,,ii #aahth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #ecca ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,november #ad1 #bjbd,mr4 ,welch introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,a ,,bill ,to create a ,national ,science ,foundation scholarship-for-service ,humanitarian ,tech ,corps1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,humanitarian ,tech ,corps ,act4 #b4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that the ,federal ,government must broadly invest in the technological innovation and talent pipeline of the ,united ,states1 in a manner that is beyond traditional focus areas1 in order to-- 7#a7 develop public interest technology expertise2 and 7#b7 ensure ,federal agencies1 especially agencies tasked with critical humanitarian missions1 have the capacity to uniquely and meaningfully leverage leading-edge technology to improve their operations4 #c4 ,federal humanitarian technology scholarship-for-service program 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,administrator ,the term ,administrator means the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development4 7#b7 ,covered degree ,the term covered degree means a baccalaureate or postgraduate degree that is in-- 7,a7 computer science2 7,b7 data science or data analytics2 or 7,c7 any other science1 technology1 engineering1 or mathematics field that1 as determined by the ,administrator under subsection 7j77#a77;,a7 and shared with the ,director for program facilitation1 enables humanitarian operations and technology-related modernization efforts4 7#c7 ,covered position ,the term covered position1 when used with respect to a scholarship recipient1 means a position of employment 7including a civil service or foreign service position with a qualifying agency7-- 7,a7 for which the scholarship recipient is qualified2 7,b7 that-- 7i7 requires a covered degree2 or 7ii7 does not explicitly require a covered degree but1 as determined by the ,administrator under subsection 7j77#a77;,a77ii7 and shared with the ,director for program facilitation1 directly supports strictly humanitarian operations1 such as an analysis1 management1 or executive position or another operational position that provides such direct support2 and 7,c7 that is with a qualifying agency or a qualifying organization or nongovernmental agency4 7#d7 ,director ,the term ,director means the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation4 7#e7 ,eligible student ,the term eligible student means an individual who-- 7,a7 is a citizen of the ,united ,states2 and 7,b7 is a full-time student enrolled in a program of study leading to a covered degree at a qualifying institution4 7#f7 ,humanitarian ,tech ,corps scholarship ,the term ,humanitarian ,tech ,corps scholarship means a scholarship described in subsection 7c 77#a74 7#g7 ,qualifying agency ,the term qualifying agency means-- 7,a7 the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development2 or 7,b7 another agency1 as determined by the ,administrator under subsection 7j77#a77;,b7 and shared with the ,director for program facilitation4 7#h7 ,qualifying institution ,the term qualifying institution means an institution of higher education1 as defined in section #aja7;a7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja7;a774 7#i7 ,qualifying organization or nongovernmental agency ,the term qualifying organization or nongovernmental agency means an organization or nongovernmental agency identified by the ,administrator under subsection 7j77#a77;,c7 and shared with the ,director for program facilitation4 7#aj7 ,scholarship recipient ,the term scholarship recipient means an eligible student who receives a ,humanitarian ,tech ,corps scholarship and enters into an agreement under subsection 7e74 7b7 ,program established ,the ,director1 in coordination with the ,director of the ,office of ,personnel ,management and the ,administrator1 shall establish a ,federal humanitarian technology scholarship-for-service program 7referred to in this section as the ,humanitarian ,tech ,corps ,program7 to recruit and train the next generation of professionals needed to meet the humanitarian technology needs of the ,federal ,government4 7c7 ,program description and components ,the ,humanitarian ,tech ,corps ,program shall-- 7#a7 award grants1 contracts1 or cooperative agreements to qualifying institutions of higher education to enable the qualifying institutions to provide ,humanitarian ,tech ,corps scholarships to eligible students2 7#b7 in consultation with the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development1 provide the scholarship recipients with summer internship opportunities or other meaningful temporary appointments serving humanitarian purposes in qualifying agencies or qualifying organizations