[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1945 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1945
To establish the John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship to fund
international internships and research placements for early- to mid-
career professionals to study nonviolent movements to establish and
protect civil rights around the world.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 13, 2023
Mr. Hickenlooper (for himself, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mr. Ossoff,
and Ms. Collins) introduced the following bill; which was read twice
and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship to fund
international internships and research placements for early- to mid-
career professionals to study nonviolent movements to establish and
protect civil rights around the world.
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 ``John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship
Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. JOHN LEWIS CIVIL RIGHTS FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.
The Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C.
2451 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 115. JOHN LEWIS CIVIL RIGHTS FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.
``(a) Establishment.--There is established the John Lewis Civil
Rights Fellowship Program (referred to in this section as the
`Fellowship Program') within the J. William Fulbright Educational
Exchange Program.
``(b) Purposes.--The purposes of the Fellowship Program are--
``(1) to honor the legacy of Representative John Lewis by
promoting a greater understanding of the history and tenets of
nonviolent civil rights movements; and
``(2) to advance foreign policy priorities of the United
States by promoting studies, research, and international
exchange in the subject of nonviolent movements that
established and protected civil rights around the world.
``(c) Administration.--The Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs (referred to in this section as the `Bureau') shall administer
the Fellowship Program in accordance with policy guidelines established
by the Board, in consultation with the binational Fulbright Commissions
and United States Embassies.
``(d) Selection of Fellows.--
``(1) In general.--The Board shall annually select
qualified individuals to participate in the Fellowship Program.
The Bureau may determine the number of fellows selected each
year, which, whenever feasible, shall be not fewer than 25.
``(2) Outreach.--
``(A) In general.--To the extent practicable, the
Bureau shall conduct outreach at institutions,
including--
``(i) minority serving institutions,
including historically Black colleges and
universities; and
``(ii) other appropriate institutions, as
determined by the Bureau.
``(B) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
``(i) Historically black college and
university.--The term `historically Black
college and university' has the meaning given
the term `part B institution' in section 322 of
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1061).
``(ii) Minority serving institution.--The
term `minority-serving institution' means an
eligible institution under section 371(a) of
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1067q(a)).
``(e) Fellowship Orientation.--Annually, the Bureau shall organize
and administer a fellowship orientation, which shall--
``(1) be held in Washington, DC, or at another location
selected by the Bureau; and
``(2) include programming to honor the legacy of
Representative John Lewis.
``(f) Structure.--
``(1) Work plan.--To carry out the purposes described in
subsection (b)--
``(A) each fellow selected pursuant to subsection
(d) shall arrange an internship or research placement--
``(i) with a nongovernmental organization,
academic institution, or other organization
approved by the Bureau; and
``(ii) in a country with an operational
Fulbright U.S. Student Program; and
``(B) the Bureau shall, for each fellow, approve a
work plan that identifies the target objectives for the
fellow, including specific duties and responsibilities
relating to those objectives.
``(2) Conferences; presentations.--Each fellow shall--
``(A) attend a fellowship orientation organized and
administered by the Bureau under subsection (e);
``(B) not later than the date that is 1 year after
the end of the fellowship period, attend a fellowship
summit organized and administered by the Bureau,
which--
``(i) whenever feasible, shall be held in
Atlanta, Georgia, or another location of
importance to the civil rights movement in the
United States; and
``(ii) may coincide with other events
facilitated by the Bureau; and
``(C) at such summit, give a presentation on
lessons learned during the period of fellowship.
``(3) Fellowship period.--Each fellowship under this
section shall continue for a period determined by the Bureau,
which, whenever feasible, shall be not fewer than 10 months.
``(g) Fellowship Award.--The Bureau shall provide each fellow under
this section with an allowance that is equal to the amount needed for--
``(1) the reasonable costs of the fellow during the
fellowship period; and
``(2) travel and lodging expenses related to attending the
orientation and summit required under subsection (e)(2).
``(h) Annual Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
completion of the Fellowship Program by the initial cohort of fellows
selected under subsection (d), and annually thereafter, the Secretary
of State shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House
of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate
a report on the implementation of the Fellowship Program, including--
``(1) a description of the demographics of the cohort of
fellows who completed a fellowship during the preceding 1-year
period;
``(2) a description of internship and research placements,
and research projects selected by such cohort, under the
Fellowship Program, including feedback from--
``(A) such cohort on implementation of the
Fellowship Program; and
``(B) the Secretary on lessons learned; and
``(3) an analysis of trends relating to the diversity of
each cohort of fellows and the topics of projects completed
since the establishment of the Fellowship Program.''.
SEC. 3. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS TO THE MUTUAL EDUCATIONAL
AND CULTURAL EXCHANGE ACT OF 1961.
Section 112(a) of the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act
of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2460(a)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (8), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a
semicolon;
(2) in paragraph (9), by striking the period and inserting
``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(10) the John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship Program
established under section 115, which provides funding for
international internships and research placements for early- to
mid-career individuals from the United States to study
nonviolent civil rights movements in self-arranged placements
with universities or nongovernmental organizations in foreign
countries.''.
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