AI Scholarship-for-Service Act

II 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. 3901 To establish a Federal artificial intelligence scholarship-for-service program. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JUNE 4, 2020 Mr. PETERS (for himself and Mr. GARDNER) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Edu- cation, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To establish a Federal artificial intelligence scholarship-for- service program. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘AI Scholarship-for- 4 Service Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. FEDERAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SCHOLAR- 6 SHIP-FOR-SERVICE PROGRAM. 7 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 8 (1) ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.—The term ‘‘ar- 9 tificial intelligence’’ or ‘‘AI’’ has the meaning given 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:49 Jun 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3901.IS S3901 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 3901 IS the term ‘‘artificial intelligence’’ in section 238(g) of 1 the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization 2 Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (10 U.S.C. 2358 note). 3 (2) EXECUTIVE AGENCY.—The term ‘‘executive 4 agency’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘Executive 5 agency’’ in section 105 of title 5, United States 6 Code. 7 (3) REGISTERED INTERNSHIP.—The term ‘‘reg- 8 istered internship’’ means a Federal Registered In- 9 ternship Program coordinated through the Depart- 10 ment of Labor. 11 (b) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National 12 Science Foundation, in coordination with the Director of 13 the Office of Personnel Management, the Director of the 14 National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the 15 heads of other agencies with appropriate scientific knowl- 16 edge, shall establish a Federal artificial intelligence schol- 17 arship-for-service program (referred to in this section as 18 the ‘‘Federal AI Scholarship-for-Service Program’’) to re- 19 cruit and train artificial intelligence professionals to lead 20 and support the application of artificial intelligence to the 21 missions of Federal, State, local, and Tribal governments. 22 (c) QUALIFIED INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDU- 23 CATION.—The Director of the National Science Founda- 24 tion, in coordination with the heads of other agencies with 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:49 Jun 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3901.IS S3901 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 3901 IS appropriate scientific knowledge, shall establish criteria to 1 designate qualified institutions of higher education that 2 shall be eligible to participate in the Federal AI Scholar- 3 ship-for-Service program. Such criteria shall include— 4 (1) measures of the institution’s demonstrated 5 excellence in the education of students in the field 6 of artificial intelligence; and 7 (2) measures of the institution’s ability to at- 8 tract and retain a diverse and non-traditional stu- 9 dent population in the fields of science, technology, 10 engineering, and mathematics, which may include 11 the ability to attract women, minorities, and individ- 12 uals with disabilities. 13 (d) PROGRAM DESCRIPTION AND COMPONENTS.— 14 The Federal AI Scholarship-for-Service Program shall— 15 (1) provide scholarships through qualified insti- 16 tutions of higher education to students who are en- 17 rolled in programs of study at institutions of higher 18 education leading to degrees or concentrations in or 19 related to the artificial intelligence field; 20 (2) provide the scholarship recipients with sum- 21 mer internship opportunities, registered internships, 22 or other meaningful temporary appointments in the 23 Federal information technology workforce focusing 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:49 Jun 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3901.IS S3901 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 3901 IS on artificial intelligence (referred to in this section 1 as ‘‘AI’’) projects or research; 2 (3) prioritize the employment placement of 3 scholarship recipients in executive agencies; 4 (4) identify opportunities to promote multi-dis- 5 ciplinary programs of study that integrate basic or 6 advanced AI training with other fields of study, in- 7 cluding those that address the social, economic, 8 legal, and ethical implications of human interaction 9 with AI systems; and 10 (5) support capacity-building education re- 11 search programs that will enable postsecondary edu- 12 cational institutions to expand their ability to train 13 the next-generation AI workforce, including AI re- 14 searchers and practitioners. 15 (e) SCHOLARSHIP AMOUNTS.—Each scholarship 16 under subsection (d) shall be in an amount that covers 17 the student’s tuition and fees at the institution for not 18 more than 3 years and provides the student with an addi- 19 tional stipend. 