Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to authorize the Assistant Secretary for Aging to make grants to public agencies and nonprofit organizations experienced in administering volunteer programs to provide $1,000 scholarships to older individuals who perform at least 600 hours of volunteer service with such agencies or organizations within a 12-month period. Allows the proration of such scholarships when an individual, due to compelling personal circumstances, cannot perform 600, but performs at least 300, hours of service within such period.
Allows a scholarship recipient to designate another individual to use such scholarship.
[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5275 Introduced in House (IH)]
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5275
To establish the Silver Scholarship program to provide transferable
educational awards to older individuals who have performed certain
volunteer services.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 2, 2006
Ms. Velazquez (for herself, Mr. Owens, Mr. Moran of Virginia, Mr.
Hinojosa, Mr. Price of North Carolina, Mr. Serrano, Ms. DeLauro, Mr.
Farr, and Mr. Osborne) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the Silver Scholarship program to provide transferable
educational awards to older individuals who have performed certain
volunteer services.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SILVER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.
Part A of title IV of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C.
3001 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 422. SILVER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.
``(a) Establishment of Program.--The Assistant Secretary may make
grants to public agencies and nonprofit private organizations with
experience in administering volunteer programs (including the programs
carried out under title II of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of
1973), to provide scholarships of not more than $1,000 per older
individual in accordance with this section.
``(b) Applications for Grants.--To request a grant under this
section, an agency or organization described in subsection (a) shall
submit to the Assistant Secretary an application in such form and
accompanied by such information as the Assistant Secretary may
reasonably require by rule. Such application shall include the plan of
the applicant to recruit, to retain, to manage, and to train older
individuals to serve as volunteers, including older individuals with
greatest economic need and older individuals with limited English-
speaking ability.
``(c) Scholarship Eligibility and Dollar Amounts.--Subject to
subsections (d) and (e), an agency or organization that receives a
grant under subsection (a) shall award scholarships of $1,000 per
individual to eligible older individuals each of whom performed, during
a 12-month period beginning after the effective date of this section,
not less than 600 hours of volunteer services of the type determined to
be appropriate by the Assistant Secretary under subsection (f) (or, in
a cases based on compelling personal circumstances scholarships of a
prorated lesser dollar amount to eligible older individuals who have
completed not less than 300 hours, but less than 600 hours, of such
volunteer services in such 12-month period).
``(d) Limitation.--Not more than 1 scholarship may be awarded under
this section to a particular eligible older individual in any 5-year
period.
``(e) Criteria and Priorities for Awarding Scholarships.--For
purposes of carrying out this section, the Assistant Secretary shall
establish by rule criteria and prioirties to be applied by grant
recipients in awarding scholarships under this section to eligible
older individuals.
``(f) Volunteer Services.--The Assistant Secretary shall determine
which types of volunteer services (including tutoring and mentoring in
a school setting, an afterschool setting, or another community-based
educational setting, and assisting individuals with special needs to
continue living independently) are appropriate for purposes of
satisfying the service requirements specified in subsection (c).
``(g) Use of Scholarships.--A scholarship awarded under this
section may be used only--
``(1) by the older individual who receives such scholarship
or by any individual designated by such older individual;
``(2) for the payment of qualified tuition and related
expenses, as defined in section 117 of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 117), and in accordance with conditions
established by the Assistant Secretary by rule; and
``(3) before the expiration of the 7-year period beginning
on the date of receipt of such scholarship.
``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2007
and such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 2008 through
2011.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Select Education.
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