[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1970 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1970

     To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for the 
 establishment of the Thurgood Marshall Legal Educational Opportunity 
                                Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 19, 1997

  Mr. Cummings (for himself, Mr. Watts of Oklahoma, Mr. Conyers, Mr. 
   Towns, Mr. Wynn, Mr. Dellums, Ms. Christian-Green, Mr. Evans, Ms. 
  Milender-McDonald, Mr. Ford, Mr. Payne, Mr. Frost, Ms. Norton, Mr. 
 Flake, Mr. Dixon, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mrs. Maloney of 
  New York, Ms. Waters, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Kilpatrick, Mr. Bishop, Mr. 
Pastor, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Scott, Mr. Barrett of Wisconsin, Mr. Stokes, 
Mr. Clay, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Hastings of Florida, 
 Mr. Gonzalez, Mr. Underwood, Mr. Faleomavaega, Mr. Filner, Mr. Stark, 
 and Mr. Fattah) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
              the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for the 
 establishment of the Thurgood Marshall Legal Educational Opportunity 
                                Program.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. THURGOOD MARSHALL LEGAL EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM.

    Chapter 1 of subpart 2 of part A of title IV of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 is amended by inserting after section 402H (20 
U.S.C. 1070a-18) the following new section:

SEC. 402I. LEGAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Program Authority.--The Secretary shall carry out a program 
to be known as the `Thurgood Marshall Legal Educational Opportunity 
Program' designed to provide low-income, minority, and disadvantaged 
college students with the information, preparation, and financial 
assistance to gain access to and complete law school study.
    ``(b) Contract Authorized.--The Secretary is authorized to enter 
into a contract with, or make a grant to, the Council on Legal 
Education Opportunity, for a period of no less than 5 years--
            ``(1) to identify individuals from low-income, minority, 
        and disadvantaged backgrounds;
            ``(2) to prepare such individuals for study at accredited 
        law schools;
            ``(3) to assist students to select the appropriate law 
        school, make application for entry into law school, and receive 
        financial assistance for such study;
            ``(4) to provide support services to first-year law 
        students to improve retention and success in law school 
        studies; and
            ``(5) to motivate and prepare such students in law school 
        studies and practice in low-income communities.
    ``(c) Services Provided.--In carrying out the purposes described in 
subsection (b), the contract or grant shall provide for the delivery of 
services through prelaw information resource centers, summer 
institutes, and midyear seminars conducted under this section. Such 
services may include--
            ``(1) information and counseling regarding--
                    ``(A) accredited law school academic programs, 
                especially tuition, fees, and admission requirements;
                    ``(B) course work offered and required for 
                graduation;
                    ``(C) faculty specialties and areas of legal 
                emphasis;
                    ``(D) undergraduate preparatory courses and 
                curriculum selection;
            ``(2) tutoring and academic counseling, including 
        assistance in preparing for bar examinations;
            ``(3) prelaw mentoring programs, involving law school 
        faculty, members of State and local bar associations, and 
        retired and sitting judges, justices, and magistrates;
            ``(4) assistance in identifying preparatory courses and 
        material for the law school aptitude or admissions tests;
            ``(5) summer institutes for Thurgood Marshall Fellows which 
        expose them to a rigorous curriculum that emphasizes abstract 
        thinking, legal analysis, research, writing, and examination 
        techniques; and
            ``(6) midyear seminars and other educational activities 
        designed to reinforce reading, writing, and studying skills of 
        Thurgood Marshall Fellows during the first year of law school 
        study.
    ``(d) Subgrants and Subcontracts.--For the purposes of planning, 
developing, or delivering one or more of the services described in 
subsection (c), the Council on Legal Education Opportunity shall make 
subgrants to, and subcontracts with, institutions of higher education, 
law schools, public and private agencies and organizations, and 
combinations of such institutions, schools, agencies, and 
organizations.
    ``(e) Stipends.--The Secretary shall annually establish the maximum 
stipend to be paid (including allowances for participant travel and for 
their dependents) to Thurgood Marshall Fellows for the period of prelaw 
preparation in summer institutes and midyear seminar prior to and 
during the period of law school study. A Fellow may be eligible for 
such a stipend only if the Fellow maintains satisfactory academic 
progress toward the Juris Doctor or Bachelor of Laws degree, as 
determined by the respective institutions.
    ``(f) Maximum Grant Level.--For any year for which an appropriation 
is made to carry out this chapter, the Secretary shall allocate not 
more than $5,000,000 for the purpose of providing the services 
described in subsection (c).''.
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