Roosevelt Scholars Act of 2009 - Establishes the Theodore Roosevelt Scholarship Foundation as an independent establishment in the executive branch.
Directs the Foundation to award scholarships in an annual nationwide competition to individuals (to be known as "Roosevelt Scholars") who are: (1) enrolled in or seeking admission to accredited full-time undergraduate or graduate studies that prepare them for occupations critical to the missions of federal agencies; and (2) nominated by persons that have direct knowledge of their academic or work experience.
Sets the maximum scholarship amount at $60,000 for each of up to five academic years, covering tuition, room and board, books, materials, and fees.
Requires Roosevelt Scholars to: (1) agree to serve in the federal government for a period of years equal to the number of academic years during which they received their scholarship; (2) complete a federal internship related to their studies while earning their degree; (3) participate in certain extracurricular activities designed to assist their pursuit of federal careers and development of leadership qualities; and (4) serve as sources of information regarding federal scholarship and employment opportunities.
Establishes the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Scholarship Trust Fund consisting of appropriations and gifts for such scholarships.
Sets forth additional duties of the Foundation, including the creation of an online directory of all federal scholarship opportunities available to individuals pursuing federal employment and an online directory of current occupations critical to the missions of federal agencies.
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude Roosevelt Scholarships from gross income.
[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2789 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2789
To establish a scholarship program to encourage outstanding
undergraduate and graduate students in mission-critical fields to
pursue a career in the Federal Government.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
November 17, 2009
Mr. Voinovich (for himself, Mrs. Gillibrand, and Mr. Kaufman)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Finance
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a scholarship program to encourage outstanding
undergraduate and graduate students in mission-critical fields to
pursue a career in the Federal Government.
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 ``Roosevelt Scholars Act of 2009''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) According to the Government Accountability Office,
about \1/3\ of Federal employees who were employed by the
Federal Government at the end of fiscal year 2007 will become
eligible to retire by 2012. Proportions of workers eligible to
retire are projected to be especially high in certain
occupations, some of them mission-critical, as well as in key
leadership positions. The Government will lose additional
employees to non-retirement attrition.
(2) The Office of Personnel Management estimates that about
550,000 Federal employees will leave the Government in the next
5 years, the majority through retirement, and a recent survey
by the Partnership for Public Service indicates that Federal
agencies will need to hire nearly 273,000 new employees to fill
mission-critical positions (including highly specialized
professionals, such as scientists, engineers, physicians,
mathematicians, and economists) through September 2012.
(3) The ability of the Federal Government to perform
mission-critical functions depends on a strong, well-trained,
and highly engaged Federal workforce.
(4) Heavy educational debt and lack of knowledge about
Federal job opportunities drive many students to seek
employment in the private sector, making it difficult for the
Federal Government to replace needed talent in mission-critical
positions.
(5) A new scholarship program to help finance
undergraduate- and graduate-level education and to connect
students directly with mission-critical Federal positions would
help build a much-needed pipeline of talent for the Government.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act--
(1) the term ``Foundation'' means the Theodore Roosevelt
Scholarship Foundation, as described in section 4(a);
(2) the term ``Board'' means the Board of Trustees of the
Theodore Roosevelt Scholarship Foundation, as described in
section 4(b);
(3) the term ``Fund'' means the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial
Scholarship Trust Fund, as described in section 8;
(4) the term ``Federal agency'' means an Executive agency,
as defined by section 105 of title 5, United States Code;
(5) the term ``State'' includes the District of Columbia;
(6) the term ``graduate student'' means a student in a
master's, law, or doctoral degree program at a university
accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or
association;
(7) the term ``undergraduate student'' means a student
enrolled or accepted for enrollment at a university accredited
by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association;
and
(8) the term ``mission-critical occupational area'' refers
to those positions that a Federal agency identifies as
essential to achieving its strategic goals, as determined
through the workforce analysis process of the Federal agency's
workforce planning system.
SEC. 4. THEODORE ROOSEVELT SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION.
(a) Establishment.--There is established, as an independent
establishment in the executive branch of the Government, a foundation
to be known as the ``Theodore Roosevelt Scholarship Foundation''.
