HR 1047 IHCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to establish the Silver Scholarship program to encourage increased volunteer work by seniors.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

February 12, 2009CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Mr. SESTAK (for himself and Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and LaborCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to establish the Silver Scholarship program to encourage increased volunteer work by seniors.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SECTION 1. SILVER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS.

(a) In General- Subtitle H of title I of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12653 et seq.), is amended by adding at the end the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

‘SEC. 198F. SILVER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS.

‘(a) Establishment- The Corporation is authorized to award grants to eligible entities, to enable the entities to provide volunteers participating in service projects in accordance with this section with scholarships that may be used by the volunteers or by individuals designated by the volunteers.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(b) Eligible Entities- To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an entity shall be a public agency or private nonprofit organization with experience in administering service programs (including the programs described in or administered under title II of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 5000 et seq.)).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(c) Applications- To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an entity shall submit to the Corporation an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Corporation may reasonably require.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(d) Criteria and Priorities for Grants- The Corporation shall establish criteria and priorities for awarding grants under this section.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(e) Requirements for Scholarship- An entity that receives a grant under subsection (a) shall use the funds made available through the grant to award a scholarship described in subsection (a) to recipients, each of whom--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) is, or has been designated for the scholarship by, a volunteer who--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) has performed not less than 500 hours of volunteer service, of a type specified by the Corporation under subsection (f)(1), during a 12-month period that is--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(i) after the volunteer at issue has attained age 55; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(ii) after the date of the enactment of this section; orCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) has performed not less than 250 hours but less than 500 hours of volunteer service of that type during such a 12-month period, based on compelling personal circumstances; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) has received, during the 5-year period preceding the date that the scholarship is awarded, fewer than 2 scholarships under this section.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(f) Services, Criteria, and Priorities for Scholarships- The Corporation shall--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) specify the types of volunteer service a volunteer may engage in to meet term of service requirements for a scholarship under this section, which shall include--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) tutoring or mentoring in a school, after-school program, or other community-based educational setting; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) assisting persons with special needs, including persons who are homebound, to continue living independently; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) establish criteria and priorities for eligible entities to use in awarding scholarships under this section.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(g) Amount of Scholarship- The entities shall award the scholarships--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) in an amount of not more than $1,000; orCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) in a amount that is prorated based on the individual’s hours of service, for an individual who meets the requirements of subsection (e) with a term of service described in subsection (e)(2)(B).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(h) Use of Scholarships- A scholarship awarded under this section may be used--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) by the volunteer or the person designated by the volunteer, in accordance with subsection (e);CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) only for qualified tuition and related expenses, as defined in section 117 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and only under such conditions as are set forth by the Corporation through regulation; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(3) not later than 20 years after the date of the award of the scholarship, to allow time for ‘an individual’ designated under subsection (e)(1) to use the scholarship.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(i) Authorization of Appropriations- Of the funds appropriated to carry out this section--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) not more than 15 percent shall be used for administrative purposes by the Corporation;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) not less than 50 percent shall be made available for grants under subsection (a) and used to award scholarships to volunteers who have met the term of service requirements for the scholarships by providing tutoring or mentoring described in subsection (f)(1)(A);CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(3) not less than 10 percent shall be made available for such grants and used to award scholarships to volunteers who have met the requirements by providing assistance described in subsection (f)(1)(B); andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(4) not more than 10 percent shall be made available for such grants and used for administrative purposes by the eligible entities receiving the grants.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Authorization of Appropriations- Section 501(a)(2), as amended by section 202(b) of this Act, is further amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) by striking ‘section 198E’ each place it appears and inserting ‘sections 198E and 198F’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) by adding at the end the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(D) SILVER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM- There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out section 198F, $20,000,000 for the first fiscal year beginning after the date of the enactment of section 198F and such sums as are necessary for each fiscal year thereafter.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(c) Table of Contents- The table of contents of the Act is further amended in the items relating to subtitle H of title I, by adding at the end the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘Sec. 198F. Silver scholarship programs.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink