I
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4554
To establish a program under which employees of the legislative branch
may be reimbursed for the costs of graduate school tuition and fees,
and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 23, 2002
Mr. MEEKS of New York introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on House Administration
A BILL
To establish a program under which employees of the legisla-
tive branch may be reimbursed for the costs of graduate
school tuition and fees, and for other purposes.
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 ‘‘Dual Incentive Edu-
cation Act of 2002’’.
SEC. 2. GRADUATE STUDY REIMBURSEMENTS FOR CER-
TAIN LEGISLATIVE BRANCH EMPLOYEES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The head of each employing office
in the legislative branch may make payments to an eligible
employee of the office to reimburse the employee for tui-
tion and fees paid by the employee to an institution of
higher education during a semester for enrollment in a
program of post-baccalaureate study leading to a graduate
degree.
(b) AMOUNT OF PAYMENT.—The amount of a pay-
ment made to an eligible employee under this Act shall
be equal to the amount of tuition and fees paid by the
employee to the institution of higher education for the se-
mester (excluding any portion of such tuition and fees cov-
ered by a scholarship or other type of financial assistance
which does not consist of a student loan), except that such
amount may not exceed $3,000.
SEC. 3. ELIGIBILITY OF EMPLOYEES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of this section, an
employee is eligible to receive a payment under this Act
if—
(1) at the time the first payment is made to the
employee under this Act, the employee has been con-
tinuously employed on a full-time basis by an em-
ploying office for not fewer than 12 consecutive
months;
(2) with respect to the semester for which the
payment is made, the employee meets the student
assistance eligibility requirements of section 484(a)
of the Higher Education Assistance Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1091(a));
(3) with respect to the semester for which the
payment is made, the employee provides the head of
the employing office with a certification from the in-
stitution of higher education in which the employee
is enrolled of the employee’s enrollment in a grad-
uate program and of the amount of tuition and fees
paid by the employee to the institution;
(4) the employee has not received a payment
under this Act for enrollment in another program of
post-baccalaureate study, except that nothing in this
paragraph may be construed to prohibit an employee
from receiving a payment for enrollment in a pro-
gram leading to more than one graduate degree; and
(5) the employee provides the office with such
other information and assurances as the head of the
office may require.
(b) TREATMENT
OF PAYMENTS
AS ADDITION
TO
BASIC PAY.—Any payment made to an eligible employee
under this Act shall be in addition to basic pay and any
other form of compensation otherwise payable to the em-
ployee involved.
SEC. 4. PERMITTING PAYMENTS FOR PREVIOUS ENROLL-
MENT.
An employing office which makes a payment under
this Act to an eligible employee with respect to a semester
may make a payment under this Act with respect to any
semester occurring during the 12-month period which
ends on the first day of the first semester for which a
payment is made to the employee by such office under this
Act if—
(1) the payment is made with respect to the
same program of post-baccalaureate study for which
the first payment is made to the employee by such
office under this Act; and
(2) the employee meets the eligibility require-
ments of section 3 with respect to such semester.
SEC. 5. ASSISTANCE OF SECRETARY OF EDUCATION.
The Secretary of Education shall assist employing of-
fices in the legislative branch in carrying out this Act.
SEC. 6. EMPLOYING OFFICE DEFINED.
The term ‘‘employing office in the legislative branch’’
means any of the following:
(1) The personal office of a Member of the
House of Representatives (including a Delegate or
Resident Commissioner to the Congress).
(2) A committee of the House of Representa-
tives or a joint committee, except that the majority
and minority office of such a committee shall each
be considered as a separate employing office in the
legislative branch.
(3) Any other office headed by a person with
the final authority to appoint, hire, discharge, and
set the terms, conditions, or privileges of the employ-
ment of an employee of the House of Representa-
tives.
(4) The Office of the Architect of the Capitol.
(5) The Capitol Police Board.
(6) The Congressional Budget Office.
(7) The General Accounting Office.
(8) The Government Printing Office.
(9) The Library of Congress (including the
Congressional Research Service).
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to each em-
ploying office such sums as may be necessary for making
graduate study payments under this Act in fiscal year
2003 and each succeeding fiscal year.
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