(b) Board of Trustees.--The Foundation shall be subject to the
supervision and direction of a Board of Trustees. The Board shall be
composed of 9 members, plus 1 non-voting ex officio member, as follows:
(1) 2 members of the Senate, 1 appointed by the majority
leader and 1 appointed by the minority leader of the Senate.
(2) 2 members of the House of Representatives, 1 appointed
by the majority leader and 1 appointed by the minority leader
of the House of Representatives.
(3) 5 members, not more than 3 of whom shall be of the same
political party, shall be appointed by the President, with the
advice and consent of the Senate, from among individuals who--
(A) have demonstrated leadership or expertise in
public service or higher education; or
(B) represent a Federal agency or a professional
association related to mission-critical occupational
areas.
(4) The Director of the Office of Personnel Management (or
a designee) shall serve as a non-voting, ex officio member of
the Board.
(c) Term of Office.--
(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2) or
(3), the term of each member (other than the ex officio member)
shall be 6 years.
(2) Initial appointees.--As designated by the President at
the time of appointment, of the members first appointed--
(A) 1 member appointed under subsection (b)(2) and
2 members appointed under subsection (b)(3) shall be
appointed for a term of 2 years;
(B) 1 member appointed under subsection (b)(1) and
2 members appointed under subsection (b)(3) shall be
appointed for a term of 4 years; and
(C) 1 member appointed under subsection (b)(1), 1
member appointed under subsection (b)(2), and 1 member
appointed under subsection (b)(3) shall be appointed
for a term of 6 years.
(3) Vacancies.--Any member appointed to fill a vacancy
occurring before the expiration of the term for which the
member's predecessor was appointed shall be appointed only for
the remainder of that term. A vacancy on the Board shall be
filled in the manner in which the original appointment was
made.
(d) Compensation.--Members of the Board shall serve without pay,
but shall be entitled to reimbursement for travel, subsistence, and
other necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as
members of the Board.
SEC. 5. ROOSEVELT SCHOLARS.
(a) In General.--The Foundation shall award scholarships to
undergraduate students and graduate students who demonstrate
outstanding potential for a career in a mission-critical occupational
area within the Federal Government. The recipient of a scholarship
under this Act shall be known as a ``Roosevelt Scholar''.
(b) Selection Process.--
(1) Nationwide competition.--The Foundation shall--
(A) provide for the conduct of an annual Nationwide
competition, including an application and interview
process, for the purpose of selecting Roosevelt
Scholars; and
(B) market the scholarship program to diverse
populations.
(2) Criteria and procedures.--The Foundation shall adopt
selection criteria and procedures to ensure a diverse cohort of
scholarship recipients each year who at the time of applying
for a scholarship under this Act--
(A) are enrolled or accepted for enrollment at an
accredited full-time undergraduate or graduate degree
granting program in a discipline that is determined by
the Foundation to be directly related to 1 or more
mission-critical occupational areas within the Federal
Government;
(B) have been nominated by an appropriate faculty
member or other representative of the institution of
higher education in which they are enrolled, of which
they are a graduate, or to which they are seeking
admission, or by another individual approved by the
Foundation, who has direct knowledge of the candidate's
academic or work experience; and
(C) are citizens or legal permanent residents of
the United States.
(3) Scholarship amounts.--Each student awarded a
scholarship under this Act shall receive, for each academic
year in which such student is enrolled full time in the
undergraduate or graduate degree program described in paragraph
(2)(A), the cost of tuition plus a stipend, except that--
(A) the stipend awarded under this Act to a student
for an academic year may not exceed the lesser of--
(i) a monthly living stipend of not more
than $300 per month and an amount equal to the
cost to the student, for such academic year,
of--
(I) room and board;
(II) books; and
(III) materials and fees associated
with coursework; or
(ii) $12,000 (adjusted annually to reflect
any increase in the consumer price index for
all urban consumers, as published by the Bureau
of Labor Statistics);
(B) the total scholarship awarded under this Act to
a student for an academic year, for tuition and stipend
combined, may not exceed--
(i) $60,000 (adjusted at the same time and
in the same manner as the dollar amount under
subparagraph (A)(ii)); minus
(ii) the sum of all scholarships, grants,
or other similar cash awards received by the
student for such academic year from any source
apart from this Act; and
(C) scholarships under this Act may be awarded to a
student for such periods as the Foundation may
prescribe, but not to exceed 5 academic years.
(c) Scholarship Conditions.--
(1) Satisfactory proficiency.--A student awarded a
scholarship under this Act shall continue to receive the
payments provided for under this Act only during such periods
as the Foundation finds that such student is maintaining
satisfactory proficiency and devoting full time to study or
research designed to prepare such student for a career in the
Federal Government, unless otherwise approved by the
Foundation.
(2) Reports.--The Foundation may require reports containing
such information, in such form, and to be filed at such times
as the Foundation determines to be necessary from any student
awarded a scholarship under this Act. Such reports shall be
accompanied by a certificate from an appropriate official at
the institution of higher education, approved by the
Foundation, stating that such individual is making satisfactory
progress in, and is devoting essentially full time to study or
research, except as otherwise provided in this subsection.
SEC. 6. REQUIREMENTS FOR ROOSEVELT SCHOLARS.
(a) Service Requirement.--
(1) In general.--Each student awarded a scholarship under
this Act shall be required to enter into a service agreement
with the Foundation which provides for such student to
complete, in return for the scholarship, a specified period of
service with the Federal Government. Under the agreement, the
period of service shall be for the number of years equal to the
total number of academic years for which the student received a
scholarship under this Act, except that the total period of
service shall not be less than 3 years nor more than 5 years.
(2) Failure to fulfill.--
(A) In general.--An agreement under this section
shall provide that an individual shall, in the event
that such individual fails to meet the service
requirement under paragraph (1), be required to repay
to the Foundation the amount equal to--
(i) the total amount of scholarship monies
(tuition and stipends combined) received by the
individual under such agreement; multiplied by
(ii) a fraction, the numerator of which is
the amount of service not completed and the
denominator of which is the total period of
service agreed to.
(B) Amount treated as a loan.--An amount under this
paragraph shall 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 and
following), and shall 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 Secretary of Education.
(3) Regulations.--The Foundation, in consultation with the
Director of the Office of Personnel Management, shall prescribe
any regulations necessary to carry out this subsection,
including provisions under which the service requirement
specified by paragraph (1) or a repayment otherwise required
under paragraph (2) may be waived, in whole or in part, or
deferred in appropriate circumstances.
(b) Internship Requirement.--
(1) In general.--Roosevelt Scholars shall be required to
complete at least 1 internship related to their field of study
in a Federal agency while earning their undergraduate,
graduate, or other advanced degree.
(2) Regulations.--The Foundation, in consultation with the
Director of the Office of Personnel Management, shall prescribe
any regulations necessary to carry out this subsection,
including provisions under which the internship requirement
specified by subsection (b) may be waived in appropriate
circumstances.
(c) Participation in Extracurricular Activities.--While earning
their undergraduate, graduate, or other advanced degree and during
their period of obligated service (as described in subsection (a)),
Roosevelt Scholars shall be required, in accordance with such terms as
the Foundation shall establish, to participate in extracurricular
activities as described in section 12(a)(5).
(d) Availability as a Source of Information.--
(1) In general.--While earning their undergraduate,
graduate, or other advanced degree and during their period of
obligated service (as described in subsection (a)), Roosevelt
Scholars shall be required, in accordance with such terms as
the Foundation shall establish, to serve as a resource for--
(A) individuals interested in becoming a Roosevelt
Scholar or seeking other scholarship opportunities or
temporary or permanent employment with the Federal
Government;
(B) faculty, career services professionals, and
other personnel at universities who advise students on
career opportunities with the Federal Government; and
(C) Federal agencies which might be interested in
promoting, at the institution of higher education at
which the student is enrolled, career opportunities
with the Federal Government.
(2) Memoranda of understanding.--The Foundation may enter
into memoranda of understanding with any institution of higher
education regarding any facilities or resources that will be
made available to Roosevelt Scholars for purposes of this
subsection.
(3) Training.--The Foundation, in cooperation with the
Director of the Office of Personnel Management, may provide for
Roosevelt Scholars to receive any training which they might
need in order to carry out their responsibilities under this
subsection.
