Strengthening American Communities Act of 2019

II 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 686 To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide greater access to higher education for America’s students, to eliminate educational barriers for participation in a public service career, and for other pur- poses. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 6, 2019 Mr. CARDIN 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 provide greater access to higher education for America’s stu- dents, to eliminate educational barriers for participation in a public service career, and for other purposes. 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 ‘‘Strengthening Amer- 4 ican Communities Act of 2019’’. 5 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 6 It is the purpose of this Act to provide greater access 7 to higher education for America’s students, to eliminate 8 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:47 Mar 16, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S686.IS S686 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 686 IS educational barriers for participation in a public service 1 career by providing an opportunity for potential public 2 servants to obtain an undergraduate education, and to es- 3 tablish an accelerated form of the public service loan for- 4 giveness program for more immediate loan forgiveness for 5 existing public servants holding Federal Direct Stafford 6 Loans, Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, and 7 Federal Direct PLUS Loans. 8 TITLE I—AMERICA’S COLLEGE 9 PROMISE 10 SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE. 11 This title may be cited as the ‘‘America’s College 12 Promise Act of 2019’’. 13 SEC. 102. PURPOSE. 14 The purpose of this title is to help all individuals of 15 the United States earn the education and skills the indi- 16 viduals need— 17 (1) by making 2 years of community college 18 free, through a new partnership with States and In- 19 dian Tribes to help the States and Indian Tribes— 20 (A) waive resident community college tui- 21 tion and fees for eligible students; 22 (B) maintain State and Indian Tribe sup- 23 port for higher education; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:13 Mar 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S686.IS S686 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 686 IS (C) promote key reforms to improve stu- 1 dent outcomes; and 2 (2) through a new partnership with minority- 3 serving institutions to— 4 (A) encourage eligible students to enroll 5 and successfully complete a baccalaureate de- 6 gree at participating institutions; and 7 (B) promote key reforms to improve stu- 8 dent outcomes. 9 Subtitle A—State and Indian Tribe 10 Grants for Community Colleges 11 SEC. 111. IN GENERAL. 12 From amounts appropriated under section 117(a) for 13 any fiscal year, the Secretary shall award grants to eligible 14 States and Indian Tribes to pay the Federal share of ex- 15 penditures needed to carry out the activities and services 16 described in section 115. 17 SEC. 112. FEDERAL SHARE; NON-FEDERAL SHARE. 18 (a) FEDERAL SHARE.— 19 (1) FORMULA.—Subject to paragraph (2), the 20 Federal share of a grant under this subtitle shall be 21 based on a formula, determined by the Secretary, 22 that— 23 (A) accounts for the State or Indian 24 Tribe’s share of eligible students; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:13 Mar 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S686.IS S686 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 686 IS (B) provides, for each eligible student in 1 the State or Indian Tribe, a per-student 2 amount that is— 3 (i) not less than 300 percent of the 4 per-student amount of the State or Indian 5 Tribe share, determined under subsection 6 (b), subject to clause (ii); and 7 (ii) not greater than 75 percent of— 8 (I) for the 2018–2019 award 9 year, the average resident community 10 college tuition and fees per student in 11 all States for the most recent year for 12 which data are available; and 13 (II) for each subsequent award 14 year, the average resident community 15 college tuition and fees per student in 16 all States calculated under this sub- 17 clause for the preceding year, in- 18 creased by the lesser of— 19 (aa) the percentage by which 20 the average resident community 21 college tuition and fees per stu- 22 dent in all States for the most re- 23 cent year for which data are 24 available increased as compared 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:13 Mar 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S686.IS S686 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 686 IS to such average for the preceding 1 year; or 2 (bb) 3 percent. 3 (2) EXCEPTION FOR CERTAIN INDIAN 4 TRIBES.