[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1671 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1671

         To establish the United States Public Service Academy.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 23, 2007

   Mr. Moran of Virginia (for himself, Mr. Shays, Mr. Gonzalez, Ms. 
Matsui, Mr. Ortiz, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Hinojosa, Ms. Norton, Mr. Al Green 
  of Texas, Mr. Gene Green of Texas, Ms. DeGette, Mr. McDermott, Ms. 
Jackson-Lee of Texas, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Farr, Mr. 
Davis of Illinois, Mr. Tom Davis of Virginia, Mr. Lampson, Mr. Thompson 
  of Mississippi, and Mr. Lewis of Georgia) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
         To establish the United States Public Service Academy.

    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 ``Public Service Academy Act of 
2007''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) National disasters such as the terrorist attacks on 
        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 people in the United States, particularly after 
        the attacks on September 11, 2001, 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 in student loan debt, many students 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 
                warned 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) In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, 
                personnel shortages were ``perhaps [the] most difficult 
                challenge'' for the Federal Emergency Management 
                Agency, according to a Congressional report on the 
                Federal Government's response to the disaster.
                    (E) The Bureau of Customs and Border Protection has 
                struggled to recruit and retain college-educated Border 
                Patrol agents who can speak Spanish and navigate the 
                delicate cross-cultural interactions inherent in the 
                job.
            (4) There is a large pool of untapped potential among young 
        women who want to serve our country. Although the military 
        service academies are only 15 percent female, women constitute 
        a majority (57 percent) of college students nationwide. In 
        service organizations, women are an even larger majority: 58 
        percent of Peace Corps, 61 percent of City Year, and 71 percent 
        of Teach for America participants are women.
            (5) College students in the United States lack adequate 
        preparation in fields crucial to public service, including 
        international education and civic education, as evidenced by 
        the following:
                    (A) According to the bipartisan Commission on the 
                Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program 
                established under section 104 of division H of the 
                Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004 (Public Law 108-
                199; 118 Stat. 435), students of the United States 
                often graduate from college without knowing a foreign 
                language or having any experience abroad. In the past 3 
                decades, the percentage of undergraduate students of 
                the United States studying a foreign language has 
                dropped from 16 percent to 8.7 percent, and 
                approximately 1 percent of such students participate in 
                a study abroad program.
                    (B) Young adults of the United States scored next 
                to last in a recent National Geographic/Roper survey of 
                geographic knowledge.
                    (C) A University of Connecticut survey of 14,000 
                undergraduate students found a widespread lack of civic 
                literacy, with seniors barely outscoring freshmen on a 
                test of basic multiple choice questions about the 
                history, foreign policy, economics, and government of 
                the United States.
                    (D) The most recent National Assessment of 
                Educational Progress assessment of civic knowledge in 
                grade 12 found that only 25 percent of high school 
                seniors had an ``adequate'' knowledge of civics and 
                government and 35 percent of high school seniors had 
                little or no knowledge of civics and government.
            (6) The United States does not have a national 
        undergraduate institution to promote public service and develop 
        well-trained, highly qualified civilian leaders.

SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to establish a United States Public 
Service Academy that will--
            (1) strengthen and protect the United States by providing 
        an annual influx of career-motivated public servants and future 
        leaders into the Nation's public institutions;
            (2) be the first national civilian institution of higher 
        education in the United States; and
            (3) provide competitive, federally subsidized, public 
        service-focused undergraduate education to students from across 
        the United States and the world.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Public service.--The term ``public service'' means 
        employment with, or work for, a public entity that is funded 
        primarily by the Federal Government or by a State or local 
        government.
            (2) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several 
        States of the United States and the District of Columbia.

SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT.

    (a) Establishment.--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) Organization.--The Secretary of the Department of Homeland 
Security shall prescribe the organization of the Academy, in accordance 
with the requirements of this section.
    (c) Key Positions.--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) Superintendent.--
            (1) Appointment.--The President shall, by and with the 
        advice and consent of the Senate, appoint the Superintendent of 
        the Academy, who shall serve for a 6-year term.
            (2) Duties.--The Superintendent shall be responsible for 
        the day-to-day operation of the Academy and the welfare of the 
        students, faculty, and staff of the Academy.
    (e) Dean of the Academic Board.--
            (1) Appointment.--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) Duties.--The Dean of the Academic Board shall perform 
        such duties as the Superintendent may, upon approval of the 
        Board of Visitors, prescribe.

