3/12/2007 United States House of Representatives

The House of Representatives introduced H.R. 1469 the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2007. Building on the momentum created in the Senate last year, this bill establishes a national study abroad program named after its intellectual author, the late distinguished Senator Paul Simon, and is based on the recommendations put forth by the Lincoln Commission. The bill, sponsored by Chairman Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), is expected to be considered by the House Foreign Affairs Committee soon.

The legislation will establish an innovative public-private partnership with higher education to make study abroad accessible to all students. Within ten years time, the program’s objective is that: at least 1 million undergraduate students in the United States will study abroad annually for credit; the demographics of study-abroad participation will reflect the demographics of the United States undergraduate population; and an increasing portion of study abroad will take place in nontraditional locations.

Read NAFSA’s full press release about the bill here: http://www.nafsa.org/press_releases.sec/press_releases.pg/simonbill31207