SEC. 7. SPECIAL HIRING AUTHORITY.
Under such regulations as the Director of the Office of Personnel
Management shall prescribe, a Federal agency may make a noncompetitive
appointment (in the excepted service, as defined by section 2103 of
title 5, United States Code, leading to conversion to career or career-
conditional employment) of any Roosevelt Scholar who has successfully
completed the program of study for which the scholarship was granted. A
noncompetitive appointment under this section shall be for a period not
to exceed 2 years, and shall be to a mission-critical occupational
area, with the possibility of an extension for 1 additional year by the
employing agency. At the end of the period of the noncompetitive
appointment, conversion to career or career-conditional employment in a
mission-critical position shall be granted to those Roosevelt Scholars
who meet all qualification, suitability, and performance requirements.
SEC. 8. THEODORE ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP TRUST FUND.
(a) Establishment.--There is established in the Treasury of the
United States a trust fund to be known as the ``Theodore Roosevelt
Memorial Scholarship Trust Fund'' to be administered by the Foundation.
The Fund shall consist of amounts appropriated to it pursuant to
section 14 and amounts paid into the Fund pursuant to section 11(a)(4).
(b) Investment of Fund Assets.--
(1) In general.--At the request of the Foundation, it shall
be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to invest in full
the amounts appropriated to the Fund. Such investments may be
made only in interest-bearing obligations of the United States
issued directly to the Fund.
(2) Interest.--The purposes for which obligations of the
United States may be issued under chapter 31 of title 31 are
hereby extended to authorize the issuance at par of special
obligations directly to the Fund. Such special obligations
shall bear interest at a rate equal to the average rate of
interest, computed as to the end of the calendar month next
preceding the date of such issue, borne by all marketable
interest-bearing obligations of the United States then forming
a part of the public debt; except that where such average rate
is not a multiple of \1/8\ of 1 per centum, the rate of
interest of such special obligations shall be the multiple of
\1/8\ of 1 per centum next lower than such average rate. All
requests of the Foundation to the Secretary of the Treasury
provided for in this section shall be binding upon the
Secretary.
(c) Authority to Sell Obligations.--At the request of the
Foundation, the Secretary of the Treasury shall redeem any obligation
issued directly to the Fund. Obligations issued to the Fund under
subsection (b)(2) of this section shall be redeemed at par plus accrued
interest. Any other obligations issued directly to the Fund shall be
redeemed at the market price.
(d) Proceeds From Certain Transactions Credited to Fund.--In
addition to the appropriations received pursuant to section 14 of this
Act, the interest on, and the proceeds from the sale or redemption of
any obligations held in the Fund shall be credited to, and form a part
of, the Fund.
SEC. 9. EXPENDITURES AND AUDIT OF TRUST FUND.
(a) Authorization of Funding.--The Secretary of the Treasury may
pay to the Foundation from the interest and earnings of the Fund such
sums as the Board determines are necessary and appropriate to enable
the Foundation to carry out the purposes of this Act.
(b) Audits by Government Accountability Office.--The activities of
the Foundation under this Act may be audited by the Government
Accountability Office under such rules and regulations as may be
prescribed by the Comptroller General. Representatives of the
Government Accountability Office shall have access to all books,
accounts, records, reports, and files and all other papers, things, or
property belonging to or in use by the Foundation, pertaining to such
activities and necessary to facilitate the audit.
SEC. 10. EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF THE FOUNDATION.
(a) In General.--There shall be an Executive Secretary of the
Foundation, who shall be the chief executive officer of the Foundation
and shall carry out the functions of the Foundation, subject to the
supervision and direction of the Board. The Executive Secretary shall
carry out such other functions consistent with the provisions of this
Act as the Board may delegate.
(b) Appointment.--The Executive Secretary shall be appointed by the
Board and shall be a member of the Senior Executive Service. The
Executive Secretary shall have demonstrated significant management
experience and shall possess a high level of expertise in the
recruitment and retention of personnel.
(c) Term of Office.--The Executive Secretary shall serve for a term
of 5 years, and may be reappointed. The Executive Secretary may be
removed by a vote of \2/3\ of the Board membership.
