H.R. 7894
Truman Scholarship Clean House Act
Sponsor: Elise M. Stefanik
1 cosponsor
Official summary
Written by the Congressional Research Service.
Truman Scholarship Clean House Act
This bill makes changes to the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, which awards scholarships to students who plan to attend graduate school in pursuit of a career in public service.
Specifically, the bill dissolves the current Board of Trustees (which oversees the foundation) and terminates all members of the board effective 90 days after the bill's enactment. New board members must be appointed as outlined by the bill.
Additionally, the bill (1) prohibits any board member (other than the Secretary of Education or the Secretary's designee) from serving more than two six-year terms, and (2) establishes a quorum as seven board members.
The board must appoint a new executive secretary of the foundation, who must (1) be appointed by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the board, and (2) serve a four-year term (but may be reappointed).
The bill establishes certain requirements for regional review panels, including that each panel must consist of at least five members appointed annually by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the board and no more than half of the panel may be affiliated with the same political party.
The bill establishes additional scholarship conditions, including by (1) stopping payments to scholarship recipients who commit certain actions (e.g., served as a leader in a student organization suspended for misconduct), and (2) requiring recipients who have their scholarship payments stopped or who are not employed in public service for a certain time period to repay their scholarship with 6% interest.
Text of the bill
(a) Board of Trustees. Section 5 of the Harry S Truman Memorial Scholarship Act (20 U.S.C. 2004) is amended—
(1) in subsection (b)—
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking The Board shall be composed of and all that follows through the end of subparagraph (D); and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
(2) The Board shall be composed of 13 members, as follows:
(A) One member appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
(B) One member appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives.
(C) One member appointed by the majority leader of the Senate.
(D) One member appointed by the minority leader of the Senate.
(E) Eight members, not more than four of whom may be affiliated with the same political party at the time of appointment, to be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.
(F) The Secretary of Education or the Secretary’s designee, who shall serve ex officio as a member of the Board, but shall not be eligible to serve as Chairperson.
(2) by amending subsection (c) to read as follows:
(c)
(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the term of office of each member of the Board (other than Secretary of Education or the Secretary’s designee serving ex officio) shall be six years.
(2) As designated by the President at the time of appointment, of the members first appointed under subsection (b)(2)(E) after the date of enactment of this paragraph—
(A) three shall be appointed for terms of two years;
(B) three shall be appointed for terms of four years; and
(C) two shall be appointed for terms of six years.
(3) Any member of the Board appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve for the remainder of the term for which the member’s predecessor was appointed, and shall be appointed in the same manner as the original appointment for that vacancy was made.
(4) No member of the Board (other than the Secretary of Education or the Secretary’s designee serving ex officio) may serve more than two six-year terms, regardless of whether the terms are consecutive. A member described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (2) who serves an initial term of less than six years, may serve up to two additional six-year terms following the expiration of such member’s initial term.
; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
(e) Seven members of the Board shall constitute a quorum.
(b) Transition and Implementation
(1) Dissolution of existing Board of Trustees. Effective on the date that is 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Board of Trustees of the Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation (as established under section 5 of the Harry S Truman Memorial Scholarship Act (20 U.S.C. 2004)) is dissolved and all members of the Board are terminated.
(2) Appointment of new members. As soon as practicable after the effective date specified in paragraph (1), new members shall be appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation in accordance with section 5 of the Harry S Truman Memorial Scholarship Act (20 U.S.C. 2004), as amended by subsection (a).