Amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to authorize the Corporation for National and Community Service to award grants to public agencies or private nonprofit organizations experienced in administering service programs to provide Silver Scholarships to individuals who: (1) perform, over a 12-month period, at least 500 hours of volunteer service after attaining age 55; and (2) have received, during the five-year period preceding the award, fewer than two such scholarships.
Allows the proration of such scholarships when an individual, due to compelling personal circumstances, cannot perform 500, but performs at least 250, hours of service within the 12-month period.
Allows a scholarship recipient to designate another individual to use such scholarship.
[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
[H.R. 1047 Introduced in House (IH)]
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1047
To amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to establish
the Silver Scholarship program to encourage increased volunteer work by
seniors.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 12, 2009
Mr. Sestak (for himself and Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to establish
the Silver Scholarship program to encourage increased volunteer work by
seniors.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SILVER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS.
(a) In General.--Subtitle H of title I of the National and
Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12653 et seq.), is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 198F. SILVER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS.
``(a) Establishment.--The Corporation is authorized to award grants
to eligible entities, to enable the entities to provide volunteers
participating in service projects in accordance with this section with
scholarships that may be used by the volunteers or by individuals
designated by the volunteers.
``(b) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
this section, an entity shall be a public agency or private nonprofit
organization with experience in administering service programs
(including the programs described in or administered under title II of
the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 5000 et seq.)).
``(c) Applications.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this
section, an entity shall submit to the Corporation an application at
such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the
Corporation may reasonably require.
``(d) Criteria and Priorities for Grants.--The Corporation shall
establish criteria and priorities for awarding grants under this
section.
``(e) Requirements for Scholarship.--An entity that receives a
grant under subsection (a) shall use the funds made available through
the grant to award a scholarship described in subsection (a) to
recipients, each of whom--
``(1) is, or has been designated for the scholarship by, a
volunteer who--
``(A) has performed not less than 500 hours of
volunteer service, of a type specified by the
Corporation under subsection (f)(1), during a 12-month
period that is--
``(i) after the volunteer at issue has
attained age 55; and
``(ii) after the date of the enactment of
this section; or
``(B) has performed not less than 250 hours but
less than 500 hours of volunteer service of that type
during such a 12-month period, based on compelling
personal circumstances; and
``(2) has received, during the 5-year period preceding the
date that the scholarship is awarded, fewer than 2 scholarships
under this section.
``(f) Services, Criteria, and Priorities for Scholarships.--The
Corporation shall--
``(1) specify the types of volunteer service a volunteer
may engage in to meet term of service requirements for a
scholarship under this section, which shall include--
``(A) tutoring or mentoring in a school, after-
school program, or other community-based educational
setting; and
``(B) assisting persons with special needs,
including persons who are homebound, to continue living
independently; and
``(2) establish criteria and priorities for eligible
entities to use in awarding scholarships under this section.
``(g) Amount of Scholarship.--The entities shall award the
scholarships--
``(1) in an amount of not more than $1,000; or
``(2) in a amount that is prorated based on the
individual's hours of service, for an individual who meets the
requirements of subsection (e) with a term of service described
in subsection (e)(2)(B).
``(h) Use of Scholarships.--A scholarship awarded under this
section may be used--
``(1) by the volunteer or the person designated by the
volunteer, in accordance with subsection (e);
``(2) only for qualified tuition and related expenses, as
defined in section 117 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986,
and only under such conditions as are set forth by the
Corporation through regulation; and
``(3) not later than 20 years after the date of the award
of the scholarship, to allow time for `an individual'
designated under subsection (e)(1) to use the scholarship.
``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--Of the funds appropriated
to carry out this section--
``(1) not more than 15 percent shall be used for
administrative purposes by the Corporation;
``(2) not less than 50 percent shall be made available for
grants under subsection (a) and used to award scholarships to
volunteers who have met the term of service requirements for
the scholarships by providing tutoring or mentoring described
in subsection (f)(1)(A);
``(3) not less than 10 percent shall be made available for
such grants and used to award scholarships to volunteers who
have met the requirements by providing assistance described in
subsection (f)(1)(B); and
``(4) not more than 10 percent shall be made available for
such grants and used for administrative purposes by the
eligible entities receiving the grants.''.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 501(a)(2), as amended
by section 202(b) of this Act, is further amended--
(1) by striking ``section 198E'' each place it appears and
inserting ``sections 198E and 198F''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(D) Silver scholarship program.--There are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out section
198F, $20,000,000 for the first fiscal year beginning
after the date of the enactment of section 198F and
such sums as are necessary for each fiscal year
thereafter.''.
(c) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of the Act is further
amended in the items relating to subtitle H of title I, by adding at
the end the following:
``Sec. 198F. Silver scholarship programs.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities.
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