Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental and Native American Public Policy Act of 1992

by the 102nd Congress of the United States

102^ND UNITED STATES CONGRESS
2^ND SESSION

An Act
To establish the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation, and for other purposes.

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

Section 1. Short Title.

This Act may be cited as the ``Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental and Native American Public Policy Act of 1992´´.

Sec. 2. Repeal of Previous Legislation.

The ``Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Act´´, S. 1176, One Hundred Second Congress, is hereby repealed.

Sec. 3. Findings.

The Congress finds that—

(1) for three decades, Congressman Morris K. Udall has served his country with distinction and honor;

(2) Congressman Morris K. Udall has had a lasting impact on this Nation's environment, public lands, and natural resources, and has instilled in this Nation's youth a love of the air, land, and water;

(3) Congressman Morris K. Udall has been a champion of the rights of Native Americans and Alaska Natives and has used his leadership in the Congress to strengthen tribal self-governance; and

(4) it is a fitting tribute to the leadership, courage, and vision Congressman Morris K. Udall exemplifies to establish in his name programs to encourage the continued use, enjoyment, education, and exploration of our Nation's rich and bountiful natural resources.

Sec. 4. Definitions.

For the purposes of this Act—

(1) the term “Board” means the Board of Trustees of the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation established under section 5(b);

(2) the term “Center” means the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy established at the University of Arizona in 1987;

(3) the term “eligible individual” means a citizen or national of the United States or a permanent resident alien of the United States;

(4) the term “Foundation” means the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation established under section 5(a);

(5) the term “fund” means the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Trust Fund established in section 8;

(6) the term “institution of higher education” has the same meaning given to such term by section 1201(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965; and

(7) the term “State” means each of the several States, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federal States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau (until the Compact of Free Association is ratified).

Sec. 5. Establishment of the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation.

(a) Establishment.—

There is established as an independent entity of the executive branch of the United States Government, the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation.

(b) Board of Trustees.—

The Foundation shall be subject to the supervision and direction of the Board of Trustees. The Board shall be comprised of twelve trustees, eleven of whom shall be voting members of the Board, as follows:

(1) Two Trustees, shall be appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate, after considering the recommendation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, in consultation with the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.

(2) Two Trustees, shall be appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate, after considering the recommendation of the President pro tempore of the Senate, in consultation with the Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate.

(3) Five Trustees, not more than three of whom shall be of the same political party, shall be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, who have shown leadership and interest in—

(A) the continued use, enjoyment, education, and exploration of our Nation's rich and bountiful natural resources, such as presidents of major foundations involved with the environment; or

(B) in the improvement of the health status of Native Americans and Alaska Natives and in strengthening tribal self-governance, such as tribal leaders involved in health and public policy development affecting Native American and Alaska Native communities.

(4) The Secretary of the Interior, or the Secretary's designee, who shall serve as a voting ex officio member of the Board but shall not be eligible to serve as Chairperson.

(5) The Secretary of Education, or the Secretary's designee, who shall serve as a voting ex officio member of the Board but shall not be eligible to serve as Chairperson.

(6) The President of the University of Arizona shall serve as a nonvoting, ex officio member and shall not be eligible to serve as chairperson.

(c) Term of Office.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—

The term of office of each member of the Board shall be six years, except that—

(A) in the case of the Trustees first taking offices—

(i) as designated by the President, one Trustee appointed pursuant to section 5(b)(2) and two trustees appointed pursuant to section 5(b)(3) shall each serve two years; and

(ii) as designated by the President, one Trustee appointed pursuant to section 5(b)(1) and two Trustees appointed pursuant to section 5(b)(3) shall each serve four years; and

(iii) as designated by the President, one Trustee appointed pursuant to section 5(b)(1), one Trustee appointed pursuant to section 5(b)(2), and one Trustee appointed pursuant to section 5(b)(3) shall each serve six years; and

(B) a Trustee appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve for the remainder of the term for which the Trustee's predecessor was appointed and shall be appointed in the same manner as the original appointment for that vacancy was made.

(d) Travel and Subsistence Pay.—

Trustees shall serve without pay, but shall be entitled to reimbursement for travel, subsistence, and other necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as members of the Board.

(e) Location of Foundation.—

The Foundation shall be located in Tucson, Arizona.

