Keeping Girls in School Act

IIB 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 2153 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JANUARY 30, 2020 Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations AN ACT 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:11 Jan 31, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2153.RFS H2153 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 HR 2153 RFS SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 1 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 2 ‘‘Keeping Girls in School Act’’. 3 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 4 this Act is as follows: 5 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. Sec. 6. Global strategy requirement. Sec. 7. Transparency and reporting to Congress. SEC. 2. APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE- 6 FINED. 7 In this Act, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional com- 8 mittees’’ means— 9 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 10 Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep- 11 resentatives; and 12 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 13 the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate. 14 SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 15 Congress finds the following: 16 (1) Adolescence is a critical period in a girl’s 17 life, when significant physical, emotional, and social 18 changes shape her future. 19 (2) Adolescent girls are particularly vulnerable 20 to HIV/AIDS, child, early and forced marriage, and 21 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:11 Jan 31, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2153.RFS H2153 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 HR 2153 RFS other forms of violence which are detrimental to 1 their futures, as evidenced by the following statistics: 2 (A) Each year, 380,000 adolescent girls 3 and young women become newly infected with 4 HIV, more than 1,000 every day, and comprise 5 the fastest-growing demographic for new infec- 6 tions in sub-Saharan Africa. 7 (B) Each year, 12,000,000 adolescent girls 8 around the world are married before their 18th 9 birthday, and more than 650,000,000 women 10 alive today were married as children. 11 (C) Child marriages often interrupt school- 12 ing, limit opportunities, and impact the phys- 13 ical, psychological and social well-being of such 14 girls. If there is no reduction in child marriage, 15 the global number of women married as chil- 16 dren is projected to increase by 150,000,000 by 17 2030. 18 (D) One-quarter to one-half of girls in de- 19 veloping countries become mothers before the 20 age of 18, and girls under 15 are five times 21 more likely to die during childbirth than women 22 in their 20s. 23 (3) Approximately 130,000,000 girls around the 24 world are not in school, and millions more are failing 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:11 Jan 31, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2153.RFS H2153 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 HR 2153 RFS to acquire basic reading, writing, and numeracy 1 skills. 2 (4) Girls between the ages of 10 and 19 are 3 three times more likely than boys to be kept out of 4 school, particularly in countries affected by conflict. 5 (5) Due to discriminatory gender norms and ex- 6 pectations, disparities in access to safe and quality 7 education manifest early in a girl’s life and continue 8 to become more pronounced throughout adolescence. 9 (6) Girls living with disabilities are less likely to 10 start school and transition to secondary school than 11 boys living with disabilities and other children, and 12 just 1 percent of women with disabilities are literate 13 globally. 14 (7) While two-thirds of all countries have 15 achieved gender parity in primary education, only 40 16 percent have achieved gender parity in secondary 17 education. 18 (8) Adolescent girls who remain in school are 19 more likely to live longer, marry later, have healthier 20 children, and, as adults, earn an income to support 21 their families, thereby contributing to the economic 22 advancement of communities and nations. 23 (9) Since July 2015, more than 100 public-pri- 24 vate partnerships have been formed between the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:11 Jan 31, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2153.RFS H2153 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 HR 2153 RFS United States Government and external partners to 1 support innovative and community-led solutions in 2 targeted countries, including Malawi and Tanzania, 3 to ensure adolescent girls receive a quality edu- 4 cation. 5 (10) The United States Global Strategy to Em- 6 power Adolescent Girls, published in March 2016, 7 has brought together the Department of State, the 8 United States Agency for International Develop- 9 ment, the Peace Corps, and the Millennium Chal- 10 lenge Corporation, as well as other agencies and pro- 11 grams such as the President’s Emergency Fund for 12 AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), to address the range of 13 challenges preventing adolescent girls from attaining 14 an inclusive and equitable quality education leading 15 to relevant learning outcomes. 