SEC. 6. FACULTY AND DEPARTMENTS.

    (a) Number of Faculty.--The Superintendent of the Academy may 
employ as many professors, instructors, and lecturers at the Academy as 
the Superintendent considers necessary to achieve academic excellence.
    (b) Faculty Compensation.--The Superintendent may prescribe the 
compensation of persons employed under this section. Compensation and 
benefits for faculty members of the Academy shall be sufficiently 
competitive to achieve academic excellence, as determined by the 
Superintendent.
    (c) Faculty Expectations.--Faculty members shall--
            (1) possess academic expertise and teaching prowess;
            (2) exemplify high standards of conduct and performance;
            (3) be expected to participate in the full spectrum of 
        academy programs, including providing leadership for the 
        curricular and extracurricular activities of students;
            (4) comply with the standards of conduct and performance 
        established by the Superintendent; and
            (5) participate actively in the development of the students 
        through the enforcement of standards of behavior and conduct, 
        to be established in the Academy's rules and regulations.
    (d) Department Titles.--The Superintendent may prescribe the titles 
of each of the departments of instruction and the faculty of the 
Academy.

SEC. 7. STUDENT QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION.

    (a) Student Qualifications.--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) Admission Requirements.--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 a representative of 
        the Academy.
            (4) Any further admissions requirements, as determined by 
        the Director of Admissions.
    (c) Honor Code.--A student wishing to be admitted to the Academy 
shall sign an honor code developed by the Superintendent of the Academy 
and approved by the Board of Visitors. A violation of the honor code 
may constitute a basis for dismissal from the Academy.

SEC. 8. APPOINTMENT OF STUDENTS.

    (a) Nomination Process.--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 
of the Academy that is similar to the process used for admission to the 
military academies of the United States Armed Forces.
    (b) Appointments.--
            (1) Nominees for congressional seats.--
                    (A) Number of seats.--For each incoming first-year 
                class at the Academy, the Director of Admissions shall 
                reserve a number of congressional seats in such class 
                that is twice the number of electoral votes for all 
                States, except that such number of seats may be reduced 
                if the Superintendent of the Academy determines that a 
                smaller class size is necessary in order to gradually 
                build the Academy to its full capacity.
                    (B) Nominees required per each senator and 
                representative.--Each 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) Competition.--In selecting students for the 
                congressional seats in a first-year incoming class, the 
                Director of Admissions shall--
                            (i) proportionally allocate the 
                        congressional seats reserved under subparagraph 
                        (A) among the States based on the number of 
                        electoral votes of each State; and
                            (ii) for each congressional seat allocated 
                        to a State, select a candidate that has been 
                        nominated by a member of Congress from the 
                        State under subparagraph (B).
            (2) International students.--
                    (A) Seats.--The Director of Admissions shall 
                reserve, from the total number of seats in each 
                incoming first-year class of the Academy, not less than 
                5 percent of such total for international students.
                    (B) Tuition; agreement.--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) Seats.--The Director of Admissions shall 
                reserve in each incoming first-year class of the 
                Academy not more than 25 seats for executive branch 
                nominees.
                    (B) Nominees.--The President shall nominate a 
                minimum of 75 candidates to compete for the executive 
                branch seats.
            (4) Other nominees.--The Director of Admissions shall 
        reserve in each incoming first-year class of the Academy not 
        more than 75 seats for at-large selections from the remaining 
        pool of congressional nominees described in paragraph (1)(B).

SEC. 9. ACADEMIC FOCUS OF THE UNITED STATES PUBLIC SERVICE ACADEMY.

