I 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6221 
To establish the United States Public Service Academy. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 27, 2006 
Mr. SHAYS (for himself, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia, 
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, and Mr. FORD) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To establish the United States Public Service Academy. 
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 ‘‘Public Service Acad-
emy Act of 2006’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) National disasters such as September 11, 
2001, and Hurricane Katrina, along with the United 
States’ struggle against international terrorism, have 
highlighted the importance of public service and the 
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need for the United States to improve its capacity 
to effectively handle future catastrophes, as well as 
the daily challenges of life in a global society. 
(2) Young Americans, particularly after the 
September 11, 2001 attacks, have a strong ethic of 
public service. According to the Higher Education 
Research Institute, more than 2⁄3 of the 2005 fresh-
man class at institutions of higher education in the 
United States expressed a desire to serve others, the 
highest rate in a generation. Applications to private 
programs such as Teach for America and City Year, 
publicly funded public service programs within USA 
Freedom Corps, and religious mission trips have in-
creased dramatically since 2001. Yet with the in-
crease in college tuition causing the average college 
graduate to owe about $20,000, many students often 
can afford to pursue public service only for short pe-
riods of time and avoid public service careers in 
favor of more lucrative fields. 
(3) The aging of the population of the United 
States and the subsequent retirement of the Baby 
Boomer generation will create serious shortages in 
critically needed public service positions at all levels 
of our society, as evidenced by the following: 
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(A) A recent study by the Congressional 
Budget Office highlighted ‘‘the graying of the 
Federal work force,’’ while the Partnership for 
Public Service warns of a ‘‘Federal brain drain’’ 
as 44 percent of all Federal workers become eli-
gible to retire in the next 5 years. 
(B) The National Center for Education 
Statistics estimates that more than 2,000,000 
teachers will be needed in the next 10 years due 
to teacher retirement and increased student en-
rollment. The teacher shortages will particularly 
affect high-need rural and inner-city local edu-
cational agencies. 
(C) More than 80 percent of the Nation’s 
17,000 law enforcement agencies report that 
they cannot fill needed positions due to a lack 
of qualified candidates. 
(D) The Bridgespan Group reports that 
nonprofit organizations will need to attract and 
develop 640,000 new senior managers by 2016, 
nearly 21⁄2 times the number in 2006. 
(4) The United States does not have a national 
undergraduate institution to promote public service 
and develop well-trained, highly qualified civilian 
leaders. 
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SEC. 3. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to establish a United 
States Public Service Academy that will— 
(1) strengthen and protect the United States by 
creating a corps of well-trained, highly qualified ci-
vilian leaders willing to devote themselves to leader-
ship through patriotic public service; 
(2) be the first national civilian institution of 
higher education in the United States; and 
(3) provide competitive, federally subsidized, 
public service-driven undergraduate education to stu-
dents from across the United States and the world. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) PUBLIC SERVICE.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘public serv-
ice’’ includes a variety of public, private, and 
non-profit endeavors that strengthen and pro-
tect living conditions, create opportunities, and 
enhance the civic well-being of communities 
across the United States and the world. 
(B) PREAPPROVED
PUBLIC
SERVICE
EN-
DEAVORS.—The following fields shall be deemed 
to meet the requirement of subparagraph (A): 
(i) Economy. 
(ii) Education. 
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(iii) Emergency management. 
(iv) Environment. 
(v) Foreign policy. 
(vi) Health care. 
(vii) Law enforcement. 
(viii) Public infrastructure. 
(2) BOARD OF VISITORS.—The term ‘‘Board of 
Visitors’’ means an appointed board of not more 
than 15 members, including the Secretary of the De-
partment of Homeland Security to oversee the Pub-
lic Service Academy established under section 5. The 
remaining board members shall be appointed by the 
President with the approval of both Houses of Con-
gress. 
(3) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 
the several States of the United States and the Dis-
trict of Columbia. 
SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established, in the 
Department of Homeland Security, a United States Public 
Service Academy (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Acad-
emy’’), at the location to be determined by an Act of Con-
gress, for the instruction and preparation for public serv-
ice of selected individuals, who shall be called Academy 
students. 
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(b) ORGANIZATION.—The Secretary of Homeland Se-
curity shall prescribe the organization of the Academy, in 
accordance with the requirements of this section. 
(c) KEY POSITIONS.—There shall be at the Academy 
the following: 
(1) A Superintendent. 
