[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5331 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 5331
To create a National Science Foundation scholarship-for-service
Humanitarian Tech Corps, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
November 14, 2024
Mr. Welch introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To create a National Science Foundation scholarship-for-service
Humanitarian Tech Corps, 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 ``Humanitarian Tech Corps Act''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that the Federal Government must
broadly invest in the technological innovation and talent pipeline of
the United States, in a manner that is beyond traditional focus areas,
in order to--
(1) develop public interest technology expertise; and
(2) ensure Federal agencies, especially agencies tasked
with critical humanitarian missions, have the capacity to
uniquely and meaningfully leverage leading-edge technology to
improve their operations.
SEC. 3. FEDERAL HUMANITARIAN TECHNOLOGY SCHOLARSHIP-FOR-SERVICE
PROGRAM.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the United States Agency for International
Development.
(2) Covered degree.--The term ``covered degree'' means a
baccalaureate or postgraduate degree that is in--
(A) computer science;
(B) data science or data analytics; or
(C) any other science, technology, engineering, or
mathematics field that, as determined by the
Administrator under subsection (j)(1)(A) and shared
with the Director for program facilitation, enables
humanitarian operations and technology-related
modernization efforts.
(3) Covered position.--The term ``covered position'', when
used with respect to a scholarship recipient, means a position
of employment (including a civil service or foreign service
position with a qualifying agency)--
(A) for which the scholarship recipient is
qualified;
(B) that--
(i) requires a covered degree; or
(ii) does not explicitly require a covered
degree but, as determined by the Administrator
under subsection (j)(1)(A)(ii) and shared with
the Director for program facilitation, directly
supports strictly humanitarian operations, such
as an analysis, management, or executive
position or another operational position that
provides such direct support; and
(C) that is with a qualifying agency or a
qualifying organization or nongovernmental agency.
(4) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
the National Science Foundation.
(5) Eligible student.--The term ``eligible student'' means
an individual who--
(A) is a citizen of the United States; and
(B) is a full-time student enrolled in a program of
study leading to a covered degree at a qualifying
institution.
(6) Humanitarian tech corps scholarship.--The term
``Humanitarian Tech Corps scholarship'' means a scholarship
described in subsection (c )(1).
(7) Qualifying agency.--The term ``qualifying agency''
means--
(A) the United States Agency for International
Development; or
(B) another agency, as determined by the
Administrator under subsection (j)(1)(B) and shared
with the Director for program facilitation.
(8) Qualifying institution.--The term ``qualifying
institution'' means an institution of higher education, as
defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).
(9) Qualifying organization or nongovernmental agency.--The
term ``qualifying organization or nongovernmental agency''
means an organization or nongovernmental agency identified by
the Administrator under subsection (j)(1)(C) and shared with
the Director for program facilitation.
(10) Scholarship recipient.--The term ``scholarship
recipient'' means an eligible student who receives a
Humanitarian Tech Corps scholarship and enters into an
agreement under subsection (e).
(b) Program Established.--The Director, in coordination with the
Director of the Office of Personnel Management and the Administrator,
shall establish a Federal humanitarian technology scholarship-for-
service program (referred to in this section as the ``Humanitarian Tech
Corps Program'') to recruit and train the next generation of
professionals needed to meet the humanitarian technology needs of the
Federal Government.
(c) Program Description and Components.--The Humanitarian Tech
Corps Program shall--
(1) award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to
qualifying institutions of higher education to enable the
qualifying institutions to provide Humanitarian Tech Corps
scholarships to eligible students;
(2) in consultation with the United States Agency for
International Development, provide the scholarship recipients
with summer internship opportunities or other meaningful
temporary appointments serving humanitarian purposes in
qualifying agencies or qualifying organizations or
nongovernmental agencies; and
(3) prioritize the placement of scholarship recipients
fulfilling the post-award employment obligation under this
section in covered positions in a manner that ensures--
(A) for not less than the first year of such post-
award employment obligation required under subsection
(e)(1)(A), all scholarship recipients are placed in a
covered position with a qualifying agency; and
(B) that after the completion of the first year of
such employment obligation, scholarship recipients may
obtain employment in covered positions at a qualifying
organization or nongovernmental agency.
(d) Scholarship Amounts; Scholarship Recipient Selection.--
(1) Scholarship amounts.--Each Humanitarian Tech Corps
scholarship shall be in an amount that covers the scholarship
recipient's tuition and fees at the qualifying institution
under subsection (c)(1) for not more than 4 years and provides
the scholarship recipient with an additional living stipend.
(2) Selection.--In selecting eligible students to receive
Humanitarian Tech Corps scholarships, a qualifying institution
participating in the Humanitarian Tech Corps program shall not
exclusively consider the technical background or prior
education of the eligible students, but shall also take into
consideration other experiences of the eligible students that
may transfer well to humanitarian work.
