Truman Scholarship Clean House Act
Summary
This bill would make significant changes to how the Harry S. Truman Memorial Scholarship Foundation operates. The legislation would dissolve the existing board of trustees and establish a new 13-member board with representation from congressional leadership and the President. The new board composition would include one member each appointed by the Speaker of the House, House minority leader, Senate majority leader, and Senate minority leader, plus eight members appointed by the President with no more than four from the same political party.
The bill would also establish new eligibility requirements for Truman Scholarship applicants. Students would need to be full-time undergraduates pursuing careers in public service, demonstrate academic excellence, and be U.S. citizens or nationals. The legislation would create Regional Review Panels to select scholarship recipients based on community service, leadership, and academic performance. Additionally, the bill would require that interview panels selecting scholarship winners have no more than half their members from the same political party and would establish a code of conduct for scholarship recipients, with provisions to revoke scholarships for violations.