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SEC. 408. ROBERT C. BYRD HONORS SCHOLARSHIP PRO-
GRAM. 
Subpart 6 of part A of title IV is amended to read 
as follows: 
‘‘Subpart 6—Robert C. Byrd American 
Competitiveness Program 
‘‘SEC. 419A. ROBERT C. BYRD MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE 
HONORS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to 
award scholarships to students who are enrolled in studies 
leading to baccalaureate and advanced degrees in physical, 
life, or computer sciences, mathematics, or engineering. 
‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section— 
‘‘(1) the term ‘computer science’ means the 
branch of knowledge or study of computers, includ-
ing such fields of knowledge or study as computer 
hardware, computer software, computer engineering, 
information systems, and robotics; 
‘‘(2) the term ‘eligible student’ means a student 
who— 
‘‘(A) is a citizen of the United States; 
‘‘(B) is selected by the managing agent to 
receive a scholarship; 
‘‘(C) is enrolled full-time in an institution 
of higher education, other than a United States 
service academy; and 
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‘‘(D) has shown a commitment to and is 
pursuing a major in studies leading to a bacca-
laureate, masters, or doctoral degree (or a com-
bination thereof) in physical, life, or computer 
sciences, mathematics, or engineering; 
‘‘(3) the term ‘engineering’ means the science 
by which the properties of matter and the sources of 
energy in nature are made useful to humanity in 
structures, machines, and products, as in the con-
struction of engines, bridges, buildings, mines, and 
chemical plants, including such fields of knowledge 
or study as aeronautical engineering, chemical engi-
neering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, in-
dustrial engineering, materials engineering, manu-
facturing engineering, and mechanical engineering; 
‘‘(4) the term ‘life sciences’ means the branch 
of knowledge or study of living things, including 
such fields of knowledge or study as biology, bio-
chemistry, biophysics, microbiology, genetics, physi-
ology, botany, zoology, ecology, and behavioral biol-
ogy, except that the term does not encompass the 
health professions; 
‘‘(5) the term ‘managing agent’ means an enti-
ty to which an award is made under subsection (c) 
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to manage a program of Mathematics and Science 
Honors Scholarships; 
‘‘(6) the term ‘mathematics’ means the branch 
of knowledge or study of numbers and the system-
atic treatment of magnitude, relationships between 
figures and forms, and relations between quantities 
expressed symbolically, including such fields of 
knowledge or study as statistics, applied mathe-
matics, and operations research; and 
‘‘(7) the term ‘physical sciences’ means the 
branch of knowledge or study of the material uni-
verse, including such fields of knowledge or study as 
astronomy, atmospheric sciences, chemistry, earth 
sciences, ocean sciences, physics, and planetary 
sciences. 
‘‘(c) AWARD.— 
‘‘(1)(A) From funds appropriated under section 
419F to carry out this section, the Secretary is au-
thorized, through a grant or cooperative agreement, 
to make an award to a private, non-profit organiza-
tion, other than an institution of higher education or 
system of institutions of higher education, to man-
age, through a public and private partnership, a pro-
gram of Mathematics and Science Honors Scholar-
ships under this section. 
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‘‘(B) The award under subparagraph (A) shall 
be for a five-year period. 
‘‘(2)(A) One hundred percent of the funds 
awarded under paragraph (1)(A) for any fiscal year 
shall be obligated and expended solely on scholar-
ships to eligible students. 
‘‘(B) No Federal funds shall be used to provide 
more than 50 percent of the cost of any scholarship 
to an eligible student. 
‘‘(3)(A) The Secretary may establish— 
‘‘(i) eligibility criteria for applicants for 
managing agent, including criteria regarding fi-
nancial and administrative capability; and 
‘‘(ii) operational standards for the man-
aging agent, including management and per-
formance requirements, such as audit, record-
keeping, record retention, and reporting proce-
dures and requirements. 
