Sec. 361. Federal Fellowship and Scholarship Center
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In this section: The term Center means the Federal Fellowship and Scholarship Center established under subsection (b). The term civil service has the meaning given the term in section 2101 of title 5, United States Code. The term covered agency means an Executive agency or military department. The term critical skills means any knowledge, skills, abilities, or education that a sponsoring agency determines is necessary to meet critical workforce requirements. The term Director means the Director of the Office of Personnel Management.
The term Executive Director means the Executive Director of the Center appointed under subsection (c)(1). The term fellowship means a short-term employment opportunity (other than a post-fellowship service requirement), of not more than 2 years in length, that is intended to provide the recipient with work experience with a covered agency that prepares the recipient for permanent employment with a covered agency. The term institution of higher education has the meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1001 ).
The term intern means a student enrolled in an institution of higher education who is providing voluntary services to a covered agency under section 3111(b) of title 5, United States Code. The term scholarship means— financial support paid by a covered agency towards the cost to an individual of attendance at an institution of higher education that is authorized to participate in a Federal student aid program under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq. ) in a course of study leading to a credential in a critical skill or another program that requires the individual to demonstrate an interest in or agreement to pursue a career in public service; or financial support paid by a covered agency towards the cost to an individual of procuring private instruction in a critical skill.
The term sponsoring agency means any covered agency, or any administration, service, board, or bureau part thereof, that operates a fellowship or scholarship program. The Director shall establish and maintain a Federal Fellowship and Scholarship Center to administer, manage, and promote all fellowship and scholarship programs in order to attract individuals to serve in the Federal Government in a civilian capacity and facilitate the entry of those individuals into the civil service.
The Director shall appoint an individual with appropriate expertise to serve as the Executive Director of the Center, which shall be a position in the Senior Executive Service. The Executive Director shall be appointed for a term of 5 years. The Director of the Council on Military, National, and Public Service established under section 201 shall provide strategic guidance to, and facilitate interagency cooperation with, the Executive Director. The Executive Director shall issue any regulations necessary to implement and manage the Center.
The Center shall— establish, maintain, and operate an online platform accessible to the public that contains information regarding every fellowship and scholarship opportunity available, including information on how individuals may apply for the opportunity; approve, promote, and facilitate fellowship and scholarship programs at the request of a sponsoring agency to meet workforce requirements of the sponsoring agency, especially in critical skill areas; develop a standard application for fellowships and scholarships for use by applicants and sponsoring agencies, which may be supplemented by additional requirements of a sponsoring agency; and ensure that an individual who successfully completes a fellowship or scholarship program is able to utilize the noncompetitive eligibility for employment in the competitive service provided under section 370(b).
The Executive Director shall establish and operate a Virtual Student Federal Service, an online platform through which Executive agencies may solicit for interns to work approximately 10 hours per week during the academic school year. An intern appointed by an Executive agency under paragraph (1)— shall communicate with and submit work to the Executive agency electronically; and shall not be required to travel. An Executive agency sponsoring an opportunity through the Virtual Student Federal Service shall provide the Center with relevant information about the intern services needed by the Executive agency.
The head of a sponsoring agency— shall establish the terms of each fellowship or scholarship program, including eligibility requirements, compensation, and length of service requirements; shall provide the Center with the necessary information on existing fellowship and scholarship programs to enable the Center to fulfill its responsibilities to promote and facilitate those programs through the online platform and application process described in paragraphs
(1)and (3), respectively, of subsection (d); shall select recipients of fellowships and scholarships in a timely manner from among the applicants identified by the Center; with respect to a scholarship awarded to an individual, may pay the scholarship— directly to the individual; or to the institution of higher education in which the individual is enrolled, if applicable; and shall comply with requests from the Center for information about the status of the fellowship and scholarship programs of the sponsoring agency. Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Executive Director shall submit to Congress a report on the establishment of the Center, including— the status of the online platform established under subsection (d)(1); the participation of sponsoring agencies; the number of applicants; and any additional information the Director requires. There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.
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