16 (11) According to the United States Global 17 Strategy to Empower Adolescent Girls, which is the 18 first foreign policy document in the world solely 19 dedicated to the rights and empowerment of girls 20 globally, ‘‘[w]hile the Millennium Development Goals 21 improved outcomes for girls in primary education, 22 they also highlighted the need for a targeted focus 23 on adolescents and young adults, particularly re- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:11 Jan 31, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2153.RFS H2153 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 HR 2153 RFS garding the transition to and completion of sec- 1 ondary school’’. 2 (12) PEPFAR, through its DREAMS (Deter- 3 mined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, 4 and Safe) Initiative, has worked to address a num- 5 ber of the specific barriers to education that adoles- 6 cent girls face. 7 SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 8 It is the sense of Congress that— 9 (1) every child, regardless of place of birth, de- 10 serves an equal opportunity to access quality edu- 11 cation; 12 (2) the United States has been a global leader 13 in efforts to expand and improve educational oppor- 14 tunities for those who have been traditionally 15 disenfranchised, particularly women and girls; 16 (3) gains with respect to girls’ secondary edu- 17 cation and empowerment have been proven to cor- 18 relate strongly with progress in gender equality and 19 women’s rights, as well as economic and social 20 progress, and achieving gender equality should be a 21 priority goal of United States foreign policy; 22 (4) achieving gender parity in both access to 23 and quality of educational opportunity contributes 24 significantly to economic growth and development, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:11 Jan 31, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2153.RFS H2153 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 HR 2153 RFS thereby lowering the risk for violence and instability; 1 and 2 (5) education is a lifesaving humanitarian inter- 3 vention that protects the lives, futures, and well- 4 being of girls. 5 SEC. 5. SECONDARY EDUCATION FOR ADOLESCENT GIRLS. 6 (a) AUTHORITY.—The Administrator of the United 7 States Agency for International Development may enter 8 into acquisition, assistance, or results-based financing 9 agreements, including agreements combining more than 10 one such feature, for activities addressing the barriers de- 11 scribed in subsection (b) that adolescent girls face in ac- 12 cessing a quality secondary education. Such activities 13 shall— 14 (1) set outcome-based targets to demonstrate 15 qualitative gains; 16 (2) use existing United States Government 17 strategies and frameworks relevant to international 18 basic education and gender equality, including evi- 19 dence-based interventions, to— 20 (A) integrate new technologies and ap- 21 proaches, including to establish or continue 22 public-private partnerships or to pilot the use of 23 development impact bonds (the results of which 24 are verified by an independent evaluation); 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:11 Jan 31, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2153.RFS H2153 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 HR 2153 RFS (B) to the greatest extent possible, apply 1 quasi-experimental and scientific, research- 2 based approaches; 3 (C) promote inclusive, equitable and sus- 4 tainable educational achievement; and 5 (D) support a responsible transition to 6 education systems that are sustainably financed 7 by domestic governments; and 8 (3) ensure that schools provide safe and quality 9 educational opportunities and create empowering en- 10 vironments, so that girls can enroll in and regularly 11 attend school, successfully transition from primary 12 to secondary school, and eventually graduate having 13 achieved learning outcomes and positioned to make 14 healthy transitions into adulthood. 15 (b) SPECIFIC BARRIERS.—The barriers described in 16 this subsection include— 17 (1) harmful societal and cultural norms; 18 (2) lack of safety at school or traveling to 19 school, including harassment and other forms of 20 physical, sexual, or psychological violence; 21 (3) child, early, and forced marriage; 22 (4) female genital mutilation; 23 (5) distance from a secondary school; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:11 Jan 31, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2153.RFS H2153 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 HR 2153 RFS (6) cost of secondary schooling, including fees, 1 clothing, and supplies; 2 (7) inadequate sanitation facilities and products 3 available at secondary schools; 4 (8) prioritization of boys’ secondary education; 5 (9) poor nutrition; 6 (10) early pregnancy and motherhood; 7 (11) HIV infection; 8 (12) disability; 9 (13) discrimination based on religious or ethnic 10 identity; and 11 (14) heavy workload due to household tasks. 