SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``District of Columbia and United
States Territories Circulating Quarter Dollar Program Act''.

SEC. 2. ISSUANCE OF REDESIGNED QUARTER DOLLARS COMMEMORATING THE
              DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND EACH OF THE TERRITORIES.

    Section 5112 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by
inserting after subsection (m) the following new subsection:
    ``(n) Redesign and Issuance of Circulating Quarter Dollar
Commemorating the District of Columbia and Each of the Territories.--
            ``(1) Redesign in 2009.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Notwithstanding the fourth
                sentence of subsection (d)(1) and subsection (d)(2) and
                subject to paragraph (6)(B), quarter dollar coins
                issued during 2009, shall have designs on the reverse
                side selected in accordance with this subsection which
                are emblematic of the District of Columbia and the
                territories.
                    ``(B) Flexibility with regard to placement of
                inscriptions.--Notwithstanding subsection (d)(1), the
                Secretary may select a design for quarter dollars
                issued during 2009 in which--
                            (i) the inscription described in the second
                        sentence of subsection (d)(1) appears on the
                        reverse side of any such quarter dollars; and
                            (ii) any inscription described in the third
                        sentence of subsection (d)(1) or the
                        designation of the value of the coin appears on
                        the obverse side of any such quarter dollars.
            ``(2) Single district or territory design.--The design on
        the reverse side of each quarter dollar issued during 2009
        shall be emblematic of one of the following: The District of
        Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American
        Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth
        of the Northern Mariana Islands.
            ``(3) Selection of design.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Each of the 6 designs required
                under this subsection for quarter dollars shall be
                selected by the Secretary after consultation with--
                            ``(i) the chief executive of the District
                        of Columbia or the territory being
                        commemorated, or such other officials or group
                        as the chief executive officer of the District
                        of Columbia or the territory may designate for
                        such purpose; and
                            ``(ii) the Commission of Fine Arts.
                    ``(B) Selection and approval process.--Designs for
                quarter dollars may be submitted in accordance with the
                design selection and approval process developed by the
                Secretary in the sole discretion of the Secretary.
                    ``(C) Participation.--The Secretary may include
                participation by District or territorial officials,
                artists from the District of Columbia or the territory,
                engravers of the United States Mint, and members of the
                general public.
                    ``(D) Standards.--Because it is important that the
                Nation's coinage and currency bear dignified designs of
                which the citizens of the United States can be proud,
                the Secretary shall not select any frivolous or
                inappropriate design for any quarter dollar minted
                under this subsection.
                    ``(E) Prohibition on certain representations.--No
                head and shoulders portrait or bust of any person,
                living or dead, and no portrait of a living person may
                be included in the design of any quarter dollar under
                this subsection.
            ``(4) Treatment as numismatic items.--For purposes of
        sections 5134 and 5136, all coins minted under this subsection
        shall be considered to be numismatic items.
            ``(5) Issuance.--
                    ``(A) Quality of coins.--The Secretary may mint and
                issue such number of quarter dollars of each design
                selected under paragraph (4) in uncirculated and proof
                qualities as the Secretary determines to be
                appropriate.
                    ``(B) Silver coins.--Notwithstanding subsection
                (b), the Secretary may mint and issue such number of
                quarter dollars of each design selected under paragraph
                (4) as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, with
                a content of 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper.
                    ``(C) Sources of bullion.--The Secretary shall
                obtain silver for minting coins under subparagraph (B)
                from available resources, including stockpiles
                established under the Strategic and Critical Materials
                Stock Piling Act.
                    ``(D) Timing and order of issuance.--Coins minted
                under this subsection commemorating the District of
                Columbia and each of the territories shall be issued in
                equal sequential intervals during 2009 in the following
                order: the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of
                Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States
                Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern
                Mariana Islands.
            ``(6) Other provisions.--
                    ``(A) Application in event of admission as a
                state.--If the District of Columbia or any territory
                becomes a State before the end of the 10-year period
                referred to in subsection (l)(1), subsection (l)(7)
                shall apply, and this subsection shall not apply, with
                respect to such State.
                    ``(B) Application in event of independence.--If any
                territory becomes independent or otherwise ceases to be
                a territory or possession of the United States before
                quarter dollars bearing designs which are emblematic of
                such territory are minted pursuant to this subsection,
                this subsection shall cease to apply with respect to
                such territory.
            ``(7) Territory defined.--For purposes of this subsection,
        the term `territory' means the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,
        Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the
        Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.''.

            Passed the House of Representatives October 7, 2002.

            Attest:

                                                                 Clerk.

Summary: District of Columbia and United States Territories Circulating Quarter Dollar Program Act - Amends Federal law to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue during 2009 redesigned quarter dollars commemorating the District of Columbia and the US territories.

To provide for a circulating quarter dollar coin program to commemorate the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and for other purposes.


SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Dairy Farmer Viability Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the farm-retail price spread (the difference between
        farm and retail values) for dairy products has doubled since
        the early 1980's;
            (2) the price of raw milk sent to the market by dairy
        producers has fallen to levels received in 1978; and
            (3) the number of family-sized dairy operations has
        decreased by almost 75 percent in the last 2 decades, with some
        States losing nearly 10 percent of their dairy farmers in
        recent months.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a commission to be known
as the ``Dairy Farmer Viability Commission'' (referred to in this Act
as the ``Commission'').
    (b) Membership.--
            (1) Composition.--The Commission shall be composed of 15
        members appointed by the Secretary.
            (2) Prohibition on federal government employment.--A member
        of the Commission appointed under paragraph (1) shall not be an
        employee or former employee of the Federal Government.
            (3) Date of appointments.--The appointment of a member of
        the Commission shall be made as soon as practicable after the
        date of enactment of this Act.
    (c) Term; Vacancies.--
            (1) Term.--A member shall be appointed for the life of the
        Commission.
            (2) Vacancies.--A vacancy on the Commission--
                    (A) shall not affect the powers of the Commission;
                and
                    (B) shall be filled in the same manner as the
                original appointment was made.
    (d) Initial Meeting.--Not later than 30 days after the date on
which all members of the Commission have been appointed, the Commission
shall hold the initial meeting of the Commission.
    (e) Meetings.--The Commission shall meet at the call of the
Chairperson.
    (f) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Commission shall
constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of members may hold hearings.
    (g) Chairperson and Vice Chairperson.--The Commission shall select
a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson from among the members of the
Commission.

SEC. 4. DUTIES.

    (a) Study.--The Commission shall conduct a study on matters
relating to improving the viability of dairy farming.
    (b) Recommendations.--The Commission shall develop recommendations
to improve the viability of dairy farming after considering, with
respect to dairy industry--
            (1) farm prices;
            (2) competition;
            (3) leverage;
            (4) stability; and
            (5) concentration in the marketplace.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Commission shall submit to the President and Congress a
report that contains--
            (1) a detailed statement of the findings and conclusions of
        the Commission; and
            (2) the recommendations of the Commission for such
        legislation and administrative actions as the Commission
        considers appropriate.

SEC. 5. POWERS.

    (a) Hearings.--The Commission may hold such hearings, sit and act
at such times and places, take such testimony, and receive such
evidence as the Commission considers advisable to carry out this Act.
    (b) Information From Federal Agencies.--
            (1) In general.--The Commission may secure directly from a
        Federal agency such information as the Commission considers
necessary to carry out this Act.
            (2) Provision of information.--On request of the
        Chairperson of the Commission, the head of the agency shall
        provide the information to the Commission.
    (c) Postal Services.--The Commission may use the United States
mails in the same manner and under the same conditions as other
agencies of the Federal Government.
    (d) Gifts.--The Commission may accept, use, and dispose of gifts or
donations of services or property.

