article: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE, FINDINGS, AND PURPOSES. (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Minority National Security Scholarship Act of 2002''. (b) Findings.--The Congress makes the following findings: (1) The security of the United States will continue to depend on the ability of the United States to understand, shape, and react to political, economic, and social developments around the world. (2) Ethno-national conflicts continue to rage around the world, and such conflicts are often accompanied by the proliferation of weapons, human rights violations, economic and commercial decline, trafficking in women and children, the drafting of children into military service, and threats to American citizens and business interests. (3) International terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda have established footholds in a number of countries, including both allies and adversaries of the United States, and attempt to use such footholds as bases from which to launch terrorist attacks on the United States and American interests abroad. (4) The future national security and economic well-being of the United States will depend substantially on the ability of its citizens to understand, influence, and respond to ethno- national conflicts and the social and political factors that cause others to support international terrorist groups. American economic interests will also depend on the ability of U.S. citizens to communicate and compete by knowing the languages and cultures of other countries. (5) The Federal Government has an interest in ensuring that the employees of its departments and agencies with national security responsibilities are prepared to meet the challenges of this changing international environment. (6) The Federal Government also has an interest in taking actions to alleviate the problem of American undergraduate and graduate students being inadequately prepared to meet the challenges posed by increasing global interaction among nations. (7) American colleges and universities must place a new emphasis on improving the teaching of foreign languages, area studies, and other international fields, particularly of those far-flung regions and newly independent countries that have previously not been the focus of study in American institutions of higher learning, to help meet those challenges. (8) By virtue of their intimate understanding of foreign languages, cultures, and locations, members of minority groups have the potential to offer the Federal Government their insights into political, economic, and social developments abroad, and the Federal Government should take whatever steps are necessary to encourage members of minority groups to use their skills to promote United States national security by making a career in the foreign affairs, security, or intelligence agencies of the Federal Government. Furthermore, if the United States is to penetrate terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda or hostile adversaries of any kind in hopes of preventing future attacks on the United States or on American interests, the Federal Government must take full advantage of the diversity of the American citizenry. (c) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are as follows: (1) To provide the necessary resources, accountability, and flexibility to meet the national security education needs of the United States. (2) To increase the quantity, diversity, and quality of the teaching and learning of subjects in the fields of foreign languages, area studies, and other international fields that are critical to the Nation's interest. (3) To produce an increased pool of applicants for work in the departments and agencies of the United States Government with responsibilities for issues affecting national security. (4) To expand, in conjunction with other Federal programs, the international experience, knowledge base, and perspectives on which the United States citizenry, Government employees, and leaders rely. (5) To provide enhanced opportunities for members of minority groups to serve their country and contribute to United States national security by contributing to the work of the foreign affairs, security, or intelligence agencies of the Federal Government. SEC. 2. SCHOLARSHIP, FELLOWSHIP, AND GRANT PROGRAM. (a) Program Required.--The Secretary of Education shall establish a program to-- (1) award scholarships to minority undergraduate students who are United States citizens in order to enable such students to study, for at least one academic semester, in foreign countries that are critical countries (as determined under section 3(4)(A)); (2) award fellowships to minority graduate students who-- (A) are United States citizens to enable such students to pursue education in the United States in the disciplines of foreign languages, area studies, and other international fields that are critical areas of those disciplines (as determined under section 3(4)(B)); and (B) pursuant to subsection (d), enter into an agreement to work for an agency or office of the Federal Government or in the field of education in the area of study for which the fellowship was awarded; and (3) award grants to institutions of higher education to enable such institutions to establish, operate, or improve programs in foreign languages, area studies, and other international fields that are critical areas of those disciplines (as determined under section 3(4)(C)) and that will primarily serve students who are members of minority groups. (b) Funding Allocations.--Of the amounts available to carry out the programs under subsection (a) for any fiscal year, the Secretary of Education shall have a goal of allocating-- (1) \1/3\ of such amount for the awarding of scholarships pursuant to subsection (a)(1); (2) \1/3\ of such amount for the awarding of fellowships pursuant to subsection (a)(2); and (3) \1/3\ of such amount for the awarding of grants pursuant to subsection (a)(3). (c) Contract Authority.--The Secretary of Education may enter into one or more contracts, with private national organizations having an expertise in foreign languages, area studies, and other international fields, for the awarding of the scholarships, fellowships, and grants described in subsection (a) in accordance with the provisions of this Act. The Secretary of Education may enter into such contracts without regard to section 3709 of the Revised Statutes (41 U.S.C. 5) or any other provision of law that requires the use of competitive procedures. (d) Service Agreement.--In awarding a scholarship or fellowship under the program, the Secretary of Education or contract organization referred to in subsection (c), as the case may be, shall require a recipient of any fellowship, or of scholarships that provide assistance for periods that aggregate 12 months or more, to enter into an agreement that, in return for such assistance, the recipient-- (1) will maintain satisfactory academic progress, as determined in accordance with regulations issued by the Secretary of Education, and agrees that failure to maintain such progress shall constitute grounds upon which the Secretary or contract organization referred to in subsection (c) may terminate such assistance; (2) will, upon completion of such recipient's baccalaureate degree or education under the program, as the case may be, and in accordance with regulations issued by the Secretary, work for the Federal Government or in the field of education in the area of study for which the scholarship or fellowship was awarded for a period specified by the Secretary, which period for the recipients of scholarships shall be no more than the same period for which scholarship assistance was provided and for the recipients of fellowships shall be not less than one and not more than three times the period for which the fellowship assistance was provided; and (3) if the recipient fails to meet either of the obligations set forth in paragraph (1) or (2), will reimburse the United States Government for the amount of the assistance provided the recipient under the program, together with interest at a rate determined in accordance with regulations issued by the Secretary. (e) Distribution of Assistance.