[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2789 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2789

      To establish a scholarship program to encourage outstanding 
   undergraduate and graduate students in mission-critical fields to 
               pursue a career in the Federal Government.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 17, 2009

     Mr. Voinovich (for himself, Mrs. Gillibrand, and Mr. Kaufman) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                          Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
      To establish a scholarship program to encourage outstanding 
   undergraduate and graduate students in mission-critical fields to 
               pursue a career in the Federal Government.

    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 ``Roosevelt Scholars Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) According to the Government Accountability Office, 
        about \1/3\ of Federal employees who were employed by the 
        Federal Government at the end of fiscal year 2007 will become 
        eligible to retire by 2012. Proportions of workers eligible to 
        retire are projected to be especially high in certain 
        occupations, some of them mission-critical, as well as in key 
        leadership positions. The Government will lose additional 
        employees to non-retirement attrition.
            (2) The Office of Personnel Management estimates that about 
        550,000 Federal employees will leave the Government in the next 
        5 years, the majority through retirement, and a recent survey 
        by the Partnership for Public Service indicates that Federal 
        agencies will need to hire nearly 273,000 new employees to fill 
        mission-critical positions (including highly specialized 
        professionals, such as scientists, engineers, physicians, 
        mathematicians, and economists) through September 2012.
            (3) The ability of the Federal Government to perform 
        mission-critical functions depends on a strong, well-trained, 
        and highly engaged Federal workforce.
            (4) Heavy educational debt and lack of knowledge about 
        Federal job opportunities drive many students to seek 
        employment in the private sector, making it difficult for the 
        Federal Government to replace needed talent in mission-critical 
        positions.
            (5) A new scholarship program to help finance 
        undergraduate- and graduate-level education and to connect 
        students directly with mission-critical Federal positions would 
        help build a much-needed pipeline of talent for the Government.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act--
            (1) the term ``Foundation'' means the Theodore Roosevelt 
        Scholarship Foundation, as described in section 4(a);
            (2) the term ``Board'' means the Board of Trustees of the 
        Theodore Roosevelt Scholarship Foundation, as described in 
        section 4(b);
            (3) the term ``Fund'' means the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial 
        Scholarship Trust Fund, as described in section 8;
            (4) the term ``Federal agency'' means an Executive agency, 
        as defined by section 105 of title 5, United States Code;
            (5) the term ``State'' includes the District of Columbia;
            (6) the term ``graduate student'' means a student in a 
        master's, law, or doctoral degree program at a university 
        accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or 
        association;
            (7) the term ``undergraduate student'' means a student 
        enrolled or accepted for enrollment at a university accredited 
        by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association; 
        and
            (8) the term ``mission-critical occupational area'' refers 
        to those positions that a Federal agency identifies as 
        essential to achieving its strategic goals, as determined 
        through the workforce analysis process of the Federal agency's 
        workforce planning system.

SEC. 4. THEODORE ROOSEVELT SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established, as an independent 
establishment in the executive branch of the Government, a foundation 
to be known as the ``Theodore Roosevelt Scholarship Foundation''.
    (b) Board of Trustees.--The Foundation shall be subject to the 
supervision and direction of a Board of Trustees. The Board shall be 
composed of 9 members, plus 1 non-voting ex officio member, as follows:
            (1) 2 members of the Senate, 1 appointed by the majority 
        leader and 1 appointed by the minority leader of the Senate.
            (2) 2 members of the House of Representatives, 1 appointed 
        by the majority leader and 1 appointed by the minority leader 
        of the House of Representatives.
            (3) 5 members, not more than 3 of whom shall be of the same 
        political party, shall be appointed by the President, with the 
        advice and consent of the Senate, from among individuals who--
                    (A) have demonstrated leadership or expertise in 
                public service or higher education; or
                    (B) represent a Federal agency or a professional 
                association related to mission-critical occupational 
                areas.
            (4) The Director of the Office of Personnel Management (or 
        a designee) shall serve as a non-voting, ex officio member of 
        the Board.
    (c) Term of Office.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2) or 
        (3), the term of each member (other than the ex officio member) 
        shall be 6 years.
            (2) Initial appointees.--As designated by the President at 
        the time of appointment, of the members first appointed--
                    (A) 1 member appointed under subsection (b)(2) and 
                2 members appointed under subsection (b)(3) shall be 
                appointed for a term of 2 years;
                    (B) 1 member appointed under subsection (b)(1) and 
                2 members appointed under subsection (b)(3) shall be 
                appointed for a term of 4 years; and
                    (C) 1 member appointed under subsection (b)(1), 1 
                member appointed under subsection (b)(2), and 1 member 
                appointed under subsection (b)(3) shall be appointed 
                for a term of 6 years.
            (3) Vacancies.--Any member appointed to fill a vacancy 
        occurring before the expiration of the term for which the 
        member's predecessor was appointed shall be appointed only for 
        the remainder of that term. A vacancy on the Board shall be 
        filled in the manner in which the original appointment was 
        made.
    (d) Compensation.--Members of the Board shall serve without pay, 
but shall be entitled to reimbursement for travel, subsistence, and 
other necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as 
members of the Board.