20 (f) POST-AWARD EMPLOYMENT OBLIGATIONS.— 21 Each scholarship recipient, as a condition of receiving a 22 scholarship under the program, shall enter into an agree- 23 ment under which the recipient agrees to work for a period 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:49 Jun 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3901.IS S3901 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 3901 IS equal to the length of the scholarship, following receipt 1 of the student’s degree, in the AI mission of— 2 (1) an executive agency; 3 (2) Congress, including any agency, entity, of- 4 fice, or commission established in the legislative 5 branch; 6 (3) an interstate agency; 7 (4) a State, local, or Tribal government, which 8 may include instruction in AI-related skill sets in a 9 public school system; or 10 (5) a State, local, or Tribal government-affili- 11 ated nonprofit that is considered to be critical infra- 12 structure (as defined in section 1016(e) of the USA 13 Patriot Act (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e))). 14 (g) HIRING AUTHORITY.— 15 (1) APPOINTMENT IN EXCEPTED SERVICE.— 16 Notwithstanding any provision of chapter 33 of title 17 5 governing appointments in the competitive service, 18 an executive agency shall appoint in the excepted 19 service an individual who has completed the eligible 20 degree program for which a scholarship was award- 21 ed. 22 (2) NONCOMPETITIVE CONVERSION.—Except as 23 provided in paragraph (4), upon fulfillment of the 24 service term, an employee appointed under para- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:49 Jun 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3901.IS S3901 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 3901 IS graph (1) may be converted noncompetitively to 1 term, career-conditional or career appointment. 2 (3) TIMING OF CONVERSION.—An executive 3 agency may noncompetitively convert a term em- 4 ployee appointed under paragraph (2) to a career- 5 conditional or career appointment before the term 6 appointment expires. 7 (4) AUTHORITY TO DECLINE CONVERSION.—An 8 executive agency may decline to make the non- 9 competitive conversion or appointment under para- 10 graph (2) for cause. 11 (h) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a scholar- 12 ship under this section, an individual shall— 13 (1) be a citizen or lawful permanent resident of 14 the United States; 15 (2) demonstrate a commitment to a career in 16 advancing the field of AI; 17 (3) be— 18 (A) a full-time student in an eligible degree 19 program at a qualified institution of higher 20 education, as determined by the Director of the 21 National Science Foundation; 22 (B) a student pursuing a degree on a less 23 than full-time basis, but not less than half-time 24 basis; or 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:49 Jun 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3901.IS S3901 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 3901 IS (C) an AI faculty member on sabbatical to 1 advance knowledge in the field; and 2 (4) accept the terms of a scholarship under this 3 section. 4 (i) CONDITIONS OF SUPPORT.— 5 (1) IN GENERAL.—As a condition of receiving a 6 scholarship under this section, a recipient shall agree 7 to provide the qualified institution of higher edu- 8 cation with annual verifiable documentation of post- 9 award employment and up-to-date contact informa- 10 tion. 11 (2) TERMS.—A scholarship recipient under this 12 section shall be liable to the United States as pro- 13 vided in subsection (k) if the individual— 14 (A) fails to maintain an acceptable level of 15 academic standing at the applicable institution 16 of higher education, as determined by the Di- 17 rector of the National Science Foundation; 18 (B) is dismissed from the applicable insti- 19 tution of higher education for disciplinary rea- 20 sons; 21 (C) withdraws from the eligible degree pro- 22 gram before completing the program; 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:49 Jun 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3901.IS S3901 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 3901 IS (D) declares that the individual does not 1 intend to fulfill the post-award employment ob- 2 ligation under this section; or 3 (E) fails to fulfill the post-award employ- 4 ment obligation of the individual under this sec- 5 tion. 6 (j) MONITORING COMPLIANCE.—As a condition of 7 participating in the program, a qualified institution of 8 higher education shall— 9 (1) enter into an agreement with the Director 10 of the National Science Foundation, to monitor the 11 compliance of scholarship recipients with respect to 12 their post-award employment obligations; and 13 (2) provide to the Director of the National 14 Science Foundation, on an annual basis, the post- 15 award employment documentation required under 16 subsection (i)(1) for scholarship recipients through 17 the completion of their post-award employment obli- 18 gations. 19 (k) AMOUNT OF REPAYMENT.— 20 (1) LESS THAN 1 YEAR OF SERVICE.