,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #hdji ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,september #bi1 #bjbj ,mr4 ,castro of ,texas 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,zeldin1 ,mr4 ,engel1 and ,mr4 ,mc,caul7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to establish the ,department of ,state ,student ,internship ,program as a paid internship program to provide students with the opportunity to learn about a career in diplomacy and foreign affairs1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,department of ,state ,student ,internship ,program ,act4 #b4 ,department of ,state ,student ,internship ,program 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,state shall establish the ,department of ,state ,student ,internship ,program 7in this section referred to as the ,program7 to offer internship opportunities at the ,department of ,state to eligible students to raise awareness of the essential role of diplomacy in the conduct of ,united ,states foreign policy and the realization of ,united ,states foreign policy objectives4 7b7 ,eligibility ,to be eligible to participate in the ,program1 an applicant shall-- 7#a7 be a current student at-- 7,a7 an institution of higher education 7as such term is defined in section #ajb of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajjb772 or 7,b7 an institution of higher education based outside the ,united ,states1 as determined by the ,secretary of ,state2 7#b7 be able to receive and hold an appropriate security clearance2 and 7#c7 satisfy such other criteria as established by the ,secretary4 7c7 ,selection ,the ,secretary of ,state shall establish selection criteria for students to be admitted into the ,program that includes the following3 7#a7 ,demonstrable interest in a career in foreign affairs4 7#b7 ,academic performance4 7#c7 ,such other criteria as determined by the ,secretary4 7d7 ,outreach ,the ,secretary of ,state shall advertise the ,program widely1 including on the internet1 through the ,department of ,state's ,diplomats in ,residence program1 and through other outreach and recruiting initiatives targeting undergraduate and graduate students4 ,the ,secretary shall actively encourage people belonging to traditionally underrepresented groups in terms of racial1 ethnic1 geographic1 gender diversity1 and disability status to apply to the ,program1 including by conducting targeted outreach at minority serving institutions 7as such term is described in section #cga7;a7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajfgq7a7774 7e7 ,compensation 7#a7 ,in general ,students participating in the ,program shall be paid at least-- 7,a7 the amount specified in section #f7;a77#a7 of the ,fair ,labor ,standards ,act of #aich 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #bjf7;a77#a771 or 7,b7 the minimum wage of the jurisdiction in which the internship is located1 whichever is greatest4 7#b7 ,housing assistance ,the ,secretary of ,state shall provide housing to a student participating in the ,program whose permanent address is within the ,united ,states if the location of the internship in which such student is participating is outside the ,united ,states4 7#c7 ,travel assistance ,the ,secretary of ,state shall provide a student participating in the ,program whose permanent address is within the ,united ,states financial assistance to cover the costs of travel once to and once from the location of the internship in which such student is participating1 including travel by air1 train1 bus1 or other transit as appropriate1 if the location of such internship is-- 7,a7 more than #ajj miles from such student's permanent address2 or 7,b7 outside the ,united ,states4 7#d7 ,assistance exempt from taxation ,for purposes of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf1 any amount which 7but for this paragraph7 would be includible in gross income of the eligible recipient by reason of housing assistance described in paragraph 7#b7 or travel assistance described in paragraph 7#c7 shall be excluded from gross income4 7f7 ,working with institutions of higher education ,the ,secretary of ,state is authorized to enter into agreements with institutions of higher education to structure internships to ensure such internships satisfy criteria for academic programs in which participants in such internships are enrolled4 7g7 ,transition period ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state shall transition all unpaid internship programs of the ,department of ,state to internship programs that offer compensation1 including the ,foreign ,service ,internship ,program4 7h7 ,reports ,not later than #ah months after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state shall submit to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of a ,senate a report that includes the following3 7#a7 ,information regarding the number of students1 disaggregated by race1 ethnicity1 gender1 institution of higher learning1 home ,state1 ,state where each student graduated from high school1 and disability status1 who applied to the ,program1 were offered a position1 and participated4 7#b7 ,information on the number of security clearance investigations started and the timeline for completion of such investigations4 7#c7 ,information on expenditures on the ,program4 7#d7 ,information regarding the ,department of ,state's compliance with subsection 7h74 7i7 ,voluntary participation 7#a7 ,in general ,nothing in this section may be construed to compel any employee of the ,department of ,state to participate in the collection of the data or divulge any personal information4 ,department employees shall be informed that their participation in the data collection contemplated by this title is voluntary4 7#b7 ,privacy protection ,any data collected under this section shall be subject to the relevant privacy protection statutes and regulations applicable to ,federal employees4