School Dropout Prevention and Basic Skills Improvement Act of 1990
Public Law 101-600 · H.R. 5140 · 101st Congress · began in the House
Signed by George H. W. Bush (R) on Nov 16, 1990 · Education
Sponsor: Rep. José Serrano (D-NY-18)
Cosponsors (1): Rep. Charles Hayes
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
School Dropout Prevention and Basic Skills Improvement Act of 1990 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to revise secondary school programs for basic skills improvement and dropout prevention and reentry.
Revises such programs with respect to: (1) reservations of funds; (2) uses of funds; (3) within-State allocation; (4) program plan requirements; (5) application submission deadlines; (6) award of grants to community-based organizations that have demonstrated effectiveness in dropout or basic skills programs (as well as to local educational agencies); (7) reports and information base development; and (8) coordination and dissemination.
Requires such programs to plan to increase the secondary school completion rate by a specified percentage and deadline, and to assure that graduation requirements will not be lowered.
Requires that priority for certain grants be given to community-based organizations intending to establish or operate model secondary school community education employment centers to provide inner-city, low-income youths with certain education, skills, support services, and enrichment to ensure graduation from secondary school and transition to postsecondary education and/or employment.
Requires local educational agencies or individual schools receiving such grant assistance to report annually to the State on assisted activities and progress toward increasing the secondary school completion rate. Requires the State to report such information to the Secretary of Education (the Secretary). Requires the Secretary to use such information to create an information base on dropout prevention programs.
Directs the Secretary to: (1) make grants to regional laboratories for identification, dissemination, and replication assistance with respect to model programs for dropout prevention and reentry; and (2) provide funds to the National Diffusion Network to replicate model programs.
Authorizes the Secretary to award a grant to Loyola University of Chicago, located in Chicago, Illinois, to pay at least 33 percent of the construction and related costs to establish a Center for Commerce and Industrial Expansion of Loyola University of Chicago. Authorizes appropriations.
Amends the Secondary Schools Basic Skills Demonstration Assistance Act of 1988 to authorize appropriations for FY 1991 and 1992 for assistance to provide basic skills improvement for educationally disadvantaged children in the secondary schools of local educational agencies with high concentrations of children of low-income families.
Amends the Training Technology Transfer Act of 1988 to provide for the education and training of students and teachers, as well as the retraining of industrial workers.
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to extend through FY 1991 the authorization of appropriations, and to increase the amount of such authorization, for grants to institutions of higher education for centers for international business education.
Directs the Secretary to reassess an amount owed by Dakota Wesleyan University, Mitchell, South Dakota, under the student assistance program, at a specified lower amount.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 20 actions.
- Nov 16, 1990Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 101-600.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Nov 6, 1990PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 27, 1990Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Mr. Williams asked unanimous consent that the House agree to the Senate amendment.
- Oct 25, 1990FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Amendment SP 3149 agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Aug 3, 1990CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
- Jul 12, 1990CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
- Jul 10, 1990FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · On ordering a second Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Goodling demanded a second on the motion to suspend the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Serrano moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Jul 6, 1990CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Education and Workforce Committee
- Jun 27, 1990CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Education and Workforce Committee
- Jun 21, 1990CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Education and Workforce Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.