Truman Scholarship Clean House Act

The Truman Scholarship Clean House Act would overhaul how the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, a small federal program that funds college students headed for public-service careers, is run. It would dissolve the Foundation's current Board of Trustees 90 days after the law takes effect and rebuild it as a 13-member board: four chosen by congressional leaders, eight appointed by the President with Senate approval (no more than four from the same political party), and the Secretary of Education serving without a vote. Board members would serve staggered six-year terms capped at two terms, a seven-member quorum would be required, and the Foundation's Executive Secretary would need a two-thirds board vote to be hired. The bill would spell out who can apply, full-time undergraduates on track for a bachelor's degree (plus certain Puerto Rico and U.S. territory students) who are U.S. citizens or nationals, enrolled in a public-service track, and academically strong, and it would bar anyone convicted of a felony, disciplined or expelled by their school, or who led a student group that was suspended or expelled. Recipients could lose their scholarship for those same reasons or for failing to file required reports, and anyone who does not work in public service for three of their first seven years after finishing their graduate degree would have to repay the money with 6% annual interest; the Foundation must give notice and a hearing before cutting off payments. Finally, the Foundation would have to post its press releases, program announcements, and scholar biographies on a public website, keep them unaltered, and flag any later edits while keeping the originals available. Scholarships awarded before the law takes effect would not be changed.