Alternative Education Act of 1980
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Education and Labor.
Alternative Education Act of 1980 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to establish Alternative Educational Programs. Authorizes the Commissioner of Education to make grants to local educational agencies for the Federal share of the costs of alternative educational programs designed to meet the needs of secondary school students who are: (1) deficient in basic skills in reading, mathematics, and oral and written communication; or (2) potential high school dropouts, or who might be diverted to facilities used by the juvenile justice system unless placed in alternative educational programs under the jurisdiction of local educational agencies. Prohibits funds for such programs from being used for programs which provide residential care for students. Authorizes the Commissioner to make similar grants to such agencies for training parents, teachers, and other educational personnel involved in such programs and to help them to identify learning disabilities and other problems that might lead to juvenile delinquency. Sets the Federal share of the costs of such programs at 90 percent for fiscal year 1981 and 80 percent for each of the two succeeding years. Sets forth application requirements, including specification of whether the program will be carried out by schools or by other nonprofit entities. Requires consultation and coordination to avoid duplication of services within the same geographic area. Directs the Commissioner to establish and operate a National Clearinghouse on Alternate Education to collect, analyze, and distribute upon request to local educational agencies and other interested parties information relating to such programs and to similar programs operated by other entities. Authorizes appropriations to carry out such programs for fiscal years 1981 through 1983.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on February 21, 1980. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on February 21, 1980: Referred to House Committee on Education and Labor.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
DALE KILDEE (D-MI) introduced it on February 21, 1980, and 16 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 13 Democrats, 2 Republicans, 1 independent.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on February 21, 1980, 17050 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17050 days ago, on February 21, 1980.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers