,i  #aadth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #cdba  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #bi1 #bjae ,mr4
 ,walker 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,de,santis1 
,mr4 ,yoho1 ,mr4 ,duncan of ,south      
,carolina1 ,mr4 ,sessions1 ,mr4         
,chaffetz1 ,mr4 ,burgess1 ,mr4 ,gosar1  
,mr4 ,cook1 ,mr4 ,huelskamp1 ,mr4       
,olson1 ,mr4 ,blum1 ,mrs4 ,love1 ,mr4   
,jody ,b4 ,hice of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,brat1
 ,mr4 ,loudermilk1 ,mr4 ,meadows1 ,mr4  
,ribble1 ,mr4 ,hudson1 ,mr4 ,coffman1   
,mr4 ,hensarling1 ,mr4 ,stewart1 ,mr4   
,duncan of ,tennessee1 ,mr4 ,palmer1    
,mr4 ,buck1 ,mr4 ,webster of ,florida1  
,mr4 ,babin1 ,mr4 ,salmon1 ,mr4         
,mulvaney1 ,mr4 ,hultgren1 ,mr4 ,brady  
of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,ratcliffe1 ,mr4 ,austin
 ,scott of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,jordan1 ,mr4 
,franks of ,arizona1 ,mr4 ,lamborn1 ,mr4
 ,rogers of ,alabama1 ,mr4 ,woodall1    
,mr4 ,mc,clintock1 ,mr4 ,sam ,johnson of
 ,texas1 ,mr4 ,labrador1 ,mr4 ,gohmert1 
,mr4 ,mc,caul1 ,mr4 ,rouzer1 ,mr4       
,palazzo1 ,mr4 ,messer1 and ,mr4        

,conaway7 introduced the following bill2
 which was referred to the ,committee on
 ,education and the ,workforce  ,a      
,,bill  ,to allow a ,state to submit a  
declaration of intent to the ,secretary 
of ,education to combine certain funds  
to improve the academic achievement of  
students4  #a4 ,short title2 purpose2   
definitions  7a7 ,short title ,this ,act
 may be cited as the ,academic          
,partnerships ,lead ,us to ,success or  
the ,a ,,plus ,act4  7b7 ,purpose ,the  
purposes of this ,act are as follows3   
7#a7 ,to give ,states and local         
communities added flexibility to        
determine how to improve academic       
achievement and implement education     
reforms4  7#b7 ,to reduce the           
administrative costs and compliance     
burden of ,federal education programs in
 order to focus ,federal resources on   
improving academic achievement4  7#c7   
,to ensure that ,states and communities 
are accountable to the public for       
advancing the academic achievement of   

all students1 especially disadvantaged  
children4  7c7 ,definitions  7#a7 ,in   
general ,except as otherwise provided1  
the terms used in this ,act have the    
meanings given the terms in section     
#iaja of the ,elementary and ,secondary 
,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 
#ghja et seq474  7#b7 ,other terms ,in  
this ,act3 7,a7 ,accountability ,the    
term accountability means that public   
schools are answerable to parents and   
other taxpayers for the use of public   
funds and shall report student progress 
to parents and taxpayers regularly4     
7,b7 ,declaration of intent ,the term   
declaration of intent means a decision  
by a ,state1 as determined by ,state    
,authorizing ,officials or by           
referendum1 to assume full management   
responsibility for the expenditure of   
,federal funds for certain eligible     
programs for the purpose of advancing1  
on a more comprehensive and effective   
basis1 the educational policy of such   
,state4  7,c7 ,state ,the term ,state   

has the meaning given such term in      
section #aabb7;e7 of the ,elementary and
 ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife    
7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fccb7;e774  7,d7 ,state 
authorizing officials ,the term ,state  
,authorizing ,officials means the ,state
 officials who shall authorize the      
submission of a declaration of intent1  
and any amendments thereto1 on behalf of
 the ,state4 ,such officials shall      
include not less than #b of the         
following3  7i7 ,the governor of the    
,state4  7ii7 ,the highest elected      
education official of the ,state1 if    
any4  7iii7 ,the legislature of the     
,state4  7,e7 ,state designated officer 
,the term ,state ,designated ,officer   
means the person designated by the      
,state ,authorizing ,officials to submit
 to the ,secretary1 on behalf of the    
,state1 a declaration of intent1 and any
 amendments thereto1 and to function as 
the point-of-contact for the ,state for 
the ,secretary and others relating to   
any responsibilities arising under this 

,act4  #b4 ,declaration of intent  7a7  
,in general ,each ,state is authorized  
to submit to the ,secretary a           
declaration of intent permitting the    
,state to receive ,federal funds on a   
consolidated basis to manage the        
expenditure of such funds to advance the
 educational policy of the ,state4  7b7 
,programs eligible for consolidation and
 permissible use of funds  7#a7 ,scope  
,a ,state may choose to include within  
the scope of the ,state's declaration of
 intent any program for which ,congress 
makes funds available to the ,state if  
the program is for a purpose described  
in the ,elementary and ,education       
,secondary ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 
#fcja74 ,a ,state may not include any   
program funded pursuant to the          
,individuals with ,disabilities         
,education ,act 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #adjj et 
seq474  7#b7 ,uses of funds ,funds made 
available to a ,state pursuant to a     
declaration of intent under this ,act   
shall be used for any educational       