(2) A Dean of the Academic Board, who is a 
permanent professor. 
(3) A Director of Admissions. 
(4) A Director of Placement. 
(d) SUPERINTENDENT.—The Superintendent shall 
oversee the immediate government of the Academy. 
(e) DEAN OF THE ACADEMIC BOARD.— 
(1) APPOINTMENT.—The Superintendent shall 
appoint the Dean of the Academic Board as an addi-
tional permanent professor from the permanent pro-
fessors who have served as heads of departments of 
instruction at the Academy, except that for the first 
year of the Academy the Superintendent shall ap-
point the Dean of the Academic Board from quali-
fied applicants. 
(2) DUTIES.—The Dean of the Academic Board 
shall perform such duties as the Superintendent of 
the Academy may prescribe, with the approval of the 
Board of Visitors. 
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SEC. 6. FACULTY AND DEPARTMENTS. 
(a) NUMBER
OF FACULTY.—The Superintendent 
may employ as many professors, instructors, and lecturers 
at the Academy as the Secretary considers necessary to 
ensure that the student-faculty ratio is not more than 16 
to 1. 
(b) FACULTY COMPENSATION.—The Superintendent 
may prescribe the compensation of persons employed 
under this section. 
(c) DEPARTMENT TITLES.—The Superintendent may 
prescribe the titles of each of the departments of instruc-
tion and the professors of the Academy. 
(d) DEPARTMENT HEAD.—Upon becoming the senior 
professor in a department, a permanent professor becomes 
the head of that department. 
SEC. 7. STUDENT QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS 
FOR ADMISSION. 
(a) STUDENT QUALIFICATIONS.—A student wishing 
to be admitted to the Academy shall— 
(1) be 17 years of age or older; 
(2) be unmarried; and 
(3) have no dependents, as defined in section 
152(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 
(b) ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS.—A student wishing 
to be admitted to the Academy shall fulfill the following 
requirements: 
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(1) Earn a secondary school diploma. 
(2) Take the SAT, ACT, or equivalent college- 
level aptitude test. 
(3) Sit for a personal interview with representa-
tives of the Academy. 
(4) Any further admissions requirements deter-
mined by the Director of Admissions. 
(c) HONOR CODE.—A student wishing to be admitted 
to the Academy shall sign an Honor Code developed by 
the Superintendent and approved by the Board of Visitors. 
SEC. 8. APPOINTMENT OF STUDENTS. 
(a) NOMINATION PROCESS.—Prospective applicants 
to the Academy for seats described in paragraphs (1) and 
(3) shall follow a nomination process established by the 
Director of Admissions that is similar to that used for ad-
mission to the military academies of the United States 
Armed Forces. 
(b) APPOINTMENTS.— 
(1) CONGRESSIONAL SEATS.— 
(A) SEATS ALLOCATED PER STATE.—The 
Director of Admissions shall allocate the con-
gressional seats for incoming first-year students 
of the Academy by State on the basis of 2 seats 
per electoral vote from each State. 
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(B) NOMINEES REQUIRED PER EACH SEN-
ATOR AND REPRESENTATIVE.—Each member of 
the Senate or the House of Representatives 
shall nominate a minimum of 5 candidates from 
the State that the nominator represents for 
each incoming first-year class of the Academy. 
(C) COMPETITION.—In selecting nominees 
for a first-year incoming class for the seats re-
served for a State, the Director of Admissions 
shall only consider the candidates nominated by 
members of Congress from the State. 
(2) INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS.— 
(A) SEATS.—The Director of Admissions 
shall reserve in each incoming first-year class of 
the Academy 100 seats for international stu-
dents. 
(B) TUITION.—An international student’s 
home country is responsible for subsidizing the 
student’s tuition, fees, room and board, and 
other expenses. 
(C) SERVICE REQUIREMENT.—Each inter-
national student shall agree to a 5-year public 
service requirement in the international stu-
dent’s home country upon graduation. 
(3) EXECUTIVE BRANCH NOMINEES.— 
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(A) SEATS.—The Director of Admissions 
shall reserve in each incoming first-year class of 
the Academy 25 seats for executive branch 
nominees. 
(B) 
NOMINEES.—The 
President 
shall 
nominate a minimum of 75 candidates to com-
pete for the 25 executive branch nominees. 
