I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2784 To promote environmental literacy. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 20, 2023 Mr. SARBANES (for himself, Ms. BROWN, Ms. PINGREE, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, and Mr. RUPPERSBERGER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Work- force A BILL To promote environmental literacy. 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. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘No Child Left Inside 4 Act of 2023’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress finds the following: 7 (1) Hands-on experiences in nature help build 8 stronger, smarter, and happier children. 9 (2) Children and young adults are increasingly 10 disconnected from the natural world around them, 11 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Apr 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2784.IH H2784 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HR 2784 IH spending less time outside playing, exploring, and 1 learning. 2 (3) Quality education for students includes reg- 3 ular opportunities to make connections outside of 4 the classroom. 5 (4) Environmental education, when integrated 6 across the curriculum, has positive impacts on the 7 development of important skills, such as critical 8 thinking, problem solving, and citizenship and lead- 9 ership skills. 10 (5) Every student should have the opportunity 11 to participate in residential outdoor education pro- 12 grams or comparable outdoor education programs. 13 (6) Outdoor and environmental education pro- 14 grams have been shown to build critical thinking 15 skills and leadership skills, and can improve student 16 attendance and retention rates. 17 (7) Colleges, universities, and higher education 18 associations play a critical role in cultivating the 19 next generation of scientists, engineers, educators, 20 planners, and business leaders for 21st century ca- 21 reers in the public and private sectors. 22 (8) Environmental education, as part of the for- 23 mal prekindergarten through grade 12 school cur- 24 riculum, has positive impacts on student achieve- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Apr 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2784.IH H2784 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HR 2784 IH ment in all subjects, and especially in science, read- 1 ing, mathematics, and social studies, and improves 2 critical thinking skills, enthusiasm for learning, 3 stewardship, and healthy lifestyles. 4 (9) The Partnership for 21st Century Learning 5 identified environmental literacy as one of the key 6 interdisciplinary themes critical to helping students 7 to acquire the skills, knowledge, and expertise nec- 8 essary to succeed in work and life. 9 (10) The Programme for International Student 10 Assessment (PISA) rankings find that the United 11 States is falling behind other nations in preparing 12 students with the educational tools necessary to 13 compete for the growing opportunities in the 14 sciences, including careers related to the environ- 15 ment, natural resources, and energy. 16 (11) Forty-six States have developed, or are in 17 the process of developing, environmental literacy 18 plans to effectively integrate environmental edu- 19 cation into the prekindergarten through grade 12 20 curriculum and to ensure that students graduate 21 from high school environmentally literate. 22 (12) Support from the Department of Edu- 23 cation is needed to help State and local educational 24 agencies, and the partners of such agencies, imple- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Apr 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2784.IH H2784 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 4 •HR 2784 IH ment environmental literacy plans and advance State 1 curriculum frameworks for environmental and nat- 2 ural resource education that meets new State aca- 3 demic content and student achievement standards. 4 (13) Federal science agencies, natural resource 5 agencies, and other agencies have important re- 6 sources, including Federal lands and laboratories, 7 content experts, data, and programs, that can in- 8 form and support State and local environmental lit- 9 eracy policies and programming. 10 SEC. 3. ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY. 11 Title IV (20 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.) of the Elementary 12 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is amended by add- 13 ing at the end the following: 14 ‘‘PART G—ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY 15 ‘‘SEC. 4701. DEFINITIONS. 16 ‘‘In this part: 17 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIP.—The term ‘eligi- 18 ble partnership’ means a partnership that includes a 19 local educational agency and not less than 1 of the 20 following partners: 21 ‘‘(A) A Federal, State, regional, or local 22 environmental or natural resource management 23 agency, or parks and recreation department, 24 that has demonstrated effectiveness, expertise, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Apr 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2784.IH H2784 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 5 •HR 2784 IH and experience in the field of environmental lit- 1 eracy, including the professional development of 2 teachers. 