I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4459 
To provide tuition assistance to undergraduate students in exchange for 
the performance of National service. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 7, 2005 
Mr. FORD introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To provide tuition assistance to undergraduate students in 
exchange for the performance of National service. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SEC. 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Service for School Act 
of 2005’’. 
SECTION 2. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to provide Federal tuition 
assistance to undergraduate students attending eligible in-
stitutions in exchange for a commitment to perform Na-
tional service.
SEC. 3. TUITION ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED. 
(a) SERVICE FOR SCHOOL TUITION ASSISTANCE AU-
THORIZED.—The Secretary is authorized to pay, in ac-
cordance with subsection (b), to each Service for School 
participant for each academic year during which such par-
ticipant is in attendance at an eligible institution as an 
undergraduate, tuition assistance in an amount not more 
than the amount such participant elects to receive in the 
Service for School agreement. The authority to pay tuition 
assistance under this Act shall be effective for any fiscal 
year only to such extent or in such amounts as are pro-
vided in appropriations Acts. 
(b) DISTRIBUTION OF TUITION ASSISTANCE TO STU-
DENTS.—Tuition assistance payments under this Act shall 
be made in accordance with regulations promulgated by 
the Secretary for such purpose and in such manner as will 
best accomplish the purpose of this Act. 
SEC. 4. APPLICATION; ELIGIBILITY. 
(a) APPLICATION.—The Secretary shall from time to 
time set dates by which eligible individuals shall file appli-
cations for tuition assistance under this Act. Each eligible 
individual desiring to be a Service for School participant 
for any year shall file an application with the Secretary 
containing such information and assurances as the Sec-
retary may deem necessary to carry out the purpose of 
this Act.
(b) ELIGIBILITY.—An individual shall be eligible to 
apply for tuition assistance under this Act if the indi-
vidual— 
(1) is enrolled or accepted for enrollment in an 
educational program at an eligible institution, as de-
fined in section 10, for which such institution 
awards an associate’s or a bachelors’ degree; and 
(2) enters into a Service for School agreement 
with the Secretary under section 6. 
SEC. 5. PARTICIPANT SELECTION. 
(a) SELECTION.—Each academic year, the Secretary 
shall select Service for School participants from the appli-
cations received from eligible individuals under section 4. 
(b) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall give priority to 
those eligible individuals who demonstrate the greatest fi-
nancial need. 
SEC. 6. SERVICE FOR SCHOOL AGREEMENT. 
(a) AGREEMENT TERMS.—The Service for School 
agreement shall— 
(1) require that any participant that receives 
tuition assistance under this Act shall complete— 
(A) one calendar year of full-time National 
service for each academic year during which the 
participant received the maximum amount of 
tuition assistance under section 7;
(B) two calendar years of part-time Na-
tional service for each academic year during 
which the participant received the maximum 
amount of tuition assistance under section 7; or 
(C) in the case of an academic year during 
which the participant received less than the 
maximum amount of tuition assistance under 
section 7, National service for a period equiva-
lent to the amount of tuition assistance received 
for such academic year, as determined by the 
Secretary; 
(2) include the amount of tuition assistance re-
quested by the eligible individual for that academic 
year, not to exceed the maximum amount of tuition 
assistance under section 7; 
(3) require that a participant begin to perform 
such National service no later than 12 months after 
the date of graduation (or permanent departure) 
from an eligible institution; 
(4) require that a participant complete such 
National service not later than 10 years after the 
date of graduation (or permanent departure) from 
an eligible institution; 
(5) provide that a participant shall not be con-
sidered to have permanently departed from an insti-
tution if the participant, in a manner and under the 
terms established by and with the approval of the 
Secretary, transfers to another eligible institution, or 
postpones or interrupts enrollment at an eligible in-
stitution for not more than 12 months; 
(6) provide that a participant may appeal to the 
Secretary for an extension of the time requirements 
under paragraphs (3) and (4), and that the Sec-
retary may waive such requirements for exceptional 
circumstances or hardship; 
(7) provide that, in the event that a participant 
fails to abide by the terms of the agreement, the 
participant shall repay any Federal tuition assist-
ance received by the participant for which the partic-
ipant did not perform the required National service, 
as determined by the Secretary; and 
(8) provide that such Service for School agree-
ment shall be null and void if the eligible individual 
is not selected by the Secretary to be a Service for 
School participant for academic year for which the 
application is submitted. 
