II 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3958 

To establish the United States Public Service Academy. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 27, 2006 

Mrs. CLINTON (for herself, Mr. SPECTER, Mr. KENNEDY, and Ms. MIKULSKI) 

introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

A BILL 

To establish the United States Public Service Academy. 

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 ‘‘Public Service Acad5 emy Act of 2006’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) National disasters such as September 11, 

9 2001, and Hurricane Katrina, along with the United 

10 States’ struggle against international terrorism, have 

11 highlighted the importance of public service and the 


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1 need for the United States to improve its capacity 

2 to effectively handle future catastrophes, as well as 

3 the daily challenges of life in a global society. 

4 (2) Young Americans, particularly after the 

5 September 11, 2001 attacks, have a strong ethic of 

6 public service. According to the Higher Education 

Research Institute, more than 2 7 ⁄3 of the 2005 fresh8 man class at institutions of higher education in the 

9 United States expressed a desire to serve others, the 

10 highest rate in a generation. Applications to private 

11 programs such as Teach for America and City Year, 

12 publicly funded public service programs within USA 

13 Freedom Corps, and religious mission trips have in14 creased dramatically since 2001. Yet with the in15 crease in college tuition causing the average college 

16 graduate to owe about $20,000, many students often 

17 can afford to pursue public service only for short pe18 riods of time and avoid public service careers in 

19 favor of more lucrative fields. 

20 (3) The aging of the population of the United 

21 States and the subsequent retirement of the Baby 

22 Boomer generation will create serious shortages in 

23 critically needed public service positions at all levels 

24 of our society, as evidenced by the following: 


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1 (A) A recent study by the Congressional 

2 Budget Office highlighted ‘‘the graying of the 

3 Federal work force,’’ while the Partnership for 

4 Public Service warns of a ‘‘Federal brain drain’’ 

5 as 44 percent of all Federal workers become eli6 gible to retire in the next 5 years. 

7 (B) The National Center for Education 

8 Statistics estimates that more than 2,000,000 

9 teachers will be needed in the next 10 years due 

10 to teacher retirement and increased student en11 rollment. The teacher shortages will particularly 

12 affect high-need rural and inner-city local edu13 cational agencies. 

14 (C) More than 80 percent of the Nation’s 

15 17,000 law enforcement agencies report that 

16 they cannot fill needed positions due to a lack 

17 of qualified candidates. 

18 (D) The Bridgespan Group reports that 

19 nonprofit organizations will need to attract and 

20 develop 640,000 new senior managers by 2016, 

nearly 21 21 ⁄2 times the number in 2006. 

22 (4) The United States does not have a national 

23 undergraduate institution to promote public service 

24 and develop well-trained, highly qualified civilian 

25 leaders. 


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1 SEC. 3. PURPOSE. 

2 The purpose of this Act is to establish a United 

3 States Public Service Academy that will— 

4 (1) strengthen and protect the United States by 

5 creating a corps of well-trained, highly qualified ci6 vilian leaders willing to devote themselves to leader7 ship through patriotic public service; 

8 (2) be the first national civilian institution of 

9 higher education in the United States; and 

10 (3) provide competitive, federally subsidized, 

11 public service-driven undergraduate education to stu12 dents from across the United States and the world. 

13 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

14 In this Act: 

15 (1) PUBLIC SERVICE.— 

16 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘public serv17 ice’’ includes a variety of public, private, and 

18 non-profit endeavors that strengthen and pro19 tect living conditions, create opportunities, and 

20 enhance the civic well-being of communities 

21 across the United States and the world. 

22 (B) PREAPPROVED PUBLIC SERVICE EN23 DEAVORS.—The following fields shall be deemed 

24 to meet the requirement of subparagraph (A): 

25 (i) Economy. 

26 (ii) Education. 


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1 (iii) Emergency management. 

2 (iv) Environment. 

3 (v) Foreign policy. 

4 (vi) Health care. 

5 (vii) Law enforcement. 

6 (viii) Public infrastructure. 

7 (2) BOARD OF VISITORS.—The term ‘‘Board of 

8 Visitors’’ means an appointed board of not more 

9 than 15 members, including the Secretary of the De10 partment of Homeland Security, to oversee the Pub11 lic Service Academy established under section 5. The 

12 remaining board members shall be appointed by the 

13 President with the advice and consent of the Senate. 

14 (3) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 

15 the several States of the United States and the Dis16 trict of Columbia. 