    (a) Curriculum; Leadership.--
            (1) Curriculum.--Each Academy student shall follow a 
        structured curriculum that emphasizes--
                    (A) the leadership development system described 
                under paragraph (2); and
                    (B) public service.
            (2) Leadership.--The leadership development system required 
        under paragraph (1) shall be a system that is designed to 
        motivate Academy students to seek leadership responsibilities 
        upon graduation and enable Academy students to think clearly, 
        decide wisely, and act decisively under pressure and in a 
        variety of leadership situations. Such system shall include 
        concurrent and relevant coursework to create an interplay 
        between learning the science of leadership in the classroom and 
        learning the art of leadership outside the classroom.
    (b) Degree.--
            (1) Degree conferred upon graduation.--Under 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) Majors.--Each Academy student shall pursue a program of 
        study for a baccalaureate of sciences or a baccalaureate of 
        arts degree in traditional liberal arts subjects.
    (c) Breadth of Required Subject Areas Studied.--Each Academy 
student shall take courses in a broad array of subject areas as part of 
the student's program of study.
    (d) Public Service Concentration.--Not later than the completion of 
the fourth semester at the Academy, each Academy student shall choose a 
public service concentration, which shall be the field in which the 
student ultimately will serve upon graduation.
    (e) Public Service Requirements Before Graduation.--
            (1) Public service programming.--Each Academy student shall 
        participate in regular programming related to public service, 
        as determined by the Dean of the Academic Board.
            (2) Public service project.--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) In general.--Each Academy student shall spend not less 
        than 6 weeks engaged in a study abroad program approved by the 
        Dean of the Academic Board.
            (2) Classes in preparation for study abroad.--In 
        preparation for the study abroad program, each Academy student 
        shall take courses in foreign languages and international 
        relations.
    (g) Summer Learning Program Requirements.--For each year of 
attendance at the Academy, each Academy student shall spend an 8-week 
period during the summer participating in a structured learning program 
established by the Superintendent and the Dean of the Academic Board.

SEC. 10. PUBLIC SERVICE REQUIREMENTS FOLLOWING GRADUATION.

    (a) Public Service Agreement.--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) The student will complete the course of instruction at 
        the Academy, culminating in graduation from the Academy.
            (2) Unless the student pursues graduate education under 
        subsection (h), upon graduation from the Academy, the student--
                    (A) will accept a public service assignment under 
                subsection (g), if tendered, at the assigned location; 
                and
                    (B) will serve in the public service assignment for 
                not less than the 5 years immediately following the 
                first day of the assignment.
    (b) International Student Agreement.--Each international Academy 
student who was selected for the Academy under section 8(b)(2) shall 
sign an agreement with the student's home country regarding employment 
in the national or local government of such country that meets the same 
conditions set forth in subsection (a).
    (c) Failure to Graduate.--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--
            (1) dishonorably discharged from the Academy; and
            (2) obligated to repay the Academy for the costs of the 
        student's education incurred during each semester that the 
        student was enrolled in the Academy.
    (d) Failure to Accept or Complete Assigned Public Service.--
            (1) In general.--A delinquent graduate shall be--
                    (A) designated a dishonorable graduate of the 
                Academy; and
                    (B) obligated to repay the Academy for the costs of 
                the delinquent graduate's education (including the 
                costs of any graduate education paid for under this 
                Act), except that the amount of financial 
                responsibility under this subparagraph shall be reduced 
                by 10 percent for each year of public service under 
                subsection (a)(2) completed by the delinquent graduate.
            (2) Definition of delinquent graduate.--In 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) Exceptions.--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 Benefits.--The Academy shall not be 
responsible for the salaries and benefits of graduates of the Academy 
while the graduates are fulfilling the public service assignment under 
this section. All salaries and benefits shall be paid by the employer 
with whom the Academy graduate is placed.
    (g) Determining Student Public Service Assignments.--
            (1) In general.--The Superintendent, acting through the 
        Director of Placement, shall place each graduating student in a 
        public service assignment, which shall consist of--
                    (A) civil service employment at the Federal, State, 
                or local level; or
                    (B) civilian service in the United States Armed 
                Forces.
            (2) Factors.--In making an assignment under paragraph (1), 
        the Director of Placement shall assess the following factors:
                    (A) National security needs.
                    (B) State and local community needs.
                    (C) The student's experience.
                    (D) The student's academic performance.
            (3) Review and approval of student assignments.--The 
        Superintendent shall review and approve each graduating Academy 
        student's public service assignment.
    (h) Graduate Education.--An Academy student and the Superintendent 
may modify the agreement under subsection (a) to provide that--
            (1) the Academy shall--
                    (A) subsidize an Academy student's graduate 
                education at a public institution; and
                    (B) postpone the public service assignment required 
                under subsection (a)(2); and
            (2) the student shall--
                    (A) accept a public service assignment under 
                subsection (g) upon the student's completion of the 
                graduate program; and
                    (B) add 2 additional years to the student's public 
                service commitment required under the agreement 
                described in subsection (a) for every year of 
                subsidized graduate education.