SEC. 6. COMMISSION PERSONNEL MATTERS.

    (a) Compensation of Members.--A member of the Commission shall be
compensated at a rate equal to the daily equivalent of the annual rate
of basic pay prescribed for level IV of the Executive Schedule under
section 5315 of title 5, United States Code, for each day (including
travel time) during which the member is engaged in the performance of
the duties of the Commission.
    (b) Travel Expenses.--A member of the Commission shall be allowed
travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates
authorized for an employee of an agency under subchapter I of chapter
57 of title 5, United States Code, while away from the home or regular
place of business of the member in the performance of the duties of the
Commission.
    (c) Staff.--
            (1) In general.--The Chairperson of the Commission may,
        without regard to the civil service laws (including
        regulations), appoint and terminate an executive director and
        such other additional personnel as are necessary to enable the
        Commission to perform the duties of the Commission.
            (2) Confirmation of executive director.--The employment of
        an executive director shall be subject to confirmation by the
        Commission.
            (3) Compensation.--
                    (A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph
                (B), the Chairperson of the Commission may fix the
                compensation of the executive director and other
                personnel without regard to the provisions of chapter
                51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United
                States Code, relating to classification of positions
                and General Schedule pay rates.
                    (B) Maximum rate of pay.--The rate of pay for the
                executive director and other personnel shall not exceed
                the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule
                under section 5316 of title 5, United States Code.
    (d) Detail of Federal Government Employees.--
            (1) In general.--An employee of the Federal Government may
        be detailed to the Commission without reimbursement.
            (2) Civil service status.--The detail of the employee shall
        be without interruption or loss of civil service status or
        privilege.
    (e) Procurement of Temporary and Intermittent Services.--The
Chairperson of the Commission may procure temporary and intermittent
services in accordance with section 3109(b) of title 5, United States
Code, at rates for individuals that do not exceed the daily equivalent
of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level V of the Executive
Schedule under section 5316 of that title.

SEC. 7. FUNDING.

    The Secretary of Agriculture shall provide to the Commission for
each fiscal year such sums as are necessary to carry out this Act, to
be derived by transfer of a proportionate amount of funds for
administrative expenses from each other account for which funds are
made available to the Department of Agriculture for administrative
expenses for the fiscal year.

SEC. 8. TERMINATION OF COMMISSION.

    The Commission shall terminate 90 days after the date on which the
Commission submits the report of the Commission under section 4(c).

Summary: Dairy Farmer Viability Act - Establishes the Dairy Farmer Viability Commission which shall study and report on matters affecting the viability of dairy farming.

A bill to establish the Dairy Farmer Viability Commission.


SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Farm Relief Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. 2008 CROP DISASTER ASSISTANCE.

    Section 9001 of the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina
Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007 (Public Law
110-28; 121 Stat. 211) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by striking ``There are hereby'' and inserting
                the following:
            ``(1) In general.--There are hereby''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) 2008 crop disaster assistance.--
                    ``(A) In general.--There are hereby appropriated to
                the Secretary such sums as are necessary, to remain
                available until expended, to make emergency financial
                assistance under this section available to producers on
                a farm that incurred qualifying quantity or quality
                losses for the 2008 crop due a natural disaster or any
                related condition, as determined by the Secretary.
                    ``(B) Sugar and sugarcane disaster assistance.--
                            ``(i) Florida.--There are hereby
                        appropriated to the Secretary such sums as are
                        necessary, to remain available until expended,
                        to make payments to processors in Florida that
                        are eligible to obtain a loan under section
                        156(a) of the Federal Agriculture Improvement
                        and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7272(a)) to
                        compensate first processors and producers for
                        crop and other losses due a natural disaster or
                        any related condition, as determined by the
                        Secretary, in Florida during calendar year
                        2008, by an agreement on the same terms and
                        conditions, to the maximum extent practicable,
                        as the payments made under section 102 of the
                        Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for
                        Hurricane Disasters Assistance Act of 2005
                        (Public Law 108-324; 118 Stat. 1235), including
                        that the 2008 base production of each
                        harvesting unit shall be determined using the
                        same base year crop production history that was
                        used pursuant to the agreement under that
                        section.
                            ``(ii) Louisiana.--
                                    ``(I) Compensation for losses.--
                                There are hereby appropriated to the
                                Secretary such sums as are necessary,
                                to remain available until expended, to
                                make assistance available to first
                                processors of sugarcane that operate in
                                a county affected by a natural
                                disaster, or obtain sugarcane from a
                                county affected by a natural disaster,
                                in Louisiana and that are eligible to
                                obtain a loan under section 156(a) of
                                the Federal Agriculture Improvement and
                                Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7272(a)),
                                in the form of monetary payments or
                                commodities in the inventory of the
                                Commodity Credit Corporation derived
                                from carrying out that section, to
                                compensate producers and first
                                processors for crop and other losses
                                due to the natural disaster or any
                                related condition, as determined by the
                                Secretary.
                                    ``(II) Administration.--Assistance
                                under this clause shall be--
                                            ``(aa) shared by an
                                        affected first processor with
                                        affected producers that provide
                                        commodities to the processor in
                                        a manner that reflects
                                        contracts entered into between
                                        the processor and the
                                        producers, except with respect
                                        to a portion of the amount of
                                        total assistance provided under
                                        subclause (I) necessary to
                                        compensate affected producers
                                        for individual losses
                                        experienced by the producers,
                                        including losses due to
                                        saltwater intrusion, flooding,
                                        wind damage, or increased
                                        planting, replanting, or
                                        harvesting costs, which shall
                                        be transferred by the first
                                        processor to the affected
                                        producers without regard to
                                        contractual share arrangements;
                                        and
                                            ``(bb) made available under
                                        such terms and conditions as
                                        the Secretary determines are
                                        necessary to carry out this
                                        clause.
                                    ``(III) Form of assistance.--In
                                carrying out this clause, the Secretary
                                shall--
                                            ``(aa) convey to the first
                                        processor commodities in the
                                        inventory of the Commodity
                                        Credit Corporation derived from
                                        carrying out section 156(a) of
                                        the Federal Agriculture
                                        Improvement and Reform Act of
                                        1996 (7 U.S.C. 7272(a));
                                            ``(bb) make monetary
                                        payments to the first
                                        processor; or
                                            ``(cc) take any combination
                                        of actions described in items
                                        (aa) and (bb), using
                                        commodities or monetary
                                        payments.
                                    ``(IV) Loss determination.--In
                                carrying out this clause, the Secretary
                                shall use the same base year to
                                determine crop loss that was elected by
                                a producer to determine crop loss in
                                carrying out the hurricane assistance
                                program under section 207 of the
                                Agricultural Assistance Act of 2003
                                (Public Law 108-7; 117 Stat. 543).
                            ``(iii) Texas.--There are hereby
                        appropriated to the Secretary such sums as are
                        necessary, to remain available until expended,
                        to assist sugarcane growers in Texas by making
                        a payment in that amount to a farmer-owned
                        cooperative sugarcane processor in that State,
                        for costs of demurrage, storage, and
                        transportation resulting from natural disaster
                        or any related condition during calendar year
                        2008.
                    ``(C) Relation to supplemental agricultural
                disaster assistance program.--A producer on a farm that
                accepts assistance made available under this paragraph
                for a crop loss is not eligible to receive supplemental
                agricultural disaster assistance for that crop loss
                under subtitle B of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7
                U.S.C. 1531) or title IX of the Trade Act of 1974 (19
                U.S.C. 2497 et seq.).''; and
            (2) in subsection (b), by striking ``this section'' each
        place it appears and inserting ``subsection (a)(1)''.

