Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 120.djvu/1449

 120 STAT. 1418

PUBLIC LAW 109–295—OCT. 4, 2006

SEC. 623. HOMELAND SECURITY EDUCATION PROGRAM.

(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Title VIII of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 361 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 844 (as added by section 622 of this Act) the following: 6 USC 415.

‘‘SEC. 845. HOMELAND SECURITY EDUCATION PROGRAM.

‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary, acting through the Administrator, shall establish a graduate-level Homeland Security Education Program in the National Capital Region to provide educational opportunities to senior Federal officials and selected State and local officials with homeland security and emergency management responsibilities. The Administrator shall appoint an individual to administer the activities under this section. ‘‘(b) LEVERAGING OF EXISTING RESOURCES.—To maximize efficiency and effectiveness in carrying out the Program, the Administrator shall use existing Department-reviewed Master’s Degree curricula in homeland security, including curricula pending accreditation, together with associated learning materials, quality assessment tools, digital libraries, exercise systems and other educational facilities, including the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium, the National Fire Academy, and the Emergency Management Institute. The Administrator may develop additional educational programs, as appropriate. ‘‘(c) STUDENT ENROLLMENT.— ‘‘(1) SOURCES.—The student body of the Program shall include officials from Federal, State, local, and tribal governments, and from other sources designated by the Administrator. ‘‘(2) ENROLLMENT PRIORITIES AND SELECTION CRITERIA.— The Administrator shall establish policies governing student enrollment priorities and selection criteria that are consistent with the mission of the Program. ‘‘(3) DIVERSITY.—The Administrator shall take reasonable steps to ensure that the student body represents racial, gender, and ethnic diversity. ‘‘(d) SERVICE COMMITMENT.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Before any employee selected for the Program may be assigned to participate in the program, the employee shall agree in writing— ‘‘(A) to continue in the service of the agency sponsoring the employee during the 2-year period beginning on the date on which the employee completes the program, unless the employee is involuntarily separated from the service of that agency for reasons other than a reduction in force; and ‘‘(B) to pay to the Government the amount of the additional expenses incurred by the Government in connection with the employee’s education if the employee is voluntarily separated from the service to the agency before the end of the period described in subparagraph (A). ‘‘(2) PAYMENT OF EXPENSES.— ‘‘(A) EXEMPTION.—An employee who leaves the service of the sponsoring agency to enter into the service of another agency in any branch of the Government shall not be required to make a payment under paragraph (1)(B), unless the head of the agency that sponsored the education of the employee notifies that employee before the date on

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