12 (c) COORDINATION AND OVERSIGHT.— 13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The United States Agency 14 for International Development Senior Coordinator 15 for International Basic Education Assistance, in co- 16 ordination with the United States Agency for Inter- 17 national Development Senior Coordinator for Gender 18 Equality and Women’s Empowerment and the Am- 19 bassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues at the 20 Department of State, shall be responsible for the 21 oversight and coordination of all activities of the 22 United States Government carried out under this 23 section. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:11 Jan 31, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2153.RFS H2153 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 HR 2153 RFS (2) DEVELOPMENT OF AGREEMENTS.—In the 1 development of results-based financing agreements 2 described in subsection (a), the Senior Coordinators 3 shall consult with the United States Agency for 4 International Development Innovation, Technology, 5 and Research Hub or any successor center that is 6 responsible for developing innovative tools and ap- 7 proaches to accelerate development impact. 8 (3) COORDINATION WITH OTHER STRATE- 9 GIES.—Activities carried out under this section shall 10 also be carried out in coordination with— 11 (A) the United States Global Strategy to 12 Empower Adolescent Girls described in section 13 6; and 14 (B) the United States Government Strat- 15 egy on International Basic Education, including 16 its objective to expand access to quality basic 17 education for all, particularly marginalized and 18 vulnerable populations. 19 (d) ACCEPTANCE OF SOLICITATIONS FOR AWARDS.— 20 The Administrator of the United States Agency for Inter- 21 national Development shall seek to accept solicitations for 22 one or more awards, pursuant to the authority in sub- 23 section (a), to conduct activities under this section begin- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:11 Jan 31, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2153.RFS H2153 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 HR 2153 RFS ning not later than 180 days after the date of the enact- 1 ment of this Act. 2 (e) MONITORING AND EVALUATION.—The Adminis- 3 trator of the United States Agency for International De- 4 velopment shall seek to ensure that activities carried out 5 under this section— 6 (1) employ rigorous monitoring and evaluation 7 methodologies, including ex-post evaluation, to en- 8 sure that such activities demonstrably close the gap 9 in gender parity for secondary education and im- 10 prove the quality of education offered to adolescent 11 girls; 12 (2) disaggregate all data collected and reported 13 by age, gender, marital and motherhood status, dis- 14 ability, and urbanity, to the extent practicable and 15 appropriate; 16 (3) adhere to the Policy Guidance on Promoting 17 Gender Equality of the Department of State and the 18 Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy 19 of the United States Agency for International Devel- 20 opment; and 21 (4) use, to the extent possible, indicators and 22 methodologies identified by the Interagency Working 23 Group for the Strategy on International Basic Edu- 24 cation. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:11 Jan 31, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2153.RFS H2153 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 HR 2153 RFS SEC. 6. GLOBAL STRATEGY REQUIREMENT. 1 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 2 date of the enactment of this Act, and every 5 years there- 3 after for not less than 10 years, the Ambassador-at-Large 4 for Global Women’s Issues at the Department of State, 5 in consultation with the Senior Coordinator for Gender 6 Equality and Women’s Empowerment and the Senior Co- 7 ordinator for International Basic Education Assistance at 8 the United States Agency for International Development, 9 shall— 10 (1) review and update a United States global 11 strategy to empower adolescent girls; 12 (2) provide a meaningful opportunity for public 13 review and consultation on the strategy; and 14 (3) submit the strategy to the appropriate con- 15 gressional committees. 16 (b) INITIAL STRATEGY.—For the purposes of this 17 section, the ‘‘United States Global Strategy to Empower 18 Adolescent Girls’’, published in March 2016, shall be 19 deemed to fulfill the initial requirement under subsection 20 (a). 21 (c) CONSULTATION REQUIRED.—In reviewing and 22 updating the strategy under subsection (a), the Ambas- 23 sador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, the Senior Co- 24 ordinato [Text truncated for display. 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