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Increase participation in the Fellowship Program, RPPL 9-43 2015

RPPL No. 9-43

NINTH OLBIIL ERA KELULAU

Sixth Regular Session, April 2014

RPPL No. 9-43
(Passsed as House Bill No. 9-107-6)

A BILL FOR AN ACT

To amend 22 PNC § 230 to increase participation in the Fellowship Program, and for other related purposes.

THE PEOPLE OF PALAU REPRESENTED IN THE OLBIIL ERA KELULAU DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. Legislative findings.

The Olbiil Era Kelulau finds that RPPL No. 8-43 established the Summer Fellowship Program for students in their final year of college to come back to the Republic of Palau to work as an intern. This requirement unnecessarily restricts many otherwise eligible students from coming back to the Republic to contribute in their home country. Consequently, many of them take internships in other countries, which may ultimately lead to full time employment opportunities abroad. This amendment will allow students to do an internship during the last two years of college, or immediately after graduation.

Section 2. Amendment. 22 PNC § 230 as amended by RPPL No. 8-43 is amended as follows:

"§ 230. Fellowship Program.

(a) Policy and Purpose. The Fellowship Program is to encourage potential leaders to return to Palau. It will allow students to return for a period not to exceed six months before their last year of college or university, or immediately thereafter, and become familiar with the current issues and job opportunities that they may wish to participate in once they return home after obtaining their degree. The ultimate goal of this program is to ensure that the Republic produces and retains well educated Palauan leaders for our community. In administering this program, the Palau National Scholarship Board will foster lasting relationships between these future leaders and the Palauan community and provide students with a mechanism to transition into the Republic's workforce after completing their education. This Fellowship Program will also in effect assist agencies in the Republic in building their capacity by providing them with highly educated and high performing Palauan employees.

(b) There is hereby established a scholarship, to be known as "the Fellowship Award" and it shall be the duty and responsibility of the Board to:

(1) implement the policy declared by this subchapter;

(2) award the Fellowship Awards to each recipient for a period preceding the recipient's final year of college or university, or immediately thereafter, not to exceed six months;

(3) determine the appropriate sum to award each Fellowship Award recipient. The Fellowship Award shall be an amount that, at a minimum, can provide for airfare and a stipend;

(4) select scholarship recipients based on criteria declared by this subchapter and determined by the Board in accordance with this subchapter; and

(5) determine whether an agency qualifies as an employer for a recipient of the Fellowship Award based on criteria declared by this subchapter and determined by the Board in accordance with this subchapter.

(c) The Board will select as the Fellowship Award recipients, students in their last two years of college or university, or first six months following graduation, from a college or university outside of Palau, as determined by the Board based on criteria which shall include, but are not limited to the following:

(1) the Cumulative Grade Point Average. In order to be eligible for this scholarship, any student applying for the Fellowship Award must either (A) have maintained a cumulative grade point average of not less than 3.0 or (B) have maintained a cumulative grade point average of not less than 2.5 and demonstrated high potential to be a future leader in the community, at the discretion of the Board; and

(2) an internship plan approved by the Board. In order to qualify, any student applying for the Fellowship Award must have an internship plan completed between the student and the qualified agency in Palau that the student will be working with while in Palau during that period not to exceed six months. The Board shall establish the criteria for this required internship plan. The Board shall determine whether an agency qualifies to be an employer of a recipient of this Fellowship Award based on criteria established by the Board, which shall include the agency's understanding of the purpose of the program.

(d) Each Fellowship Award recipient must submit to the Board a written report at the end of his or her internship prior to receiving the final installment of his or her Fellowship Award. The Board shall establish the criteria for this required final report."

Section 3. Effective date.

This Act shall take effect upon its approval by the President of the Republic of Palau, or upon its becoming law without such approval.

PASSED: February 04, 2015

Approved this ___18th____ day of _____February_______, 2015

_________________/s/_________________
Tommy E. Remengesau, Jr.
President of the Republic of Palau