1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program Act of 2023 . 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 world languages, and a unique environment for developing cultural understanding, all of which are knowledge and skills needed in today’s global economy. (3) Only 10 percent of United States college students study abroad before they graduate, leaving 90 percent of graduates entering the workforce without the global skills, knowledge, and experiences afforded by study abroad programs that will position them for success in the global economy. Minority students, first-generation college students, community college students, and students with disabilities are also significantly underrepresented in study abroad participation. (4) Congress authorized the establishment of the Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program (referred to in this section as the Lincoln Commission ) under 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 a report to Congress and to the President containing 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