or nongovernmental agencies2 and 7#c7 prioritize the placement of scholarship recipients fulfilling the post-award employment obligation under this section in covered positions in a manner that ensures-- 7,a7 for not less than the first year of such post-award employment obligation required under subsection 7e77#a77;,a71 all scholarship recipients are placed in a covered position with a qualifying agency2 and 7,b7 that after the completion of the first year of such employment obligation1 scholarship recipients may obtain employment in covered positions at a qualifying organization or nongovernmental agency4 7d7 ,scholarship amounts2 scholarship recipient selection 7#a7 ,scholarship amounts ,each ,humanitarian ,tech ,corps scholarship shall be in an amount that covers the scholarship recipient's tuition and fees at the qualifying institution under subsection 7c77#a7 for not more than #d years and provides the scholarship recipient with an additional living stipend4 7#b7 ,selection ,in selecting eligible students to receive ,humanitarian ,tech ,corps scholarships1 a qualifying institution participating in the ,humanitarian ,tech ,corps program shall not exclusively consider the technical background or prior education of the eligible students1 but shall also take into consideration other experiences of the eligible students that may transfer well to humanitarian work4 7e7 ,agreement 7#a7 ,in general ,as a condition of receiving a ,humanitarian ,tech ,corps scholarship1 an eligible student shall enter into an agreement with the qualifying institution providing the scholarship under which the eligible student receiving the scholarship-- 7,a7 agrees to work for a period equal to the duration of the scholarship1 following receipt of the student's degree1 in a covered position2 7,b7 accepts and acknowledges the conditions of support under paragraph 7#b72 and 7,c7 accepts the repayment requirements under subsection 7f7 and all other terms and conditions of the ,humanitarian ,tech ,corps scholarship4 7#b7 ,conditions of support 7,a7 ,provision of documentation and contact information ,as a condition of receiving a ,humanitarian ,tech ,corps scholarship1 an eligible student shall agree to provide the ,office of ,personnel ,management 7in coordination with the ,national ,science ,foundation7 and the qualifying institution with annual verifiable documentation of post-award employment and up-to-date contact information4 7,b7 ,other conditions ,a scholarship recipient shall be liable to the ,united ,states as provided under subsection 7f7 if the individual-- 7i7 fails to maintain an acceptable level of academic standing1 as determined by the ,director1 at the applicable qualifying institution2 7ii7 is dismissed from such qualifying institution for disciplinary reasons2 7iii7 withdraws from the covered degree program before completing the program2 7iv7 declares that the individual does not intend to fulfill the post-award employment obligation under this section2 7v7 fails to maintain or fulfill any of the post-graduation or post-award obligations or requirements of the individual2 or 7vi7 fails to fulfill the requirements of subparagraph 7,a74 7f7 ,repayment 7#a7 ,amount of repayment 7,a7 ,less than #a year of service ,if a circumstance described in subsection 7e77#b77;,b7 occurs before the completion of #a year of a post-award employment obligation under this section1 the total amount of scholarship awards received by the individual under this section shall-- 7i7 be repaid2 or 7ii7 be treated as a loan to be repaid in accordance with paragraph 7#c74 7,b7 #a or more years of service ,if a circumstance described in clause 7iv7 or 7v7 of subsection 7e77#b77;,b7 occurs after the completion of #a or more years of a post-award employment obligation under this section1 the total amount of scholarship awards received by the individual under this section1 reduced by the ratio of the number of years of service completed divided by the number of years of service required1 shall-- 7i7 be repaid2 or 7ii7 be treated as a loan to be repaid in accordance with paragraph 7#c74 7#b7 ,collection of repayment 7,a7 ,in general ,in the event that a scholarship recipient is required to repay a ,humanitarian ,tech ,corps scholarship award1 the qualifying institution providing the scholarship shall-- 7i7 determine the repayment amount and notify the recipient1 the ,director1 and the ,director of the ,office of ,personnel ,management of the amount owed2 and 7ii7 collect the repayment amount within a reasonable period of time1 as determined by the ,director1 or treat the repayment amount as a loan in accordance with paragraph 7#c74 7,b7 ,returned to treasury 7i7 ,in general ,except as provided in clause 7ii71 any repayment collected under this paragraph shall be returned