ACCESS to Careers Act of 2021

II 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1847 To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a community college and career training grant program. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 26, 2021 Mr. KAINE (for himself and Mr. YOUNG) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a community college and career training grant program. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Assisting Community 4 Colleges in Educating Skilled Students to Careers Act of 5 2021’’ or the ‘‘ACCESS to Careers Act of 2021’’. 6 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:58 Jun 16, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1847.IS S1847 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 1847 IS SEC. 2. COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND CAREER TRAINING 1 GRANT PROGRAM. 2 Part C of title VIII of the Higher Education Act of 3 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1161c et seq.) is amended to read as 4 follows: 5 ‘‘PART C—COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND CAREER 6 TRAINING GRANT PROGRAM 7 ‘‘SEC. 803. COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND CAREER TRAINING 8 GRANT PROGRAM. 9 ‘‘(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section in- 10 clude the following: 11 ‘‘(1) To increase the number of students who 12 attain postsecondary credentials in high-skill, high- 13 wage, or in-demand industry sectors or occupations. 14 ‘‘(2) To increase the degree to which postsec- 15 ondary education meets the skill needs of employers 16 in high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry sec- 17 tors or occupations. 18 ‘‘(3) To assist the Nation’s community colleges 19 and technical colleges, through grants to eligible in- 20 stitutions, consortia of eligible institutions, and 21 States, to develop, improve, and scale evidence-based 22 strategies and delivery structures and that best meet 23 the skill needs of students and employers. 24 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:58 Jun 16, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1847.IS S1847 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 1847 IS ‘‘(1) WIOA DEFINITIONS.—The terms ‘career 1 pathway’, ‘individual with a barrier to employment’, 2 ‘industry or sector partnership’, ‘integrated edu- 3 cation and training’, ‘local board’, ‘State board’, ‘in- 4 demand industry sector or occupation’, and ‘recog- 5 nized postsecondary credential’ have the meanings 6 given such terms in section 3 of the Workforce Inno- 7 vation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 8 ‘‘(2) APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.—The term 9 ‘apprenticeship program’ means a program under 10 the Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly known as 11 the ‘National Apprenticeship Act’) (50 Stat. 664, 12 chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.). 13 ‘‘(3) COMMUNITY COLLEGE PARTNERSHIP.— 14 The term ‘community college partnership’ means a 15 partnership of private and public sector entities 16 which— 17 ‘‘(A) shall include a community college, a 18 local or regional employer representing an in- 19 demand industry sector or occupation, and a 20 State board or local board; and 21 ‘‘(B) may include an industry or sector 22 partnership, a local educational agency, an enti- 23 ty with experience in providing employment, 24 education, or support services relevant to stu- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:58 Jun 16, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1847.IS S1847 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 1847 IS dent populations receiving services under this 1 section (such as a community-based organiza- 2 tion), a provider of adult education (as defined 3 in section 203 of the Adult Education and 4 Family Literacy Act), or an institution of high- 5 er education. 6 ‘‘(4) CONSORTIUM OF ELIGIBLE INSTITU- 7 TIONS.—The term ‘consortium of eligible institu- 8 tions’ means a consortium that includes 3 or more 9 eligible institutions. 10 ‘‘(5) EDUCATION AND CAREER TRAINING PRO- 11 GRAM.—The term ‘education and career training 12 program’ means— 13 ‘‘(A) a career pathway program that leads 14 to a recognized postsecondary credential; or 15 ‘‘(B) a program that utilizes integrated 16 education and training strategies and leads to a 17 recognized postsecondary credential. 18 ‘‘(6) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘eligi- 19 ble institution’ means a public institution of higher 20 education at which the highest degree that is pre- 21 dominantly awarded to students is an associate de- 22 gree, including a 2-year Tribal College or University 23 (as defined in section 316). 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:58 Jun 16, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1847.IS S1847 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 1847 IS ‘‘(7) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means each of 1 the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Com- 2 monwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, 3 the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Is- 4 lands, and the United States Virgin Islands. 