114 
‘‘(2) The Secretary of the Interior may award a 
scholarship in accordance with this section to a per-
son who— 
‘‘(A) is a citizen of the United States; 
‘‘(B) is pursuing an undergraduate or ad-
vanced degree in a critical skill or discipline de-
scribed in paragraph (1) at an institution of 
higher education; and 
‘‘(C) enters into a service agreement with 
the Secretary of the Interior as described in sub-
section (e). 
‘‘(3) The amount of the financial assistance pro-
vided under a scholarship awarded to a person under 
this subsection shall be the amount determined by the 
Secretary of the Interior as being necessary to pay all 
educational expenses incurred by that person, includ-
ing tuition, fees, cost of books, laboratory expenses, 
and expenses of room and board. The expenses paid, 
however, shall be limited to those educational expenses 
normally incurred by students at the institution of 
higher education involved. 
‘‘(b) SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
FOR STUDENTS AT-
TENDING MINORITY SERVING HIGHER EDUCATION INSTI-
TUTIONS.— 
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‘‘(1) From the funds made available to carry out 
this section, the Secretary shall use 25 percent of that 
amount to award scholarships in accordance with this 
section to persons who— 
‘‘(A) are enrolled in a Minority Serving 
Higher Education Institutions. 
‘‘(B) are citizens of the United States; 
‘‘(C) are pursuing an undergraduate or ad-
vanced degree in agriculture, engineering, engi-
neering or industrial technology, or physical 
sciences, or other discipline that is found by the 
Secretary to be critical to the functions of the 
Department of the Interior and are needed in the 
Department of the Interior workforce; and 
‘‘(D) enter into a service agreement with the 
Secretary of the Interior as described in sub-
section (e). 
‘‘(2) The amount of the financial assistance pro-
vided under a scholarship awarded to a person under 
this subsection shall be the amount determined by the 
Secretary of the Interior as being necessary to pay all 
educational expenses incurred by that person, includ-
ing tuition, fees, cost of books, laboratory expenses, 
and expenses of room and board. The expenses paid, 
however, shall be limited to those educational expenses 
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normally incurred by students at the institution of 
higher education involved. 
‘‘(c) EDUCATION
PARTNERSHIPS
WITH
MINORITY 
SERVING HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS.— 
‘‘(1) The Secretary shall require the director of 
each Bureau and Office, to foster the participation of 
Minority Serving Higher Education Institutions in 
any regulatory activity, land management activity, 
science activity, engineering or industrial technology 
activity, or engineering activity carried out by the 
Department of the Interior. 
‘‘(2) From the funds made available to carry out 
this section, the Secretary shall use 25 percent of that 
amount to support activities at Minority Serving 
Higher Education Institutions by— 
‘‘(A) funding faculty and students in these 
institutions in collaborative research projects 
that are directly related to the Departmental or 
Bureau missions; 
‘‘(B) allowing equipment transfer to Minor-
ity Serving Higher Education Institutions as a 
part of a collaborative research program directly 
related to a Departmental or Bureau mission; 
‘‘(C) allowing faculty and students at these 
Minority Serving Higher Education Institutions 
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to participate Departmental and Bureau train-
ing activities; 
‘‘(D) funding paid internships in Depart-
mental and Bureau facilities for students at Mi-
nority Serving Higher Education Institutions; 
‘‘(E) assigning Departmental and Bureau 
personnel to positions located at Minority Serv-
ing Higher Educational Institutions to serve as 
mentors to students interested in a science, tech-
nology or engineering disciplines related to the 
mission of the Department or the Bureaus. 
‘‘(d) KINDERGARTEN
THROUGH
GRADE
TWELVE 
SCIENCE EDUCATION ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) From the funds made available to carry out 
this section, the Secretary shall use 20 percent of that 
amount to support activities designed to enhance the 
knowledge and expertise of teachers of basic sciences, 
mathematics, engineering and technology in Kinder-
garten through Grade Twelve programs. 
‘‘(2) The Secretary is authorized to— 
‘‘(A) support competitive events for students 
under the supervision of teachers that are de-
signed to encourage student interest and knowl-
edge in science, engineering, technology and 
mathematics; 
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‘‘(B) support competitively-awarded, peer- 
reviewed programs to promote professional devel-
opment for mathematics, science, engineering 
and technology teachers who teach in grades 
from kindergarten through grade 12; 
‘‘(C) support summer internships at De-
partment facilities, for mathematics, science, en-
gineering and technology teachers who teach in 
grades from kindergarten through grade 12; and 
‘‘(D) sponsor and assist in sponsoring edu-
cational and teacher training activities in sub-
ject areas identified as critical skills. 
‘‘(e) SERVICE AGREEMENT FOR RECIPIENTS OF AS-
SISTANCE.— 
‘‘(1) To receive financial assistance under sub-
section (a) and subsection (b) of this section— 
‘‘(A) in the case of an employee of the De-
partment of the Interior, the employee shall enter 
into a written agreement to continue in the em-
ployment of the department for the period of ob-
ligated service determined under paragraph (2); 
and 
‘‘(B) in the case of a person not an em-
ployee of the Department of the Interior, the per-
son shall enter into a written agreement to ac-
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119 
cept and continue employment in the Depart-
ment of the Interior for the period of obligated 
service determined under paragraph (2). 
‘‘(2) For the purposes of this section, the period 
of obligated service for a recipient of a scholarship 
under this section shall be the period determined by 
the Secretary of the Interior as being appropriate to 
obtain adequate service in exchange for the financial 
assistance provided under the scholarship. In no event 
may the period of service required of a recipient be 
less than the total period of pursuit of a degree that 
is covered by the scholarship. The period of obligated 
service is in addition to any other period for which 
the recipient is obligated to serve in the civil service 
of the United States. 
