,i #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dggc ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,may #bi1 #bjad ,mr4 ,rokita 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,mc,morris ,rodgers1 ,mr4 ,messer1 ,mr4 ,harper1 ,mr4 ,jolly1 ,mr4 ,bucshon1 ,mr4 ,chabot1 and ,mr4 ,gowdy7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and the ,workforce1 and in addition to the ,committees on ,oversight and ,government ,reform and ,armed ,services1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to expand opportunity through greater choice in education1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,creating ,hope and ,opportunity for ,individuals and ,communities through ,education ,act or the ,,choice ,act4 ,i ,improving the ,scholarships for ,opportunity and ,results ,act #aja4 ,purpose ,the purpose of this title is to amend the ,scholarships for ,opportunity and ,results ,act 7,public ,law #aab-aj1 #abe ,stat4 #aii7 in order to improve provisions concerning opportunity scholarships available for low-income students in the ,district of ,columbia4 #ajb4 ,improvements to the ,scholarships for ,opportunity and ,results ,act 7a7 ,carryover amounts ,section #cjad of division ,c of the ,department of ,defense and ,full-,year ,continuing ,appropriations ,act1 #bjaa 7,public ,law #aab-aj1 #abe ,stat4 #baa7 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7c7 ,carryover amounts 7#a7 ,in general ,amounts appropriated under this section shall remain available until expended4 7#b7 ,use of carryover amounts ,of the funds appropriated under this section that are unobligated1 are not expended in the fiscal year for which such funds are appropriated1 and are not necessary for the continuation of the scholarships already awarded1 the ,secretary shall1 for the subsequent fiscal year-- 7,a7 use #b percent of such funds to carry out outreach and parental education and assistance activities described in section #cjjg7;c7 that are in addition to any such activities carried out by an eligible entity under such section2 and 7,b7 use the remaining amount of such funds to provide opportunity scholarships to eligible students who have not previously received such a scholarship4 4 7b7 ,clarification in student eligibility ,section #cjac7c7 of division ,c of the ,department of ,defense and ,full-,year ,continuing ,appropriations ,act1 #bjaa 7,public ,law #aab-aj1 #abe ,stat4 #baa7 is amended1 in the matter preceding subparagraph 7,a71 by inserting 1 is enrolled1 or will be enrolled for the next school year1 in a public or private elementary school or secondary school1 after ,district of ,columbia4 ,,ii ,education portability for individuals with disabilities #bja4 ,purpose ,the purpose of this title is to provide options to ,states to innovate and improve the education of children with disabilities by expanding the choices for students and parents under the ,individuals with ,disabilities ,education ,act 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #adjj et seq474 #bjb4 ,amendments to the ,individuals with ,disabilities ,education ,act 7a7 ,children enrolled in private schools by their parents ,section #fab7;a77#aj77;,a7 of the ,individuals with ,disabilities ,education ,act 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #adab7;a77#aj77;,a77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7viii7 ,parent option program ,if a ,state has established a program that meets the requirements of section #ffc7;c77#aa7 7whether statewide or in limited areas of the ,state7 and that allows a parent of a child described in section #ffc7;c77#aa77;,a7 to use public funds1 or private funds in accordance with #fcc7;c77#aa77;,b77ii71 to pay some or all of the costs of attendance at a private school-- 7,i7 funds allocated to the ,state under section #faa may be used by the ,state to supplement such public or private funds1 if the ,federal funds are distributed to parents who make a genuine independent choice as to the appropriate school for their child1 except that in no case shall the amount of ,federal funds provided under this subclause to a parent of a child with a disability for a year exceed the total amount of tuition1 fees1 and transportation costs for the child for the year2 7,,ii7 the authorization of a parent to exercise this option fulfills the ,state's obligation under paragraph 7#a7 with respect to the child during the period in which the child is enrolled in the selected school2 and 7,,iii7 a selected school accepting such funds shall not be required to carry out any of the requirements of this title with respect to such child4 4 7b7 ,research and innovation ,to improve services and results for children with disabilities ,section #ffc7;c7 of the ,individuals with ,disabilities ,education ,act 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #adfc7;c77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#i71 by striking and after the semicolon2 7#b7 in paragraph 7#aj71 by striking the period and inserting 2 and2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following3 7#aa7 supporting the post-award planning and design1 and the initial implementation 7which may include costs for informing the community1 acquiring necessary equipment and supplies1 and other initial operational costs71 during a period of not more than #c years1 of ,state programs that allow the parent of a child with a disability to make a genuine independent choice of the appropriate public or private school for their child1 if the program-- 7,a7 requires that the child be a child who has received an initial evaluation described in section #fad7;a7 and has been identified as a child with a disability1 in accordance with part ,b2 7,b7 7i7 permits the parent to receive from the ,state funds to be used to pay some or all of the costs of attendance at the selected school 7which may include tuition1 fees1 and transportation costs72 or 7ii7 permits persons to receive a ,state tax credit for donations to an entity that provides funds to parents of eligible students described in subparagraph 7,a71 to be used by the parents to pay some or all of the costs of attendance at the selected school 7which may include tuition1 fees1 and transportation costs72 7,c7 prohibits any school that