(4) OTHER.—The Director of Admissions shall 
reserve in each incoming first-year class of the Acad-
emy 75 seats for at-large selections from the remain-
ing pool of congressional nominees. 
SEC. 9. ACADEMIC FOCUS OF THE UNITED STATES PUBLIC 
SERVICE ACADEMY. 
(a) CURRICULUM.—Each Academy student shall fol-
low a structured curriculum that is self-reinforcing to em-
phasize leadership development and public service. 
(b) DEGREE.— 
(1) DEGREE CONFERRED UPON GRADUATION.— 
Under such conditions as the Board of Visitors may 
prescribe, the Superintendent of the Academy may 
confer a baccalaureate of science or baccalaureate of 
arts degree upon a graduate of the Academy. 
(2) MAJORS.—Each Academy student shall 
pursue a program of study for a baccalaureate of 
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arts or a baccalaureate of sciences degree in tradi-
tional liberal arts subjects. 
(c) BREADTH OF REQUIRED SUBJECT AREAS STUD-
IED.—Each Academy student shall take courses in a 
broad array of subject areas as part of the student’s pro-
gram of study. 
(d) PUBLIC SERVICE CONCENTRATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than the comple-
tion of the fourth semester, each Academy student 
shall choose a public service concentration described 
in paragraph (2), which shall be the field in which 
the student ultimately will serve upon graduation. 
(2) CONCENTRATIONS.—Each Academy student 
may choose a public service concentration from the 
fields described in section 4(1)(B). 
(e) PUBLIC
SERVICE
REQUIREMENTS
BEFORE 
GRADUATION.— 
(1) PUBLIC
SERVICE
PROGRAMMING.—Each 
Academy student shall participate in daily public 
service programming, to be determined by the Dean 
of the Academic Board. 
(2) PUBLIC SERVICE PROJECT.—Each Academy 
student shall plan and implement a 1-year public 
service project during the student’s final year at the 
academy. 
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(f) STUDY ABROAD REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Each Academy student shall 
spend the student’s junior year in a study abroad 
program approved by the Dean of the Academic 
Board. 
(2) CLASSES
IN
PREPARATION
FOR
STUDY 
ABROAD.—In preparation for the junior year study 
abroad program, each Academy student shall take 
courses in foreign languages and international rela-
tions. 
(3) INTERNSHIP DURING STUDY ABROAD.—As 
part of an Academy student’s junior year study 
abroad program, each Academy student shall partici-
pate in an internship at the United States mission 
in the student’s junior year study abroad program 
location. 
(g) 
SUMMER
LEARNING
PROGRAM
REQUIRE-
MENTS.—For each year of attendance at the Academy, 
each Academy student shall spend 8 weeks each summer 
participating in the following structured learning pro-
grams: 
(1) Following the first year at the Academy, 
emergency response training. 
(2) Following the second year, a civilian intern-
ship in the United States Armed Forces. 
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(3) Following the third year, an internship with 
a preapproved organization described in section 
4(1)(C)(ii). 
SEC. 10. PUBLIC SERVICE REQUIREMENTS FOLLOWING 
GRADUATION. 
(a) PUBLIC SERVICE AGREEMENT.—Each Academy 
student from the United States shall sign an agreement 
with respect to the student’s length of public service to 
the United States. The agreement shall provide that the 
student agrees to the following: 
(1) That the student will complete the course of 
instruction at the Academy, culminating in gradua-
tion from the Academy. 
(2) That upon graduation from the Academy 
the student— 
(A) will accept an appointment, if ten-
dered, in the location assigned, as a public serv-
ant of the United States in public service; and 
(B) will serve as a public servant of the 
United States for not less than 5 years imme-
diately after such appointment, unless the stu-
dent continues the student’s education in ac-
cordance with subsection (i). 
(b) INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AGREEMENT.—Each 
international student shall sign an agreement with the stu-
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dent’s home country that meets the same conditions set 
forth in subsection (a). 
(c) FAILURE TO GRADUATE.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—A student who has com-
pleted a minimum of 4 semesters at the Academy 
but fails to fulfill the Academy’s requirements for 
graduation within 4 years shall be— 
(A) dishonorably discharged from the 
Academy; and 
(B) obligated to repay the Academy for the 
cost of the delinquent student’s education. 
(2) AMOUNT OF REPAYMENT.—The delinquent 
student shall be financially responsible for each se-
mester that the student was officially enrolled in the 
Academy. 
