Public Service Academy Act of 2006 - Establishes, in the Department of Homeland Security, a United States Public Service Academy providing a fully subsidized liberal arts education to students selected from a pool of candidates nominated by Congress and the President. Reserves 100 first-year seats for international students, whose tuition and expenses are to be covered by their home countries.
Requires incoming students to sign an Honor Code and be at least 17 years old, unmarried, and without dependents.
Requires students to: (1) participate in daily public service programming and, during their final year, plan and implement a one-year public service project; (2) take foreign language and international relations courses in preparation for spending their junior year studying abroad and interning at a U.S. mission; (3) spend eight weeks each summer engaged in specified training and internship activities; and (4) by the completion of their fourth semester, choose a public service concentration in the economy, education, emergency management, the environment, foreign policy, health care, law enforcement, or the public infrastructure.
Directs the Academy to assign graduates to public service employment in their field of concentrated study, where they must serve for at least five years. Includes private nonprofit organizations and private entities deemed to meet critical national needs among acceptable public service employers. Requires foreign students to serve in their home countries. Authorizes the Academy to subsidize a student's graduate education in return for an extended public service commitment.
Requires the Academy to raise 20% of its annual budget from private sources.
[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3958 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3958
To establish the United States Public Service Academy.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 27, 2006
Mrs. Clinton (for herself, Mr. Specter, Mr. Kennedy, and Ms. Mikulski)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the United States Public Service Academy.
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 ``Public Service Academy Act of
2006''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) National disasters such as September 11, 2001, and
Hurricane Katrina, along with the United States' struggle
against international terrorism, have highlighted the
importance of public service and the need for the United States
to improve its capacity to effectively handle future
catastrophes, as well as the daily challenges of life in a
global society.
(2) Young Americans, particularly after the September 11,
2001 attacks, have a strong ethic of public service. According
to the Higher Education Research Institute, more than \2/3\ of
the 2005 freshman class at institutions of higher education in
the United States expressed a desire to serve others, the
highest rate in a generation. Applications to private programs
such as Teach for America and City Year, publicly funded public
service programs within USA Freedom Corps, and religious
mission trips have increased dramatically since 2001. Yet with
the increase in college tuition causing the average college
graduate to owe about $20,000, many students often can afford
to pursue public service only for short periods of time and
avoid public service careers in favor of more lucrative fields.
(3) The aging of the population of the United States and
the subsequent retirement of the Baby Boomer generation will
create serious shortages in critically needed public service
positions at all levels of our society, as evidenced by the
following:
(A) A recent study by the Congressional Budget
Office highlighted ``the graying of the Federal work
force,'' while the Partnership for Public Service warns
of a ``Federal brain drain'' as 44 percent of all
Federal workers become eligible to retire in the next 5
years.
(B) The National Center for Education Statistics
estimates that more than 2,000,000 teachers will be
needed in the next 10 years due to teacher retirement
and increased student enrollment. The teacher shortages
will particularly affect high-need rural and inner-city
local educational agencies.
(C) More than 80 percent of the Nation's 17,000 law
enforcement agencies report that they cannot fill
needed positions due to a lack of qualified candidates.
(D) The Bridgespan Group reports that nonprofit
organizations will need to attract and develop 640,000
new senior managers by 2016, nearly 2\1/2\ times the
number in 2006.
(4) The United States does not have a national
undergraduate institution to promote public service and develop
well-trained, highly qualified civilian leaders.
SEC. 3. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is to establish a United States Public
Service Academy that will--
(1) strengthen and protect the United States by creating a
corps of well-trained, highly qualified civilian leaders
willing to devote themselves to leadership through patriotic
public service;
(2) be the first national civilian institution of higher
education in the United States; and
(3) provide competitive, federally subsidized, public
service-driven undergraduate education to students from across
the United States and the world.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Public service.--
(A) In general.--The term ``public service''
includes a variety of public, private, and non-profit
endeavors that strengthen and protect living
conditions, create opportunities, and enhance the civic
well-being of communities across the United States and
the world.
(B) Preapproved public service endeavors.--The
following fields shall be deemed to meet the
requirement of subparagraph (A):
(i) Economy.
(ii) Education.
(iii) Emergency management.
(iv) Environment.
(v) Foreign policy.
(vi) Health care.
(vii) Law enforcement.
(viii) Public infrastructure.
(2) Board of visitors.--The term ``Board of Visitors''
means an appointed board of not more than 15 members, including
the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, to
oversee the Public Service Academy established under section 5.
