[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 666 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 666
To establish a scholarship program in the Department of State for
Haitian students whose studies were interrupted as a result of the
January 12, 2010, earthquake, or the October 4, 2016, hurricane,
Hurricane Matthew.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 17, 2019
Mr. Hastings (for himself, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Deutch, Ms.
Fudge, Mrs. Lowey, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms.
Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Soto, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Levin of Michigan, and
Ms. Wilson of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a scholarship program in the Department of State for
Haitian students whose studies were interrupted as a result of the
January 12, 2010, earthquake, or the October 4, 2016, hurricane,
Hurricane Matthew.
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 ``Haitian Educational Empowerment Act
of 2019''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) On October 4, 2016, Hurricane Matthew devastated Haiti,
killing over 1,000 people, and directly affected 2.1 million
people, including the internal displacement of 175,000 and 1.4
million people in need of urgent humanitarian aid.
(2) The storm damage has been estimated to be
$1,000,000,000, or about 11.4 percent of the gross domestic
product of Haiti.
(3) Hurricane Matthew was the worst hurricane to hit Haiti
in over 50 years.
(4) Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
(5) Eighty percent of the population lives below the
poverty line, and approximately 45 percent of the population is
illiterate.
(6) On January 12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck
the country of Haiti.
(7) The earthquake caused massive devastation across Haiti,
destroying government buildings, hospitals, schools, and vital
aid offices, including the headquarters of the United Nations
mission to Haiti.
(8) An estimated three million people were directly
affected by the earthquake in Haiti, nearly one-third of the
country's population.
(9) Many universities suffered significant structural
damage, including the State University of Haiti, the country's
main public university, which had 80 percent of its buildings
destroyed.
(10) The earthquake claimed the lives of many students and
several prominent academics.
(11) A more highly educated population is vital to Haiti's
long-term development.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN HAITIAN
STUDENTS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State, acting through the
Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs,
shall establish a scholarship program for Haitian students whose
studies were interrupted as a result of the January 12, 2010,
earthquake, or the October 4, 2016, hurricane, Hurricane Matthew.
(b) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a scholarship under
this section, a Haitian undergraduate or graduate student shall--
(1) have been enrolled as a full-time or part-time student
in a Haitian university or institution of higher education in
the United States at the time of the January 12, 2010,
earthquake, or when Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti on October 4,
2016; and
(2) submit to the Assistant Secretary of State for
Educational and Cultural Affairs an application at such time,
in such manner, and containing such information as the
Assistant Secretary may require.
(c) Duration.--A scholarship under this section shall be awarded to
a Haitian student for one academic year and may be renewed in
accordance with subsection (d).
(d) Renewal.--
(1) In general.--A scholarship awarded under this section
may be renewed for an additional academic year upon
demonstration to the Secretary of State of satisfactory
academic achievement in the prior academic year.
(2) Maximum renewals.--A scholarship awarded under this
section may not be renewed for more than six academic years.
(e) Preference.--Preference in the awarding of scholarships shall
be given to the following categories of Haitian students:
(1) Haitian students who are studying subjects of
importance to Haiti's long-term social, economic, or political
development.
(2) Haitian students who were enrolled in programs that
were forced to cease operations as a result of the January 12,
2010, earthquake, or the October 4, 2016, hurricane, Hurricane
Matthew.
(f) Return.--Upon completion of an undergraduate or graduate degree
at an institution of higher education, a Haitian student who has
received a scholarship under this section shall return to Haiti for not
less than two years, and to the extent possible, find employment in an
economic sector of importance to Haiti's long-term social, economic, or
political development.
(g) Scholarship Amount.--A scholarship awarded to a Haitian student
under this section may not exceed an amount equal to the total costs
related to the tuition and fees for one academic year at an institution
of higher education in which the student is enrolled as a full-time
student.
SEC. 4. GRANTS TO UNITED STATES COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.
The Secretary of State, acting through the Assistant Secretary of
State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, may make grants to
institutions of higher education that have enrolled a significant
number of Haitian students who have been enrolled as full-time or part-
time students in a Haitian university at the time of the January 12,
2010, earthquake, or the October 4, 2016, hurricane, Hurricane Matthew.
Such grants shall be used to provide social and educational support
services to such students.
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act:
(1) Fees.--The term ``fees'' means--
(A) fees normally assessed a full-time student, as
determined by an institution of higher education,
including--
(i) costs for the rental or purchase of any
equipment, materials, or supplies required of
all students in the same course of study; and
(ii) an allowance for room and board at
such institution; and
(B) travel expenses to such institution from Haiti
and, upon the completion of a degree at such
institution, from such institution to Haiti.
(2) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given such
term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001).
(3) Scholarship.--The term ``scholarship'' means an amount
awarded to a Haitian student under this section that shall only
be used to pay costs related to the tuition and fees at the
institution of higher education in which the student is
enrolled as a full-time student.
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