I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4339 

To encourage students from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 

Islands to become civically engaged through local and Federal government 

fellowships. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 16, 2009 

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

Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To encourage students from the Commonwealth of the 

Northern Mariana Islands to become civically engaged 

through local and Federal government fellowships. 

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 referred to as the ‘‘Dr. Rita Hocog 

5 Inos Fellowship Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS FROM THE 

2 COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MAR3 IANA ISLANDS. 

4 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.— 

5 The Secretary of the Interior shall establish a program, 

6 to be known as the ‘‘Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Fellowship Pro7 gram’’, to award local and Federal government fellowships 

8 to qualified students from the Commonwealth of the 

9 Northern Mariana Islands. 

10 (b) FELLOWSHIPS.—Under the Dr. Rita Hocog Inos 

11 Fellowship Program: 

12 (1) TYPES.—The Secretary may award to a 

13 qualified student one or both of the following fellow14 ships: 

15 (A) LOCAL GOVERNMENT FELLOWSHIP.— 

16 A local government fellowship, under which the 

17 Secretary shall assign the qualified student to 

18 an internship in an agency or entity of the 

19 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Is20 lands. 

21 (B) FEDERAL FELLOWSHIP.—A Federal 

22 fellowship, under which the Secretary shall as23 sign the qualified student to an internship in— 

24 (i) an Executive agency (as defined in 

25 section 105 of title 5, United States Code); 

26 or 


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1 (ii) the office of a Representative or 

2 Senator in, or a Delegate or Resident 

3 Commissioner to, the Congress. 

4 (2) FELLOWSHIP TERM.—The term of a fellow5 ship shall be an academic semester or a summer, as 

6 designated by the Secretary. 

7 (3) AMOUNT OF FELLOWSHIP.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—A fellow may receive ei9 ther a stipend or academic credit toward grad10 uation for participating in an internship. 

11 (B) STIPEND.—The stipend for partici12 pating in an internship shall be: 

13 (i) $6,000 for participating under an 

14 academic semester fellowship. 

15 (ii) $4,000 for participating under a 

16 summer fellowship. 

17 (C) FISCAL YEARS AFTER 2010.—In the 

18 case of any fiscal year beginning after Sep19 tember 30, 2010, each dollar amount in sub20 paragraph (B) shall be such dollar amount in 

21 effect for the preceding fiscal year, increased by 

22 the sum of— 

23 (i) the percentage of the dollar 

24 amount in effect for such preceding fiscal 


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1 year that is equal to the percentage (if 

2 any) by which— 

3 (I) the Consumer Price Index for 

4 the most recent calendar year ending 

5 prior to the beginning of the fiscal 

6 year, exceeds 

7 (II) the Consumer Price Index 

8 for the next previous calendar year; 

9 plus 

10 (ii) one percent of the dollar amount 

11 in effect for such previous year. 

12 (4) TRAVEL STIPEND.—The Secretary may pro13 vide to a fellow a travel stipend of not more than 

14 $1,500 for each fellowship term, based on the dis15 tance of the fellow from the internship site. 

16 (c) QUALIFIED STUDENT.—For purposes of this sec17 tion, the term ‘‘qualified student’’ means a student who 

18 is— 

19 (1) a citizen of the United States; 

20 (2) domiciled in the Commonwealth of the 

21 Northern Mariana Islands; and 

22 (3) enrolled in a degree or certificate program 

23 at an institution of higher education (as defined in 

24 section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

25 (20 U.S.C. 1001)). 


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1 (d) APPLICATION AND SELECTION.—Under the Dr. 

2 Rita Hocog Inos Fellowship Program: 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall develop 

4 and administer an application and selection process 

5 for awarding a fellowship. 

6 (2) PRIORITY FOR SELECTION OF STUDENTS.— 

7 (A) LOCAL GOVERNMENT FELLOWSHIP.— 

8 In awarding a local government fellowship, the 

9 Secretary shall give priority to a qualified stu10 dent who has completed a Federal fellowship. 

11 (B) FEDERAL FELLOWSHIP.—In awarding 

12 a Federal fellowship, the Secretary shall give 

13 priority to a qualified student who has com14 pleted a local government fellowship. 

15 (3) SELECTION OF AGENCIES.—The Secretary 

16 shall not assign a fellow to an internship in an agen17 cy or office that does not agree to provide for the 

18 fellow to engage in mandatory activities, including— 

19 (A) activities encouraging professional de20 velopment; 

21 (B) job skill training; 

22 (C) networking activities; and 

23 (D) community service activities. 


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1 (4) LIMITATION ON NUMBER OF FELLOWSHIPS

2 AWARDED TO EACH STUDENT.—A qualified student 

3 shall be awarded no more than— 

4 (A) one local government fellowship; and 

5 (B) one Federal fellowship. 

6 (e) REPORTING.—The Secretary shall submit to Con7 gress, not later than 3 years after the date of enactment 

8 of this Act, a report on the Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Fellow9 ship Program. The report shall include information on— 

10 (1) the use of funds appropriated for the pur11 pose of carrying out the Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Fel12 lowship Program; and 

13 (2) barriers to participation in the Dr. Rita 

14 Hocog Inos Fellowship Program. 

15 (f) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 

16 (1) CONSUMER PRICE INDEX.—The term ‘‘Con17 sumer Price Index’’ means the Consumer Price 

18 Index for All Urban Consumers published by the De19 partment of Labor. 

20 (2) FELLOW.—The term ‘‘fellow’’ means a stu21 dent who has been awarded a fellowship under the 

22 Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Fellowship Program. 

23 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 

25 appropriated to the Secretary of the Interior, for the 


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1 purpose of carrying out the Dr. Rita Hocog Inos 

2 Fellowship Program— 

3 (A) $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; and 

4 (B) such sums as may be necessary for fis5 cal years beginning after fiscal year 2010. 

6 (2) ALLOCATION.—The Secretary shall reserve 

7 for each fiscal year, to fund activities under sub8 section (c)(3), an amount that is not more than 10 

9 percent and not less than 5 percent of any amount 

10 appropriated for the purpose of carrying out the Dr. 

11 Rita Hocog Inos Fellowship Program, but in any 

12 case not less than $50,000. 

Æ 


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