,,ii #aaeth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #aaga ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #ah1 #bjag ,mrs4 ,shaheen introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,a ,,bill ,to keep girls in school around the world1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,keeping ,girls in ,school ,act4 #b4 ,appropriate congressional committees defined ,in this ,act1 the term appropriate congressional committees means-- 7#a7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,senate2 and 7#b7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives4 #c4 ,purpose and findings 7a7 ,purpose ,the purpose of this ,act is to support empowerment1 economic security1 and educational opportunities for adolescent girls around the world4 7b7 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,adolescence is a critical period in a girl's life1 when significant physical1 emotional1 and social changes shape her future4 7#b7 ,according to the ,united ,nations ,educational1 ,scientific and ,cultural ,organization 7,,unesco71 approximately #acj1jjj1jjj girls around the world are not in school and millions more are failing to acquire basic reading1 writing1 and numeracy skills4 7#c7 ,girls between the ages of #aj and #ai are three times more likely than boys to be kept out of school1 particularly in countries affected by conflict4 7#d7 ,due to discriminatory gender norms and expectations1 disparities in access to safe and quality education manifest early in a girl's life and continue to become more pronounced throughout adolescence4 7#e7 ,adolescent girls who are not in school are particularly vulnerable to ,,hiv_/,,aids1 child1 early and forced marriage1 and other forms of violence which are detrimental to their futures1 as evidenced by the following statistics3 7,a7 ,each year1 #chj1jjj adolescent girls and young women become newly infected with ,,hiv1 more than #a1jjj every day1 and comprise the fastest-growing demographic for new infections in sub-,saharan ,africa4 7,b7 ,each year1 #ae1jjj1jjj adolescent girls around the world are married before their #ahth birthday1 and more than #gjj1jjj1jjj women alive today were married as children4 7,c7 ,one-quarter to one-half of girls in developing countries become mothers before the age of #ah1 and girls under #ae are five times more likely to die during childbirth than women in their #bjs4 7#f7 ,while two-thirds of countries have achieved gender parity in primary education1 only #dj percent have achieved gender parity in secondary education4 7#g7 ,adolescent girls who remain in school are more likely to live longer1 marry later1 have healthier children1 and1 as adults1 earn an income to support their families1 thereby contributing to the economic advancement of communities and nations4 7#h7 ,the ,united ,states ,global ,strategy to ,empower ,adolescent ,girls has brought together the ,department of ,state1 the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development 7,,usaid71 the ,peace ,corps1 and the ,millennium ,challenge ,corporation1 as well as other agencies and programs such as the ,president's ,emergency ,fund for ,,aids ,relief 7,,pepfar71 to address the range of challenges preventing adolescent girls from attaining an inclusive and equitable quality education leading to relevant learning outcomes4 7#i7 ,since ,july #bjae1 more than #ajj public-private partnerships have been formed between the ,united ,states ,government and external partners to support innovative and community-led solutions in targeted countries1 including ,malawi and ,tanzania1 to ensure adolescent girls receive a quality education4 7#aj7 ,,pepfar1 through its ,,dreams 7,determined1 ,resilient1 ,empowered1 ,,aids-free1 ,mentored1 and ,safe7 ,initiative1 has worked to address a number of the specific barriers to education that adolescent girls face4 7#aa7 ,according to the ,united ,states ,global ,strategy to ,empower ,adolescent ,girls1 which is the first foreign policy document in the world solely dedicated to the rights and empowerment of girls globally1 while the ,millennium ,development ,goals improved outcomes for girls in primary education1 they also highlighted the need for a targeted focus on adolescents and young adults1 particularly regarding the transition to and completion of secondary school4 #d4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 education is a human right1 and girls of all ages deserve an education that is equal1 in all aspects1 to that of boys2 7#b7 the ,united ,states has been a global leader in efforts to expand and improve educational opportunities for those who have been traditionally disenfranchised1 particularly women and girls2 7#c7 gains with respect to girls' secondary education and empowerment have been proven to correlate strongly with progress in gender equality and women's rights1 as well as economic and social progress1 and achieving gender equality should be a priority goal of ,united ,states foreign policy2 7#d7 achieving gender parity in both access to and quality of educational opportunity contributes significantly to economic growth and development1 thereby lowering the risk for violence and instability2 and 7#e7 education is a lifesaving humanitarian intervention that protects the lives1 futures1 and well-being of girls4 ,i ,secondary education for adolescent girls #aja4 ,adolescent ,girls ,education ,challenge ,fund 7a7 ,establishment ,there is established an ,adolescent ,girls ,education ,challenge ,fund from which funds may be made available for the ,department of ,state1 the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development1 and other ,federal departments and agencies to work with external partners to implement innovative programs to ensure that adolescent girls enroll and succeed in school4 7b7 ,authorized activities ,programs initiated through the ,fund may-- 7#a7 create strategic1 focused1 cross-sectoral1 and results-oriented partnerships1 including with adolescent girls1 to promote their education1 economic security1 and empowerment2 7#b7 