(d) Compensation.--The Board shall appoint and fix the compensation
of the Executive Secretary at a rate not to exceed the maximum rate for
a member of the Senior Executive Service.
SEC. 11. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.
(a) Powers of the Foundation.--In order to carry out this Act, the
Foundation may--
(1) appoint and fix the compensation of such personnel as
may be necessary, at rates not to exceed level IV of the
Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States
Code;
(2) procure temporary and intermittent services of experts
and consultants as are necessary to the extent authorized by
section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, but at rates not
to exceed the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule under
section 5315 of title 5, United States Code;
(3) prescribe such regulations as it considers necessary to
carry out its functions under this Act;
(4) receive money and other property donated, bequeathed,
or devised, without condition or restriction other than that it
be used for the purposes of the Foundation, and to use, sell,
or otherwise dispose of such property for the purpose of
carrying out its functions;
(5) accept and utilize the services of voluntary and non-
compensated personnel and reimburse them for travel expenses,
including per diem, as authorized by section 5703 of title 5,
United States Code;
(6) enter into contracts, grants, or other arrangements, or
modifications thereof, to carry out such provisions of this
Act, and such contracts or modifications may, with the
concurrence of \2/3\ of the members of the Board, be entered
into without performance or other bonds, and without regard to
section 5 of title 41, United States Code;
(7) rent office space in the District of Columbia; and
(8) make other necessary expenditures.
(b) Annual Reports.--The Foundation shall submit to the President
and to the Congress an annual report on its operations under this Act.
(c) Contract Authority.--The Foundation may enter into contracts
under this Act only to such extent or in such amounts as may be
provided for in advance in appropriations Acts.
SEC. 12. ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS OF THE FOUNDATION.
(a) In General.--In addition to its other functions, the Foundation
shall--
(1) create, maintain, and promote an online directory of
all Federal scholarship opportunities available to individuals
pursuing temporary or permanent employment with the Federal
Government;
(2) in consultation with the Director of the Office of
Personnel Management and the Chief Human Capital Officers
Council, create and maintain an online directory of current
mission-critical occupational areas;
(3) partner with Federal agencies to place Roosevelt
Scholars in positions in the Federal Government;
(4) to the extent practical, assist Federal agencies and
other Federal scholarship foundations in placing Federal
scholarship recipients in positions in the Federal Government;
(5) work with nonprofit organizations to design and
implement mandatory extracurricular programs and activities
that--
(A) promote team-building and create a network and
community for past, present, and future Roosevelt
Scholars;
(B) motivate Roosevelt Scholars to become career
Federal employees;
(C) are offered regularly during each year in which
an individual is receiving a Roosevelt Scholarship,
including during intervals between periods of
enrollment;
(D) expose Roosevelt Scholars to the business,
political, demographic, cultural, and economic climate
of the Federal Government; and
(E) help Roosevelt Scholars to develop leadership
qualities; and
(6) within 2 years after the date of the enactment of this
Act, submit to Congress (and make available to the public) a
report regarding--
(A) any barriers to appointing Roosevelt Scholars
and other Federal scholarship recipients to positions
in the Federal Government; and
(B) recommendations to--
(i) remove barriers to appointing Roosevelt
Scholars and other Federal scholarship
recipients to positions in the Federal
Government;
(ii) educate Federal agencies on the best
use of personnel flexibilities in the
appointment of Federal scholarship recipients,
including Roosevelt Scholars; and
(iii) increase financial resources
available for the Roosevelt Scholars program
and other Federal scholarship programs.
(b) Security Clearances.--The Foundation may, consistent with
regulations of the Director of the Office of Personnel Management,
request and fund security clearances for Roosevelt Scholars, as
necessary.
SEC. 13. EXCLUSION OF ROOSEVELT SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS FROM GROSS INCOME.
(a) In General.--Section 117 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986
(relating to qualified scholarships) is amended by adding at the end
the following:
``(e) Roosevelt Scholarships.--Gross income shall not include any
amount awarded under section 5 of the Roosevelt Scholars Act of
2009.''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section shall apply
to taxable years beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act.
SEC. 14. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act
$10,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 and such sums as may be necessary for
succeeding fiscal years.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S11437-11438)
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
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