Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act

The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act is a congressional initiative to greatly expand study abroad opportunities for U.S. undergraduates. The legislation has gained strong bipartisan support in Congress and has also been endorsed by more than 40 higher education and educational exchange organizations.

Program Goals
Establish an innovative public-private partnership to create a more globally informed American citizenry by: Increasing participation in quality study abroad programs. Encouraging diversity in student participation in study abroad. Diversifying locations of study abroad, particularly in developing countries. Making study abroad a cornerstone of today's higher education.

The Legislation

The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act is a visionary bill to address today’s need for more Americans to know more about the rest of the world as a basic part of their undergraduate education. By numbers ranging from 77 percent to more than 90 percent, Americans believe that it is important for their children to learn other languages, study abroad, attend a college where they can interact with international students, learn about other countries and cultures, and generally be prepared for a global age, according to a national survey conducted by Lake Research Partners and the Tarrance Group.

The concept of the legislation is based on the vision of the late distinguished Senator Paul Simon and the recommendations put forth by the Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program. This legislation creates a national program that will establish study abroad as the norm, not the exception, for undergraduate students. 

This legislation, once signed into law, will authorize the creation of the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation and will define the goals and objectives of the program. Once the foundation and program are authorized, specific funding levels will be determined through a separate appropriations process.

Endorsements

• More than 40 organizations send letter to the Hill in support of Simon Study Abroad Act
• 9/11 Commission Chairs Endorse Simon Bill
• Dozens of organizations endorse the Simon Bill
• Higher Ed. Associations Support Simon Bill

Congressional Action

111th Congress

June 10, 2009

The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives as part of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 (H.R. 2410) by a vote of 235-187. This broad foreign relations bill authorizes funding for the operations of the U.S. Department of State and the Peace Corps, and includes innovative new programs like the Simon Act that enhance U.S. capacity to engage with the world. Read a summary of all international education related provisions in the bill.  The bill will now go to the U.S. Senate. Read NAFSA's press release. Read Representative Berman's press release.

May 14, 2009

The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act is included in the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 (H.R. 2410) introduced today by U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D – Calif.). While the authorization bill’s primary purpose is to authorize funding for the operations of the U.S. Department of State, it also includes innovative programs like the Simon legislation that are critical to accomplishing U.S. foreign policy and public diplomacy goals. Read NAFSA's press release. Read Representative Berman's press release on the Foreign Relations Authorization Act. Senator Durbin (D-Ill.) commends Rep. Berman for including the Simon bill in the House Foreign Relations Act. Read his press release.

February 25, 2009

U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) introduced the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2009 (S. 473) to establish a study abroad program for undergraduate students that would help build global awareness and international understanding. The bill is nearly identical to legislation that enjoyed strong bipartisan support and public momentum in the last Congress and was one step from passage when the session ended in December. Read the press release issued by Senators Durbin and Wicker.

110th Congress

December 15, 2008
The 110th Congress ended one step short of finishing the work to pass the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act (H.R. 1469). The legislation, thanks to the active support of so many citizens from across the country, has garnered a lot of momentum and support during this Congress, including 50 bipartisan Senate cosponsors, unanimous passage by the House of Representatives, and the endorsement of Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The bill sponsors remain committed to reintroducing and passing the bill early next year.
September 24, 2008
Senator Reid (D-Nev.) made another attempt to pass the ‘Advancing America’s Priorities Act’ (S. 3297). However, after his attempt to overcome Senator Coburn’s objections to the whole package proved unsuccessful, Senator Reid decided to break up the package and attempt to pass the individual bills Senator Coburn agreed no longer to oppose. Although Senator Coburn has not yet released his hold on the Simon bill, we know from conversations with Senator Reid’s office as well as with the bill’s lead Senate sponsors, Senators Durbin (D-Ill.) and Coleman (R-Minn.), that all is not lost yet this year. They will continue to look into other strategies to pass the bill before the end of the Congress.
July 28, 2008
The vote to move forward on ‘The Advancing America’s Priorities Act’ (S. 3297) failed in the Senate by a vote of 52-40 (60 votes were needed to move to debate on the bill). However, there is still a chance the Senate could bring this package back to the floor before the end of the 110th Congress.
July 22, 2008
The Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act was included in a package of bills introduced under the leadership of the Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D- Nev.), in order to move priority bills expeditiously. The package is called 'The Advancing America's Priorities Act' (S. 3297) and is essentially an omnibus authorization bill that contains a group of bipartisan pieces of legislation with broad support that are otherwise being blocked in the Senate. The bill includes provisions in a variety of areas - from advancing medical research, to cracking down on child exploitation, to promoting important U.S. foreign policy goals.
February 13, 2008
The Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act (H.R. 1469) was voted favorably out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The bill, as passed in the committee, incorporates some technical changes as well as a few minor substantive changes, including: reducing the compensation of the Foundation’s CEO; adding new requirements related to streamlining administrative costs; and setting up a GAO review of the program in two years. Read Sen. Durbin's press release. The bill will now go to the full Senate for a vote.
December 19, 2007
As the first session of the 110th Congress wraps up and action on the Simon Study Abroad Act has been completed in the House, Representative Lantos (D-Calif.) declared the Simon legislation one of the major successes of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in 2007. Read his press release. Senators Durbin (D-Ill.) and Coleman (R-Minn.), the bill's sponsors in the Senate, are working hard to ensure that the bill will be enacted in 2008.
June 5, 2007
The House of Representatives voted unanimously to pass, as amended, H.R. 1469, the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2007. Read more.
March 27, 2007
Senators Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), along with 20 other original cosponsors, introduced the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2007 (S.991). The legislation, which is nearly identical to the House bill, was referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Read more.
March 27, 2007
The Simon Study Abroad Act, H.R. 1469, was reported unanimously out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee without amendment.
March 12, 2007
U.S. Representatives Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) introduced H.R. 1469, Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2007, named after the late Senator Paul Simon, whose vision inspired the creation and work of the Lincoln Commission.  Read more.

Additional Resources

• Background on the Legislation including more information on the legislative history, the vision, and the Lincoln Commission's recommendations.
• Learn how a bill becomes a law (61kb )
• Open Doors Secure Borders: Advantages of Education Abroad for Public Policy (654kb )
  
• Demographics of Study Abroad
• Public Policy Benefits of Study Abroad
• Study Abroad Participation by State