John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship Act of 2022

Bill: 117-s-4800
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO]
Introduced: 2022-09-07
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Area studies and international education

Congressional oversight

Congressional tributes

Employment and training programs

Higher education

Human rights

International exchange and broadcasting
Latest action: action_date: 2022-09-07
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Summaries:
action_date: 2022-09-07
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship Act of 2022</strong></p> <p>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).</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p>

tv_txt: II 117th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4800 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 7, 2022 Mr. Hickenlooper (for himself, Mr. Scott of South Carolina , Mr. Ossoff , and Ms. Collins ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations A BILL 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.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship Act of 2022 . 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: 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. . 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. .