I 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5275 

To establish the Silver Scholarship program to provide transferable educational awards to older individuals who have performed certain volunteer 

services. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 2, 2006 

Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ (for herself, Mr. OWENS, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. 

HINOJOSA, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. DELAURO, 

Mr. FARR, and Mr. OSBORNE) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To establish the Silver Scholarship program to provide transferable educational awards to older individuals who have 

performed certain volunteer services. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SILVER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. 

4 Part A of title IV of the Older Americans Act of 1965 

5 (42 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

6 the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 422. SILVER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. 

2 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—The Assistant 

3 Secretary may make grants to public agencies and non4 profit private organizations with experience in admin5 istering volunteer programs (including the programs car6 ried out under title II of the Domestic Volunteer Service 

7 Act of 1973), to provide scholarships of not more than 

8 $1,000 per older individual in accordance with this sec9 tion. 

10 ‘‘(b) APPLICATIONS FOR GRANTS.—To request a 

11 grant under this section, an agency or organization de12 scribed in subsection (a) shall submit to the Assistant Sec13 retary an application in such form and accompanied by 

14 such information as the Assistant Secretary may reason15 ably require by rule. Such application shall include the 

16 plan of the applicant to recruit, to retain, to manage, and 

17 to train older individuals to serve as volunteers, including 

18 older individuals with greatest economic need and older 

19 individuals with limited English-speaking ability. 

20 ‘‘(c) SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY AND DOLLAR

21 AMOUNTS.—Subject to subsections (d) and (e), an agency 

22 or organization that receives a grant under subsection (a) 

23 shall award scholarships of $1,000 per individual to eligi24 ble older individuals each of whom performed, during a 

25 12-month period beginning after the effective date of this 

26 section, not less than 600 hours of volunteer services of 


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1 the type determined to be appropriate by the Assistant 

2 Secretary under subsection (f) (or, in a cases based on 

3 compelling personal circumstances scholarships of a pro4 rated lesser dollar amount to eligible older individuals who 

5 have completed not less than 300 hours, but less than 600 

6 hours, of such volunteer services in such 12-month pe7 riod). 

8 ‘‘(d) LIMITATION.—Not more than 1 scholarship may 

9 be awarded under this section to a particular eligible older 

10 individual in any 5-year period. 

11 ‘‘(e) CRITERIA AND PRIORITIES FOR AWARDING

12 SCHOLARSHIPS.—For purposes of carrying out this sec13 tion, the Assistant Secretary shall establish by rule criteria 

14 and prioirties to be applied by grant recipients in awarding 

15 scholarships under this section to eligible older individuals. 

16 ‘‘(f) VOLUNTEER SERVICES.—The Assistant Sec17 retary shall determine which types of volunteer services 

18 (including tutoring and mentoring in a school setting, an 

19 afterschool setting, or another community-based edu20 cational setting, and assisting individuals with special 

21 needs to continue living independently) are appropriate for 

22 purposes of satisfying the service requirements specified 

23 in subsection (c). 

24 ‘‘(g) USE OF SCHOLARSHIPS.—A scholarship award25 ed under this section may be used only— 


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1 ‘‘(1) by the older individual who receives such 

2 scholarship or by any individual designated by such 

3 older individual; 

4 ‘‘(2) for the payment of qualified tuition and 

5 related expenses, as defined in section 117 of the In6 ternal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 117), and 

7 in accordance with conditions established by the As8 sistant Secretary by rule; and 

9 ‘‘(3) before the expiration of the 7-year period 

10 beginning on the date of receipt of such scholarship. 

11 ‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

12 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

13 $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2007 and such sums as may 

14 be necessary for fiscal years 2008 through 2011.’’. 

Æ 


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