[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 171 (Tuesday, December 11, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12859-S12861]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

           By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Akaka, 
             and Ms. Collins):
  S. 1800. A bill to strengthen and improve the management of national 
security, encourage Government service in areas of critical national 
security, and to assist government agencies in addressing deficiencies 
in personnel possessing specialized skills important to national 
security and incorporating the goals and strategies for recruitment and 
retention for such skilled personnel into the strategic and performance 
management systems of Federal agencies; to the Committee on 
Governmental Affairs.

[[Page S12860]]

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, in the fall of 1957, the United States 
received a national wake-up call. The Soviet Union launched sputnik 
into orbit. The space race was on, and we were already behind. Not only 
were we caught off guard by sputnik, it was suddenly clear that major 
changes had to be made to preserve our national security and to pull 
ahead in scientific and technological innovation.
  One year later, Congress passed landmark legislation, the National 
Defense Education Act. The purpose of the act was to ``strengthen the 
national defense and to encourage and assist in the expansion and 
improvement of educational program to meet critical national needs.'' 
The National Defense Education Act provided assistance to State and 
local school systems to strengthen instruction in science, math, 
foreign languages, and other critical subjects. It also created low-
interest student loan programs and fellowships to open the door to 
higher education to a greater number of young people. This coordinated 
national effort helped our Nation meet its goals.
  By 1969, Americans had landed on the Moon. The United States was the 
most technologically advanced Nation in the world. A new generation of 
highly skilled mathematicians, scientists, and technology experts 
staffed laboratories, universities, and Federal agencies. Colleges and 
universities had established centers for foreign language study and 
research.
  Sadly, this Nation received another wake-up call on September 11, 
2001.
  The week after the attacks, FBI Director Robert Mueller made a public 
plea for Arabic and Farsi speakers to assist as translators, 
illustrating the alarming deficiency in fluent speakers of languages 
crucial to our national security needs. It does our Nation no good to 
have sophisticated weapons programs if we don't have the scientists to 
back them up. It does our Nation no good to have expanded intelligence 
gathering capabilities if what we retrieve sits untranslated. The 
United States must have the brainpower to match its firepower.
  Today I join Senators Thompson and Akaka to introduce two initiatives 
that serve two important purposes, to meet the immediate needs of the 
Federal Government in areas of national security, and to make 
investments in our future through investments in education.
  The Homeland Security Federal Workforce Act authorizes funds for key 
national security agencies to repay student loans for employees in 
national security positions who pledge to serve for a minimum of three 
years. This expands the existing loan forgiveness program for 
Federal employees by permitting these agencies to repay up to $10,000 
per year in student loans.

  The bill also establishes a National Security Fellowship Program for 
graduate students who agree to enter Federal service in a position key 
to national security upon the completion of their degree. The 
fellowship program will also be open to current Federal employees, 
encouraging the enhancement and development of their skills.
  To give Federal employees more flexibility and experience, the bill 
creates a National Security Service Corps to allow Federal employees to 
serve in rotational assignments in other agencies with national 
security responsibilities.
  Along with these immediate remedies, homeland security and 
preparedness depend on a well-educated citizenry who leave school with 
the tools they need to succeed in science, math, technology, and 
foreign languages. Unless broader education reforms are implemented, we 
will continue to find ourselves playing catch-up to secure the skilled 
professionals our government needs.
  The Homeland Security Education Act would fund partnerships between 
local school districts and foreign language departments in institutions 
of higher education. These new foreign language partnerships will 
provide intensive professional development opportunities for foreign 
language teachers at every level from kindergarten to 12th grade. The 
partnerships will foster contact and communication between university 
faculty and K-12 teachers in order to improve teachers' knowledge of 
the languages they teach as well as their teaching skills. Partnerships 
would also use grant funds to recruit foreign language majors to the 
classroom. Our bill will give priority to partnerships that include 
high-need school districts and that put a focus on the less-commonly 
taught languages.
  Our bill will encourage more undergraduates to complete degrees in 
mathematics, science, engineering, and the less-commonly taught foreign 
languages by establishing a program to forgive the interest on a 
borrower's student loans if he or she earns a degree in one of these 
subjects. The program aims to provide an incentive for students who are 
interested in these areas of study to earn their degrees.
  The bill establishes grants for partnerships between school districts 
and private entities to help schools improve science and math 
curriculum, upgrade laboratory facilities, and purchase scientific 
equipment. In turn, the private sector partner will donate technology 
or equipment to the school district; provide scholarships for district 
students to study math, science, or engineering at college; establish 
internship or mentoring opportunities for district students; or sponsor 
programs aimed at young people who are under-represented in the fields 
of math, science, and engineering.
  In order to stay on top of innovations in science and technology, 
more professionals in these fields will have to also be proficient in a 
foreign language. This is imperative to our national security, even 
some scientific documents and articles in the public domain are beyond 
the translation capabilities of our government. The Homeland Security 
Education Act would make grants available to colleges and universities 
to establish programs in which students take courses in science, math 
and technology taught in a foreign language. Funds will also support 
immersion programs for students to take science and math courses in a 
non-English speaking country.