‘‘(B) The Secretary, as necessary, may review 
and revise any criteria, standards, and rules estab-
lished under this paragraph and, through the agree-
ment with the managing agent, see that any revi-
sions are implemented. 
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‘‘(4) If the managing agent fails to meet the re-
quirements of this section the Secretary may termi-
nate the award to the managing agent. 
‘‘(5) The Secretary shall conduct outreach ef-
forts to help raise awareness of the Mathematics and 
Science Honors Scholarships. 
‘‘(d) DUTIES OF THE MANAGING AGENT.—The man-
aging agent shall— 
‘‘(1) develop criteria to award Mathematics and 
Science Honors Scholarships based on established 
measurements available to secondary students who 
wish to pursue degrees in physical, life, or computer 
sciences, mathematics, or engineering; 
‘‘(2) establish a Mathematics and Science Hon-
ors Scholarship Fund in a separate, named account 
that clearly discloses the amount of Federal and 
non-Federal funds deposited in the account and used 
for scholarships under this section; 
‘‘(3) solicit funds for scholarships and for the 
administration of the program from non-Federal 
sources; 
‘‘(4) solicit applicants for scholarships; 
‘‘(5) from the amounts in the Fund, award 
scholarships to eligible students and transfer such 
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funds to the institutions of higher education that 
they attend; 
‘‘(6) annually submit to the Secretary a finan-
cial audit and a report on the progress of the pro-
gram, and such other documents as the Secretary 
may require to determine the effective management 
of the program; and 
‘‘(7) shall not develop a criteria that discrimi-
nates against a student based on the type of pro-
gram in which the student completed his or her sec-
ondary education. 
‘‘(e) APPLICATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) Any eligible entity that desires to be the 
managing agent under this section shall submit an 
application to the Secretary, in such form and con-
taining such information, as the Secretary may re-
quire. 
‘‘(2) Each application shall include a descrip-
tion of— 
‘‘(A) how the applicant meets or will meet 
requirements established under subsections 
(c)(3)(A) and (d); 
‘‘(B) how the applicant will solicit funds 
for scholarships and for the administration of 
the program from non-Federal sources; 
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‘‘(C) how the applicant will provide nation-
wide outreach to inform students about the pro-
gram and to encourage students to pursue de-
grees in physical, life, or computer sciences, 
mathematics, or engineering; 
‘‘(D) how the applicant will solicit applica-
tions for scholarships, including how the appli-
cant will balance efforts in urban and rural 
areas; 
‘‘(E) the selection criteria based on estab-
lished measurements available to secondary stu-
dents the applicant will use to award scholar-
ships and to renew those awards; 
‘‘(F) how the applicant will inform the in-
stitution of higher education chosen by the re-
cipient of the name and scholarship amount of 
the recipient; 
‘‘(G) what procedures and assurances the 
applicant and the institution of higher edu-
cation that the recipient attends will use to 
verify student eligibility, attendance, degree 
progress, and academic performance and to de-
liver and account for payments to such institu-
tion; 
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‘‘(H) the management (including audit and 
accounting) procedures the applicant will use 
for the program; 
‘‘(I) the human, financial, and other re-
sources that the applicant will need and use to 
manage the program; 
‘‘(J) how the applicant will evaluate the 
program and report to the Secretary annually; 
and 
‘‘(K) a description of how the entity will 
coordinate with, complement, and build on simi-
lar public and private mathematics and science 
programs. 
‘‘(f) SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS.— 
‘‘(1) A student receiving a scholarship under 
this section shall be known as a Byrd Mathematics 
and Science Honors Scholar. 
‘‘(2) Any student desiring to receive a scholar-
ship under this section shall submit an application 
to the managing agent in such form, and containing 
such information, as the managing agent may re-
quire. 
