,,ii #aagth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #iff ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #be1 #bjba,mr4 ,markey 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mrs4 ,feinstein1 ,mrs4 ,gillibrand1 ,mr4 ,heinrich1 ,ms4 ,hirono1 ,mr4 ,king1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,mr4 ,leahy1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,mr4 ,murphy1 ,ms4 ,rosen1 ,mr4 ,sanders1 ,ms4 ,smith1 ,ms4 ,stabenow1 ,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 ,ms4 ,warren1 and ,mr4 ,wyden7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,a ,,bill ,to require the ,administrator of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration to establish a ,climate ,change ,education ,program1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,climate ,change ,education ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,the evidence for human-induced climate change is overwhelming and undeniable4 7#b7 ,atmospheric carbon can be significantly reduced through conservation1 by shifting to renewable energy sources such as solar1 wind1 tidal1 and geothermal1 and by increasing the efficiency of buildings1 including domiciles1 and transportation4 7#c7 ,providing clear information about climate change1 in a variety of forms1 can remove the fear and the sense of helplessness1 and encourage individuals and communities to take action4 7#d7 ,implementation of measures that promote energy efficiency1 conservation1 and renewable energy will greatly reduce human impact on the environment4 7#e7 ,informing people of new technologies and programs as they become available will ensure maximum understanding and maximum effect of those measures4 7#f7 ,more than #c1jjj1jjj students graduate from high schools and colleges in the ,united ,states each year1 armed with attitudes1 skills1 and knowledge about the climate that inform their actions4 7#g7 ,the effect on the climate1 positive or negative1 of each of those #c1jjj1jjj students lasts beyond a lifetime4 7#h7 ,those students need to be prepared to implement changes in professional and personal practices1 to support and help develop new technology and policy1 and to address the coming social and economic challenges and opportunities arising from a changing climate4 7#i7 ,it has been demonstrated that the people of the ,united ,states overwhelmingly support teaching students about the causes1 consequences1 and potential solutions to climate change in all #ej ,states and more than #c1jjj counties across the ,united ,states4 7#aj7 ,only #cj percent of middle school and #de percent of high school science teachers understand the extent of the scientific consensus on climate change4 #c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,climate change education ,the term climate change education means nonformal and formal interdisciplinary learning at all age levels about-- 7,a7 climate change1 climate adaptation and mitigation1 climate resilience1 and climate justice2 and 7,b7 the effects of climate change1 climate adaptation and mitigation1 climate resilience1 and climate justice on the environmental1 energy1 social1 and economic systems of the ,united ,states4 7#b7 ,climate literacy ,the term climate literacy means competence or knowledge of climate change1 its causes and impacts1 and the technical1 scientific1 economic1 and social dynamics of promising solutions4 7#c7 ,climate justice ,the term climate justice means the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people1 regardless of race1 color1 culture1 national origin1 or income1 with respect to the development1 implementation1 and enforcement of policies and projects to ensure that each person enjoys the same degree of protection from the adverse effects of climate change4 7#d7 ,environmental justice ,the term environmental justice means the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people1 regardless of race1 color1 culture1 national origin1 or income1 with respect to the development1 implementation1 and enforcement of environmental laws1 regulations1 and policies to ensure that each person enjoys-- 7,a7 the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards2 and 7,b7 equal access to any ,federal agency action on environmental justice issues in order to have a healthy environment in which to live1 learn1 work1 and recreate4 7#e7 ,environmental justice community ,the term environmental justice community means a community with significant representation of communities of color1 low-income communities1 or ,tribal and indigenous communities that experiences1 or is at risk of experiencing1 higher or more adverse human health or environmental effects as compared to other communities4 7#f7 ,green economy ,the term green economy means an economy that results in improved human and economic well-being and social equity by significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities4 7#g7 ,institution of higher education ,the term institution of higher education has the meaning given the term in section #aja of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja74 7#h7 ,local educational agency2 ,state educational agency ,the terms local educational agency and ,state educational agency have the meanings given those terms in section #haja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja74 7#i7 ,nonformal ,the term nonformal means1 with respect to learning1 out-of-school educational programming carried out by nonprofit organizations and public agencies4 7#aj7 ,nonprofit organization ,the term nonprofit organization means an organization described in section #eja7;c77#c7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf and exempt from taxation under #eja7;a7 of that ,code4 #d4 ,climate ,change ,education ,program ,the ,administrator of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration shall establish a ,climate ,change ,education ,program to-- 7#a7 increase the climate literacy of the ,united ,states by broadening the understanding of climate change1 including possible long-term and short-term consequences1 disproportionate impacts of those consequences1 and potential solutions2 7#b7 apply the latest scientific and technological discoveries1 including through the use of the scientific assets of the ,administration1 to provide formal and nonformal learning opportunities to individuals of all ages1 including individuals of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds2 and 7#c7 emphasize actionable information to help people understand and promote implementation of new technologies1 programs1 and incentives related to climate change1 climate adaptation and mitigation1 climate resilience1 climate justice1 and environmental justice4 #e4 ,grant program 7a7 ,in general ,as part of the ,climate ,change ,education ,program established under section #d1 the ,administrator of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration shall establish a program to make grants to the following3 7#a7 ,state educational agencies1 in partnership with local educational agencies and local nonprofit organizations1 for the implementation of aspects of ,state climate literacy plans for grades #d through #ab formal and informal climate change education that-- 7,a7 are aligned with ,state education standards2 7,b7 ensure that students graduate from high school with climate literacy2 and 7,c7 include at least #a of the following3 7i7 ,relevant teacher training and professional development4 7ii7 ,integration of key climate change concepts into ,state education standards for science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics 7,,stem71 civics and social studies1 and other relevant subject areas during the next revision of such standards4 7iii7 ,development of climate change education educational frameworks and model curricula and curation and dissemination of existing climate change curriculum materials4 7iv7 ,creation of applied learning project-based models1 such as models making optimum use of green features improvements to school facilities1 such as energy systems1 lighting systems1 water management1 waste management1 and school grounds improvements4 7v7 ,incorporation of climate change mitigation and green technologies into new and existing career and technical education career tracks and work-based learning experiences1 including development of partnerships with labor organizations1 trade organizations1 and apprenticeship programs4 7#b7 ,institutions of higher education and networks or partnerships of such institutions to engage teams of faculty and students to develop applied climate research and deliver to local communities direct services related to local climate mitigation and adaptation issues1 with priority given to projects that-- 7,a7 foster long-term campus-community partnerships2 7,b7 show potential to scale work beyond the grant term2 7,c7 are inclusive for all segments of the population2 and 7,d7 promote equitable and just outcomes4 7#c7 ,professional associations and academic disciplinary societies for projects that build capacity at the ,state and national levels for continuing education by practicing professionals and the general public in green economy fields4 7#d7 ,youth corps organizations to engage in community-based climate mitigation and adaptation work that includes a substantive educational component4 7b7 ,climate ,change ,education ,office 7#a7 ,in general ,there shall be1 within the ,office of ,education of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration1 an ,office of ,climate ,change ,education to administer the grant program required by subsection 7a74 7#b7 ,consultation ,the ,office of ,climate ,change ,education shall annually consult with other relevant agencies of the ,federal ,government to determine ways in which grant making under subsection 7a7 can enhance and support other national climate education and training and environmental justice goals4 7#c7 ,environmental justice communities ,the ,office of ,climate ,change ,education shall ensure that #dj percent of all funds appropriated for grants under paragraphs 7#b7 and 7#d7 of subsection 7a7 are directed into environmental justice communities4 7#d7 ,communities of practice ,the ,office of ,climate ,change ,education shall establish communities of practice with respect to each of paragraphs 7#a7 through 7#d7 of subsection 7a7 in order to accelerate learning4 #f4 ,report ,not later than #b years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 the ,administrator of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration shall submit to ,congress a report that evaluates the scientific merits1 educational effectiveness1 and broader effects of activities carried out under this ,act4 #g4 ,authorization of appropriations 7a7 ,in general ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration to carry out this ,act #ej1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjba through #bjbf4 7b7 ,allocation of amounts for grant program 7#a7 ,in general ,amounts appropriated to carry out the grant program required by section #e7;a7 shall be allocated as follows3 7,a7 #ej percent for grants made under paragraph 7#a7 of such section4 7,b7 #cj percent for grants made under paragraph 7#b7 of such section4 7,c7 #aj percent for grants made under paragraph 7#c7 of such section4 7,d7 #aj percent for grants made under paragraph 7#d7 of such section4 7#b7 ,exception ,if amounts appropriated to carry out the grant program required by section #e7;a7 do not exceed #e1jjj1jjj in any fiscal year1 the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration may use in that fiscal year-- 7,a7 #fj percent of such amounts for grants made under paragraph 7#a7 of such section2 and 7,b7 #dj percent of such amounts for grants made under paragraph 7#b7 of such section4