[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4868 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4868

  To make the diversity of the American people a resource to promote 
                           national security.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 5, 2002

 Mr. Crowley introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To make the diversity of the American people a resource to promote 
                           national security.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE, FINDINGS, AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Minority National 
Security Scholarship Act of 2002''.
    (b) Findings.--The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The security of the United States will continue to 
        depend on the ability of the United States to understand, 
        shape, and react to political, economic, and social 
        developments around the world.
            (2) Ethno-national conflicts continue to rage around the 
        world, and such conflicts are often accompanied by the 
        proliferation of weapons, human rights violations, economic and 
        commercial decline, trafficking in women and children, the 
        drafting of children into military service, and threats to 
        American citizens and business interests.
            (3) International terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda 
        have established footholds in a number of countries, including 
        both allies and adversaries of the United States, and attempt 
        to use such footholds as bases from which to launch terrorist 
        attacks on the United States and American interests abroad.
            (4) The future national security and economic well-being of 
        the United States will depend substantially on the ability of 
        its citizens to understand, influence, and respond to ethno-
        national conflicts and the social and political factors that 
        cause others to support international terrorist groups. 
        American economic interests will also depend on the ability of 
        U.S. citizens to communicate and compete by knowing the 
        languages and cultures of other countries.
            (5) The Federal Government has an interest in ensuring that 
        the employees of its departments and agencies with national 
        security responsibilities are prepared to meet the challenges 
        of this changing international environment.
            (6) The Federal Government also has an interest in taking 
        actions to alleviate the problem of American undergraduate and 
        graduate students being inadequately prepared to meet the 
        challenges posed by increasing global interaction among 
        nations.
            (7) American colleges and universities must place a new 
        emphasis on improving the teaching of foreign languages, area 
        studies, and other international fields, particularly of those 
        far-flung regions and newly independent countries that have 
        previously not been the focus of study in American institutions 
        of higher learning, to help meet those challenges.
            (8) By virtue of their intimate understanding of foreign 
        languages, cultures, and locations, members of minority groups 
        have the potential to offer the Federal Government their 
        insights into political, economic, and social developments 
        abroad, and the Federal Government should take whatever steps 
        are necessary to encourage members of minority groups to use 
        their skills to promote United States national security by 
        making a career in the foreign affairs, security, or 
        intelligence agencies of the Federal Government. Furthermore, 
        if the United States is to penetrate terrorist organizations 
        like al-Qaeda or hostile adversaries of any kind in hopes of 
        preventing future attacks on the United States or on American 
        interests, the Federal Government must take full advantage of 
        the diversity of the American citizenry.
    (c) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are as follows:
            (1) To provide the necessary resources, accountability, and 
        flexibility to meet the national security education needs of 
        the United States.
            (2) To increase the quantity, diversity, and quality of the 
        teaching and learning of subjects in the fields of foreign 
        languages, area studies, and other international fields that 
        are critical to the Nation's interest.
            (3) To produce an increased pool of applicants for work in 
        the departments and agencies of the United States Government 
        with responsibilities for issues affecting national security.
            (4) To expand, in conjunction with other Federal programs, 
        the international experience, knowledge base, and perspectives 
        on which the United States citizenry, Government employees, and 
        leaders rely.
            (5) To provide enhanced opportunities for members of 
        minority groups to serve their country and contribute to United 
        States national security by contributing to the work of the 
        foreign affairs, security, or intelligence agencies of the 
        Federal Government.