SEC. 3. AQUACULTURE GRANTS.

    (a) Definition of Eligible Applicant.--In this section, the term
``eligible applicant'' means a producer of animals described in section
10806(a)(1) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (21
U.S.C. 321d(a)(1)) during the 2008 calendar year.
    (b) Aquaculture Grants.--Of the funds of the Commodity Credit
Corporation, the Secretary of Agriculture shall use $50,000,000 to
provide grants to appropriate State departments of agriculture (or
other appropriate State agencies) that agree to provide assistance to
eligible applicants through animal feed providers that agree to make
the assistance available on a pro rata basis to eligible applicants
based on documented feed use by the eligible applicants during the 2008
calendar year to help offset feed costs or economic losses caused by
natural disasters.
    (c) Duty of Secretary.--The Secretary shall ensure that--
            (1) funds made available under subsection (b) are
        apportioned in an equitable manner among the States that
        receive funds under this section; and
            (2) assistance is made available based only on documented
        feed use.
    (d) Regulations.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Agriculture may
        promulgate such regulations as are necessary to implement this
        section.
            (2) Procedure.--The promulgation of the regulations and
        administration of this section shall be made without regard
        to--
                    (A) the notice and comment provisions of section
                553 of title 5, United States Code;
                    (B) the Statement of Policy of the Secretary of
                Agriculture effective July 24, 1971 (36 Fed. Reg.
                13804), relating to notices of proposed rulemaking and
                public participation in rulemaking; and
                    (C) chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code
                (commonly known as the ``Paperwork Reduction Act'').
            (3) Congressional review of agency rulemaking.--In carrying
        out this subsection, the Secretary shall use the authority
        provided under section 808 of title 5, United States Code.

Summary: Farm Relief Act of 2008 - Amends the US Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007 to appropriate funds for: (1) emergency financial assistance to producers on a farm that incurred qualifying natural disaster-caused quantity or quality losses for the 2008 crop. (2) certain processors in Florida for natural disaster-caused crop and other losses in 2008. (3) certain first processors of sugarcane that operate in a county affected by a natural disaster or obtain sugarcane from a county affected by a natural disaster in Louisiana. And (4) certain sugarcane growers in Texas for natural disaster-caused demurrage, storage, and transportation costs in 2008. Provides specified Commodity Credit Corporation funds for grants to state departments of agriculture for assistance to eligible catfish producers to help offset natural disaster-caused feed costs or economic losses in 2008.

To require the Secretary of Agriculture to provide crop disaster assistance to agricultural producers that suffered qualifying quantity or quality losses for the 2008 crop year due to a natural disaster.


SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS; AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Mentor Schools
Act''.
    (b) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
            (1) while low-income students have made significant gains
        with respect to educational achievement and attainment,
        considerable gaps still persist for these students in
        comparison to those from more affluent socio-economic
        backgrounds;
            (2) our Nation has a compelling interest in assuring that
        all children receive a high quality education;
            (3) new methods and experiments to revitalize the
        educational achievement of, and opportunities for, low-income
        individuals must be a part of any comprehensive solution to the
        problems in our Nation's educational system;
            (4) successful educational alternatives should be widely
        implemented to better the education of low-income individuals;
            (5) preliminary research shows that same gender schools
        produce promising academic and behavioral improvements in both
        sexes for low-income, educationally disadvantaged students;
            (6) extensive data on same gender schools are needed to
        determine whether same gender schools are closely tailored to
        achieving the compelling government interest in assuring that
        all children are educated to the best of their ability;
            (7) in recent years efforts to experiment with same gender
        schools have been inhibited by lawsuits and threats of lawsuits
        by private groups as well as governmental entities; and
            (8) same gender schools are a legal educational alternative
        to coeducational schools and are not prohibited under the
        regulations under title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
        (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.), as such regulations were in effect on
        the day preceding the date of enactment of this Act, so long
        as--
                    (A) comparable courses, services and facilities are
                available to students of each sex; and
                    (B) the same policies and criteria for admission to
                such schools are used for both sexes.
    (c) Purposes.--It is the purpose of this Act--
            (1) to award grants to local educational agencies for the
        establishment of same gender schools for low-income students;
            (2) to determine whether same gender schools make a
        difference in the educational achievement and opportunities of
        low-income, educationally disadvantaged individuals;
            (3) to improve academic achievement and persistence in
        school; and
            (4) to involve parents in the educational options and
        choices of their children.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    As used in this Act--
            (1) the term ``evaluating agency'' means any academic
        institution, consortium of professionals, or private or
        nonprofit organization, with demonstrated experience in
        conducting evaluations, that is not an agency or
        instrumentality of the Federal Government;
            (2) the term ``mentor school'' means a public elementary
        school or secondary school, or consortium of such schools,
        that--
                    (A)(i) in the case of a public elementary school or
                secondary school, receives funds under this Act; or
                    (ii) in the case of a consortium of such schools,
                all of which receive funds under this Act;
                    (B) develops a plan for, and provides access to--
                            (i) a school for boys;
                            (ii) a school for girls; and
                            (iii) a coeducational school;
                    (C) gives parents the option of choosing to send
                their child to each school described in subparagraph
                (B);
                    (D) admits students on the basis of a lottery, if
                more students apply for admission to a school described
                in clause (i) or (ii) of subparagraph (B) that can be
                accommodated;
                    (E) operates, as part of the educational program of
                a school described in clause (i) or (ii) of
                subparagraph (B), a one-to-one mentoring program that--
                            (i) involves members from the community
                        served by such school as volunteer mentors;
                            (ii) pairs an adult member of such
                        community with a student of the same gender as
                        such member; and
                            (iii) involves the collaboration of one or
                        more community groups with experience in
                        mentoring or other relationship development
                        activities; and
                    (F) operates in pursuit of improving achievement
                among all children based on a specific set of
                educational objectives determined by the local
                educational agency applying for a grant under this
                part, in conjunction with the mentor school advisory
                board established under section 3(d), and agreed to by
                the Secretary;
            (3) the term ``mentor school advisory board'' means an
        advisory board established in accordance with section 3(d); and
            (4) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of
        Education.

SEC. 3. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

    (a) Authority.--
            (1) In general.--From amounts made available under section
        7, the Secretary is authorized to award grants to not more than
        100 local educational agencies for the planning and operation
        of one or more mentor schools.
            (2) Eligible local educational agencies.--The Secretary
        shall only award a grant under paragraph (1) to a local
        educational agency that--
                    (A) receives funds under section 1124A of the
                Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
                U.S.C. 6334); and
                    (B) is among the 20 percent of local educational
                agencies receiving funds under section 1124A (20 U.S.C.
                6334) of such Act in the State that have the highest
                number of children described in section 1124(c) (20
                U.S.C. 6333(c)) of such Act.
    (b) Grant Periods.--Each grant under subsection (a) may be awarded
for a period of not more than 5 years, of which a local educational
agency may use not more than 1 year for planning and program
development for a mentor school.
    (c) Limitation.--The Secretary shall not award more than 1 grant
under this Act to support a particular mentor school.
    (d) Mentor School Advisory Board.--Each local educational agency
receiving a grant under this Act shall establish a mentor school
advisory board. Such advisory board shall be composed of school
administrators, parents, teachers, local government officials and
volunteers involved with a mentor school. Such advisory board shall
assist the local educational agency in developing the application for
assistance under section 4 and serve as an advisory board in the
functioning of the mentor school.
    (e) Alternative Teaching Certificates.--Each local educational
agency operating a mentor school under this Act is encouraged to employ
teachers with alternative teaching certificates, including participants
in the program assisted under section 1151 of title 10, United States
Code (Troops to Teachers Program).

