[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 601 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 601
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 30, 2017
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To enhance the transparency and accelerate the impact of assistance
provided under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to promote quality
basic education in developing countries, to better enable such
countries to achieve universal access to quality basic education and
improved learning outcomes, to eliminate duplication and waste, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Reinforcing
Education Accountability in Development Act'' or the ``READ Act''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
Sec. 3. Assistance to promote sustainable, quality basic education.
Sec. 4. Comprehensive integrated United States strategy to promote
basic education.
Sec. 5. Improving coordination and oversight.
Sec. 6. Monitoring and evaluation of programs.
Sec. 7. Transparency and reporting to Congress.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
(a) Appropriate Congressional Committees.--In this Act, the term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(1) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
(2) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
(3) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives; and
(4) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives.
(b) Other Definitions.--In this Act, the terms ``basic education'',
``marginalized children and vulnerable groups'', ``national education
plan'', ``partner country'', and ``relevant Executive branch agencies
and officials'' have the meanings given such terms in section 105(c) of
the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as added by section 3.
SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE, QUALITY BASIC EDUCATION.
Section 105 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151c)
is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(c) Assistance To Promote Sustainable, Quality Basic Education.--
``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Basic education.--The term `basic education'
includes--
``(i) measurable improvements in literacy,
numeracy, and other basic skills development
that prepare an individual to be an active,
productive member of society and the workforce;
``(ii) workforce development, vocational
training, and digital literacy informed by real
market needs and opportunities and that results
in measurable improvements in employment;
``(iii) programs and activities designed to
demonstrably improve--
``(I) early childhood, preprimary
education, primary education, and
secondary education, which can be
delivered in formal or nonformal
education settings; and
``(II) learning for out-of-school
youth and adults; and
``(iv) capacity building for teachers,
administrators, counselors, and youth workers
that results in measurable improvements in
student literacy, numeracy, or employment.
``(B) Communities of learning.--The term
`communities of learning' means a holistic approach to
education and community engagement in which schools act
as the primary resource center for delivery of a
service to the community at large, leveraging and
maximizing the impact of other development efforts and
reducing duplication and waste.
``(C) Gender parity in basic education.--The term
`gender parity in basic education' means that girls and
boys have equal access to quality basic education.
``(D) Marginalized children and vulnerable
groups.--The term `marginalized children and vulnerable
groups' includes girls, children affected by or
emerging from armed conflict or humanitarian crises,
children with disabilities, children in remote or rural
areas (including those who lack access to safe water
and sanitation), religious or ethnic minorities,
indigenous peoples, orphans and children affected by
HIV/AIDS, child laborers, married adolescents, and
victims of trafficking.
``(E) National education plan.--The term `national
education plan' means a comprehensive national
education plan developed by partner country governments
in consultation with other stakeholders as a means for
wide-scale improvement of the country's education
system, including explicit, credible strategies
informed by effective practices and standards to
achieve quality universal basic education.
``(F) Nonformal education.--The term `nonformal
education' means organized educational activities
outside the established formal system, whether
operating separately or as an important feature of a
broader activity, that are intended to provide students
with measurable improvements in literacy, numeracy, and
other basic skills development that prepare an
individual to be an active, productive member of
society and the workforce.
``(G) Partner country.--The term `partner country'
means a developing country that participates in or
benefits from basic education programs under this
subsection pursuant to the prioritization criteria
described in paragraph (4), including level of need,
opportunity for impact, and the availability of
resources.
``(H) Relevant executive branch agencies and
officials.--The term `relevant Executive branch
agencies and officials' means the Department of State,
the United States Agency for International Development,
the Department of the Treasury, the Department of
Labor, the Department of Education, the Department of
Agriculture, and the Department of Defense, the Chief
Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge
Corporation, the National Security Advisor, and the
Director of the Peace Corps.
``(I) Sustainability.--The term `sustainability'
means, with respect to any basic education program that
receives funding pursuant to this section, the ability
of a service delivery system, community, partner, or
beneficiary to maintain, over time, such basic
education program without the use of foreign
assistance.