SEC. 2. SCHOLARSHIP, FELLOWSHIP, AND GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Program Required.--The Secretary of Education shall establish a 
program to--
            (1) award scholarships to minority undergraduate students 
        who are United States citizens in order to enable such students 
        to study, for at least one academic semester, in foreign 
        countries that are critical countries (as determined under 
        section 3(4)(A));
            (2) award fellowships to minority graduate students who--
                    (A) are United States citizens to enable such 
                students to pursue education in the United States in 
                the disciplines of foreign languages, area studies, and 
                other international fields that are critical areas of 
                those disciplines (as determined under section 
                3(4)(B)); and
                    (B) pursuant to subsection (d), enter into an 
                agreement to work for an agency or office of the 
                Federal Government or in the field of education in the 
                area of study for which the fellowship was awarded; and
            (3) award grants to institutions of higher education to 
        enable such institutions to establish, operate, or improve 
        programs in foreign languages, area studies, and other 
        international fields that are critical areas of those 
        disciplines (as determined under section 3(4)(C)) and that will 
        primarily serve students who are members of minority groups.
    (b) Funding Allocations.--Of the amounts available to carry out the 
programs under subsection (a) for any fiscal year, the Secretary of 
Education shall have a goal of allocating--
            (1) \1/3\ of such amount for the awarding of scholarships 
        pursuant to subsection (a)(1);
            (2) \1/3\ of such amount for the awarding of fellowships 
        pursuant to subsection (a)(2); and
            (3) \1/3\ of such amount for the awarding of grants 
        pursuant to subsection (a)(3).
    (c) Contract Authority.--The Secretary of Education may enter into 
one or more contracts, with private national organizations having an 
expertise in foreign languages, area studies, and other international 
fields, for the awarding of the scholarships, fellowships, and grants 
described in subsection (a) in accordance with the provisions of this 
Act. The Secretary of Education may enter into such contracts without 
regard to section 3709 of the Revised Statutes (41 U.S.C. 5) or any 
other provision of law that requires the use of competitive procedures.
    (d) Service Agreement.--In awarding a scholarship or fellowship 
under the program, the Secretary of Education or contract organization 
referred to in subsection (c), as the case may be, shall require a 
recipient of any fellowship, or of scholarships that provide assistance 
for periods that aggregate 12 months or more, to enter into an 
agreement that, in return for such assistance, the recipient--
            (1) will maintain satisfactory academic progress, as 
        determined in accordance with regulations issued by the 
        Secretary of Education, and agrees that failure to maintain 
        such progress shall constitute grounds upon which the Secretary 
        or contract organization referred to in subsection (c) may 
        terminate such assistance;
            (2) will, upon completion of such recipient's baccalaureate 
        degree or education under the program, as the case may be, and 
        in accordance with regulations issued by the Secretary, work 
        for the Federal Government or in the field of education in the 
        area of study for which the scholarship or fellowship was 
        awarded for a period specified by the Secretary, which period 
        for the recipients of scholarships shall be no more than the 
        same period for which scholarship assistance was provided and 
        for the recipients of fellowships shall be not less than one 
        and not more than three times the period for which the 
        fellowship assistance was provided; and
            (3) if the recipient fails to meet either of the 
        obligations set forth in paragraph (1) or (2), will reimburse 
        the United States Government for the amount of the assistance 
        provided the recipient under the program, together with 
        interest at a rate determined in accordance with regulations 
        issued by the Secretary.
    (e) Distribution of Assistance.--In selecting the recipients for 
awards of scholarships, fellowships, or grants pursuant to this Act, 
the Secretary of Education or a contract organization referred to in 
subsection (c), as the case may be, shall take into consideration:
            (1) the extent to which the selections will result in there 
        being an equitable geographic distribution of such 
        scholarships, fellowships, or grants (as the case may be) among 
        the various regions of the United States, and
            (2) the extent to which the distribution of scholarships 
        and fellowships to individuals reflects the cultural, racial, 
        and ethnic diversity of the minority population of the United 
        States.
    (f) Merit Review.--The Secretary of Education shall award 
scholarships, fellowships, and grants under the program based upon a 
merit review process.

 SEC. 3. POLICY GUIDANCE.