  The Homeland Security Education Act authorizes $20 million for the 
National Flagship Language Initiative, which was funded as a one-year 
pilot program in this year's Defense Appropriations bill. The funds 
will be used to provide institutional grants to universities to 
graduate specific numbers of students with the foreign language 
proficiencies needed by the government. Participating institutions will 
make available a negotiated number of slots to student applicants who 
are Federal employees.
  With these bills, we hope to address some of the gaps in homeland 
security that have been identified by numerous experts and panels, 
including the Hart-Rudman Commission on National Security in the 21st 
century. We must do everything possible to ensure that our intellectual 
preparedness is equal to that of our military preparedness. Without 
these investments, we may find that the war against terrorism is 
unwinnable, and our status in the global community severely diminished.
  Our Nation has demonstrated that we have the moral resolve to fight a 
war to end terrorism. We must match that resolve with the willingness 
make investments in education and training that will pay off well into 
the next century.
  Mr. AKAKA. Madam President, as chairman of the Subcommittee on 
International Security, Proliferation, and Federal Services, I am 
honored to work with my colleagues from the Governmental Affairs 
Committee, Senator Durbin and Senator Thompson, to introduce the 
Homeland Security Federal Workforce Act and the Homeland Security 
Education Act.
  Alarmed at the Soviet Union's successful launch of the first space 
vehicle, Congress passed the National Defense Education Act of 1958. 
Our country faced a changed national security landscape, and our 
Government was determined to make certain the United States never came 
up short again in the areas of math, science, technology and foreign 
languages.
  Although we face new national security threats, our Government's 
response is built on the talents and dedication of our Federal 
workforce. Recently the U.S. Commission on National Security/21st 
Century, also known as the Hart-Rudman Commission, concluded that ``. . 
. the excellence of American public servants is the foundation upon 
which an effective national security strategy must rest . . . because 
future success will require

[[Page S12861]]

the mastery of advanced technology . . . as well as leading-edge 
concepts of governance.''
  The recent terrorist attacks strengthened our will and exposed the 
weaknesses of our great country. We were quickly reminded of the 
importance of our Federal Government and its workforce. For every 
essential service these attacks disrupted, we expected our government 
to respond quickly and effectively, and those in government did.
  However, the events of September 11 and the anthrax attacks through 
the mails underscored how much government needs people with the 
critical skills to fill critical national security positions. We need 
to recruit the best people with the best skills and ensure that 
government service remains attractive. Our legislation does that.
  The Homeland Security Federal Workforce Act and the Homeland Security 
Education Act provide needed tools and resources to agencies expressly 
for hiring new employees in critical national security positions and 
establishes a student loan repayment program and fellowships to future 
and current federal employees in exchange for government service.
  It provides additional training opportunities for the great people 
already committed to the Federal service whose expertise guide agencies 
daily in meeting their missions. For example, Federal employees in 
national security positions will be eligible to apply for fellowships, 
which includes full tuition and a stipend, to pursue degrees in fields 
deemed critical to national security.
  Our bills also respond to future national security needs by helping 
schools better prepare students for the demands of the 21st century. We 
must act now to identify and develop the right balance of skills in 
science, math, and foreign languages. We must make resources available 
to our schools and their teachers so that our students graduate with a 
greater proficiency in these areas.
  The bills will strengthen the specific foreign language skills that 
the Government has identified as critical to our national security. We 
would help establish an advanced foreign language program that matches 
foreign language program efforts in leading universities with national 
security requirements.
  I would like to note that the University of Hawaii is recognized as a 
model university in foreign language instruction and is noted for the 
strength of its faculty and curriculum particularly in Mandarin 
Chinese, Korean, and Japanese, language deemed important by the Defense 
Language Institute. The University of Hawaii is also an authority in 
the development of enhanced foreign language teaching methods.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to see that this 
bipartisan legislation is passed.
                                 ______