H.R. 5623 — Introduced in House

I 113th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5623 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 18, 2014 Mr. Lewis introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce A BILL To establish a National Parents Corps Program, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the National Parents Corps Act of 2014. 2. Findings The Congress finds as follows: (1) Nearly 25 percent of children in the United States ages 12 to 17 have used an illicit drug in their lifetime, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration's 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). (2) The American Lung Association states, approximately 4,000 children under age 18 try their first cigarette and more than 950 of them will become new, regular daily smokers. Moreover, according to NSDUH, among children ages 12 to 17 who smoked cigarettes in the last month, 54.6 percent also used an illicit drug. (3) The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids says parents have more influence over their children than friends, music, TV, the Internet, and celebrities. It adds, children whose parents teach them about drug risks are significantly less likely to use drugs. (4) In response to concerns about youth violence and drug, tobacco, and alcohol use by youth, the White House unveiled the Parents Corps in 2003. It was initially a 3-year initiative operating in 9 States to bring together citizenship, service, and responsibility to empower parents to keep their children, schools, and communities drug-free. 3. National Parents Corps Program (a) Grant To establish the Program Subject to the availability of appropriations to carry out this Act, the Administrator shall, not later than 3 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, award a grant to an eligible nonprofit entity to establish a National Parents Corps Program (referred to in this Act as the Program) to promote safety, combat youth violence, and combat drug and alcohol abuse in schools in the United States. The eligible nonprofit entity awarded such grant shall be known as the NPCP Nonprofit Partner. (b) Program activities The NPCP Nonprofit Partner shall use the grant awarded under this section to establish and administer the Program, which shall include— (1) employing Parent Leaders to carry out the Program at eligible schools that are selected to host Parent Leaders, in accordance with sections 4 and 5; and (2) working with schools, parents of children enrolled in schools, local nonprofit organizations, and law enforcement agencies and officers to promote safety, combat youth violence, and combat drug, alcohol, and tobacco abuse in schools. 4. Participation of schools (a) In general Not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the NPCP Nonprofit Partner shall solicit applications from eligible schools desiring to participate in the Program by hosting a Parent Leader. Each eligible school selected to host a Parent Leader shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with the NPCP Nonprofit Partner— (1) in which the eligible school agrees to participate in the Program and host a Parent Leader for the number of years that is equal to the number of grade levels taught at the school; and (2) that outlines the parameters and goals of hosting a Parent Leader and carrying out the Program at the eligible school, including how the Parent Leader and the operation of the Program will address the cultural, social, and crime prevention needs and goals of the students at such school. (b) Selection considerations In selecting eligible schools to host Parent Leaders under this Act, the NPCP Nonprofit Partner shall ensure that, to the extent practicable, the eligible schools selected represent schools— (1) that are located in a variety of geographical regions in the United States; (2) in urban, rural, and suburban areas; and (3) in ethnically and economically diverse communities. 5. Parent Leaders (a) Parent Leader for each school For each eligible school selected to participate in the Program as a host school under section 4, the NPCP Nonprofit Partner shall, after consultation with the principal of the selected school, solicit applications for, hire, and employ one Parent Leader. The Nonprofit Partner shall use the grant funds provided under this Act to train, supervise, support, and provide a salary and benefits to each Parent Leader. (b) Duties of Parent Leaders Each Parent Leader employed by the Nonprofit Partner shall, with respect to the eligible school hosting the Parent Leader— (1) educate and mobilize parents of students at the school to combat criminal and gang activity and prevent students from social, cultural, and commercial forces that encourage children and adolescents to initiate the use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco; (2) create a delivery system to provide parents of students at the school with information regarding science-based prevention and analysis related to early recognition of behaviors and traits that may lead to or indicate drug, alcohol, and tobacco use and abuse, gang activity, and violence; (3) work with school officials, other parents of students at the school, and students at the school to develop programs and practices to treat, prevent, and reduce violence and drug, alcohol, and tobacco addiction for students at the school; (4) assist parents of students at the school and school administrators with finding professional assistance for any child who— (A) is using drugs, including referrals to professionals who can assess the needs of the child for counseling, treatment, and other appropriate assistance; or (B) is engaged in violent activities or gang activities; (5) recruit and train parent and student volunteers from the school to participate in drug and violence prevention and education outreach and programming; and (6) consult with the NPCP Nonprofit Partner, school administrators, local government authorities, local nonprofit