article: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Dual Incentive Education Act of 2002''. SEC. 2. GRADUATE STUDY REIMBURSEMENTS FOR CERTAIN LEGISLATIVE BRANCH EMPLOYEES. (a) In General.--The head of each employing office in the legislative branch may make payments to an eligible employee of the office to reimburse the employee for tuition and fees paid by the employee to an institution of higher education during a semester for enrollment in a program of post-baccalaureate study leading to a graduate degree. (b) Amount of Payment.--The amount of a payment made to an eligible employee under this Act shall be equal to the amount of tuition and fees paid by the employee to the institution of higher education for the semester (excluding any portion of such tuition and fees covered by a scholarship or other type of financial assistance which does not consist of a student loan), except that such amount may not exceed $3,000. SEC. 3. ELIGIBILITY OF EMPLOYEES. (a) In General.--For purposes of this section, an employee is eligible to receive a payment under this Act if-- (1) at the time the first payment is made to the employee under this Act, the employee has been continuously employed on a full-time basis by an employing office for not fewer than 12 consecutive months; (2) with respect to the semester for which the payment is made, the employee meets the student assistance eligibility requirements of section 484(a) of the Higher Education Assistance Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1091(a)); (3) with respect to the semester for which the payment is made, the employee provides the head of the employing office with a certification from the institution of higher education in which the employee is enrolled of the employee's enrollment in a graduate program and of the amount of tuition and fees paid by the employee to the institution; (4) the employee has not received a payment under this Act for enrollment in another program of post-baccalaureate study, except that nothing in this paragraph may be construed to prohibit an employee from receiving a payment for enrollment in a program leading to more than one graduate degree; and (5) the employee provides the office with such other information and assurances as the head of the office may require. (b) Treatment of Payments as Addition to Basic Pay.--Any payment made to an eligible employee under this Act shall be in addition to basic pay and any other form of compensation otherwise payable to the employee involved. SEC. 4. PERMITTING PAYMENTS FOR PREVIOUS ENROLLMENT. An employing office which makes a payment under this Act to an eligible employee with respect to a semester may make a payment under this Act with respect to any semester occurring during the 12-month period which ends on the first day of the first semester for which a payment is made to the employee by such office under this Act if-- (1) the payment is made with respect to the same program of post-baccalaureate study for which the first payment is made to the employee by such office under this Act; and (2) the employee meets the eligibility requirements of section 3 with respect to such semester. SEC. 5. ASSISTANCE OF SECRETARY OF EDUCATION. The Secretary of Education shall assist employing offices in the legislative branch in carrying out this Act. SEC. 6. EMPLOYING OFFICE DEFINED. The term ``employing office in the legislative branch'' means any of the following: (1) The personal office of a Member of the House of Representatives (including a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress). (2) A committee of the House of Representatives or a joint committee, except that the majority and minority office of such a committee shall each be considered as a separate employing office in the legislative branch. (3) Any other office headed by a person with the final authority to appoint, hire, discharge, and set the terms, conditions, or privileges of the employment of an employee of the House of Representatives. (4) The Office of the Architect of the Capitol. (5) The Capitol Police Board. (6) The Congressional Budget Office. (7) The General Accounting Office. (8) The Government Printing Office. (9) The Library of Congress (including the Congressional Research Service). SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. There are authorized to be appropriated to each employing office such sums as may be necessary for making graduate study payments under this Act in fiscal year 2003 and each succeeding fiscal year.
summary: Dual Incentive Education Act of 2002 - Permits the heads of legislative branch employing offices to make payments to employees of up to $3,000 for reimbursement of tuition and fees for a semester of graduate study. Requires beneficiaries to have been employed full-time for at least 12 consecutive months and to meet the student assistance eligibility requirements of the Higher Education Assistance Act of 1965. Excludes payments for any portion of tuition and fees covered by a scholarship or other type of financial assistance that does not consist of a student loan.