[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 368 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 368
To provide assistance to reduce teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, and other
sexually transmitted diseases and to support healthy adolescent
development.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 10, 2005
Mr. Lautenberg (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, and Mrs. Murray) introduced
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide assistance to reduce teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, and other
sexually transmitted diseases and to support healthy adolescent
development.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Responsible Education About Life
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds as follows:
(1) The American Medical Association (``AMA''), the
American Nurses Association (``ANA''), the American Academy of
Pediatrics (``AAP''), the American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists (``ACOG''), the American Public Health
Association (``APHA''), and the Society of Adolescent Medicine
(``SAM''), support responsible sexuality education that
includes information about both abstinence and contraception.
(2) Recent scientific reports by the Institute of Medicine,
the American Medical Association and the Office on National
AIDS Policy stress the need for sexuality education that
includes messages about abstinence and provides young people
with information about contraception for the prevention of teen
pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases
(``STDs'').
(3) Research shows that teenagers who receive sexuality
education that includes discussion of contraception are more
likely than those who receive abstinence-only messages to delay
sexual activity and to use contraceptives when they do become
sexually active.
(4) Comprehensive sexuality education programs respect the
diversity of values and beliefs represented in the community
and will complement and augment the sexuality education
children receive from their families.
(5) The median age of puberty is 13 years and the average
age of marriage is over 26 years old. American teens need
access to full, complete, and medically and factually accurate
information regarding sexuality, including contraception, STD/
HIV prevention, and abstinence.
(6) Although teen pregnancy rates are decreasing, there are
still between 750,000 and 850,000 teen pregnancies each year.
Between 75 and 90 percent of teen pregnancies among 15- to 19-
year olds are unintended.
(7) Studies estimate that 50 to 75 percent of the reduction
in adolescent pregnancy rates is attributable to improved
contraceptive use; the remainder to increased abstinence.
(8) More than eight out of ten Americans believe that young
people should have information about abstinence and protecting
themselves from unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted
diseases.
(9) United States teens and young adults acquire an
estimated 4,000,000 sexually transmitted infections each year.
By age 25, at least 1 of every 2 sexually active people will
have contracted a sexually transmitted disease.
(10) More than 2 young people in the United States are
infected with HIV every hour of every day. African American and
Hispanic youth have been disproportionately affected by the
HIV/AIDS epidemic. Although about 15 percent of the adolescent
population (ages 13 to 19) in the United States is African
American, nearly 60 percent of AIDS cases through 2002 among
13- to 19-year olds were among African Americans. Hispanics
comprise nearly 16 percent of the adolescent population (ages
13 to 19) in the United States and 22 percent of reported
adolescent AIDS cases through June 2002.
SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE TO REDUCE TEEN PREGNANCY, HIV/AIDS, AND OTHER
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES AND TO SUPPORT HEALTHY
ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT.
(a) In General.--Each eligible State shall be entitled to receive
from the Secretary of Health and Human Services, for each of the fiscal
years 2006 through 2010, a grant to conduct programs of family life
education, including education on both abstinence and contraception for
the prevention of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases,
including HIV/AIDS.
(b) Requirements for Family Life Programs.--For purposes of this
Act, a program of family life education is a program that--
(1) is age-appropriate and medically accurate;
(2) does not teach or promote religion;
(3) teaches that abstinence is the only sure way to avoid
pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases;
(4) stresses the value of abstinence while not ignoring
those young people who have had or are having sexual
intercourse;
(5) provides information about the health benefits and side
effects of all contraceptives and barrier methods as a means to
prevent pregnancy;
(6) provides information about the health benefits and side
effects of all contraceptives and barrier methods as a means to
reduce the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases,
including HIV/AIDS;
(7) encourages family communication about sexuality between
parent and child;
(8) teaches young people the skills to make responsible
decisions about sexuality, including how to avoid unwanted
verbal, physical, and sexual advances and how not to make
unwanted verbal, physical, and sexual advances; and
(9) teaches young people how alcohol and drug use can
affect responsible decisionmaking.
