Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act/Title I/Subtitle A

Subtitle A—Amendments to Subtitle A (General Provisions)

Sec. 1101. Purposes.

Sec. 1102. Definitions.

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Sec. 1101. Purposes.

Section 2(b) (42 U.S.C. 12501(b)) is amended—

(1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``community throughout´´ and inserting ``community and service throughout the varied and diverse communities of´´;

(2) in paragraph (4), by inserting after ``income,´´ the following: ``geographic location,´´;

(3) in paragraph (6), by inserting after ``existing´´ the following: ``national´´;

(4) in paragraph (7)—

(A) by striking ``programs and agencies´´ and inserting ``programs, agencies, and communities´´; and

(B) by striking ``and´´ at the end;

(5) in paragraph (8), by striking the period and inserting a semicolon; and

(6) by adding at the end the following:

``(9) expand and strengthen service-learning programs through year-round opportunities, including opportunities during the summer months, to improve the education of children and youth and to maximize the benefits of national and community service, in order to renew the ethic of civic responsibility and the spirit of community for children and youth throughout the United States;

``(10) assist in coordinating and strengthening Federal and other service opportunities, including opportunities for participation in emergency and disaster preparedness, relief, and recovery;

``(11) increase service opportunities for the Nation’s retiring professionals, including such opportunities for those retiring from the science, technical, engineering, and mathematics professions, to improve the education of the Nation’s youth and keep America competitive in the global knowledge economy, and to further utilize the experience, knowledge, and skills of older individuals;

``(12) encourage the continued service of the alumni of the national service programs, including service in times of national need;

``(13) encourage individuals age 55 or older to partake of service opportunities;

``(14) focus national service on the areas of national need such service has the capacity to address, such as improving education, increasing energy conservation, improving the health status of economically disadvantaged individuals, and improving economic opportunity for economically disadvantaged individuals;

``(15) recognize and increase the impact of social entrepreneurs and other nonprofit community organizations in addressing national and local challenges;

``(16) increase public and private investment in nonprofit community organizations that are effectively addressing national and local challenges and encourage such organizations to replicate and expand successful initiatives;

``(17) leverage Federal investments to increase State, local, business, and philanthropic resources to address national and local challenges;

``(18) support institutions of higher education that engage students in community service activities and provide high-quality service-learning opportunities; and

``(19) recognize the expertise veterans can offer to national service programs, expand the participation of the veterans in the national service programs, and assist the families of veterans and members of the Armed Forces on active duty.´´

Sec. 1102. Definitions.

(a) In general.—

Section 101 (42 U.S.C. 12511) is amended—

(1) in paragraph (3), by striking ``described in section 122´´;

(2) in paragraph (13), by striking ``section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965´´ and inserting ``sections 101(a) and 102(a)(1) of the Higher Education Act of 1965´´;

(3) in paragraph (17)(B), by striking ``program in which the participant is enrolled´´ and inserting ``organization receiving assistance under the national service laws through which the participant is engaging in service´´;

(4) in paragraph (19)—

(A) by striking ``section 111(a)´´ and inserting ``section 112(a)´´;

(B) by striking ``117A(a),´´;

(C) by striking ``119(b)(1), or 122(a),´´ and inserting ``118A, or 118(b)(1), or subsection (a), (b), or (c) of section 122,´´;

(D) by inserting ``section 198B, 198C, 198G, 198H, or 198K,´´ after ``section 152(b),´´; and

(E) by striking ``198, 198C, or 198D´´ and inserting ``179A, 198, 198O, 198P, or 199N´´;

(5) in paragraph (21)(B)—

(A) by striking ``602´´ and inserting ``602(3)´´; and

(B) by striking ``1401´´ and inserting ``1401(3)´´;

(6) in paragraph (24), by striking ``section 111´´ and inserting ``section 112´´;

(7) in paragraph (26), by striking the second sentence; and

(8) by adding at the end the following:

``(30) Alaska native-serving institution.—The term ‘Alaska Native-serving institution’ has the meaning given the term in section 317(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b)).

``(31) Approved silver scholar position.—The term ‘approved silver scholar position’ means a position, in a program described in section 198C(a), for which the Corporation has approved the provision of a silver scholarship educational award as one of the benefits to be provided for successful service in the position.

``(32) Approved summer of service position.—The term ‘approved summer of service position’ means a position, in a program described in section 119(c)(8), for which the Corporation has approved the provision of a summer of service educational award as one of the benefits to be provided for successful service in the position.

