I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3503 

To direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a pilot program to make 

grants to institutions of higher education to pay the costs of obtaining 

a United States passport necessary for certain students to participate 

in a study abroad program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 26, 2019 

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas (for herself and Mr. YOUNG) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a pilot 

program to make grants to institutions of higher education to pay the costs of obtaining a United States 

passport necessary for certain students to participate 

in a study abroad program. 

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 ‘‘Passport Assistance 

5 for Disadvantaged Students Act of 2019’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM. 

2 (a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary shall carry out 

3 a pilot program to make grants to institutions of higher 

4 education to— 

5 (1) reimburse a student who is a Pell Grant re6 cipient enrolled at the institution for the costs of ob7 taining a United States passport necessary for such 

8 student to participate in a study abroad program; 

9 and 

10 (2) in coordination with the Secretary of State, 

11 directly pay the costs described in paragraph (1) in 

12 the case of a United States passport event carried 

13 out by the Secretary of State on the campus of such 

14 institution. 

15 (b) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

16 under this section, an institution of higher education shall, 

17 not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of 

18 this Act, submit an application to the Secretary that in19 cludes— 

20 (1) the number of Pell Grant recipients enrolled 

21 at the institution that participated in a study abroad 

22 program during each of the 5 years before the date 

23 of such application; 

24 (2) an assurance that the institution will report 

25 to the Secretary the number of Pell Grant recipients 

26 enrolled at the institution that participated in a 


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1 study abroad program annually for each of the 4 

2 years after the date on which the application is sub3 mitted; 

4 (3) a description of how the institution will en5 gage in student outreach in carrying a grant under 

6 this section; 

7 (4) such other information as the Secretary 

8 may require. 

9 (c) AWARDS.— 

10 (1) REQUIREMENTS.—Not later than 2 years 

11 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec12 retary shall make grants under subsection (a) to 

13 each of the following: 

14 (A) A four-year public institution of higher 

15 education. 

16 (B) A public historically Black college or 

17 university. 

18 (C) A public Hispanic-serving institution. 

19 (2) OTHER AWARDS.—After making the awards 

20 required under paragraph (1), the Secretary— 

21 (A) may make grants to additional institu22 tions of higher education; and 

23 (B) shall give priority under subparagraph 

24 (A) to institutions of higher education with 


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1 study abroad programs that offer science, tech2 nology, engineering, and math courses. 

3 (d) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 

4 (1) INSTITUTION REPORTING.—An institution 

5 of higher education that receives a grant under this 

6 section shall not later than 1 year after receiving 

7 such grant submit to the Secretary and the Sec8 retary of State a report that includes— 

9 (A) a description of the student outreach 

10 carried out through a grant under this section; 

11 and 

12 (B) the number of Pell Grant recipients 

13 who— 

14 (i) obtained a United States passport 

15 pursuant to such grant; and 

16 (ii) participated in a study abroad 

17 program in the year after the institution 

18 received such grant. 

19 (2) DEPARTMENT REPORTING.—Not later than 

20 1 year after the date of the enactment of this sec21 tion, and annually for the 3 years thereafter, the 

22 Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of 

23 State, shall submit a report to Congress that in24 cludes— 


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1 (A) a description of the awards made 

2 under this section; and 

3 (B) an assessment of the pilot program 

4 under this section. 

5 (e) FINAL ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 1 year after 

6 the date on which the pilot program authority terminates 

7 under subsection (f), the Secretary and the Secretary of 

8 State shall each— 

9 (1) prepare an assessment of the pilot program, 

10 including a recommendation as to whether— 

11 (A) the pilot program should be continued 

12 and expanded; or 

13 (B) a similar program related to other 

14 higher education programs, such as graduate 

15 and postgraduate programs, community col16 leges, vocational programs, and apprenticeship 

17 programs, should be carried out; and 

18 (2) submit such assessment to Congress. 

19 (f) TERM.—The authority to carry out the pilot pro20 gram under this section shall terminate on the date that 

21 is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

22 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

23 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

24 $500,000 for fiscal year 2021 and each of the succeeding 

25 3 fiscal years. 


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1 (h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

2 (1) HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTION.—The 

3 term ‘‘Hispanic-serving institution’’ has the meaning 

4 given the term under section 502 of the Higher 

5 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a). 

6 (2) HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE OR UNI7 VERSITY.—The term ‘‘historically Black college or 

8 university’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘part B 

9 institution’’ under section 322(2) of the Higher 

10 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2)). 

11 (3) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

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

13 meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 

14 Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1002). 

15 (4) PELL GRANT RECIPIENT.—The term ‘‘Pell 

16 Grant recipient’’ means a recipient of financial aid 

17 under subpart 1 of part A of title IV of the Higher 

18 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a et seq.). 

19 (5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

20 the Secretary of Education. 

Æ 


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