17 SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT. 

18 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established, in the 

19 Department of Homeland Security, a United States Public 

20 Service Academy (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Acad21 emy’’), at the location to be determined by an Act of Con22 gress, for the instruction in and preparation for public 

23 service of selected individuals, who shall be called Academy 

24 students. 


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1 (b) ORGANIZATION.—The Secretary of the Depart2 ment of Homeland Security shall prescribe the organiza3 tion of the Academy, in accordance with the requirements 

4 of this section. 

5 (c) KEY POSITIONS.—There shall be at the Academy 

6 the following: 

7 (1) A Superintendent. 

8 (2) A Dean of the Academic Board, who is a 

9 permanent professor. 

10 (3) A Director of Admissions. 

11 (4) A Director of Placement. 

12 (d) SUPERINTENDENT.—The Superintendent shall 

13 oversee the immediate government of the Academy. 

14 (e) DEAN OF THE ACADEMIC BOARD.— 

15 (1) APPOINTMENT.—The Superintendent shall 

16 appoint the Dean of the Academic Board as an addi17 tional permanent professor from the permanent pro18 fessors who have served as heads of departments of 

19 instruction at the Academy, except that for the first 

20 year of the Academy the Superintendent shall ap21 point the Dean of the Academic Board from quali22 fied applicants. 

23 (2) DUTIES.—The Dean of the Academic Board 

24 shall perform such duties as the Superintendent of 


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1 the Academy may prescribe, with the approval of the 

2 Board of Visitors. 

3 SEC. 6. FACULTY AND DEPARTMENTS. 

4 (a) NUMBER OF FACULTY.—The Superintendent 

5 may employ as many professors, instructors, and lecturers 

6 at the Academy as the Secretary of the Department of 

7 Homeland Security considers necessary to ensure that the 

8 student-faculty ratio is not more than 16 to 1. 

9 (b) FACULTY COMPENSATION.—The Superintendent 

10 may prescribe the compensation of persons employed 

11 under this section. 

12 (c) DEPARTMENT TITLES.—The Superintendent may 

13 prescribe the titles of each of the departments of instruc14 tion and the professors of the Academy. 

15 (d) DEPARTMENT HEAD.—Upon becoming the senior 

16 professor in a department, a permanent professor becomes 

17 the head of that department. 

18 SEC. 7. STUDENT QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS 

19 FOR ADMISSION. 

20 (a) STUDENT QUALIFICATIONS.—A student wishing 

21 to be admitted to the Academy shall— 

22 (1) be 17 years of age or older; 

23 (2) be unmarried; and 

24 (3) have no dependents, as defined in section 

25 152(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 


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1 (b) ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS.—A student wishing 

2 to be admitted to the Academy shall fulfill the following 

3 requirements: 

4 (1) Earn a secondary school diploma. 

5 (2) Take the SAT or ACT or an equivalent col6 lege-level aptitude test. 

7 (3) Sit for a personal interview with representa8 tives of the Academy. 

9 (4) Any further admissions requirements, as de10 termined by the Director of Admissions. 

11 (c) HONOR CODE.—A student wishing to be admitted 

12 to the Academy shall sign an Honor Code developed by 

13 the Superintendent and approved by the Board of Visitors. 

14 SEC. 8. APPOINTMENT OF STUDENTS. 

15 (a) NOMINATION PROCESS.—Prospective applicants 

16 to the Academy for seats described in paragraphs (1) and 

17 (3) of subsection (b) shall follow a nomination process es18 tablished by the Director of Admissions that is similar to 

19 the process used for admission to the military academies 

20 of the United States Armed Forces. 

21 (b) APPOINTMENTS.— 

22 (1) CONGRESSIONAL SEATS.— 

23 (A) SEATS ALLOCATED PER STATE.—The 

24 Director of Admissions shall allocate the con25 gressional seats for incoming first-year students 


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1 of the Academy by State on the basis of 2 seats 

2 per electoral vote from each State. 

3 (B) NOMINEES REQUIRED PER EACH SEN4 ATOR AND REPRESENTATIVE.—Each member of 

5 the Senate or the House of Representatives 

6 shall nominate a minimum of 5 candidates from 

7 the State that the member represents for each 

8 incoming first-year class of the Academy. 

