§ 1127 — Fellowships

(a) To carry out the educational and training objectives of this subchapter, the Secretary shall support a program of fellowships for qualified individuals at the graduate and post-graduate level. The fellowships shall be related to ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources and awarded pursuant to guidelines established by the Secretary. The Secretary shall strive to ensure equal access for minority and economically disadvantaged students to the program carried out under this subsection. (1) The Secretary shall award marine policy fellowships to support the placement of individuals at the graduate level of education in fields related to ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources in positions with the executive and legislative branches of the United States Government. (A) In each year in which the Secretary awards a legislative fellowship under this subsection, when considering the placement of fellows, the Secretary shall prioritize placement of fellows in the following: (i) Positions in offices of, or with Members on, committees of Congress that have jurisdiction over the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (ii) Positions in offices of Members of Congress that have a demonstrated interest in ocean, coastal, or Great Lakes resources. (B) In placing fellows in offices described in subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall ensure that placements are equitably distributed among the political parties. (3) A fellowship awarded under this subsection shall be for a period of not more than 1 year. (c) Amounts available for fellowships under this section, including amounts accepted under section 1123(c)(4)(F) of this title or appropriated under section 1131 of this title to implement this section, shall be used only for award of such fellowships and administrative costs of implementing this section.