agrees to participate in the program from discriminating against eligible students on the basis of race1 color1 national origin1 or sex1 except that-- 7i7 the prohibition of sex discrimination shall not apply to a participating school that is operated by1 supervised by1 controlled by1 or connected to a religious organization to the extent that the application of such prohibition is inconsistent with the religious tenets or beliefs of the school2 and 7ii7 notwithstanding this subparagraph or any other provision of law1 a parent may choose1 and a school may offer1 a single-sex school1 class1 or activity2 7,d7 notwithstanding any other provision of law1 allows any school participating in the program that is operated by1 supervised by1 controlled by1 or connected to1 a religious organization to exercise its right in matters of employment consistent with title ,,vii of the ,civil ,rights ,act of #aifd 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bjjj;e et seq471 including the exemptions in that title2 7,e7 allows a school to participate in the program without1 consistent with the ,first ,amendment of the ,constitution of the ,united ,states-- 7i7 necessitating any change in the participating school's teaching mission2 7ii7 requiring any private participating school to remove religious art1 icons1 scriptures1 or other symbols2 or 7iii7 precluding any private participating school from retaining religious terms in its name1 selecting its board members on a religious basis1 or including religious references in its mission statements and other chartering or governing documents2 and 7,f7 requires a participating school selected for a child with a disability to be academically accountable to the parent for meeting the educational needs of the student4 4 ,,iii ,military scholarships #cja4 ,purpose ,the purpose of this title is to ensure high-quality education for children of military personnel who live on military installations and thus have less freedom to exercise school choice for their children1 in order to improve the ability of the ,armed ,forces to retain such military personnel4 #cjb4 ,military scholarship program 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,,esea definitions ,the terms child1 elementary school1 secondary school1 and local educational agency have the meanings given the terms in section #iaja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja74 7#b7 ,eligible military student ,the term eligible military student means a child who-- 7,a7 is a military dependent student2 7,b7 lives on a military installation selected to participate in the program under subsection 7b77#b72 and 7,c7 chooses to attend a participating school1 rather than a school otherwise assigned to the child4 7#c7 ,military dependent student ,the term military dependent student has the meaning given the term in section #egb7;e7 of the ,national ,defense ,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year #bjjf 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ggjc;b7e774 7#d7 ,participating school ,the term participating school means a public or private elementary school or secondary school that-- 7,a7 accepts scholarship funds provided under this section on behalf of an eligible military student for the costs of tuition1 fees1 or transportation of the eligible military student2 and 7,b7 is accredited1 licensed1 or otherwise operating in accordance with ,state law4 7#e7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,defense4 7b7 ,program authorized 7#a7 ,in general ,from amounts made available under subsection 7g7 and beginning for the first full school year following the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall carry out a #e-year pilot program to award scholarships to enable eligible military students to attend the public or private elementary schools or secondary schools selected by the eligible military students' parents4 7#b7 ,scope of program 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall select not less than #e military installations to participate in the pilot program described in paragraph 7#a74 ,in making such selection1 the ,secretary shall choose military installations where eligible military students would most benefit from expanded educational options4 7,b7 ,ineligibility ,a military installation that provides1 on its premises1 education for all elementary school and secondary school grade levels through one or more ,department of ,defense dependents' schools shall not be eligible for participation in the program4 7#c7 ,amount of scholarships 7,a7 ,in general ,the annual amount of each scholarship awarded to an eligible military student under this section shall not exceed the lesser of-- 7i7 the cost of tuition1 fees1 and transportation associated with attending the participating school selected by the parents of the student2 or 7ii7 7,i7 in the case of an eligible military student attending elementary school-- 7aa7 #h1jjj for the first full school year following the date of enactment of this ,act2 or 7bb7 the amount determined under subparagraph 7,b7 for each school year following such first full school year2 or 7,,ii7 in the case of an eligible military student attending secondary school-- 7aa7 #ab1jjj for the first full school year following the date of enactment of this ,act2 or 7bb7 the amount determined under subparagraph 7,b7 for each school year following such first full school year4 7,b7 ,adjustment for inflation ,for each school year after the first full school year following the date of enactment of this ,act1 the amounts specified in subclauses 7,i7 and 7,,ii7 of subparagraph 7,a77ii7 shall be adjusted to reflect changes for the #ab-month period ending the preceding ,june in the ,consumer ,price ,index for ,all ,urban ,consumers published by the ,bureau of ,labor ,statistics of the ,department of ,labor4 7#d7 ,payments to parents ,the ,secretary shall make scholarship payments under this section to the parent of the eligible military student in a manner that ensures such payments will be used for the payment of tuition1 fees1 and transportation expenses 7if any7 in accordance with this section4 7c7 ,selection of scholarships recipients 7#a7 ,random selection ,if more eligible military students apply for scholarships