I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1469 
To establish the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation under the 
authorities of the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 12, 2007 
Mr. LANTOS (for himself and Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To establish the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Founda-
tion under the authorities of the Mutual Educational 
and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Senator Paul Simon 
Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. 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 
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for active engagement in the international commu-
nity.’’. 
(2) According to former President William J. 
Clinton, ‘‘Today, the defense of United States inter-
ests, the effective management of global issues, and 
even an understanding of our Nation’s diversity re-
quire ever-greater contact with, and understanding 
of, people and cultures beyond our borders.’’. 
(3) Congress authorized the establishment of 
the Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study 
Abroad Fellowship Program pursuant to section 104 
of the Miscellaneous Appropriations and Offsets Act, 
2004 (division H of Public Law 108–199). Pursuant 
to its mandate, the Lincoln Commission has sub-
mitted to Congress and the President a report of its 
recommendations for greatly expanding the oppor-
tunity for students at institutions of higher edu-
cation in the United States to study abroad, with 
special emphasis on studying in developing nations. 
(4) According to the Lincoln Commission, 
‘‘[s]tudy abroad is one of the major means of pro-
ducing foreign language speakers and enhancing for-
eign language learning’’ and, for that reason, ‘‘is 
simply essential to the [N]ation’s security’’. 
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(5) Studies consistently show that United 
States students score below their counterparts in 
other advanced countries on indicators of inter-
national knowledge. This lack of global literacy is a 
national liability in an age of global trade and busi-
ness, global interdependence, and global terror. 
(6) 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 glob-
al age. 
(7) In today’s world, it is more important than 
ever for the United States to be a responsible, con-
structive leader that other countries are willing to 
follow. Such leadership cannot be sustained without 
an informed citizenry with significant knowledge and 
awareness of the world. 
(8) Study abroad has proven to be a very effec-
tive means of imparting international and foreign- 
language competency to students. 
(9) In any given year, only approximately one 
percent of all students enrolled in United States in-
stitutions of higher education study abroad. 
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(10) Less than 10 percent of the students who 
graduate from United States institutions of higher 
education with bachelors degrees have studied 
abroad. 
(11) Far more study abroad must take place in 
developing countries. Ninety-five percent of the 
world’s population growth over the next 50 years 
will occur outside of Europe. Yet in the academic 
year 2004–2005, 60 percent of United States stu-
dents studying abroad studied in Europe, and 45 
percent studied in four countries—the United King-
dom, Italy, Spain, and France—according to the In-
stitute of International Education. 
(12) The Final Report of the National Commis-
sion on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States 
(The 9/11 Commission Report) recommended that 
the United States increase support for ‘‘scholarship, 
exchange, and library programs’’. The 9/11 Public 
Discourse Project, successor to the 9/11 Commis-
sion, noted in its November 14, 2005, status report 
that this recommendation was ‘‘unfulfilled,’’ and 
stated that ‘‘The U.S. should increase support for 
scholarship and exchange programs, our most power-
ful tool to shape attitudes over the course of a gen-
eration.’’. In its December 5, 2005, Final Report on 
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the 9/11 Commission Recommendations, the 9/11 
Public Discourse Project gave the government a 
grade of ‘‘D’’ for its implementation of this rec-
ommendation. 
(13) Investing in a national study abroad pro-
gram would help turn a grade of ‘‘D’’ into an ‘‘A’’ 
by equipping United States students to communicate 
United States values and way of life through the 
unique dialogue that takes place among citizens 
from around the world when individuals study 
abroad. 
(14) An enhanced national study abroad pro-
gram could help further the goals of other United 
States Government initiatives to promote edu-
cational, social, and political reform and the status 
of women in developing and reforming societies 
around the world, such as the Middle East Partner-
ship Initiative. 
SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 
The purposes of this Act are— 
(1) to significantly enhance the global competi-
tiveness and international knowledge base of the 
United States by ensuring that more United States 
students have the opportunity to acquire foreign lan-
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