Sec. 753. Support for expansion of comprehensive sexual health and education programs

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It is the sense of Congress that— federally funded sex education programs should aim to— reduce unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV; promote safe and healthy relationships; use, and be informed by, the best scientific information available; be built on characteristics of effective programs; expand the existing body of evidence on comprehensive sex education programs through program evaluation; expand training programs for teachers of comprehensive sex education; build on the personal responsibility education programs funded under section 513 of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 713 ) and the President’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention program, funded under title II of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 ( Public Law 111–117 ; 123 Stat. 3253); and promote and uphold the rights of young people to information in order to make healthy and responsible decisions about their sexual health; and no Federal funds should be used for health education programs that— deliberately withhold life-saving information about HIV; are medically inaccurate or have been scientifically shown to be ineffective; promote gender stereotypes; are insensitive and unresponsive to the needs of sexually active adolescents; are insensitive and unresponsive to the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender youth; or are inconsistent with the ethical imperatives of medicine and public health.

The Secretary, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Adolescent Health, shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to enable such eligible entities to carry out programs that provide adolescents with comprehensive sex education, as described in paragraph (6). Grants awarded under this subsection shall be for a period of 5 years. In this subsection, the term eligible entity means a public or private entity that focuses on adolescent health or education or has experience working with adolescents, which may include— a State educational agency; a local educational agency; a tribe or tribal organization, as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act ( 25 U.S.C. 450b ); a State or local department of health; a State or local department of education; a nonprofit organization; a nonprofit or public institution of higher education; or a hospital.

An eligible entity desiring a grant under this subsection shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including the evaluation plan described in paragraph (7)(A). In awarding grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that— are State or local public entities, with an additional priority for State or local educational agencies; and address health disparities among young people that are at highest risk for not less than 1 of the following:

Unintended pregnancies. Sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Dating violence and sexual assault. Each eligible entity that receives a grant under this subsection shall use grant funds to carry out a program that provides adolescents with comprehensive sex education that— replicates evidence-based sex education programs; substantially incorporates elements of evidence-based sex education programs; or creates a demonstration project based on generally accepted characteristics of effective sex education programs.

The sex education programs funded under this subsection shall include curricula and program materials that address— abstinence and delaying sexual initiation; the health benefits and side effects of all contraceptive and barrier methods as a means to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV; healthy relationships, including the development of healthy attitudes and skills necessary for understanding— healthy relationships between oneself and family, others, and society; and the prevention of sexual abuse, teen dating violence, bullying, harassment, and suicide; healthy life skills including goal-setting, decisionmaking, interpersonal skills (such as communication, assertiveness, and peer refusal skills), critical thinking, self-esteem and self-efficacy, and stress management; how to make responsible decisions about sex and sexuality, including— how to avoid, and how to avoid making, unwanted verbal, physical, and sexual advances; and how alcohol and drug use can affect responsible decisionmaking; the development of healthy attitudes and values about such topics as adolescent growth and development, body image, gender roles and gender identity, racial and ethnic diversity, and sexual orientation; and referral services for local health clinics and services where adolescents can obtain additional information and services related to sexual and reproductive health, dating violence and sexual assault, and suicide prevention.

Each eligible entity applying for a grant under this subsection shall develop and submit to the Secretary a plan for a rigorous independent evaluation of such grant program. The plan shall describe an independent evaluation that— uses sound statistical methods and techniques relating to the behavioral sciences, including random assignment methodologies, whenever possible; uses quantitative data for assessments and impact evaluations, whenever possible; and is carried out by an entity independent from such eligible entity.

The Secretary shall select, at random, a subset of the eligible entities that the Secretary has selected to receive a grant under this subsection to receive additional funding to carry out the evaluation plan described in subparagraph (A). The Secretary, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Adolescent Health, shall establish a budget for each eligible entity selected under clause