organizations, and other parents to develop best practices and training models related to the prevention of school violence and drug, alcohol, and tobacco use and abuse by students. (c) Parent Leader eligibility To be eligible to be employed as a Parent Leader under this Act, an individual shall— (1) be the parent (as such term is defined in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)) of at least one student who will be enrolled, during the first year the individual will be employed as a Parent Leader, in the lowest grade level offered at the school that will host the Parent Leader; (2) not be employed full-time at any position other than as a Parent Leader; (3) complete a background check, including criminal records checks, fingerprint-based checks of State and national crime information databases (as defined in section 534(f)(3)(A) of title 28, United States Code), checks in any available child abuse and neglect registries, and checks in any available sex offender registries; and (4) enter into an agreement with the NPCP Nonprofit Partner to serve as a Parent Leader for a number of years that is equal to the number of years normally required for a student to complete all of the grade levels offered at the school that will host the Parent Leader (as determined by the school), except that the individual shall not be required to continue to serve as Parent Leader in the case of an extreme, unforeseen circumstance (such as death, disability, relocation, or criminal activity) that prevents the individual from completing the term of service required under this paragraph. (d) Vacancies If an individual who is employed as a Parent Leader is unable to complete the term of service required under subsection (c)(4), the NPCP Nonprofit Partner shall, after consultation with the host school at which the Parent Leader was serving, promptly solicit applications for, hire, and employ another individual to serve as Parent Leader at such school, in accordance with the requirements of this section. 6. Reporting requirements (a) Reports by Parent Leaders Not less than once each calendar quarter during each year a Parent Leader is employed by the NPCP Nonprofit Partner, the Parent Leader shall submit to the NPCP Nonprofit Partner and the school hosting the Parent Leader a report including activities carried out by the Parent Leader to carry out the Program, the results of such activities, best practices observed and used by the Parent Leader to carry out the Program, and any other information the Parent Leader, the NPCP Nonprofit Partner, or the school hosting the Parent Leader determine to be appropriate. (b) Reports by NPCP Nonprofit Partner Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 6 months thereafter, the NPCP Nonprofit Partner shall prepare and submit to the Administrator a report on the progress and effectiveness of the Program, including— (1) statistics, trends, and other data analyzing whether the Program is effective at preventing school violence and drug, alcohol, and tobacco use and abuse by students; (2) a summary of the reports submitted by Parent Leaders; and (3) the results and best practices reported by the Parent Leader at each school hosting a Parent Leader. (c) Reports by Administrator Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the Administrator shall prepare and submit to the Attorney General and the appropriate Congressional committees a report relating to the progress and effectiveness of the Program. 7. Sense of the Congress It is the sense of the Congress that eligible schools selected to host a Parent Leader in accordance with section 4 should take such actions as may be necessary to secure funding to employ a Parent Leader to carry out the Program after Federal funding is no longer available to carry out this Act. 8. Definitions In this Act: (1) Administrator The term Administrator means the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. (2) Eligible nonprofit entity The term eligible nonprofit entity means an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that— (A) was operating on the day before the date of the enactment of this Act; (B) has demonstrated experience administering Federal grants in a fiscally responsible manner, as determined by the Administrator; (C) has administered national programs relating to addiction and parenting; (D) has developed and administered programs similar to the Program authorized under this Act; (E) has worked with the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Justice in assessing and developing initiatives relating to youth drug prevention and parental involvement; and (F) has as its mission to focus on child and youth drug prevention. (3) Eligible school The term eligible school means a public middle school or secondary school (as such term is defined in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)) that has demonstrated a commitment, as determined by the Secretary, to— (A) increasing parental involvement in the school; and (B) reducing drug, alcohol, and tobacco abuse by students enrolled in the school. (4) Appropriate Congressional committees The term appropriate Congressional committees means the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on Education and Labor, and the Appropriations Committee in the House of Representatives, and the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and the Appropriations Committee in the Senate. 9. Authorization of appropriations (a) In general In addition to other amounts otherwise appropriated to carry out the purposes of this Act, there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $5,500,000 for each of the fiscal years 2015 through 2025. (b) Funding from other sources The Administrator, the NPCP Nonprofit Partner, and eligible schools selected to host a Parent Leader in accordance with section 4 are authorized to solicit, receive, and use funding from State, local, and private sources to carry out the Program, including for expenses related to employing Parent Leaders.