SEC. 5. ROOSEVELT SCHOLARS.

    (a) In General.--The Foundation shall award scholarships to 
undergraduate students and graduate students who demonstrate 
outstanding potential for a career in a mission-critical occupational 
area within the Federal Government. The recipient of a scholarship 
under this Act shall be known as a ``Roosevelt Scholar''.
    (b) Selection Process.--
            (1) Nationwide competition.--The Foundation shall--
                    (A) provide for the conduct of an annual Nationwide 
                competition, including an application and interview 
                process, for the purpose of selecting Roosevelt 
                Scholars; and
                    (B) market the scholarship program to diverse 
                populations.
            (2) Criteria and procedures.--The Foundation shall adopt 
        selection criteria and procedures to ensure a diverse cohort of 
        scholarship recipients each year who at the time of applying 
        for a scholarship under this Act--
                    (A) are enrolled or accepted for enrollment at an 
                accredited full-time undergraduate or graduate degree 
                granting program in a discipline that is determined by 
                the Foundation to be directly related to 1 or more 
                mission-critical occupational areas within the Federal 
                Government;
                    (B) have been nominated by an appropriate faculty 
                member or other representative of the institution of 
                higher education in which they are enrolled, of which 
                they are a graduate, or to which they are seeking 
                admission, or by another individual approved by the 
                Foundation, who has direct knowledge of the candidate's 
                academic or work experience; and
                    (C) are citizens or legal permanent residents of 
                the United States.
            (3) Scholarship amounts.--Each student awarded a 
        scholarship under this Act shall receive, for each academic 
        year in which such student is enrolled full time in the 
        undergraduate or graduate degree program described in paragraph 
        (2)(A), the cost of tuition plus a stipend, except that--
                    (A) the stipend awarded under this Act to a student 
                for an academic year may not exceed the lesser of--
                            (i) a monthly living stipend of not more 
                        than $300 per month and an amount equal to the 
                        cost to the student, for such academic year, 
                        of--
                                    (I) room and board;
                                    (II) books; and
                                    (III) materials and fees associated 
                                with coursework; or
                            (ii) $12,000 (adjusted annually to reflect 
                        any increase in the consumer price index for 
                        all urban consumers, as published by the Bureau 
                        of Labor Statistics);
                    (B) the total scholarship awarded under this Act to 
                a student for an academic year, for tuition and stipend 
                combined, may not exceed--
                            (i) $60,000 (adjusted at the same time and 
                        in the same manner as the dollar amount under 
                        subparagraph (A)(ii)); minus
                            (ii) the sum of all scholarships, grants, 
                        or other similar cash awards received by the 
                        student for such academic year from any source 
                        apart from this Act; and
                    (C) scholarships under this Act may be awarded to a 
                student for such periods as the Foundation may 
                prescribe, but not to exceed 5 academic years.
    (c) Scholarship Conditions.--
            (1) Satisfactory proficiency.--A student awarded a 
        scholarship under this Act shall continue to receive the 
        payments provided for under this Act only during such periods 
        as the Foundation finds that such student is maintaining 
        satisfactory proficiency and devoting full time to study or 
        research designed to prepare such student for a career in the 
        Federal Government, unless otherwise approved by the 
        Foundation.
            (2) Reports.--The Foundation may require reports containing 
        such information, in such form, and to be filed at such times 
        as the Foundation determines to be necessary from any student 
        awarded a scholarship under this Act. Such reports shall be 
        accompanied by a certificate from an appropriate official at 
        the institution of higher education, approved by the 
        Foundation, stating that such individual is making satisfactory 
        progress in, and is devoting essentially full time to study or 
        research, except as otherwise provided in this subsection.

