[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5141 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5141

 To provide for the establishment of a program at the National Science 
 Foundation to increase up to 10,000 per year the number of elementary 
 and secondary science and mathematics teachers through a scholarship 
      program encouraging students to obtain science, technology, 
 engineering, and mathematics degrees with teacher certification, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 6, 2006

  Mr. Holt (for himself, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Ms. Zoe 
     Lofgren of California, Mr. Capuano, Mr. Markey, Mr. Smith of 
  Washington, Mr. Price of North Carolina, Mr. Owens, Mr. Payne, Mr. 
 Grijalva, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mr. Hinojosa, Mr. McDermott, Ms. 
  Schakowsky, Mr. McIntyre, and Mr. Inslee) introduced the following 
          bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the establishment of a program at the National Science 
 Foundation to increase up to 10,000 per year the number of elementary 
 and secondary science and mathematics teachers through a scholarship 
      program encouraging students to obtain science, technology, 
 engineering, and mathematics degrees with teacher certification, and 
                          for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Accelerating the Creation of 
Teachers of Influence for Our Nation Act''.

SEC. 2. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--The National Science Foundation shall establish 
a program to provide scholarships to students in science, engineering, 
or mathematics programs with certification for elementary or secondary 
teaching.
    (b) Amount of Scholarship.--A scholarship award under this section 
shall be an amount sufficient to cover the cost of tuition, room and 
board, and fees at the institution of higher education the student is 
attending, not to exceed $20,000 per year.
    (c) Selection Criteria.--Scholarships shall be awarded under this 
section on the basis of merit, with consideration given to financial 
need and the goal of providing support to members of underrepresented 
groups within the meaning of the Science and Engineering Equal 
Opportunities Act.
    (d) Limitation.--A student may not receive scholarships under this 
section for more than 5 years of undergraduate study.
    (e) Probation.--A student that has received scholarship support 
under this section for a year who receives a grade of D or fails a 
course during that year shall be notified by the National Science 
Foundation that the student is being placed on probation.
    (f) Termination.--A student that has received scholarship support 
under this section for a year who fails a course during that year, 
after having been placed on probation under subsection (e), shall 
forfeit the scholarship, and all scholarship amounts received by that 
student under this section shall be treated as a student loan as 
provided in subsection (h).
    (g) Service Obligation.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2) or 
        subsection (i), not later than 6 years after graduation from a 
        program for which a student has received scholarship assistance 
        under this section--
                    (A) if the student has received 3 or more years of 
                such assistance, the student shall complete 5 years of 
                service as an elementary or secondary science or 
                mathematics teacher; and
                    (B) if the student has received fewer than 3 years 
                of such assistance, the student shall complete 3 years 
                of service as an elementary or secondary science or 
                mathematics teacher.
            (2) Special service.--If all service under this subsection 
        is performed at a school eligible for assistance under section 
        1114 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 6314), the length of the obligation under paragraph 
        (1)(A) or (B) shall be reduced by 1 year.
    (h) Forfeiture of Scholarship.--
            (1) Consequences.--A student who forfeits a scholarship 
        provided under this section shall be liable to the United 
        States for repayment of the full amount of scholarship 
        assistance received, in accordance with paragraph (3).
            (2) Grounds for forfeiture.--A student forfeits a 
        scholarship provided under this section if the student--
                    (A) withdraws from the degree program for which the 
                scholarship was awarded without transfer to a 
                comparable program within the scope of this Act, or in 
                a comparable program within the scope of this Act at 
                another institution of higher education;
                    (B) fails 2 classes as described in subsections (e) 
                and (f);
                    (C) declares that the service obligation under 
                subsection (g) will not be fulfilled; or
                    (D) fails to fulfill the service obligation under 
                subsection (g).
            (3) Repayment.--
                    (A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph 
                (B), in the case of forfeiture, repayment shall be 
                required for the full amount of scholarship assistance 
                received by the student plus the interest on such 
                amounts that would be payable if at the time the 
                amounts were received they were a loan bearing interest 
                at the prevailing rate for student loans.
                    (B) Partial failure to meet service obligation.--In 
                the case of a forfeiture on grounds described in 
                paragraph (2)(C) or (D)--
                            (i) if the student received 3 or more years 
                        of scholarship assistance under this section, 
                        repayment shall be required for the amount of 
                        assistance received reduced by \1/5\ of the 
                        total amount for each year of service 
                        obligation completed, plus the interest on such 
                        reduced amounts that would be payable if at the 
                        time the amounts were received they were a loan 
                        bearing interest at the prevailing rate for 
                        student loans; and
                            (ii) if the student received fewer than 3 
                        years of scholarship assistance under this 
                        section, repayment shall be required for the 
                        amount of assistance received reduced by \1/3\ 
                        of the total amount for each year of service 
                        obligation completed, plus the interest on such 
                        reduced amounts that would be payable if at the 
                        time the amounts were received they were a loan 
                        bearing interest at the prevailing rate for 
                        student loans.
                    (C) Waiver.--The Director of the National Science 
                Foundation may provide a partial or complete waiver of 
                the requirement under this paragraph if a student will 
                suffer extreme hardship, if compliance is impossible, 
                or if requiring repayment would be unconscionable.
    (i) Master's Degree Option.--
            (1) Availability.--A student who has received 1 or more 
        years of scholarship assistance under this section may apply 
        for additional scholarship assistance for up to 2 years in a 
        Master's program in science, technology, engineering, or 
        mathematics.
            (2) Service obligation.--For each year of scholarship 
        assistance received under paragraph (1), a student's service 
        obligation under subsection (g) shall increase by 1 year. If 
        all service under this paragraph and subsection (g) combined is 
        performed at a school eligible for assistance under section 
        1114 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 6314), the length of the obligation under this paragraph 
        shall be reduced by 1 year.
    (j) Scholarship Trust Fund.--There shall be established in the 
Treasury of the United States a trust fund, into which shall be 
deposited all gifts and donations received by the National Science 
Foundation in support of the program under this section. Amounts in the 
trust fund may be used, to the extent provided in appropriations Acts, 
for carrying out this section.
    (k) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the National Science Foundation for carrying out this 
section--
            (1) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2007;
            (2) $400,000,000 for fiscal year 2008;
            (3) $600,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
            (4) $800,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; and
            (5) $1,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2011.

