,,ii #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #cece ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,december #ad1 #bjbc,mrs4 ,shaheen 7for herself and ,ms4 ,murkowski7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,a ,,bill ,to support empowerment1 economic security1 and educational opportunities for adolescent girls around the world1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title2 table of contents 7a7 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,keeping ,girls in ,school ,act4 7b7 ,table of contents ,the table of contents for this ,act is as follows3 ,sec4 #a4 ,short title2 table of contents4,sec4 #b4 ,definitions4,sec4 #c4 ,sense of ,congress4,sec4 #d4 ,secondary education for adolescent girls4,sec4 #e4 ,global strategy requirement4,sec4 #f4 ,transparency and reporting to ,congress4 #b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,administrator ,the term ,administrator means the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development4 7#b7 ,appropriate congressional committees the term appropriate congressional committees means-- 7,a7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate2 7,b7 the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,senate2 7,c7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives2 and 7,d7 the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives4 7#c7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,state4 7#d7 ,,usaid ,the term ,,usaid means the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development4 #c4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 every child1 regardless of gender or place of birth1 deserves an equal opportunity to access quality education2 7#b7 education is a key investment in-- 7,a7 the future1 well-being1 and prosperity of girls2 and 7,b7 the stability and productivity of their communities2 7#c7 the ,united ,states has been a global leader in efforts to expand and improve access to quality basic education for all1 particularly marginalized and vulnerable populations1 including women and girls2 7#d7 gains with respect to girls' secondary education and empowerment have been proven to correlate strongly with progress in gender equality and women's rights1 a stated priority of ,united ,states foreign policy and national security2 7#e7 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#f7 education is a lifesaving humanitarian intervention that protects the lives1 futures1 and well-being of girls4 #d4 ,secondary education for adolescent girls 7a7 ,authority 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary and the ,administrator shall-- 7,a7 promote access to quality education for girls globally2 and 7,b7 enter into agreements1 including agreements across sectors1 to address the barriers described in subsection 7b7 that adolescent girls face in accessing a quality secondary education1 particularly in countries in which adolescent girls are significantly more likely to drop out of school than boys4 7#b7 ,requirements ,activities carried out pursuant to paragraph 7#a7 shall-- 7,a7 be informed by a context-specific1 evidence-based analysis of the challenges that girls face1 which inhibit girls from successfully transitioning to1 remaining enrolled in1 and completing secondary school2 7,b7 ensure that integrated programs-- 7i7 holistically support safe1 inclusive1 and quality educational opportunities2 and 7ii7 create empowering environments to enable girls-- 7,i7 to enroll in and regularly attend school2 7,,ii7 to successfully transition from primary to secondary school2 and 7,,iii7 to eventually graduate after achieving learning outcomes and being in a position to make healthy transitions into adulthood2 and 7,c7 seek to use ,united ,states ,government strategies and frameworks relevant to international basic education1 women's and girls' empowerment1 and gender equality to integrate multi-sectoral1 evidenced-based approaches to adolescent girls' education and well-being4 7b7 ,specific barriers ,the barriers described in this subsection are-- 7#a7 harmful social and cultural norms2 7#b7 lack of safety at school or traveling to school and online1 including harassment and other forms of physical1 sexual1 or psychological violence2 7#c7 child1 early1 and forced marriage2 7#d7 female genital mutilation2 7#e7 distance from a secondary school2 7#f7 cost of secondary schooling1 including fees1 clothing1 and supplies2 7#g7 inadequate sanitation facilities and products available at secondary schools2 7#h7 prioritization of boys' secondary education2 7#i7 poor nutrition2 7#aj7 early pregnancy and motherhood2 7#aa7 ,,hiv infection2 7#ab7 disability2 7#ac7 discrimination based on religious or ethnic identity2 7#ad7 heavy workload due to household tasks or care burdens2 and 7#ae7 inequitable access to digital resources4 7c7 ,acceptance of proposals or applications for awards ,beginning not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator shall seek proposals or applications for awards to conduct the activities described in the agreements entered into pursuant to subsection 7a77#a77;,b74 7d7 ,monitoring and evaluation ,the ,administrator shall seek to ensure that activities carried out pursuant to agreements referred to in subsection 7a77#a77;,b7-- 7#a7 employ rigorous monitoring and evaluation methodologies1 