II 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3390 

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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 

Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Mr. WICKER) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

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 2016’’. 

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, and community col15 lege students are significantly underrepresented in 

16 study abroad participation. 

17 (4) Congress authorized the establishment of 

18 the Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study 

19 Abroad Fellowship Program pursuant to section 104 

20 of the Miscellaneous Appropriations and Offsets Act, 

21 2004 (division H of Public Law 108–199). Pursuant 

22 to its mandate, the Lincoln Commission submitted 

23 to Congress and the President a report of its rec24 ommendations for greatly expanding the opportunity 

25 for students at institutions of higher education in 


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1 the United States to study abroad, with special em2 phasis on studying in developing nations. 

3 (5) According to the Lincoln Commission, 

4 ‘‘[e]xperience shows that leadership from adminis5 trators and faculty will drive the number of study 

6 abroad participants higher and improve the quality 

7 of programs. Such leadership is the only way that 

8 study abroad will become an integral part of the un9 dergraduate experience.’’. A competitive grant pro10 gram is necessary to encourage and support such 

11 leadership. 

12 SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 

13 The purposes of this Act are— 

14 (1) to ensure that significantly more students 

15 have access to quality study abroad opportunities; 

16 (2) to ensure that the diversity of students 

17 studying abroad reflects the diversity of students 

18 and institutions of higher education in the United 

19 States; 

20 (3) to encourage greater diversity in study 

21 abroad destinations by increasing the portion of 

22 study abroad that takes place in nontraditional 

23 study abroad destinations, especially in developing 

24 countries; and 


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1 (4) to encourage a greater commitment by in2 stitutions of higher education to expand study 

3 abroad opportunities. 

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

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

6 U.S.C. 1138) is amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (a)— 

8 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (12) and 

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

10 and 

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

12 following: 

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

14 Simon Study Abroad Program described in sub15 section (g);’’; and 

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

17 ‘‘(g) SENATOR PAUL SIMON STUDY ABROAD PRO18 GRAM.— 

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

20 ‘‘(A) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDU21 CATION.—The term ‘institution of higher edu22 cation’ has the meaning given the term in sec23 tion 101(a). 

24 ‘‘(B) NATIONAL OF THE UNITED

25 STATES.—The term ‘national of the United 


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1 States’ means a national of the United States 

2 or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent res3 idence (as those terms are defined in section 

4 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

5 U.S.C. 1101)). 

6 ‘‘(C) NONTRADITIONAL STUDY ABROAD

7 DESTINATION.—The term ‘nontraditional study 

8 abroad destination’ means a location that is de9 termined by the Secretary to be a less common 

10 destination for students who study abroad. 

11 ‘‘(D) STUDENT.—The term ‘student’ 

12 means a national of the United States who is 

13 enrolled at an institution of higher education lo14 cated within the United States. 

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

16 abroad’ means an educational program of 

17 study, work, research, internship, or combina18 tion thereof that is conducted outside the 

19 United States and that carries academic credit. 

20 ‘‘(2) SENATOR PAUL SIMON STUDY ABROAD

21 PROGRAM.— 

22 ‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is estab23 lished in the Department a program to be 

24 called the ‘Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad 

25 Program’. 


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

2 program established under subparagraph (A) 

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

4 of enactment of the Senator Paul Simon Study 

5 Abroad Program Act of 2016— 

6 ‘‘(i) not less than 1,000,000 under7 graduate students will study abroad annu8 ally; 

9 ‘‘(ii) the demographics of study 

10 abroad participation will reflect the demo11 graphics of the United States under12 graduate population; and 

13 ‘‘(iii) an increasing portion of study 

14 abroad will take place in nontraditional 

15 study abroad destinations, with a substan16 tial portion of such increases in developing 

17 countries. 

18 ‘‘(C) COMPETITIVE GRANTS TO INSTITU19 TIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—In order to ac20 complish the objectives set forth in subpara21 graph (B), the Secretary shall award grants on 

22 a competitive basis to institutions of higher 

23 education, individually or in a consortium, 

24 based on applications by the institutions that— 


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

2 grant funds to further such objectives; 

3 ‘‘(ii) include an institutional commit4 ment to expanding access to study abroad; 

5 ‘‘(iii) include plans for evaluating 

6 progress made in increasing access to 

7 study abroad; 

8 ‘‘(iv) describe how increases in study 

9 abroad participation achieved through the 

10 grant will be sustained in subsequent 

11 years; and 

12 ‘‘(v) demonstrate that the programs 

13 have established health and safety guide14 lines and procedures. 

15 ‘‘(D) NONGOVERNMENTAL INSTITU16 TIONS.—Consortia of institutions of higher edu17 cation applying for grants described in subpara18 graph (C) may include nongovernmental institu19 tions that provide and promote study abroad 

20 opportunities for students. 

21 ‘‘(E) COMMISSION ON THE ABRAHAM LIN22 COLN STUDY ABROAD FELLOWSHIP PRO23 GRAM.—In administering the program, the Sec24 retary shall take fully into account the rec25 ommendations of the Commission on the AbraVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:23 Sep 24, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3390.IS S3390

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1 ham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Pro2 gram, established pursuant to section 104 of 

3 the Miscellaneous Appropriations and Offsets 

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

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

6 this paragraph, the Secretary shall consult with 

7 representatives of diverse institutions of higher 

8 education, educational policy organizations, and 

9 others with appropriate expertise. 

10 ‘‘(3) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than Decem11 ber 31 of each year following the date of enactment 

12 of the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program 

13 Act of 2016, the Secretary shall submit to the Com14 mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

15 of the Senate and the Committee on Education and 

16 the Workforce of the House of Representatives a re17 port on the implementation of this subsection during 

18 the prior fiscal year. 

19 ‘‘(4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

20 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

21 this subsection such sums as may be necessary for 

22 fiscal year 2017 and each subsequent fiscal year.’’. 

Æ 


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