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[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3744 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3744

         To establish the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Program.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 26, 2006

Mr. Durbin (for himself and Mr. Coleman) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
         To establish the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Program.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Act of 
2006''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) According to President George W. Bush, ``America's 
        leadership and national security rest on our commitment to 
        educate and prepare our youth for active engagement in the 
        international community.''.
            (2) According to former President William J. Clinton, 
        ``Today, the defense of United States interests, the effective 
        management of global issues, and even an understanding of our 
        Nation's diversity require ever-greater contact with, and 
        understanding of, people and cultures beyond our borders.''.
            (3) Congress created the Commission on the Abraham Lincoln 
        Study Abroad Fellowship Program in section 104(a) of Division H 
        of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004 (Public Law 108-
        199). Pursuant to its mandate, the Commission has submitted to 
        Congress and the President a report of its recommendations for 
        greatly expanding the opportunity for students at institutions 
        of higher education in the United States to study abroad, with 
        special emphasis on studying in developing nations and 
        nontraditional study abroad destinations.
            (4) Studies consistently show that United States students 
        score below their counterparts in other advanced countries on 
        indicators of international knowledge. This lack of global 
        literacy is a national liability in an age of global trade and 
        business, global interdependence, and global terror.
            (5) By numbers ranging from 77 to more than 90 percent, 
        Americans believe that it is important for their children to 
        learn other languages, study abroad, attend a college where 
        they can interact with international students, learn about 
        other countries and cultures, and generally be prepared for the 
        global age, according to a December 2005 national survey 
        conducted by Lake Research Partners and the Tarrance Group.
            (6) In today's world, it is more important than ever for 
        the United States to be a responsible, constructive leader that 
        other countries are willing to follow. Such leadership cannot 
        be sustained without an informed citizenry with much more 
        knowledge and awareness of the world than most Americans tend 
        to possess.
            (7) Study abroad has proven to be a very effective means of 
        imparting international and foreign-language competency to 
        students.
            (8) In the 2003-2004 academic year, an estimated 16,910,000 
        students were enrolled in United States postsecondary 
        institutions, yet only 191,321, representing approximately 1 
        percent of those students, studied abroad for academic credit, 
        according to the National Center for Education Statistics and 
        the Institute of International Education, respectively.
            (9) Less than 10 percent of the students who graduate from 
        United States institutions of higher education with bachelors 
        degrees have studied abroad.
            (10) Far more study abroad must take place in the 
        developing countries. Ninety-five percent of the world's 
        population growth is anticipated to occur outside of Europe in 
        the future. Yet in the academic year 2003-2004, 61 percent of 
        United States students studying abroad studied in Europe, and 
        46 percent studied in the 4 countries of the United Kingdom, 
        Italy, Spain, and France, according to the Institute of 
        International Education.
            (11) Study abroad helps to build mutual understanding among 
        nations and serves to promote national leadership in the United 
        States, international effectiveness, and economic 
        competitiveness by helping to create a globally literate 
        citizenry.
            (12) The Senate designated 2006 as the Year of Study 
        Abroad, raising awareness of the importance of study abroad.
            (13) To complement such worthwhile Federal programs as the 
        Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program and the 
        National Security Education Program, a broad-based 
        undergraduate study abroad program is needed that will 
        democratize study abroad and make opportunities of study abroad 
        accessible to all undergraduate students, regardless of their 
        field of study, ethnicity, socio-economic status, or gender.
            (14) A majority of barriers to study abroad are due to 
        institutional policies at the campus level, according to a 
        report of the Strategic Task Force on Education Abroad issued 
        by NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
            (15) To make study abroad an integral part of undergraduate 
        students' education, regardless of field of study, ethnicity, 
        socio-economic status, or gender, institutions of higher 
        education should address institutional barriers that stand in 
        the way of study abroad.
            (16) According to the Institute of International Education, 
        the percentages of African-American, Asian-American, and 
        Hispanic-American students among individuals studying abroad 
        are extremely low and underrepresentative of the numbers of 
        those students in the general student population.
            (17) The majority of students who study abroad are students 
        in the social sciences, humanities, and foreign languages, 
        while students who major in engineering, mathematics, computer 
        science, or education are underrepresented in study abroad 
        programs. Within the total enrolled United States undergraduate 
        population, approximately 10.7 percent of United States 
        students majoring in business have studied abroad, 8 percent of 
        United States students majoring in engineering have studied 
        abroad, and 5.9 percent of United States students majoring in 
        education have studied abroad.
            (18) Recognizing that the international scope of scientific 
        research in United States institutions of higher education and 
        government facilities is often conducted by foreign-born 
        scientists, the effectiveness of their work will be greatly 
        enhanced by United States researchers who have similarly spent 
        time studying abroad.
    (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act--
            (1) to encourage not less than 1,000,000 undergraduate 
        students in United States institutions of higher education to 
        study abroad for academic credit within 10 years of the date of 
        enactment of this Act; and
            (2) to establish an Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Program 
        that--
                    (A) reflects the demographics of the United States 
                undergraduate population, including undergraduate 
                students in technical and scientific fields of study;
                    (B) ensures an increasing portion of study abroad 
                takes place in nontraditional study abroad 
                destinations, with a substantial portion of such 
                increases taking place in developing countries; and
                    (C) is accessible by students at diverse types of 
                institutions of higher education, including 2-year 
                institutions, minority-serving institutions, and 
                institutions that serve nontraditional students.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1001(a)).
            (2) Minority-serving institution.--The term ``minority-
        serving institution'' means--
                    (A) a part B institution, as defined in section 322 
                of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061);
                    (B) a Hispanic-serving institution, as defined in 
                section 502(a) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)); or
                    (C) another school that traditionally serves a 
                racial or ethnic minority, as determined by the 
                Secretary after consultation with the Secretary of 
                Education.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of State.

SEC. 4. ABRAHAM LINCOLN STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized to establish and carry 
out an Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Program to facilitate the 
participation of undergraduate students in study abroad for academic 
credit. The program shall consist of the following:
            (1) Fellowships for undergraduate students.--
                    (A) Fellowships.--From amounts made available under 
                section 5(1), the Secretary shall award fellowships to 
                undergraduate students to enable the students to study 
                abroad for academic credit.
                    (B) Designation.--Fellowships awarded under this 
                paragraph shall be known as ``Lincoln Fellowships''.
            (2) Grants to institutions of higher education.--
                    (A) In general.--From amounts made available under 
                section 5(2), the Secretary shall award grants to 
                institutions of higher education--
                            (i) to enable the institutions of higher 
                        education to award fellowships to undergraduate 
                        students to enable the students to study abroad 
                        for academic credit; and
                            (ii) for the reform of academic programs 
                        and institutional policies that inhibit 
                        participation by students in study abroad.
                    (B) Designation.--Grants awarded under this 
                paragraph shall be known as ``Lincoln Institutional 
                Leverage Grants''.
                    (C) Limitation.--Each institution of higher 
                education that receives a grant under this paragraph 
                shall use not less than 85 percent of the grant funds 
                to award fellowships to students under subparagraph 
                (A)(i).
    (b) Fellowship Award Rules.--The Secretary shall ensure that--
            (1) fellowships awarded under subsections (a)(1)(A) and 
        (a)(2)(A)(i) reflect the demographics of the United States 
        undergraduate population; and
            (2) there is an annual increase in the number or percentage 
        of fellowships awarded under subsections (a)(1)(A) and 
        (a)(2)(A)(i) for study abroad taking place in nontraditional 
        study abroad destinations, with a substantial portion of such 
        increase taking place in developing countries.
    (c) Program Development and Implementation.--The Secretary shall, 
to the extent practicable, consult with nonprofit and private 
organizations with experience in programs involving study abroad for 
academic credit, in establishing and carrying out the Abraham Lincoln 
Study Abroad Program.
    (d) Coordination With Other Federal Study Abroad Activities.--The 
Secretary may integrate the activities assisted under this section with 
other undergraduate study abroad activities supported by the Department 
of State, the Department of Education, and the Department of Defense.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act such 
sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008 and for each of the 4 
succeeding fiscal years, of which--
            (1) 25 percent of such sums shall be available to carry out 
        section 4(a)(1) for each fiscal year; and
            (2) 75 percent of such sums shall be available to carry out 
        section 4(a)(2) for each fiscal year.
                                 <all>
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