to the ,treasury of the ,united ,states4 7ii7 ,retained percentage ,a qualifying institution may retain a percentage of any repayment the institution collects under this subsection to defray administrative costs associated with the collection4 ,the ,director shall establish a single1 fixed percentage that will apply to all qualifying institutions of higher education under this section4 7#c7 ,loan treatment ,a loan described in subparagraph 7,a77ii7 or 7,b77ii7 of paragraph 7#a7 shall-- 7,a7 be treated as a ,federal ,direct ,unsubsidized ,stafford ,loan under part ,d of title ,,iv of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajhg;a et seq472 and 7,b7 be subject to repayment1 together with interest thereon accruing from the date of the scholarship award1 in accordance with terms and conditions specified by the ,director 7in consultation with the ,secretary of ,education7 in regulations promulgated to carry out this subsection4 7#d7 ,exceptions ,the ,director may provide for the partial or total waiver or suspension of any service or payment obligation by a scholarship recipient-- 7,a7 whenever compliance by the scholarship recipient with the obligation is impossible or would involve extreme hardship to the scholarship recipient2 or 7,b7 if enforcement of such obligation with respect to the scholarship recipient would be unconscionable4 7g7 ,monitoring compliance ,as a condition of participating in the program1 a qualifying institution shall-- 7#a7 enter into an agreement with the ,director to monitor the compliance of scholarship recipients with respect to their post-award employment obligations2 and 7#b7 provide to the ,director and the ,director of the ,office of ,personnel ,management1 on an annual basis1 the post-award employment documentation required under subsection 7e77#b77;,a7 for scholarship recipients supported by the qualifying institution1 during the period beginning upon the receipt of the ,humanitarian ,tech ,corps scholarship and ending upon the completion of the scholarship recipient's post-award employment obligations4 7h7 ,hiring authority 7#a7 ,appointment in excepted service ,notwithstanding any provision of chapter #cc of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 governing appointments in the competitive service1 a qualifying agency shall appoint in the excepted service an individual who has completed the eligible degree program for which a scholarship was awarded4 7#b7 ,noncompetitive conversion ,except as provided in paragraph 7#d71 upon fulfillment of the service term1 an employee appointed under paragraph 7#a7 may be converted noncompetitively to term1 career-conditional1 or career appointment4 7#c7 ,timing of conversion ,a qualifying agency may noncompetitively convert a term employee appointed under paragraph 7#b7 to a career-conditional or career appointment before the term appointment expires4 7#d7 ,authority to decline conversion ,a qualifying agency may decline to make the noncompetitive conversion or appointment under paragraph 7#b7 for cause4 7i7 ,public information 7#a7 ,evaluation ,the ,director1 in coordination with the ,director of the ,office of ,personnel ,management1 shall periodically evaluate and make public1 in a manner that protects the personally identifiable information of scholarship recipients1 information on the success of recruiting individuals for scholarships under this section and on hiring and retaining those individuals in the humanitarian technology workforce1 including information on-- 7,a7 placement rates2 7,b7 where students are placed1 including job titles and descriptions2 7,c7 salary ranges for students not released from obligations under this section2 7,d7 how long after graduation students are placed2 7,e7 how long students stay in the positions they enter upon graduation2 7,f7 how many students are released from obligations2 and 7,g7 what1 if any1 remedial training is required4 7#b7 ,reports ,the ,director1 in coordination with the ,office of ,personnel ,management1 shall submit1 not less frequently than once every #b years1 to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation and the ,committee on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology and the ,committee on ,oversight and ,accountability of the ,house of ,representatives1 a report that includes-- 7,a7 the results of the evaluation under paragraph 7#a72 7,b7 an explanation of any disparity in reporting between scholarship recipients and their respective qualifying institutions2 and 7,c7 any recent statistics regarding the size1 composition1 and educational requirements of the ,federal humanitarian technology workforce4 7#c7 ,resources ,the ,director1 in coordination with the ,director of the ,office of ,personnel ,management1 shall provide consolidated and user-friendly