LegiStorm

Summary:

Congress has an interest in preventing pregnancy among teenagers because of the long-term consequences for the families of teen parents and society more generally. Since the 1980s, Congress has authorized—and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has administered—programs with a focus on teen pregnancy prevention. This report assists Congress in tracking developments in four teen pregnancy prevention programs that are currently funded. Multiple HHS offices worked together to establish the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Evidence Review process following enactment of the FY2010 omnibus appropriations. The review, which was discontinued in 2017, was intended to identify prevention models that have been shown to be effective based on studies since approximately the late 1990s. HHS has encouraged or required grantees for some teen pregnancy prevention programs to use these models. The four current programs are the Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) program, the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP), the Title V Sexual Risk Avoidance Education program, and the Sexual Risk Avoidance Education program. Despite their similar names and purposes, the latter two programs have different authorizing laws and funding mechanisms. Generally, the four programs serve vulnerable young people in schools, afterschool programs, community centers, and other settings. Grantees include states, nonprofits, and other entities. The TPP program was established and initially funded by the FY2010 omnibus appropriations law (P.L. 111-117). Subsequent appropriations laws have also provided discretionary funding. As required in appropriations law, the majority of TPP program grants must use evidence-based education models that have been shown to be effective in reducing teen pregnancy and related risk behaviors. A smaller share of funds is available for research and demonstration grants that implement innovative strategies to prevent teenage pregnancy. The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-94) provides $101 million for the program. PREP was established under Section 513 of the Social Security Act by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA, P.L. 111-148) in 2010. The program receives mandatory funding and is designed to educate adolescents on both abstinence and contraception for preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, and on selected adult preparation subjects. The PREP authorizing law requires most grantees to replicate evidence-based programs that are proven to change behavior related to teen pregnancy. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act, P.L. 116-136) provides $75 million through FY2020 and additional funding for October 1 through November 30, 2020, equal to the amount appropriated over the same period in FY2020. The Title V Sexual Risk Avoidance Education program is authorized at Section 510 of the Social Security Act. It was formerly known as the Title V Abstinence Education Grant program, which was authorized by the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193). The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-123) renamed the program and made other changes. The program focuses on implementing sexual risk avoidance, meaning voluntarily refraining from sex before marriage. Grantees may set aside some funds to conduct rigorous and evidence-based research on sexual risk avoidance. As with the PREP program, the CARES Act provides $75 million through FY2020 and additional funding for October 1 through November 30, 2020, that is equal to the amount appropriated over the same period in FY2020. The Sexual Risk Avoidance Education program (sometimes referred to as the General Departmental Management Sexual Risk Avoidance program) was established and funded by the FY2016 omnibus appropriations law (P.L. 114-113). Subsequent appropriations laws have since provided discretionary funding. Grantees are to use funding for education on voluntarily refraining from nonmarital sexual activity, and they are encouraged to implement evidence-based approaches that teach the benefits associated with resisting risk behaviors. P.L. 116-94 provides FY2020 funding of $35 million for the program.