Truman Scholarship Clean House Act
Sponsored By: Representative Stefanik, Elise M. [R-NY-21]
In Committee
Summary
Overhaul the Truman Scholarship Foundation's governance to impose clearer political-affiliation rules, rebalance appointments, and tighten who can win and keep a Truman Scholarship. It would also add new transparency and accountability steps for recipients and the Foundation.
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- Creates a 13-member Board of Trustees with presidential and congressional appointees, requires party balance among presidential picks, and imposes a two-term limit for members. Appointments and a new Board would replace the current trustees under the bill's timetable.
- Tightens who is eligible and how winners are chosen by requiring nominees to be full-time students near graduation who plan graduate study in public service, and by creating Regional Review Panels of at least five members that must limit party concentration. Panels must consider community service, leadership, academics, and suitability for public service.
- Strengthens oversight and consequences. The Foundation must preserve press materials and recipient bios publicly. Payments may stop for misconduct or missed reports, and recipients who fail post-degree public service rules can be required to repay awards with 6 percent annual interest after notice and a hearing.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 4 mixed.
Scholarship termination and repayment rules
If enacted, the Foundation would be able to stop scholarship payments for awards made on or after enactment if a recipient fails to file required reports, gives false or incomplete information, does not start using the scholarship within four years of their bachelor’s degree (unless the Foundation grants an extension), served as a leader during an incident that led to an organization’s suspension or expulsion, was suspended or expelled by their school, or was convicted of a felony. The Foundation would have to give reasonable notice and an opportunity for a hearing before stopping payments, and it would have to send a written notice of reasons after a hearing. If payments are stopped for cause, or if a recipient does not work in public service for three of the first seven years after finishing the funded graduate degree, the recipient would have to repay the total scholarship payments plus interest at 6 percent per year. The Foundation would have to notify recipients of these conditions before the first payment. The Act would not change scholarships awarded before enactment.
Student eligibility and selection rules
If enacted, the bill would change who can be nominated and how panels pick Truman Scholars for awards made on or after enactment. You would be eligible if you are a full-time undergrad expected to get a bachelor’s degree next academic year, or a full-time senior from Puerto Rico or The Islands, and you are a U.S. citizen, national, or certain permanent resident. Panels would pick winners for community service, leadership, grades, writing and analytical ability, and fit for a public-service graduate program. Panels could not disfavor applicants because they plan to study for degrees like an MBA or MD. Panels would not pick students who led an organization during an incident that led to the group’s suspension or expulsion, who were suspended or expelled by their school, or who were convicted of a felony.
Public access to Foundation materials
If enacted, the Foundation would have to keep press releases, program announcements, and recipient biographies on its website in their original form. Those materials could not be deleted, hidden, or password-protected. Any edits would have to be clearly labeled and the original unaltered material would have to remain available. This would apply to materials published before, on, or after enactment.
New regional review panels for selections
If enacted, the Foundation would set up Regional Review Panels to choose scholars for States assigned by the Board for awards made on or after enactment. Each panel would have at least five members. Panel members would be appointed every year by at least a two-thirds vote of the Board. No more than half of a panel’s members could be affiliated with the same political party at appointment.
New Board and Executive Secretary rules
If enacted, the current Truman Scholarship Board would be dissolved 90 days after enactment and replaced by a new 13-member Board. The new Board would include four congressional appointees, eight Presidential appointees (no more than four of those eight may be affiliated with the same political party at appointment), and the Secretary of Education as an ex officio member who could not be Chair. Non-ex officio members would serve six-year terms and be limited to two terms. The initial eight Presidential appointees would be staggered into three 2-year, three 4-year, and two 6-year terms. The Board would need a quorum of seven and would have to appoint an Executive Secretary by a two-thirds vote; the Executive Secretary would serve a four-year term and could be reappointed up to two times.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Stefanik, Elise M. [R-NY-21]
NY • R
Cosponsors
Rep. Foxx, Virginia [R-NC-5]
NC • R
Sponsored 3/24/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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