[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3062 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3062

  To authorize appropriations to provide for South Pacific exchanges, 
  provide technical and other assistance to countries in the Pacific 
region through the United States Agency for International Development, 
  and authorize appropriations to provide Fulbright Scholarships for 
                        Pacific Island students.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 17, 2007

 Mr. Faleomavaega introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize appropriations to provide for South Pacific exchanges, 
  provide technical and other assistance to countries in the Pacific 
region through the United States Agency for International Development, 
  and authorize appropriations to provide Fulbright Scholarships for 
                        Pacific Island students.

    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 ``South Pacific Economic and 
Educational Development Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. SOUTH PACIFIC EXCHANGES.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of State 
$1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 and 2009 for South Pacific 
exchanges carried out under the educational and cultural exchange 
programs of the Department of State.

SEC. 3. USAID IN THE PACIFIC REGION.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator of the United States Agency for 
International Development (USAID) shall, upon request by the government 
of a country in the Pacific region, provide to such government 
technical and other assistance.
    (b) Country in the Pacific Region Defined.--In this section, the 
term ``country in the Pacific region'' means any of the following 
countries:
            (1) The Cook Islands.
            (2) The Federated States of Micronesia.
            (3) The Independent State of Samoa.
            (4) The Kingdom of Tonga.
            (5) Niue.
            (6) Papua New Guinea.
            (7) The Republic of Fiji.
            (8) The Republic of Kiribati.
            (9) The Republic of the Marshall Islands.
            (10) The Republic of Nauru.
            (11) The Republic of Palau.
            (12) The Republic of Vanuatu.
            (13) The Solomon Islands.
            (14) Tuvalu.

SEC. 4. J. FULBRIGHT EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) From 1949 until 2003, the Department of State awarded 
        13,176 Fulbright Scholarships to students from East Asia and 
        the Pacific, but only 31 Fulbright Scholarships went to Pacific 
        Island students.
            (2) In the 2003-2004 academic year, the Department of State 
        awarded 315 scholarships to students from East Asia and the 
        Pacific, but none were awarded to Pacific Island students.
    (b) Review and Report.--The Secretary of State shall conduct a 
review and submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a 
report regarding the marginalization of Pacific Island students in the 
awarding of Fulbright Scholarships.
    (c) Participation of Pacific Island Students in the J. Fulbright 
Educational Exchange Program.--
            (1) Establishment.--The Secretary of State shall establish 
        an annual one-year program within the J. William Fulbright 
        Educational Exchange Program (established under section 
        112(a)(1) of the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act 
        of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2460(a)(1)), commonly referred to as the 
        Fulbright-Hays Act) to make awards to Pacific Island students 
        to permit such students to study in the United States pursuant 
        to the terms and conditions of such Exchange Program.
            (2) Operation and numbers.--The governments of Pacific 
        Island countries may annually submit to the Secretary of State 
        the names of between three and five Pacific Island students to 
        participate in the one-year program established under paragraph 
        (1).
            (3) Authorization of appropriations.--In addition to 
        amounts that are otherwise authorized to be appropriated to the 
        Secretary of State for fiscal years 2008 and 2009 to provide 
        awards under the J. William Fulbright Educational Exchange 
        Program, there is authorized to be appropriated to the 
        Secretary $500,000 for each of such fiscal years to provide 
        such awards to Pacific Island students.
    (d) Pacific Island Students Defined.--In this Act, the term 
``Pacific Island students'' means a student who is a citizen of any of 
the following countries:
            (1) The Cook Islands.
            (2) The Federated States of Micronesia.
            (3) The Independent State of Samoa.
            (4) The Kingdom of Tonga.
            (5) Niue.
            (6) Papua New Guinea.
            (7) The Republic of Fiji.
            (8) The Republic of Kiribati.
            (9) The Republic of the Marshall Islands.
            (10) The Republic of Nauru.
            (11) The Republic of Palau.
            (12) The Republic of Vanuatu.
            (13) The Solomon Islands.
            (14) Tuvalu.
                                 <all>