[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1552 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1552
To establish the Coastal Management Fellowship and the Digital Coast
Fellowship, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 11, 2023
Mr. Coons (for himself, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Whitehouse, and Ms. Collins)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the Coastal Management Fellowship and the Digital Coast
Fellowship, and for other purposes.
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 ``Coastal Fellowships Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Coastal state.--The term ``coastal State''--
(A) means a State of the United States in, or
bordering on, the Atlantic, Pacific, or Arctic Ocean,
the Gulf of Mexico, the Long Island Sound, or one or
more of the Great Lakes; and
(B) includes Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin
Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands, and American Samoa.
(2) Fellow.--The term ``fellow'' means an individual
awarded a fellowship under section 5.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Commerce.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF COASTAL MANAGEMENT FELLOWSHIP.
(a) In General.--There is established a fellowship program, to be
known as the ``Coastal Management Fellowship''.
(b) Purposes.--The purposes of the Coastal Management Fellowship
are--
(1) to provide on-the-job training, professional mentoring,
and educational opportunities in coastal management and policy
to qualified individuals as described in section 5;
(2) to direct essential workforce assistance to coastal
States to support coastal management efforts, including
building local-level capacity to adapt to coastal
vulnerabilities; and
(3) to encourage the next generation of coastal
professionals to engage in public service work to help the
United States better manage coastal resources and protect
coastal communities.
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF DIGITAL COAST FELLOWSHIP.
(a) In General.--There is established a fellowship program, to be
known as the ``Digital Coast Fellowship''.
(b) Purposes.--The purposes of the Digital Coast Fellowship are--
(1) to provide on-the-job training, professional mentoring,
and educational opportunities in coastal management and policy
to qualified individuals as described in section 5;
(2) to provide assistance to coastal States and partner
organizations to help advance the goals of the Digital Coast
program established under section 4 of the Digital Coast Act
(16 U.S.C. 1467); and
(3) to encourage the next generation of coastal
professionals to engage in public service work to help the
United States better manage coastal resources and protect
coastal communities.
SEC. 5. FELLOWSHIPS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary shall award fellowships under the
Coastal Management Fellowship and the Digital Coast Fellowship in
accordance with this section.
(b) Qualifications.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall award fellowships
under this section to individuals selected from among
individuals who--
(A) have successfully completed a covered degree or
will complete a covered degree before the start of the
fellowship; and
(B) have demonstrated--
(i) an interest in pursuing a career in
coastal or marine--
(I) science;
(II) policy;
(III) management; or
(IV) law;
(ii) outstanding potential for such a
career;
(iii) leadership potential or experience;
(iv) a commitment to or significant
interest in public service;
(v) proficient skills in writing and oral
communication; and
(vi) such other attributes as the Secretary
determines appropriate.
(2) Definition of covered degree.--In this subsection, the
term ``covered degree'' means a graduate degree from an
accredited United States institution, the curriculum for which
covers topics relevant to coastal management, as determined by
the Secretary.
(c) Requirement of Geographic Balance.--The Secretary shall award
fellowships under this section in a manner that is geographically
balanced.
(d) Term of Fellowship.--A fellowship awarded under this section
shall be for a term of not more than 2 years.
(e) Stipend.--
(1) In general.--Each fellow shall receive an annual
stipend of not less than $47,000, which the Secretary shall
regularly review and periodically adjust, as determined
appropriate by the Secretary--
(A) to be commensurate with other similar
fellowships; and
(B) to account for changes in cost of living and
inflation.
(2) Locality pay.--The Secretary shall include a pay
adjustment as part of the stipends described in paragraph (1)
that is comparable to the locality pay adjustment for the
locality pay area in which the host office of the fellow is
located, as determined under section 531.603 of title 5, Code
of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation).
(f) Status of Fellows.--Except as provided in subsection (h)(3),
fellows shall not be considered to be Federal employees.
(g) Direct Hire Authority.--
(1) In general.--During fiscal year 2023 and any fiscal
year thereafter, the head of any Federal agency may appoint,
without regard to the provisions of subchapter I of chapter 33
of title 5, United States Code, other than sections 3303 and
3328 of that title, a candidate who meets the qualifications
described in paragraph (2) directly to a position with the
Federal agency for which the candidate meets Office of
Personnel Management qualification standards.
(2) Qualifications.--Paragraph (1) applies with respect to
a former fellow who has successfully fulfilled the requirements
of the fellowship.
(3) Limitation.--The direct hire authority under paragraph
(1) shall be exercised with respect to a specific qualified
candidate not later than 2 years after the date on which the
candidate completed a fellowship awarded under this section.
(h) Use of Funds.--Amounts authorized to be appropriated under
section 6 shall be used for--
(1) the award of fellowships under this section, including
stipends paid to fellows and other relevant benefits offered to
fellows, including health insurance, as identified by the
Secretary;
(2) administrative costs associated with the Coastal
Management Fellowship and the Digital Coast Fellowship;
(3) relocation and travel expenses paid to fellows, who
shall be considered to be Federal employees for purposes of
section 3375 of title 5, United States Code;
(4) professional development opportunities for fellows,
including costs associated with trainings, certifications,
classes, or other opportunities to advance--
(A) the professional skills of each fellow; or
(B) the ability of each fellow to support the needs
of the host office; and
(5) such other costs of the Coastal Management Fellowship
and the Digital Coast Fellowship as the Secretary may identify.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for the
uses described in section 5(h) $1,910,000 for each of fiscal years 2024
through 2028.
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