—If a cir- 21 cumstance described in subsection (i)(2) occurs be- 22 fore the completion of 1 year of a post-award em- 23 ployment obligation under this section, the total 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:49 Jun 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3901.IS S3901 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 3901 IS amount of scholarship awards received by the indi- 1 vidual under this section shall— 2 (A) be repaid; or 3 (B) be treated as a loan to be repaid in ac- 4 cordance with subsection (l). 5 (2) 1 OR MORE YEARS OF SERVICE.—If a cir- 6 cumstance described in subparagraph (D) or (E) of 7 subsection (i)(2) occurs after the completion of 1 or 8 more years of a post-award employment obligation 9 under this section, the total amount of scholarship 10 awards received by the individual under this section, 11 reduced by the ratio of the number of years of serv- 12 ice completed divided by the number of years of 13 service required, shall— 14 (A) be repaid; or 15 (B) be treated as a loan to be repaid in ac- 16 cordance with subsection (l). 17 (l) REPAYMENTS.—A loan described in subsection (k) 18 shall— 19 (1) be treated as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized 20 Stafford Loan under part D of title IV of the High- 21 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq.); 22 and 23 (2) be subject to repayment, together with in- 24 terest thereon accruing from the date of the scholar- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:49 Jun 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3901.IS S3901 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 3901 IS ship award, in accordance with terms and conditions 1 specified by the Director of the National Science 2 Foundation (in consultation with the Secretary of 3 Education) in regulations promulgated to carry out 4 this subsection. 5 (m) COLLECTION OF REPAYMENT.— 6 (1) IN GENERAL.—In the event that a scholar- 7 ship recipient is required to repay the scholarship 8 award under this section, the qualified institution of 9 higher education providing the scholarship shall— 10 (A) determine the repayment amounts and 11 notify the recipient and the Director of the Na- 12 tional Science Foundation of the amounts owed; 13 and 14 (B) collect the repayment amounts within 15 a period of time as determined by the Director 16 of the National Science Foundation, or the re- 17 payment amounts shall be treated as a loan in 18 accordance with subsection (l). 19 (2) RETURNED TO TREASURY.—Except as pro- 20 vided in paragraph (3), any repayment under this 21 subsection shall be returned to the Treasury of the 22 United States. 23 (3) RETAIN PERCENTAGE.—A qualified institu- 24 tion of higher education may retain a percentage of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:49 Jun 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3901.IS S3901 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 3901 IS any repayment the institution collects under this 1 subsection to defray administrative costs associated 2 with the collection. The Director of the National 3 Science Foundation shall establish a single, fixed 4 percentage that will apply to all eligible entities. 5 (n) EXCEPTIONS.—The Director of the National 6 Science Foundation may provide for the partial or total 7 waiver or suspension of any service or payment obligation 8 by an individual under this section whenever compliance 9 by the individual with the obligation is impossible or would 10 involve extreme hardship to the individual, or if enforce- 11 ment of such obligation with respect to the individual 12 would be unconscionable. 13 (o) PUBLIC INFORMATION.— 14 (1) EVALUATION.—The Director of the Na- 15 tional Science Foundation, in coordination with the 16 Director of the Office of Personnel Management, 17 shall annually evaluate and make public, in a man- 18 ner that protects the personally identifiable informa- 19 tion of scholarship recipients, information on the 20 success of recruiting individuals for scholarships 21 under this section and on hiring and retaining those 22 individuals in the public sector AI workforce, includ- 23 ing information on— 24 (A) placement rates; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:49 Jun 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3901.IS S3901 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 3901 IS (B) where students are placed, including 1 job titles and descriptions; 2 (C) salary ranges for students not released 3 from obligations under this section; 4 (D) how long after graduation students are 5 placed; 6 (E) how long students stay in the positions 7 they enter upon graduation; 8 (F) how many students are released from 9 obligations; and 10 (G) what, if any, remedial training is re- 11 quired. 12 (2) REPORTS.—The Director of the National 13 Science Foundation, in coordination with the Office 14 of Personnel Management, shall submit, not less fre- 15 quently than once every 3 years, to the Homeland 16 Security and Governmental Affa [Text truncated for display. 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