U.S. House of Representatives Passes Simon Study Abroad Bill

WASHINGTON, June 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act gained significant momentum yesterday as it passed the U.S. House of Representatives as part of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 (H.R. 2410). The Foreign Relations Act, introduced last month by Representative Howard Berman (D-Calif.), is a comprehensive piece of legislation to enhance the U.S. foreign policy efforts of the U.S. Department of State and the Peace Corps. It also includes new initiatives like the Simon legislation that are aimed at advancing U.S. global engagement.

“NAFSA commends Representative Berman and the House of Representatives for their leadership on this legislation that provides a much-needed boost in our capacity to engage with the world,” said NAFSA Executive Director and CEO Marlene M. Johnson. “We especially applaud the inclusion of the Simon Study Abroad Act, which will increase fourfold the number of students studying abroad each year in quality programs across the globe and will ensure that our college graduates have the skills they need to meet today’s global demands.”

The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Act is named for the late senator from Illinois, who believed that a more internationally educated citizenry would “lift our vision and responsiveness to the rest of the world.” Based on his vision and the recommendations of the congressionally appointed Lincoln Commission, the Simon Act sets the goal that in 10 years’ time at least one million American college students from diverse backgrounds will study abroad annually in locations across the globe, with an emphasis on destinations in developing countries. To achieve this goal, the legislation establishes an innovative new structure that will provide financial support to students to study abroad, while at the same time requiring U.S. higher education institutions to address the on-campus factors that currently impede students’ ability to study abroad. “It is the Simon Act’s innovative approach to leveraging institutional reform that will make it possible for this program to dramatically increase participation in study abroad – to make it an integral part of the 21st-century education of American college students,” Johnson said.

The Foreign Relations Act also contains other important investments critical to the effectiveness of U.S. public diplomacy, foreign policy, and national security efforts, such as: doubling the size of the Peace Corps; increasing the authorization for the U.S. Department of State’s educational and cultural exchange programs; providing scholarships for students from various regions around the world to study in the U.S.; authorizing the hiring of an additional 1,500 foreign service officers over the next two years; improving the State Department’s tools for recruiting and training these officers; and requiring the president to issue a report to Congress on plans to streamline U.S. export controls to better serve the needs of the U.S. scientific and research communities.

The legislation will now go to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for a vote. The Senate version of the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2009 (S.473) was introduced by Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) earlier this year.

With 10,000 members, NAFSA: Association of International Educators is the world’s largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education. Visit us at www.nafsa.org and join our Facebook page to keep up to date on the Simon legislation.

SOURCE NAFSA: Association of International Educators