Home Contact Web Store Espanol

Bills in Congress
What is Congress and the State legislature doing that may impact your life this year and in the future?
                                   Below are bills that if passed, will affect 17-25 year olds. If you like or
Allen Students                                   dislike a bill below, we encourage you to go to the find your         
                                   Congressman page on this website and e-mail your Congressman. We will follow                           in the legislature and keep you updated on developments.

 

College Affordability and
Accountability Act HR. 2690

The College Affordability and Accountability Act creates a relationship between the states, federal government, and institutions of higher learning to provide funding for college. It also creates a task force that will determine ways to finance higher education. Supporters of the bill say that this will allow more children to go to college regardless of their financial status.  Opponents say it places too many mandates on the states and prevents the schools from being able to dictate where their money goes. 

Improving America’s Schools
 Act of 1994         S1513

The bill requires that parents be involved in the discipline of children who show violent behavior on school property and that school bus drivers pass a criminal background check. The act also provides grants to the state and local governments for the education of homeless youth.  Supporters say that the bill will improve technology, language studies, and school facilities.  Opponents argue that it gives the federal government too much influence on education

College Cost Reduction
 and Access Act   S1925

Essentially it limits the total credit which can be extended by the credit card company during a year for college students. Prevents credit card companies from taking advantage of college students, but at the same time can hinder business for all credit card companies in general.

1-
Birthright Citizenship Act of 2011 HR140

 This bill prevents children born to illegal immigrants on American Soil from becoming an American citizen. They offer three guidelines that would ensure American citizenship: born to a U.S citizen , lawful permanent resident, and/or the child of an alien serving in teh U.S. Armed Forces.

2-
Child Gun Safety And Gun Access Prevention Act of 2011 HR227
 2This bill enforfces strciter gun rules. The age to be eligible for a handgun is suggested to be that of 21 years of age instead of the age of 18 years of age. The bill doesn't allow anyone under the age of 21 to be unable to handle semiautimatic assault weapons or large capacity ammunition feeding devices. The penalties are also more severe. By breaking this law one can be charged with a felony.