``(2) Policy.--In carrying out this section, it shall be
the policy of the United States to work with partner countries,
as appropriate, other donors, multilateral institutions, the
private sector, and nongovernmental and civil society
organizations, including faith-based organizations and
organizations that represent teachers, students, and parents,
to promote sustainable, quality basic education through
programs and activities that--
``(A) take into consideration and help respond to
the needs, capacities, and commitment of developing
countries to achieve measurable improvements in
literacy, numeracy, and other basic skills development
that prepare an individual to be an active, productive
member of society and the workforce;
``(B) strengthen educational systems, promote
communities of learning, as appropriate, expand access
to safe learning environments, including by breaking
down specific barriers to basic education for women and
girls, ensure continuity of education, including in
conflict settings, measurably improve teacher skills
and learning outcomes, and support the engagement of
parents in the education of their children to help
partner countries ensure that all children, including
marginalized children and other vulnerable groups, have
access to and benefit from quality basic education;
``(C) promote education as a foundation for
sustained economic growth and development within a
comprehensive assistance strategy that places partner
countries on a trajectory toward graduation from
assistance provided under this section with clearly
defined benchmarks of success that are used as
requirements for related procurement vehicles, such as
grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements; and
``(D) monitor and evaluate the effectiveness and
quality of basic education programs in partner
countries.
``(3) Principles.--In carrying out the policy referred to
in paragraph (2), the United States shall be guided by the
following principles of aid effectiveness:
``(A) Alignment.--Assistance provided under this
section to support programs and activities under this
subsection shall be aligned with and advance United
States foreign policy and economic interests.
``(B) Country ownership.--To the greatest extent
practicable, assistance provided under this section to
support programs and activities under this subsection
should be aligned with and support the national
education plans and country development strategies of
partner countries, including activities that are
appropriate for and meet the needs of local and
indigenous cultures.
``(C) Coordination.--
``(i) In general.--Assistance provided
under this section to support programs and
activities under this subsection should be
coordinated with and leverage the unique
capabilities and resources of local and
national governments in partner countries,
other donors, multilateral institutions, the
private sector, and nongovernmental and civil
society organizations, including faith-based
organizations and organizations that represent
teachers, students, and parents.
``(ii) Multilateral programs and
initiatives.--Assistance provided under this
section to support programs and activities
under this subsection should be coordinated
with and support proven multilateral education
programs and financing mechanisms, which may
include the Global Partnership for Education,
that demonstrate commitment to efficiency,
effectiveness, transparency, and
accountability.
``(D) Efficiency.--The President shall seek to
improve the efficiency and effectiveness of assistance
provided under this section to support programs and
activities under this subsection by coordinating the
related efforts of relevant Executive branch agencies
and officials.
``(E) Effectiveness.--Programs and activities
supported under this subsection--
``(i) shall be consistent with the policies
and principles set forth in this subsection;
``(ii) shall be designed to achieve
specific, measurable goals and objectives that
are directly related to the provision of basic
education (as defined in this section); and
``(iii) shall include appropriate targets,
metrics, and indicators that--
``(I) move a country along the path
to graduation from assistance provided
under this subsection; and
``(II) can be applied with
reasonable consistency across such
programs and activities to measure
progress and outcomes.
``(F) Transparency and accountability.--Programs
and activities supported under this subsection shall be
subject to rigorous monitoring and evaluation, which
may include impact evaluations, the results of which
shall be made publically available in a fully
searchable, electronic format.
``(4) Priority and other requirements.--The President shall
ensure that assistance provided under this section to support
programs and activities under this subsection is aligned with
the foreign policy and economic interests of the United States
and, subject to such alignment, priority is given to developing
countries in which--
``(A) there is the greatest need and opportunity to
expand access to basic education and to improve
learning outcomes, including for marginalized and
vulnerable groups, particularly women and girls to
ensure gender parity in basic education, or populations
affected by conflict or crisis; and
``(B) such assistance can produce a substantial,
measurable impact on children and educational
systems.''.
SEC. 4. COMPREHENSIVE INTEGRATED UNITED STATES STRATEGY TO PROMOTE
BASIC EDUCATION.
(a) Strategy Required.--Not later than October 1, 2017, the
President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a
comprehensive United States strategy to be carried out during fiscal
years 2018 through 2022 to promote quality basic education in partner
countries by--
(1) seeking to equitably expand access to basic education
for all children, particularly marginalized children and
vulnerable groups; and
(2) measurably improving the quality of basic education and
learning outcomes.
(b) Requirement To Consult.--In developing the strategy required
under subsection (a), the President shall consult with--
(1) the appropriate congressional committees;
(2) relevant Executive branch agencies and officials;
(3) partner country governments; and
(4) local and international nongovernmental organizations,
including faith-based organizations and organizations
representing students, teachers, and parents, and other
development partners engaged in basic education assistance
programs in developing countries.
(c) Public Comment.--The President shall provide an opportunity for
public comment on the strategy required under subsection (a).