‘‘(3) An agreement entered into under this sub-
section by a person pursuing an academic degree 
shall include any terms and conditions that the Sec-
retary of the Interior determines necessary to protect 
the interests of the United States or otherwise appro-
priate for carrying out this section. 
‘‘(f) REFUND FOR PERIOD OF UNSERVED OBLIGATED 
SERVICE.— 
‘‘(1) A person who voluntarily terminates service 
before the end of the period of obligated service re-
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quired under an agreement entered into under sub-
section (e) shall refund to the United States an 
amount determined by the Secretary of the Interior as 
being appropriate to obtain adequate service in ex-
change for financial assistance. 
‘‘(2) An obligation to reimburse the United 
States imposed under paragraph (1) is for all pur-
poses a debt owed to the United States. 
‘‘(3) The Secretary of the Interior may waive, in 
whole or in part, a refund required under paragraph 
(1) if the Secretary determines that recovery would be 
against equity and good conscience or would be con-
trary to the best interests of the United States. 
‘‘(4) A discharge in bankruptcy under title 11, 
United States Code, that is entered less than five 
years after the termination of an agreement under 
this section does not discharge the person signing such 
agreement from a debt arising under such agreement 
or under this subsection. 
‘‘(g) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER PROGRAMS.—The Sec-
retary of the Interior shall coordinate the provision of fi-
nancial assistance under the authority of this section with 
the provision of financial assistance under the authorities 
provided in this Act in order to maximize the benefits de-
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rived by the Department of Interior from the exercise of all 
such authorities. 
‘‘(h) REPORT.—Not later than September 1 of each 
year, the Secretary of the Interior shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Resources of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate 
a report on the status of the assistance program carried out 
under this section. The report shall describe the programs 
within the Department designed to recruit and retain a 
workforce on a short-term basis and on a long-term basis. 
‘‘(i) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘Minority Serving Higher Edu-
cation Institutions’ means a Hispanic-serving insti-
tution, historically Black college or university, Alaska 
Native-serving institution, or tribal college. 
‘‘(2) The term ‘Hispanic-serving institution’ has 
the meaning given the term in section 502(a) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)). 
‘‘(3) The term ‘historically Black college or uni-
versity’ has the meaning given the term ‘part B insti-
tution’ in section 322 of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061). 
‘‘(4) The term ‘tribal college’ has the meaning 
given the term ‘tribally controlled college or univer-
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sity’ in section 2(a) of the Tribally Controlled College 
Assistance Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1801(a)). 
‘‘(5) The term ‘institution of higher education’ 
has the meaning given such term in section 101 of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 
‘‘(6) The term ‘Alaska Native-serving institution’ 
has the meaning given the term in section 317 of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059d). 
‘‘(j) FUNDING.—The Secretary shall spend 3 percent 
of the annual outlay under this Act to implement this sec-
tion not to exceed $10,000,000.’’. 
SEC. 24. ONSHORE AND OFFSHORE MINERAL LEASE FEES. 
Except as otherwise provided in this Act, the Depart-
ment of the Interior is prohibited from charging fees appli-
cable to actions on Federal onshore and offshore oil and gas, 
coal, geothermal, and other mineral leases, including trans-
portation of any production from such leases, if such fees 
were not established in final regulations prior to the date 
of issuance of the lease. 
SEC. 25. OCS REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS. 
The headquarters for the Gulf of Mexico Region shall 
permanently be located within the State of Louisiana with-
in 25 miles of the center of Jackson Square, New Orleans, 
Louisiana. Further, not later than July 1, 2008, the Sec-
retary of the Interior shall establish the headquarters for 
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the Atlantic OCS Region and the headquarters for the Pa-
cific OCS Region within a State bordering the Atlantic 
OCS Region and a State bordering the Pacific OCS Region, 
respectively, from among the States bordering those Re-
gions, that petitions by no later than January 1, 2008, for 
leasing, for oil and gas or natural gas, covering at least 
40 percent of the area of its Adjacent Zone within 100 miles 
of the coastline. Such Atlantic and Pacific OCS Regions 
headquarters shall be located within 25 miles of the coast-
line and each MMS OCS regional headquarters shall be the 
permanent duty station for all Minerals Management Serv-
ice personnel that on a daily basis spend on average 60 
percent or more of their time in performance of duties in 
support of the activities of the respective Region, except that 
the Minerals Management Service may house regional in-
spection staff in other locations. Each OCS Region shall 
each be led by a Regional Director who shall be an employee 
within the Senior Executive Service. 
SEC. 26. NATIONAL GEO FUND ACT OF 2006. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the 
‘‘National Geo Fund Act of 2006’’. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purpose of this section is to— 
(1) establish a fund to provide funding for the 
management of geologic programs, geologic mapping, 
geophysical and other seismic studies, seismic moni-
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toring programs, and the preservation and use of geo-
logic 
and 
geophysical 
data, 
geothermal 
and 
geopressure energy resource management, unconven-
tional energy resources management, and renewable 
energy management associated with ocean wave, cur-
rent, and thermal resources; 
(2) make available receipts derived from sales, 
bonus bids, royalties, and fees from onshore and off-
shore gas, minerals, oil, and any additional form of 
energy exploration and development under the laws of 
the United States for the purposes of the such fund; 
(3) distribute funds from such fund each fiscal 
year to the Secretary of the Interior and the States; 
and 
(4) use the distributed funds to manage activities 
conducted under this section, and to secure the nec-
essary trained workforce, contractual services, and 
other support, including maintenance and capital in-
vestments, to perform the functions and activities de-
scribed in paragraph (1). 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) GEO FUND.—The term ‘‘Geo Fund’’ means 
the National Geo Fund established by subsection (d). 
(2) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the agency 
of a State designated by its Governor or State law to 
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