The remaining board members shall be appointed by the President
with the advice and consent of the Senate.
(3) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several
States of the United States and the District of Columbia.
SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT.
(a) Establishment.--There is established, in the Department of
Homeland Security, a United States Public Service Academy (referred to
in this Act as the ``Academy''), at the location to be determined by an
Act of Congress, for the instruction in and preparation for public
service of selected individuals, who shall be called Academy students.
(b) Organization.--The Secretary of the Department of Homeland
Security shall prescribe the organization of the Academy, in accordance
with the requirements of this section.
(c) Key Positions.--There shall be at the Academy the following:
(1) A Superintendent.
(2) A Dean of the Academic Board, who is a permanent
professor.
(3) A Director of Admissions.
(4) A Director of Placement.
(d) Superintendent.--The Superintendent shall oversee the immediate
government of the Academy.
(e) Dean of the Academic Board.--
(1) Appointment.--The Superintendent shall appoint the Dean
of the Academic Board as an additional permanent professor from
the permanent professors who have served as heads of
departments of instruction at the Academy, except that for the
first year of the Academy the Superintendent shall appoint the
Dean of the Academic Board from qualified applicants.
(2) Duties.--The Dean of the Academic Board shall perform
such duties as the Superintendent of the Academy may prescribe,
with the approval of the Board of Visitors.
SEC. 6. FACULTY AND DEPARTMENTS.
(a) Number of Faculty.--The Superintendent may employ as many
professors, instructors, and lecturers at the Academy as the Secretary
of the Department of Homeland Security considers necessary to ensure
that the student-faculty ratio is not more than 16 to 1.
(b) Faculty Compensation.--The Superintendent may prescribe the
compensation of persons employed under this section.
(c) Department Titles.--The Superintendent may prescribe the titles
of each of the departments of instruction and the professors of the
Academy.
(d) Department Head.--Upon becoming the senior professor in a
department, a permanent professor becomes the head of that department.
SEC. 7. STUDENT QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION.
(a) Student Qualifications.--A student wishing to be admitted to
the Academy shall--
(1) be 17 years of age or older;
(2) be unmarried; and
(3) have no dependents, as defined in section 152(a) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
(b) Admission Requirements.--A student wishing to be admitted to
the Academy shall fulfill the following requirements:
(1) Earn a secondary school diploma.
(2) Take the SAT or ACT or an equivalent college-level
aptitude test.
(3) Sit for a personal interview with representatives of
the Academy.
(4) Any further admissions requirements, as determined by
the Director of Admissions.
(c) Honor Code.--A student wishing to be admitted to the Academy
shall sign an Honor Code developed by the Superintendent and approved
by the Board of Visitors.
SEC. 8. APPOINTMENT OF STUDENTS.
(a) Nomination Process.--Prospective applicants to the Academy for
seats described in paragraphs (1) and (3) of subsection (b) shall
follow a nomination process established by the Director of Admissions
that is similar to the process used for admission to the military
academies of the United States Armed Forces.
(b) Appointments.--
(1) Congressional seats.--
(A) Seats allocated per state.--The Director of
Admissions shall allocate the congressional seats for
incoming first-year students of the Academy by State on
the basis of 2 seats per electoral vote from each
State.
(B) Nominees required per each senator and
representative.--Each member of the Senate or the House
of Representatives shall nominate a minimum of 5
candidates from the State that the member represents
for each incoming first-year class of the Academy.
(C) Competition.--In selecting nominees for a
first-year incoming class for the congressional seats
reserved for a State, the Director of Admissions shall
only consider the candidates nominated by members of
Congress from the State.
(2) International students.--
(A) Seats.--The Director of Admissions shall
reserve in each incoming first-year class of the
Academy 100 seats for international students.
(B) Tuition; agreement.--In order for an
international student to attend the Academy, the
student's home country shall--
(i) be responsible for subsidizing the
student's tuition, fees, room and board, and
other expenses at the Academy; and
(ii) enter into an agreement described in
section 10(b) with the student.
(3) Executive branch nominees.--
(A) Seats.--The Director of Admissions shall
reserve in each incoming first-year class of the
Academy 25 seats for executive branch nominees.
(B) Nominees.--The President shall nominate a
minimum of 75 candidates to compete for the 25
executive branch seats.