(i)for the costs of carrying out the evaluation plan described in subparagraph (A). The Secretary shall provide eligible entities who are selected under subparagraph (B)(i) with additional funds, in accordance with the budget described in subparagraph (B)(ii), to carry out and report to the Secretary on the evaluation plan described in subparagraph (A). The Secretary, in coordination with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall establish a common set of performance measures to assess the implementation and impact of grant programs funded under this subsection. Such performance measures shall include— output measures, such as the number of individuals served and the number of hours of service delivery; outcome measures, including measures relating to— the knowledge that youth participating in the grant program have gained about— adolescent growth and development; relationship dynamics; ways to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV; and sexual health; the skills that adolescents participating in the grant program have gained regarding— negotiation and communication; decisionmaking and goal-setting; interpersonal skills and healthy relationships; and condom use; and the behaviors of adolescents participating in the grant program, including data about— age of first intercourse; number of sexual partners; condom and contraceptive use at first intercourse; recent condom and contraceptive use; and dating abuse and lifetime history of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, bullying, harassment, and stalking. Eligible entities receiving a grant under this subsection who have been selected to receive funds to carry out the evaluation plan described in subparagraph (A), in accordance with subparagraph (B)(i), shall collect and report to the Secretary— the results of the independent evaluation described in subparagraph (A); and information about the performance measures described in subparagraph (B). The Secretary, in coordination with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall publish on the Web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a list of programs funded under this subsection that the Secretary has determined to be effective programs. The Secretary, in coordination with the Office of Adolescent Health and the Secretary of Education, shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education to enable such institutions to provide young people with comprehensive sex education, described in paragraph (5)(B), with an emphasis on reducing HIV, other sexually transmitted infections, and unintended pregnancy through instruction about— abstinence and contraception; reducing dating violence, sexual assault, bullying, and harassment; increasing healthy relationships; and academic achievement. Grants awarded under this subsection shall be for a period of 5 years. An institution of higher education desiring a grant under this subsection shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. In awarding grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall give priority to an institution of higher education that— has an enrollment of needy students as defined in section 318(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1059e(b) ); is a Hispanic-serving institution, as defined in section 502(a) of such Act ( 20 U.S.C. 1101a(a) ); is a Tribal College or University, as defined in section 316(b) of such Act ( 20 U.S.C. 1059c(b) ); is an Alaska Native-serving institution, as defined in section 317(b) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b)); is a Native Hawaiian-serving institution, as defined in section 317(b) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b)); is a Predominately Black Institution, as defined in section 318(b) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1059e(b)); is a Native American-serving, nontribal institution, as defined in section 319(b) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1059f(b)); is an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution, as defined in section 320(b) of such Act ( 20 U.S.C. 1059g(b) ); or is a minority institution, as defined in section 365 of such Act ( 20 U.S.C. 1067k ), with an enrollment of needy students, as defined in section 312 of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1058). An institution of higher education receiving a grant under this subsection may use grant funds to integrate issues relating to comprehensive sex education into the academic or support sectors of the institution of higher education in order to reach a large number of students, by carrying out 1 or more of the following activities: Developing educational content for issues relating to comprehensive sex education that will be incorporated into first-year orientation or core courses. Developing and employing schoolwide educational programming outside of class that delivers elements of comprehensive sex education programs to students, faculty, and staff. Creating innovative technology-based approaches to deliver sex education to students, faculty, and staff. Developing and employing peer-outreach and education programs to generate discussion, educate, and raise awareness among students about issues relating to comprehensive sex education. Each institution of higher education’s program of comprehensive sex education funded under this subsection shall include curricula and program materials that address information about— safe and responsible sexual behavior with respect to the prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, including through— abstinence; a reduced number of sexual partners; and the use of condoms and contraception; healthy relationships, including the development of healthy attitudes and insights necessary for understanding— relationships between oneself, family, partners, others, and society; and the prevention of sexual abuse, dating violence, bullying, harassment, and suicide; and referral services to local health clinics where young people can obtain additional information and services related to sexual and reproductive health, dating violence and sexual assault, and suicide prevention. Each institution of higher education’s program of comprehensive sex education may also include information and skills development relating to— how to make responsible decisions about sex and sexuality, including— how to avoid, and avoid making, unwanted verbal, physical, and sexual advances; and how alcohol and drug use can affect responsible decisionmaking; healthy life skills, including— goal-setting and decisionmaking; interpersonal skills, such as communication, assertiveness, and peer refusal skills; critical thinking; self-esteem and self-efficacy; and stress management; the development of healthy attitudes and values about such topics as body image, gender roles and gender identity, racial and ethnic diversity, and sexual orientation; and the responsibilities of parenting and the skills necessary to parent well. The requirements described in section 125B(g) shall also apply to eligible entities receiving a grant under this subsection in the same manner as such requirements apply to eligible entities receiving grants under section 125B. The Secretary, in coordination with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Secretary of Education, shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to enable such eligible entities to carry out the activities described in paragraph (5). Grants awarded under this subsection shall be for a period of 5 years. In this subsection, the term eligible entity means— a State educational agency; a local educational agency; a tribe or tribal organization, as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act ( 25 U.S.C. 450b ); a State or local department of health; a State or local department of education; a nonprofit institution of higher education; a national or statewide nonprofit organization that has as its primary purpose the improvement of provision of comprehensive sex education through effective teaching of comprehensive sex education; or a consortium of nonprofit organizations that has as its primary purpose the improvement of provision of comprehensive sex education through effective teaching of comprehensive sex education. An eligible entity desiring a grant under this subsection shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. Each eligible entity receiving a grant under this subsection shall use grant funds to train targeted faculty and staff, in order to increase effective teaching of comprehensive sex education for elementary school and secondary school students. Each eligible entity receiving a grant under this subsection may use grant funds to— strengthen and expand the eligible entity’s relationships with— institutions of higher education; State educational agencies; local educational agencies; or other public and private organizations with a commitment to comprehensive sex education and the benefits of comprehensive sex education; support and promote research-based training of teachers of comprehensive sex education and related disciplines in elementary schools and secondary schools as a means of broadening student knowledge about issues related to human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture; support the dissemination of information on effective practices and research findings concerning the teaching of comprehensive sex education; support research on— effective comprehensive sex education teaching practices; and the development of assessment instruments and strategies to document— student understanding of comprehensive sex education; and the effects of comprehensive sex education; convene national conferences on comprehensive sex education, in order to effectively train teachers in the provision of comprehensive sex education; and develop and disseminate appropriate research-based materials to foster comprehensive sex education. Each eligible entity receiving a grant under this subsection may award subgrants to nonprofit organizations, State educational agencies, or local educational agencies to enable such organizations or agencies to— train teachers in comprehensive sex education; support Internet or distance learning related to comprehensive sex education; promote rigorous academic standards and assessment techniques to guide and measure student performance in comprehensive sex education; encourage replication of best practices and model programs to promote comprehensive sex education; develop and disseminate effective, research-based comprehensive sex education learning materials; develop academic courses on the pedagogy of sex education at institutions of higher education; or convene State-based conferences to train teachers in comprehensive sex education and to identify strategies for improvement. Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for a period of 5 years, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the activities to provide adolescents and young people with comprehensive sex education funded under this section. The report described in paragraph

