I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4339 
To encourage students from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
Islands to become civically engaged through local and Federal government 
fellowships. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 16, 2009 
Mr. SABLAN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To encourage students from the Commonwealth of the 
Northern Mariana Islands to become civically engaged 
through local and Federal government fellowships. 
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 referred to as the ‘‘Dr. Rita Hocog 
Inos Fellowship Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS FROM THE 
COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MAR-
IANA ISLANDS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.— 
The Secretary of the Interior shall establish a program, 
to be known as the ‘‘Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Fellowship Pro-
gram’’, to award local and Federal government fellowships 
to qualified students from the Commonwealth of the 
Northern Mariana Islands. 
(b) FELLOWSHIPS.—Under the Dr. Rita Hocog Inos 
Fellowship Program: 
(1) TYPES.—The Secretary may award to a 
qualified student one or both of the following fellow-
ships: 
(A) LOCAL GOVERNMENT FELLOWSHIP.— 
A local government fellowship, under which the 
Secretary shall assign the qualified student to 
an internship in an agency or entity of the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Is-
lands. 
(B) FEDERAL
FELLOWSHIP.—A Federal 
fellowship, under which the Secretary shall as-
sign the qualified student to an internship in— 
(i) an Executive agency (as defined in 
section 105 of title 5, United States Code); 
or 
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(ii) the office of a Representative or 
Senator in, or a Delegate or Resident 
Commissioner to, the Congress. 
(2) FELLOWSHIP TERM.—The term of a fellow-
ship shall be an academic semester or a summer, as 
designated by the Secretary. 
(3) AMOUNT OF FELLOWSHIP.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—A fellow may receive ei-
ther a stipend or academic credit toward grad-
uation for participating in an internship. 
(B) STIPEND.—The stipend for partici-
pating in an internship shall be: 
(i) $6,000 for participating under an 
academic semester fellowship. 
(ii) $4,000 for participating under a 
summer fellowship. 
(C) FISCAL
YEARS
AFTER
2010.—In the 
case of any fiscal year beginning after Sep-
tember 30, 2010, each dollar amount in sub-
paragraph (B) shall be such dollar amount in 
effect for the preceding fiscal year, increased by 
the sum of— 
(i) the percentage of the dollar 
amount in effect for such preceding fiscal 
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year that is equal to the percentage (if 
any) by which— 
(I) the Consumer Price Index for 
the most recent calendar year ending 
prior to the beginning of the fiscal 
year, exceeds 
(II) the Consumer Price Index 
for the next previous calendar year; 
plus 
(ii) one percent of the dollar amount 
in effect for such previous year. 
(4) TRAVEL STIPEND.—The Secretary may pro-
vide to a fellow a travel stipend of not more than 
$1,500 for each fellowship term, based on the dis-
tance of the fellow from the internship site. 
(c) QUALIFIED STUDENT.—For purposes of this sec-
tion, the term ‘‘qualified student’’ means a student who 
is— 
(1) a citizen of the United States; 
(2) domiciled in the Commonwealth of the 
Northern Mariana Islands; and 
(3) enrolled in a degree or certificate program 
at an institution of higher education (as defined in 
section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1001)). 
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(d) APPLICATION AND SELECTION.—Under the Dr. 
Rita Hocog Inos Fellowship Program: 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall develop 
and administer an application and selection process 
for awarding a fellowship. 
(2) PRIORITY FOR SELECTION OF STUDENTS.— 
(A) LOCAL GOVERNMENT FELLOWSHIP.— 
In awarding a local government fellowship, the 
Secretary shall give priority to a qualified stu-
dent who has completed a Federal fellowship. 
(B) FEDERAL FELLOWSHIP.—In awarding 
a Federal fellowship, the Secretary shall give 
priority to a qualified student who has com-
pleted a local government fellowship. 
(3) SELECTION OF AGENCIES.—The Secretary 
shall not assign a fellow to an internship in an agen-
cy or office that does not agree to provide for the 
fellow to engage in mandatory activities, including— 
(A) activities encouraging professional de-
velopment; 
(B) job skill training; 
(C) networking activities; and 
(D) community service activities. 
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(4) LIMITATION ON NUMBER OF FELLOWSHIPS 
AWARDED TO EACH STUDENT.—A qualified student 
shall be awarded no more than— 
(A) one local government fellowship; and 
(B) one Federal fellowship. 
(e) REPORTING.—The Secretary shall submit to Con-
gress, not later than 3 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, a report on the Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Fellow-
ship Program. The report shall include information on— 
(1) the use of funds appropriated for the pur-
pose of carrying out the Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Fel-
lowship Program; and 
(2) barriers to participation in the Dr. Rita 
Hocog Inos Fellowship Program. 
(f) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 
(1) CONSUMER PRICE INDEX.—The term ‘‘Con-
sumer Price Index’’ means the Consumer Price 
Index for All Urban Consumers published by the De-
partment of Labor. 
(2) FELLOW.—The term ‘‘fellow’’ means a stu-
dent who has been awarded a fellowship under the 
Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Fellowship Program. 
(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of the Interior, for the 
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