5 ‘‘(8) WORK-BASED LEARNING.—The term 6 ‘work-based learning’ means sustained interactions 7 with industry or community professionals in real 8 workplace settings, to the extent practicable, or sim- 9 ulated environments at an eligible institution that 10 foster in-depth, firsthand engagement with the tasks 11 required in a given career field, that are aligned to 12 curriculum and instruction. 13 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS AND AD- 14 MINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.— 15 ‘‘(1) GRANTS TO ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS AND 16 CONSORTIA OF ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS.—There are 17 authorized to be appropriated to carry out sub- 18 section (d), such sums as may be necessary for fiscal 19 year 2022 and each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years. 20 ‘‘(2) GRANTS TO STATES.—There are author- 21 ized to be appropriated to carry out subsection (e), 22 such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2022 23 and each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:58 Jun 16, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1847.IS S1847 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 1847 IS ‘‘(3) NATIONAL ACTIVITIES.—For each fiscal 1 year, the Secretary shall reserve 5 percent of the 2 amount appropriated to carry out subsection (d) and 3 5 percent of the amount appropriated to carry out 4 subsection (e) to carry out subsection (g). 5 ‘‘(4) LIMITATIONS.—An eligible institution, 6 consortium of eligible institutions, or State may not 7 receive more than one grant under this section as a 8 primary applicant. 9 ‘‘(5) DURATION.—Each grant awarded under 10 this section shall be for a period of not more than 11 5 years. 12 ‘‘(6) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this 13 section, the Secretary shall give priority to appli- 14 cants based on the extent to which the applicant— 15 ‘‘(A) leverages resources other than the 16 funds provided under this section to support the 17 activities carried out under this section; and 18 ‘‘(B) can continue to sustain or expand 19 such activities after the expiration of the grant. 20 ‘‘(d) GRANTS TO ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS AND CON- 21 SORTIA OF ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS.— 22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 23 ‘‘(A) AUTHORIZATION.—From funds au- 24 thorized under subsection (c)(1), the Secretary 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:58 Jun 16, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1847.IS S1847 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 1847 IS shall award, on a competitive basis, grants of 1 not more than $1,500,000 to eligible institu- 2 tions, and not more than $5,000,000 to con- 3 sortia of eligible institutions, to assist such in- 4 stitutions in establishing and scaling education 5 and career training programs consistent with 6 the provisions of this subsection. 7 ‘‘(B) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants 8 under this subsection, the Secretary shall give 9 priority, in addition to the priorities specified in 10 subsection (c)(6), to applicants that— 11 ‘‘(i) will serve individuals with bar- 12 riers to employment, veterans, spouses of 13 members of the Armed Forces, Native 14 American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native 15 Hawaiians, or incumbent workers who are 16 low-skilled and who need to increase their 17 employability skills; 18 ‘‘(ii) will serve individuals from each 19 major racial and ethnic group or gender 20 with lower than average educational attain- 21 ment in the State or employment in the in- 22 demand industry sector or occupation; 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:58 Jun 16, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1847.IS S1847 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 1847 IS ‘‘(iii) will serve areas with high unem- 1 ployment rates or high levels of poverty, 2 including rural areas; or 3 ‘‘(iv) will increase access to education 4 and career training programs that meet 5 the needs of regional employers in in-de- 6 mand industry sectors or occupations. 7 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—An eligible institution or 8 consortium of eligible institutions seeking a grant 9 under this subsection shall submit an application 10 containing a grant proposal for an education and ca- 11 reer training program to the Secretary at such time 12 and containing such information as the Secretary 13 determines is required, including a detailed descrip- 14 tion of— 15 ‘‘(A) the community college partnership, 16 including the roles and responsibilities of each 17 partner; 18 ‘‘(B) the education and career training 19 programs that will be supported under the 20 grant, including a description of high-skill, 21 high-wage or in-demand industry sectors or oc- 22 cupations that will be targeted and the recog- 23 nized postsecondary credentials to be awarded; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:58 Jun 16, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1847.IS S1847 