To authorize assistance to the people of the Republic of Haiti to fund scholarships for talented disadvantaged students in Haiti to continue their education in the United States and to return to Haiti to contribute to the development of their country, and for other purposes.

Summary: Henry J. Hyde Scholarships for Haiti Act of 2006 - Directs the President, acting through the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, to provide undergraduate scholarships, in the form of student loans followed by loan forgiveness, to needy Haitian students who, upon completion of their studies in the United States, promptly return to Haiti for a period at least one year longer than the duration of such scholarships. Authorizes appropriations for FY2007-FY2009.

Reserves a specified minimum amount of certain authorized development assistance appropriations under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for literacy and basic education programs in Haiti.

Expresses the sense of Congress that the President, acting through the Director of the Peace Corps, should make available again to the Government of Haiti qualified Peace Corps volunteers who would serve under hardship conditions to: (1) assist the people of Haiti to improve literacy rates and meet other basic needs so that they can become economically self-sufficient; and (2) promote mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and of Haiti.

Urges the President to: (1) design a program to match scholarship contributions from private and public sectors in either country; (2) seek to engage domestic and international businesses in Haiti to maximize the opportunities of returning scholarship recipients for the development of Haiti; and (3) provide the scholarships through existing scholarship programs, such as the Cooperative Association of States for Scholarships program.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Henry J. Hyde Scholarships for Haiti 
Act of 2006''.

SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to establish an undergraduate 
scholarship program which is designed to bring talented students of 
limited financial means from Haiti to the United States for study at 
United States institutions of higher education to--
            (1) improve the diversity and quality of educational 
        opportunities for such students;
            (2) assist the development efforts of Haiti by providing 
        training and educational assistance to persons who can help 
        address the social and economic needs of Haiti;
            (3) build a well-educated middle-class in Haiti which is 
        capable and willing to provide leadership in the public and 
        private sectors to help sustain the political and economic 
        progress that is sorely needed to confront the daunting 
        challenges of that country; and
            (4) promote positive and productive relationships between 
        the United States and Haiti.

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) It is in the national interest of the United States to 
        provide a stable source of financial support to give talented 
        students in Haiti the opportunity to study in the United States 
        in order to improve the range and quality of educational 
        alternatives for these students, further the development of 
        Haiti, and build enduring relationships between the people of 
        the United States and the people of Haiti.
            (2) Providing scholarship to foreign students to study in 
        the United States has proven to be an effective means of 
        creating strong bonds between the United States and the future 
        leadership of developing countries and assisting those 
        countries to substantially further their development 
        objectives.
            (3) Talented students from families of limited financial 
        means in Haiti traditionally have few, if any, opportunities to 
        continue their education in their own country and are less 
        likely to pursue higher education in the United States.
            (4) In 2003, 76 percent of the population in Haiti earned 
        less than the equivalent of $2.00 per day, and 56 percent of 
        the population in the country in the same year earned less than 
        the equivalent of $1.00 per day.
            (5) In 2003, the literacy rate of individuals in Haiti who 
        are older than 15 years of age was less than 52 percent. The 
        net primary school enrollment rate was 68 percent, as compared 
        to the average of approximately 78 percent for other low income 
        countries, such as Afghanistan and Guinea-Bissau.
            (6) Women in Haiti are more likely to be adversely affected 
        by the dire economic and social conditions in Haiti.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE.

    (a) In General.--The President, acting through the Administrator of 
the United States Agency for International Development, shall provide 
scholarships (including partial assistance) for undergraduate study at 
United States institutions of higher education (as such term is defined 
in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)) by 
citizens and nationals of Haiti who have completed their secondary 
education with distinction and who would not otherwise have the 
opportunity to study in the United States due to financial constraints.
    (b) Form of Scholarship; Forgiveness of Loan Repayment.--To 
encourage Haitian students to use their training and education for the 
benefit of Haiti, each scholarship that is extended under this Act 
shall be in the form of a loan. All repayment of the loan (including 
principal and accrued interest) shall be forgiven upon the scholarship 
recipient's prompt return to Haiti for a period which is at least one 
year longer than the period spent studying in the United States under 
the scholarship.
    (c) Guidelines.--The scholarship program under this Act shall be 
carried out in accordance with the pertinent guidelines of section 604 
of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1986 and 1987 
(22 U.S.C. 4704; Public Law 99-93; relating to guidelines for United 
States scholarship program for developing countries).

SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING THE PEACE CORPS.

    It is the sense of Congress that the President, acting through the 
Director of the Peace Corps, should, as soon as practicable, make 
available again to the Government of Haiti qualified Peace Corps 
volunteers who would serve under hardship conditions to--
            (1) assist the people of Haiti to improve literacy rates 
        and meet other basic needs so that they can become economically 
        self-sufficient; and
            (2) promote mutual understanding between the people of the 
        United States and the people of Haiti.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated $2,500,000 
for each of fiscal years 2007, 2008, and 2009, for the President, 
acting through the Administrator for the United States Agency for 
International Development, to carry out this Act.
    (b) Additional Authorities.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the 
authorization of appropriations under subsection (a) are--
            (1) authorized to remain available until expended; and
            (2) shall be in addition to funds otherwise available for 
        such purposes.
    (c) Literacy and Other Basic Education Programs.--Of the amounts 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out chapter 1 of part I of the 
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.; relating to 
development assistance) for each of fiscal years 2007, 2008, and 2009, 
and which are not allocated for assistance for countries in Latin 
America and the Caribbean, not less than $3,000,000 for each such 
fiscal year is authorized to be made available for assistance for 
literacy and other basic education programs in Haiti.

SEC. 7. GENERAL AUTHORITIES.

    (a) Public and Private Sector Contributions.--The public and 
private sectors, particularly the Haitian-American community, in the 
United States and in Haiti shall be encouraged to contribute to the 
costs of the scholarship program financed under this Act. To this end, 
the President, acting through the Administrator for the United Sates 
Agency for International Development, is strongly encouraged to design 
a matching program in which contributions made by the public and 
private sectors of either country are matched by amounts authorized 
under this Act. Not more than twenty-five percent of the amounts 
authorized to be appropriated under this Act may be dedicated to such a 
matching program.
    (b) Utilization of Returning Scholarship Recipients.--The 
President, acting through the Administrator for the United States 
Agency for International Development, shall seek to engage the private 
sector of Haiti and international private enterprises that are 
conducting business in Haiti to maximize the opportunities for 
productive contributions to the development of Haiti by returning 
scholarship recipients.
    (c) Delivery of Assistance Through the Cooperative Association of 
States for Scholarships.--The President, acting through the 
Administrator for the United States Agency for International 
Development, is strongly encouraged to carry out the purposes of this 
Act through existing scholarship programs, such as the Cooperative 
Association of States for Scholarships program.