[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.
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