Title: Passport Assistance for Disadvantaged Students Act of 2019
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Passport Assistance for Disadvantaged Students Act of 2019
This bill requires the Department of Education to establish a pilot program to award grants to institutions of higher education for the purpose of providing certain students with U.S. passports. Specifically, such grants must (1) reimburse Pell Grant recipients enrolled in study abroad programs for the cost of obtaining passports, or (2) directly pay the cost of passports for such students.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3503 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3503

 To direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a pilot program to 
  make grants to institutions of higher education to pay the costs of 
 obtaining a United States passport necessary for certain students to 
                 participate in a study abroad program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 26, 2019

    Ms. Johnson of Texas (for herself and Mr. Young) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
                                 Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a pilot program to 
  make grants to institutions of higher education to pay the costs of 
 obtaining a United States passport necessary for certain students to 
                 participate in a study abroad program.

    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 ``Passport Assistance for 
Disadvantaged Students Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.

    (a) Authorization.--The Secretary shall carry out a pilot program 
to make grants to institutions of higher education to--
            (1) reimburse a student who is a Pell Grant recipient 
        enrolled at the institution for the costs of obtaining a United 
        States passport necessary for such student to participate in a 
        study abroad program; and
            (2) in coordination with the Secretary of State, directly 
        pay the costs described in paragraph (1) in the case of a 
        United States passport event carried out by the Secretary of 
        State on the campus of such institution.
    (b) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
section, an institution of higher education shall, not later than 1 
year after the date of the enactment of this Act, submit an application 
to the Secretary that includes--
            (1) the number of Pell Grant recipients enrolled at the 
        institution that participated in a study abroad program during 
        each of the 5 years before the date of such application;
            (2) an assurance that the institution will report to the 
        Secretary the number of Pell Grant recipients enrolled at the 
        institution that participated in a study abroad program 
        annually for each of the 4 years after the date on which the 
        application is submitted;
            (3) a description of how the institution will engage in 
        student outreach in carrying a grant under this section;
            (4) such other information as the Secretary may require.
    (c) Awards.--
            (1) Requirements.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall make grants 
        under subsection (a) to each of the following:
                    (A) A four-year public institution of higher 
                education.
                    (B) A public historically Black college or 
                university.
                    (C) A public Hispanic-serving institution.
            (2) Other awards.--After making the awards required under 
        paragraph (1), the Secretary--
                    (A) may make grants to additional institutions of 
                higher education; and
                    (B) shall give priority under subparagraph (A) to 
                institutions of higher education with study abroad 
                programs that offer science, technology, engineering, 
                and math courses.
    (d) Reporting Requirements.--
            (1) Institution reporting.--An institution of higher 
        education that receives a grant under this section shall not 
        later than 1 year after receiving such grant submit to the 
        Secretary and the Secretary of State a report that includes--
                    (A) a description of the student outreach carried 
                out through a grant under this section; and
                    (B) the number of Pell Grant recipients who--
                            (i) obtained a United States passport 
                        pursuant to such grant; and
                            (ii) participated in a study abroad program 
                        in the year after the institution received such 
                        grant.
            (2) Department reporting.--Not later than 1 year after the 
        date of the enactment of this section, and annually for the 3 
        years thereafter, the Secretary, in coordination with the 
        Secretary of State, shall submit a report to Congress that 
        includes--
                    (A) a description of the awards made under this 
                section; and
                    (B) an assessment of the pilot program under this 
                section.
    (e) Final Assessment.--Not later than 1 year after the date on 
which the pilot program authority terminates under subsection (f), the 
Secretary and the Secretary of State shall each--
            (1) prepare an assessment of the pilot program, including a 
        recommendation as to whether--
                    (A) the pilot program should be continued and 
                expanded; or
                    (B) a similar program related to other higher 
                education programs, such as graduate and postgraduate 
                programs, community colleges, vocational programs, and 
                apprenticeship programs, should be carried out; and
            (2) submit such assessment to Congress.
    (f) Term.--The authority to carry out the pilot program under this 
section shall terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date of 
the enactment of this Act.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $500,000 for fiscal year 2021 
and each of the succeeding 3 fiscal years.
    (h) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Hispanic-serving institution.--The term ``Hispanic-
        serving institution'' has the meaning given the term under 
        section 502 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        1101a).
            (2) Historically black college or university.--The term 
        ``historically Black college or university'' has the meaning 
        given the term ``part B institution'' under section 322(2) of 
        the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2)).
            (3) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. 
        1002).
            (4) Pell grant recipient.--The term ``Pell Grant 
        recipient'' means a recipient of financial aid under subpart 1 
        of part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1070a et seq.).
            (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Education.
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