(e) Agreement.--
(1) In general.--As a condition of receiving a Humanitarian
Tech Corps scholarship, an eligible student shall enter into an
agreement with the qualifying institution providing the
scholarship under which the eligible student receiving the
scholarship--
(A) agrees to work for a period equal to the
duration of the scholarship, following receipt of the
student's degree, in a covered position;
(B) accepts and acknowledges the conditions of
support under paragraph (2); and
(C) accepts the repayment requirements under
subsection (f) and all other terms and conditions of
the Humanitarian Tech Corps scholarship.
(2) Conditions of support.--
(A) Provision of documentation and contact
information.--As a condition of receiving a
Humanitarian Tech Corps scholarship, an eligible
student shall agree to provide the Office of Personnel
Management (in coordination with the National Science
Foundation) and the qualifying institution with annual
verifiable documentation of post-award employment and
up-to-date contact information.
(B) Other conditions.--A scholarship recipient
shall be liable to the United States as provided under
subsection (f) if the individual--
(i) fails to maintain an acceptable level
of academic standing, as determined by the
Director, at the applicable qualifying
institution;
(ii) is dismissed from such qualifying
institution for disciplinary reasons;
(iii) withdraws from the covered degree
program before completing the program;
(iv) declares that the individual does not
intend to fulfill the post-award employment
obligation under this section;
(v) fails to maintain or fulfill any of the
post-graduation or post-award obligations or
requirements of the individual; or
(vi) fails to fulfill the requirements of
subparagraph (A).
(f) Repayment.--
(1) Amount of repayment.--
(A) Less than 1 year of service.--If a circumstance
described in subsection (e)(2)(B) occurs before the
completion of 1 year of a post-award employment
obligation under this section, the total amount of
scholarship awards received by the individual under
this section shall--
(i) be repaid; or
(ii) be treated as a loan to be repaid in
accordance with paragraph (3).
(B) 1 or more years of service.--If a circumstance
described in clause (iv) or (v) of subsection (e)(2)(B)
occurs after the completion of 1 or more years of a
post-award employment obligation under this section,
the total amount of scholarship awards received by the
individual under this section, reduced by the ratio of
the number of years of service completed divided by the
number of years of service required, shall--
(i) be repaid; or
(ii) be treated as a loan to be repaid in
accordance with paragraph (3).
(2) Collection of repayment.--
(A) In general.--In the event that a scholarship
recipient is required to repay a Humanitarian Tech
Corps scholarship award, the qualifying institution
providing the scholarship shall--
(i) determine the repayment amount and
notify the recipient, the Director, and the
Director of the Office of Personnel Management
of the amount owed; and
(ii) collect the repayment amount within a
reasonable period of time, as determined by the
Director, or treat the repayment amount as a
loan in accordance with paragraph (3).
(B) Returned to treasury.--
(i) In general.--Except as provided in
clause (ii), any repayment collected under this
paragraph shall be returned to the Treasury of
the United States.
(ii) Retained percentage.--A qualifying
institution may retain a percentage of any
repayment the institution collects under this
subsection to defray administrative costs
associated with the collection. The Director
shall establish a single, fixed percentage that
will apply to all qualifying institutions of
higher education under this section.
(3) Loan treatment.--A loan described in subparagraph
(A)(ii) or (B)(ii) of paragraph (1) shall--
(A) be treated as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized
Stafford Loan under part D of title IV of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq.); and
(B) be subject to repayment, together with interest
thereon accruing from the date of the scholarship
award, in accordance with terms and conditions
specified by the Director (in consultation with the
Secretary of Education) in regulations promulgated to
carry out this subsection.
(4) Exceptions.--The Director may provide for the partial
or total waiver or suspension of any service or payment
obligation by a scholarship recipient--
(A) whenever compliance by the scholarship
recipient with the obligation is impossible or would
involve extreme hardship to the scholarship recipient;
or
(B) if enforcement of such obligation with respect
to the scholarship recipient would be unconscionable.
(g) Monitoring Compliance.--As a condition of participating in the
program, a qualifying institution shall--
(1) enter into an agreement with the Director to monitor
the compliance of scholarship recipients with respect to their
post-award employment obligations; and
(2) provide to the Director and the Director of the Office
of Personnel Management, on an annual basis, the post-award
employment documentation required under subsection (e)(2)(A)
for scholarship recipients supported by the qualifying
institution, during the period beginning upon the receipt of
the Humanitarian Tech Corps scholarship and ending upon the
completion of the scholarship recipient's post-award employment
obligations.
(h) Hiring Authority.--
(1) Appointment in excepted service.--Notwithstanding any
provision of chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code,
governing appointments in the competitive service, a qualifying
agency shall appoint in the excepted service an individual who
has completed the eligible degree program for which a
scholarship was awarded.
(2) Noncompetitive conversion.--Except as provided in
paragraph (4), upon fulfillment of the service term, an
employee appointed under paragraph (1) may be converted
noncompetitively to term, career-conditional, or career
appointment.
(3) Timing of conversion.--A qualifying agency may
noncompetitively convert a term employee appointed under
paragraph (2) to a career-conditional or career appointment
before the term appointment expires.
(4) Authority to decline conversion.--A qualifying agency
may decline to make the noncompetitive conversion or
appointment under paragraph (2) for cause.