SEC. 11. REVIEW AND OVERSIGHT.

    (a) Board of Visitors.--
            (1) Establishment.--There shall be established a Board of 
        Visitors for the Academy (referred to in this Act as the 
        ``Board of Visitors'') to oversee the Academy and to inquire 
        into the efficiency and effectiveness of the operations of the 
        Academy.
            (2) Membership.--The Board of Visitors shall consist of not 
        more than 15 members, including the Secretary of the Department 
        of Homeland Security. The remaining members of the Board of 
        Visitors shall be appointed by the President, by and with the 
        advice and consent of the Senate.
            (3) Visits; reports.--
                    (A) Annual visits.--In order to ensure the 
                efficiency and effectiveness of the Academy, the Board 
                of Visitors shall annually visit the Academy. A 
                majority of the members of the Board of Visitors shall 
                be present for such annual visit.
                    (B) Additional visits.--The Board, or any member of 
                the Board, may visit the Academy in addition to the 
                annual visit described in subparagraph (A) with the 
                approval of the Superintendent.
                    (C) Annual reports.--Not later than 60 days after 
                an annual visit described in subparagraph (A), the 
                Board of Visitors shall prepare and submit an annual 
                report regarding the operations of the Academy to the 
                President and Congress.
    (b) Superintendent.--Not later than November 30 of each year, using 
data as of September 30 of such year, the Superintendent shall provide 
to the President and Congress a report assessing the progress of, and 
changes at, the Academy in the following areas:
            (1) Recruitment and admissions.
            (2) Faculty compensation.
            (3) Curriculum.
            (4) Resources and facilities.
            (5) Attrition and graduation.
            (6) Public service placement.

SEC. 12. FUNDING THE UNITED STATES PUBLIC SERVICE ACADEMY.

    (a) Fully Subsidized Education.--Each Academy student's tuition at 
the Academy shall be fully subsidized.
    (b) Public-Private Partnership.--The Academy will be a public-
private partnership, funded as follows:
            (1) Public funds.--Federal funds shall provide not more 
        than 80 percent of the costs of the Academy for a fiscal year.
            (2) Private funds.--The non-Federal share of the costs of 
        the Academy for a fiscal year shall be raised by Academy 
        officials, and may be in cash or in kind, including services, 
        supplies, or equipment.
    (c) Uses of Funds.--
            (1) Opening the academy.--For each of the first 2 fiscal 
        years for which funds are appropriated under section 14, the 
        Superintendent shall use funds available to carry out this Act, 
        including private funds described in subsection (b)(2), to 
        acquire land, construct facilities, recruit faculty and 
        students, hire employees, and develop curricula in preparation 
        for the opening of the Academy.
            (2) Continuing operations.--For each of the 4 subsequent 
        fiscal years following the second fiscal year described in 
        subsection (c) for which funds are appropriated under section 
        14, the Superintendent shall use funds available to carry out 
        this Act, including private funds described in subsection 
        (b)(2), to fund the Academy as it grows one class at a time 
        into a 4-year institution.

SEC. 13. USE OF CERTAIN GIFTS TO THE ACADEMY.

    (a) Gifts Not Exceeding $20,000.--Under regulations prescribed by 
the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, the 
Superintendent 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) Gifts Exceeding $20,000.--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.

SEC. 14. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$164,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, and such sums as may be necessary 
for each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.
                                 <all>