9 (C) COMPETITION.—In selecting nominees 

10 for a first-year incoming class for the congres11 sional seats reserved for a State, the Director 

12 of Admissions shall only consider the candidates 

13 nominated by members of Congress from the 

14 State. 

15 (2) INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS.— 

16 (A) SEATS.—The Director of Admissions 

17 shall reserve in each incoming first-year class of 

18 the Academy 100 seats for international stu19 dents. 

20 (B) TUITION; AGREEMENT.—In order for 

21 an international student to attend the Academy, 

22 the student’s home country shall— 

23 (i) be responsible for subsidizing the 

24 student’s tuition, fees, room and board, 

25 and other expenses at the Academy; and 


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1 (ii) enter into an agreement described 

2 in section 10(b) with the student. 

3 (3) EXECUTIVE BRANCH NOMINEES.— 

4 (A) SEATS.—The Director of Admissions 

5 shall reserve in each incoming first-year class of 

6 the Academy 25 seats for executive branch 

7 nominees. 

8 (B) NOMINEES.—The President shall 

9 nominate a minimum of 75 candidates to com10 pete for the 25 executive branch seats. 

11 (4) OTHER.—The Director of Admissions shall 

12 reserve in each incoming first-year class of the Acad13 emy 75 seats for at-large selections from the remain14 ing pool of congressional nominees described in 

15 paragraph (1)(B). 

16 SEC. 9. ACADEMIC FOCUS OF THE UNITED STATES PUBLIC 

17 SERVICE ACADEMY. 

18 (a) CURRICULUM.—Each Academy student shall fol19 low a structured curriculum that is self-reinforcing to em20 phasize leadership development and public service. 

21 (b) DEGREE.— 

22 (1) DEGREE CONFERRED UPON GRADUATION.— 

23 Under such conditions as the Board of Visitors may 

24 prescribe, the Superintendent of the Academy may 


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1 confer a baccalaureate of science or baccalaureate of 

2 arts degree upon a graduate of the Academy. 

3 (2) MAJORS.—Each Academy student shall 

4 pursue a program of study for a baccalaureate of 

5 arts or a baccalaureate of sciences degree in tradi6 tional liberal arts subjects. 

7 (c) BREADTH OF REQUIRED SUBJECT AREAS STUD8 IED.—Each Academy student shall take courses in a 

9 broad array of subject areas as part of the student’s pro10 gram of study. 

11 (d) PUBLIC SERVICE CONCENTRATION.—Not later 

12 than the completion of the fourth semester, each Academy 

13 student shall choose a public service concentration from 

14 the fields described in section 4(1)(B), which shall be the 

15 field in which the student ultimately will serve upon grad16 uation. 

17 (e) PUBLIC SERVICE REQUIREMENTS BEFORE

18 GRADUATION.— 

19 (1) PUBLIC SERVICE PROGRAMMING.—Each 

20 Academy student shall participate in daily public 

21 service programming, to be determined by the Dean 

22 of the Academic Board. 

23 (2) PUBLIC SERVICE PROJECT.—Each Academy 

24 student shall plan and implement a 1-year public 


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1 service project during the student’s final year at the 

2 Academy. 

3 (f) STUDY ABROAD REQUIREMENTS.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each Academy student shall 

5 spend the student’s junior year in a study abroad 

6 program approved by the Dean of the Academic 

7 Board. 

8 (2) CLASSES IN PREPARATION FOR STUDY

9 ABROAD.—In preparation for the junior year study 

10 abroad program, each Academy student shall take 

11 courses in foreign languages and international rela12 tions. 

13 (3) INTERNSHIP DURING STUDY ABROAD.—As 

14 part of an Academy student’s junior year study 

15 abroad program, each Academy student shall partici16 pate in an internship at the United States mission 

17 in the student’s junior year study abroad program 

18 location. 

19 (g) SUMMER LEARNING PROGRAM REQUIRE20 MENTS.—For each year of attendance at the Academy, 

21 each Academy student shall spend 8 weeks each summer 

22 participating in the following structured learning pro23 grams: 

24 (1) Following the first year at the Academy, 

25 emergency response training. 


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1 (2) Following the second year, a civilian intern2 ship in the United States Armed Forces. 

3 (3) Following the third year, an internship with 

4 a preapproved organization described in section 

5 10(g)(3)(B). 

