I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 162 

To establish a scholarship program in the Department of State for Haitian 

students whose studies were interrupted as a result of the January 

12, 2010, earthquake, or the October 2016 hurricane, Hurricane Matthew. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 3, 2017 

Mr. HASTINGS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To establish a scholarship program in the Department of 

State for Haitian students whose studies were interrupted as a result of the January 12, 2010, earthquake, 

or the October 2016 hurricane, Hurricane Matthew. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Haitian Educational 

5 Empowerment Act of 2017’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 162 IH

1 (1) On October 4, 2016, Hurricane Matthew 

2 devastated Haiti, killing over 1,000 people, and di3 rectly affected 2.1 million people, including the in4 ternal displacement of 175,000 and 1.4 million peo5 ple in need of urgent humanitarian aid. 

6 (2) The storm damage has been estimated to be 

7 $1,000,000,000, or about 11.4 percent of the gross 

8 domestic product of Haiti. 

9 (3) Hurricane Matthew was the worst hurricane 

10 to hit Haiti in over 50 years. 

11 (4) Haiti is the poorest country in the Western 

12 Hemisphere. 

13 (5) Eighty percent of the population lives below 

14 the poverty line, and approximately 45 percent of 

15 the population is illiterate. 

16 (6) On January 12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude 

17 earthquake struck the country of Haiti. 

18 (7) The earthquake caused massive devastation 

19 across Haiti, destroying government buildings, hos20 pitals, schools, and vital aid offices, including the 

21 headquarters of the United Nations mission to 

22 Haiti. 

23 (8) An estimated three million people were di24 rectly affected by the earthquake in Haiti, nearly 

25 one-third of the country’s population. 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 162 IH

1 (9) Many universities suffered significant struc2 tural damage, including the State University of 

3 Haiti, the country’s main public university, which 

4 had 80 percent of its buildings destroyed. 

5 (10) The earthquake claimed the lives of many 

6 students and several prominent academics. 

7 (11) Before the earthquake, at least 85 percent 

8 of Haitians with a university degree left the island. 

9 (12) A more highly educated population is vital 

10 to Haiti’s long-term development. 

11 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR 

12 CERTAIN HAITIAN STUDENTS. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, acting 

14 through the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational 

15 and Cultural Affairs, shall establish a scholarship program 

16 for Haitian students whose studies were interrupted as a 

17 result of the January 12, 2010, earthquake or the October 

18 4, 2016, hurricane, Hurricane Matthew. 

19 (b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a scholar20 ship under this section, a Haitian undergraduate or grad21 uate student shall— 

22 (1) have been enrolled as a full-time student in 

23 a Haitian university or institution of higher edu24 cation in the United States at the time of the JanuVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:25 Jan 10, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H162.IH H162

rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 162 IH

1 ary 12, 2010, earthquake or when Hurricane Mat2 thew hit Haiti on October 4, 2016; and 

3 (2) submit to the Assistant Secretary of State 

4 for Educational and Cultural Affairs an application 

5 at such time, in such manner, and containing such 

6 information as the Assistant Secretary may require. 

7 (c) DURATION.—A scholarship under this section 

8 shall be awarded to a Haitian student for one academic 

9 year and may be renewed in accordance with subsection 

10 (d). 

11 (d) RENEWAL.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—A scholarship awarded 

13 under this section may be renewed for an additional 

14 academic year upon demonstration to the Secretary 

15 of State of satisfactory academic achievement in the 

16 prior academic year. 

17 (2) MAXIMUM RENEWALS.—A scholarship 

18 awarded under this section may not be renewed for 

19 more than six academic years. 

20 (e) PREFERENCE.—Preference in the awarding of 

21 scholarships shall be given to the following categories of 

22 Haitian students: 

23 (1) Haitian students who are studying subjects 

24 of importance to Haiti’s long-term social, economic, 

25 or political development. 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 162 IH

1 (2) Haitian students who were enrolled in pro2 grams that were forced to cease operations as a re3 sult of the January 12, 2010, earthquake or the Oc4 tober 4, 2016, hurricane, Hurricane Matthew. 

5 (f) RETURN.—Upon completion of an undergraduate 

6 or graduate degree at an institution of higher education, 

7 a Haitian student who has received a scholarship under 

8 this section shall return to Haiti. 

9 (g) SCHOLARSHIP AMOUNT.—A scholarship awarded 

10 to a Haitian student under this section may not exceed 

11 an amount equal to the total costs related to the tuition 

12 and fees for one academic year at an institution of higher 

13 education in which the student is enrolled as a full-time 

14 student. 

15 SEC. 4. GRANTS TO UNITED STATES COLLEGES AND UNI16 VERSITIES. 

17 The Secretary of State, acting through the Assistant 

18 Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, 

19 may make grants to institutions of higher education that 

20 have enrolled a significant number of Haitian students 

21 who have been enrolled as full-time students in a Haitian 

22 university at the time of the January 12, 2010, earth23 quake or the October 4, 2016, hurricane, Hurricane Mat24 thew. Such grants shall be used to provide social and edu25 cational support services to such students. 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 162 IH

1 SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 

2 For purposes of this Act: 

3 (1) FEES.—The term ‘‘fees’’ means— 

4 (A) fees normally assessed a full-time stu5 dent, as determined by an institution of higher 

6 education, including— 

7 (i) costs for the rental or purchase of 

8 any equipment, materials, or supplies re9 quired of all students in the same course 

10 of study; and 

11 (ii) an allowance for room and board 

12 at such institution; and 

13 (B) travel expenses to such institution 

14 from Haiti and, upon the completion of a de15 gree at such institution, from such institution 

16 to Haiti. 

17 (2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

18 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

19 meaning given such term in section 101 of the High20 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

21 (3) SCHOLARSHIP.—The term ‘‘scholarship’’ 

22 means an amount awarded to a Haitian student 

23 under this section that shall only be used to pay 

24 costs related to the tuition and fees at the instituVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:25 Jan 10, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H162.IH H162

rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 162 IH

1 tion of higher education in which the student is en2 rolled as a full-time student. 

Æ 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS