I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4555 

To ensure that significantly more students graduate college with the international knowledge and experience essential for success in today’s global 

economy through the establishment of the Senator Paul Simon Study 

Abroad Program in the Department of Education. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 

Mrs. BUSTOS (for herself and Mr. KATKO) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 

A BILL 

To ensure that significantly more students graduate college 

with the international knowledge and experience essential 

for success in today’s global economy through the establishment of the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program in the Department of Education. 

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 ‘‘Senator Paul Simon 

5 Study Abroad Program Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 


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1 (1) To prepare students for success in the mod2 ern global economy, opportunities for study abroad 

3 should be included as part of a well-rounded edu4 cation. 

5 (2) Study abroad programs provide students 

6 with unparalleled access to international knowledge, 

7 an unmatched opportunity to learn foreign lan8 guages, and a unique environment for developing 

9 cultural understanding, all of which are knowledge 

10 and skills needed in today’s global economy. 

11 (3) Less than 2 percent of all enrolled postsec12 ondary students in the United States study abroad 

13 for credit in any given year, and minority students, 

14 first generation college students, community college 

15 students, and students with disabilities are signifi16 cantly underrepresented in study abroad participa17 tion. 

18 (4) Congress authorized the establishment of 

19 the Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study 

20 Abroad Fellowship Program pursuant to section 104 

21 of the Miscellaneous Appropriations and Offsets Act, 

22 2004 (division H of Public Law 108–199). Pursuant 

23 to its mandate, the Lincoln Commission submitted 

24 to Congress and the President a report of its rec25 ommendations for greatly expanding the opportunity 


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1 for students at institutions of higher education in 

2 the United States to study abroad, with special em3 phasis on studying in developing nations. 

4 (5) According to the Lincoln Commission, 

5 ‘‘[e]xperience shows that leadership from adminis6 trators and faculty will drive the number of study 

7 abroad participants higher and improve the quality 

8 of programs. Such leadership is the only way that 

9 study abroad will become an integral part of the un10 dergraduate experience.’’. A competitive grant pro11 gram is necessary to encourage and support such 

12 leadership. 

13 (6) Student safety while studying abroad is and 

14 must continue to be a priority for institutions of 

15 higher education and study abroad programs. 

16 SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 

17 The purposes of this Act are— 

18 (1) to ensure that significantly more students 

19 have access to quality study abroad opportunities; 

20 (2) to ensure that the diversity of students 

21 studying abroad reflects the diversity of students 

22 and institutions of higher education in the United 

23 States; 

24 (3) to encourage greater diversity in study 

25 abroad destinations by increasing the portion of 


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1 study abroad that takes place in nontraditional 

2 study abroad destinations, especially in developing 

3 countries; and 

4 (4) to encourage a greater commitment by in5 stitutions of higher education to expand study 

6 abroad opportunities. 

7 SEC. 4. SENATOR PAUL SIMON STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM. 

8 Section 741 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

9 U.S.C. 1138) is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (a)— 

11 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (12) and 

12 (13) as paragraphs (13) and (14), respectively; 

13 and 

14 (B) by inserting after paragraph (11) the 

15 following: 

16 ‘‘(12) awarding grants under the Senator Paul 

17 Simon Study Abroad Program described in sub18 section (g);’’; and 

19 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(g) SENATOR PAUL SIMON STUDY ABROAD PRO21 GRAM.— 

22 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

23 ‘‘(A) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDU24 CATION.—The term ‘institution of higher eduVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:30 Oct 02, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4555.IH H4555

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1 cation’ has the meaning given the term in sec2 tion 101(a). 

3 ‘‘(B) NATIONAL OF THE UNITED

4 STATES.—The term ‘national of the United 

5 States’ means a national of the United States 

6 or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent res7 idence (as those terms are defined in section 

8 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

9 U.S.C. 1101)). 

10 ‘‘(C) NONTRADITIONAL STUDY ABROAD

11 DESTINATION.—The term ‘nontraditional study 

12 abroad destination’ means a location that is de13 termined by the Secretary to be a less common 

14 destination for students who study abroad. 

15 ‘‘(D) STUDENT.—The term ‘student’ 

16 means a national of the United States who is 

17 enrolled at an institution of higher education lo18 cated within the United States. 

19 ‘‘(E) STUDY ABROAD.—The term ‘study 

20 abroad’ means an educational program of 

21 study, work, research, internship, or combina22 tion thereof that is conducted outside the 

23 United States and that carries academic credit. 

24 ‘‘(2) SENATOR PAUL SIMON STUDY ABROAD

25 PROGRAM.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is estab2 lished in the Department a program to be 

3 called the ‘Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad 

4 Program’. 

5 ‘‘(B) OBJECTIVES.—The objectives of the 

6 program established under subparagraph (A) 

7 are, that not later than 10 years after the date 

8 of enactment of the Senator Paul Simon Study 

9 Abroad Program Act of 2019— 

10 ‘‘(i) not less than 1,000,000 under11 graduate students will study abroad annu12 ally; 

13 ‘‘(ii) the demographics of study 

14 abroad participation will reflect the demo15 graphics of the United States under16 graduate population by increasing the par17 ticipation of underrepresented groups; and 

18 ‘‘(iii) an increasing portion of study 

19 abroad will take place in nontraditional 

20 study abroad destinations, with a substan21 tial portion of such increases in developing 

22 countries. 

23 ‘‘(C) COMPETITIVE GRANTS TO INSTITU24 TIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—In order to ac25 complish the objectives set forth in subparaVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:30 Oct 02, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4555.IH H4555

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1 graph (B), the Secretary shall award grants on 

2 a competitive basis to institutions of higher 

3 education, individually or in a consortium, 

4 based on applications by the institutions that— 

5 ‘‘(i) set forth detailed plans for using 

6 grant funds to further such objectives; 

7 ‘‘(ii) include an institutional commit8 ment to expanding access to study abroad; 

9 ‘‘(iii) include plans for evaluating 

10 progress made in increasing access to 

11 study abroad; 

12 ‘‘(iv) describe how increases in study 

13 abroad participation achieved through the 

14 grant will be sustained in subsequent 

15 years; and 

16 ‘‘(v) demonstrate that the programs 

17 have established health and safety guide18 lines and procedures, informed by Depart19 ment of State travel advisories and other 

20 appropriate Federal agencies and re21 sources, including the Overseas Security 

22 Advisory Council, the USA Study Abroad 

23 Office of the Department of State, and the 

24 Centers for Disease Control and Preven25 tion. 


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1 ‘‘(D) NONGOVERNMENTAL INSTITU2 TIONS.—Consortia of institutions of higher edu3 cation applying for grants described in subpara4 graph (C) may include nongovernmental institu5 tions that provide and promote study abroad 

6 opportunities for students. 

7 ‘‘(E) COMMISSION ON THE ABRAHAM LIN8 COLN STUDY ABROAD FELLOWSHIP PRO9 GRAM.—In administering the program, the Sec10 retary shall take fully into account the rec11 ommendations of the Commission on the Abra12 ham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Pro13 gram, established pursuant to section 104 of 

14 the Miscellaneous Appropriations and Offsets 

15 Act, 2004 (division H of Public Law 108–199). 

16 ‘‘(F) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out 

17 this paragraph, the Secretary shall consult with 

18 representatives of diverse institutions of higher 

19 education, educational policy organizations, and 

20 others with appropriate expertise. 

21 ‘‘(3) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than Decem22 ber 31 of each year following the date of enactment 

23 of the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program 

24 Act of 2019, the Secretary shall submit to the Com25 mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 


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1 of the Senate and the Committee on Education and 

2 Labor of the House of Representatives a report on 

3 the implementation of this subsection during the 

4 prior fiscal year. 

5 ‘‘(4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

6 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

7 this subsection such sums as may be necessary for 

8 fiscal year 2020 and each subsequent fiscal year.’’. 

Æ 


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