under the program under this section than the ,secretary can accommodate1 the ,secretary shall select the scholarship recipients through a random selection process from students who submitted applications by the application deadline specified by the ,secretary4 7#b7 ,continued eligibility 7,a7 ,in general ,an individual who is selected to receive a scholarship under the program under this section shall continue to receive a scholarship for each year of the program until the individual-- 7i7 graduates from secondary school or elects to no longer participate in the program2 7ii7 exceeds the maximum age for which the ,state in which the student lives provides a free public education2 or 7iii7 is no longer an eligible military student4 7,b7 ,continued participation for military transfers 7i7 ,transfer to private non-military housing ,notwithstanding subparagraph 7,a77iii71 an individual receiving a scholarship under this section for a school year who meets the requirements of subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,c7 of subsection 7a77#b7 and whose family1 during such school year1 moves into private non-military housing that is not considered to be part of the military installation1 shall continue to receive the scholarship for use at the participating school for the remaining portion of the school year4 7ii7 ,transfer to a different military installation ,notwithstanding subparagraph 7,a77iii71 an individual receiving a scholarship under this section for a school year whose family is transferred to a different military installation shall no longer be eligible to receive such scholarship beginning on the date of the transfer4 ,such individual may apply to participate in any program offered under this section for the new military installation for a subsequent school year1 if such individual qualifies as an eligible military student for such school year4 7d7 ,nondiscrimination and other provisions 7#a7 ,non-discrimination ,a participating school shall not discriminate against program participants or applicants on the basis of race1 color1 national origin1 or sex4 7#b7 ,applicability and single-sex schools1 classes1 or activities 7,a7 ,in general ,notwithstanding any other provision of law1 the prohibition of sex discrimination in paragraph 7#a7 shall not apply to a participating school that is operated by1 supervised by1 controlled by1 or connected to a religious organization to the extent that the application of paragraph 7#a7 is inconsistent with the religious tenets or beliefs of the school4 7,b7 ,single-sex schools1 classes1 or activities ,notwithstanding paragraph 7#a7 or any other provision of law1 a parent may choose1 and a participating school may offer1 a single-sex school1 class1 or activity4 7#c7 ,children with disabilities ,nothing in this section may be construed to alter or modify the ,individuals with ,disabilities ,education ,act 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #adjj et seq474 7#d7 ,rules of conduct and other school policies ,a participating school1 including the schools described in subsection 7e71 may require eligible students to abide by any rules of conduct and other requirements applicable to all other students at the school4 7e7 ,religiously affiliated schools 7#a7 ,in general ,notwithstanding any other provision of law1 a participating school that is operated by1 supervised by1 controlled by1 or connected to1 a religious organization may exercise its right in matters of employment consistent with title ,,vii of the ,civil ,rights ,act of #aifd 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bjjj;e et seq471 including the exemptions in that title4 7#b7 ,maintenance of purpose ,notwithstanding any other provision of law1 funds made available under this title to eligible military students that are received by a participating school1 as a result of their parents' choice1 shall not1 consistent with the first amendment of the ,united ,states ,constitution-- 7,a7 necessitate any change in the participating school's teaching mission2 7,b7 require any private participating school to remove religious art1 icons1 scriptures1 or other symbols2 or 7,c7 preclude any private participating school from retaining religious terms in its name1 selecting its board members on a religious basis1 or including religious references in its mission statements and other chartering or governing documents4 7f7 ,reports 7#a7 ,annual reports ,not later than ,july #cj of the year following the year of the date of enactment of this ,act1 and each subsequent year through the year in which the final report is submitted under paragraph 7#b71 the ,secretary shall prepare and submit to ,congress an interim report on the scholarships awarded under the pilot program under this section that includes the content described in paragraph 7#c7 for the applicable school year of the report4 7#b7 ,final report ,not later than #ij days after the end of the pilot program under this section1 the ,secretary shall prepare and submit to ,congress a report on the scholarships awarded under the program that includes the content described in paragraph 7#c7 for each school year of the program4 7#c7 ,content ,each annual report under paragraph 7#a7 and the final report under paragraph 7#b7 shall contain-- 7,a7 the number of applicants for scholarships under this section2 7,b7 the number1 and the average dollar amount1 of scholarships awarded2 7,c7 the number of participating schools2 7,d7 the number of elementary school students receiving scholarships under this section and the number of secondary school students receiving such scholarships2 and 7,e7 the results of a survey1 conducted by the ,secretary1 regarding parental satisfaction with the scholarship program under this section4 7g7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section #aj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjad through #bjah4 7h7 ,offset in ,department of ,education salaries ,notwithstanding any other provision of law1 for fiscal year #bjad and each of the #d succeeding fiscal years1 the ,secretary of ,education shall return to the ,treasury #aj1jjj1jjj of the amounts made available to the ,secretary for salaries and expenses of the ,department of ,education for such year4