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 1847 IS ‘‘(C) quantitative data and evidence that 1 demonstrates the extent to which the program 2 supported under the grant will meet the skilled 3 worker needs of employers in the geographic 4 area served by the grant; 5 ‘‘(D) the extent to which the education and 6 career training programs described in the grant 7 proposal align with a statewide or regional 8 workforce development strategy, including those 9 established under the Workforce Innovation and 10 Opportunity Act and the Carl D. Perkins Ca- 11 reer and Technical Education Act of 2006; 12 ‘‘(E) the extent to which the eligible insti- 13 tution, or consortium, can leverage additional 14 resources and the future sustainability of the 15 education and career training programs sup- 16 ported under the grant; 17 ‘‘(F) how the education and career train- 18 ing programs offered under the grant will in- 19 clude evidence-based practices; 20 ‘‘(G) the student populations that will be 21 served under the grant, including an analysis of 22 any barriers to employment or barriers to post- 23 secondary education that such populations face 24 and an analysis of how the services to be pro- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:58 Jun 16, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1847.IS S1847 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 1847 IS vided under the grant will address those bar- 1 riers; 2 ‘‘(H) any previous experience of the eligi- 3 ble institution, or consortium, in providing pro- 4 grams, the absence of which shall not automati- 5 cally disqualify the applicant from receiving a 6 grant under this section; 7 ‘‘(I) the extent to which the eligible institu- 8 tion, or consortium, plan to enroll and support 9 students who are eligible to receive a Federal 10 Pell Grant under subpart 1 of part A of title 11 IV; and 12 ‘‘(J) other information the Secretary may 13 require of the eligible institution or consortium. 14 ‘‘(3) USE OF FUNDS.— 15 ‘‘(A) SUPPORT AND EMERGENCY SERV- 16 ICES.—Not less than 25 percent of the grant 17 funds awarded to an eligible institution or a 18 consortium of eligible institutions under this 19 subsection shall be used to carry out student 20 support services which may include the fol- 21 lowing: 22 ‘‘(i) Childcare, transportation, mental 23 health and substance use disorder treat- 24 ment, assistance in obtaining health insur- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:58 Jun 16, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1847.IS S1847 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 1847 IS ance coverage, and assistance in accessing 1 the supplemental nutrition assistance pro- 2 gram established under the Food and Nu- 3 trition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et 4 seq.), the special supplemental nutrition 5 program for women, infants, and children 6 established by section 17 of the Child Nu- 7 trition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786), 8 housing, and other benefits, as appro- 9 priate. 10 ‘‘(ii) Connecting students to State or 11 Federal means-tested benefits programs, 12 including means-tested Federal benefits 13 programs, as defined in section 479(d). 14 ‘‘(iii) The provision of direct financial 15 assistance to help students facing financial 16 hardships that may impact enrollment in 17 or completion of an education and career 18 training program, or a work-based learning 19 program. 20 ‘‘(iv) Navigation and case manage- 21 ment services, including providing informa- 22 tion and outreach to target populations to 23 take part in education and career training 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:58 Jun 16, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1847.IS S1847 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 1847 IS programs, or work-based learning pro- 1 grams. 2 ‘‘(B) REQUIRED PROGRAM ACTIVITIES.— 3 The grant funds awarded to an eligible institu- 4 tion or a consortium of eligible institutions 5 under this subsection that remain after the eli- 6 gible institution or consortium carries out sub- 7 paragraph (A) shall be used to carry out 2 or 8 more of the following activities: 9 ‘‘(i) Developing and expanding edu- 10 cation and career training programs 11 through a community college partnership 12 for high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand in- 13 dustry sectors and occupations, which may 14 include— 15 ‘‘(I) apprenticeship programs; 16 ‘‘(II) work-based learning oppor- 17 tunities; and 18 ‘‘(III) paid internships. 19 ‘‘(ii) Establishing policies and proc- 20 esses for assessing and awarding course 21 credit for prior learning. 22 ‘‘(iii) Developing and expanding pro- 23 grams that accelerate learning and recog- 24 nized postsecondary credential attainment, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:58 Jun 16, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1847.IS S1847 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 13 •S 1847 IS including competency-based education, co- 1 requisite remediation, and other strategies 2 for acceleration. 3 ‘‘(iv) Developing and expanding ef [Text truncated for display. 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