``(33) Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution.—The term ‘Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution’ has the meaning given the term in section 320(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059g(b)).

``(34) Authorizing committees.—The term ‘authorizing committees’ means the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate.

``(35) Community-based entity.—The term ‘community-based entity’ means a public or private nonprofit organization that—

``(A) has experience with meeting unmet human, educational, environmental, or public safety needs; and

``(B) meets other such criteria as the Chief Executive Officer may establish.

``(36) Disadvantaged youth.—The term ‘disadvantaged youth’ includes those youth who are economically disadvantaged and 1 or more of the following:

``(A) Who are out-of-school youth, including out-of-school youth who are unemployed.

``(B) Who are in or aging out of foster care.

``(C) Who have limited English proficiency.

``(D) Who are homeless or who have run away from home.

``(E) Who are at-risk to leave secondary school without a diploma.

``(F) Who are former juvenile offenders or at risk of delinquency.

``(G) Who are individuals with disabilities.

``(37) Encore service program.—The term ‘encore service program’ means a program, carried out by an eligible entity as described in subsection (a), (b), or (c) of section 122, that—

``(A) involves a significant number of participants age 55 or older in the program; and

``(B) takes advantage of the skills and experience that such participants offer in the design and implementation of the program.

``(38) Hispanic-serving institution.—The term ‘Hispanic-serving institution’ has the meaning given such term in section 502(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)).

``(39) Historically black college or university.—The term ‘historically black college or university’ means a part B institution, as defined in section 322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061).

``(40) Medically underserved population.—The term ‘medically underserved population’ has the meaning given that term in section 330(b)(3) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b(b)(3)).

``(41) Native american-serving, nontribal institution.—The term ‘Native American-serving, nontribal institution’ has the meaning given the term in section 319(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059f(b)).

``(42) Native hawaiian-serving institution.—The term ‘Native Hawaiian-serving institution’ has the meaning given the term in section 317(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b)).

``(43) Predominantly Black Institution.—The term ‘Predominantly Black Institution’ has the meaning given the term in section 318 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059e).

``(44) Principles of scientific research.—The term ‘principles of scientific research’ means principles of research that—

``(A) apply rigorous, systematic, and objective methodology to obtain reliable and valid knowledge relevant to the subject matter involved;

``(B) present findings and make claims that are appropriate to, and supported by, the methods that have been employed; and

``(C) include, appropriate to the research being conducted—

``(i) use of systematic, empirical methods that draw on observation or experiment;

``(ii) use of data analyses that are adequate to support the general findings;

``(iii) reliance on measurements or observational methods that provide reliable and generalizable findings;

``(iv) strong claims of causal relationships, only with research designs that eliminate plausible competing explanations for observed results, such as, but not limited to, random-assignment experiments;

``(v) presentation of studies and methods in sufficient detail and clarity to allow for replication or, at a minimum, to offer the opportunity to build systematically on the findings of the research;

``(vi) acceptance by a peer-reviewed journal or critique by a panel of independent experts through a comparably rigorous, objective, and scientific review; and

``(vii) consistency of findings across multiple studies or sites to support the generality of results and conclusions.

``(45) Qualified organization.—The term ‘qualified organization’ means a public or private nonprofit organization with experience working with school-age youth that meets such criteria as the Chief Executive Officer may establish.

``(46) Scientifically valid research.—The term ‘scientifically valid research’ includes applied research, basic research, and field-initiated research in which the rationale, design, and interpretation are soundly developed in accordance with principles of scientific research.

``(47) Territory.—The term ‘territory’ means the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

``(48) Tribally controlled college or university.—The term ‘tribally controlled college or university’ has the meaning given such term in section 2 of the Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities Assistance Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1801).

``(49) Veteran.—The term ‘veteran’ has the meaning given the term in section 101 of title 38, United States Code.´´.

(b) Redesignation.—

Section 101 (42 U.S.C. 12511) is amended—

(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (49) as paragraphs (1), (3), (8), (9), (10), (12), (14), (15), (19), (20), (21), (22), (23), (24), (26), (29), (30), (31), (34), (35), (37), (39), (40), (41), (42), (43), (44), (45), (46), (2), (4), (5), (6), (7), (11), (13), (16), (17), (18), (25), (27), (28), (32), (33), (36), (38), (47), (48), and (49); and

(2) so that paragraphs (1) through (49), as so redesignated in paragraph (1), appear in numerical order.