The Secretary, acting through the Administrator, shall establish a graduate-level Homeland Security Education Program in the National Capital Region to provide educational opportunities to senior Federal officials and selected State and local officials with homeland security and emergency management responsibilities. The Administrator shall appoint an individual to administer the activities under this section.
To maximize efficiency and effectiveness in carrying out the Program, the Administrator shall use existing Department-reviewed Master’s Degree curricula in homeland security, including curricula pending accreditation, together with associated learning materials, quality assessment tools, digital libraries, exercise systems and other educational facilities, including the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium, the National Fire Academy, and the Emergency Management Institute. The Administrator may develop additional educational programs, as appropriate.
The student body of the Program shall include officials from Federal, State, local, and tribal governments, and from other sources designated by the Administrator.
An employee who leaves the service of the sponsoring agency to enter into the service of another agency in any branch of the Government shall not be required to make a payment under paragraph (1)(B), unless the head of the agency that sponsored the education of the employee notifies that employee before the date on which the employee enters the service of the other agency that payment is required under that paragraph.
If an employee is required to make a payment under paragraph (1)(B), the agency that sponsored the education of the employee shall determine the amount of the payment, except that such amount may not exceed the pro rata share of the expenses incurred for the time remaining in the 2-year period.