S.Amdt. 4389

SA 4389. Mrs. MURRAY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 2766, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2007 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe personnel strengths for such fiscal year for the Armed Forces, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

On page 181, strike lines 5 though 8, and insert the following:

Armed Forces, including dependents of members of the National Guard or Reserves called or ordered to active duty; and

(B) elementary and secondary school students who are dependents of civilian employees of the Department of Defense.

SEC. 574. CHILD CARE FOR CHILDREN OF MEMBERS OF ARMED FORCES ON ACTIVE DUTY FOR OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM OR OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM.

(a) Child Care for Children Without Access to Military Child Care.--

(1) In general.--In any case where the children of a covered member of the Armed Forces are geographically dispersed and do not have practical access to a military child development center, the Secretary of Defense may, to the extent funds are available for such purpose, provide such funds as are necessary permit the member's family to secure access for such children to State licensed child care and development programs and activities in the private sector that are similar in scope and quality to the child care and development programs and activities the Secretary would otherwise provide access to under subchapter II of chapter 88 of title 10, United States Code, and other applicable provisions of law.

(2) Provision of funds.--Funds may be provided under paragraph (1) in accordance with the provisions of section 1798 of title 10, United States Code, or by such other mechanism as the Secretary considers appropriate.

(3) Priorities for allocation of funds in certain circumstances.--The Secretary shall prescribe in regulations priorities for the allocation of funds for the provision of access to child care under paragraph (1) in circumstances where funds are inadequate to provide all children described in that paragraph with access to child care as described in that paragraph.

(b) Preservation of Services and Programs.--The Secretary shall provide for the attendance and participation of children in military child development centers and child care and development programs and activities under subsection (a) in a manner that preserves the scope and quality of child care and development programs and activities otherwise provided by the Secretary.

(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Defense $25,000,000 to carry out this section for fiscal year 2007.

(d) Definitions.--In this section:

(1) The term “covered members of the Armed Forces” means members of the Armed Forces on active duty, including members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces who are called or ordered to active duty under a provision of law referred to in section 101(a)(13)(B) of title 10, United States Code, for Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom.

(2) The term “military child development center” has the meaning given such term in section 1800(1) of title 10, United States Code.

SEC. 575. EMERGENCY FUNDING FOR LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES ENROLLING MILITARY DEPENDENT CHILDREN.

(a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the “Help for Military Children Affected by War Act of 2007”.

(b) Grants Authorized.--

(1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense is authorized to award grants to eligible local educational agencies for the additional education, counseling, and other needs of military dependent children who are affected by war or dramatic military decisions.

(2) Funding plan.--The Secretary shall develop and publish in the Federal Register a plan for awarding grants under this section. The plan shall--

(A) set forth the method for awarding grants under this section; and

(B) emphasize awarding grants under this section for military dependent children described in subsection (c)(3)(B).

(c) Definitions.--In this section:

(1) Eligible local educational agency.--The term “eligible local educational agency” means a local educational agency that--

(A) had a military dependent child in average daily attendance in a school served by the local educational agency during the school year preceding the school year for which the determination is made; and

(B) is designated by the Secretary of Defense as impacted by--

(i) Operation Iraqi Freedom;

(ii) Operation Enduring Freedom;

(iii) the global rebasing plan of the Department of Defense;

(iv) the realignment of forces as a result of the base closure process;

(v) the official creation or activation of 1 or more new military units; or

(vi) a change in the number of required housing units on a military installation, due to the Military Housing Privatization Initiative of the Department of Defense.

(2) Local educational agency.--The term “local educational agency” has the meaning given the term in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).

(3) Military dependent child.--The term “military dependent child” means a child--

(A) described in subparagraph (B) or (D)(i) of section 8003(a)(1) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7703(a)(1)); or (B) of a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces who is called or ordered to active duty under a provision of law referred to in section 101(a)(13)(B) of title 10, United States Code, for Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom.

(d) Use of Funds.--Grant funds provided under this section shall be used for--

(1) tutoring, after-school, and dropout prevention activities for military dependent children with a parent who is or has been impacted by war-related action described in clause (i), (ii), or (iii) of subsection (c)(1)(B);

(2) professional development of teachers, principals, and counselors on the needs of military dependent children with a parent who is or has been impacted by war-related action described in clause (i), (ii), or (iii) of subsection (c)(1)(B);

(3) counseling and other comprehensive support services for military dependent children with a parent who is or has been impacted by war-related action described in clause (i), (ii), or (iii) of subsection (c)(1)(B), including the hiring of a military-school liaison; and

(4) other basic educational activities associated with an increase in military dependent children.

(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--

(1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Defense such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section for fiscal year 2007 and each of the 2 succeeding fiscal years.

(2) Special rule.--Funds appropriated under paragraph (1) are in addition to any funds made available to local educational agencies under section 571, 572, 573 or 574 of this Act, sections 572 and 573 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (Public Law 109-163), or section 8003 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7703).