1.This Act may be cited as
the Public Service Academy Act of
2006
.
2.Congress makes the following
findings:
(1)National
disasters such as September 11, 2001, and Hurricane Katrina, along with the
United States' struggle against international terrorism, have highlighted the
importance of public service and the need for the United States to improve its
capacity to effectively handle future catastrophes, as well as the daily
challenges of life in a global society.
(2)Young Americans,
particularly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, have a strong ethic of
public service. According to the Higher Education Research Institute, more than
2/3 of the 2005 freshman class at institutions of higher
education in the United States expressed a desire to serve others, the highest
rate in a generation. Applications to private programs such as Teach for
America and City Year, publicly funded public service programs within USA
Freedom Corps, and religious mission trips have increased dramatically since
2001. Yet with the increase in college tuition causing the average college
graduate to owe about $20,000, many students often can afford to pursue public
service only for short periods of time and avoid public service careers in
favor of more lucrative fields.
(3)The aging of the
population of the United States and the subsequent retirement of the Baby
Boomer generation will create serious shortages in critically needed public
service positions at all levels of our society, as evidenced by the
following:
(A)A recent study by
the Congressional Budget Office highlighted the graying of the Federal
work force,
while the Partnership for Public Service warns of a
Federal brain drain
as 44 percent of all Federal workers become
eligible to retire in the next 5 years.
(B)The National
Center for Education Statistics estimates that more than 2,000,000 teachers
will be needed in the next 10 years due to teacher retirement and increased
student enrollment. The teacher shortages will particularly affect high-need
rural and inner-city local educational agencies.
(C)More than 80
percent of the Nation’s 17,000 law enforcement agencies report that they cannot
fill needed positions due to a lack of qualified candidates.
(D)The Bridgespan
Group reports that nonprofit organizations will need to attract and develop
640,000 new senior managers by 2016, nearly 21/2 times the
number in 2006.
(4)The United States
does not have a national undergraduate institution to promote public service
and develop well-trained, highly qualified civilian leaders.
3.The purpose of this Act is to establish a
United States Public Service Academy that will—
(1)strengthen and
protect the United States by creating a corps of well-trained, highly qualified
civilian leaders willing to devote themselves to leadership through patriotic
public service;
(2)be the first
national civilian institution of higher education in the United States;
and
(3)provide
competitive, federally subsidized, public service-driven undergraduate
education to students from across the United States and the world.
4.In this Act:
(1)
(A)The term public service includes a variety
of public, private, and non-profit endeavors that strengthen and protect living
conditions, create opportunities, and enhance the civic well-being of
communities across the United States and the world.
(B)Preapproved
public service endeavorsThe following fields shall be deemed to
meet the requirement of subparagraph (A):
(i)Economy.
(ii)Education.
(iii)Emergency
management.
(iv)Environment.
(v)Foreign
policy.
(vi)Health
care.
(vii)Law
enforcement.
(viii)Public
infrastructure.
(2)The term Board of Visitors means an
appointed board of not more than 15 members, including the Secretary of the
Department of Homeland Security, to oversee the Public Service Academy
established under section 5. The remaining board members shall be appointed by
the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.
(3)The
term State
means each of the several States of the United States
and the District of Columbia.
5.
(a)There
is established, in the Department of Homeland Security, a United States Public
Service Academy (referred to in this Act as the Academy
), at the
location to be determined by an Act of Congress, for the instruction in and
preparation for public service of selected individuals, who shall be called
Academy students.
(b)The
Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security shall prescribe the
organization of the Academy, in accordance with the requirements of this
section.
(c)There shall be at the Academy the following:
(1)A
Superintendent.
(2)A Dean of the
Academic Board, who is a permanent professor.
(3)A Director of
Admissions.
(4)A Director of
Placement.
(d)The
Superintendent shall oversee the immediate government of the Academy.
(e)Dean of the
Academic Board
(1)The
Superintendent shall appoint the Dean of the Academic Board as an additional
permanent professor from the permanent professors who have served as heads of
departments of instruction at the Academy, except that for the first year of
the Academy the Superintendent shall appoint the Dean of the Academic Board
from qualified applicants.
(2)The
Dean of the Academic Board shall perform such duties as the Superintendent of
the Academy may prescribe, with the approval of the Board of Visitors.
6.
(a)The Superintendent may employ as many professors,
instructors, and lecturers at the Academy as the Secretary of the Department of
Homeland Security considers necessary to ensure that the student-faculty ratio
is not more than 16 to 1.
(b)The Superintendent may prescribe the compensation of
persons employed under this section.
(c)The Superintendent may prescribe the titles of each of the
departments of instruction and the professors of the Academy.
(d)Upon becoming the senior professor in a department, a
permanent professor becomes the head of that department.
7.Student
qualifications and requirements for admission
(a)A student wishing to be admitted to the Academy
shall—
(1)be 17 years of
age or older;
(2)be unmarried;
and
(3)have no
dependents, as defined in section 152(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986.