SEC. 4. APPLICATIONS.

    (a) Applications Required.--Each local educational agency desiring
a grant under this Act shall submit an application to the Secretary at
such time, in such manner and accompanied by such information as the
Secretary may reasonably require.
    (b) Application Contents.--Each application described in subsection
(a) shall include--
            (1) a description of the educational program to be
        implemented by the proposed mentor school, including--
                    (A) the grade levels or ages of children to be
                served; and
                    (B) the curriculum and instructional practices to
                be used;
            (2) a description of the objectives of the local
        educational agency for the mentor school and a description of
        how such agency intends to monitor and study the progress of
        children participating in the mentor school;
            (3) a description of how the local educational agency
        intends to include in the mentor school administrators,
        teaching personnel, and role models from the private sector;
            (4) a description of how school administrators, parents,
        teachers, local government and volunteers will be involved in
        the design and implementation of the mentor school;
            (5) a description of the one-to-one mentoring program
        required by section 2(2)(E);
            (6) a description of how the local educational agency or
        the State, as appropriate, will provide for continued operation
        of the mentor school once the Federal grant has expired, if
        such agency determines that such school is successful;
            (7) a description of how the grant funds will be used;
            (8) a description of how students in attendance at the
        mentor school, or in the community served by such school, will
        be--
                    (A) informed about such school; and
                    (B) informed about the fact that admission to a
                school described in section 2(2)(B) is completely
                voluntary;
            (9) a description of how grant funds provided under this
        Act will be used in conjunction with funds provided to the
        local educational agency under any other program administered
        by the Secretary;
            (10) an assurance that the local educational agency will
        annually provide the Secretary such information as the
        Secretary may require to determine
         if the mentor school is making satisfactory progress toward
achieving the objectives described in paragraph (2);
            (11) an assurance that the local educational agency will
        cooperate with the Secretary in evaluating the program
        authorized by this Act;
            (12) an assurance that resources provided under this Act
        shall be used equally for schools for boys and for schools for
        girls;
            (13) an assurance that the activities assisted under this
        Act will not have an adverse affect, on either sex, that is
        caused by--
                    (A) the quality of facilities for boys and for
                girls;
                    (B) the nature of the curriculum for boys and for
                girls;
                    (C) program activities for boys and for girls; and
                    (D) instruction for boys and for girls; and
            (14) such other information and assurances as the Secretary
        may require.

SEC. 5. SELECTION OF GRANTEES.

    The Secretary shall award grants under this Act on the basis of the
quality of the applications submitted under section 4, taking into
consideration such factors as--
            (1) the quality of the proposed curriculum and
        instructional practices for the mentor school;
            (2) the organizational structure and management of the
        mentor school;
            (3) the quality of the plan for assessing the progress made
        by students served by a mentor school over the period of the
        grant;
            (4) the extent of community support for the application;
            (5) the likelihood that the mentor school will meet the
        objectives of such school and improve educational results for
        students; and
            (6) the assurances submitted pursuant to section 4(b)(13).

SEC. 6. EVALUATION.

    (a) In General.--From the amount appropriated under section 7 for
each fiscal year, the Secretary shall make available to the Comptroller
General 1 percent of such amount to enable the Comptroller General to
enter into a contract with an evaluating agency for the evaluation of
the mentor schools program under this Act. Such evaluation shall
measure the academic competence and social development of students
attending mentor schools, including school attendance levels, student
achievement levels, drop out rates, college admissions, incidences of
teenage pregnancy, and incidences of incarceration.
    (b) Report.--The evaluating agency entering into the contract
described in subsection (a) shall submit a report to the Congress not
later than September 30, 2002, regarding the results of the evaluation
conducted in accordance with such subsection.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated
$300,000,000 for fiscal year 1996 and such sums as may be necessary for
each of the fiscal years 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000 to carry out this
Act.
    (b) Availability.--Funds appropriated under subsection (a) shall
remain available until expended.

Summary: Mentor Schools Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to not more than 100 eligible local educational agencies for the planning and operation of one or more mentor schools. Prohibits the Secretary from awarding more than one such grant to support a particular mentor school. Requires each local educational agency receiving such a grant to establish a mentor school advisory board. Encourages each local educational agency operating such a mentor school to employ teachers with alternative teaching certificates, including participants in the Troops to Teachers Program. Sets forth requirements for: (1) applications, (2) selection of grantees. And (3) non-Federal evaluating agencies' evaluations and reports . Authorizes appropriations.

Mentor Schools Act


SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Ensuring Quality in the Unemployment
Insurance Program (EQUIP) Act''.

SEC. 2. DRUG SCREENING MADE A CONDITION OF BENEFIT RECEIPT.

    (a) In General.--Section 303 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
503) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(l)(1) For purposes of subsection (a), the State law (as defined
in section 205 of the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation
Act of 1970 (26 U.S.C. 3304 note)) of a State shall provide the
following:
            ``(A) No regular compensation may be paid to an applicant
        for such compensation with respect to a benefit year unless,
        before the receipt of any such compensation--
                    ``(i) the applicant has completed a substance abuse
                risk assessment for such benefit year; and
                    ``(ii) subject to subparagraph (B), if the State
                determines based on the results of such assessment that
                the applicant is a high-risk applicant, not later than
                1 week after the results of the assessment are
                determined, the applicant tests negative for controlled
                substances.
            ``(B) If a high-risk applicant tests positive for any
        controlled substance--
                    ``(i) if such test result is the first positive
                test result for such applicant in the benefit year--
                            ``(I) no regular compensation may be paid
                        to such applicant for a period of 30 days
                        beginning on the date that such test result is
                        determined; and
                            ``(II) no regular compensation may be paid
                        to such applicant during the remainder of such
                        benefit year unless the applicant tests
                        negative for controlled substances at the end
                        of such period;
                    ``(ii) if such test result is not the first
                positive test result for such applicant in the benefit
                year, no regular compensation may be paid to such
                applicant during the remainder of such benefit year.
            ``(C) A high-risk applicant receiving benefits with respect
        to a benefit year shall be subject to testing for controlled
        substances by the State at any time during the benefit year,
        with limited notice provided to the applicant of such testing.
            ``(D) A high-risk applicant who is tested for controlled
        substances under--
                    ``(i) subparagraph (A) or (C) shall be responsible
                for the cost of such test if the individual tests
                positive for any such substance; and
                    ``(ii) subparagraph (B)(i)(II) shall be responsible
                for the cost of such test.
    ``(2) For purposes of this subsection--
            ``(A) the term `benefit year' means the benefit year as
        defined in the applicable State law;
            ``(B) the term `controlled substance'--
                    ``(i) means a drug or other substance selected by
                the State to be included in drug testing under this
                subsection; and
                    ``(ii) does not include any drug or other substance
                used by the applicant pursuant to a valid prescription
                or as otherwise authorized by law;
            ``(C) the term `high-risk applicant', with respect to a
        benefit year, means an individual who is determined by the
        State to have a high risk of substance abuse based on the
        results of a substance abuse risk assessment administered under
        paragraph (1)(A)(i); and
            ``(D) the term `substance abuse risk assessment' means a
        screening instrument, approved by the Director of the National
        Institutes of Health, designed to determine whether an
        individual has a high risk of substance abuse.''.
    (b) No Merit Staffing Requirements.--Section 303(a)(1) of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 503(a)(1)) shall not be construed in
such a manner as to apply the merit staffing requirements in section
900.603 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on
October 1, 2011, to the implementation of section 303(l) of such Act
(as amended by subsection (a)).
    (c) Funding for Substance Abuse Testing.--
            (1) Funding from ipab.--Section 1899A(m) of the Social
        Security Act is amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), in the matter preceding
                subparagraph (A), by striking ``to the Board to carry''
                and inserting ``for the purposes of carrying out
                section 303(l), and, if any funds remain in the fiscal
                year involved, for the Board for the purpose of
                carrying''; and
                    (B) by striking paragraph (2).
            (2) Funding from the co-op program.--Section 1322(g) of the
        Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is amended by
        striking ``to carry out this section.'' and inserting ``to
        carry out section 303(l) of the Social Security Act, to the
        extent funds are necessary to carry out such section after the
        application of section 1899A(m)(1) of such Act.''.
    (d) Effective Date.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the
        amendment made by subsection (a) shall take effect on the date
        that is 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
            (2) Delay permitted if legislation pending.--If a State
        applies to the Secretary of Labor to delay implementation of
        the requirements of section 303(l) of the Social Security Act
        (42 U.S.C. 503(l)) on the grounds that legislation to implement
        such requirements is pending in the State legislature on the
        date that is 180 days after the date of the enactment of this
        Act, the Secretary shall not refuse certification for payment
        to the State under section 302 of such Act solely on the basis
        of the failure of the State to implement such requirements
        before such date.