(c) Additional Activities.--In carrying out a program of family
life education, a State may expend a grant under subsection (a) to
carry out educational and motivational activities that help young
people--
(1) gain knowledge about the physical, emotional,
biological, and hormonal changes of adolescence and subsequent
stages of human maturation;
(2) develop the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure
and protect their sexual and reproductive health from
unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease,
including HIV/AIDS throughout their lifespan;
(3) gain knowledge about the specific involvement of and
male responsibility in sexual decisionmaking;
(4) develop healthy attitudes and values about adolescent
growth and development, body image, gender roles, racial and
ethnic diversity, sexual orientation, and other subjects;
(5) develop and practice healthy life skills including
goal-setting, decisionmaking, negotiation, communication, and
stress management;
(6) promote self-esteem and positive interpersonal skills
focusing on relationship dynamics, including, but not limited
to, friendships, dating, romantic involvement, marriage and
family interactions; and
(7) prepare for the adult world by focusing on educational
and career success, including developing skills for employment
preparation, job seeking, independent living, financial self-
sufficiency, and workplace productivity.
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that while States are not required to
provide matching funds, they are encouraged to do so.
SEC. 5. EVALUATION OF PROGRAMS.
(a) In General.--For the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of
programs of family life education carried out with a grant under
section 3, evaluations of such program shall be carried out in
accordance with subsections (b) and (c).
(b) National Evaluation.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall provide for a national
evaluation of a representative sample of programs of family
life education carried out with grants under section 3. A
condition for the receipt of such a grant is that the State
involved agree to cooperate with the evaluation. The purposes
of the national evaluation shall be the determination of--
(A) the effectiveness of such programs in helping
to delay the initiation of sexual intercourse and other
high-risk behaviors;
(B) the effectiveness of such programs in
preventing adolescent pregnancy;
(C) the effectiveness of such programs in
preventing sexually transmitted disease, including HIV/
AIDS;
(D) the effectiveness of such programs in
increasing contraceptive knowledge and contraceptive
behaviors when sexual intercourse occurs; and
(E) a list of best practices based upon essential
programmatic components of evaluated programs that have
led to success in subparagraphs (A) through (D).
(2) Report.--A report providing the results of the national
evaluation under paragraph (1) shall be submitted to the
Congress not later than March 31, 2009, with an interim report
provided on a yearly basis at the end of each fiscal year.
(c) Individual State Evaluations.--
(1) In general.--A condition for the receipt of a grant
under section 3 is that the State involved agree to provide for
the evaluation of the programs of family education carried out
with the grant in accordance with the following:
(A) The evaluation will be conducted by an
external, independent entity.
(B) The purposes of the evaluation will be the
determination of--
(i) the effectiveness of such programs in
helping to delay the initiation of sexual
intercourse and other high-risk behaviors;
(ii) the effectiveness of such programs in
preventing adolescent pregnancy;
(iii) the effectiveness of such programs in
preventing sexually transmitted disease,
including HIV/AIDS; and
(iv) the effectiveness of such programs in
increasing contraceptive knowledge and
contraceptive behaviors when sexual intercourse
occurs.
(2) Use of grant.--A condition for the receipt of a grant
under section 3 is that the State involved agree that not more
than 10 percent of the grant will be expended for the
evaluation under paragraph (1).
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act:
(1) The term ``eligible State'' means a State that submits
to the Secretary an application for a grant under section 3
that is in such form, is made in such manner, and contains such
agreements, assurances, and information as the Secretary
determines to be necessary to carry out this Act.
(2) The term ``HIV/AIDS'' means the human immunodeficiency
virus, and includes acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
(3) The term ``medically accurate'', with respect to
information, means information that is supported by research,
recognized as accurate and objective by leading medical,
psychological, psychiatric, and public health organizations and
agencies, and where relevant, published in peer review
journals.
(4) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Health
and Human Services.
SEC. 7. APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--For the purpose of carrying out this Act, there is
authorized to be appropriated $206,000,000 for each of fiscal years
2006 through 2010.
(b) Allocations.--Of the amounts appropriated under subsection (a)
for a fiscal year--
(1) not more than 7 percent may be used for the
administrative expenses of the Secretary in carrying out this
Act for that fiscal year; and
(2) not more than 10 percent may be used for the national
evaluation under section 5(b).
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