text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Small Business Employment and 
  Education Enhancement Act of 2001''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
              (1) The authorizations of most programs providing Federal 
          aid to elementary and secondary education, and support for 
          educational research, statistics, and assessment activities, 
          including programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education 
          Act of 1965 (ESEA), the Goals 2000: Educate America Act (Goals 
          2000), the Educational Research, Development, Dissemination, 
          and Improvement Act of 1994 (ERDDIA), and the National 
          Education Statistics Act of 1994 (NESA), expired during the 
          106th Congress.
              (2) The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary 
          Education Act of 1965 is likely to occur during the 107th 
          Congress.
              (3) The programs authorized under the Elementary and 
          Secondary Education Act of 1965, the Goals 2000: Educate 
          America Act, the Educational Research, Development, 
          Dissemination, and Improvement Act of 1994, and the National 
          Education Statistics Act of 1994, constitute the majority of 
          Federal grants for elementary and secondary education.
              (4) The business community, and small businesses in 
          particular, have an important stake in the education of our 
          Nation's youth.
              (5) One of the most fundamental needs that any growing 
          business will ever face is the need for employees with basic 
          skills.
              (6) Concerns have been expressed by the small business 
          community that students are not graduating with adequate basic 
          skills in reading, writing, mathematics, and science that allow 
          the students to succeed in today's workplace or become the 
          entrepreneurs of tomorrow.
              (7) A 1999 American Management Association survey on 
          workplace testing found that--
                      (A) approximately 36 percent of employees tested 
                  for basic skills (reading, writing and mathematics) 
                  were found to be deficient;
                      (B) small businesses had deficiency rates well 
                  above the national average; and
                      (C) 60 percent of American Management Association 
                  member companies reported that the availability of 
                  skilled manpower was scarce, and 67 percent believe 
                  that the shortages will continue.
              (8) A 1999 National Federation of Independent Business 
          report found that 18 percent of the members reported finding 
          qualified labor is the most important problem facing their 
          business.
              (9) A 1999 poll of the United States Chambers of Commerce 
          found that 83 percent of the members reported the ability (or 
          lack thereof) to get qualified workers is among the members' 
          biggest concerns, and 53 percent of the members said education 
          is the single most pressing public policy issue for the 
          members.
              (10) The growth of high-skilled jobs is outpacing growth in 
          all other fields.
              (11) Small business is the driving force behind our 
          Nation's economy.
  
  SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
  
      It is the sense of Congress that--
              (1) locally-driven initiatives to improve education are 
          crucial;
              (2) the views of small business should be taken into 
          account in the debate over education;
              (3) in order to create jobs, our Nation must encourage 
          small business expansion and foster small business 
          entrepreneurship and job creation, and education initiatives 
          are key to this effort;
              (4) the Department of Education should facilitate the 
          sharing of ideas and best practices at the State and local 
          level, particularly with respect to partnerships between small 
          businesses and school systems; and
              (5) when and where Department of Education approval of a 
          program or proposal is required, the Department of Education 
          should expedite approval of such programs or proposals.
  
  SEC. 4. INFORMATION DISSEMINATION AND SHARING.
  
      The Secretary of Education shall disseminate information and 
  facilitate the sharing of information designed to assist small 
  businesses in working with school systems to improve the education 
  system through publication of guidance materials, best practices, 
  checklists, and other formats on the World Wide Web, in Department of 
  Education publications and articles, in letters, through links to other 
  related World Wide Web sites, through public service announcements, and 
  through other means at the Department's disposal.
  
  SEC. 5. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CLEARINGHOUSE FOR INFORMATION.
  
      The Secretary of Education shall establish a centralized database 
  of materials to act as a clearinghouse for information on successful 
  initiatives and best practices regarding the involvement of small 
  businesses in education. The clearinghouse shall receive, collect, 
  process, assemble, and disseminate reliable information, including 
  innovative, successful activities with a proven track record at the 
  State and local level.
  
  SEC. 6. OFFICE OF SMALL BUSINESS EDUCATION.
  
      Title II of the Department of Education Organization Act (20 U.S.C. 
  3411 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
  
  ``SEC. 220. OFFICE OF SMALL BUSINESS EDUCATION.
  
      ``(a) There shall be in the Department an Office of Small Business 
  Education (hereafter in this section referred to as the `Office'), to 
  be administered by the Director of Small Business Education. The 
  Director of Small Business Education shall report directly to the 
  Secretary and shall perform such additional functions as the Secretary 
  may prescribe.
      ``(b) The Director of Small Business Education, through the Office, 
  shall--
              ``(1) review the needs of small businesses and the 
          contributions the small business community may make with 
          respect to efforts to improve education;
              ``(2) promote efforts to address the needs of small 
          businesses though education programs;
              ``(3) work to remove impediments to partnerships between 
          school systems and small businesses; and
              ``(4) propose solutions to education-related problems 
          facing small businesses.''.
  
  SEC. 7. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.
  
      (a) In General.--The Director of the Office of Small Business 
  Education shall provide technical assistance to small businesses, small 
  business organizations, school systems, and communities working 
  cooperatively to improve education outcomes.
      (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
  appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary 
  for fiscal year 2001 and each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.
  
  SEC. 8. TAX CREDIT FOR QUALIFIED EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY EXPENSES.
  
      (a) In General.--Subpart D of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 
  of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to business-related 
  credits) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
  
  ``SEC. 45E. SMALL BUSINESS EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY CREDIT.
  
