Authorizes the Secretary to use the authorities of the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 to establish new programs and expand existing programs to increase the number of educational and cultural activities involving persons from the Islamic world. Prohibits the participation of individuals who are nationals of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2505 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
107th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2505
To promote the national security of the United States through
international educational and cultural exchange programs between the
United States and the Islamic world, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 10 (legislative day, May 9, 2002)
Mr. Kennedy (for himself, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Chafee, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Dodd,
Mr. Hagel, Mr. Smith of Oregon, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Brownback, Mr.
Jeffords, Mr. Durbin, and Mr. Feingold) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To promote the national security of the United States through
international educational and cultural exchange programs between the
United States and the Islamic world, 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 ``Cultural Bridges Act of 2002''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Educating international students is an important way to
impart cross-cultural understanding and create goodwill for the
United States throughout the world.
(2) Students from the Islamic world are significantly
underrepresented among the approximately 500,000 international
students who study in the United States annually.
(3) The volume of professional and cultural exchanges
between the United States and the Islamic world is extremely
low compared to other regions, and these exchanges have proven
extremely effective worldwide in building productive people-to-
people ties.
(4) The federally-funded Future Leaders Exchange Program
for high school students from the former Soviet Union,
administered by the Department of State, has demonstrated the
positive impact of reaching out to international students at
the secondary school level, introducing them to American
culture, and strengthening their commitment to democratic
values and ideals.
(5) A critical element in the war against terrorism will be
increasing mutual understanding and respect between the peoples
of the United States and peoples around the world, particularly
those of the Islamic faith.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on
Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the
Senate and the Committee on International Relations and the
Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
(2) From the islamic world.--The term ``from the Islamic
world'', when used with respect to a person, means that the
person is a national of a country in the Islamic world or has
as the person's residence or place of birth the West Bank or
Gaza.
(3) Islamic world.--The term ``Islamic world'' means--
(A) the member countries of the Organization of the
Islamic Conference and does not include any country
having observer status in the Organization; and
(B) the areas consisting of the West Bank and Gaza.
(4) Secondary school.--The term ``secondary school'' means
a school that serves students in any of the grades 9 through 12
or equivalent grades in a foreign education system, as
determined by the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary
of Education.
(5) Secretary.--Except as otherwise provided, the term
``Secretary'' means the Secretary of State.
(6) United states sponsoring organization.--The term
``United States sponsoring organization'' means a
nongovernmental organization having United States citizenship
that is designated by the Secretary to carry out the program
authorized under section 5(a).
SEC. 4. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is to promote the national security of the
United States through international educational and cultural exchange
programs between the United States and the Islamic world that would--
(1) afford additional opportunities for eligible
participants from the Islamic world to study in the United
States;
(2) foster mutual respect for American and Islamic values
and culture through people-to-people contacts; and
(3) build bridges to a more peaceful world through programs
aimed at enhancing mutual understanding.
SEC. 5. NEW EXCHANGE VISITOR PROGRAM FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM
THE ISLAMIC WORLD.
(a) In General.--To carry out the purpose of section 4, and to
redress the underrepresentation in United States international exchange
visitor programs of persons from the Islamic world, the Secretary,
acting under the authority, direction, and control of the President, is
authorized to establish an international exchange visitor program under
which eligible secondary school students from the Islamic world would--
(1) attend a public secondary school in the United States;
(2) live with an American host family and experience life
in a United States host community; and
(3) participate in activities designed to promote a greater
understanding of American and Islamic values and culture.
(b) Implementation.--The Secretary shall utilize the authorities of
the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 to carry out
the program authorized by subsection (a) by grant, contract, or
otherwise with United States sponsoring organizations.
(c) Eligibility Criteria.--
(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2) and
section 7, a foreign student is eligible for participation in
the program authorized by subsection (a), if the student--
(A) is from the Islamic world;
(B) is at least 15 years of age but not more than
18 and 6 months years of age at the time of initial
school enrollment;
(C) is enrolled in secondary school in the
student's country of nationality or in the West Bank or
Gaza;
(D) has completed not more than 11 years of primary
and secondary education, exclusive of kindergarten;
(E) demonstrates maturity, good character, and
scholastic aptitude; and
(F) has not previously participated in an academic
year or semester secondary school student exchange
program in the United States.
