Title: National Air Grant Fellowship Program Act of 2020
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
National Air Grant Fellowship Program Act of 2020
This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to establish a National Air Grant Fellowship Program to award one-year aerospace policy fellowships to support the placement of individuals at the graduate level of education in fields related to aerospace in positions with the U.S. executive and legislative branches.
The FAA must strive to ensure equal access for minority and economically disadvantaged students to the program.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3192 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3192

 To establish an aerospace fellowship program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 14, 2020

Ms. Cantwell (for herself and Mr. Blunt) introduced the following bill; 
    which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish an aerospace fellowship 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 ``National Air Grant Fellowship 
Program Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL AIR GRANT FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.

    (a) Program Maintenance.--The Administrator shall maintain within 
the Administration a program to be known as the ``National Air Grant 
Fellowship Program''. The National Air Grant Fellowship Program shall 
be administered by a National Air Grant Office within the 
Administration.
    (b) Program Elements.--The National Air Grant Fellowship Program 
shall provide support for the fellowship program under section 3.
    (c) Responsibilities of Administrator.--
            (1) Guidelines.--The Administrator shall establish 
        guidelines related to the activities and responsibilities of 
        air grant fellowships under section 3.
            (2) Qualifications.--The Administrator shall by regulation 
        prescribe the qualifications required for designation of air 
        grant fellowships under section 3.
            (3) Authority.--In order to carry out the provisions of 
        this Act, the Administrator may--
                    (A) appoint, assign the duties, transfer, and fix 
                the compensation of such personnel as may be necessary, 
                in accordance with civil service laws;
                    (B) make appointments with respect to temporary and 
                intermittent services to the extent authorized by 
                section 3109 of title 5, United States Code;
                    (C) enter into contracts, cooperative agreements, 
                and other transactions without regard to section 6101 
                of title 41, United States Code;
                    (D) notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, 
                United States Code, accept donations and voluntary and 
                uncompensated services;
                    (E) accept funds from other Federal departments and 
                agencies, including agencies within the Administration, 
                to pay for and add to activities authorized by this 
                Act; and
                    (F) promulgate such rules and regulations as may be 
                necessary and appropriate.
    (d) Director of National Air Grant Fellowship Program.--
            (1) In general.--The Administrator shall appoint, as the 
        Director of the National Air Grant Fellowship Program, a 
        qualified individual who has appropriate administrative 
        experience and knowledge or expertise in fields related to 
        aerospace. The Director shall be appointed and compensated, 
        without regard to the provisions of title 5 governing 
        appointments in the competitive service, at a rate payable 
        under section 5376 of title 5, United States Code.
            (2) Duties.--Subject to the supervision of the 
        Administrator, the Director shall administer the National Air 
        Grant Fellowship Program and oversee the operation of the 
        National Air Grant Office. In addition to any other duty 
        prescribed by law or assigned by the Administrator, the 
        Director shall--
                    (A) cooperate with institutions of higher education 
                that offer degrees in fields related to aerospace;
                    (B) encourage the participation of graduate and 
                post-graduate students in the National Air Grant 
                Fellowship Program; and
                    (C) cooperate and coordinate with other Federal 
                activities in fields related to aerospace.

SEC. 3. FELLOWSHIPS.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator shall support a program of 
fellowships for qualified individuals at the graduate and post-graduate 
level. The fellowships shall be in fields related to aerospace and 
awarded pursuant to guidelines established by the Administrator. The 
Administrator shall strive to ensure equal access for minority and 
economically disadvantaged students to the program carried out under 
this subsection.
    (b) Aerospace Policy Fellowship.--
            (1) In general.--The Administrator shall award aerospace 
        policy fellowships to support the placement of individuals at 
        the graduate level of education in fields related to aerospace 
        in positions with--
                    (A) the executive branch of the United States 
                Government; and
                    (B) the legislative branch of the United States 
                Government.
            (2) Placement priorities for legislative fellowships.--
                    (A) In general.--In considering the placement of 
                individuals receiving a fellowship for a legislative 
                branch position under paragraph (1)(B), the 
                Administrator shall give priority to placement of such 
                individuals in the following:
                            (i) Positions in offices of, or with 
                        Members on, committees of Congress that have 
                        jurisdiction over the Federal Aviation 
                        Administration.
                            (ii) Positions in offices of Members of 
                        Congress that have a demonstrated interest in 
                        aerospace policy.
                    (B) Equitable distribution.--In placing fellows in 
                positions described under subparagraph (A), the 
                Administrator shall ensure that placements are equally 
                distributed among the political parties.
            (3) Duration.--A fellowship awarded under this subsection 
        shall be for a period of not more than 1 year.
    (c) Restriction on Use of Funds.--Amounts available for fellowships 
under this section, including amounts accepted under section 2(c)(3)(E) 
or appropriated under section 5 to carry out this section, shall be 
used only for award of such fellowships and administrative costs of 
implementing this section.

SEC. 4. INTERAGENCY COOPERATION.

    Each department, agency, or other instrumentality of the Federal 
Government that is engaged in or concerned with, or that has authority 
over, matters relating to aerospace--
            (1) may, upon a written request from the Administrator, 
        make available, on a reimbursable basis or otherwise, any 
        personnel (with their consent and without prejudice to their 
        position and rating), service, or facility that the 
        Administrator deems necessary to carry out any provision of 
        this Act;
            (2) shall, upon a written request from the Administrator, 
        furnish any available data or other information that the 
        Administrator deems necessary to carry out any provision of 
        this Act; and
            (3) shall cooperate with the Administration and duly 
        authorized officials thereof.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator 
$15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025 to carry out 
this Act. Amounts appropriated under the preceding sentence shall 
remain available until expended.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Administration.--The term ``Administration'' means the 
        Federal Aviation Administration.
            (2) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.
            (3) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the National Air Grant Fellowship Program, appointed pursuant 
        to section 2(d).
            (4) Fields related to aerospace.--The term ``fields related 
        to aerospace'' means any discipline or field that is concerned 
        with, or likely to improve, the development, assessment, 
        operation, safety, or repair of aircraft and other airborne 
        objects and systems, including, but not limited to, the 
        following:
                    (A) Aerospace engineering.
                    (B) Aerospace physiology.
                    (C) Aeronautical engineering.
                    (D) Airworthiness engineering.
                    (E) Electrical engineering.
                    (F) Human factors.
                    (G) Software engineering.
                    (H) Systems engineering.
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