Summary: Ensuring Quality in the Unemployment Insurance Program (EQUIP) Act - Amends title III of the Social Security Act (SSA) to require state unemployment compensation (UC) laws to require, as a condition of UC eligibility for a benefit year, an applicant, before receiving any UC, to: (1) complete a substance abuse risk assessment. And (2) test negative for controlled substances within one week after the results of such assessment if the state determines that the applicant is a high-risk. Prescribes retesting requirements and UC payment suspensions for applicants who test positive. Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare) and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to provide funding for such substance abuse testing out of current funds appropriated for the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) and, after application of those funds, for the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP) program.

To amend title III of the Social Security Act to require a substance abuse risk assessment and targeted drug testing as a condition for the receipt of unemployment benefits, and for other purposes.


SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Promoting Human Rights by Ending
Israeli Military Detention of Palestinian Children Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Israel ratified the Convention on the Rights of the
        Child on October 3, 1991, which states--
                    (A) in article 37(a), that ``no child shall be
                subject to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading
                treatment or punishment'';
                    (B) in article 37(b), that the arrest, detention or
                imprisonment of a child ``shall be used only as a
                measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate
                period of time'';
                    (C) in article 37(c), that ``every child deprived
                of liberty shall be treated with humanity and respect
                for the inherent dignity of the human person, and in a
                manner which takes into account the needs of persons of
                his or her age''; and
                    (D) in article 37(d), that ``[e]very child deprived
                of his or her liberty shall have the right to prompt
                access to legal and other appropriate assistance, as
                well as the right to challenge the legality of the
                deprivation of his or her liberty before a court or
                other competent, independent and impartial authority,
                and to a prompt decision on any such action''.
            (2) In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, there are two
        separate legal systems, with Israeli military law imposed on
        Palestinians and Israeli civilian law applied to Israeli
        settlers.
            (3) The Israeli military detains around 500 to 700
        Palestinian children between the ages of 12 and 17 each year
        and prosecutes them before a military court system that lacks
        basic and fundamental guarantees of due process in violation of
        international standards.
            (4) Approximately 2,700,000 Palestinians live in the West
        Bank, of which around 47 percent are children under the age of
        18, who live under military occupation, the constant fear of
        arrest, detention, and violence by the Israeli military, and
        the threat of recruitment by armed groups.
            (5) Since 2000, an estimated 10,000 Palestinian children
        have been detained by Israeli security forces in the West Bank
        and prosecuted in the Israeli military court system.
            (6) Children under the age of 12 cannot be prosecuted in
        Israeli military courts. However, Israeli military forces
        detain children under the age of 12 and question them, for
        several hours, before releasing them to their families or to
        Palestinian authorities.
            (7) Human Rights Watch documented, in a July 2015 report
        titled ``Israel: Security Forces Abuse Palestinian Children'',
        that such detentions also included the use of chokeholds,
        beatings, and coercive interrogation on children between the
        ages of 11 and 15 years.
            (8) The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) concluded,
        in a February 2013 report titled ``Children in Israeli Military
        Detention'', that the ``ill-treatment of children who come in
        contact with the military detention system appears to be
        widespread, systematic and institutionalized throughout the
        process, from the moment of arrest until the child's
        prosecution and eventual conviction and sentencing''.
            (9) The 2013 UNICEF report further determines that the
        Israeli system of military detention of Palestinian children
        profoundly deviates from international norms, stating that ``in
        no other country are children systematically tried by juvenile
        military courts that, by definition, fall short of providing
        the necessary guarantees to ensure respect for their rights''.
            (10) UNICEF also released reports in October 2013 and
        February 2015 noting that Israeli authorities have, since March
        2013, issued new military orders and taken steps to reinforce
        existing military and police standard operating procedures
        relating to the detention of Palestinian children. However, the
        reports still found continued and persistent evidence of ill-
        treatment of Palestinian children detained by Israeli forces.
            (11) In 2013, the annual Country Report on Human Rights
        Practices for Israel and the Occupied Territories (``Annual
        Report'') published by the Department of State noted that
        Israeli security services continued to abuse, and in some cases
        torture minors, frequently arrested on suspicion of stone-
        throwing, in order to coerce confessions. The torture tactics
        used included threats, intimidation, long-term handcuffing,
        beatings, and solitary confinement.
            (12) The 2013 Annual Report also stated that ``signed
        confessions by Palestinian minors, written in Hebrew, a
        language most could not read, continued to be used as evidence
        against them in Israeli military courts''.
            (13) The 2016 Annual Report noted a ``significant increase
        in detentions of minors'' in 2016, and that ``Israeli
        authorities continued to use confessions signed by Palestinian
        minors, written in Hebrew.'' It also highlighted the renewed
        use of ``administrative detention'' against Palestinians,
        including children, a practice in which a detainee may be held
        indefinitely, without charge or trial, by the order of a
        military commander or other government official.
            (14) The nongovernmental organization Defense for Children
        International Palestine collected affidavits from 429 West Bank
        children who were detained between 2012 and 2015, and concluded
        that--
                    (A) three-quarters of the children endured physical
                violence following arrest;
                    (B) under Israeli military law, children do not
                have the right to a lawyer during interrogation;
                    (C) 97 percent of the children did not have a
                parent present during their interrogation;
                    (D) 84 percent of the children were not properly
                informed of their rights by Israeli police;
                    (E) interrogators used stress positions, threats of
                violence, and isolation to coerce confessions from
                detained children; and
                    (F) 66 children were held in pre-trial, pre-charge
                isolation for interrogation purposes for an average
                period of 13 days.
            (15) Amendments to Israeli military law concerning the
        detention of Palestinian children have had little to no impact
        on the treatment of children during the first 24 to 48 hours
        after an arrest, when the majority of their ill-treatment
        occurs.
            (16) In 2002, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of
        the Child, which monitors implementation of the Convention on
        the Rights of the Child, reviewed Israel's compliance with the
        Convention and expressed serious concern regarding
        ``allegations and complaints of inhuman or degrading practices
        and of torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian children''
        during arrest, interrogation, and detention.
            (17) In 2013, the Committee declared that Palestinian
        children arrested by Israeli forces ``continue to be
        systematically subject to degrading treatment, and often to
        acts of torture'' and that Israel had ``fully disregarded'' the
        previous recommendations of the Committee to comply with
        international law.

SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to promote and protect the human rights
of Palestinian children and to ensure that United States taxpayer funds
shall not be used to support the military detention of Palestinian
children.

SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that the detention and prosecution of
Palestinian children in a military court system by the Government of
Israel--
            (1) violates international law and internationally
        recognized standards of human rights;
            (2) is contrary to the values of the American people and
        the efforts of the United States to support equality, human
        rights, and dignity for both Palestinians and Israelis;
            (3) undermines efforts by the United States to achieve a
        just and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians; and
            (4) should be terminated and replaced with a juvenile
        justice system in which Israeli authorities do not discriminate
        between the treatment of Israeli and Palestinian children and
        that adheres to internationally recognized standards of human
        rights and obligations.

SEC. 5. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States not to support the military
detention of Palestinian children, a practice that results in
widespread and systematic human rights violations against Palestinian
child detainees and is inconsistent with the values of the United
States.

SEC. 6. PROHIBITION ON UNITED STATES FUNDS TO SUPPORT MILITARY
              DETENTION OF PALESTINIAN CHILDREN.

    (a) Prohibition.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none
of the funds authorized to be appropriated for assistance to Israel may
be used to support the military detention, interrogation, abuse, or
ill-treatment of Palestinian children in violation of international
humanitarian law or to support the use against Palestinian children of
any of the following practices:
            (1) Torture or cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment.
            (2) Physical violence, including restraint in stress
        positions.
            (3) Hooding, sensory deprivation, death threats, or other
        forms of psychological abuse.
            (4) Incommunicado detention or solitary confinement.
            (5) Administrative detention, as described in section
        2(13).
            (6) Denial of access to parents or legal counsel during
        interrogations.
            (7) Confessions obtained by force or coercion.
    (b) Certification.--Not later than October 15, 2018, and annually
thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit to the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate--
            (1) a certification that none of the funds obligated or
        expended in the previous fiscal year for assistance to the
        Government of Israel have been used by such Government to
        support personnel, training, lethal materials, equipment,
        facilities, logistics, transportation or any other activity
        that supports or is associated with any of the activities
        prohibited under subsection (a); or
            (2) if the Secretary cannot make such a certification, a
        report describing in detail the amount of such funds used by
        the Government of Israel in violation of subsection (a) and
        each activity supported by such funds.
    (c) Additional Matter in Existing Reports.--The Secretary of State
shall include, in each report required under section 116 of the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151n), a description of the nature
and extent of detention, interrogation, abuse, or ill-treatment of
Palestinian children by Israeli military forces or police in violation
of international humanitarian law.

Summary: Promoting Human Rights by Ending Israeli Military Detention of Palestinian Children Act This bill prohibits US assistance to Israel from being used to support the military detention, interrogation, or ill-treatment of Palestinian children in violation of international humanitarian law or the use against Palestinian children of: (1) torture, inhumane, or degrading treatment, (2) physical violence or psychological abuse, (3) incommunicado or administrative detention, (4) solitary confinement, (5) denial of parental or legal access during interrogations. Or (6) force or coercion to obtain a confession. The Department of State shall annually submit to Congress: (1) a certification that none of the funds obligated or expended in the previous fiscal year for assistance to Israel have been used to support any of such activities. Or (2) if the State Department cannot make such certification, a report describing each activity and the amount of funds used by Israel in violation of this bill. The State Department shall include in each annual report on the barring of development assistance to a country that engages in human rights violations a description of the nature and extent of detention, interrogation, or ill-treatment of Palestinian children by Israeli military forces or police in violation of international humanitarian law.


SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Save Our Seas Act of 2017'' or the
``SOS Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. NOAA MARINE DEBRIS PROGRAM.

    Subsection (b) of section 3 of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C.
1952(b)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (4), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (5)(C), by striking the period at the end
        and inserting a semicolon; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(6) work with other Federal agencies to develop outreach
        and education strategies to address both land- and sea-based
        sources of marine debris; and
            ``(7) work with the Department of State and other Federal
        agencies to promote international action to reduce the
        incidence of marine debris.''.

SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE FOR SEVERE MARINE DEBRIS EVENTS.

    Section 3 of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1952) is amended by
adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) Assistance for Severe Marine Debris Events.--
            ``(1) In general.--At the discretion of the Administrator
        or at the request of the Governor of an affected State, the
        Administrator shall determine whether there is a severe marine
        debris event.
            ``(2) Assistance.--
                    ``(A) In general.--If the Administrator makes a
                determination under paragraph (1) that there is a
                severe marine debris event, the Administrator is
                authorized to make sums available to be used by the
                affected State or by the Administrator in cooperation
                with the affected State--
                            ``(i) to assist in the cleanup and response
                        required by the severe marine debris event; or
                            ``(ii) such other activity as the
                        Administrator determines is appropriate in
                        response to the severe marine debris event.
                    ``(B) Priority assistance.--In providing assistance
                under this paragraph, the Administrator shall
                prioritize assistance for activities to respond to a
                severe marine debris event--
                            ``(i) in a rural or remote community; or
                            ``(ii) in a habitat of national concern.
            ``(3) Funding.--
                    ``(A) Federal share.--The Federal share of the cost
                of an activity carried out under the authority of this
                subsection shall be--
                            ``(i) if the activity is funded wholly by
                        funds made available by an entity, including
                        the government of a foreign country, to the
                        Federal Government for the purpose of
                        responding to a severe marine debris event, 100
                        percent of the cost of the activity; or
                            ``(ii) for any activity other than an
                        activity funded as described in clause (i), 75
                        percent of the cost of the activity.
                    ``(B) Limitation on administrative expenses.--In
                the case of an activity funded as described in
                subparagraph (A)(i), not more than 5 percent of the
                funds made available for the activity may be used by
                the Administrator for administrative expenses.''.

SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT TO RESPOND TO
              MARINE DEBRIS.

    It is the sense of Congress that the President should--
            (1) support Federal funding for research and development of
        bio-based and other alternatives or environmentally feasible
        improvements to materials that reduce municipal solid waste and
        its consequences in the ocean;
            (2) work with representatives of foreign countries that
        contribute the most to the global marine debris problem to
        learn about, and find solutions to, the contributions of such
        countries to marine debris in the world's oceans;
            (3) carry out studies to determine--
                    (A) the primary means by which solid waste enters
                the oceans;
                    (B) the manner in which waste management
                infrastructure can be most effective in preventing
                debris from reaching the oceans;
                    (C) the long-term economic impacts of marine debris
                on the national economies of each country set out in
                paragraph (1) and on the global economy; and
                    (D) the economic benefits of decreasing the amount
                of marine debris in the oceans;
            (4) work with representatives of foreign countries that
        contribute the most to the global marine debris problem,
        including land-based sources, to conclude one or more new
        international agreements that include provisions--
                    (A) to mitigate the risk of land-based marine
                debris contributed by such countries reaching an ocean;
                and
                    (B) to increase technical assistance and investment
                in waste management infrastructure, if the President
                determines appropriate; and
            (5) encourage the United States Trade Representative to
        consider the impact of marine debris in relevant future trade
        agreements.

