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84TH CONGRESS 

lsT SESSION 

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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 5, 1955 

Mr. Osl\IERS introduced the follmving bill; ·whieh was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor · 

ABILL 

To provide a system of scholarships for persons of unusual 

ability in certain sciences. 

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

3 That this Act may be cited as the "Defense Scholarships Act 

· 4 of 1955". '- .. 

5 SEC." 2. As used in this Act6 (a) the term "Commissioner" means the United States 

7 · Commissioner of Education; .L ·· .. 

8 (b) the term "educational institution" means any pub~ 

9 lie or nonprofit tax-exempt junior college, technical institute; 

10 college, university, research institution, 01~- other edU:c.atiori.al 
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1 institution which offers education or training at the college or 

2 graduate school level; and 

3 ( c) the terms "scholarship" and "Defense Scholarship'' 

4 are synonymous, and mean a scholarship a.warded under this 

5 Act. 

6 SEC. 3. (a·) ·The Commissjoner ·shall, at least annually, 

7 conduct a competitive examination in each congressional 

8 district in each State ancl in the District of Colurnhirt, Alaska, 

.9 Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, which shall he open to al1 citizens 

10 of the United States who are residents of tho area in ·whicl1 

11 the examination IS conclucto'<l, ana who have completed their 

12 education through at least the eleventh grade. Each such 

13 examination ( l) sha1l be prepared by the Commissioner with 

14 a view to determining ability and aptitude in the fields of 

15 .. engineering, .physics, .. chemistry, and other sciences closely 

16 · ~related to. engineering, physics,· or chemistry; ( 2) shall be 

17 · open. to ·all individuals withou_t_ regard. to· race, religion, 

18 color, sex, national origin, or ancestry, a~d : _(3-) - shall, 

19 insofar as is practicable, ·be given. ·in each· ai:ea on-. the same 

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21 (b) As soon as is practicable -after the date on which 

~.? .sucl~ exami?ations .have been given, the Commissioner shall 

2_3 ,: .. deterr1:1ine ·the names of the inclividuaJs who have passed- such .-:_ ---~..:..-. ·' - --- ... - ~ . .. --

24 .- :examinations.. The· Commissioner _.shall· notify. each individ25 ual who took an examination \vhat his grade was on the 
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.. 1 exami:13:tJ~n,. and whether such grad_e is a passmg -gTa~le 

2 or not. C:. 

3 ( c) After each examination has been conducted, t!J..e 

4 ·OommissioneY .shall determine the names of the individuals 

5 who.11re eligible for fl schohrship ns fo11ows :· 

6 :First, 110 shn.11 deterrnine with respect to each. congr~r;-

. 7 sion1ll district wbid1 is not represented in. qongTess by',·a 

8 Representative at Large, the narnes of tl10 four individu~)s 

9 who made the highest grades on such examination, a:i;id ea~h 

10 such individual slrn 11 be. eligible for a Defense Scholarship. 

11 Second, he shall determine, with respect to each State; 

12 the nnrnes of the individuals who ( 1) made the highest grad~ 

13 ·on sueh examination and ( 2) are not eligiJ1le- for a schohi:r14 ship under tho preceding paragraph. Of the individuals 

_15 _ whose na.nies ftre determined under this paragraph and _who 

16 m~de the highest grades on such examination, a number 

17 equal to fom; times tho number of Repr9s.entatives at Large 

18 nnd Sermtors from such State shall be eligible for a Defense 

)9 Scholarship. 

20 Third, he shall dotennine, with respect to the District of 

21 Columbia., Ala.ska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, the names of 

~~-:"the two_ individuals who made the highest grades on such 

23 . examination in each such area, and each such ·individual 

24:_-_ sha;ltl?e eligible for a Defense Scholarship. 

25 Fourth, he shall determine, with respect . to all .incfr-
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. 1- viduals who took Stich ·examination, the names of the four 

2 hundred individuals who ( 1) made the higest grades on such 

3 examination and ( 2) are not eligible for a scholarship under 

4 any of the preceding paragraphs, a,nd each such individual 

5 shall be eligible for a Defense Scholarship. 

- 6 ( d) ( 1) If any individual who is entitled to receive an 

7· - original award of a scholarship· under the first, second, or 

· ·8 ·third p<1ragraphs of subsection ( c) does not receive a scholar-

. 9 ·· ship, ,the individual10 

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(A) who took the smne examination :in· the samQ · 

area as the ii)(lividual who did not receive such scholarship; 

(J~) wbo is not otherwise eligible uuder subsection 

( c) for a s<:holn.rship; and 

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(0) who made the highest grade on such examination of those made by the individuals in such area who are 

110t· otherwise eligible for a scholarship; 

18 shall be eligible for a Defense Scholarship. 