3 ‘‘(B) A nonprofit organization that has 4 demonstrated effectiveness, expertise, and expe- 5 rience in the field of environmental literacy, in- 6 cluding the professional development of teach- 7 ers, such as— 8 ‘‘(i) museums, as defined in section 9 273 of the Museum and Library Services 10 Act (20 U.S.C. 9172); 11 ‘‘(ii) a teacher preparation program at 12 an institution of higher education; 13 ‘‘(iii) the environmental or life 14 sciences department of an institution of 15 higher education; 16 ‘‘(iv) another local educational agency, 17 a public charter school, a public elemen- 18 tary school or secondary school, or a con- 19 sortium of such schools; 20 ‘‘(v) nature centers; or 21 ‘‘(vi) organizations with environmental 22 education programming. 23 ‘‘(2) ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY.—The term 24 ‘environmental literacy’ means— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Apr 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2784.IH H2784 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 6 •HR 2784 IH ‘‘(A) a fundamental understanding of eco- 1 logical principles, the systems of the natural 2 world, the relationships and interactions be- 3 tween natural and man-made environments, 4 and the skills to apply such understanding in 5 real-world settings; and 6 ‘‘(B) having the ability, both individually 7 and together with others, to make informed de- 8 cisions concerning the environment, having the 9 will to act on those decisions to improve the 10 well-being of other individuals, societies, and 11 the global environment, and participating in 12 civic life. 13 ‘‘(3) ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY PLAN.—The 14 term ‘environmental literacy plan’ means a plan de- 15 veloped, approved, or sponsored by a State edu- 16 cational agency in consultation with State environ- 17 mental agencies, State environmental education as- 18 sociations, and State natural resource agencies, and 19 with input from the public, that— 20 ‘‘(A) prepares students to understand eco- 21 logical principles, the systems of the natural 22 world, and the relationships and interactions 23 between natural and man-made environments, 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Apr 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2784.IH H2784 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 7 •HR 2784 IH and to apply such knowledge in real-world set- 1 tings; 2 ‘‘(B) provides field and hands-on experi- 3 ences as part of the regular school curriculum 4 and creates programs that contribute to healthy 5 lifestyles through outdoor recreation and sound 6 nutrition; 7 ‘‘(C) provides environmental service learn- 8 ing opportunities; 9 ‘‘(D) provides targeted professional devel- 10 opment opportunities for teachers that im- 11 prove— 12 ‘‘(i) environmental and natural re- 13 source content knowledge of teachers; 14 ‘‘(ii) pedagogical skills in teaching 15 about the environment, including the use 16 of— 17 ‘‘(I) interdisciplinary, field-based, 18 and research-based learning; and 19 ‘‘(II) science, technology, engi- 20 neering, and mathematics content 21 knowledge and tools; and 22 ‘‘(iii) the ability and confidence to use 23 school buildings and grounds as a context 24 for learning; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Apr 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2784.IH H2784 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 8 •HR 2784 IH ‘‘(E) describes the measures the State will 1 use to assess the environmental literacy of stu- 2 dents, including— 3 ‘‘(i) relevant State academic content 4 standards and content areas regarding en- 5 vironmental education, and courses or sub- 6 jects where environmental education in- 7 struction will be integrated throughout the 8 prekindergarten through grade 12 cur- 9 riculum; and 10 ‘‘(ii) a description of the relationship 11 of the plan to the secondary school gradua- 12 tion requirements of the State; 13 ‘‘(F) describes the outdoor learning spaces 14 the State makes available to local educational 15 agencies; 16 ‘‘(G) describes how the State educational 17 agency will implement the plan, in partnership 18 with nongovernmental organizations, Federal 19 agencies, State environmental agencies, State 20 environmental education associations, State 21 natural resource agencies, and local educational 22 agencies, including how the State educational 23 agency will secure funding and other necessary 24 support; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Apr 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2784.IH H2784 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 9 •HR 2784 IH ‘‘(H) is periodically updated by the State 1 educational agency not less often than every 5 2 years; 3 ‘‘(I) utilizes school buildings and grounds 4 as a context for learning; 5 ‘‘(J) describes teacher professional develop- 6 ment needs; and 7 ‘‘(K) develops and describes a plan to 8 adopt best management practices for early 9 childhood environmental education, including 10 guidelines for time outdoors, outdoor space de- 11 sign, and learning context. 