SEC. 6. REQUIREMENTS FOR ROOSEVELT SCHOLARS.

    (a) Service Requirement.--
            (1) In general.--Each student awarded a scholarship under 
        this Act shall be required to enter into a service agreement 
        with the Foundation which provides for such student to 
        complete, in return for the scholarship, a specified period of 
        service with the Federal Government. Under the agreement, the 
        period of service shall be for the number of years equal to the 
        total number of academic years for which the student received a 
        scholarship under this Act, except that the total period of 
        service shall not be less than 3 years nor more than 5 years.
            (2) Failure to fulfill.--
                    (A) In general.--An agreement under this section 
                shall provide that an individual shall, in the event 
                that such individual fails to meet the service 
                requirement under paragraph (1), be required to repay 
                to the Foundation the amount equal to--
                            (i) the total amount of scholarship monies 
                        (tuition and stipends combined) received by the 
                        individual under such agreement; multiplied by
                            (ii) a fraction, the numerator of which is 
                        the amount of service not completed and the 
                        denominator of which is the total period of 
                        service agreed to.
                    (B) Amount treated as a loan.--An amount under this 
                paragraph shall be treated as a Federal Direct 
                Unsubsidized Stafford Loan under part D of title IV of 
                the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087a and 
                following), and shall be subject to repayment, together 
                with interest thereon accruing from the date of the 
                scholarship award, in accordance with terms and 
                conditions specified by the Secretary of Education.
            (3) Regulations.--The Foundation, in consultation with the 
        Director of the Office of Personnel Management, shall prescribe 
        any regulations necessary to carry out this subsection, 
        including provisions under which the service requirement 
        specified by paragraph (1) or a repayment otherwise required 
        under paragraph (2) may be waived, in whole or in part, or 
        deferred in appropriate circumstances.
    (b) Internship Requirement.--
            (1) In general.--Roosevelt Scholars shall be required to 
        complete at least 1 internship related to their field of study 
        in a Federal agency while earning their undergraduate, 
        graduate, or other advanced degree.
            (2) Regulations.--The Foundation, in consultation with the 
        Director of the Office of Personnel Management, shall prescribe 
        any regulations necessary to carry out this subsection, 
        including provisions under which the internship requirement 
        specified by subsection (b) may be waived in appropriate 
        circumstances.
    (c) Participation in Extracurricular Activities.--While earning 
their undergraduate, graduate, or other advanced degree and during 
their period of obligated service (as described in subsection (a)), 
Roosevelt Scholars shall be required, in accordance with such terms as 
the Foundation shall establish, to participate in extracurricular 
activities as described in section 12(a)(5).
    (d) Availability as a Source of Information.--
            (1) In general.--While earning their undergraduate, 
        graduate, or other advanced degree and during their period of 
        obligated service (as described in subsection (a)), Roosevelt 
        Scholars shall be required, in accordance with such terms as 
        the Foundation shall establish, to serve as a resource for--
                    (A) individuals interested in becoming a Roosevelt 
                Scholar or seeking other scholarship opportunities or 
                temporary or permanent employment with the Federal 
                Government;
                    (B) faculty, career services professionals, and 
                other personnel at universities who advise students on 
                career opportunities with the Federal Government; and
                    (C) Federal agencies which might be interested in 
                promoting, at the institution of higher education at 
                which the student is enrolled, career opportunities 
                with the Federal Government.
            (2) Memoranda of understanding.--The Foundation may enter 
        into memoranda of understanding with any institution of higher 
        education regarding any facilities or resources that will be 
        made available to Roosevelt Scholars for purposes of this 
        subsection.
            (3) Training.--The Foundation, in cooperation with the 
        Director of the Office of Personnel Management, may provide for 
        Roosevelt Scholars to receive any training which they might 
        need in order to carry out their responsibilities under this 
        subsection.

SEC. 7. SPECIAL HIRING AUTHORITY.