—In any case in which not less than 75 per- 5 cent of the students at the community colleges oper- 6 ated or controlled by an Indian Tribe are low-income 7 students, the amount of the Federal share for such 8 Indian Tribe shall be not less than 95 percent of the 9 total amount needed to waive tuition and fees for all 10 eligible students enrolled in such community col- 11 leges. 12 (b) STATE OR TRIBAL SHARE.— 13 (1) FORMULA.— 14 (A) IN GENERAL.—The State or Tribal 15 share of a grant under this subtitle for each fis- 16 cal year shall be the amount needed to pay 25 17 percent of the average community college resi- 18 dent tuition and fees per student in all States 19 in the 2018–2019 award year for all eligible 20 students in the State or Indian Tribe, respec- 21 tively, for such fiscal year, except as provided in 22 subparagraph (B). 23 (B) EXCEPTION FOR CERTAIN INDIAN 24 TRIBES.—In a case in which not less than 5 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:13 Mar 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S686.IS S686 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 686 IS percent of the students at the community col- 1 leges operated or controlled by an Indian Tribe 2 are low-income students, the amount of such 3 Indian Tribe’s tribal share shall not exceed 5 4 percent of the total amount needed to waive tui- 5 tion and fees for all eligible students enrolled in 6 such community colleges. 7 (2) NEED-BASED AID.—A State or Indian Tribe 8 may include any need-based financial aid provided 9 through State or Tribal funds to eligible students as 10 part of the State or Tribal share. 11 (3) NO IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS.—A State or 12 Indian Tribe shall not include in-kind contributions 13 for purposes of the State or Tribal share described 14 in paragraph (1). 15 SEC. 113. ELIGIBILITY. 16 To be eligible for a grant under this subtitle, a State 17 or Indian Tribe shall agree to waive community college 18 resident tuition and fees for all eligible students for each 19 year of the grant. 20 SEC. 114. APPLICATIONS. 21 (a) SUBMISSION.—For each fiscal year for which a 22 State or Indian Tribe desires a grant under this subtitle, 23 an application shall be submitted to the Secretary at such 24 time, in such manner, and containing such information as 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:13 Mar 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S686.IS S686 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 686 IS the Secretary may require. Such application shall be sub- 1 mitted by— 2 (1) in the case of a State, the Governor, the 3 State agency with jurisdiction over higher education, 4 or another agency designated by the Governor to ad- 5 minister the program under this subtitle; or 6 (2) in the case of an Indian Tribe, the gov- 7 erning body of such Tribe. 8 (b) CONTENTS.—Each State or Indian Tribe applica- 9 tion shall include, at a minimum— 10 (1) an estimate of the number of eligible stu- 11 dents in the State or Indian Tribe and the cost of 12 waiving community college resident tuition and fees 13 for all eligible students for each fiscal year covered 14 by the grant, with annual increases of an amount 15 that shall not exceed 3 percent of the prior year’s 16 average resident community college tuition and fees; 17 (2) an assurance that all community colleges in 18 the State or under the jurisdiction of the Indian 19 Tribe, respectively, will waive resident tuition and 20 fees for eligible students in programs that are— 21 (A) academic programs with credits that 22 can fully transfer via articulation agreement to- 23 ward a baccalaureate degree or postbaccalaure- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:13 Mar 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S686.IS S686 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 686 IS ate degree at any public institution of higher 1 education in the State; or 2 (B) occupational skills training programs 3 that lead to a recognized postsecondary creden- 4 tial that is in an in-demand industry sector or 5 occupation in the State; 6 (3) a description of the promising and evidence- 7 based institutional reforms and innovative practices 8 to improve student outcomes, including completion 9 or transfer rates, that have been or will be adopted 10 by the participating community colleges, such as— 11 (A) providing comprehensive academic and 12 student support services, including mentoring 13 and advising, especially for low-income, first- 14 generation, adult, and other underrepresented 15 students; 16 (B) providing accelerated learning opportu- 17 nities, such as dual or concurrent enrollment 18 programs, including early college high school 19 programs; 20 (C) advancing competency-based education; 21 (D) strengthening remedial education, es- 22 pecially for low-income, first-generation, adult 23 and other underrepresented students; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:13 Mar 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S686.IS S686 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 686 IS (E) implementing course redesigns of high- 1 enrollment