NatSec Enterprise Act of 2020’’ or the ‘‘PIPELINE Act 
of 2020’’. 
SEC. 2. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, in co-
ordination with the Director of the Office of Personnel 
Management, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary 
of Homeland Security, shall establish a Federal scholar-
ship-for-service program known as the ‘‘Ronald V. Del-
lums Federal National Security Pipeline Program’’ to re-
cruit, train, and diversify the next generation of national 
security professionals to meet the needs of the national 
security mission for Federal, State, local, and Tribal gov-
ernments. 
(b) PROGRAM DESCRIPTION AND COMPONENTS.— 
The program under subsection (a) shall— 
(1) provide scholarships to students who are en-
rolled in programs of study at covered institutions 
leading to degrees or specialized program certifi-
cations relating to national security; 
(2) provide the scholarship recipients with sum-
mer internship opportunities or other meaningful 
temporary appointments in the Federal national se-
curity workforce; and 
(3) prioritize the employment placement of 
scholarship recipients in the Federal Government. 
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(c) SCHOLARSHIP
AMOUNTS.—Each scholarship 
under subsection (b) shall be in an amount that covers 
the student’s tuition and fees at the institution under sub-
section (b)(1) for not more than three years and provides 
the student with an additional stipend. 
(d) POST-AWARD EMPLOYMENT OBLIGATIONS.— 
(1) CIVILIAN EMPLOYMENT.—Each scholarship 
recipient, as a condition of receiving a scholarship 
under the program, shall enter into an agreement 
under which the recipient agrees to work in a posi-
tion related to national security at a Federal, State, 
local, or Tribal agency for a period equal to the 
length of the scholarship following receipt of the stu-
dent’s degree. 
(2) MILITARY SERVICE.—Pursuant to regula-
tions prescribed by the Secretary of Defense for 
such purpose, a scholarship recipient may fulfill the 
condition described in paragraph (1) by serving in 
the Armed Forces. 
(e) HIRING AUTHORITY.— 
(1) APPOINTMENT
IN
EXCEPTED
SERVICE.— 
Notwithstanding any provision of chapter 33 of title 
5, United States Code, governing appointments in 
the competitive service, an agency shall appoint in 
the excepted service an individual who has completed 
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the eligible degree program for which a scholarship 
was awarded. 
(2) NONCOMPETITIVE CONVERSION.—Except as 
provided in paragraph (4), upon fulfillment of the 
service term, an employee appointed under para-
graph (1) may be converted noncompetitively to 
term, career-conditional, or career appointment. 
(3) TIMING OF CONVERSION.—An agency may 
noncompetitively convert a term employee appointed 
under paragraph (2) to a career-conditional or ca-
reer appointment before the term appointment ex-
pires. 
(4) AUTHORITY TO DECLINE CONVERSION.—An 
agency may decline to make the noncompetitive con-
version or appointment under paragraph (2) for 
cause. 
(f) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a scholar-
ship under this section, an individual shall— 
(1) be a citizen or lawful permanent resident of 
the United States; 
(2) demonstrate a commitment to a career in 
national security; 
(3) have demonstrated a high level of pro-
ficiency in a field related to national security; 
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(4) be a full-time student in an eligible degree 
program at a covered institution; and 
(5) accept the terms of a scholarship under this 
section. 
(g) CONDITIONS OF SUPPORT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—As a condition of receiving a 
scholarship under this section, a scholarship recipi-
ent shall agree to provide the qualified institution of 
higher education with annual verifiable documenta-
tion of post-award employment and up-to-date con-
tact information. 
(2) TERMS.—A scholarship recipient under this 
section shall be liable to the United States as pro-
vided in subsection (i) if the individual— 
(A) fails to maintain an acceptable level of 
academic standing at the applicable covered in-
stitution, as determined by the Secretary of De-
fense; 
(B) is dismissed from the applicable cov-
ered institution for disciplinary reasons; 
(C) withdraws from the eligible degree pro-
gram before completing the program; 
(D) declares that the individual does not 
intend to fulfill the post-award employment ob-
ligation under this section; or 
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(E) fails to fulfill the post-award employ-
ment obligation of the individual under this sec-
tion. 
(h) MONITORING COMPLIANCE.—As a condition of 
participating in the program, a covered institution shall— 
(1) enter into an agreement with the Secretary 
of Defense, to monitor the compliance of scholarship 
recipients with respect to their post-award employ-
ment obligations; and 
(2) provide to the Secretary of Defense, on an 
annual basis, the post-award employment docu-
mentation required under subsection (g)(1) for 
scholarship recipients through the completion of 
their post-award employment obligations. 
(i) AMOUNT OF REPAYMENT.— 
(1) LESS THAN ONE YEAR OF SERVICE.—If a 
circumstance described in subsection (g)(2) occurs 
before the completion of one year of a post-award 
employment obligation under this section, the total 
amount of scholarship awards received by the indi-
vidual under this section shall— 
(A) be repaid; or 
(B) be treated as a loan to be repaid in ac-
cordance with subsection (j). 
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