      ``(a) General Rule.--For purposes of section 38, in the case of a 
  small business, the small business education opportunity credit 
  determined under this section for the taxable year is an amount equal 
  to 15 percent of qualified education opportunity credit expenses paid 
  or incurred by the taxpayer during the taxable year.
      ``(b) Qualified Education Opportunity Expenses.--For purposes of 
  this section--
              ``(1) In general.--The term `qualified education 
          opportunity expenses' means an amount paid or incurred in 
          connection with an eligible work study program, including--
                      ``(A) administrative expenses of the taxpayer, and
                      ``(B) remuneration paid to participants in such 
                  program for services performed by such participant.
              ``(2) Eligible work study program.--The term `eligible work 
          study program' means a written program--
                      ``(A) approved by the appropriate State educational 
                  agency, and
                      ``(B) involving a partnership with a secondary 
                  school to provide work study and internship 
                  opportunities for eligible individuals.
              ``(3) Eligible individual.--The term `eligible individual' 
          means an individual who is--
                      ``(A) a full-time student in a secondary school, or
                      ``(B) a full-time teacher in a secondary school.
              ``(4) Exceptions.--Such term does not include--
                      ``(A) expenses for which any other Federal or State 
                  credit or payment is made, or
                      ``(B) expenses paid or incurred for a professional 
                  conference or for an orientation program.
      ``(c) Definitions; Special Rules.--
              ``(1) Secondary school.--For purposes of this section, the 
          term `secondary school' has the meaning given such term by 
          section 14101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
          1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801), as in effect on the date of enactment of 
          this section.
              ``(2) Special rules.--Rules similar to the rules of 
          subsections (c), (d), and (e) of section 52 shall apply for 
          purposes of this section.
              ``(3) Aggregation rules.--All persons treated as a single 
          employer under subsection (a) or (b) of section 52 or 
          subsection (m) or (o) of section 414 shall be treated as one 
          person for purposes of subsection (a).
      ``(d) Denial of Double Benefit.--No deduction or credit shall be 
  allowed under this chapter (other than a credit under this section) for 
  any amount taken into account in determining the credit under this 
  section.''.
      (b) Limitation on Carryback.--Section 39(d) of the Internal Revenue 
  Code of 1986 (relating to transition rules) is amended by adding at the 
  end the following new paragraph:
              ``(10) No carryback of small business education opportunity 
          credit before effective date.--No portion of the unused 
          business credit for any taxable year which is attributable to 
          the small business education opportunity credit determined 
          under section 45E may be carried to a taxable year ending 
          before the date of the enactment of section 45E.''.
      (c) Conforming Amendment.--Section 38(b) of the Internal Revenue 
  Code of 1986 (relating to general business credit) is amended by 
  striking ``plus'' at the end of paragraph (12), by striking the period 
  at the end of paragraph (13) and inserting ``, plus'', and by adding at 
  the end the following new paragraph:
              ``(14) the small business education opportunity credit 
          determined under section 45E(a).''.
      (d) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for subpart D of 
  part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 
  1986 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 45D the 
  following new item:
  
                                ``Sec. 45E. Small business education 
                                          opportunity credit.''.
      (e) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
  apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2000.
  
  SEC. 9. STUDY AND REPORT.
  
      (a) In General.--Not later than 6 months after the date of the 
  enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education shall conduct a study 
  and submit to Congress a report regarding the challenges facing small 
  businesses in obtaining workers with adequate skills.
      (b) Contents.--The report shall include the following:
              (1) Information on the shortage, if any, of workers with 
          adequate skills in the small business sector.
              (2) An assessment of the impact on small business of the 
          shortage, if any.
              (3) The costs to small businesses associated with the 
          shortage, if any.
              (4) The recommendations of the Secretary, if any, on how to 
          address the challenges facing small businesses due to the 
          shortage, if any, of workers with adequate skills.
target: Small Business Employment and Education Enhancement Act of 2001 - Expresses the sense of Congress regarding: (1) locally-driven initiatives to improve education; (2) consideration of the views of small business concerning education; (3) education initiatives as key to fostering small business expansion, entrepreneurship, and job creation; (4) Department of Education facilitation of the sharing of ideas and best practices at State and local levels, particularly with respect to partnerships between small businesses and school systems; and (5) the expediting of the Department's approval of programs or proposals.Directs the Secretary of Education to: (1) disseminate information and facilitate the sharing of information designed to assist small businesses in working with school systems to improve the education system through specified means, including the Internet World Wide Web; (2) establish a centralized database of materials to act as a clearinghouse for information on successful initiatives and best practices regarding the involvement of small businesses in education; and (3) study and report to Congress on the challenges facing small businesses in obtaining workers with adequate skills.Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to establish an Office of Small Business Education, administered by a Director, to: (1) review the needs of small businesses and the contributions the small business community may make with respect to efforts to improve education; (2) promote efforts to address the needs of small businesses though education programs; (3) work to remove impediments to partnerships between school systems and small businesses; and (4) propose solutions to education-related problems facing small businesses.Requires the Director to provide technical assistance to small businesses, small business organizations, school systems, and communities working cooperatively to improve education outcomes.Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a small business education opportunity tax credit for qualified education opportunity expenses.
feat_title: A bill to enhance Department of Education efforts to facilitate the involvement of small business owners in State and local initiatives to improve education.