I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3748 
To establish a grant program for stipends to assist in the cost of compensa-
tion paid by employers to certain recent college graduates and to provide 
funding for their further education in subjects relating to mathematics, 
science, engineering, and technology. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 20, 2011 
Ms. RICHARDSON (for herself, Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas, and Mr. JOHNSON 
of Georgia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To establish a grant program for stipends to assist in the 
cost of compensation paid by employers to certain recent 
college graduates and to provide funding for their further 
education in subjects relating to mathematics, science, 
engineering, and technology. 
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 ‘‘America Realizing the 
Informational Skills and Initiative of New Graduates Act 
of 2011’’ or ‘‘America RISING Act of 2011’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) According to the Bureau of Labor Statis-
tics, in the third quarter of 2009 the national unem-
ployment rate for persons graduating from college in 
2008 was 10.6 percent, which is more than twice the 
national rate for college graduates aged 25 years 
and older. Because the typical college graduate 
leaves college owing an average of $23,200 in stu-
dent loan debt, the current job market offers exceed-
ingly few opportunities for college graduates to ob-
tain employment at a salary adequate to service 
their student loan debt or personal financial obliga-
tions. 
(2) There are more than 26 million small busi-
nesses in the United States. In the current economic 
climate, these small businesses are experiencing dif-
ficulty in finding the resources needed to increase 
sales, modernize operations, and hire new employees. 
(3) Recent college graduates need the experi-
ence that can be obtained only in the workplace to 
refine their skills and develop the entrepreneurial 
qualities that can lead to the creation of new busi-
nesses and jobs. 
(4) Existing small businesses, and companies 
will benefit from the information and technology 
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skills possessed by many of the Nation’s recent col-
lege graduates. 
(5) Enabling recent college graduates to obtain 
employment with small businesses benefits the na-
tional economy by providing such businesses the 
human capital and technical expertise needed to 
compete and win in the global economy of the 21st 
century. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF AMERICA RISING PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Labor shall 
establish a program under which— 
(1) grants are to paid to eligible employers to 
defray the cost of compensation paid by such em-
ployers to recent college graduates; and 
(2) grants are paid to recent college graduates 
to enable such individuals to defray the cost of un-
dertaking further education for up to 24 months in 
subjects relating to mathematics, science, engineer-
ing, or technology. 
(b) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—A grant under this 
section may be made on such terms and conditions as the 
Secretary may determine. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ELIGIBLE EMPLOYER.—The term ‘‘eligible 
employer’’ means an employer that is a small busi-
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ness concern (as such term is defined in section 3 
of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)). 
(2) RECENT COLLEGE GRADUATE.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘recent col-
lege graduate’’ means an individual who— 
(i) who has received a baccalaureate 
or associate degree from an institution of 
higher education within the past 24 
months; and 
(ii) who has not previously received 
any such baccalaureate or associate degree. 
(B) 
INSTITUTION
OF
HIGHER
EDU-
CATION.—In subparagraph (A), the term ‘‘insti-
tution of higher education’’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 101 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this Act $100,000,000 for 
each of the fiscal years 2012, 2013, and 2014. 
(2) AVAILABILITY.—Funds appropriated under 
paragraph (1) shall remain available until expended. 
Æ 
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