SEC. 3. UNIVERSITY GRANTS.

    (a) Establishment of Program.--The Director of the National Science 
Foundation shall establish a program to award annual grants of 
$1,000,000 to institutions of higher education (or a consortia of such 
institutions) to develop and implement programs that will provide all 
of the following:
            (1) Undergraduate science, mathematics, and engineering 
        degrees.
            (2) Elementary or secondary teacher certification.
            (3) Professional development and mentoring activities.
    (b) Selection Criteria.--The Director shall annually award grants 
under this section on a competitive basis. The Director shall seek to 
achieve a balanced distribution of awards on the basis of geographic 
location and the size of the institutions of higher education. In 
weighing the merits of grant proposals, the Director shall consider--
            (1) the ability of the applicant to carry out the proposed 
        program;
            (2) the size and quality of education and science, 
        technology, engineering, and mathematics faculty, and 
        postdoctoral fellows in those departments;
            (3) the degree to which the proposed program will enable 
        students to become and remain successful elementary and 
        secondary mathematics and science teachers; and
            (4) the ability of the applicant to recruit students who 
        would otherwise not pursue a career in teaching.
    (c) Preference.--The Director shall give preference to applicants 
whose proposals include--
            (1) curriculum based on cognitive psychology and the 
        science of how students learn;
            (2) structured mentoring program with a highly qualified 
        teacher in the field of the student;
            (3) summer internships with researchers in the science, 
        mathematics, or engineering field of the student;
            (4) mentored classroom teaching experience;
            (5) use of educational technology with instruction included 
        within the curriculum;
            (6) practical courses in the teaching of science and 
        mathematics;
            (7) partnerships with private sector entities that 
        include--
                    (A) financial or in-kind contributions to the 
                financing of the internships;
                    (B) mentoring activities;
                    (C) professional development programs including 
                professional meetings; and
                    (D) collaboration with local schools, education 
                groups, youth organizations, museums, and libraries;
            (8) partnerships with other institutions of higher 
        education to facilitate the sharing of faculty and 
        implementation of mentoring activities; and
            (9) mechanisms to recruit underrepresented groups into the 
        program.
    (d) Matching Funds.--An institution of higher education may only 
receive a grant under this section if it will provide at least $200,000 
during the fiscal year for which the grant is awarded toward the 
development and implementation of the program for which the grant is 
awarded.
    (e) Limitation.--An institution of higher education may not receive 
more than 3 annual grants under this section.
    (f) Monitoring.--The Director shall monitor the success of the each 
program receiving assistance under this section to determine 
eligibility for competitive renewal, including site visits when 
necessary.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the National Science Foundation--
            (1) $500,000,000 for fiscal year 2007;
            (2) $600,000,000 for fiscal year 2008;
            (3) $700,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
            (4) $900,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; and
            (5) $1,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2011.
                                 <all>