[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4945 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4945
To direct the Secretary of Education to award grants for new
agricultural education programs in secondary schools.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 8, 2025
Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania (for himself, Mr. Alford, Mr. Cuellar, and
Mr. Panetta) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Education to award grants for new
agricultural education programs in secondary schools.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Growing Opportunities in Agriculture
Act'' or the ``GO Ag Act''.
SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM FOR NEW AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS.
(a) Grant Program Authorized.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall award, on a
competitive basis, grants to eligible entities to support the
creation of new agricultural education programs in secondary
schools.
(2) Grant duration.--A grant awarded under this section may
not exceed a 5-year grant period.
(b) Application.--
(1) In general.--To receive a grant under this section, an
eligible entity shall submit an application to the Secretary at
such time, in such manner, and containing such information as
the Secretary may require, including--
(A) an identification and the role with respect to
each program to be funded under the grant of any
eligible partners of the eligible entity, including an
assurance the grant under this section will not be used
to prepare students for employment with solely one or
more of such eligible partners;
(B) an assurance that each program that will
receive assistance under the grant is not yet in
operation and such grant will be used to start such
program;
(C) a description of the grant budget, how each
program will fund necessary expenses for the program
not covered by the grant (such as any funds to be
provided by State, local, or private entities), and how
the eligible entity will continue each such program
after the grant is exhausted;
(D) a description of how grant will directly
benefit students, including special populations, served
by the eligible entity;
(E) a description of how each such program will be
coordinated with the activities carried out under
section 124 or 135 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and
Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2344; 2355);
(F) a description of how each such program reflects
the needs of regional, State, or local employers, as
demonstrated by the comprehensive needs assessment
under section 134(c) of the Carl D. Perkins Career and
Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2354(c))
carried out by the eligible entity; and
(G) an assurance that the eligible entity will--
(i) provide information to the Secretary,
as requested, for the evaluation under
subsection (d) and any evaluations that the
Secretary may carry out; and
(ii) make data available to third parties
for validation, in accordance with applicable
data privacy laws, including section 444 of the
General Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C.
1232g, commonly known as the ``Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974'').
(2) Process.--The Secretary shall create a process for
evaluating applications submitted under paragraph (1) and
determining the amount of each grant for successful
applications, except that in no case may an eligible entity
receive a grant exceeding $100,000.
(c) Uses of Funds.--Each eligible entity receiving a grant under
this section shall use such grant for the creation of new agricultural
education programs in secondary schools, which may include--
(1) curriculum development and delivery, including
classroom or laboratory instruction, work-based learning, and
leadership education delivered through career and technical
student organizations;
(2) the purchase of equipment, technology, and course
materials; and
(3) other costs the Secretary may determine to be eligible.
(d) Evaluation and Annual Report.--Each eligible entity receiving a
grant under this section shall provide for an independent evaluation of
the activities carried out using such grant and submit to the Secretary
an annual report that includes--
(1) a description of how the grant was used;
(2) the performance of each program assistance with such
grant with respect to, at a minimum, the performance indicators
described under section 113 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and
Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2323), as
applicable, and disaggregated--
(A) by subgroups of students described in section
1111(c)(2)(B) of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(c)(2)(B)); and
(B) by each special population; and
(3) a quantitative analysis of the effectiveness of each
such program.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Agricultural education.--The term ``agricultural
education'' means career and technical education that is
focused on agriculture, including classroom or laboratory
instruction, work-based learning, and leadership education
delivered through career and technical student organizations.
(2) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' has the
meaning given the term ``eligible recipient'' in section
3(21)(A) of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education
Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302(21)(A)).
(3) Eligible partner.--The term ``eligible partner''
means--
(A) an institution of higher education or a
consortium of such institutions; or
(B) a community stakeholder relevant to a program
to be funded under this section, including a labor
organization, a local or regional business or industry,
or a local workforce development board.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000, to remain available
through fiscal year 2028.
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