Keeping Girls in School Act

II 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1071 To support empowerment, economic security, and educational opportunities for adolescent girls around the world, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES APRIL 9, 2019 Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself and Ms. MURKOWSKI) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations A BILL To support empowerment, economic security, and educational opportunities for adolescent girls around the world, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 3 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 4 ‘‘Keeping Girls in School Act’’. 5 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 6 this Act is as follows: 7 Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Appropriate congressional committees defined. Sec. 3. Findings. Sec. 4. Sense of Congress. Sec. 5. Secondary education for adolescent girls. VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Apr 11, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S1071.IS S1071 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 1071 IS Sec. 6. Global strategy requirement. Sec. 7. Transparency and reporting to Congress. SEC. 2. APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE- 1 FINED. 2 In this Act, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional com- 3 mittees’’ means— 4 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 5 Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep- 6 resentatives; and 7 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 8 the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate. 9 SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 10 Congress finds the following: 11 (1) Adolescence is a critical period in a girl’s 12 life, when significant physical, emotional, and social 13 changes shape her future. 14 (2) Adolescent girls are particularly vulnerable 15 to HIV/AIDS, child, early and forced marriage, and 16 other forms of violence which are detrimental to 17 their futures, as evidenced by the following statistics: 18 (A) Each year, 380,000 adolescent girls 19 and young women become newly infected with 20 HIV, more than 1,000 every day, and comprise 21 the fastest-growing demographic for new infec- 22 tions in sub-Saharan Africa. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Apr 11, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1071.IS S1071 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 1071 IS (B) Each year, 12,000,000 adolescent girls 1 around the world are married before their 18th 2 birthday, and more than 650,000,000 women 3 alive today were married as children. 4 (C) Child marriages often interrupt school- 5 ing, limit opportunities, and impact the phys- 6 ical, psychological and social well-being of such 7 girls. If there is no reduction in child marriage, 8 the global number of women married as chil- 9 dren is projected to increase by 150,000,000 by 10 2030. 11 (D) One-quarter to one-half of girls in de- 12 veloping countries become mothers before the 13 age of 18, and girls under 15 are five times 14 more likely to die during childbirth than women 15 in their 20s. 16 (3) Approximately 130,000,000 girls around the 17 world are not in school, and millions more are failing 18 to acquire basic reading, writing, and numeracy 19 skills. 20 (4) Girls between the ages of 10 and 19 are 21 three times more likely than boys to be kept out of 22 school, particularly in countries affected by conflict. 23 (5) Due to discriminatory gender norms and ex- 24 pectations, disparities in access to safe and quality 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Apr 11, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1071.IS S1071 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 1071 IS education manifest early in a girl’s life and continue 1 to become more pronounced throughout adolescence. 2 (6) Girls living with disabilities are less likely to 3 start school and transition to secondary school than 4 boys living with disabilities and other children, and 5 just 1 percent of women with disabilities are literate 6 globally. 7 (7) While two-thirds of all countries have 8 achieved gender parity in primary education, only 40 9 percent have achieved gender parity in secondary 10 education. 11 (8) Adolescent girls who remain in school are 12 more likely to live longer, marry later, have healthier 13 children, and, as adults, earn an income to support 14 their families, thereby contributing to the economic 15 advancement of communities and nations. 16 (9) Since July 2015, more than 100 public-pri- 17 vate partnerships have been formed between the 18 United States Government and external partners to 19 support innovative and community-led solutions in 20 targeted countries, including Malawi and Tanzania, 21 to ensure adolescent girls receive a quality edu- 22 cation. 