‘‘(3) Any student that receives a scholarship 
under this section shall enter into an agreement with 
the managing agent to complete 5 consecutive years 
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of service in a full-time position related to the field 
in which the student obtained his or her under-
graduate degree, to begin no later than 12 months 
following the later of— 
‘‘(A) the completion of the student’s un-
dergraduate degree program; or 
‘‘(B) the completion of a graduate degree 
program in a field related to the field in which 
the student obtained his or her undergraduate 
degree. 
‘‘(4) If any student that receives a scholarship 
under this section fails to earn at least a bacca-
laureate degree in physical, life, or computer 
sciences, mathematics, or engineering as defined 
under this section, the student shall repay to the 
managing agent the amount of any financial assist-
ance paid to such student. 
‘‘(5) If any student that receives a scholarship 
under this section fails to meet the requirements of 
paragraph (3), the student shall repay to the man-
aging agent the amount of any financial assistance 
paid to such student. 
‘‘(6)(A) Scholarships shall be awarded for only 
one academic year of study at a time. 
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‘‘(B)(i) A scholarship shall be renewable on an 
annual basis for the established length of the aca-
demic program if the student awarded the scholar-
ship remains eligible. 
‘‘(ii) The managing agent may condition re-
newal of a scholarship on measures of academic 
progress and achievement, with the approval of the 
Secretary. 
‘‘(C)(i) If a student fails to either remain eligi-
ble or meet established measures of academic 
progress and achievement, the managing agent shall 
instruct the student’s institution of higher education 
to suspend payment of the student’s scholarship. 
‘‘(ii) A suspension of payment shall remain in 
effect until the student is able to demonstrate to the 
satisfaction of the managing agent that he or she is 
again eligible and meets the established measures of 
academic progress and achievement. 
‘‘(iii) A student’s eligibility for a scholarship 
shall be terminated if a suspension period exceeds 
12 months. 
‘‘(D)(i)(I) A student awarded a scholarship 
may, in a manner and under the terms established 
by, and with the approval of, the managing agent, 
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postpone or interrupt his or her enrollment at an in-
stitution of higher education for up to 12 months. 
‘‘(II) Such a postponement or interruption shall 
not be considered a suspension for purposes of sub-
paragraph (C). 
‘‘(ii) Neither a student nor the student’s insti-
tution of higher education shall receive the student’s 
scholarship payments during the period of postpone-
ment or interruption, but such payments shall re-
sume upon enrollment or reenrollment. 
‘‘(iii) In exceptional circumstances, such as seri-
ous injury or illness or the necessity to care for fam-
ily members, the student’s postponement or inter-
ruption may, upon notification and approval of the 
managing agent, be extended beyond the 12 month 
period described in clause (i)(I). 
‘‘(g) RESPONSIBILITIES OF INSTITUTION OF HIGHER 
EDUCATION.— 
‘‘(1) The managing agent shall require any in-
stitution of higher education that enrolls a student 
who receives a scholarship under this section to an-
nually provide an assurance, prior to making any 
payment, that the student— 
‘‘(A) is eligible in accordance with sub-
section (b)(2); and 
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‘‘(B) has provided the institution with a 
written commitment to attend, or is attending, 
classes and is satisfactorily meeting the institu-
tion’s academic criteria for enrollment in its 
program of study. 
‘‘(2)(A) The managing agent shall provide the 
institution of higher education with payments from 
the Fund for selected recipients in at least two in-
stallments. 
‘‘(B) If a recipient declines a scholarship, does 
not attend courses, transfers to another institution 
of higher education, or becomes ineligible for a 
scholarship, an institution of higher education shall 
return prorated amounts of any scholarship payment 
to that recipient to the managing agent, who shall 
deposit it in to the Fund. 
‘‘SEC. 419B. MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE INCENTIVE PRO-
GRAM. 
‘‘(a) PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized 
to carry out a program of assuming the obligation 
to pay, pursuant to the provisions of this section, the 
interest on a loan made, insured, or guaranteed 
under part B or D of this title. 
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