U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii), U.S. Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN) have introduced the Homeland Security Federal Employee Education Act of 2001 and the Homeland Security Education Act of 2001 to strengthen education as a vital national security resource. Senator Akaka, chairman of the Subcommittee on International Security, Proliferation, and Federal Services, Senator Durbin, and Senator Thompson proposed the initiative to strengthen the federal workforce and make certain that our nation's students have the tools to be well-educated in the sciences.
"Not to be outdone by the Soviet Union's first space launch 44 years ago, Congress passed the National Defense Education Act of 1958," Akaka noted during a press conference today in the Capitol. "We were determined to win the space race and make certain that the United States never came up short again in the areas of math, science, technology, or foreign languages.
"Unfortunately, over the past four decades, our country failed to maintain its supremacy in these critical areas. The recent terrorist attacks exposed the strengths and weaknesses of our great country. We saw firsthand the impact of the lack of critical personnel and needed skills in our national security agencies. The United States will remain at risk as long as the federal government is unable to attract and retain talented employees, and as long as U.S. students fall farther behind in math, science, and foreign languages."
The Homeland Security Federal Workforce Act proposes several measures to ensure government preserves its expertise in matters of national security. This bill increases student loan forgiveness programs for those who work in positions of national security and offers fellowships for existing federal employees and those who commit to serve in federal national security positions. It also offers a rotational assignment program for mid-level federal employees and provides training and professional development opportunities.
The Homeland Security Education Act would offer subsidized student loans to encourage the completion of college degrees in mathematics, science, engineering, and foreign languages. It creates a grant program to increase the level of education in science and mathematics and encourage early and innovative foreign language studies. The bill provides incentives for universities to strengthen foreign language proficiencies to levels needed in federal national security agencies and establish programs where students can develop foreign language proficiency as well as scientific and technological knowledge.
The Homeland Security Education Act will also provide assistance for math, science and foreign language studies in grades K through 12. It establishes a grant program to support partnerships between school districts and private entities to help schools improve science and math curriculum, upgrade laboratory facilities, and purchase scientific equipment. The legislation also provides grants for foreign language partnerships in elementary and secondary schools for foreign language instructor training and professional development. Priority for receiving these grants will be given to those districts with the greatest need and those teaching the less commonly taught languages.
"We must make certain that those entering federal service have the needed skills and that our existing workforce has the opportunity to acquire specialized training. As government service becomes more attractive to new employees, we should not ignore the talented people whose expertise and talents guide agencies daily in meeting their missions. These bills will provide fellowships to existing federal employees in fields directly related to their agencies' missions.
"Our measures will strengthen the specific language proficiencies government has identified it needs most for national security by providing grants for the establishment of an advanced foreign language program in leading universities, such as the University of Hawaii, to match language skills to national security requirements," Akaka added. The University of Hawaii is recognized as a model university in foreign language instruction and is noted for particular strengths in its faculty and in its curriculum in Mandarin Chinese, Korean and Japanese. The University of Hawaii is also an authority in the development of enhanced foreign language teaching methods. An assessment by the National Security Education Program (NSEP) found the University of Hawaii to be one of seven universities nationwide that are qualified and willing to participate in this program.
"This legislation responds to our immediate national security needs and helps schools better prepare students for the demands of the 21st Century," Akaka said. "By acting now to identify and develop the right balance of skills in science, math, and foreign languages, we can commit the necessary resources to our schools and teachers to ensure that students graduate with a greater proficiency in the sciences.
"Our aim is to provide needed resources to agencies expressly for the hiring of new employees in critical national security positions and establish programs to attract and retain the best and brightest to government service. As members of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, we are committed to strengthening our federal workforce and ensuring that the nation's students and their teachers have the tools to be well-educated in the critical sciences and languages."