19 ( 2) If any individulil who is. entitled to receive an orig20 ·iriai ~.\v~1·d ·of a schoh~rship under the fourth paragraph of 

'21. siibsection ( c) does not receive a scholarship, tlie·individual-

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22 (A) who m~de the higl~est grade on ~uch examina-

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:tion of all individuals who took such examination; and 

24 (B) who is not otherwise eligible for a scholarship; 

·25 sh-all he eligible for: a scholarship:. ' ' .. 
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. SEo. 5. (a) The Commissioner shall' notify each- indi""". 

vidual who is eligibie fo1: a ·scholarship, and if such individual 

-so elects·, he ·shall be granted a scholarship for ·study, at the 

college or graduate level, as may be appropriate, of subjects 

in the fi.eld.s of engineering, physics, chemistry, or sciences 

closely "relateu to engineering, physics~ or chemistry. The 

'original award of a scholarship i11 each case shaff be for one 

academic year, but at the end of such year and. at the end 

of each succeeding acaden1ic year in which such .ii1dividual 

io .. l1a:s held·a.scholarship,''l1is schohi'rship ma)r be ierie\ved for an 

ii" additional· academic yem: if, ·in the opinion of the Coni.mis12 . siorier, his -academic p1:ogre.ss and 1froposed plan• of stud~y 

13 ·· w~irrant suchre1iewaJ.. ' ' 

14 (b) Whenever the· Commissioner· finds that an' indi15 vidual . who is receiving· a scholarship· is failing to inamtain 

16 . satisfactory· standards of. acaderillc· progress, ·the -Commis17 · sionei~ ·may suspend the· ·scholai·ship . of such in(\ividual, ·or 

18 .. 'revoke the scholarship, a.s- circumstances may" :warrant .. 

19 . : SEC.'. 6:- (a) . The: Comm~ssioner shall :from time to: time 

·20 prepare arid publish a· list of edticational instituti~ns approved 

21 for attendance by individuals holding scholarships. App;rova1 

22 . of a:ri educational: ~stitution. shall b'e granted, _'w~tli.drawn, or 

23· withheld,. solely ·on. the. basis' of the educational institution's 

24· ·proficiency _in ~educating its stude{J.ts in scientific courses .. 

. 25 ·. , (b) Nothing in t~s-AcLshall be .. construed·to .auth01ize 
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. l . the· Commissioner or miy · other officer or ~mployee of the · 

. __ 2:.~ United States to exercise any direction, supe~·vision,_ or cone 3- tm!- oyer the personnel, administration, curriculum, or pro4, grams of ii1struction· at any educational institution. 

: 5-.: · SBC .. 7. (a)' Each indivicllial who holds a scholarship 

6 _ a'v~rcled or renewed under this Act may select the educa7· ·: tionaJ iiistitution at which Jie will pursue his education from 

· 8 the list· of educational institutions approved by the Oom9 missiOner. 

10. (b) The 001mnissioner shall pay· to" the edt1cational 

1! institution·, for each .peison holding a scholarship and· enroll~d 

12 in that educational institution, the customary cost ·of tuition, 

13 and such laboratory, library, health, infirmary; and other 

])4 :~similar fees as are chstomarily charged,· and· shall pay for 

15. '. books;·' supplies, .. eqhipmerit,~ and other necessary expense's 

16 (exclusiv·e of .boa~&, · lodging,· other living expenses, and 

J7 · tra'.vel')':, 'as· are generally: required for the successful pursuit 

18 and: compl~tion of the cours"e by other· students in the educa1.9 · tionalinstitutiOn;-however~ in'. no event shall such payments, 

20 · with respecfto ariy iridividual; exceed·$·1;000 for an academic 

21 year .. 

22 . - · ( c) Tlie Oommissfoner shall pay·· to each: individual wlio 

23 . holds a. scholarship awarded. or,_ renewed under this. Act a 

24 . subsistence. allowance; ill equal monthly installments; in the 

25·. amounts~ determined under this ·suhsection. The Commis:.. 

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1 s10ner shall determine the amount of each such monthly 

2 installment by determining in advance of the academic year 

3 the amount which will be paid with respect to such individual 

4 to an educational institution under subsection (b), deducting 

5 that amount from $1,000, and dividing the sum thus obtained 

6 by the number of months in the academic year. The Com7 missioner shall redetermine such amount from time to time, 

8 wherever necessary to prevent the total of payments made to, 

9 and with respect to, any individual under this subsection and 

10 subsection (b) from exceeding $1,000 with respect to any 

11 academic year. 

12 SEC. 8. Each individual who holds a scholarship under 

13 this Act shall, so long as he holds such scholarship, be de14 ferred from induction for training and service in the Armed 

15 Forces_ and from training in the National Security. Training 

16 Corps under the Universal l\filitary Training and Service 

17 Act. 
84TH CONGRESS lST SESSION H. R. 286 

A BILL. 

To provide a syste;m of scholarships for persons 

·of unpsual ,ability in certain sciences. 

By Mr .. OsMERs 

JANUARY 5, 1955 

Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 

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