Title: TechCorps Act
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
TechCorps Act
This bill requires the Office of Personnel Management to establish and maintain an electronic database of job vacancies across the government relating to information technology (IT). The database shall be published on the USAJobs website and shall describe such vacancies as TechCorps-eligible positions.
The National and Community Service Act of 1990 is amended to direct the Corporation for National and Community Service to enter into an agreement with a federal agency to carry out a TechCorps program, under which:
The Higher Education Act of 1965 is amended to provide that a borrower of a loan under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program shall be eligible to defer payments for any period during which the borrower is serving as a TechCorps member. The Department of Education shall carry out a program of canceling a specified amount of the loan obligation amount of borrowers who: (1) serve as a TechCorps member for at least two years, and (2) are not in default.
The Government Accountability Office shall study and report to Congress on projected staffing needs for IT-related jobs in the federal government over the next ten years.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1392 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1392

   To establish a National TechCorps program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 7, 2017

   Mr. Bera (for himself, Mr. Kilmer, Mr. Soto, Mr. Perlmutter, Mr. 
McNerney, Mrs. Murphy of Florida, Mr. Himes, and Ms. Sinema) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education 
 and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and 
Government Reform, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish a National TechCorps program, and for other purposes.

    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 ``TechCorps Act''.

SEC. 2. OPM DATABASE OF TECHCORPS-ELIGIBLE POSITIONS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall 
establish and maintain an electronic database of job vacancies across 
the Government relating to information technology. The Director shall 
consult with each Federal agency in establishing and periodically 
updating the database.
    (b) Publication.--The database of vacant positions described under 
subsection (a) shall be published and available on the USA Jobs 
Internet Web site, and each position in the database shall be described 
on such Web site as a ``TechCorps-eligible position''.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF TECHCORPS.

    Section 122(a) of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 
(42 U.S.C. 12572(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(6) Techcorps.--The Corporation shall enter into an 
        interagency agreement (other than a grant agreement) with 
        another Federal agency under section 121(b) to carry out a 
        TechCorps program under which--
                    ``(A) individuals apply to service as a TechCorps 
                member--
                            ``(i) prior to graduating from a program of 
                        study at institution of education leading to 
                        degree or certificate relating to information 
                        technology, but not earlier than the last 
                        academic year of such program of study; or
                            ``(ii) after graduating from such a program 
                        of study;
                    ``(B) individuals described in subparagraph (A)(i) 
                are recruited not earlier than the last academic year 
                of their program of study;
                    ``(C) individuals described in subparagraph (A) 
                desiring to serve as TechCorps members shall commit to 
                employment with the Federal agency in a job relating to 
                information technology for not less than a 2-year 
                period; and
                    ``(D) upon receiving and accepting such employment, 
                such an individual shall be a TechCorps member, which 
                membership may not exceed a 4-year period.''.

SEC. 4. LOAN DEFERMENT AND LOAN FORGIVENESS.

    (a) Loan Deferment.--Section 455(f)(2) of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``or'' at the end;
            (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting ``; or''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(E) during which the borrower is serving as a 
                TechCorps member under section 122(a)(6) of the 
                National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 
                12572(a)(6)).''.
    (b) Loan Forgiveness.--Part D of title IV of the Higher Education 
Act of 1965 is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 460A. LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR TECHCORPS MEMBERS.

    ``(a) Program Authorized.--The Secretary shall carry out a program 
of canceling the obligation to repay a qualified loan amount in 
accordance with subsection (b) for loans made under this part to any 
borrower who--
            ``(1) has served as a TechCorps member under section 
        122(a)(6) of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 
        U.S.C. 12572(a)(6)) for not less than a 2-year period; and
            ``(2) is not in default on any loans for which the borrower 
        seeks forgiveness.
    ``(b) Qualified Loan Amount.--
            ``(1) Two years of service.--The Secretary shall cancel an 
        amount equal to 50 percent of the loan obligation on any loans 
        made under this part to a borrower described in subsection (a) 
        that are outstanding after the borrower's completion of 2 years 
        of service as a TechCorps member.
            ``(2) Additional years of service.--Subject to paragraph 
        (3), with respect to a borrower who receives the loan 
        cancellation under paragraph (1) after the completion of the 2 
        years of service required under such paragraph, and--
                    ``(A) who serves for an additional year as a 
                TechCorps member upon completion of such 2 years of 
                service, the Secretary shall cancel an amount equal to 
                50 percent of the loan obligation on any loans made 
                under this part to the borrower that are outstanding 
                after the borrower's completion of such additional year 
                of service; and
                    ``(B) who serves for a second additional year as a 
                TechCorps member upon completion of the additional year 
                of service described in subparagraph (A), the Secretary 
                shall cancel the loan obligation on any loans made 
                under this part to the borrower that are outstanding 
                after the borrower's completion of such second 
                additional year of service.
            ``(3) Maximum amount.--The aggregate loan obligation of a 
        borrower that may be cancelled under this section may not 
        exceed the amount equal to the maximum aggregate amount of 
        Federal Direct Stafford Loans and Federal Direct Unsubsidized 
        Stafford Loans that may be awarded to a dependent student under 
        this part.
    ``(c) Tax Treatment.--The amount of a loan, and interest on a loan, 
which is canceled under this section shall not be considered income for 
purposes of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
    ``(d) Prevention of Double Benefits.--No borrower may, for the same 
voluntary service, receive a benefit under both this section and--
            ``(1) section 428K;
            ``(2) section 455(m); or
            ``(3) subtitle D of title I of the National and Community 
        Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12601 et seq.).''.

SEC. 5. GAO STUDY ON IT STAFFING NEEDS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Comptroller General of the United States shall--
            (1) study the projected staffing needs for jobs related to 
        information technology in the Federal Government during the 10-
        year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, 
        including the number of such jobs that will become available or 
        will be created during such period; and
            (2) submit to Congress the results of such study.
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