(1)shall include information about— the number of eligible entities and institutions of higher education that are receiving grant funds under subsections

(b)and (c); the specific activities supported by grant funds awarded under subsections

(b)and (c); the number of adolescents served by grant programs funded under subsection (b); the number of young people served by grant programs funded under subsection (c); and the status of program evaluations described under subsections

(b)and (c). No Federal funds provided under this section may be used for health education programs that— deliberately withhold life-saving information about HIV; are medically inaccurate or have been scientifically shown to be ineffective; promote gender stereotypes; are insensitive and unresponsive to the needs of sexually active youth or lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender youth; or are inconsistent with the ethical imperatives of medicine and public health. In this section: The terms elementary school , local educational agency , secondary school , and State educational agency have the meanings given the terms in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 7801 ). The term age and developmentally appropriate means suitable for a particular age or age group of children and adolescents, based on developing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral capacity typical for that age or age group. The term adolescents means individuals who are ages 10 through 19 at the time of commencement of participation in a program supported under this section. The term characteristics of effective programs means the aspects of evidence-based programs, including development, content, and implementation of such programs, that— have been shown to be effective in terms of increasing knowledge, clarifying values and attitudes, increasing skills, and impacting upon behavior; and are widely recognized by leading medical and public health agencies to be effective in changing sexual behaviors that lead to sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, unintended pregnancy, and dating violence and sexual assault among young people. The term comprehensive sex education means a program that— includes age- and developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically relevant information on a broad set of topics related to sexuality including human development, relationships, decisionmaking, communication, abstinence, contraception, and disease and pregnancy prevention; provides students with opportunities for developing skills as well as learning information; is inclusive of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and heterosexual young people; and aims to— provide scientifically accurate and realistic information about human sexuality; provide opportunities for individuals to understand their own, their families’, and their communities’ values, attitudes, and insights about sexuality; help individuals develop healthy relationships and interpersonal skills; and help individuals exercise responsibility regarding sexual relationships, which includes addressing abstinence, pressures to become prematurely involved in sexual intercourse, and the use of contraception and other sexual health measures. The term evidence-based program means a sex education program that has been proven through rigorous evaluation to be effective in changing sexual behavior or incorporates elements of other sex education programs that have been proven to be effective in changing sexual behavior. The term institution of higher education has the meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). The term medically accurate and complete , when used with respect to a sex education program, means that— the information provided through the program is verified or supported by the weight of research conducted in compliance with accepted scientific methods and is published in peer-reviewed journals, where applicable; or the program contains information that leading professional organizations and agencies with relevant expertise in the field recognize as accurate, objective, and complete; and the program does not withhold information about the effectiveness and benefits of correct and consistent use of condoms and other contraceptives. The term Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The term young people means individuals who are ages 10 through 24 at the time of commencement of participation in a program supported under this section. To carry out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 2015 through 2019.

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