To establish the Daniel Webster Congressional Fellowship Program for qualified graduates of law schools to serve in temporary positions in offices of the House of Representatives and Senate, and for other purposes.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Daniel Webster Congressional 
Fellowship Act''.

SEC. 2. DANIEL WEBSTER CONGRESSIONAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--There is hereby established the Daniel Webster 
Congressional Fellowship Program (hereafter referred to as the 
``Program''), under which up to 40 eligible law school graduates shall 
be selected as Daniel Webster Congressional Fellows (hereafter referred 
to as ``Fellows'') for each Congress.
    (b) Selection by Joint Congressional Leadership.--The Fellows for a 
Congress shall be selected jointly from among eligible individuals by 
the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and the 
Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate, or their designees.
    (c) Employment With Participating Office.--
            (1) In general.--An individual selected as a Fellow shall 
        be appointed to serve as an employee in a participating office 
        of the House of Representatives or Senate during the Congress 
        for which the Fellow is selected.
            (2) Compensation.--Notwithstanding any other authority 
        regarding the salaries of employees of the House of 
        Representatives or Senate, for each session of a Congress 
        during which a Fellow is employed in a participating office 
        under the Program, the individual shall receive compensation at 
        an annual rate established by the Committee on House 
        Administration of the House of Representatives and the 
        Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate, except 
        that the rate established by the Committees may not be less 
        than the average annual rate of compensation for pay periods 
        during that session for judicial clerks of the United States 
        District Court for the District of Columbia.

SEC. 3. CRITERIA FOR ELIGIBILITY.

    (a) In General.--An individual is eligible to serve as a Fellow 
under the Program if the individual--
            (1) meets the criteria for eligibility described in 
        subsection (b); and
            (2) submits the application materials described in 
        subsection (c) at such time and in such form as the Committees 
        on House Administration of the House of Representatives and 
        Rules and Administration of the Senate may require.
    (b) Criteria Specified.--An individual meets the criteria described 
in this subsection if--
            (1) the individual received a juris doctor degree from an 
        accredited law school;
            (2) the individual provides evidence of a record of 
        exceptional academic achievement in law school;
            (3) the individual demonstrates a commitment to public 
        service and a strong interest in public policy;
            (4) the individual possesses the professional knowledge and 
        skills necessary to contribute successfully to the legislative 
        process; and
            (5) the individual meets such other criteria as the 
        Committees referred to in subsection (a)(2) may establish.
    (c) Application Materials.--The application materials described in 
this subsection are as follows:
            (1) A Program application prepared by the Committees 
        referred to in subsection (a)(2).
            (2) A resume highlighting academic, professional, and 
        personal achievements.
            (3) 2 writing samples.
            (4) A brief essay describing why the individual seeks to 
        become a Fellow.
            (5) Such other materials as the Committees may require.

SEC. 4. ASSIGNMENT OF FELLOWS TO PARTICIPATING OFFICES.

    (a) Assignment.--
            (1) In general.--The Committees on House Administration of 
        the House of Representatives and Rules and Administration of 
        the Senate shall assign the individuals selected as Fellows to 
        be appointed as employees with participating offices of the 
        House and Senate on the basis of such criteria as the 
        Committees shall establish, taking into consideration the 
        background and interest of each Fellow and the needs of the 
        participating office, except that--
                    (A) the number of Fellows assigned to offices of 
                the House of Representatives may not be less than the 
                number of Fellows assigned to offices of the Senate; 
                and
                    (B) the number of Fellows assigned to offices of a 
                House of Congress which are affiliated with the 
                majority political party of that House shall be equal 
                to the number of Fellows assigned to offices of that 
                House of Congress which are affiliated with the 
                minority political party of that House.
            (2) Treatment of committees.--For purposes of paragraph 
        (1)--
                    (A) a Fellow who is assigned to a joint committee 
                of the Congress shall be considered to be assigned both 
                to an office of the House and an office of the Senate; 
                and
                    (B) a Fellow who is assigned to a committee shall 
                be considered to be assigned to an office affiliated 
                with the majority political party, except that if the 
                assignment specifies that the Fellow is to work under 
                the direction of the ranking minority member of the 
                committee, the Fellow shall be considered to be 
                assigned to an office affiliated with the minority 
                political party.
    (b) Participating Offices.--For purposes of this Act, a 
``participating office'' of the House of Representatives or Senate is 
any office of the House or Senate, including the office of a Member, 
committee, joint committee, or any other entity, which enters into an 
agreement with the Committee on House Administration of the House of 
Representatives or the Committee on Rules and Administration of the 
Senate (as the case may be) to participate in the Program.

SEC. 5. NO EFFECT ON NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES OR ALLOWANCE FOR PARTICIPATING 
              OFFICES.

    The employment of a Fellow by an office of the House of 
Representatives or Senate during a year, and the payment of a salary to 
such a Fellow by an office during a year, shall be in addition to all 
personnel and allowances otherwise made available to the office during 
the year under other provisions of law, rule, or other authority.

SEC. 6. ADMINISTRATION; REGULATIONS.

    The Program shall be operated and administered jointly by the 
Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives and 
the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate, and each such 
Committee is authorized to promulgate such regulations as may be 
necessary to carry out the Program.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Authorization.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
carry out the Program such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 
2007 and each succeeding fiscal year.
    (b) Availability of Funds.--Amounts appropriated in any fiscal year 
pursuant to the authorization under this section shall remain available 
until expended.

Summary: Daniel Webster Congressional Fellowship Act - Establishes the Daniel Webster Congressional Fellowship Program, under which up to 40 eligible law school graduates shall be selected by specified congressional leaders as Daniel Webster Congressional Fellows for each Congress. Requires a Fellow to serve as an employee in a participating office of the House or Senate during the Congress for which the individual is selected. Specifies eligibility criteria for a Fellow, including a juris doctor degree.