23 (10) The United States Global Strategy to Em- 24 power Adolescent Girls, published in March 2016, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Apr 11, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1071.IS S1071 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 1071 IS has brought together the Department of State, the 1 United States Agency for International Develop- 2 ment, the Peace Corps, and the Millennium Chal- 3 lenge Corporation, as well as other agencies and pro- 4 grams such as the President’s Emergency Fund for 5 AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), to address the range of 6 challenges preventing adolescent girls from attaining 7 an inclusive and equitable quality education leading 8 to relevant learning outcomes. 9 (11) According to the United States Global 10 Strategy to Empower Adolescent Girls, which is the 11 first foreign policy document in the world solely 12 dedicated to the rights and empowerment of girls 13 globally, ‘‘[w]hile the Millennium Development Goals 14 improved outcomes for girls in primary education, 15 they also highlighted the need for a targeted focus 16 on adolescents and young adults, particularly re- 17 garding the transition to and completion of sec- 18 ondary school’’. 19 (12) PEPFAR, through its DREAMS (Deter- 20 mined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, 21 and Safe) Initiative, has worked to address a num- 22 ber of the specific barriers to education that adoles- 23 cent girls face. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Apr 11, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1071.IS S1071 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 1071 IS SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 1 It is the sense of Congress that— 2 (1) every child, regardless of place of birth, de- 3 serves an equal opportunity to access quality edu- 4 cation; 5 (2) the United States has been a global leader 6 in efforts to expand and improve educational oppor- 7 tunities for those who have been traditionally 8 disenfranchised, particularly women and girls; 9 (3) gains with respect to girls’ secondary edu- 10 cation and empowerment have been proven to cor- 11 relate strongly with progress in gender equality and 12 women’s rights, as well as economic and social 13 progress, and achieving gender equality should be a 14 priority goal of United States foreign policy; 15 (4) achieving gender parity in both access to 16 and quality of educational opportunity contributes 17 significantly to economic growth and development, 18 thereby lowering the risk for violence and instability; 19 and 20 (5) education is a lifesaving humanitarian inter- 21 vention that protects the lives, futures, and well- 22 being of girls. 23 SEC. 5. SECONDARY EDUCATION FOR ADOLESCENT GIRLS. 24 (a) AUTHORITY.—The Administrator of the United 25 States Agency for International Development may enter 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Apr 11, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1071.IS S1071 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 1071 IS into acquisition, assistance, or results-based financing 1 agreements, including agreements combining more than 2 one such feature, for activities addressing the barriers de- 3 scribed in subsection (b) that adolescent girls face in ac- 4 cessing a quality secondary education. Such activities 5 shall— 6 (1) set outcome-based targets to demonstrate 7 qualitative gains; 8 (2) use existing United States Government 9 strategies and frameworks relevant to international 10 basic education and gender equality, including evi- 11 dence-based interventions, to— 12 (A) integrate new technologies and ap- 13 proaches, including to establish or continue 14 public-private partnerships or to pilot the use of 15 development impact bonds (the results of which 16 are verified by an independent evaluation); 17 (B) to the greatest extent possible, apply 18 quasi-experimental and scientific, research- 19 based approaches; 20 (C) promote inclusive, equitable and sus- 21 tainable educational achievement; and 22 (D) support a responsible transition to 23 education systems that are sustainably financed 24 by domestic governments; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Apr 11, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1071.IS S1071 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 1071 IS (3) ensure that schools provide safe and quality 1 educational opportunities and create empowering en- 2 vironments, so that girls can enroll in and regularly 3 attend school, successfully transition from primary 4 to secondary school, and eventually graduate having 5 achieved learning outcomes and positioned to make 6 healthy transitions into adulthood. 7 (b) SPECIFIC BARRIERS.