including measurable goals1 outcomes1 and benchmarks1 to ensure that such activities demonstrably-- 7,a7 improve adolescent girls' access to secondary education2 7,b7 close the gap in gender parity for secondary education2 and 7,c7 improve the quality of girls' education2 7#b7 disaggregate data collected and reported by age1 gender1 marital and motherhood status1 disability1 and urbanity1 to the extent practicable and appropriate2 and 7#c7 use1 to the extent possible1 indicators and methodologies identified by the ,interagency ,working ,group for the ,strategy on ,international ,basic ,education4 7e7 ,coordination and oversight 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary1 in coordination with the ,administrator1 shall be responsible for the oversight and coordination of all activities of the ,united ,states ,government carried out pursuant to this section1 as appropriate4 7#b7 ,development of agreements ,in developing agreements described in subsection 7a77#a77;,b71 the ,secretary1 in coordination with the ,administrator1 shall consult with representatives of ,federal departments and agencies that are implementing the ,united ,states ,global ,strategy to ,empower ,adolescent ,girls4 7#c7 ,coordination requirements ,in carrying out the activities described in paragraphs 7#a7 and 7#b71 the ,secretary and the ,administrator shall coordinate with the ,senior ,coordinator for ,international ,basic ,education ,assistance at ,,usaid1 the ,youth ,coordinator at ,,usaid1 the ,senior ,coordinator for ,gender ,equality and ,women's ,empowerment at ,,usaid1 and the ,ambassador-at-,large for ,global ,women's ,issues at the ,department of ,state4 7#d7 ,coordination with other strategies ,activities carried out pursuant to agreements described in subsection 7a77#a77;,b71 shall be carried out in a manner that is consistent with-- 7,a7 the latest update of the ,united ,states ,global ,strategy to ,empower ,adolescent ,girls2 and 7,b7 the ,united ,states ,government ,strategy on ,international ,basic ,education1 including its objective to expand access to quality basic education for all1 particularly marginalized and vulnerable populations4 #e4 ,global strategy requirement 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary1 in coordination with the ,administrator1 the ,ambassador-at-,large for ,global ,women's ,issues at the ,department of ,state1 the ,senior ,coordinator for ,gender ,equality and ,women's ,empowerment at ,,usaid1 and the ,senior ,coordinator for ,international ,basic ,education ,assistance at ,,usaid1 shall-- 7#a7 review and update a ,united ,states ,global ,strategy to ,empower ,adolescent ,girls1 which includes a focus on girls' access to quality1 inclusive secondary education1 and subsequent agency implementation plans2 and 7#b7 submit the updated strategy to the appropriate congressional committees4 7b7 #e-,year update of strategy ,not later than #e years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary1 in coordination with the ,administrator1 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees another update and revision of-- 7#a7 the ,united ,states ,global ,strategy to ,empower ,adolescent ,girls2 and 7#b7 the agency implementation plans for such strategy4 7c7 ,consultation ,in reviewing and updating the strategy and implementation plans pursuant to subsection 7a71 the ,secretary1 in coordination with the ,administrator1 the ,ambassador-at-,large for ,global ,women's ,issues at the ,department of ,state1 the ,senior ,coordinator for ,gender ,equality and ,women's ,empowerment at ,,usaid1 and the ,senior ,coordinator for ,international ,basic ,education ,assistance at ,,usaid1 shall consult with and provide meaningful opportunity for review with-- 7#a7 the heads of relevant ,federal departments and agencies 7or their designees72 7#b7 the appropriate congressional committees2 and 7#c7 representatives of ,united ,states and international civil society and multilateral organizations with demonstrated experience and expertise in empowering adolescent girls and promoting gender equality in education1 including local civil society organizations1 faith-based organizations1 to the extent possible1 program participants4 7d7 ,coordination ,in carrying out the activities described in his section1 the ,secretary and the ,administrator shall coordinate with the ,ambassador-at-,large for ,global ,women's ,issues at the ,department of ,state1 the ,senior ,coordinator for ,gender ,equality and ,women's ,empowerment at ,,usaid1 the ,senior ,coordinator for ,international ,basic ,education ,assistance at ,,usaid1 and the ,youth ,coordinator at ,,usaid4 #f4 ,transparency and reporting to ,congress 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the date of the submission of the strategy required under section #e1 and biennially thereafter for #aj years1 the ,secretary1 in coordination with the ,administrator1 shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that describes-- 7#a7 the activities initiated pursuant to the authorities provided in this ,act2 and 7#b7 the manner and extent to which such activities are monitored and evaluated1 in accordance with section #d7;d74 7b7 ,availability ,each report submitted pursuant to subsection 7a7 shall be made available on a text-based1 searchable1 and publicly available website of ,,usaid4