Home > 106th Congressional Bills > H.R. 5555 (ih) To amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and [Introduced in House] ...H.R. 5555 (ih) To amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and [Introduced in House] ...
106th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5554
To amend the Congressional Award Act to establish a Congressional
Recognition for Excellence in Arts Education Board.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 25, 2000
Mr. McKeon introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and the Workforce
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A BILL
To amend the Congressional Award Act to establish a Congressional
Recognition for Excellence in Arts Education Board.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. CONGRESSIONAL RECOGNITION FOR EXCELLENCE IN ARTS EDUCATION.
(a) In General.--The Congressional Award Act (2 U.S.C. 801-808) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``TITLE II--CONGRESSIONAL RECOGNITION FOR EXCELLENCE IN ARTS EDUCATION
``SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE.
``This title may be cited as the `Congressional Recognition for
Excellence in Arts Education Act'.
``SEC. 202. FINDINGS.
``Congress makes the following findings:
``(1) Arts literacy is a fundamental purpose of schooling
for all students.
``(2) Arts education stimulates, develops, and refines many
cognitive and creative skills, critical thinking and nimbleness
in judgment, creativity and imagination, cooperative
decisionmaking, leadership, high-level literacy and
communication, and the capacity for problem-posing and problem-
solving.
``(3) Arts education contributes significantly to the
creation of flexible, adaptable, and knowledgeable workers who
will be needed in the 21st century economy.
``(4) Arts education improves teaching and learning.
``(5) Where parents and families, artists, arts
organizations, businesses, local civic and cultural leaders,
and institutions are actively engaged in instructional
programs, arts education is more successful.
``(6) Effective teachers of the arts should be encouraged
to continue to learn and grow in mastery of their art form as
well as in their teaching competence.
``(7) The 1999 study, entitled `Gaining the Arts Advantage:
Lessons from School Districts that Value Arts Education', found
that the literacy, education, programs, learning and growth
described in paragraphs (1) through (6) contribute to
successful districtwide arts education.
``(8) Despite all of the literacy, education, programs,
learning and growth findings described in paragraphs (1)
through (6), the 1997 National Assessment of Educational
Progress reported that students lack sufficient opportunity for
participatory learning in the arts.
``(9) The Arts Education Partnership, a coalition of
national and State education, arts, business, and civic groups,
is an excellent example of one organization that has
demonstrated its effectiveness in addressing the purposes
described in section 205(a) and the capacity and credibility to
administer arts education programs of national significance.
``SEC. 203. DEFINITIONS.
``In this title:
``(1) Arts education partnership.--The term `Arts Education
Partnership' means a private, nonprofit coalition of education,
arts, business, philanthropic, and government organizations
that demonstrates and promotes the essential role of arts
education in enabling all students to succeed in school, life,
and work, and was formed in 1995.
``(2) Board.--The term `Board' means the Congressional
Recognition for Excellence in Arts Education Awards Board
established under section 204.
``(3) Elementary school; secondary school.--The terms
`elementary school' and `secondary school' mean--
``(A) a public or private elementary school or
secondary school (as the case may be), as defined in
section 14101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801); or
``(B) a bureau funded school as defined in section
1146 of the Education Amendments of 1978 (25 U.S.C.
2026).
``(4) State.--The term `State' means each of the several
States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United
States Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated
States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.
``SEC. 204. ESTABLISHMENT OF BOARD.
``There is established within the legislative branch of the Federal
Government a Congressional Recognition for Excellence in Arts Education
Awards Board. The Board shall be responsible for administering the
awards program described in section 205.
``SEC. 205. BOARD DUTIES.
``(a) Awards Program Established.--The Board shall establish and
administer an awards program to be known as the `Congressional
Recognition for Excellence in Arts Education Awards Program'. The
purpose of the program shall be to--
``(1) celebrate the positive impact and public benefits of
the arts;
``(2) encourage all elementary schools and secondary
schools to integrate the arts into the school curriculum;
``(3) spotlight the most compelling evidence of the
relationship between the arts and student learning;
``(4) demonstrate how community involvement in the creation
and implementation of arts policies enriches the schools;
``(5) recognize school administrators and faculty who
provide quality arts education to students;
``(6) acknowledge schools that provide professional
development opportunities for their teachers;
``(7) create opportunities for students to experience the
relationship between early participation in the arts and
developing the life skills necessary for future personal and
professional success;
``(8) increase, encourage, and ensure comprehensive,
sequential arts learning for all students; and
``(9) expand student access to arts education in schools in
every community.