purpose permitted by ,state law of the  
,state submitting a declaration of      
intent4  7#c7 ,removal of fiscal and    
accounting barriers ,each ,state        
educational agency that operates under a
 declaration of intent under this ,act  
shall modify or eliminate ,state fiscal 
and accounting barriers that prevent    
local educational agencies and schools  
from easily consolidating funds from    
other ,federal1 ,state1 and local       
sources in order to improve educational 
opportunities and reduce unnecessary    
fiscal and accounting requirements4  7c7
 ,contents of declaration ,each         
declaration of intent shall contain--   
7#a7 a list of eligible programs that   
are subject to the declaration of       
intent2  7#b7 an assurance that the     
submission of the declaration of intent 
has been authorized by the ,state       
,authorizing ,officials1 specifying the 
identity of the ,state ,designated      
,officer2  7#c7 the duration of the     
declaration of intent2  7#d7 an         

assurance that the ,state will use      
fiscal control and fund accounting      
procedures2  7#e7 an assurance that the 
,state will meet the requirements of    
applicable ,federal civil rights laws in
 carrying out the declaration of intent 
and in consolidating and using the funds
 under the declaration of intent2  7#f7 
an assurance that in implementing the   
declaration of intent the ,state will   
seek to advance educational             
opportunities for the disadvantaged2    
7#g7 a description of the plan for      
maintaining direct accountability to    
parents and other citizens of the       
,state2 and  7#h7 an assurance that in  
implementing the declaration of intent1 
the ,state will seek to use ,federal    
funds to supplement1 rather than        
supplant1 ,state education funding4  7d7
 ,duration ,the duration of the         
declaration of intent shall not exceed  
#e years4  7e7 ,review and recognition  
by the secretary  7#a7 ,in general ,the 
,secretary shall review the declaration 

of intent received from the ,state      
,designated ,officer not more than #fj  
days after the date of receipt of such  
declaration1 and shall recognize such   
declaration of intent unless the        
declaration of intent fails to meet the 
requirements under subsection 7c74  7#b7
 ,recognition by operation of law ,if   
the ,secretary fails to take action     
within the time specified in paragraph  
7#a71 the declaration of intent1 as     
submitted1 shall be deemed to be        
approved4  7f7 ,amendment to declaration
 of intent  7#a7 ,in general ,the ,state
 ,authorizing ,officials may direct the 
,state ,designated ,officer to submit   
amendments to a declaration of intent   
that is in effect4 ,such amendments     
shall be submitted to the ,secretary and
 considered by the ,secretary in        
accordance with subsection 7e74  7#b7   
,amendments authorized ,a declaration of
 intent that is in effect may be amended
 to-- 7,a7 expand the scope of such     
declaration of intent to encompass      

additional eligible programs2  7,b7     
reduce the scope of such declaration of 
intent by excluding coverage of a       
,federal program included in the        
original declaration of intent2  7,c7   
modify the duration of such declaration 
of intent2 or  7,d7 achieve such other  
modifications as the ,state ,authorizing
 ,officials deem appropriate4  7#c7     
,effective date ,the amendment shall    
specify an effective date4 ,such        
effective date shall provide adequate   
time to assure full compliance with     
,federal program requirements relating  
to an eligible program that has been    
removed from the coverage of the        
declaration of intent by the proposed   
amendment4  7#d7 ,treatment of program  
funds withdrawn from declaration of     
intent ,beginning on the effective date 
of an amendment executed under paragraph
 7#b77;,b71 each program requirement of 
each program removed from the           
declaration of intent shall apply to the
 ,state's use of funds made available   

under the program4  #c4 ,transparency   
for results of public education  7a7 ,in
 general ,each ,state operating under a 
declaration of intent under this ,act   
shall inform parents and the general    
public regarding the student achievement
 assessment system1 demonstrating       
student progress relative to the        
,state's determination of student       
proficiency1 as described in paragraph  
7#b71 for the purpose of public         
accountability to parents and taxpayers4
  7b7 ,accountability system ,the ,state
 shall determine and establish an       
accountability system to ensure         
accountability under this ,act4  7c7    
,report on student progress ,not later  
than #a year after the effective date of
 the declaration of intent1 and annually
 thereafter1 a ,state shall disseminate 
widely to parents and the general public
 a report that describes student        
progress4 ,the report shall include--   
7#a7 student performance data           
disaggregated in the same manner as data

 are disaggregated under section        
#aaaa7;b77#c77;,a7 of the ,elementary   
and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 
7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fcaa7;b77#c77;,a772 and 
7#b7 a description of how the ,state has
 used ,federal funds to improve academic
 achievement1 reduce achievement        
disparities between various student     
groups1 and improve educational         
opportunities for the disadvantaged4    
#d4 ,administrative expenses  7a7 ,in   
general ,except as provided in          
subsection 7b71 the amount that a ,state
 with a declaration of intent may expend
 for administrative expenses shall be   
limited to #a percent of the aggregate  
amount of ,federal funds made available 
to the ,state through the eligible      
programs included within the scope of   
such declaration of intent4  7b7 ,states
 not consolidating funds under part ,a  
of title ,i ,if the declaration of      
intent does not include within its scope
 part ,a of title ,i of the ,elementary 
and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 

7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fcaa et seq471 the      
amount spent by the ,state on           
administrative expenses shall be limited
 to #c percent of the aggregate amount  
of ,federal funds made available to the 
,state pursuant to such declaration of  
intent4  #e4 ,equitable participation of
 private schools ,each ,state           
consolidating and using funds pursuant  
to a declaration of intent under this   
,act shall provide for the participation
 of private school children and teachers
 in the activities assisted under the   
declaration of intent in the same manner
 as participation is provided to private
 school children and teachers under     
section #ieja of the ,elementary and    
,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj
 ,u4,s4,c4 #ghha74