(i) Public Information.--
(1) Evaluation.--The Director, in coordination with the
Director of the Office of Personnel Management, shall
periodically evaluate and make public, in a manner that
protects the personally identifiable information of scholarship
recipients, information on the success of recruiting
individuals for scholarships under this section and on hiring
and retaining those individuals in the humanitarian technology
workforce, including information on--
(A) placement rates;
(B) where students are placed, including job titles
and descriptions;
(C) salary ranges for students not released from
obligations under this section;
(D) how long after graduation students are placed;
(E) how long students stay in the positions they
enter upon graduation;
(F) how many students are released from
obligations; and
(G) what, if any, remedial training is required.
(2) Reports.--The Director, in coordination with the Office
of Personnel Management, shall submit, not less frequently than
once every 2 years, to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation and the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on
Science, Space, and Technology and the Committee on Oversight
and Accountability of the House of Representatives, a report
that includes--
(A) the results of the evaluation under paragraph
(1);
(B) an explanation of any disparity in reporting
between scholarship recipients and their respective
qualifying institutions; and
(C) any recent statistics regarding the size,
composition, and educational requirements of the
Federal humanitarian technology workforce.
(3) Resources.--The Director, in coordination with the
Director of the Office of Personnel Management, shall provide
consolidated and user-friendly online resources for prospective
scholarship recipients, including, to the extent practicable--
(A) searchable, up-to-date, and accurate
information about participating qualifying institutions
and job opportunities related to Humanitarian Tech
Corps scholarships; and
(B) a description of humanitarian careers for
science, technology, mathematics, or engineering
students.
(j) Administrative Responsibilities.--
(1) USAID administrator duties.--
(A) Decisions regarding humanitarian operations.--
By not later than 180 days after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Administrator, after consultation with
the Director, shall--
(i) define the concepts of ``humanitarian
operations'' and ``technological modernization
efforts'' for purposes of subsection (a)(2)(C);
(ii) determine which positions directly
support humanitarian operations for purposes of
subsection (a)(3)(B)(ii); and
(iii) identify the covered degrees that the
Administrator determines meet the requirements
of subsection (a)(2)(C).
(B) Identification of qualifying agencies.--
(i) In general.--By not later than 180 days
after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Administrator, after consultation with the
Director, shall identify any other agency,
entity, office, or commission that the
Administrator determines is a qualifying agency
for purposes of subsection (a)(7)(B).
(ii) Requirements.--The Administrator shall
identify an agency, entity, office, or
commission as a qualifying agency if--
(I) the agency, entity, office or
commission is--
(aa) an Executive agency,
as defined in section 101 of
title 5, United States Code,
with humanitarian initiatives;
or
(bb) an agency, entity,
office, or commission with
humanitarian initiatives that
is established in the
legislative or judicial branch
of the Federal Government; and
(II) the Administrator determines
such identification is appropriate to
meet the humanitarian operations needs
of the Federal Government.
(iii) Special consideration.--In making the
determination under clause (ii)(II) with
respect to an agency, entity, office, or
commission, the Administrator shall give
special consideration to the domestic relief
work carried out by the agency, entity, office,
or commission.
(C) Identification of qualifying organizations or
nongovernmental agencies.--
(i) In general.--By not later than 180 days
after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Administrator, after consultation with the
Director, shall identify organizations and
nonprofit agencies that qualify to participate
in the Humanitarian Tech Corps program, in
accordance with subsection (a)(9) and based on
the criteria described in clause (ii).
(ii) Requirements.--In order to be
qualified for purposes of clause (i), an
organization or nonprofit agency shall--
(I) be a partner of the United
States Agency for International
Development;
(II) serve humanitarian objectives;
and
(III) meet any other requirements
determined necessary by the
Administrator to achieve the purposes
of this section.
(D) Provision of assistance to the director.--By
not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Administrator shall provide the Director
with--
(i) the definitions described in
subparagraph (A)(i);
(ii) a list of the covered degrees in
accordance with subparagraph (A)(iii);
(iii) a list of the qualifying agencies
identified under subparagraph (B); and
(iv) a list of the organizations and
nonprofit agencies identified as qualifying
organizations or nongovernmental agencies under
subparagraph (C).
(E) Updates.--On not less than an annual basis, the
Administrator shall--
(i) review the determinations made under
subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C);
(ii) update any such determinations as
needed; and
(iii) provide any such updated
determinations, or updated definitions or lists
described in subparagraph (D), to the Director.
(F) Additional assistance.--In addition to the
assistance provided under subparagraphs (A) through
(E), the Administrator shall, upon request by the
Director, assist the Director with respect to any other
aspects of the Humanitarian Tech Corps scholarship
program that relate to humanitarian operations, in
order to enable the Director to be able to focus on
technology talent pipeline development through the
program.
(2) Director duties.--The Director shall annually consult
with the Administrator--
(A) regarding the implementation of the
Humanitarian Tech Corps scholarship program; and
(B) to review--
(i) the scholarship recipient selection
process for the preceding year; and
(ii) the ability of the United States
Agency for International Development to provide
recommendations regarding the Humanitarian Tech
Corps program to the National Science
Foundation for future selection cycles.
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