    The Secretary of Education shall provide guidance regarding the 
implementation of this Act by--
            (1) developing criteria for awarding scholarships, 
        fellowships, and grants under this Act;
            (2) widely disseminating information regarding the 
        activities assisted under this Act;
            (3) establishing qualifications for students desiring 
        scholarships or fellowships, and institutions of higher 
        education desiring grants, under this Act, including, in the 
        case of students desiring a scholarship or fellowship, a 
        requirement that the student have a demonstrated commitment to 
        the study of the discipline for which the scholarship or 
        fellowship is to be awarded;
            (4) making determinations regarding--
                    (A) which countries are not emphasized in other 
                United States study abroad programs, such as countries 
                in which few United States minority students are 
                studying, and are, therefore, critical countries for 
                the purposes of section 2(a)(1);
                    (B) which areas within the disciplines described in 
                section 2(a)(2) are areas of study in which United 
                States minority students are deficient in learning and 
                are, therefore, critical areas within those disciplines 
                for the purposes of that section;
                    (C) which areas within the disciplines described in 
                section 2(a)(3) are areas in which United States 
                minority students, educators, and Government employees 
                are deficient in learning and in which insubstantial 
numbers of United States institutions of higher education serving 
primarily minority students provide training and are, therefore, 
critical areas within those disciplines for the purposes of that 
section; and
                    (D) how minority students desiring scholarships or 
                fellowships can be encouraged to work for an agency or 
                office of the Federal Government involved in national 
                security affairs or national security policy upon 
                completion of their education; and
            (5) review the administration of the program required under 
        this Act.

SEC. 4. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS

    (a) Acceptance and Use of Gifts.--In order to conduct the program 
required by this Act, the Secretary of Education may--
            (1) receive money and other property donated, bequeathed, 
        or devised, without condition or restriction other than that it 
        be used for the purpose of conducting the program required by 
        this Act; and
            (2) may use, sell, or otherwise dispose of such property 
        for that purpose.
    (b) Voluntary Services.--In order to conduct the program required 
by this Act, the Secretary of Education may accept and use the services 
of voluntary and noncompensated personnel.

 SEC. 5. ANNUAL REPORT.

    (a) Annual Report.--The Secretary of Education shall submit to the 
President and to the Congress an annual report of the conduct of the 
program required by this Act.
    (b) Contents of Report.--Each such report shall include the 
following:
            (1) An analysis of the trends within language, 
        international, and area studies, along with a survey of such 
        areas as the Secretary determines are receiving inadequate 
        attention.
            (2) An analysis of minority participation in language, 
        international, and area studies.
            (3) The effect on those trends of activities under the 
        program required by this Act.
            (4) An analysis of the assistance provided under the 
        program for the previous fiscal year, to include the subject 
        areas being addressed and the nature of the assistance 
        provided.
            (5) An analysis of the performance of the individuals who 
        received assistance under the program during the previous 
        fiscal year, to include the degree to which assistance was 
        terminated under the program and the extent to which individual 
        recipients failed to meet their obligations under the program.
            (6) An analysis of the results of the program for the 
        previous fiscal year, and cumulatively, to include, at a 
        minimum--
                    (A) the percentage of individuals who have received 
                assistance under the program who subsequently became 
                employees of the United States Government;
                    (B) in the case of individuals who did not 
                subsequently become employees of the United States 
                Government, an analysis of the reasons why they did not 
                become employees and an explanation as to what use, if 
                any, was made of the assistance by those recipients; 
                and
                    (C) the uses made of grants to educational 
                institutions.
            (7) Any legislative changes recommended by the Secretary to 
        facilitate the administration of the program or otherwise to 
        enhance its objectives.
    (c) Submission of Initial Report.--The first report under this 
section shall be submitted at the time the budget for fiscal year 2005 
is submitted to Congress.

SEC. 6. GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE AUDITS.

    The conduct of the program required by this Act may be audited by 
the General Accounting Office under such rules and regulations as may 
be prescribed by the Comptroller General of the United States. 
Representatives of the General Accounting Office shall have access to 
all books, accounts, records, reports, and files and all other papers, 
things, or property of the Department of Education pertaining to such 
activities and necessary to facilitate the audit.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Authorization.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
carry out this Act--
            (1) $10,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2003 through 
        2007; and
            (2) $12,000,000 for each fiscal year thereafter.
    (b) Carry-Over of Funds Permitted.--Funds appropriated pursuant to 
subsection (a) are authorized to remain available until expended.

SEC. 8. DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE MINORITY.

    For the purpose of this Act, the term ``minority'' means an 
individual who is a member of any of the following groups:
            (1) American Indian or Alaska Native.
            (2) Asian (to include individuals of East Asian, South 
        Asian, and Central Asian descent).
            (3) Arab.
            (4) African American.
            (5) Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.
            (6) Hispanic or Latino.
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