--In selecting the recipients for awards of scholarships, fellowships, or grants pursuant to this Act, the Secretary of Education or a contract organization referred to in subsection (c), as the case may be, shall take into consideration: (1) the extent to which the selections will result in there being an equitable geographic distribution of such scholarships, fellowships, or grants (as the case may be) among the various regions of the United States, and (2) the extent to which the distribution of scholarships and fellowships to individuals reflects the cultural, racial, and ethnic diversity of the minority population of the United States. (f) Merit Review.--The Secretary of Education shall award scholarships, fellowships, and grants under the program based upon a merit review process. SEC. 3. POLICY GUIDANCE. The Secretary of Education shall provide guidance regarding the implementation of this Act by-- (1) developing criteria for awarding scholarships, fellowships, and grants under this Act; (2) widely disseminating information regarding the activities assisted under this Act; (3) establishing qualifications for students desiring scholarships or fellowships, and institutions of higher education desiring grants, under this Act, including, in the case of students desiring a scholarship or fellowship, a requirement that the student have a demonstrated commitment to the study of the discipline for which the scholarship or fellowship is to be awarded; (4) making determinations regarding-- (A) which countries are not emphasized in other United States study abroad programs, such as countries in which few United States minority students are studying, and are, therefore, critical countries for the purposes of section 2(a)(1); (B) which areas within the disciplines described in section 2(a)(2) are areas of study in which United States minority students are deficient in learning and are, therefore, critical areas within those disciplines for the purposes of that section; (C) which areas within the disciplines described in section 2(a)(3) are areas in which United States minority students, educators, and Government employees are deficient in learning and in which insubstantial numbers of United States institutions of higher education serving primarily minority students provide training and are, therefore, critical areas within those disciplines for the purposes of that section; and (D) how minority students desiring scholarships or fellowships can be encouraged to work for an agency or office of the Federal Government involved in national security affairs or national security policy upon completion of their education; and (5) review the administration of the program required under this Act. SEC. 4. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS (a) Acceptance and Use of Gifts.--In order to conduct the program required by this Act, the Secretary of Education may-- (1) receive money and other property donated, bequeathed, or devised, without condition or restriction other than that it be used for the purpose of conducting the program required by this Act; and (2) may use, sell, or otherwise dispose of such property for that purpose. (b) Voluntary Services.--In order to conduct the program required by this Act, the Secretary of Education may accept and use the services of voluntary and noncompensated personnel. SEC. 5. ANNUAL REPORT. (a) Annual Report.--The Secretary of Education shall submit to the President and to the Congress an annual report of the conduct of the program required by this Act. (b) Contents of Report.--Each such report shall include the following: (1) An analysis of the trends within language, international, and area studies, along with a survey of such areas as the Secretary determines are receiving inadequate attention. (2) An analysis of minority participation in language, international, and area studies. (3) The effect on those trends of activities under the program required by this Act. (4) An analysis of the assistance provided under the program for the previous fiscal year, to include the subject areas being addressed and the nature of the assistance provided. (5) An analysis of the performance of the individuals who received assistance under the program during the previous fiscal year, to include the degree to which assistance was terminated under the program and the extent to which individual recipients failed to meet their obligations under the program. (6) An analysis of the results of the program for the previous fiscal year, and cumulatively, to include, at a minimum-- (A) the percentage of individuals who have received assistance under the program who subsequently became employees of the United States Government; (B) in the case of individuals who did not subsequently become employees of the United States Government, an analysis of the reasons why they did not become employees and an explanation as to what use, if any, was made of the assistance by those recipients; and (C) the uses made of grants to educational institutions. (7) Any legislative changes recommended by the Secretary to facilitate the administration of the program or otherwise to enhance its objectives. (c) Submission of Initial Report.--The first report under this section shall be submitted at the time the budget for fiscal year 2005 is submitted to Congress. SEC. 6. GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE AUDITS. The conduct of the program required by this Act may be audited by the General Accounting Office under such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the Comptroller General of the United States. Representatives of the General Accounting Office shall have access to all books, accounts, records, reports, and files and all other papers, things, or property of the Department of Education pertaining to such activities and necessary to facilitate the audit. SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. (a) Authorization.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act-- (1) $10,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2003 through 2007; and (2) $12,000,000 for each fiscal year thereafter. (b) Carry-Over of Funds Permitted.--Funds appropriated pursuant to subsection (a) are authorized to remain available until expended. SEC. 8. DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE MINORITY. For the purpose of this Act, the term ``minority'' means an individual who is a member of any of the following groups: (1) American Indian or Alaska Native. (2) Asian (to include individuals of East Asian, South Asian, and Central Asian descent). (3) Arab. (4) African American. (5) Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. (6) Hispanic or Latino.
summary: Minority National Security Scholarship Act of 2002 - Directs the Secretary of Education to establish a program for awarding: (1) scholarships to minority American undergraduates (American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Arab, African American, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, or Hispanic or Latino) to enable them to study, for at least one academic semester, in "critical" countries in which few minority students are studying; (2) fellowships to enable minority American graduate students to pursue education in the United States in the disciplines of foreign languages, area studies, and other international fields, and to enter into an agreement to work for a Federal agency or office in the field studied; and (3) grants to enable institutions of higher education to establish, operate, or improve programs in foreign languages, area studies, and other international fields in which minority students, educators, and Government employees are deficient in learning.Requires a recipient of any fellowship, or scholarship that provides assistance for periods that aggregate 12 months or more, to maintain satisfactory academic progress and to work for the Federal Government or in the field of education in the area of study for which the scholarship or fellowship was awarded for a period specified by the Secretary. Requires any recipient failing to meet those requirements to reimburse the United States for the amount of assistance provided under the program, with interest.