online resources for prospective scholarship recipients1 including1 to the extent practicable-- 7,a7 searchable1 up-to-date1 and accurate information about participating qualifying institutions and job opportunities related to ,humanitarian ,tech ,corps scholarships2 and 7,b7 a description of humanitarian careers for science1 technology1 mathematics1 or engineering students4 7j7 ,administrative responsibilities 7#a7 ,,usaid administrator duties 7,a7 ,decisions regarding humanitarian operations ,by not later than #ahj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator1 after consultation with the ,director1 shall-- 7i7 define the concepts of humanitarian operations and technological modernization efforts for purposes of subsection 7a77#b77;,c72 7ii7 determine which positions directly support humanitarian operations for purposes of subsection 7a77#c77;,b77ii72 and 7iii7 identify the covered degrees that the ,administrator determines meet the requirements of subsection 7a77#b77;,c74 7,b7 ,identification of qualifying agencies 7i7 ,in general ,by not later than #ahj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator1 after consultation with the ,director1 shall identify any other agency1 entity1 office1 or commission that the ,administrator determines is a qualifying agency for purposes of subsection 7a77#g77;,b74 7ii7 ,requirements ,the ,administrator shall identify an agency1 entity1 office1 or commission as a qualifying agency if-- 7,i7 the agency1 entity1 office or commission is-- 7aa7 an ,executive agency1 as defined in section #aja of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 with humanitarian initiatives2 or 7bb7 an agency1 entity1 office1 or commission with humanitarian initiatives that is established in the legislative or judicial branch of the ,federal ,government2 and 7,,ii7 the ,administrator determines such identification is appropriate to meet the humanitarian operations needs of the ,federal ,government4 7iii7 ,special consideration ,in making the determination under clause 7ii77,,ii7 with respect to an agency1 entity1 office1 or commission1 the ,administrator shall give special consideration to the domestic relief work carried out by the agency1 entity1 office1 or commission4 7,c7 ,identification of qualifying organizations or nongovernmental agencies 7i7 ,in general ,by not later than #ahj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator1 after consultation with the ,director1 shall identify organizations and nonprofit agencies that qualify to participate in the ,humanitarian ,tech ,corps program1 in accordance with subsection 7a77#i7 and based on the criteria described in clause 7ii74 7ii7 ,requirements ,in order to be qualified for purposes of clause 7i71 an organization or nonprofit agency shall-- 7,i7 be a partner of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development2 7,,ii7 serve humanitarian objectives2 and 7,,iii7 meet any other requirements determined necessary by the ,administrator to achieve the purposes of this section4 7,d7 ,provision of assistance to the ,director ,by not later than #ahj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator shall provide the ,director with-- 7i7 the definitions described in subparagraph 7,a77i72 7ii7 a list of the covered degrees in accordance with subparagraph 7,a77iii72 7iii7 a list of the qualifying agencies identified under subparagraph 7,b72 and 7iv7 a list of the organizations and nonprofit agencies identified as qualifying organizations or nongovernmental agencies under subparagraph 7,c74 7,e7 ,updates ,on not less than an annual basis1 the ,administrator shall-- 7i7 review the determinations made under subparagraphs 7,a71 7,b71 and 7,c72 7ii7 update any such determinations as needed2 and 7iii7 provide any such updated determinations1 or updated definitions or lists described in subparagraph 7,d71 to the ,director4 7,f7 ,additional assistance ,in addition to the assistance provided under subparagraphs 7,a7 through 7,e71 the ,administrator shall1 upon request by the ,director1 assist the ,director with respect to any other aspects of the ,humanitarian ,tech ,corps scholarship program that relate to humanitarian operations1 in order to enable the ,director to be able to focus on technology talent pipeline development through the program4 7#b7 ,director duties ,the ,director shall annually consult with the ,administrator-- 7,a7 regarding the implementation of the ,humanitarian ,tech ,corps scholarship program2 and 7,b7 to review-- 7i7 the scholarship recipient selection process for the preceding year2 and 7ii7 the ability of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development to provide recommendations regarding the ,humanitarian ,tech ,corps program to the ,national ,science ,foundation for future selection cycles4