To assist poor communities with public elementary and secondary school construction.

May 24, 2001

Mr. TRAFICANT introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

To assist poor communities with public elementary and secondary school construction.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION ASSISTANCE FOR POOR COMMUNITIES AUTHORIZED.

(a) IN GENERAL- The Secretary of Education is authorized to make grants to eligible local educational agencies to assist them in addressing the cost of constructing new public elementary and secondary school facilities or building additions to existing public elementary and secondary school facilities.

(b) ELIGIBILITY- A local educational agency is eligible to receive funds under this section if 20 percent or more of the children aged 5 to 17, inclusive, served by the local educational agency are from families with incomes below the poverty line.

(c) LIMITATION ON FEDERAL SHARE- The Federal funds provided under this section to a local educational agency may not exceed 10 percent of the total cost of the project to be assisted under this section.

(d) PURCHASE OF AMERICAN-MADE EQUIPMENT AND PRODUCTS- In the case of any equipment or products that may be authorized to be purchased with financial assistance provided under this section, it is the sense of the Congress that entities receiving such assistance should, in expending the assistance, purchase only American-made equipment and products.

(e) NOTICE TO RECIPIENTS OF ASSISTANCE- In providing financial assistance under this section, the head of each Federal agency shall provide to each recipient of the assistance a notice describing the statement made in subsection (d) by the Congress.

(f) USE OF AMERICAN-MADE STEEL- A local educational agency receiving financial assistance under this section for construction shall use American-made steel for such construction and shall comply with the requirements of the Act of March 3, 1933 (41 U.S.C. 10a et seq., popularly known as the `Buy American Act').

(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $500,000,000 for fiscal year 2002.

(h) DEFINITIONS- In this section:

(1) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY- The term `local educational agency' has the meaning given such term in section 14101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801).

(2) POVERTY LINE- The term `poverty line' means the poverty line (as defined by the Office of Management and Budget, and revised annually in accordance with section 673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2))) applicable to a family of the size involved.

END