6 SEC. 10. PUBLIC SERVICE REQUIREMENTS FOLLOWING 

7 GRADUATION. 

8 (a) PUBLIC SERVICE AGREEMENT.—Each Academy 

9 student from the United States shall sign an agreement 

10 with respect to the student’s length of public service to 

11 the United States. The agreement shall provide that the 

12 student agrees to the following: 

13 (1) That the student will complete the course of 

14 instruction at the Academy, culminating in gradua15 tion from the Academy. 

16 (2) That upon graduation from the Academy, 

17 the student— 

18 (A) will accept an appointment, if ten19 dered, in the location assigned, as a public serv20 ant of the United States; and 

21 (B) will serve as a public servant of the 

22 United States for not less than 5 years imme23 diately after such appointment, unless the stu24 dent continues the student’s education in ac25 cordance with subsection (h). 


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1 (b) INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AGREEMENT.—Each 

2 international Academy student shall sign an agreement 

3 with the student’s home country regarding public service 

4 in the student’s home country that meets the same condi5 tions set forth in subsection (a). 

6 (c) FAILURE TO GRADUATE.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—An Academy student who 

8 has completed a minimum of 4 semesters at the 

9 Academy but fails to fulfill the Academy’s require10 ments for graduation within 4 years shall be— 

11 (A) dishonorably discharged from the 

12 Academy; and 

13 (B) obligated to repay the Academy for the 

14 cost of the delinquent student’s education in the 

15 amount described in paragraph (2). 

16 (2) AMOUNT OF REPAYMENT.—The delinquent 

17 student shall be financially responsible for each se18 mester that the student was officially enrolled in the 

19 Academy. 

20 (d) FAILURE TO ACCEPT OR COMPLETE ASSIGNED

21 PUBLIC SERVICE.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—A delinquent graduate shall 

23 be— 

24 (A) dishonorably discharged from the 

25 Academy; and 


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1 (B) obligated to repay the Academy for the 

2 cost of the delinquent graduate’s education in 

3 the amount described in paragraph (2). 

4 (2) AMOUNT OF REPAYMENT.—In the case of a 

5 delinquent graduate who fails to complete all years 

6 of public service required under subsection (a)(2) 

7 (including any additional years required for graduate 

8 education under subsection (h)), the delinquent 

9 graduate shall be financially responsible for the cost 

10 of the delinquent graduate’s education (including the 

11 costs of any graduate education), except that the 

12 amount of financial responsibility under this para13 graph shall be reduced by 10 percent for each year 

14 of public service under subsection (a)(2) that the de15 linquent graduate did complete. 

16 (3) DEFINITION OF DELINQUENT GRADUATE.— 

17 In this subsection, the term ‘‘delinquent graduate’’ 

18 means a graduate of the Academy who violates the 

19 agreement entered into under subsection (a) by— 

20 (A) not accepting the graduate’s public 

21 service assignment upon graduation from the 

22 Academy; or 

23 (B) not completing the required years of 

24 public service in the assignment due to— 


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1 (i) voluntarily quitting the assign2 ment; or 

3 (ii) being fired from the assignment. 

4 (e) EXCEPTIONS.—The Superintendent may provide 

5 for the partial or total waiver or suspension of any public 

6 service or payment obligation by an individual under this 

7 section whenever compliance by the individual with the ob8 ligation is impossible or deemed to involve extreme hard9 ship to the individual, or if enforcement of such obligation 

10 with respect to the individual would be unconscionable. 

11 (f) STUDENT SALARIES AND BENEFITS.—The Acad12 emy shall not be responsible for the salaries and benefits 

13 of graduates of the Academy while the graduates are ful14 filling the public service requirement under this section. 

15 All salaries and benefits shall be paid by the employer with 

16 whom the Academy graduate is placed. 

17 (g) DETERMINING STUDENT ASSIGNMENTS.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Superintendent, acting 

19 through the Academy Placement Office, shall assign 

20 graduates to appropriate public service employment 

21 that satisfies the public service requirements of this 

22 section. 

23 (2) CONSIDERATIONS.—The Academy Place24 ment Office shall assess the following when deterVerDate Aug 31 2005 22:42 Sep 28, 2006 Jkt 049196 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3958.IS S3958

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1 mining the appropriate public service employment 

2 for a graduate: 

3 (A) National security needs. 

