AN ACT
To promote reading among the youth.
Section I. Title.
This legislation may be cited as the Frémont Reading Act of 2021.
Section II. Establishing the Octavia Butler Stipend.
i. The Commonwealth of Frémont establishes the Octavia Butler Stipend. Its purpose is to assist young writers in the process of the production of their first independent work.
ii. A selection board of renowned writers, literary critics, and literary scholars shall each year grant 50 stipends to applicants.
iii. Eligible for the Octavia Butler Stipend are
a. young fiction writers aged 18 to 30 with
b. permanent residency in the Commonwealth of Frémont who
c. have never published an independent piece of work but may have previously written published
works in literary journals or anthologies.
iv. Besides high literary quality, the selection board should take the personal background of the applicants into account. The Octavia Butler Stipends actively and specifically seeks to promote minority writers and writers of low socioeconomic status. The selection board will aim for a regional balance within the group of stipendiaries.
v. The stipend shall award a monthly grant of $2,200 for 18 months to each stipendiary. An extension for 12 months for substantiated reasons is permissible.
vi. The stipend shall assist writers in finding literary agents and publishers for the publication of their work.
Section III. Promoting reading among school students.
i. Schools may request up to $7,000 annually from the Commonwealth for the acquisition of fiction and non-fiction books. Their respective students will be able to lend these books without charge.
ii. Each month, the Commonwealth designates Books of The Month for different age groups. School students may request their schools to order a copy of the Book of The Month for them, which they will be allowed to keep. The Commonwealth will cover the expenses. Books produced by Octavia-Butler-stipendiaries will be treated preferably in the selection of the Book of The Month.
iii. Students may request to place the number of books they have privately read during the respective grading period on their report cards if they, in brief oral examinations by a teacher of their choice, can convincingly demonstrate that they have read those books. Schools should actively encourage students to take these options.
iv. Middle schools will devote at least 30 minutes per day to silent independent reading of a book of the students’ choice.
v. Elementary schools will devote at least 30 minutes per day to silent independent reading. In lower classes, the teacher will read a book to the students.
Section IV. Establishing the Frémont Literature Week.
i. The 20th calendar week (May) shall be declared the Frémont Literature Week.
ii. The Monday of the Frémont Literature Week is designated the Frémont Reading Day. Office-holders are encouraged to visit schools on this day and read to young students.
iii. On Wednesday, Tuesday, and Friday of the Frémont Literature Week, the Commonwealth government shall invite school classes for the Frémont Literature Days. The Frémont Literary Days are a decentral event which takes place simultaneously in at least ten places in the Commonwealth with similar events and activities.
iv. The Frémont Literature Days shall offer a variety of literature-related events and activities, such as meet-ups with writers, workshops, and other activities that aim to promote reading and interest in literature.
vi. The Commonwealth government guarantees the coverage of
a. all travel-related expenses for schools from school districts with a child poverty rate above 35%;
b. 80% of travel-related expenses for schools from school districts with a child poverty rate between 25% and 35%;
c. 65% of travel-related expenses for schools from school districts with a child poverty rate between 20% and 25%;
d. 50% of travel-related expenses for schools from school districts with a child poverty rate between 10% and 20%.
Section V. Public bookcases.
i. The Commonwealth provides the municipalities with a total sum of $15,000,000 funds for the construction and maintenance of public bookcases.
ii. The Commonwealth will primarily grant these funds for construction and maintenance projects in areas with high poverty rates.
Section VI. Enactment.
This act shall be enacted on January 1st, 2022.
