John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship Act of 2022
Bill: S.4800 | Sponsor: Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. (D-CO)
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship Act of 2022
This bill establishes the John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship Program within the J. William Fulbright Educational Exchange Program (commonly referred to as the Fulbright Program).
The fellowship program shall honor the legacy of Representative John Lewis and promote studies, research, and international exchange in the subject of nonviolent civil rights movements around the world.
The J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board shall annually select at least 25 qualified individuals when feasible to serve as fellows in the fellowship program. Each fellow shall (1) work in an internship or research position with an approved organization in a country with an operational Fulbright U.S. Student Program, and (2) receive an award sufficient to cover the fellow's reasonable costs during the fellowship period and certain travel and lodging expenses related to the program.

To establish the John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship to fund 
  international internships and research placements for early- to mid-
  career professionals to study nonviolent movements to establish and 
                 protect civil rights around the world.

    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 ``John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship 
Act of 2022''.

SEC. 2. JOHN LEWIS CIVIL RIGHTS FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.

    The Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
2451 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 115. JOHN LEWIS CIVIL RIGHTS FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Establishment.--There is established the John Lewis Civil 
Rights Fellowship Program (referred to in this section as the 
`Fellowship Program') within the J. William Fulbright Educational 
Exchange Program.
    ``(b) Purposes.--The purposes of the Fellowship Program are--
            ``(1) to honor the legacy of Representative John Lewis by 
        promoting a greater understanding of the history and tenets of 
        nonviolent civil rights movements; and
            ``(2) to promote studies, research, and international 
        exchange in the subject of nonviolent movements that 
        established and protected civil rights around the world.
    ``(c) Administration.--The Bureau of Educational and Cultural 
Affairs (referred to in this section as the `Bureau') shall administer 
the Fellowship Program in accordance with policy guidelines established 
by the Board, in consultation with the binational Fulbright Commissions 
and United States Embassies.
    ``(d) Selection of Fellows.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Board shall annually select 
        qualified individuals to participate in the Fellowship Program. 
        The Board may determine the number of fellows selected each 
        year, which shall be not fewer than 25 whenever feasible.
            ``(2) Outreach.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Bureau should conduct 
                outreach at organizations described in subparagraph 
                (B)--
                            ``(i) to broaden the pool of qualified 
                        applicants; and
                            ``(ii) to facilitate, to the extent 
                        practicable, diversity within each cohort of 
                        fellows.
                    ``(B) Organizations described.--The organizations 
                described in this subparagraph are--
                            ``(i) minority serving institutions, 
                        including historically Black colleges and 
                        universities; and
                            ``(ii) other appropriate institutions, as 
                        determined by the Board.
                    ``(C) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
                            ``(i) Diversity.--The term `diversity' 
                        means diversity of individuals based on factors 
                        including race, color, religion, sex, 
                        pregnancy, gender identity, national origin, 
                        political affiliation, sexual orientation, 
                        marital status, disability, genetic 
                        information, age, parental status, or military 
                        service.
                            ``(ii) Historically black college and 
                        university.--The term `historically Black 
                        college and university' has the meaning given 
                        the term `part B institution' in section 322 of 
                        the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
                        1061).
                            ``(iii) Minority serving institution.--The 
                        term `minority-serving institution' means an 
                        eligible institution under section 371(a) of 
                        the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
                        1067q(a)).
    ``(e) Fellowship Orientation.--Annually, and not later than 30 days 
before the commencement of the fellowship for the cohort of fellows 
most recently selected under subsection (d), the Bureau shall organize 
and administer a fellowship orientation, which shall--
            ``(1) be held in Washington, DC, or at another location 
        selected by the Bureau; and
            ``(2) include programming to honor the legacy of 
        Representative John Lewis.
    ``(f) Structure.--
            ``(1) Work plan.--To carry out the purposes described in 
        subsection (b)(2)--
                    ``(A) each fellow selected pursuant to subsection 
                (d) shall arrange an internship or research placement--
                            ``(i) with a nongovernmental organization, 
                        academic institution, or other organization 
                        approved by the Bureau; and
                            ``(ii) in a country with an operational 
                        Fulbright U.S. Student Program; and
                    ``(B) the Bureau shall, for each fellow, approve a 
                work plan that identifies the target objectives for the 
                fellow, including specific duties and responsibilities 
                relating to those objectives.
            ``(2) Conferences; presentations.--Each fellow shall--
                    ``(A) before commencing the fellowship, attend a 
                fellowship orientation organized and administered by 
                the Bureau under subsection (e);
                    ``(B) not later than the date that is 1 year after 
                the end of the fellowship period, attend a fellowship 
                summit organized and administered by the Bureau, which 
                shall be held in Atlanta, Georgia, or at another 
                location of importance to the civil rights movement in 
                the United States and selected by the Bureau; and
                    ``(C) at such summit, give a presentation on 
                lessons learned during the period of fellowship.
            ``(3) Fellowship period.--Each fellowship under this 
        section shall continue for a period determined by the Bureau, 
        which shall be not shorter than 10 months whenever feasible.
    ``(g) Fellowship Award.--The Bureau shall provide each fellow under 
this section with an allowance that is equal to the amount needed for--
            ``(1) the reasonable costs of the fellow during the 
        fellowship period; and
            ``(2) travel and lodging expenses related to attending the 
        orientation and summit required under subsection (e)(2).
    ``(h) Briefing.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
selection of the initial cohort of fellows under subsection (d), and 
annually thereafter, the Secretary of State shall brief Congress on the 
state of the Fellowship Program, including--
            ``(1) a description of the demographics of the cohort of 
        fellows that completed a fellowship during the preceding 1-year 
        period;
            ``(2) an analysis of the diversity of fellows based on the 
        demographics of each cohort of fellows that completed a 
        fellowship as of the date of the briefing; and
            ``(3) an analysis of trends relating to the diversity of 
        each cohort of fellows over the course of the Fellowship 
        Program.''.

SEC. 3. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS TO THE MUTUAL EDUCATIONAL 
              AND CULTURAL EXCHANGE ACT OF 1961.

    Section 112(a) of the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act 
of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2460(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (8), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a 
        semicolon;
            (2) in paragraph (9), by striking the period and inserting 
        ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(10) the John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship Program 
        established under section 115, which provides funding for 
        international internships and research placements for early- to 
        mid-career individuals from the United States to study 
        nonviolent civil rights movements in self-arranged placements 
        with universities or nongovernmental organizations in foreign 
        countries.''.
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