Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Modernization Act
Bill: S.3096 | Sponsor: Sen. Kelly, Mark (D-AZ)
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Modernization Act
This bill revises the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program.
Among other changes, the bill (1) expands program eligibility to undergraduate students who are noncitizens; (2) allows the related foundation to award research internships to outstanding undergraduate students who intend to pursue careers in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics; (3) allows students who are awarded such research internships to receive stipends; and (4) authorizes the Department of the Treasury to invest related fund assets in securities other than U.S. public debt securities under certain circumstances.

To make amendments to the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in 
                             Education Act.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Barry Goldwater Scholarship and 
Excellence in Education Modernization Act''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE BARRY GOLDWATER SCHOLARSHIP AND EXCELLENCE IN 
              EDUCATION ACT.

    (a) Clarifying Amendments to Definitions.--Section 1403 of the 
Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Act (20 U.S.C. 
4702) is amended--
            (1) by striking paragraph (5) and inserting the following:
            ``(5) The term `State' means each of the 50 States, the 
        District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, 
        the United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the 
        Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, the Republic of the 
        Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the 
        Republic of Palau.''; and
            (2) in paragraph (6) by inserting ``, a resident of a 
        State,'' after ``national of the United States''.
    (b) Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education 
Awards.--
            (1) Section 1405(a) of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and 
        Excellence in Education Program (20 U.S.C. 4704(a)) is 
        amended--
                    (A) in the subsection heading, by striking ``Award 
                of Scholarships and Fellowships'' and inserting ``Award 
                of Scholarships, Fellowships, and Research 
                Internships'';
                    (B) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by striking ``scholarships and 
                        fellowships'' and inserting ``scholarships, 
                        fellowships, and research internships'' each 
                        place the term appears; and
                            (ii) by striking ``science and 
                        mathematics'' and inserting ``the natural 
                        sciences, engineering, and mathematics'';
                    (C) in paragraph (2), by striking ``mathematics and 
                the natural sciences'' and inserting ``the natural 
                sciences, engineering, and mathematics'';
                    (D) in paragraph (3), by striking ``mathematics and 
                the natural sciences'' and inserting ``the natural 
                sciences, engineering, and mathematics'';
                    (E) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph 
                (5);
                    (F) in paragraph (5), as so redesignated, by 
                striking ``scholarships and fellowships'' and inserting 
                ``scholarships, fellowships, and research 
                internships''; and
                    (G) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
            ``(4) Research internships shall be awarded to outstanding 
        undergraduate students who intend to pursue careers in the 
        natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics, which shall be 
        prioritized for students attending community colleges.''.
            (2) Section 1405(b) of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and 
        Excellence in Education Program (20 U.S.C. 4704(b)) is amended 
        by adding at the end the following: ``Recipients of research 
        internships under this title shall be known as `Barry Goldwater 
        Interns'.''.
    (c) Stipends.--Section 1406 of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and 
Excellence in Education Act (20 U.S.C. 4705) is amended by adding at 
the end the following: ``Each person awarded a research internship 
under this title shall receive a stipend as may be prescribed by the 
Board, which shall not exceed the maximum stipend amount awarded for a 
scholarship or fellowship.''.
    (d) Scholarship and Research Internship Conditions.--Section 1407 
of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Act (20 
U.S.C. 4706) is amended--
            (1) in the section heading, by inserting ``and research 
        internship'' after ``scholarship'';
            (2) in subsection (a), by striking the subsection heading 
        and inserting ``Scholarship Conditions'';
            (3) in subsection (b), by striking the subsection heading 
        and inserting ``Reports on Scholarships''; and
            (4) by inserting at the end the following:
    ``(c) Research Internship Conditions.--A person awarded a research 
internship under this title may receive payments authorized under this 
title only during such periods as the Foundation finds that the person 
is maintaining satisfactory proficiency and is not engaging in gainful 
employment other than employment approved by the Foundation pursuant to 
regulations of the Board.
    ``(d) Reports on Research Internships.--The Foundation may require 
reports containing such information in such form and to be filed at 
such times as the Foundation determines to be necessary from any person 
awarded a research internship under this title. Such reports may be 
accompanied by a certificate from an appropriate official at the 
institution of higher education or internship employer, approved by the 
Foundation, stating that such person is maintaining satisfactory 
progress in the internship, and is not engaged in gainful employment, 
except as otherwise provided in subsection (c).''.
    (e) Sustainable Investments of Funds.--Section 1408 of the Barry 
Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Act (20 U.S.C. 4707) 
is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``subsection (d)'' and 
        inserting ``subsection (f)'';
            (2) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections 
        (e) and (f), respectively; and
            (3) by inserting after subsection (b) the following:
    ``(c) Investment in Securities.--Notwithstanding subsection (b), 
the Secretary of the Treasury may invest not more than 40 percent of 
the fund's assets in securities other than public debt securities of 
the United States, if--
            ``(1) the Secretary receives a determination from the Board 
        that such investments are necessary to enable the Foundation to 
        carry out the purposes of this title; and
            ``(2) the securities in which such funds are invested are 
        traded in established United States markets.
    ``(d) Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be construed to 
limit the authority of the Board to increase the number of scholarships 
provided under section 1405, or to increase the amount of the stipend 
authorized by section 1406, as the Board considers appropriate and is 
otherwise consistent with the requirements of this title.''.
    (f) Administrative Provisions.--Section 1411(a) of the Barry 
Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Act (20 U.S.C. 
4710(a)) is amended--
            (1) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
            ``(1) appoint and fix the rates of basic pay of such 
        personnel (in addition to the Executive Secretary appointed 
        under section 1410) as may be necessary to carry out the 
        provisions of this chapter, without regard to the provisions in 
        chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code, governing 
        appointment in the competitive service or the provisions of 
        chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title, 
        except that--
                    ``(A) a rate of basic pay set under this paragraph 
                may not exceed the maximum rate provided for employees 
                in grade GS-15 of the General Schedule under section 
                5332 of title 5, United States Code; and
                    ``(B) the employee shall be entitled to the 
                applicable locality-based comparability payment under 
                section 5304 of title 5, United States Code, subject to 
                the applicable limitation established under subsection 
                (g) of such section;'';
            (2) in paragraph (2) by striking ``grade GS-18 under 
        section 5332 of such title'' and inserting ``level IV of the 
        Executive Schedule'';
            (3) in paragraph (7), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (4) by redesignating paragraph (8) as paragraph (10); and
            (5) by inserting after paragraph (7) the following:
            ``(8) expend not more than 5 percent of the Foundation's 
        annual operating budget on programs that, in addition to or in 
        conjunction with the Foundation's scholarship financial awards, 
        support the development of Barry Goldwater Scholars and Barry 
        Goldwater interns throughout their professional careers;
            ``(9) expend not more than 5 percent of the Foundation's 
        annual operating budget to pay the costs associated with 
        fundraising activities, including public and private 
        gatherings; and''.
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