(f) Executive Director.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—

There shall be an Executive Director of the Foundation who shall be appointed by the Board. The Executive Director shall be the chief executive officer of the Foundation and shall carry out the functions of the Foundation subject to the supervision and direction of the Board. The Executive Director shall carry out such other functions consistent with the provisions of this Act as the Board shall prescribe.

(2) COMPENSATION.—

The Executive Director of the Foundation shall be compensated at the rate specified for employees in level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States Code.

Sec. 6. Purpose of the Foundation.

It is the purpose of the Foundation to—

(1) increase awareness of the importance of and promote the benefit and enjoyment of the Nation's natural resources;

(2) foster among the American population greater recognition and understanding of the role of the environment, public lands and resources in the development of the United States;

(3) identify critical environmental issues;

(4) establish a Program for Environmental Policy Research and an Environmental Conflict Resolution at the Center;

(5) develop resources to properly train professionals in the environmental and related fields;

(6) provide educational outreach regarding environmental policy; and

(7) develop resources to properly train Native American and Alaska Native professionals in health care and public policy.

Sec. 7. Authority of the Foundation.

(a) Authority of the Foundation.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—

(A) The Foundation, in consultation with the Center, is authorized to identify and conduct such programs, activities, and services as the Foundation considers appropriate to carry out the purposes described in section 6. The Foundation shall have the authority to award scholarships, fellowships, internships, and grants and fund the Center to carry out and manage other programs, activities and services.

(B) The Foundation may provide, directly or by contract, for the conduct of national competition for the purpose of selecting recipients of scholarships, fellowships, internships, and grants awarded under this Act.

(C) The Foundation may award scholarships, fellowships, internships and grants to eligible individuals in accordance with the provisions of this Act for study in fields related to the environment and Native American and Alaska Native health care and tribal public policy. Such scholarships, fellowships, internships and grants shall be awarded to eligible individuals who meet the minimum criteria established by the Foundation.

(2) SCHOLARSHIPS.—

(A) Scholarships shall be awarded to outstanding undergraduate students who intend to pursue careers related to the environment and to outstanding Native American and Alaska Native undergraduate students who intend to pursue careers in health care and tribal public policy.

(B) An eligible individual awarded a scholarship under this Act may receive payments under this Act only during such periods as the Foundation finds that the eligible individual is maintaining satisfactory proficiency and devoting full time to study or research and is not engaging in gainful employment other than employment approved by the Foundation pursuant to regulations of the Board.

(C) The Foundation may require reports containing such information, in such form, and to be filed at such times as the Foundation determines to be necessary from any eligible individual awarded a scholarship under this Act. Such reports shall be accompanied by a certificate from an appropriate official at the institution of higher education, approved by the Foundation, stating that such individual is making satisfactory progress in, and is devoting essentially full time to study or research, except as otherwise provided in this subsection.

(3) FELLOWSHIPS.—

Fellowships shall be awarded to—

(A) outstanding graduate students who intend to pursue advanced degrees in fields related to the environment and to outstanding Native American and Alaska Native graduate students who intend to pursue advanced degrees in health care and tribal public policy, including law and medicine; and

(B) faculty from a variety of disciplines to bring the expertise of such faculty to the Foundation.

(4) INTERNSHIPS.—

Internships shall be awarded to—

(A) deserving and qualified individuals to participate in internships in Federal, State and local agencies or in offices of major environmental organizations pursuant to section 6; and

(B) deserving and qualified Native American and Alaska Native individuals to participate in internships in Federal, State and local agencies or in offices of major public health or public policy organizations pursuant to section 6.

(5) GRANTS.—

The Foundation shall award grants to the Center—

(A) to provide for an annual panel of experts to discuss contemporary environmental issues;

(B) to conduct environmental policy research;

(C) to conduct research on Native American and Alaska Native health care issues and tribal public policy issues; and

(D) for visiting policymakers to share the practical experiences of such for visiting policymakers with the Foundation.

(6) REPOSITORY.—

The Foundation shall provide direct or indirect assistance from the proceeds of the Fund to the Center to maintain the current site of the repository for Morris K. Udall's papers and other such public papers as may be appropriate and assure such papers' availability to the public.

(7) COORDINATION.—

The Foundation shall assist in the development and implementation of a Program for Environmental Policy Research and Environmental Conflict Resolution to be located at the Center.