(d) FAILURE TO ACCEPT OR COMPLETE ASSIGNED 
PUBLIC SERVICE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A delinquent graduate shall 
be— 
(A) dishonorably discharged from the 
Academy; and 
(B) obligated to repay the Academy for the 
cost of the delinquent graduate’s education. 
(2) AMOUNT OF REPAYMENT.—In the case of a 
delinquent graduate who fails to complete all years 
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of public service required under subsection (a)(2) 
(including any additional years required for graduate 
education under subsection (h)), the delinquent 
graduate shall be financially responsible for the cost 
of the delinquent graduate’s education (including the 
costs of any graduate education), except that the 
amount of financial responsibility under this para-
graph shall be reduced by 10 percent for each year 
of public service under subsection (a)(2) that the de-
linquent graduate did complete. 
(3) DEFINITION OF DELINQUENT GRADUATE.— 
In this subsection, the term ‘‘delinquent graduate’’ 
means a graduate of the Academy who violates the 
agreement entered into under subsection (a) by— 
(A) not accepting the graduate’s public 
service assignment upon graduation from the 
Academy; or 
(B) not completing the required years of 
public service in the assignment due to— 
(i) voluntarily quitting the assign-
ment; or 
(ii) being fired from the assignment. 
(e) EXCEPTIONS.—The Superintendent may provide 
for the partial or total waiver or suspension of any public 
service or payment obligation by an individual under this 
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section whenever compliance by the individual with the ob-
ligation is impossible or deemed to involve extreme hard-
ship to the individual, or if enforcement of such obligation 
with respect to the individual would be unconscionable. 
(f) STUDENT SALARIES AND BENEFITS.—The Acad-
emy shall not be responsible for the salaries and benefits 
of graduates of the Academy while the graduates are ful-
filling the public service requirement under this section. 
All salaries and benefits shall be paid by the employer with 
whom the Academy graduate is placed. 
(g) DETERMINING STUDENT ASSIGNMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Superintendent, acting 
through the Academy Placement Office, shall assign 
graduates to appropriate public service employment 
that satisfies the public service requirements of this 
section. 
(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—The Academy Place-
ment Office shall assess the following when deter-
mining the appropriate public service employment 
for a graduate: 
(A) National security needs. 
(B) State and local community needs. 
(C) Student experience. 
(D) Student academic performance. 
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(3) PREAPPROVED
PUBLIC
SERVICE
PLACE-
MENTS.—Postgraduation public service requirements 
under this subsection shall be fulfilled through place-
ments in public service employment in any of the fol-
lowing sectors: 
(A) PUBLIC.— 
(i) Civil service employment at the 
Federal, State, or local level. 
(ii) Civilian service in the United 
States Armed Forces. 
(B) PRIVATE.—Employment in an organi-
zation that— 
(i) is described in section 501(c)(3) of 
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; 
(ii) is exempt from tax under section 
501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986; and 
(iii) provides a service determined by 
the Board of Visitors to meet critical na-
tional needs. 
(4) REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF STUDENT AS-
SIGNMENTS.—The Superintendent shall review and 
approve each graduate’s assignment. 
(h) GRADUATE EDUCATION.— 
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(1) SUBSIDY.—The Academy may subsidize an 
Academy student’s graduate education in return for 
an extended public service commitment. 
(2) EXTENDED
PUBLIC
SERVICE.—For every 
year of subsidized graduate education, the Academy 
student shall agree to add 2 additional years to such 
Academy student’s public service commitment re-
quired under the agreement described in subsection 
(a). 
SEC. 11. FUNDING THE UNITED STATES PUBLIC SERVICE 
ACADEMY. 
(a) FULLY-SUBSIDIZED EDUCATION.—Each Acad-
emy student’s tuition at the Academy shall be fully sub-
sidized. 
(b) PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP.—The Academy 
will be a public-private partnership funded by the fol-
lowing: 
(1) PUBLIC FUNDS.—Congress shall fund 80 
percent of the Academy’s annual budget. 
(2) PRIVATE
FUNDS.—The Academy officials 
shall raise 20 percent of the Academy’s annual 
budget in private funds. 
(c) INITIAL APPROPRIATIONS.—For each of the first 
2 fiscal years for which funds are appropriated under sec-
tion 13, the Superintendent shall use such funds, and any 
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