—The barriers described in 8 this subsection include— 9 (1) harmful societal and cultural norms; 10 (2) lack of safety at school or traveling to 11 school, including harassment and other forms of 12 physical, sexual, or psychological violence; 13 (3) child, early, and forced marriage; 14 (4) female genital mutilation; 15 (5) distance from a secondary school; 16 (6) cost of secondary schooling, including fees, 17 clothing, and supplies; 18 (7) inadequate sanitation facilities and products 19 available at secondary schools; 20 (8) prioritization of boys’ secondary education; 21 (9) poor nutrition; 22 (10) early pregnancy and motherhood; 23 (11) HIV infection; 24 (12) disability; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Apr 11, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1071.IS S1071 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 1071 IS (13) discrimination based on religious or ethnic 1 identity; and 2 (14) heavy workload due to household tasks. 3 (c) COORDINATION AND OVERSIGHT.— 4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The United States Agency 5 for International Development Senior Coordinator 6 for International Basic Education Assistance, in co- 7 ordination with the United States Agency for Inter- 8 national Development Senior Coordinator for Gender 9 Equality and Women’s Empowerment and the Am- 10 bassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues at the 11 Department of State, shall be responsible for the 12 oversight and coordination of all activities of the 13 United States Government carried out under this 14 section. 15 (2) DEVELOPMENT OF AGREEMENTS.—In the 16 development of results-based financing agreements 17 described in subsection (a), the Senior Coordinators 18 shall consult with the United States Agency for 19 International Development Innovation, Technology, 20 and Research Hub or any successor center that is 21 responsible for developing innovative tools and ap- 22 proaches to accelerate development impact. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Apr 11, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1071.IS S1071 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 1071 IS (3) COORDINATION WITH OTHER STRATE- 1 GIES.—Activities carried out under this section shall 2 also be carried out in coordination with— 3 (A) the United States Global Strategy to 4 Empower Adolescent Girls described in section 5 6; and 6 (B) the United States Government Strat- 7 egy on International Basic Education, including 8 its objective to expand access to quality basic 9 education for all, particularly marginalized and 10 vulnerable populations. 11 (d) ACCEPTANCE OF SOLICITATIONS FOR AWARDS.— 12 The Administrator of the United States Agency for Inter- 13 national Development shall seek to accept solicitations for 14 one or more awards, pursuant to the authority in sub- 15 section (a), to conduct activities under this section begin- 16 ning not later than 180 days after the date of the enact- 17 ment of this Act. 18 (e) MONITORING AND EVALUATION.—The Adminis- 19 trator of the United States Agency for International De- 20 velopment shall seek to ensure that activities carried out 21 under this section— 22 (1) employ rigorous monitoring and evaluation 23 methodologies, including ex-post evaluation, to en- 24 sure that such activities demonstrably close the gap 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Apr 11, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1071.IS S1071 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 1071 IS in gender parity for secondary education and im- 1 prove the quality of education offered to adolescent 2 girls; 3 (2) disaggregate all data collected and reported 4 by age, gender, marital and motherhood status, dis- 5 ability, and urbanity, to the extent practicable and 6 appropriate; 7 (3) adhere to the Policy Guidance on Promoting 8 Gender Equality of the Department of State and the 9 Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy 10 of the United States Agency for International Devel- 11 opment; and 12 (4) use, to the extent possible, indicators and 13 methodologies identified by the Interagency Working 14 Group for the Strategy on International Basic Edu- 15 cation. 16 SEC. 6. GLOBAL STRATEGY REQUIREMENT. 17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 18 date of the enactment of this Act, and every 5 years there- 19 after, the Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s 20 Issues at the Department of State, in consultation with 21 the Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women’s 22 Empowerment and the Senior Coordinator for Inter- 23 national Basic Education Assistance at the United States 24 Agency for International Development, shall— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:52 Apr 11, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1071.IS S1071 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 1071 IS (1) review and update a United States global 1 strategy to empower adolescent girls; 2 (2) provide a meaningful opportunity for public 3 review and consultation on the strategy; and 4 (3) submit the strategy to the appropriate con- 5 gressional committees. 6 (b) INITIAL STRATEGY.—For the purposes of this 7 section, the ‘‘United States Global Strategy to Empower 8 Adolescent Girls’’, published in March 2016, shall be 9 deemed to fulfill the initial requirement under subsection 10 (a). 11 (c) CONSULTATION REQUIR [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]