I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 162 
To establish a scholarship program in the Department of State for Haitian 
students whose studies were interrupted as a result of the January 
12, 2010, earthquake, or the October 2016 hurricane, Hurricane Mat-
thew. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 3, 2017 
Mr. HASTINGS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To establish a scholarship program in the Department of 
State for Haitian students whose studies were inter-
rupted as a result of the January 12, 2010, earthquake, 
or the October 2016 hurricane, Hurricane Matthew. 
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 ‘‘Haitian Educational 
Empowerment Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) On October 4, 2016, Hurricane Matthew 
devastated Haiti, killing over 1,000 people, and di-
rectly affected 2.1 million people, including the in-
ternal displacement of 175,000 and 1.4 million peo-
ple in need of urgent humanitarian aid. 
(2) The storm damage has been estimated to be 
$1,000,000,000, or about 11.4 percent of the gross 
domestic product of Haiti. 
(3) Hurricane Matthew was the worst hurricane 
to hit Haiti in over 50 years. 
(4) Haiti is the poorest country in the Western 
Hemisphere. 
(5) Eighty percent of the population lives below 
the poverty line, and approximately 45 percent of 
the population is illiterate. 
(6) On January 12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude 
earthquake struck the country of Haiti. 
(7) The earthquake caused massive devastation 
across Haiti, destroying government buildings, hos-
pitals, schools, and vital aid offices, including the 
headquarters of the United Nations mission to 
Haiti. 
(8) An estimated three million people were di-
rectly affected by the earthquake in Haiti, nearly 
one-third of the country’s population. 
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(9) Many universities suffered significant struc-
tural damage, including the State University of 
Haiti, the country’s main public university, which 
had 80 percent of its buildings destroyed. 
(10) The earthquake claimed the lives of many 
students and several prominent academics. 
(11) Before the earthquake, at least 85 percent 
of Haitians with a university degree left the island. 
(12) A more highly educated population is vital 
to Haiti’s long-term development. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR 
CERTAIN HAITIAN STUDENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, acting 
through the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational 
and Cultural Affairs, shall establish a scholarship program 
for Haitian students whose studies were interrupted as a 
result of the January 12, 2010, earthquake or the October 
4, 2016, hurricane, Hurricane Matthew. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a scholar-
ship under this section, a Haitian undergraduate or grad-
uate student shall— 
(1) have been enrolled as a full-time student in 
a Haitian university or institution of higher edu-
cation in the United States at the time of the Janu-
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ary 12, 2010, earthquake or when Hurricane Mat-
thew hit Haiti on October 4, 2016; and 
(2) submit to the Assistant Secretary of State 
for Educational and Cultural Affairs an application 
at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Assistant Secretary may require. 
(c) DURATION.—A scholarship under this section 
shall be awarded to a Haitian student for one academic 
year and may be renewed in accordance with subsection 
(d). 
(d) RENEWAL.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—A scholarship awarded 
under this section may be renewed for an additional 
academic year upon demonstration to the Secretary 
of State of satisfactory academic achievement in the 
prior academic year. 
(2) 
MAXIMUM
RENEWALS.—A 
scholarship 
awarded under this section may not be renewed for 
more than six academic years. 
(e) PREFERENCE.—Preference in the awarding of 
scholarships shall be given to the following categories of 
Haitian students: 
(1) Haitian students who are studying subjects 
of importance to Haiti’s long-term social, economic, 
or political development. 
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(2) Haitian students who were enrolled in pro-
grams that were forced to cease operations as a re-
sult of the January 12, 2010, earthquake or the Oc-
tober 4, 2016, hurricane, Hurricane Matthew. 
(f) RETURN.—Upon completion of an undergraduate 
or graduate degree at an institution of higher education, 
a Haitian student who has received a scholarship under 
this section shall return to Haiti. 
(g) SCHOLARSHIP AMOUNT.—A scholarship awarded 
to a Haitian student under this section may not exceed 
an amount equal to the total costs related to the tuition 
and fees for one academic year at an institution of higher 
education in which the student is enrolled as a full-time 
student. 
SEC. 4. GRANTS TO UNITED STATES COLLEGES AND UNI-
VERSITIES. 
The Secretary of State, acting through the Assistant 
Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, 
may make grants to institutions of higher education that 
have enrolled a significant number of Haitian students 
who have been enrolled as full-time students in a Haitian 
university at the time of the January 12, 2010, earth-
quake or the October 4, 2016, hurricane, Hurricane Mat-
thew. Such grants shall be used to provide social and edu-
cational support services to such students. 
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