12 ‘‘(4) HIGH-NEED LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGEN- 13 CY.—The term ‘high-need local educational agency’ 14 means a local educational agency— 15 ‘‘(A) with respect to which not less than 16 20 percent of the children served by the agency 17 are children from low-income families; 18 ‘‘(B) that serves not fewer than 10,000 19 children from low-income families; 20 ‘‘(C) that meets the eligibility requirements 21 for funding under section 5211(b); or 22 ‘‘(D) that meets the eligibility require- 23 ments for funding under section 5221(b). 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Apr 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2784.IH H2784 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 10 •HR 2784 IH ‘‘(5) HIGH-NEED SCHOOL.—The term ‘high- 1 need school’ means a public elementary school or 2 secondary school that is located in an area in which 3 the percentage of students from families with in- 4 comes below the poverty line is 30 percent or more. 5 ‘‘(6) OUTDOOR SCHOOL EDUCATION PRO- 6 GRAM.—The term ‘outdoor school education pro- 7 gram’ means a multi-day educational program that 8 delivers outdoor hands-on learning experiences, and 9 that— 10 ‘‘(A) addresses community needs and con- 11 texts; 12 ‘‘(B) takes place in a residential or day 13 program setting; 14 ‘‘(C) provides field study opportunities for 15 students; 16 ‘‘(D) is integrated with local school cur- 17 ricula and support students in meeting State 18 standards; and 19 ‘‘(E) provides students with opportunities 20 to develop leadership, critical thinking, and 21 problem-solving skills. 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Apr 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2784.IH H2784 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 11 •HR 2784 IH ‘‘SEC. 4702. GRANTS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF ENVIRON- 1 MENTAL LITERACY PLANS. 2 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From amounts ap- 3 propriated to carry out this section, the Secretary shall 4 award grants to States to enable the States to award sub- 5 grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible partnerships to 6 support the implementation of the State environmental lit- 7 eracy plan. 8 ‘‘(b) APPLICATION.— 9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A State that desires a 10 grant under this section shall submit an application 11 to the Secretary, at such time, in such manner, and 12 containing such information as the Secretary may 13 require. 14 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Each application under this 15 subsection shall— 16 ‘‘(A) include the State’s environmental lit- 17 eracy plan and information on the status of im- 18 plementation of such plan; 19 ‘‘(B) describe how funds received under 20 this section will assist the State in furthering 21 the implementation of the State’s environmental 22 literacy plan; 23 ‘‘(C) describe the process the State will use 24 to make subgrants to eligible partnerships; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Apr 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2784.IH H2784 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 12 •HR 2784 IH ‘‘(D) describe the process the State will 1 use to evaluate the impact of the activities as- 2 sisted under this section. 3 ‘‘(c) PEER REVIEW.—The Secretary shall— 4 ‘‘(1) establish a peer review process to assist in 5 the review of grant applications under this section; 6 ‘‘(2) appoint individuals to the peer review 7 process who— 8 ‘‘(A) are representative of parents, teach- 9 ers, State educational agencies, State environ- 10 mental agencies, State natural resource agen- 11 cies, local educational agencies, and nongovern- 12 mental organizations; and 13 ‘‘(B) are familiar with national environ- 14 mental issues and the health and educational 15 needs of students; and 16 ‘‘(3) include, in the peer review process, appro- 17 priate representatives from the Department of Com- 18 merce, the Department of the Interior, the Depart- 19 ment of Energy, the Environmental Protection 20 Agency, and other appropriate Federal agencies, to 21 provide environmental expertise and background for 22 evaluation of the State environmental literacy plan. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Apr 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2784.IH H2784 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 13 •HR 2784 IH ‘‘(d) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—A State receiv- 1 ing a grant under this section may use not more than 2.5 2 percent of the grant funds for administrative expenses. 3 ‘‘(e) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY REPORT.— 4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State receiving a 5 grant under this section shall prepare and submit an 6 annual report to the Secretary containing informa- 7 tion about— 8 ‘‘(A) the implementation of the [Text truncated for display. 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