Background on the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation

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The concept behind such a national study abroad program has received resounding support from citizens across the country, associations in Washington, DC, and Congress.

110th Congress

The Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2007 (H.R. 1469 , S.991), which was only one step away from passage when the 110th Congress ended, gained a lot of support and momentum in Congress as well as from citizens and organizations across the country. The legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.). The bill was unanimously passed by the House in June of 2007, and was sent over to the Senate for consideration, where it passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and was awaiting a vote by the full Senate. Nearly identical legislation had also been introduced in the Senate in March 2007 by Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Norm Coleman (R-Minn.). With 50 cosponsors, the Senate bill (S.991) had gained the strong bipartisan support of half the Senate.
During the 110th Congress, more than 8,900 messages were sent to Congress by more than 5,000 activists asking for support of the Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act. The legislation was also endorsed by more than 40 higher education and educational exchange organizations, and had the active support of university and college presidents around the country.

December 15, 2008
The 110th Congress ended one step short of finishing the work to pass the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act (H.R. 1469). The legislation, thanks to the active support of so many citizens from across the country, has garnered a lot of momentum and support during this Congress, including 50 bipartisan Senate cosponsors, unanimous passage by the House of Representatives, and the endorsement of Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The bill sponsors remain committed to reintroducing and passing the bill early next year.
September 24, 2008
Senator Reid (D-Nev.) made another attempt to pass the 'Advancing America's Priorities Act' (S. 3297). However, after his attempt to overcome Senator Coburn's objections to the whole package proved unsuccessful, Senator Reid decided to break up the package and attempt to pass the individual bills Senator Coburn agreed no longer to oppose. Although Senator Coburn has not yet released his hold on the Simon bill, we know from conversations with Senator Reid's office as well as with the bill's lead Senate sponsors, Senators Durbin (D-Ill.) and Coleman (R-Minn.), that all is not lost yet this year. They will continue to look into other strategies to pass the bill before the end of the Congress.
July 28, 2008
The vote to move forward on 'The Advancing America's Priorities Act' (S. 3297) failed in the Senate by a vote of 52-40 (60 votes were needed to move to debate on the bill). However, there is still a chance the Senate could bring this package back to the floor before the end of the 110th Congress.
July 22, 2008
The Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act was included in a package of bills introduced under the leadership of the Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D- Nev.), in order to move priority bills expeditiously. The package is called 'The Advancing America's Priorities Act' (S. 3297) and is essentially an omnibus authorization bill that contains a group of bipartisan pieces of legislation with broad support that are otherwise being blocked in the Senate. The bill includes provisions in a variety of areas - from advancing medical research, to cracking down on child exploitation, to promoting important U.S. foreign policy goals.
February 13, 2008
The Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act (H.R. 1469) was voted favorably out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The bill, as passed in the committee, incorporates some technical changes as well as a few minor substantive changes, including: reducing the compensation of the Foundation's CEO; adding new requirements related to streamlining administrative costs; and setting up a GAO review of the program in two years. Read Sen. Durbin's press release. The bill will now go to the full Senate for a vote.
December 19, 2007
As the first session of the 110th Congress wraps up and action on the Simon Study Abroad Act has been completed in the House, Representative Lantos (D-Calif.) declared the Simon legislation one of the major successes of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in 2007. Read his press release. Senators Durbin (D-Ill.) and Coleman (R-Minn.), the bill's sponsors in the Senate, are working hard to ensure that the bill will be enacted in 2008.
June 5, 2007
The House of Representatives voted unanimously to pass, as amended, H.R. 1469, the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2007. Read more.
March 27, 2007
Senators Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), along with 20 other original cosponsors, introduced the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2007 (S.991). The legislation, which is nearly identical to the House bill, was referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Read more.
March 27, 2007
The Simon Study Abroad Act, H.R. 1469, was reported unanimously out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee without amendment.
March 12, 2007
U.S. Representatives Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) introduced H.R. 1469, Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act of 2007, named after the late Senator Paul Simon, whose vision inspired the creation and work of the Lincoln Commission. Read more.

109th Congress

During the 109th Congress, more than 1,100 letters were sent to U.S. Senators asking for their support of the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Act of 2006 (S.3744). University and college presidents around the country also actively worked with their Senators to support the legislation. NAFSA and the higher education presidential associations (NASULGC, AASCU, NAICU, ACE, AACC, and AAU) each endorsed the legislation.

Nearly one half of the Senate, Democrats, and Republicans alike, offered their support for the program by cosponsoring S.3744, introduced by Senators Durbin (D-Ill.) and Coleman (R-Minn.).

Read Senator Durbin's introductory remarks on S.3744.

The Vision

The late Senator Paul Simon put forth a vision to open wide the doors to study abroad for all U.S. undergraduate students. He believed that a more internationally educated citizenry would make the United States "more understanding of the rest of the world" and would create "a base of public opinion that would encourage responsible action…" He envisioned a bold program that would change our nation.

Based on this vision and NAFSA's Blue Ribbon Task Force Report, "Securing America's Future: Global Education for a Global Age," the Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program was created by Congress in section 104(a) of Division H of the Constitutional Appropriations Act, 2004 (Public Law 108-199) to research and recommend a program that would dramatically increase and diversify the number of U.S. undergraduate students studying abroad each year.

Building upon the bold vision of Senator Simon, the Commission focused on the primary goals of the program, underrepresented populations in study abroad, diversifying locations of study abroad, ensuring quality and safety, and eliminating barriers to study abroad.

The late Senator Paul Simon suggested funding a program that would pay for each student to study abroad – a worthy, but expensive proposition. The Lincoln Commission, while recognizing that the money needs to be in the hands of the students, wanted to create a more cost-effective program that would address existing institutional barriers to study abroad (curricular, financial, and other) by leveraging institutions to increase opportunity to quality study abroad experiences.

Watch a video of Senator Paul Simon talking about his vision for a more globally educated American citizenry.

Read a message from NAFSA's Executive Director, Marlene M. Johnson, on the Lincoln Commission's Report. (November 2005)

View the Commission's report detailing the current situation, the challenges ahead and the recommended solutions. (November 2005)

View the Lincoln Fellowships Commission Set Press Release. (October 2004)