4 (B) State and local community needs. 

5 (C) Student experience. 

6 (D) Student academic performance. 

7 (3) PREAPPROVED PUBLIC SERVICE PLACE8 MENTS.—Postgraduation public service requirements 

9 under this subsection shall be fulfilled through place10 ments in public service employment in any of the fol11 lowing sectors: 

12 (A) PUBLIC.— 

13 (i) Civil service employment at the 

14 Federal, State, or local level. 

15 (ii) Civilian service in the United 

16 States Armed Forces. 

17 (B) PRIVATE.—Employment in an organi18 zation that— 

19 (i) is described in section 501(c)(3) of 

20 the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; 

21 (ii) is exempt from tax under section 

22 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 

23 1986; and 


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1 (iii) provides a service determined by 

2 the Board of Visitors to meet critical na3 tional needs. 

4 (4) REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF STUDENT AS5 SIGNMENTS.—The Superintendent shall review and 

6 approve each Academy graduate’s assignment. 

7 (h) GRADUATE EDUCATION.— 

8 (1) SUBSIDY.—The Academy may subsidize an 

9 Academy student’s graduate education in return for 

10 an extended public service commitment. 

11 (2) EXTENDED PUBLIC SERVICE.—For every 

12 year of subsidized graduate education, the Academy 

13 student shall agree to add 2 additional years to such 

14 Academy student’s public service commitment re15 quired under the agreement described in subsection 

16 (a). 

17 SEC. 11. FUNDING THE UNITED STATES PUBLIC SERVICE 

18 ACADEMY. 

19 (a) FULLY-SUBSIDIZED EDUCATION.—Each Acad20 emy student’s tuition at the Academy shall be fully sub21 sidized. 

22 (b) PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP.—The Academy 

23 will be a public-private partnership funded by the fol24 lowing: 


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1 (1) PUBLIC FUNDS.—Congress shall fund 80 

2 percent of the Academy’s annual budget. 

3 (2) PRIVATE FUNDS.—The Academy officials 

4 shall raise 20 percent of the Academy’s annual 

5 budget in private funds. 

6 (c) INITIAL APPROPRIATIONS.—For each of the first 

7 2 fiscal years for which funds are appropriated under sec8 tion 13, the Superintendent shall use such funds, and any 

9 matching private funds, to acquire land, construct facili10 ties, recruit faculty and students, hire employees, and de11 velop curricula in preparation for the opening of the Acad12 emy. 

13 (d) SUBSEQUENT APPROPRIATIONS.—For each of 

14 the 4 subsequent fiscal years following the second fiscal 

15 year described in subsection (c) and for which funds are 

16 appropriated under section 13, the Superintendent shall 

17 use such funds, and any matching private funds, to fund 

18 the Academy as it grows 1 class at a time into a 4-year 

19 institution. 

20 SEC. 12. USE OF CERTAIN GIFTS TO THE ACADEMY. 

21 (a) GIFTS NOT EXCEEDING $20,000.—Under regula22 tions prescribed by the Secretary of the Department of 

23 Homeland Security, the Superintendent of the Academy 

24 may accept, hold, administer, invest, and spend any gift, 

25 devise, or bequest of personal property of a value of 


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1 $20,000 or less made to the United States on the condi2 tion that such gift, devise, or bequest be used for the ben3 efit of the Academy or any entity thereof. The Super4 intendent may pay or authorize the payment of all reason5 able and necessary expenses in connection with the convey6 ance or transfer of a gift, devise, or bequest under this 

7 section. 

8 (b) GIFTS EXCEEDING $20,000.—The Board of Visi9 tors may accept, hold, administer, invest, and spend any 

10 gift, devise, or bequest of personal property of a value of 

11 more than $20,000 made to the United States on the con12 dition that such gift, devise, or bequest be used for the 

13 benefit of the Academy or any entity thereof. The Board 

14 of Visitors may pay or authorize the payment of all rea15 sonable and necessary expenses in connection with the 

16 conveyance or transfer of a gift, devise, or bequest under 

17 this section. 

18 SEC. 13. AMOUNTS APPROPRIATED. 

19 There is authorized to be appropriated, and there is 

20 appropriated, $164,000,000 for fiscal year 2007 and each 

21 of the 5 succeeding fiscal years. 

Æ 


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