6Fast Track to College of 2011 S.154
 6A Bill to allo the Secretary of Education to make grants to support early college high schools. For the purpose of increasing secondary rates of graduation.
7 FAA Air Transportation and Modernization Act S.223 7Bill to make air travel more safe, accessable and reliable in the U.S. This bill contains a plan for research and developement, improvement in equipment, and operations
Teen Parent Graduation and College Achievement Act Teen pregnancy is a common thing in today's high schools. The Teen Parent Graduation and College Achievement Act is a bill written to aid expecting mothers and parenting students. The bill amends the Elementary Secondary Education Act of 1965 and the Higher Education Act of 1965 in an effort to put teen parents on the path to a college degree.
Eating Healthy at School Act of 2010 Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to report to congress on the effect of administration review systems and their efficiency. Local educational agencies are responsible for following along with specifics of the school lunch and breakfast programs. Also for the formation of alternative processes that have the ability to improve such systems, and that such alternatives reflect the results of certain tests.
Scholarships for Opportunity and Results act of 2009  S. 1552
Sponsor: Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT)
This act allows the Secretary of Education to award grants to nonprofit organizations that expand school choice opportunities to students who are Washington D.C. residents and meet certain criteria. These D.C. student residents must either receive assistance under the supplemental nutrition assistance program or live in a household with an income not exceeding 185% of the poverty line.
Child Gun Safety and Gun Access Prevention Act
H.R. 257
 This act is proposed to raise the legal age of handgun ownership to 21, as well as prohibiting people under 21 from owning semiautomatic assault weapons or large capacity ammunition feeding devices, with exceptions. This act also increases penalties for several gun related offenses and requires any manufacturer or dealer that is selling a handgun to provide the customer with a secure gun storage or safety device.
H.R. 3021: 21st Century High Performing Public School Facilities Act The first title of the bill involves grants for the modernization, renovation, and repair of school facilites. These grants would be used to make them safe, healthy, high performing, and technologically up-to-date. The second title of the bill allocates grants to schools in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama who were closed for more than 60 days after Katrina. The bill prohibits local education agencies from using the grants for maintenance or stadiums, and all renovations must be up to par with the Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) green building rating standards. Sponsored by Rep. Ben Chandler.
H.R. 4870: healthy school meals act This act will improve the health of children by requiring schools to meet a higher standard of nutrition, primarily through plant-based meals. The Secretary of Agriculture is in charge of making sure these healthier meals are distributed to a wide array of schools and evaluateing their use in the schools for two years.
H.R. 1578: Fast track to college act of 2009
 Authorizes the secretary of Education to award grants to promote dual enrollment programs. Targeted towards student bodies with a high percentage of impoverished students. The secretary is also allowed  to give money to states to support state-wide dual enrollment programs.
H.R. 4633: Back to work act of 2009 This bill gives students out of college with little or no work experience a better chance of being hired because of the tax deductions it gives to companies. It exempts employers from having to pay social security for new employees that haven't worked more than forty hours in the previous sixty days.
Physical Education to create a healthier Nation act  Amends elementart and secondary education act of 1965.  Requires states and local education agencies that receive school improvement funds under such part to ensure that their schools provide 150 minutes of physical education per week.  Or another amount depending on the circumstances
Healthy school meals act of 2010 Introduces a pilot program evaluating the use of plant-based alternate protein  products and fluid milk substitutes.  This bill will access  which of such fooods would be best for more general use in the school lunch programs.  This bill would also provide funding to help schools research and purchase these healthy foods.
P.R.O.U.D. Act
The P.R.O.U.D. Act or People Resolved to Obtain an Understanding of Decomcracy Act, sponsored by Democratic Representative Joe Baca from California, adjusts the naturalization to graduates up to 25 years of age from U.S. high schools on the same day that the application for naturalization was submitted.                                 Amanda Retta 2011
High School Athletics Accountability Act of 2011 The High School Athletics Accountability Act of 2011, sponsored by Democratic Respresentative Louise Slaughter from New York, also amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. It instructs institutions participating in ESEA's programs to report on equality in the athletic department of the schools and to make the information available. It also states that the Commissioner must post the information on the Department of Education's web site within a reasonable amount of time.  Amanda Retta 2011
Eating Disorders Awareness, Prevention, and Education Act of 2011 H.R. 36, sponsored by Republican Representative Judy Biggert from Illinois, intends to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 by authorizing the use of funds to start programs specifically designated to raise awareness about eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. It will also ask that the Secretary of Education broadcast Public Service Announcements about National Center for Education Statistics and the National Center for Health Statistics to take a closer look at statistics dealing with eating disorders.                     Amanda Retta 2011
Safety for Our Schoolchildren Act The Safety for Our School Children Act of 2011, sponsored by the Republican Senator David Vitter from Louisiana, is an act designed to protect students from potentially dangerous educational employees such as teachers and school bus drivers with criminal histories. Teachers will be subject to FBI background checks in order to assure that they are not sexual predators. If they are, they will have to submit their application to local law enforcement. Bus drivers will not be hired if they have been convicted of severe moving violations or of drunk driving.             Amanda Retta2011
Homeless Children and Youth Act of 2011
The purpose of the Homeless Children and Youth Act of 2011 is to change the definition of homeless person in the Mckinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to include more homeless children and youth. Under current categorization, people who live only in motels and people who shar housing with others because they have no alternative are not considered homeless. This act will help broaden the categorization of homeless and help youths receive government financial aid.
Babatunde Salami 2011
Eating Disorders Awareness, Prevention, and Education Act of 2011
The purpose of the Eating Disorders Awareness, Prevention, and Education Act of 2011 is to revise title V of the of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to raise awareness of eating disorders and to form instructive programs to niform people of how to handle situations where a person has an eating disorder. It will provide states, school districts, and parents with the resources and flexibility to raise awareness of, recognize, and aid students with eating disorders.
Babatunde Salami 2011
Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act of 2011
 The purpose of the Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act of 2011 is to change the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to necessitate the Attorney General to create procedures to inhibit bullying. It requires states to educate youths on the consequences of bullying, to provide counseling for youth who bully others and those who are bullied, to inform the guardians of the youths who are in the counseling program, and to explain to students, school administration, child care givers, and police officers about how to discern if bullying is occuring and how to address these bullying situations.
Babatunde Salami 2011
Cyber Security Education Enhancement Act of 2011
 The purpose of the Cyber Security Education Enhancement Act of 2011 is to allow the Secretary of Homeland Security to create a program to give grants to organizations that offer higher education for the creation or development of cyber security professional development programs. Cyber security workers are supposed to improve public and private information about cyber attacks, threats, and vulnerabilites.
Babatunde Salami 2011