(b) Morris K. Udall Scholars.—

Recipients of scholarships, fellowships, internships, and grants under this Act shall be known as “Morris K. Udall Scholars”.

(c) Program Priorities.—

The Foundation shall determine the priority of the programs to be carried out under this Act and the amount of funds to be allocated for such programs. However, not less than 50 percent shall be utilized for the programs set forth in section 6(a)(2), section 6(a)(3), and section 6(a)(4), not more than 15 percent shall be used for salaries and other administrative purposes, and not less than 20 percent shall be appropriated to the Center for section 6(a)(5), section 6(a)(6), and section 6(a)(7) conditioned on a 25-percent match from other sources and further conditioned on adequate space at the Center being made available for the Executive Director and other appropriate staff of the Foundation by the Center.

Sec. 8. Establishment of the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Trust Fund.

(a) Establishment of Fund.—

There is established in the Treasury of the United States a trust fund to be known as the “Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Trust Fund” to be administered by a Foundation. The fund shall consist of amounts appropriated to it pursuant to section 11 and amounts credited to it under subsection (b).

(b) Investment of Fund Assets.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—

It shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to invest, at the direction of the Foundation Board, in full the amounts appropriated to the Fund. Such investments shall be in public debt securities with maturities suitable to the needs of the Fund. Investments in public debt securities shall bear interest at “rates determined by the Secretary of the Treasury taking into consideration the current average market yield on outstanding marketable obligations of the United States” of comparable maturity.

Sec. 9. Expenditures and Audit of Trust Fund.

(a) In General.—

The Foundation shall pay from the interest and earnings of the Fund such sums as the Board determines are necessary and appropriate to enable the Foundation to carry out the provisions of this Act.

(b) Audit by General Accounting Office.—

The activities of the Foundation and the Center under this Act may be audited by the General Accounting Office under such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the Comptroller General of the United States. Representatives of the General Accounting Office shall have access to all books, accounts, records, reports filed and all other papers, things, or property belonging to or in use by the Foundation and the Center, pertaining to such federally assisted activities and necessary to facilitate the audit.

Sec. 10. Administrative Provisions.

In General.—

In order to carry out the provisions of this Act, the Foundation may—

(1) appoint and fix the compensation of such personnel as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act, except that in no case shall employees other than the Executive Director be compensated at a rate to exceed the maximum rate for employees in grade GS-15 of the General Schedule under section 5332 of title 5, United States Code;

(2) procure or fund the Center to procure temporary and intermittent services of experts and consultants as are necessary to the extent authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, but at rates not to exceed the rate specified at the time of such service for level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States Code;

(3) prescribe such regulations as the Foundation considers necessary governing the manner in which its functions shall be carried out;

(4) accept, hold, administer, and utilize gifts, both real and personal, for the purpose of aiding or facilitating the work of the Foundation;

(5) accept and utilize the services of voluntary and noncompensated personnel and reimburse such personnel for travel expenses, including per diem, as authorized by section 5703 of title 5, United States Code;

(6) enter into contracts, grants, or other arrangements or modifications thereof, to carry out the provisions of this Act, and such contracts or modifications thereof may, with the concurrence of two-thirds of the members of the Board of Trustees, be entered into without performance or other bonds, and without regard to section 3709 of the Revised Statutes (41 U.S.C. 5); and

(7) make other necessary expenditures.

Sec. 11. Authorization of Appropriations.

There are authorized to be appropriated to the Fund $40,000,000 to carry out the provisions of this Act.

Approved March 19, 1992.

Legislative History

• S. 2184, (H.R. 4185, S. 1176)

• CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 138 (1992):
  • Feb. 4, considered and passed Senate.
  • Mar. 3, considered and passed House.
• WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS, Vol. 28 (1992):
  • Mar. 19, Presidential statement.

Notes

1. For details concerning purported pocket veto (the cause for the repeal in Section 2.) of S. 1176, One Hundred Second Congress, see:
   • Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Vol. 28 (1992), no. 12, p. 507, Mar. 19, Presidential Statement, and
   • Cong. Rec., Vol. 138, pt. 3, p. 4078.
2. The 1992 Short Title was changed by section 2. of the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Amendments Act of 2009's Enactment to be cited from then on as the ‘Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation Act’.