(4) Other.--The Director of Admissions shall reserve in
each incoming first-year class of the Academy 75 seats for at-
large selections from the remaining pool of congressional
nominees described in paragraph (1)(B).
SEC. 9. ACADEMIC FOCUS OF THE UNITED STATES PUBLIC SERVICE ACADEMY.
(a) Curriculum.--Each Academy student shall follow a structured
curriculum that is self-reinforcing to emphasize leadership development
and public service.
(b) Degree.--
(1) Degree conferred upon graduation.--Under such
conditions as the Board of Visitors may prescribe, the
Superintendent of the Academy may confer a baccalaureate of
science or baccalaureate of arts degree upon a graduate of the
Academy.
(2) Majors.--Each Academy student shall pursue a program of
study for a baccalaureate of arts or a baccalaureate of
sciences degree in traditional liberal arts subjects.
(c) Breadth of Required Subject Areas Studied.--Each Academy
student shall take courses in a broad array of subject areas as part of
the student's program of study.
(d) Public Service Concentration.--Not later than the completion of
the fourth semester, each Academy student shall choose a public service
concentration from the fields described in section 4(1)(B), which shall
be the field in which the student ultimately will serve upon
graduation.
(e) Public Service Requirements Before Graduation.--
(1) Public service programming.--Each Academy student shall
participate in daily public service programming, to be
determined by the Dean of the Academic Board.
(2) Public service project.--Each Academy student shall
plan and implement a 1-year public service project during the
student's final year at the Academy.
(f) Study Abroad Requirements.--
(1) In general.--Each Academy student shall spend the
student's junior year in a study abroad program approved by the
Dean of the Academic Board.
(2) Classes in preparation for study abroad.--In
preparation for the junior year study abroad program, each
Academy student shall take courses in foreign languages and
international relations.
(3) Internship during study abroad.--As part of an Academy
student's junior year study abroad program, each Academy
student shall participate in an internship at the United States
mission in the student's junior year study abroad program
location.
(g) Summer Learning Program Requirements.--For each year of
attendance at the Academy, each Academy student shall spend 8 weeks
each summer participating in the following structured learning
programs:
(1) Following the first year at the Academy, emergency
response training.
(2) Following the second year, a civilian internship in the
United States Armed Forces.
(3) Following the third year, an internship with a
preapproved organization described in section 10(g)(3)(B).
SEC. 10. PUBLIC SERVICE REQUIREMENTS FOLLOWING GRADUATION.
(a) Public Service Agreement.--Each Academy student from the United
States shall sign an agreement with respect to the student's length of
public service to the United States. The agreement shall provide that
the student agrees to the following:
(1) That the student will complete the course of
instruction at the Academy, culminating in graduation from the
Academy.
(2) That upon graduation from the Academy, the student--
(A) will accept an appointment, if tendered, in the
location assigned, as a public servant of the United
States; and
(B) will serve as a public servant of the United
States for not less than 5 years immediately after such
appointment, unless the student continues the student's
education in accordance with subsection (h).
(b) International Student Agreement.--Each international Academy
student shall sign an agreement with the student's home country
regarding public service in the student's home country that meets the
same conditions set forth in subsection (a).
(c) Failure To Graduate.--
(1) In general.--An Academy student who has completed a
minimum of 4 semesters at the Academy but fails to fulfill the
Academy's requirements for graduation within 4 years shall be--
(A) dishonorably discharged from the Academy; and
(B) obligated to repay the Academy for the cost of
the delinquent student's education in the amount
described in paragraph (2).
(2) Amount of repayment.--The delinquent student shall be
financially responsible for each semester that the student was
officially enrolled in the Academy.
(d) Failure To Accept or Complete Assigned Public Service.--
(1) In general.--A delinquent graduate shall be--
(A) dishonorably discharged from the Academy; and
(B) obligated to repay the Academy for the cost of
the delinquent graduate's education in the amount
described in paragraph (2).
(2) Amount of repayment.--In the case of a delinquent
graduate who fails to complete all years of public service
required under subsection (a)(2) (including any additional
years required for graduate education under subsection (h)),
the delinquent graduate shall be financially responsible for
the cost of the delinquent graduate's education (including the
costs of any graduate education), except that the amount of
financial responsibility under this paragraph shall be reduced
by 10 percent for each year of public service under subsection
(a)(2) that the delinquent graduate did complete.