    Under such regulations as the Director of the Office of Personnel 
Management shall prescribe, a Federal agency may make a noncompetitive 
appointment (in the excepted service, as defined by section 2103 of 
title 5, United States Code, leading to conversion to career or career-
conditional employment) of any Roosevelt Scholar who has successfully 
completed the program of study for which the scholarship was granted. A 
noncompetitive appointment under this section shall be for a period not 
to exceed 2 years, and shall be to a mission-critical occupational 
area, with the possibility of an extension for 1 additional year by the 
employing agency. At the end of the period of the noncompetitive 
appointment, conversion to career or career-conditional employment in a 
mission-critical position shall be granted to those Roosevelt Scholars 
who meet all qualification, suitability, and performance requirements.

SEC. 8. THEODORE ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP TRUST FUND.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established in the Treasury of the 
United States a trust fund to be known as the ``Theodore Roosevelt 
Memorial Scholarship Trust Fund'' to be administered by the Foundation. 
The Fund shall consist of amounts appropriated to it pursuant to 
section 14 and amounts paid into the Fund pursuant to section 11(a)(4).
    (b) Investment of Fund Assets.--
            (1) In general.--At the request of the Foundation, it shall 
        be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to invest in full 
        the amounts appropriated to the Fund. Such investments may be 
        made only in interest-bearing obligations of the United States 
        issued directly to the Fund.
            (2) Interest.--The purposes for which obligations of the 
        United States may be issued under chapter 31 of title 31 are 
        hereby extended to authorize the issuance at par of special 
        obligations directly to the Fund. Such special obligations 
        shall bear interest at a rate equal to the average rate of 
        interest, computed as to the end of the calendar month next 
        preceding the date of such issue, borne by all marketable 
        interest-bearing obligations of the United States then forming 
        a part of the public debt; except that where such average rate 
        is not a multiple of \1/8\ of 1 per centum, the rate of 
        interest of such special obligations shall be the multiple of 
        \1/8\ of 1 per centum next lower than such average rate. All 
        requests of the Foundation to the Secretary of the Treasury 
        provided for in this section shall be binding upon the 
        Secretary.
    (c) Authority to Sell Obligations.--At the request of the 
Foundation, the Secretary of the Treasury shall redeem any obligation 
issued directly to the Fund. Obligations issued to the Fund under 
subsection (b)(2) of this section shall be redeemed at par plus accrued 
interest. Any other obligations issued directly to the Fund shall be 
redeemed at the market price.
    (d) Proceeds From Certain Transactions Credited to Fund.--In 
addition to the appropriations received pursuant to section 14 of this 
Act, the interest on, and the proceeds from the sale or redemption of 
any obligations held in the Fund shall be credited to, and form a part 
of, the Fund.

SEC. 9. EXPENDITURES AND AUDIT OF TRUST FUND.

    (a) Authorization of Funding.--The Secretary of the Treasury may 
pay to the Foundation from the interest and earnings of the Fund such 
sums as the Board determines are necessary and appropriate to enable 
the Foundation to carry out the purposes of this Act.
    (b) Audits by Government Accountability Office.--The activities of 
the Foundation under this Act may be audited by the Government 
Accountability Office under such rules and regulations as may be 
prescribed by the Comptroller General. Representatives of the 
Government Accountability Office shall have access to all books, 
accounts, records, reports, and files and all other papers, things, or 
property belonging to or in use by the Foundation, pertaining to such 
activities and necessary to facilitate the audit.

SEC. 10. EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF THE FOUNDATION.

    (a) In General.--There shall be an Executive Secretary of the 
Foundation, who shall be the chief executive officer of the Foundation 
and shall carry out the functions of the Foundation, subject to the 
supervision and direction of the Board. The Executive Secretary shall 
carry out such other functions consistent with the provisions of this 
Act as the Board may delegate.
    (b) Appointment.--The Executive Secretary shall be appointed by the 
Board and shall be a member of the Senior Executive Service. The 
Executive Secretary shall have demonstrated significant management 
experience and shall possess a high level of expertise in the 
recruitment and retention of personnel.
    (c) Term of Office.--The Executive Secretary shall serve for a term 
of 5 years, and may be reappointed. The Executive Secretary may be 
removed by a vote of \2/3\ of the Board membership.
    (d) Compensation.--The Board shall appoint and fix the compensation 
of the Executive Secretary at a rate not to exceed the maximum rate for 
a member of the Senior Executive Service.

SEC. 11. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.