apply comprehensive scientific and research-based approaches1 aligned1 where possible1 with local development priorities1 to support sustainable development outcomes2 7#c7 leverage additional resources from public1 private1 for-profit1 and nonprofit organizations1 including those based inside partner countries1 as well as institutions of higher education1 ,united ,states and non-,united ,states ,government organizations1 and international donor organization to ensure sustainable finance and impact2 and 7#d7 ensure schools provide safe and quality educational opportunities so that girls can enroll in and regularly attend school1 successfully transition from primary to secondary school1 and eventually graduate having achieved learning outcomes and positioned to make healthy transitions to adulthood4 7c7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated at least #ce1jjj1jjj for each fiscal year for the ,fund established under this section4 #ajb4 ,assistance to promote educational opportunities 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,state and the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development1 in coordination with other ,federal departments and agencies1 are authorized to initiate and advance programs that support educational opportunities for adolescent girls and which reduce specific barriers adolescent girls face in attaining inclusive and equitable educational opportunities4 7b7 ,specific barriers ,in this subsection1 the term specific barriers includes-- 7#a7 harmful societal and cultural norms2 7#b7 distance from a secondary school2 7#c7 safety at school or traveling to school2 7#d7 cost of secondary schooling1 including fees1 clothing1 and supplies2 7#e7 inadequate sanitation facilities and products available at secondary schools2 7#f7 prioritization of boys' secondary education2 7#g7 poor nutrition2 7#h7 child1 early1 and forced marriage2 7#i7 early pregnancy and motherhood2 7#aj7 female genital mutilation2 7#aa7 ,,hiv infection2 and 7#ab7 discrimination based on religious or ethnic identity4 7c7 ,coordination and oversight ,the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development ,senior ,coordinator for ,international ,basic ,education ,assistance1 in coordination with the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development ,senior ,coordinator for ,gender ,equality and ,women's ,empowerment and the ,ambassador-at-,large for ,global ,women's ,issues at the ,department of ,state1 shall be responsible for the oversight and coordination of all resources and activities of the ,united ,states ,government relating to promoting educational opportunities for adolescent girls4 #ajc4 ,monitoring and evaluation ,the ,secretary of ,state and the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development shall seek to determine that programs carried out under this ,act-- 7#a7 employ rigorous monitoring and evaluation methodologies1 including an ex post evaluation1 to ensure programs and activities demonstrably close the gap in gender parity for secondary education and improve the quality of education offered to adolescent girls2 7#b7 disaggregate all data collected and reported by age1 gender1 marital and motherhood status1 and urbanity1 to the extent practicable and appropriate2 and 7#c7 adhere to the ,department of ,state's ,policy ,guidance on ,promoting ,gender ,equality and ,,usaid's ,gender ,equality and ,female ,empowerment ,policy4 #ajd4 ,transparency and reporting to ,congress ,not later than ,march #ca1 #bjah1 and annually thereafter1 the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,state1 shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that-- 7#a7 details programs initiated under this ,act that address specific barriers to adolescent girls education2 and 7#b7 describes the activities and partnerships of the ,adolescent ,girls ,education ,challenge ,fund1 as well as the outcomes and metrics used to measure its effectiveness4 #aje4 ,sunset ,the authorities under this title shall terminate upon certification by the ,secretary of ,state to the appropriate congressional committees that gender parity in both quality of and access to secondary education for adolescent boys and girls has been achieved in the countries which receive ,united ,states development assistance4 ,,ii ,united ,states global strategy to empower adolescent girls #bja4 ,global strategy requirement 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and every #e years thereafter1 the ,ambassador-at-,large for ,global ,women's ,issues at the ,department of ,state 7referred to in this title as the ,ambassador-at-,large71 in consultation with the ,senior ,coordinator for ,gender ,equality and ,women's ,empowerment at the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development 7referred to in this title as the ,senior ,coordinator71 shall-- 7#a7 develop or review and update a ,united ,states global strategy to empower adolescent girls2 7#b7 submit the strategy to the appropriate congressional committees2 and 7#c7 make the strategy and review publicly available on the ,internet4 7b7 ,initial strategy ,for the purposes of this section1 the ,united ,states ,global ,strategy to ,empower ,adolescent ,girls1 issued in ,march #bjaf1 shall be deemed to fulfill the initial requirement under subsection 7a74 7c7 ,collaboration and coordination ,in developing the strategy under subsection 7a71 the ,ambassador-at-,large and the ,senior ,coordinator shall consult with-- 7#a7 the heads of relevant ,federal agencies and their designees1 as well as experts on adolescent girls1 gender equality1 and empowerment throughout ,federal agencies2 7#b7 the appropriate congressional committees2 7#c7 representatives of civil society and multilateral organizations with demonstrated experience and expertise in empowering adolescent girls or promoting gender equality1 including local civil society organizations and beneficiaries where possible2 and 7#d7 local organizations and beneficiaries1 including youth and adolescent girls' organizations4