``(b) Duties.--
``(1) School awards.--The Board shall--
``(A) make annual awards to elementary schools and
secondary schools in the States in accordance with
criteria established under subparagraph (B), which
awards--
``(i) shall be of such design and materials
as the Board may determine, including a well-
designed certificate or a work of art, designed
for the awards event by an appropriate artist;
and
``(ii) shall be reflective of the dignity
of Congress;
``(B) establish criteria required for a school to
receive the award, and establish such procedures as may
be necessary to verify that the school meets the
criteria, which criteria shall include criteria
requiring--
``(i) that the school--
``(I) provides comprehensive,
sequential arts learning; and
``(II) integrates the arts
throughout the curriculum in subjects
other than the arts; and
``(ii) 3 of the following:
``(I) that the community serving
the school is actively involved in
shaping and implementing the arts
policies and programs of the school;
``(II) that the school principal
supports the policy of arts education
for all students;
``(III) that arts teachers in the
school are encouraged to learn and grow
in mastery of their art form as well as
in their teaching competence;
``(IV) that the school actively
encourages the use of arts assessment
techniques for improving student,
teacher, and administrative
performance; and
``(V) that school leaders engage
the total school community in arts
activities that create a climate of
support for arts education; and
``(C) include, in the procedures necessary for
verification that a school meets the criteria described
in subparagraph (B), written evidence of the specific
criteria, and supporting documentation, that includes--
``(i) 3 letters of support for the school
from community members, which may include a
letter from--
``(I) the school's Parent Teacher
Association (PTA);
``(II) community leaders, such as
elected or appointed officials; and
``(III) arts organizations or
institutions in the community that
partner with the school; and
``(ii) the completed application for the
award signed by the principal or other
education leader such as a school district arts
coordinator, school board member, or school
superintendent;
``(D) determine appropriate methods for
disseminating information about the program and make
application forms available to schools;
``(E) delineate such roles as the Board considers
to be appropriate for the Director in administering the
program, and set forth in the bylaws of the Board the
duties, salary, and benefits of the Director;
``(F) raise funds for the operation of the program;
``(G) determine, and inform Congress regarding, the
national readiness for interdisciplinary individual
student awards described in paragraph (2), on the basis
of the framework established in the 1997 National
Assessment of Educational Progress and such other
criteria as the Board determines appropriate; and
``(H) take such other actions as may be appropriate
for the administration of the Congressional Recognition
for Excellence in Arts Education Awards Program.
``(2) Student awards.--
``(A) In general.--At such time as the Board
determines appropriate, the Board--
``(i) shall make annual awards to
elementary school and secondary school students
for individual interdisciplinary arts
achievement; and
``(ii) establish criteria for the making of
the awards.
``(B) Award model.--The Board may use as a model
for the awards the Congressional Award Program and the
President's Physical Fitness Award Program.
``(c) Presentation.--The Board shall arrange for the presentation
of awards under this section to the recipients and shall provide for
participation by Members of Congress in such presentation, when
appropriate.
``(d) Date of Announcement.--The Board shall determine an
appropriate date or dates for announcement of the awards under this
section, which date shall coincide with a National Arts Education Month
or a similarly designated day, week or month, if such designation
exists.
``(e) Report.--
``(1) In general.--The Board shall prepare and submit an
annual report to Congress not later than March 1 of each year
summarizing the activities of the Congressional Recognition for
Excellence in Arts Education Awards Program during the previous
year and making appropriate recommendations for the program.
Any minority views and recommendations of members of the Board
shall be included in such reports.
``(2) Contents.--The annual report shall contain the
following:
``(A) Specific information regarding the methods
used to raise funds for the Congressional Recognition
for Excellence in Arts Education Awards Program and a
list of the sources of all money raised by the Board.
``(B) Detailed information regarding the
expenditures made by the Board, including the
percentage of funds that are used for administrative
expenses.
``(C) A description of the programs formulated by
the Director under section 207(b)(1), including an
explanation of the operation of such programs and a
list of the sponsors of the programs.
``(D) A detailed list of the administrative
expenditures made by the Board, including the amounts
expended for salaries, travel expenses, and reimbursed
expenses.
``(E) A list of schools given awards under the
program, and the city, town, or county, and State in
which the school is located.
``(F) An evaluation of the state of arts education
in schools, which may include anecdotal evidence of the
effect of the Congressional Recognition for Excellence
in Arts Education Awards Program on individual school
curriculum.
``(G) On the basis of the findings described in
section 202 and the purposes of the Congressional
Recognition for Excellence in Arts Education Awards
Program described in section 205(a), a recommendation
regarding the national readiness to make individual
student awards under subsection (b)(2).
``SEC. 206. COMPOSITION OF BOARD; ADVISORY BOARD.
``(a) Composition.--
``(1) In general.--The Board shall consist of 9 members as
follows:
``(A) 2 Members of the Senate appointed by the
Majority Leader of the Senate.
``(B) 2 Members of the Senate appointed by the
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