(b) DURATION OF AGREEMENT; RENEWAL.—A Serv-
ice for School agreement shall be made for only one aca-
demic year of tuition assistance at a time. Such agreement 
shall be renewable on an annual basis if the participant
remains eligible. A participant may revise annually the 
amount of tuition assistance requested (in accordance with 
subsection (a)(2)). 
SEC. 7. TUITION ASSISTANCE. 
(a) MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF TUITION ASSISTANCE.— 
For each academic year, a Service for School participant 
shall be eligible to receive tuition assistance in an amount 
not to exceed the lesser of— 
(1) the average total tuition and fees for full- 
time students for a complete academic year at four- 
year public colleges and universities, as determined 
annually by the College Board, for the most recent 
academic year for which data is available; or 
(2) such participant’s cost of attendance, as de-
fined under section 472 of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087ll). 
(b) ELECTION OF REDUCED TUITION ASSISTANCE.— 
A Service for School participant may elect to receive less 
than the maximum amount of tuition assistance in ex-
change for a reduced requirement to perform National 
service (in accordance with section 6(a)(1)(C)). 
(c) FORM OF TUITION ASSISTANCE.—The tuition as-
sistance provided to a Service for School participant under 
this Act shall be in the form of grants, remissions of ex-
penses, or such other form as the Secretary considers ap-
propriate. 
SEC. 8. COLLECTION AND WAIVER AUTHORITY. 
(a) COLLECTION
BY
THE SECRETARY.—The Sec-
retary shall have the authority to collect amounts owed 
by a Service for School participant under section 6(a)(7). 
The Secretary may, for the purpose of collection of such 
amounts, exercise the authorities conferred on the Sec-
retary by sections 467 and 468 of the Higher Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087gg and 1087hh) with respect 
to the collection of defaulted loans under part E of title 
IV of such Act. Amounts collected under this subsection 
shall remain available to the Secretary for making tuition 
assistance payments under this Act during the succeeding 
fiscal year. 
(b) WAIVER FOR EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES.— 
The Secretary may waive the National service perform-
ance requirement under section 6(a)(1), and the repay-
ment requirement under section 6(a)(7), if exceptional cir-
cumstances such as illness or death prevent a Service for 
School participant from meeting such requirements. 
SEC. 9. REGULATIONS. 
The Secretary is authorized to issue such regulations 
as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this 
Act, including any regulations necessary to verify comple-
tion by the participants of the terms of the Service for 
School agreement under section 6. 
SEC. 10. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) NATIONAL SERVICE.—The term ‘‘National 
service’’ means service in— 
(A) the Armed Forces (as defined under 
10 U.S.C. 101), including service on active duty 
and service in the National Guard or a reserve 
component of the Armed Forces; 
(B) the Peace Corps; 
(C) any AmeriCorps-sponsored program, 
including City Year and Teach for America; 
(D) any Citizen Corps program; 
(E) any USA Freedom Corps program; or 
(F) any program specifically authorized as 
such by the Secretary for the purpose of this 
Act. 
(2) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘‘eligi-
ble institution’’ means an institution of higher edu-
cation as defined in section 101 of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 
(3) FULL-TIME NATIONAL SERVICE.—The term 
‘‘full-time National service’’ means the performance
of National service for not less than 40 hours per 
week, including active duty in the Armed Forces. 
(4) PART-TIME NATIONAL SERVICE.—The term 
‘‘part-time National service’’ means the performance 
of National service for less than 40 hours per week, 
but not less than 40 hours per month, including 
service in the National Guard and in a reserve com-
ponent of the Armed Forces. 
(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Education. 
(6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 
the several States, the District of Columbia, the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth 
of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, 
Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, and any 
other territory or possession of the United States. 
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