[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4422 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4422

  To require the Secretary of Education to award grants for graduate 
                           fellowship awards.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 19, 2019

Mr. Norcross (for himself, Ms. Escobar, and Mr. Stanton) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
                                 Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Secretary of Education to award grants for graduate 
                           fellowship awards.

    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 ``Fellowships to Prepare the Next 
Generation of Teachers Act''.

SEC. 2. GRADUATE FELLOWSHIPS TO PREPARE FACULTY IN HIGH-NEED AREAS AT 
              COLLEGES OF EDUCATION.

    (a) Grants by Secretary.--The Secretary shall award grants, on a 
competitive basis, to eligible institutions to enable such institutions 
to make graduate fellowship awards to qualified individuals in 
accordance with the provisions of this section.
    (b) Applications.--An eligible institution that desires a grant 
under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such 
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary 
may reasonably require.
    (c) Types of Fellowships Supported.--
            (1) In general.--An eligible institution that receives a 
        grant under this section shall use the grant funds to provide 
        graduate fellowships to individuals who are preparing for the 
        professorate in order to prepare individuals to become 
        elementary school and secondary school science, technology, 
        engineering, and math teachers, special education teachers, and 
        teachers who provide instruction for English-learners, who meet 
        the applicable State certification and licensure requirements, 
        including any requirements for certification obtained through 
        alternative routes to certification, or, with regard to special 
        education teachers, the qualifications described in section 
        612(a)(14)(C) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education 
        Act (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(14)(C)).
            (2) Types of study.--A graduate fellowship provided under 
        this section shall support an individual in pursuing 
        postbaccalaureate study, which leads to a doctoral degree and 
        may include a master's degree as part of such study, related to 
        teacher preparation and pedagogy in one of the following areas:
                    (A) Science, technology, engineering, mathematics, 
                and computer science, and their related subfields, if 
                the individual has completed a master's degree in 
                mathematics, engineering, science, or computer science 
                and is pursuing a doctoral degree in mathematics, 
                science, engineering, or education.
                    (B) Special education.
                    (C) The instruction of English-learners, including 
                postbaccalaureate study in language instruction 
                educational programs.
    (d) Fellowship Terms and Conditions.--
            (1) Selection of fellows.--The Secretary shall ensure that 
        an eligible institution that receives a grant under this 
        section--
                    (A) shall provide graduate fellowship awards to 
                individuals who plan to pursue a career in instruction 
                at an institution of higher education that has a 
                teacher preparation program; and
                    (B) may not provide a graduate fellowship to an 
                otherwise eligible individual--
                            (i) during periods in which such individual 
                        is enrolled at an institution of higher 
                        education unless such individual is maintaining 
                        satisfactory academic progress in, and devoting 
                        full-time study or research to, the pursuit of 
                        the degree for which the fellowship support was 
                        provided; or
                            (ii) if the individual is engaged in 
                        gainful employment, other than part-time 
                        employment related to teaching, research, or a 
                        similar activity determined by the institution 
                        to be consistent with and supportive of the 
                        individual's progress toward the degree for 
                        which the fellowship support was provided.
            (2) Amount of fellowship awards.--
                    (A) In general.--An eligible institution that 
                receives a grant under this section shall award 
                stipends to individuals who are provided graduate 
                fellowships under this section.
                    (B) Awards based on need.--A stipend provided under 
                this section shall be in an amount equal to the level 
                of support provided by the National Science Foundation 
                graduate fellowships, except that such stipend shall be 
                adjusted as necessary so as not to exceed the 
                fellowship recipient's demonstrated need, as determined 
                by the institution of higher education where the 
                fellowship recipient is enrolled.
            (3) Service requirement.--
                    (A) Teaching required.--Each individual who 
                receives a graduate fellowship under this section and 
                earns a doctoral degree shall teach for 1 year at an 
                institution of higher education that has a teacher 
                preparation program for each year of fellowship support 
                received under this section.
                    (B) Institutional obligation.--Each eligible 
                institution that receives a grant under this section 
                shall provide an assurance to the Secretary that the 
                institution has inquired of and determined the decision 
                of each individual who has received a graduate 
                fellowship to, within 3 years of receiving a doctoral 
                degree, begin employment at an institution of higher 
                education that has a teacher preparation program, as 
                required by this section.
                    (C) Agreement required.--Prior to receiving an 
                initial graduate fellowship award, and upon the annual 
                renewal of the graduate fellowship award, an individual 
                selected to receive a graduate fellowship under this 
                section shall sign an agreement with the Secretary 
                agreeing to pursue a career in instruction at an 
                institution of higher education that has a teacher 
                preparation program in accordance with subparagraph 
                (A).
                    (D) Failure to comply.--If an individual who 
                receives a graduate fellowship award under this section 
                fails to comply with the agreement signed pursuant to 
                subparagraph (C), the sum of the amounts of any 
                graduate fellowship award received by such recipient 
                shall, upon a determination of such a failure, be 
                treated as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan 
                under part D of title IV Higher Education Act of 1965 
                (20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq.), and shall be subject to 
                repayment, together with interest thereon accruing from 
                the date of the fellowship award, in accordance with 
                terms and conditions specified by the Secretary in 
                regulations under this section.
                    (E) Modified service requirement.--The Secretary 
                may waive or modify the service requirement of this 
                paragraph in accordance with regulations promulgated by 
                the Secretary with respect to the criteria to determine 
                the circumstances under which compliance with such 
                service requirement is inequitable or represents a 
                substantial hardship. The Secretary may waive the 
                service requirement if compliance by the fellowship 
                recipient is determined to be inequitable or represent 
                a substantial hardship--
                            (i) because the individual is permanently 
                        and totally disabled at the time of the waiver 
                        request; or
                            (ii) based on documentation presented to 
                        the Secretary of substantial economic or 
                        personal hardship.
    (e) Institutional Support for Fellows.--An eligible institution 
that receives a grant under this section may reserve not more than ten 
percent of the grant amount for academic and career transition support 
for graduate fellowship recipients and for meeting the institutional 
obligation described in subsection (d)(3)(B).
    (f) Restriction on Use of Funds.--An eligible institution that 
receives a grant under this section may not use grant funds for general 
operational overhead of the institution.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``eligible institution'' means an institution 
        of higher education, or a consortium of such institutions, that 
        offers a program of postbaccalaureate study leading to a 
        doctoral degree.
            (2) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of 
        Education.
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