[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3062 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

  1st Session
                                H. R. 3062


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 6, 2007

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

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                                 AN ACT


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

SEC. 2. PACIFIC ISLAND COUNTRY EXCHANGES.

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

SEC. 3. USAID IN PACIFIC ISLAND COUNTRIES.

    The Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
Development (USAID) is authorized, upon request by the government of a 
Pacific Island country, to provide to such government technical and 
other assistance.

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 
        students from Pacific Island countries.
            (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 students from Pacific Island 
        countries.
    (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 students from Pacific Island 
countries in the awarding of Fulbright Scholarships.
    (c) Participation of Students From Pacific Island Countries in the 
J. Fulbright Educational Exchange Program.--
            (1) Establishment.--The Secretary of State shall establish 
        a 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 students from Pacific Island countries to permit 
        such students to study in the United States pursuant to the 
        terms and conditions of such Exchange Program.
            (2) 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 students from Pacific Island countries.

SEC. 5. PACIFIC ISLAND COUNTRY DEFINED.

    In this Act, the terms ``Pacific Island country'' and ``Pacific 
Island countries'' mean 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.

            Passed the House of Representatives September 5, 2007.

            Attest:

                                            LORRAINE C. MILLER,

                                                                 Clerk.

                               By Jorge E. Sorensen,

                                                          Deputy Clerk.