    (a) Powers of the Foundation.--In order to carry out this Act, the 
Foundation may--
            (1) appoint and fix the compensation of such personnel as 
        may be necessary, at rates not to exceed level IV of the 
        Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States 
        Code;
            (2) procure temporary and intermittent services of experts 
        and consultants as are necessary to the extent authorized by 
        section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, but at rates not 
        to exceed the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule under 
        section 5315 of title 5, United States Code;
            (3) prescribe such regulations as it considers necessary to 
        carry out its functions under this Act;
            (4) receive money and other property donated, bequeathed, 
        or devised, without condition or restriction other than that it 
        be used for the purposes of the Foundation, and to use, sell, 
        or otherwise dispose of such property for the purpose of 
        carrying out its functions;
            (5) accept and utilize the services of voluntary and non-
        compensated personnel and reimburse them for travel expenses, 
        including per diem, as authorized by section 5703 of title 5, 
        United States Code;
            (6) enter into contracts, grants, or other arrangements, or 
        modifications thereof, to carry out such provisions of this 
        Act, and such contracts or modifications may, with the 
        concurrence of \2/3\ of the members of the Board, be entered 
        into without performance or other bonds, and without regard to 
        section 5 of title 41, United States Code;
            (7) rent office space in the District of Columbia; and
            (8) make other necessary expenditures.
    (b) Annual Reports.--The Foundation shall submit to the President 
and to the Congress an annual report on its operations under this Act.
    (c) Contract Authority.--The Foundation may enter into contracts 
under this Act only to such extent or in such amounts as may be 
provided for in advance in appropriations Acts.

SEC. 12. ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS OF THE FOUNDATION.

    (a) In General.--In addition to its other functions, the Foundation 
shall--
            (1) create, maintain, and promote an online directory of 
        all Federal scholarship opportunities available to individuals 
        pursuing temporary or permanent employment with the Federal 
        Government;
            (2) in consultation with the Director of the Office of 
        Personnel Management and the Chief Human Capital Officers 
        Council, create and maintain an online directory of current 
        mission-critical occupational areas;
            (3) partner with Federal agencies to place Roosevelt 
        Scholars in positions in the Federal Government;
            (4) to the extent practical, assist Federal agencies and 
        other Federal scholarship foundations in placing Federal 
        scholarship recipients in positions in the Federal Government;
            (5) work with nonprofit organizations to design and 
        implement mandatory extracurricular programs and activities 
        that--
                    (A) promote team-building and create a network and 
                community for past, present, and future Roosevelt 
                Scholars;
                    (B) motivate Roosevelt Scholars to become career 
                Federal employees;
                    (C) are offered regularly during each year in which 
                an individual is receiving a Roosevelt Scholarship, 
                including during intervals between periods of 
                enrollment;
                    (D) expose Roosevelt Scholars to the business, 
                political, demographic, cultural, and economic climate 
                of the Federal Government; and
                    (E) help Roosevelt Scholars to develop leadership 
                qualities; and
            (6) within 2 years after the date of the enactment of this 
        Act, submit to Congress (and make available to the public) a 
        report regarding--
                    (A) any barriers to appointing Roosevelt Scholars 
                and other Federal scholarship recipients to positions 
                in the Federal Government; and
                    (B) recommendations to--
                            (i) remove barriers to appointing Roosevelt 
                        Scholars and other Federal scholarship 
                        recipients to positions in the Federal 
                        Government;
                            (ii) educate Federal agencies on the best 
                        use of personnel flexibilities in the 
                        appointment of Federal scholarship recipients, 
                        including Roosevelt Scholars; and
                            (iii) increase financial resources 
                        available for the Roosevelt Scholars program 
                        and other Federal scholarship programs.
    (b) Security Clearances.--The Foundation may, consistent with 
regulations of the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, 
request and fund security clearances for Roosevelt Scholars, as 
necessary.

SEC. 13. EXCLUSION OF ROOSEVELT SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS FROM GROSS INCOME.

    (a) In General.--Section 117 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
(relating to qualified scholarships) is amended by adding at the end 
the following:
    ``(e) Roosevelt Scholarships.--Gross income shall not include any 
amount awarded under section 5 of the Roosevelt Scholars Act of 
2009.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section shall apply 
to taxable years beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 14. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$10,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 and such sums as may be necessary for 
succeeding fiscal years.
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