1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program Act of 2017 . 2. Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) To prepare students for success in the modern global economy, opportunities for study abroad should be included as part of a well-rounded education. (2) Study abroad programs provide students with unparalleled access to international knowledge, an unmatched opportunity to learn foreign languages, and a unique environment for developing cultural understanding, all of which are knowledge and skills needed in today’s global economy. (3) Less than 2 percent of all enrolled postsecondary students in the United States study abroad for credit in any given year, and minority students, first generation college students, community college students, and students with disabilities are significantly underrepresented in study abroad participation. (4) Congress authorized the establishment of the Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program pursuant to section 104 of the Miscellaneous Appropriations and Offsets Act, 2004 (division H of Public Law 108–199 ). Pursuant to its mandate, the Lincoln Commission submitted to Congress and the President a report of its recommendations for greatly expanding the opportunity for students at institutions of higher education in the United States to study abroad, with special emphasis on studying in developing nations. (5) According to the Lincoln Commission, [e]xperience shows that leadership from administrators and faculty will drive the number of study abroad participants higher and improve the quality of programs. Such leadership is the only way that study abroad will become an integral part of the undergraduate experience. . A competitive grant program is necessary to encourage and support such leadership. 3. Purposes The purposes of this Act are— (1) to ensure that significantly more students have access to quality study abroad opportunities