John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship Act of 2023

To establish the John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship to fund international internships and research placements for early- to mid-career professionals to study nonviolent movements to establish and protect civil rights around the world. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship Act of 2023 2. John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship Program The Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 ( 22 U.S.C. 2451 et seq. 115. John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship Program (a) Establishment There is established the John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship Program (referred to in this section as the Fellowship Program (b) Purposes The purposes of the Fellowship Program are— (1) to honor the legacy of Representative John Lewis by promoting a greater understanding of the history and tenets of nonviolent civil rights movements; and (2) to advance foreign policy priorities of the United States by promoting studies, research, and international exchange in the subject of nonviolent movements that established and protected civil rights around the world. (c) Administration The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (referred to in this section as the Bureau (d) Selection of fellows (1) In general The Board shall annually select qualified individuals to participate in the Fellowship Program. The Bureau may determine the number of fellows selected each year, which, whenever feasible, shall be not fewer than 25. (2) Outreach To the extent practicable, the Bureau shall conduct outreach at institutions the Bureau determines are likely to produce a range of qualified applicants. (e) Fellowship orientation The Bureau shall organize and administer a fellowship orientation that shall— (1) be held in Washington, DC, or at another location selected by the Bureau; (2) include programming to honor the legacy of Representative John Lewis; and (3) be held on an annual basis. (f) Structure (1) Work plan To carry out the purposes described in subsection (b)(2)— (A) each fellow selected pursuant to subsection (d) shall arrange an internship or research placement— (i) with a nongovernmental organization, academic institution, or other organization approved by the Bureau; and (ii) in a country with an operational Fulbright U.S. Student Program; and (B) the Bureau shall, for each fellow, approve a work plan that identifies the target objectives for the fellow, including specific duties and responsibilities relating to those objectives. (2) Conferences; presentations Each fellow shall— (A) attend the fellowship orientation described in subsection (e); (B) not later than the date that is 1 year after the end of the fellowship period, attend a fellowship summit organized and administered by the Bureau, which, whenever feasible, shall be held in a location of importance to the civil rights movement in the United States and may coincide with other events facilitated by the Bureau; and (C) at such summit, give a presentation on lessons learned during the period of fellowship. (3) Fellowship period Each fellowship under this section shall continue for a period determined by the Bureau, which, whenever feasible, shall be not shorter than 10 months. (g) Fellowship award The Bureau shall provide each fellow under this section with an allowance that is equal to the amount needed for— (1) the fellow's reasonable costs during the fellowship period; and (2) travel and lodging expenses related to attending the orientation and summit required under subsection (e)(2). (h) Reports Not later than 1 year after the date of completion of the Fellowship Program by the initial cohort of fellows selected under subsection (d), and on an annual basis thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report providing information on the implementation of the Fellowship Program, including on— (1) the demographics of the cohort of fellows who completed a fellowship during the preceding 1-year period; (2) a description of internship and research placements, and research projects selected, under the Fellowship Program, including participant feedback on program implementation and feedback of the Department on lessons learned; (3) a plan for factoring such lessons learned into future programming; and (4) an analysis of trends relating to the diversity of the cohorts of fellows and the topics of projects completed over the course of the Fellowship Program. . 3. Technical and conforming amendments to the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961A Section 112(a) of the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 ( 22 U.S.C. 2460(a) (1) in paragraph (8), by striking ; and (2) in paragraph (9), by striking the period and inserting ; and (3) by adding at the end the following: (10) the John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship Program established under section 115, which provides funding for international internships and research placements for early- to mid-career individuals from the United States to study nonviolent civil rights movements in self-arranged placements with universities or nongovernmental organizations in foreign countries. . 4. Sunset The authority to carry out the John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship Program established under section 115 of the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 ( 22 U.S.C. 2451 et seq.

Summary: John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship Act of 2023 This bill establishes the John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship Program within the J. William Fulbright Educational Exchange Program (commonly referred to as the Fulbright Program). The fellowship program shall honor the legacy of Representative John Lewis and advance U.S. foreign policy priorities by promoting studies, research, and international exchange in the subject of nonviolent civil rights movements around the world. The Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board shall annually select qualified individuals to serve as fellows in the fellowship program. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs may determine the number of fellows for each year, with at least 25 fellows each year whenever feasible. Each fellow shall (1) work in an internship or research position with an approved organization in a country with an operational Fulbright U.S. Student Program, and (2) receive an award sufficient to cover the fellow's reasonable costs during the fellowship period and certain travel and lodging expenses related to the program.