SEC. 5. MEMBERSHIP OF THE INTERAGENCY MARINE DEBRIS COORDINATING
              COMMITTEE.

    Section 5(b) of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1954(b)) is
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (4), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a
        semicolon;
            (2) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (7); and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
            ``(5) the Department of State;
            ``(6) the Department of the Interior; and''.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 9 of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1958) is amended to
read as follows:

``SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated for each fiscal year 2018
through 2022--
            ``(1) to the Administrator for carrying out sections 3, 5,
        and 6, $10,000,000, of which no more than 10 percent may be for
        administrative costs; and
            ``(2) to the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast
        Guard is operating, for the use of the Commandant of the Coast
        Guard in carrying out section 4, $2,000,000, of which no more
        than 10 percent may be used for administrative costs.''.

Summary: Save Our Seas Act of 2017 or the SOS Act of 2017 This bill amends the Marine Debris Act to revise the Marine Debris Program to require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to work with: (1) other agencies to address both land- and sea-based sources of marine debris, and (2) the Department of State and other agencies to promote international action to reduce the incidence of marine debris. The bill also revises the program by allowing NOAA to make sums available for assisting in the cleanup and response required by severe marine debris events. NOAA must prioritize assistance for activities that respond to a severe marine debris event in: (1) a rural or remote community, or (2) a habitat of national concern. The bill urges the President to: (1) work with foreign countries that contribute the most to the global marine debris problem in order to find a solution to the problem. (2) study issues related to marine debris, including the economic impacts of marine debris. And (3) encourage the Office of the US Trade Representative to consider the impact of marine debris in relevant future trade agreements. The Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee must expand to include a senior official from the State Department or from the Department of the Interior. This bill reauthorizes for FY2018-FY2022: (1) the Marine Debris Program, (2) an information clearinghouse on marine debris, and (3) enforcement of laws about discarded marine debris from ships.

Save Our Seas Act of 2017


SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Inspector General Act Amendments of
2001''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION OF CASH BONUS OR AWARDS.

    Section 3 of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) An Inspector General (as defined under section 8G(a)(6) or
11(3)) may not receive any cash award or cash bonus, including any cash
award under chapter 45 of title 5, United States Code.''.

SEC. 3. EXTERNAL REVIEWS.

    (a) In General.--Section 4 of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5
U.S.C. App.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e)(1)(A) Not less than every 3 years an external review shall be
conducted of each Office (as defined under section 8G(a)(5) or 11(4)).
    ``(B) The Inspector General of each Office as defined under section
8G(a)(5) or 11(4) shall arrange with the General Accounting Office or
an appropriate private entity for the conduct of the review.
    ``(C) If an Inspector General contracts with a private entity for a
review under this subsection, the private entity shall be contracted in
accordance with section 303 of the Federal Property and Administrative
Services Act of 1949 (41 U.S.C. 253).
    ``(2) At a minimum, an external review under this subsection shall
evaluate whether the Office properly manages and controls--
            ``(A) contracts awarded by the Office, including a
        determination of whether--
                    ``(i) procedures used to procure contracts are in
                accordance with applicable laws and regulations; and
                    ``(ii) costs incurred are reasonable and allowable
                under the terms of each contract;
            ``(B) appropriated funds, including a determination of
        whether training and travel funds are expended in accordance
        with applicable laws and regulations; and
            ``(C) personnel actions, including a determination of
        whether hiring and promotion practices used and performance
        awards issued are in accordance with applicable laws and
        regulations.
    ``(3) Not later than 30 calendar days after the completion of an
external review, a report of the results shall be submitted to the head
of the establishment and simultaneously to the appropriate committees
or subcommittees of the Congress.''.
    (b) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The section heading for
section 4 of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is
amended to read as follows:

    ``duties and responsibilities; report of criminal violations to
                 attorney general; external reviews''.

SEC. 4. ANNUAL REPORTS.

    (a) In General.--Section 5(a) of the Inspector General Act of 1978
(5 U.S.C. App.) is amended--
            (1) by striking the first sentence and inserting ``Each
        Inspector General shall, not later than October 31 of each
        year, prepare an annual report summarizing the activities and
        accomplishments of the Office during the immediately preceding
        12-month period ending September 30.'';
            (2) by striking paragraphs (1) through (12) and inserting
        the following:
            ``(1) a summary of the program areas within the
        establishment identified by the Inspector General as high risk
        because of vulnerabilities to waste, fraud, abuse, and
        mismanagement;
            ``(2) a description of the most significant audits,
        investigations (administrative, civil, and criminal), and
        evaluations and inspections completed during the reporting
        period;
            ``(3) a summary of each report made to the head of the
        establishment under section 6(b)(2) during the reporting
        period;
            ``(4) a table showing--
                    ``(A)(i) the total number of final audit reports
                issued by the Office of Inspector General; and
                    ``(ii) the financial benefits associated with the
                reports segregated by category, such as budget
                reductions, costs avoided, questioned costs, and
                revenue enhancements; and
                    ``(B) corrective actions taken and program
                improvements made during the reporting period in
                response to either an Office of Inspector General audit
                finding or recommendation (excluding any recommendation
                included under subparagraph (A) with respect to such
                corrective actions);
            ``(5) a table showing--
                    ``(A) the judicial and administrative actions
                associated with investigations conducted by the Office
                of Inspector General;
                    ``(B) the number of--
                            ``(i) cases referred for criminal
                        prosecution, civil remedies, or administrative
                        actions;
                            ``(ii) cases presented but declined for
                        prosecution, segregated by criminal and civil;
                            ``(iii) cases accepted for prosecution
                        (both Federal and State), segregated by
                        criminal and civil;
                            ``(iv) defendants indicted;
                            ``(v) defendants convicted;
                            ``(vi) defendants acquitted or charges
                        dismissed after indictment;
                            ``(vii) defendants sentenced to terms of
                        imprisonment;
                            ``(viii) defendants sentenced to terms of
                        probation; and
                            ``(ix) suspensions, disbarments,
                        exclusions, sanctions, or some other similar
                        administrative action; and
                    ``(C) the total amount of fines, restitutions, and
                recoveries;
            ``(6) a description of the organization and management
        structure of the Office of Inspector General, including--
                    ``(A) an organization chart showing the major
                components of the Office;
                    ``(B) a statistical table showing the number of
                authorized full-time equivalent positions segregated by
                component and by headquarters and field office; and
                    ``(C) the amount of funding received in prior and
                current fiscal years;
            ``(7) a table showing--
                    ``(A) the number of contracts, and associated
                dollar value, awarded on a noncompetitive basis by the
                Office of Inspector General; and
                    ``(B) with respect to any individual contract
                valued over $100,000, awarded on a noncompetitive
                basis--
                            ``(i) the name of the contractor;
                            ``(ii) statement of work;
                            ``(iii) the time period of the contract;
                        and
                            ``(iv) the dollar amount of the contract;
            ``(8)(A) a summary of each audit report issued in previous
        reporting periods for which no management decision has been
        made by the end of the reporting period (including the date and
        title of each such report);
            ``(B) an explanation of the reasons such management
        decision has not been made; and
            ``(C) a statement concerning the desired timetable for
        achieving a management decision on each such report;'';
            (3) by redesignating paragraph (13) as paragraph (9);
            (4) in paragraph (9) (as redesignated by paragraph (3) of
        this subsection)--
                    (A) by striking ``section 05(b)'' and inserting
                ``section 804(b)''; and
                    (B) by striking the period and inserting ``; and'';
                and
            (5) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(10) any other information that the Inspector General
        determines appropriate to include in the annual report.''.
    (b) Semiannual Reports.--Section 5 of the Inspector General Act of
1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (f) as subsection (g); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (e) the following:
    ``(f)(1) Subject to paragraph (4), in addition to any annual report
required to be furnished and transmitted under subsection (b), an
Inspector General shall prepare and submit a report described under
paragraph (2) to--
            ``(A) the applicable congressional committee, if the
        chairman or ranking member of a congressional committee with
        appropriate jurisdiction submits a written request to such
        Inspector General; or
            ``(B) to the Comptroller General of the United States if
        the Comptroller General submits a written request to such
        Inspector General.
    ``(2) A report referred to under paragraph (1) shall--
            ``(A) contain the information required for an annual report
        under subsection (a); and
            ``(B) summarize the activities of the Office during the 6-
        month period ending on March 31 of the calendar year following
        the date on which the request is made.
    ``(3) A report under this subsection shall be submitted on April 30
of the calendar year following the date on which the request is made.
    ``(4) An Inspector General shall not be required to submit a report
under this subsection if the written request for such report is
submitted to the Inspector General after November 30 of the calendar
year preceding the date on which the report is otherwise required to be
submitted to a congressional committee or the Comptroller General.''.
    (c) Submission of Other Reports.--Nothing in the amendments made by
this section shall be construed to limit an Inspector General from
submitting any report containing in whole or part information required
in an annual or semiannual report furnished and transmitted under
section 5 of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) to the
Congress more frequently than on an annual or semiannual basis.
    (d) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Section 4(a)(2) of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5
        U.S.C. App.) is amended by striking ``semiannual'' and
        inserting ``annual''.
            (2) Section 5 of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5
        U.S.C. App.) is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (b)--
                            (i) by striking ``Semiannual'' and
                        inserting ``Annual''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``April 30 and''; and
                    (B) in subsection (c)--
                            (i) in the first sentence by striking
                        ``semiannual'' and inserting ``annual''; and
                            (ii) in the second sentence by striking
                        ``semiannual'' and inserting ``annual''.
            (3) Section 8(f) of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5
        U.S.C. App.) is amended by striking ``semiannual'' and
        inserting ``annual''.