(b)A student wishing to be admitted to the Academy
shall fulfill the following requirements:
(1)Earn a secondary
school diploma.
(2)Take the SAT or
ACT or an equivalent college-level aptitude test.
(3)Sit for a
personal interview with representatives of the Academy.
(4)Any further
admissions requirements, as determined by the Director of Admissions.
(c)A student wishing to be admitted to the Academy shall sign
an Honor Code developed by the Superintendent and approved by the Board of
Visitors.
8.
(a)Prospective applicants to the Academy for seats described
in paragraphs (1) and (3) of subsection (b) shall follow a nomination process
established by the Director of Admissions that is similar to the process used
for admission to the military academies of the United States Armed
Forces.
(b)
(1)
(A)Seats allocated
per StateThe Director of
Admissions shall allocate the congressional seats for incoming first-year
students of the Academy by State on the basis of 2 seats per electoral vote
from each State.
(B)Nominees
required per each senator and representativeEach member of the
Senate or the House of Representatives shall nominate a minimum of 5 candidates
from the State that the member represents for each incoming first-year class of
the Academy.
(C)In
selecting nominees for a first-year incoming class for the congressional seats
reserved for a State, the Director of Admissions shall only consider the
candidates nominated by members of Congress from the State.
(2)
(A)The
Director of Admissions shall reserve in each incoming first-year class of the
Academy 100 seats for international students.
(B)In order for an international student to attend the
Academy, the student's home country shall—
(i)be responsible
for subsidizing the student's tuition, fees, room and board, and other expenses
at the Academy; and
(ii)enter into an
agreement described in section 10(b) with the student.
(3)Executive
branch nominees
(A)The
Director of Admissions shall reserve in each incoming first-year class of the
Academy 25 seats for executive branch nominees.
(B)The
President shall nominate a minimum of 75 candidates to compete for the 25
executive branch seats.
(4)The
Director of Admissions shall reserve in each incoming first-year class of the
Academy 75 seats for at-large selections from the remaining pool of
congressional nominees described in paragraph (1)(B).
9.Academic focus
of the United States Public Service Academy
(a)Each
Academy student shall follow a structured curriculum that is self-reinforcing
to emphasize leadership development and public service.
(b)
(1)Degree
conferred upon graduationUnder such conditions as the Board of
Visitors may prescribe, the Superintendent of the Academy may confer a
baccalaureate of science or baccalaureate of arts degree upon a graduate of the
Academy.
(2)Each
Academy student shall pursue a program of study for a baccalaureate of arts or
a baccalaureate of sciences degree in traditional liberal arts subjects.
(c)Breadth of
required subject areas studiedEach Academy student shall take
courses in a broad array of subject areas as part of the student's program of
study.
(d)Public service
concentrationNot later than the completion of the fourth
semester, each Academy student shall choose a public service concentration from
the fields described in section 4(1)(B), which shall be the field in which the
student ultimately will serve upon graduation.
(e)Public service
requirements before graduation
(1)Public service
programmingEach Academy student shall participate in daily
public service programming, to be determined by the Dean of the Academic
Board.
(2)Each Academy student shall plan and implement a 1-year
public service project during the student's final year at the Academy.
(f)Study abroad
requirements
(1)Each Academy student shall spend the student's junior
year in a study abroad program approved by the Dean of the Academic
Board.
(2)Classes in
preparation for study abroadIn preparation for the junior year
study abroad program, each Academy student shall take courses in foreign
languages and international relations.
(3)Internship
during study abroadAs part of an Academy student's junior year
study abroad program, each Academy student shall participate in an internship
at the United States mission in the student's junior year study abroad program
location.
(g)Summer learning
program requirementsFor each year of attendance at the Academy,
each Academy student shall spend 8 weeks each summer participating in the
following structured learning programs:
(1)Following the
first year at the Academy, emergency response training.
(2)Following the
second year, a civilian internship in the United States Armed Forces.
(3)Following the
third year, an internship with a preapproved organization described in section
10(g)(3)(B).
10.Public service
requirements following graduation
(a)Each Academy student from the United States shall sign
an agreement with respect to the student's length of public service to the
United States. The agreement shall provide that the student agrees to the
following:
(1)That the student
will complete the course of instruction at the Academy, culminating in
graduation from the Academy.
(2)That upon
graduation from the Academy, the student—
(A)will accept an
appointment, if tendered, in the location assigned, as a public servant of the
United States; and
(B)will serve as a
public servant of the United States for not less than 5 years immediately after
such appointment, unless the student continues the student's education in
accordance with subsection (h).
(b)International
student agreementEach international Academy student shall sign
an agreement with the student's home country regarding public service in the
student's home country that meets the same conditions set forth in subsection
(a).
(c)
(1)An Academy student who has completed a minimum of 4
semesters at the Academy but fails to fulfill the Academy's requirements for
graduation within 4 years shall be—
(A)dishonorably
discharged from the Academy; and
(B)obligated to
repay the Academy for the cost of the delinquent student's education in the
amount described in paragraph (2).
