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.
    (b) Donations, Gifts, Bequests, and Devises of Property.--In
    accordance with chapter 23 of title 36, United States Code, and in
    furtherance of the purposes of this Act, the Director is authorized to
    solicit, accept, hold, administer, invest, and use donated funds and
    gifts, bequests, and devises of property, both real and personal.
    (c) Use of Funds.--The Director, using funds appropriated under
    subsection (a) and resources received under subsection (b), and
    including through the engagement of eligible program participants as
    appropriate--
    (1) shall develop and nationally disseminate accurate,
    relevant, and accessible resources to promote understanding
    about how and why the Holocaust happened, which shall include
    digital resources and may include other types of resources, such
    as print resources and traveling exhibitions; and
    (2) may carry out one or more of the following Holocaust
    education program activities:

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    (A) Development, dissemination, and implementation
    of principles of sound pedagogy for teaching about the
    Holocaust.
    (B) Provision of professional development for
    eligible program participants, such as through--
    (i) local, regional, and national workshops;
    (ii) teacher trainings in conjunction with
    Holocaust education centers and other appropriate
    partners;
    (iii) engagement with--
    (I) local educational agencies (as
    defined in section 8101 of the
    Elementary and Secondary Education Act
    of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 21 7801)); and
    (II) high schools and schools that
    include one of the middle grades (as so
    defined) that are independent of any
    local educational agency; and
    (iv) operation and expansion of a teacher
    fellowship program to cultivate and support
    leaders in Holocaust education.
    (C) Engagement with State and local education
    leaders to encourage the adoption of resources supported
    under this Act into curricula across diverse
    disciplines.
    (D) Evaluation and research to assess the
    effectiveness and impact of Holocaust education
    programs, which may include completion of the report
    required under section 8.

    (d) Applications.--The Director may seek the engagement of an
    eligible program participant under subsection (c) by requiring
    submission of an application to the Director at such time, in such
    manner, and based on such competitive criteria as the Director may
    require.
    SEC. 5. ONLINE HOLOCAUST EDUCATION RESOURCES.

    (a) Website.--The Director shall maintain on the website of the
    United States Holocaust Memorial Museum a special section designated for
    Holocaust education resources to improve awareness and understanding of
    the Holocaust and educate individuals on the lessons of the Holocaust as
    a means to raise awareness about the importance of preventing genocide,
    hate, and bigotry against any group of people. The website and resources
    shall be made publically available.
    (b) Information Distribution.--The Director shall distribute
    information about the activities funded under this Act through the
    website of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and shall
    respond to inquiries for supplementary information concerning such
    activities.
    (c) Best Practices.--The information distributed by the Director
    shall include best practices for educators.
    SEC. 6. UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL COUNCIL.

    The United States Holocaust Memorial Council established under
    section 2302 of title 36, United States Code, shall have governance
    responsibility for the programs and activities carried out under this
    Act in accordance with chapter 23 of title 36, United States Code.
    SEC. 7. ENGAGEMENT OF ELIGIBLE PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS.

    (a) In General.--An eligible program participant shall be engaged at
    the discretion of the Director to participate in Holocaust

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    education program activities authorized under this Act and approved by
    the Director pursuant to an application described in section 4(d).
    (b) Engagement Period.--Engagement of eligible program participants
    under this Act shall be for a period determined by the Director.
    (c) Priority.--In engaging eligible program participants under
    section 4, the Director shall give priority to applications from such
    participants who work for or with a local educational agency, or a
    school that is independent of any local educational agency, that does
    not, at the time application is made, offer any Holocaust education
    programming.
    SEC. 8. ANNUAL REPORT.

    Not later than February 1 of each year, the Director shall submit to
    the Congress a report describing the activities carried out under this
    Act.

    Approved May 29, 2020.

    LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 943:
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 166 (2020):
    Jan. 27, considered and passed House.
    May 13, considered and passed Senate.