(2) Exception.--An alien is not eligible for participation
in the program authorized by subsection (a) if the alien is
otherwise inadmissible to the United States under section
212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1182(a)).
(d) Program Requirements.--The program authorized by subsection (a)
shall satisfy the following requirements:
(1) Recruitment and selection.--Each United States
sponsoring organization shall recruit and select eligible
secondary school students on a competitive basis under
guidelines developed by the Secretary and in a manner that
ensures geographic, gender, and socio-economic diversity.
(2) English language proficiency.--The Secretary or the
United States sponsoring organization shall establish the
English language proficiency of eligible secondary school
students through standardized testing. For selected secondary
school students found in need of additional English language
training, the Secretary shall provide for not to exceed three
months of such training, depending on the need of the student,
prior to the commencement of the student's course of academic
study in the United States.
(3) Preference for full academic year of study.--The
program shall emphasize educational exchanges consisting of a
full academic year of study.
(4) Compliance with ``j'' visa requirements.--Participants
in the program shall satisfy all requirements applicable to the
admission of nonimmigrant aliens described in section
101(a)(15)(J) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1101(a)(15)(J)). The program shall be considered a designated
exchange visitor program for purposes of the application of
section 641 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant
Responsibility Act of 1996.
(5) Regular reporting to the secretary.--Each United States
sponsoring organization shall report regularly to the Secretary
the information that the organization has obtained during
regular contacts with the sponsored student, the host family,
and the host secondary school.
SEC. 6. AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH NEW EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL EXCHANGE
PROGRAMS AND EXPAND EXISTING PROGRAMS.
Under the authority, direction, and control of the President, the
Secretary is authorized to use the authorities of the Mutual
Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 to establish new programs
under that Act, and expand the coverage of existing programs under that
Act, to increase the number of educational and cultural exchange
activities involving persons from the Islamic world, except as provided
in section 7.
SEC. 7. EXCEPTION FOR ISLAMIC WORLD COUNTRIES COVERED BY THE FREEDOM
SUPPORT ACT.
An individual who is a national of any of the following countries
shall not be eligible for participation in any new program authorized
under section 5 or 6 or for participation in an existing program
expanded under the authority of section 6: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
SEC. 8. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
(a) Initial Report.--Not later than 3 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a report setting forth the plans to implement
this Act. The report shall include--
(1) with respect to the program authorized by section
5(a)--
(A) a plan indicating priority countries and areas
in the Islamic world for participation in the program;
(B) an estimate of the number of participating
students from each country or area;
(C) an identification of United States sponsoring
organizations; and
(D) a schedule for implementation of the program;
and
(2) with respect to fiscal year 2003, an allocation of
funds by country or area in the Islamic world for the program
authorized by section 5(a), and by program and country or area
in the Islamic world for the exercise of authority under
section 6.
(b) Annual Report.--Not later than January 31 of each year, the
President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a
report on the progress and effectiveness of activities carried out
under this Act.
SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) New Program Funding.--
(1) In general.--In addition to funds otherwise available
for such purpose, there is authorized to be appropriated for
the Department of State $20,000,000 for each of the fiscal
years 2003 through 2007 to carry out the program authorized by
section 5(a).
(2) Availability of appropriations.--Amounts appropriated
pursuant to paragraph (1) are authorized to remain available
until expended.
(b) Funding of Expansion of Existing Programs.--
(1) In general.--In addition to funds otherwise available
for such purpose, there is authorized to be appropriated for
the Department of State $75,000,000 for each of the fiscal
years 2003 through 2007 to carry out any new international
educational or cultural exchange programs under section 6 or
the expansion under section 6 of any existing such programs.
(2) Availability of appropriations.--Amounts appropriated
pursuant to paragraph (1) are authorized to remain available
until expended.
(c) Limitations.--
(1) Single country limitation.--Of the amount authorized to
be appropriated by subsection (a), and of the amount authorized
to be appropriated by subsection (b), not more than 10 percent
of each such amount is authorized to be available for any
single country.
(2) Single program limitation.--Of the amount authorized to
be appropriated by subsection (b), not more than 25 percent is
authorized to be available to carry out, or expand, any single
international educational or cultural exchange program.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4200-4201)
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (text of measure as introduced: CR S4201-4202)
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