(2)The delinquent student shall be financially responsible
for each semester that the student was officially enrolled in the
Academy.
(d)Failure To
accept or complete assigned public service
(1)A delinquent graduate shall be—
(A)dishonorably
discharged from the Academy; and
(B)obligated to
repay the Academy for the cost of the delinquent graduate's education in the
amount described in paragraph (2).
(2)In the case of a delinquent graduate who fails to
complete all years of public service required under subsection (a)(2)
(including any additional years required for graduate education under
subsection (h)), the delinquent graduate shall be financially responsible for
the cost of the delinquent graduate's education (including the costs of any
graduate education), except that the amount of financial responsibility under
this paragraph shall be reduced by 10 percent for each year of public service
under subsection (a)(2) that the delinquent graduate did complete.
(3)Definition of
delinquent graduateIn this subsection, the term delinquent
graduate means a graduate of the Academy who violates the agreement
entered into under subsection (a) by—
(A)not accepting the
graduate's public service assignment upon graduation from the Academy;
or
(B)not completing
the required years of public service in the assignment due to—
(i)voluntarily
quitting the assignment; or
(ii)being fired from
the assignment.
(e)The
Superintendent may provide for the partial or total waiver or suspension of any
public service or payment obligation by an individual under this section
whenever compliance by the individual with the obligation is impossible or
deemed to involve extreme hardship to the individual, or if enforcement of such
obligation with respect to the individual would be unconscionable.
(f)Student
salaries and benefitsThe
Academy shall not be responsible for the salaries and benefits of graduates of
the Academy while the graduates are fulfilling the public service requirement
under this section. All salaries and benefits shall be paid by the employer
with whom the Academy graduate is placed.
(g)Determining
student assignments
(1)The Superintendent, acting through the Academy Placement
Office, shall assign graduates to appropriate public service employment that
satisfies the public service requirements of this section.
(2)The
Academy Placement Office shall assess the following when determining the
appropriate public service employment for a graduate:
(A)National security
needs.
(B)State and local
community needs.
(C)Student
experience.
(D)Student academic
performance.
(3)Preapproved
public service placementsPostgraduation public service
requirements under this subsection shall be fulfilled through placements in
public service employment in any of the following sectors:
(A)
(i)Civil service
employment at the Federal, State, or local level.
(ii)Civilian service
in the United States Armed Forces.
(B)Employment
in an organization that—
(i)is described in
section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
(ii)is exempt from
tax under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and
(iii)provides a
service determined by the Board of Visitors to meet critical national
needs.
(4)Review and
approval of student assignmentsThe Superintendent shall review
and approve each Academy graduate's assignment.
(h)
(1)The
Academy may subsidize an Academy student's graduate education in return for an
extended public service commitment.
(2)For every year of subsidized graduate education, the
Academy student shall agree to add 2 additional years to such Academy student's
public service commitment required under the agreement described in subsection
(a).
11.Funding the
United States Public Service Academy
(a)Fully-subsidized
educationEach Academy student's tuition at the Academy shall be
fully subsidized.
(b)Public-private
partnershipThe Academy will be a public-private partnership
funded by the following:
(1)Congress shall fund 80 percent of the Academy’s annual
budget.
(2)The Academy officials shall raise 20 percent of the
Academy's annual budget in private funds.
(c)For each of the first 2 fiscal years for which
funds are appropriated under section 13, the Superintendent shall use such
funds, and any matching private funds, to acquire land, construct facilities,
recruit faculty and students, hire employees, and develop curricula in
preparation for the opening of the Academy.
(d)Subsequent
appropriationsFor each of the 4 subsequent fiscal years
following the second fiscal year described in subsection (c) and for which
funds are appropriated under section 13, the Superintendent shall use such
funds, and any matching private funds, to fund the Academy as it grows 1 class
at a time into a 4-year institution.
12.Use of certain
gifts to the Academy
(a)Gifts not
exceeding $20,000Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary
of the Department of Homeland Security, the Superintendent of the Academy may
accept, hold, administer, invest, and spend any gift, devise, or bequest of
personal property of a value of $20,000 or less made to the United States on
the condition that such gift, devise, or bequest be used for the benefit of the
Academy or any entity thereof. The Superintendent may pay or authorize the
payment of all reasonable and necessary expenses in connection with the
conveyance or transfer of a gift, devise, or bequest under this section.
(b)The Board of Visitors may accept, hold, administer,
invest, and spend any gift, devise, or bequest of personal property of a value
of more than $20,000 made to the United States on the condition that such gift,
devise, or bequest be used for the benefit of the Academy or any entity
thereof. The Board of Visitors may pay or authorize the payment of all
reasonable and necessary expenses in connection with the conveyance or transfer
of a gift, devise, or bequest under this section.
13.There is
authorized to be appropriated, and there is appropriated, $164,000,000 for
fiscal year 2007 and each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.