SEC. 5. INSPECTORS GENERAL AT LEVEL III OF EXECUTIVE SCHEDULE.

    (a) Level IV Positions.--Section 5315 of title 5, United States
Code, is amended by striking each item relating to the following
positions:
            (1) Inspector General, Department of Education.
            (2) Inspector General, Department of Energy.
            (3) Inspector General, Department of Health and Human
        Services.
            (4) Inspector General, Department of Agriculture.
            (5) Inspector General, Department of Housing and Urban
        Development.
            (6) Inspector General, Department of Labor.
            (7) Inspector General, Department of Transportation.
            (8) Inspector General, Department of Veterans Affairs.
            (9) Inspector General, Department of Defense.
            (10) Inspector General, United States Information Agency.
            (11) Inspector General, Department of State.
            (12) Inspector General, Department of Commerce.
            (13) Inspector General, Department of the Interior.
            (14) Inspector General, Department of Justice.
            (15) Inspector General, Department of the Treasury.
            (16) Inspector General, Agency for International
        Development.
            (17) Inspector General, Environmental Protection Agency.
            (18) Inspector General, Federal Emergency Management
        Agency.
            (19) Inspector General, General Services Administration.
            (20) Inspector General, National Aeronautics and Space
        Administration.
            (21) Inspector General, Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
            (22) Inspector General, Office of Personnel Management.
            (23) Inspector General, Railroad Retirement Board.
            (24) Inspector General, Small Business Administration.
            (25) Inspector General, Federal Deposit Insurance
        Corporation.
            (26) Inspector General, Resolution Trust Corporation.
            (27) Inspector General, Central Intelligence Agency.
            (28) Inspector General, Social Security Administration.
            (29) Inspector General, United States Postal Service.
    (b) Level III Positions.--Section 5314 of title 5, United States
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``Inspector General, Department of Education.
            ``Inspector General, Department of Energy.
            ``Inspector General, Department of Health and Human
        Services.
            ``Inspector General, Department of Agriculture.
            ``Inspector General, Department of Housing and Urban
        Development.
            ``Inspector General, Department of Labor.
            ``Inspector General, Department of Transportation.
            ``Inspector General, Department of Veterans Affairs.
            ``Inspector General, Department of Defense.
            ``Inspector General, Department of State.
            ``Inspector General, Department of Commerce.
            ``Inspector General, Department of the Interior.
            ``Inspector General, Department of Justice.
            ``Inspector General, Department of the Treasury.
            ``Inspector General, Agency for International Development.
            ``Inspector General, Corporation for Community and National
        Service.
            ``Inspector General, Environmental Protection Agency.
            ``Inspector General, Federal Emergency Management Agency.
            ``Inspector General, General Services Administration.
            ``Inspector General, National Aeronautics and Space
        Administration.
            ``Inspector General, Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
            ``Inspector General, Office of Personnel Management.
            ``Inspector General, Railroad Retirement Board.
            ``Inspector General, Small Business Administration.
            ``Inspector General, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
            ``Inspector General, Central Intelligence Agency.
            ``Inspector General, Social Security Administration.
            ``Inspector General, United States Postal Service.''.
    (c) Savings Provision.--Nothing in this section shall have the
effect of reducing the rate of pay of any individual serving as an
Inspector General on the effective date of this section.

SEC. 6. STUDY AND REPORT ON CONSOLIDATION OF INSPECTOR GENERAL OFFICES.

    (a) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall--
            (1) develop criteria for determining whether the
        consolidation of Federal Inspector General offices would be
        cost-efficient and in the public interest; and
            (2) conduct a study of Federal Inspector General offices
        using the criteria developed under paragraph (1) to determine
        whether any such offices should be consolidated.
    (b) Report to Congress.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit a report to
the Congress containing recommendations for any legislative action,
based on the study conducted under subsection (a).

Summary: Inspector General Act Amendments of 2001 - Amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 to prohibit the receipt of any cash award or cash bonus by an Inspector General. Provides for an external review of the Office of Inspector General (Office) for specified Federal agencies at least every three years by the General Accounting Office or a private entity. Changes the semiannual Office activities report to an annual report. Revises required elements of such reports. Sets forth new semiannual Office activities reporting requirements. Changes the rate of pay of specified Inspectors General from Level IV to Level III of the Executive Schedule. Requires the Comptroller General to: (1) develop criteria for determining whether the consolidation of Federal Inspector General offices would be cost-efficient and in the public interest. (2) study the offices using such criteria to determine whether any should be consolidated. And (3) report to Congress recommendations for legislative action based on the study.

To amend the Inspector General Act of 1978 to increase the efficiency and accountability of Offices of Inspector General within Federal departments, and for other purposes.