[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 46 (Thursday, April 23, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H2319-H2320]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               AMENDMENTS

  Under clause 6 of rule XXIII, proposed amendments were submitted as 
follows:

                                 H.R. 6

                        Offered By: Mr. Cummings

       Amendment No. 1: Page 104, after line 15, insert the 
     following new subsection:
       (h) Thurgood Marshall Legal Education Opportunity 
     Program.--Chapter 1 of subpart 2 of part A of title IV is 
     amended by inserting after section 402H (20 U.S.C. 1070a-18) 
     the following new section:

     ``SEC. 402I. LEGAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM.

       ``(a) Program Authority.--The Secretary shall carry out a 
     program to be known as the `Thurgood Marshall Legal 
     Educational Opportunity Program' designed to provide low-
     income, minority, and disadvantaged college students with the 
     information, preparation, and financial assistance to gain 
     access to and complete law school study.
       ``(b) Contract Authorized.--Subject to the availability of 
     amounts appropriated pursuant to section 402A(f), the 
     Secretary is authorized to enter into a contract with, or 
     make a grant to, the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, 
     for a period of no less than 5 years--
       ``(1) to identify individuals from low-income, minority, 
     and disadvantaged backgrounds;
       ``(2) to prepare such individuals for study at accredited 
     law schools;
       ``(3) to assist students to select the appropriate law 
     school, make application for entry into law school, and 
     receive financial assistance for such study;
       ``(4) to provide support services to first-year law 
     students to improve retention and success in law school 
     studies; and
       ``(5) to motivate and prepare such students in law school 
     studies and practice in low-income communities.
       ``(c) Services Provided.--In carrying out the purposes 
     described in subsection (b), the contract or grant shall 
     provide for the delivery of services through prelaw 
     information resource centers, summer institutes, and midyear 
     seminars conducted under this section. Such services may 
     include--
       ``(1) information and counseling regarding--
       ``(A) accredited law school academic programs, especially 
     tuition, fees, and admission requirements;
       ``(B) course work offered and required for graduation;
       ``(C) faculty specialties and areas of legal emphasis;
       ``(D) undergraduate preparatory courses and curriculum 
     selection;
       ``(2) tutoring and academic counseling, including 
     assistance in preparing for bar examinations;
       ``(3) prelaw mentoring programs, involving law school 
     faculty, members of State and local bar associations, and 
     retired and sitting judges, justices, and magistrates;
       ``(4) assistance in identifying preparatory courses and 
     material for the law school aptitude or admissions tests;
       ``(5) summer institutes for Thurgood Marshall Fellows which 
     expose them to a rigorous curriculum that emphasizes abstract 
     thinking, legal analysis, research, writing, and examination 
     techniques; and
       ``(6) midyear seminars and other educational activities 
     designed to reinforce reading, writing, and studying skills 
     of Thurgood Marshall Fellows during the first year of law 
     school study.
       ``(d) Subgrants and Subcontracts.--For the purposes of 
     planning, developing, or delivering one or more of the 
     services described in subsection (c), the Council on Legal 
     Education Opportunity shall make subgrants to, and 
     subcontracts with, institutions of higher education, law 
     schools, public and private agencies and organizations, and 
     combinations of such institutions, schools, agencies, and 
     organizations.
       ``(e) Stipends.--The Secretary shall annually establish the 
     maximum stipend to be paid (including allowances for 
     participant travel and for their dependents) to Thurgood 
     Marshall Fellows for the period of prelaw preparation in 
     summer institutes and midyear seminar prior to and during the 
     period of law school study. A Fellow may be eligible for such 
     a stipend only if the Fellow maintains satisfactory academic 
     progress toward the Juris Doctor or Bachelor of Laws degree, 
     as determined by the respective institutions.
       ``(f) Maximum Grant Level.--For any year for which an 
     appropriation is made to carry out this chapter, the 
     Secretary shall allocate not more than $5,000,000 for the 
     purpose of providing the services described in subsection 
     (c).''.

[[Page H2320]]

                                 H.R. 6

                        Offered By: Mr. McGovern

       Amendment No. 2: Page 95, after line 7, insert the 
     following new subsection (and redesignate the succeeding 
     subsections accordingly):
       (e) Pell Grant Incentives.--Section 401(b) is further 
     amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(9) (A) Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this 
     subsection, the amount of the basic grant under this section 
     awarded to a student during the first two academic years of 
     undergraduate education who graduated in the top 10 percent 
     of his or her high school graduating class shall be an amount 
     equal to twice the amount for which the student is eligible 
     under this section as determined without regard to the 
     provisions of this paragraph.
       ``(B) The Secretary shall establish by regulation 
     procedures for the determination of eligibility of students 
     under subparagraph (A). Such procedures shall include 
     measures to prevent any secondary school from certifying more 
     than 10 percent of it's students for eligibility under this 
     paragraph.
       ``(C) In prescribing procedures under subparagraph (B), the 
     Secretary shall ensure that the determination of eligibility 
     and the amount of the award is determined in a timely manner 
     consistent with the requirements of section 482 and the 
     submission of the financial aid form required by section 483. 
     For such purposes, the Secretary may provide that, for the 
     first of a student's two academic years of eligibility under 
     this section, class rank may be determined prior to 
     graduation, at such time and in such manner as the Secretary 
     may specify in the regulations prescribed under this 
     subsection.''.

                                 H.R. 6

                          Offered By: Mr. Paul

       Amendment No. 3: Page 50, line 13, at the end of paragraph 
     (1) add the following new sentence: ``The Secretary shall not 
     use the social security account numbers issued under title II 
     of the Social Security Act as the electronic personal 
     identifier, and shall not use any identifier used in any 
     other Federal program as the electronic personal 
     identifier.''.

                                 H.R. 6

                         Offered By: Mr. Stupak

       Amendment No. 4: Page 327, after line 10, insert the 
     following new section (and conform the table of contents 
     accordingly):

     SEC. 705. FORGIVENESS AUTHORIZED.

       There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
     necessary to permit the Secretary of Education to forgive the 
     entire balance due, or any portion thereof, on any loan made 
     to the Suomi College of Hancock, Michigan, under part C or 
     part F of title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (as 
     in effect on the day before the date of enactment of the 
     Higher Education Amendments of 1992), or under the College 
     Housing and Academic Facilities Loan program, or any other 
     federally subsidized, insured, or authorized loan program 
     designed to assist institutions of higher education to 
     construct academic or dormitory facilities.

                                 H.R. 6

                         Offered By: Mr. Stupak

       Amendment No. 5: Page 334, strike lines 20 and 21 and 
     insert the following:

     SEC. 806. REPEALS AND EXTENSIONS OF PREVIOUS HIGHER EDUCATION 
                   AMENDMENTS PROVISIONS.

       Page 335, line 7, strike ``D, and E'' and insert ``and D''; 
     and after line 7, insert the following:
       (3) Olympic Scholarships.--Section 1543(d) of the Higher 
     Education Amendments of 1992 is amended by striking ``1993'' 
     and inserting ``1999''.