(d) Elements.--The strategy required under subsection (a)--
(1) shall be developed and implemented consistent with the
principles set forth in section 105(c) of the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961, as added by section 3; and
(2) shall seek--
(A) to prioritize assistance provided under this
subsection to countries that are partners of the United
States and whose populations are most in need of
improved basic education, as determined by indicators
such as literacy and numeracy rates;
(B) to build the capacity of relevant actors in
partner countries, including in government and in civil
society, to develop and implement national education
plans that measurably improve basic education;
(C) to identify and replicate successful
interventions that improve access to and quality of
basic education in conflict settings and in partner
countries;
(D) to project general levels of resources needed
to achieve stated program objectives;
(E) to develop means to track implementation in
partner countries and ensure that such countries are
expending appropriate domestic resources and
instituting any relevant legal, regulatory, or
institutional reforms needed to achieve stated program
objectives;
(F) to leverage United States capabilities,
including through technical assistance, training, and
research; and
(G) to improve coordination and reduce duplication
among relevant Executive branch agencies and officials,
other donors, multilateral institutions,
nongovernmental organizations, and governments in
partner countries.
SEC. 5. IMPROVING COORDINATION AND OVERSIGHT.
(a) Senior Coordinator of United States International Basic
Education Assistance.--There is established within the United States
Agency for International Development a Senior Coordinator of United
States International Basic Education Assistance (referred to in this
section as the ``Senior Coordinator''). The Senior Coordinator shall be
appointed by the President, shall be a current USAID employee serving
in a career or noncareer position in the Senior Executive Service or at
the level of a Deputy Assistant Administrator or higher, and shall
serve concurrently as the Senior Coordinator.
(b) Duties.--
(1) In general.--The Senior Coordinator shall have primary
responsibility for the oversight and coordination of all
resources and activities of the United States Government
relating to the promotion of international basic education
programs and activities.
(2) Specific duties.--The Senior Coordinator shall--
(A) facilitate program and policy coordination of
international basic education programs and activities
among relevant Executive branch agencies and officials,
partner governments, multilateral institutions, the
private sector, and nongovernmental and civil society
organizations;
(B) develop and revise the strategy required under
section 4;
(C) monitor, evaluate, and report on activities
undertaken pursuant to the strategy required under
section 4; and
(D) establish due diligence criteria for all
recipients of funds provided by the United States to
carry out activities under this Act and the amendments
made by this Act.
(c) Offset.--In order to eliminate duplication of effort and
activities and to offset any costs incurred by the United States Agency
for International Development in appointing the Senior Coordinator
under subsection (a), the President shall, after consulting with
appropriate congressional committees, eliminate a position within the
United States Agency for International Development (unless otherwise
authorized or required by law) that the President determines to be
necessary to fully offset such costs and eliminate duplication.
SEC. 6. MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF PROGRAMS.
The President shall seek to ensure that programs carried out under
the strategy required under section 4 shall--
(1) apply rigorous monitoring and evaluation methodologies
to determine if programs and activities provided under this
subsection accomplish measurable improvements in literacy,
numeracy, or other basic skills development that prepare an
individual to be an active, productive member of society and
the workforce;
(2) include methodological guidance in the implementation
plan and support systemic data collection using internationally
comparable indicators, norms, and methodologies, to the extent
practicable and appropriate;
(3) disaggregate all data collected and reported by age,
gender, marital status, disability, and location, to the extent
practicable and appropriate;
(4) include funding for both short- and long-term
monitoring and evaluation to enable assessment of the
sustainability and scalability of assistance programs; and
(5) support the increased use and public availability of
education data for improved decision making, program
effectiveness, and monitoring of global progress.
SEC. 7. TRANSPARENCY AND REPORTING TO CONGRESS.
(a) Annual Report on the Implementation of Strategy.--Not later
than each March 31 immediately following a fiscal year during which the
strategy developed pursuant to section 4(a) was carried out, the
President shall--
(1) submit a report to the appropriate congressional
committees that describes the implementation of such strategy;
and
(2) make the report described in paragraph (1) available to
the public.
(b) Matters To Be Included.--The report required under subsection
(a) shall include--
(1) a description of the efforts made by relevant Executive
branch agencies and officials to implement the strategy
developed pursuant to section 4, with a particular focus on the
activities carried out under the strategy;
(2) a description of the extent to which each partner
country selected to receive assistance for basic education
meets the priority criteria specified in section 105(c) of the
Foreign Assistance Act, as added by section 3; and
(3) a description of the progress achieved over the
reporting period toward meeting the goals, objectives,
benchmarks, and timeframes specified in the strategy developed
pursuant to section 4 at the program level, as developed
pursuant to monitoring and evaluation specified in section 6,
with particular emphasis on whether there are demonstrable
student improvements in literacy, numeracy, or other basic
skills development that prepare an individual to be an active,
productive member of society and the workforce.
Passed the House of Representatives January 24, 2017.
Attest:
KAREN L. HAAS,
Clerk.