S.Amdt. 2592

SA 2592. Mr. COONS (for himself and Mr. Scott of South Carolina)
submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S.
4638, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2025 for military
activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and
for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe
military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other
purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of subtitle F of title XII, add the following:

SEC. 1291. PARTNERSHIPS AND EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE
OPPORTUNITIES WITH SUB-SAHARAN AFRICANS.

(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) it is in the strategic interest of the United States to
strengthen relations with Sub-Saharan African countries to
promote shared interests in the areas of--
(A) democracy and good governance;
(B) education and human capital;
(C) trade and economic development;
(D) science and technology;
(E) biodiversity, food, and agriculture; and
(F) the preservation and management of natural resources,
including critical minerals; and
(2) historically Black colleges and universities (referred
to in this section as ``HBCUs'') have a long history of--
(A) cultivating diaspora relations with Sub-Saharan African
states; and
(B) developing innovative solutions to some of the world's
most pressing challenges.
(b) Strengthened Partnerships.--The Secretary of State and
the Administrator of the United States Agency for
International Development should seek to strengthen and
expand partnerships and educational exchange opportunities,
including by working with HBCUs, which build the capacity and
expertise of students, scholars, and experts from Sub-Saharan
Africa in key development sectors.
(c) Technical Assistance.--The Administrator of the United
States Agency for International Development may--
(1) provide technical assistance to HBCUs to assist in
fulfilling the goals of this section, including in developing
contracts, operating agreements, legal documents, and related
infrastructure; and
(2) upon request, provide feedback to HBCUs, to the maximum
extent practicable, after a grant rejection from relevant
Federal programs in order to improve future grant
applications, as appropriate.
(d) Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
Programming.--The Secretary of State, working through the
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, may establish a
short-term graduate and technical expert exchange program for
Sub-Saharan African students, scholars, and technical experts
to spend a semester or academic year of nondegree study at
institutions that have a demonstrated history of cultivating
relations with diaspora populations from Sub-Saharan African
states, including HBCU's, to support knowledge and skills
training in the sectors referred to in subsection (a)(1).
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