(3) Definition of delinquent graduate.--In this subsection,
the term ``delinquent graduate'' means a graduate of the
Academy who violates the agreement entered into under
subsection (a) by--
(A) not accepting the graduate's public service
assignment upon graduation from the Academy; or
(B) not completing the required years of public
service in the assignment due to--
(i) voluntarily quitting the assignment; or
(ii) being fired from the assignment.
(e) Exceptions.--The Superintendent may provide for the partial or
total waiver or suspension of any public service or payment obligation
by an individual under this section whenever compliance by the
individual with the obligation is impossible or deemed to involve
extreme hardship to the individual, or if enforcement of such
obligation with respect to the individual would be unconscionable.
(f) Student Salaries and Benefits.--The Academy shall not be
responsible for the salaries and benefits of graduates of the Academy
while the graduates are fulfilling the public service requirement under
this section. All salaries and benefits shall be paid by the employer
with whom the Academy graduate is placed.
(g) Determining Student Assignments.--
(1) In general.--The Superintendent, acting through the
Academy Placement Office, shall assign graduates to appropriate
public service employment that satisfies the public service
requirements of this section.
(2) Considerations.--The Academy Placement Office shall
assess the following when determining the appropriate public
service employment for a graduate:
(A) National security needs.
(B) State and local community needs.
(C) Student experience.
(D) Student academic performance.
(3) Preapproved public service placements.--Postgraduation
public service requirements under this subsection shall be
fulfilled through placements in public service employment in
any of the following sectors:
(A) Public.--
(i) Civil service employment at the
Federal, State, or local level.
(ii) Civilian service in the United States
Armed Forces.
(B) Private.--Employment in an organization that--
(i) is described in section 501(c)(3) of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
(ii) is exempt from tax under section
501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
and
(iii) provides a service determined by the
Board of Visitors to meet critical national
needs.
(4) Review and approval of student assignments.--The
Superintendent shall review and approve each Academy graduate's
assignment.
(h) Graduate Education.--
(1) Subsidy.--The Academy may subsidize an Academy
student's graduate education in return for an extended public
service commitment.
(2) Extended public service.--For every year of subsidized
graduate education, the Academy student shall agree to add 2
additional years to such Academy student's public service
commitment required under the agreement described in subsection
(a).
SEC. 11. FUNDING THE UNITED STATES PUBLIC SERVICE ACADEMY.
(a) Fully-Subsidized Education.--Each Academy student's tuition at
the Academy shall be fully subsidized.
(b) Public-Private Partnership.--The Academy will be a public-
private partnership funded by the following:
(1) Public funds.--Congress shall fund 80 percent of the
Academy's annual budget.
(2) Private funds.--The Academy officials shall raise 20
percent of the Academy's annual budget in private funds.
(c) Initial Appropriations.--For each of the first 2 fiscal years
for which funds are appropriated under section 13, the Superintendent
shall use such funds, and any matching private funds, to acquire land,
construct facilities, recruit faculty and students, hire employees, and
develop curricula in preparation for the opening of the Academy.
(d) Subsequent Appropriations.--For each of the 4 subsequent fiscal
years following the second fiscal year described in subsection (c) and
for which funds are appropriated under section 13, the Superintendent
shall use such funds, and any matching private funds, to fund the
Academy as it grows 1 class at a time into a 4-year institution.
SEC. 12. USE OF CERTAIN GIFTS TO THE ACADEMY.
(a) Gifts Not Exceeding $20,000.--Under regulations prescribed by
the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, the
Superintendent of the Academy may accept, hold, administer, invest, and
spend any gift, devise, or bequest of personal property of a value of
$20,000 or less made to the United States on the condition that such
gift, devise, or bequest be used for the benefit of the Academy or any
entity thereof. The Superintendent may pay or authorize the payment of
all reasonable and necessary expenses in connection with the conveyance
or transfer of a gift, devise, or bequest under this section.
(b) Gifts Exceeding $20,000.--The Board of Visitors may accept,
hold, administer, invest, and spend any gift, devise, or bequest of
personal property of a value of more than $20,000 made to the United
States on the condition that such gift, devise, or bequest be used for
the benefit of the Academy or any entity thereof. The Board of Visitors
may pay or authorize the payment of all reasonable and necessary
expenses in connection with the conveyance or transfer of a gift,
devise, or bequest under this section.
SEC. 13. AMOUNTS APPROPRIATED.
There is authorized to be appropriated, and there is appropriated,
$164,000,000 for fiscal year 2007 and each of the 5 succeeding fiscal
years.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S10305)
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
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