Public Policy
Representative Ros-Lehtinen's Remarks on the Simon Study Abroad Bill
Congressional Record (House of Representatives)
Page: H5947-H5948
June 5, 2007
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Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I am very proud to join Chairman Lantos in introducing his bill, H.R. 1469, the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2007. The Act gives effect to key recommendations of the bipartisan, congressionally mandated report of the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Commission as well as the 9/11 Commission report.
The United States has an increasing need for foreign language expertise, cultural knowledge and better people-to-people diplomacy. We saw a dramatic example of this need, lamentably, after the events of 9/11 when we faced a sudden shortage of qualified speakers of Arabic, Farsi and other strategic languages. A study released last August by the Government Accountability Office indicated that serious language gaps remain within the State Department that can adversely impact State's ability to communicate with foreign audiences and execute critical duties. Study abroad by more American students in places other than traditional destinations in western Europe is essential to our Nation's security and future leadership in the world.
For these reasons, the gentleman from California's bill, H.R. 1469, aims to increase the number and diversity of American students studying abroad with an eventual goal of 1 million per year. It ensures that most of the increase occurs in nontraditional and strategically important destinations, such as China, the Middle East and the developing world.
This Act will establish the Simon Study Abroad Foundation, an independent U.S. Government corporation that can raise private sector funds to promote its work, freed from the large bureaucracies and short-term agendas of other U.S. agencies. By offering competitive grants to universities and educational consortiums based on its priorities, the Foundation will generate broader interest among American schools in study abroad programs, leveraging an impact far greater than a mere direct grant program for students.
To ensure maximum transparency and efficiency, the Foundation will be subject to oversight by an Inspector General and annual congressional reporting requirements.
I appreciate Chairman Lantos incorporating my proposals for those oversight mechanisms in the introduced text of the bill.
I also was pleased to consult with him regarding the small changes made to the bill after committee consideration. Three minor changes make explicit what was already implicit in the bill: Two of them confirm that the Foundation is a new and different approach not intended to supplant other exchange and direct-grant programs currently run by the State Department. The third makes clear that the Foundation should take care to fund only safe, high-quality study abroad programs. A fourth, substantive change aims to make the Foundation more cost-effective by eliminating the compensation for board members that was part of the originally introduced text.
In sum, this Act, Mr. Speaker, represents a creative, forward-thinking initiative to protect American leadership and security in a fast-changing world. H.R. 1469 deserves our enthusiastic support.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Page: H5947-H5948
June 5, 2007
-------------------------------------------------------
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I am very proud to join Chairman Lantos in introducing his bill, H.R. 1469, the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2007. The Act gives effect to key recommendations of the bipartisan, congressionally mandated report of the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Commission as well as the 9/11 Commission report.
The United States has an increasing need for foreign language expertise, cultural knowledge and better people-to-people diplomacy. We saw a dramatic example of this need, lamentably, after the events of 9/11 when we faced a sudden shortage of qualified speakers of Arabic, Farsi and other strategic languages. A study released last August by the Government Accountability Office indicated that serious language gaps remain within the State Department that can adversely impact State's ability to communicate with foreign audiences and execute critical duties. Study abroad by more American students in places other than traditional destinations in western Europe is essential to our Nation's security and future leadership in the world.
For these reasons, the gentleman from California's bill, H.R. 1469, aims to increase the number and diversity of American students studying abroad with an eventual goal of 1 million per year. It ensures that most of the increase occurs in nontraditional and strategically important destinations, such as China, the Middle East and the developing world.
This Act will establish the Simon Study Abroad Foundation, an independent U.S. Government corporation that can raise private sector funds to promote its work, freed from the large bureaucracies and short-term agendas of other U.S. agencies. By offering competitive grants to universities and educational consortiums based on its priorities, the Foundation will generate broader interest among American schools in study abroad programs, leveraging an impact far greater than a mere direct grant program for students.
To ensure maximum transparency and efficiency, the Foundation will be subject to oversight by an Inspector General and annual congressional reporting requirements.
I appreciate Chairman Lantos incorporating my proposals for those oversight mechanisms in the introduced text of the bill.
I also was pleased to consult with him regarding the small changes made to the bill after committee consideration. Three minor changes make explicit what was already implicit in the bill: Two of them confirm that the Foundation is a new and different approach not intended to supplant other exchange and direct-grant programs currently run by the State Department. The third makes clear that the Foundation should take care to fund only safe, high-quality study abroad programs. A fourth, substantive change aims to make the Foundation more cost-effective by eliminating the compensation for board members that was part of the originally introduced text.
In sum, this Act, Mr. Speaker, represents a creative, forward-thinking initiative to protect American leadership and security in a fast-changing world. H.R. 1469 deserves our enthusiastic support.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