courses to improve student outcomes 2 and reduce cost; or 3 (F) utilizing career pathways or degree 4 pathways; 5 (4) a description of how the State or Indian 6 Tribe will promote alignment between its public sec- 7 ondary school and postsecondary education systems, 8 including between 2-year and 4-year public institu- 9 tions of higher education and with minority-serving 10 institutions described in section 371(a) of the High- 11 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)), to 12 expand awareness of and access to postsecondary 13 education, reduce the need for remediation and re- 14 peated coursework, and improve student outcomes; 15 (5) a description of how the State or Indian 16 Tribe will ensure that programs leading to a recog- 17 nized postsecondary credential meet the quality cri- 18 teria established by the State under section 123(a) 19 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 20 (29 U.S.C. 3153(a)) or other quality criteria deter- 21 mined appropriate by the State or Indian Tribe; 22 (6) an assurance that all participating commu- 23 nity colleges in the State or under the authority of 24 the Indian Tribe have entered into program partici- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:13 Mar 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S686.IS S686 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 686 IS pation agreements under section 487 of the Higher 1 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1094); and 2 (7) an assurance that, for each year of the 3 grant, the State or Indian Tribe will notify each eli- 4 gible student of the student’s remaining eligibility 5 for assistance under this subtitle. 6 SEC. 115. ALLOWABLE USES OF FUNDS. 7 (a) IN GENERAL.—A State or Indian Tribe shall use 8 a grant under this subtitle only to provide funds to partici- 9 pating community colleges to waive resident tuition and 10 fees for eligible students who are enrolled in— 11 (1) academic programs with credits that can 12 fully transfer via articulation agreement toward a 13 baccalaureate degree or postbaccalaureate degree at 14 any public institution of higher education in the 15 State; or 16 (2) occupational skills training programs that 17 lead to a recognized postsecondary credential that is 18 in an in-demand industry sector or occupation in the 19 State. 20 (b) ADDITIONAL USES.—If a State or Indian Tribe 21 demonstrates to the Secretary that it has grant funds re- 22 maining after meeting the demand for activities described 23 in subsection (a), the State or Indian Tribe may use those 24 funds to carry out one or more of the following: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:13 Mar 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S686.IS S686 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 686 IS (1) Expanding the waiver of resident tuition 1 and fees at community college to students who are 2 returning students or otherwise not enrolling in 3 postsecondary education for the first time, and who 4 meet the student eligibility requirements of clauses 5 (i) through (v) of section 116(5)(A). 6 (2) Expanding the scope and capacity of high- 7 quality academic and occupational skills training 8 programs at community colleges. 9 (3) Improving postsecondary education readi- 10 ness in the State or Indian Tribe, through outreach 11 and early intervention. 12 (4) Expanding access to dual or concurrent en- 13 rollment programs, including early college high 14 school programs. 15 (5) Improving affordability at 4-year public and 16 private, nonprofit institutions of higher education. 17 (c) USE OF FUNDS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE PUR- 18 POSES.—A State or Indian Tribe that receives a grant 19 under this subtitle may not use any funds provided under 20 this subtitle for administrative purposes relating to the 21 grant under this subtitle. 22 (d) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT REQUIRED.— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:13 Mar 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S686.IS S686 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 686 IS (1) IN GENERAL.—A State or Indian Tribe that 1 receives a grant under this subtitle shall provide, 2 with respect to a fiscal year— 3 (A) for public and private, nonprofit insti- 4 tutions of higher education in such State or In- 5 dian tribe an amount that is equal to or greater 6 than the amount provided for non-capital and 7 non-direct research and development expenses 8 or costs by such State or Indian tribe to such 9 institutions of higher education during the pre- 10 ceding fiscal year for which satisfactory data 11 are available; and 12 (B) for student financial aid for paying 13 costs associated with public and private, non- 14 profit postsecondary education in such State or 15 Indian tribe an amount that is equal to or 16 greater than the amount provided for student 17 financial aid for paying costs associated with 18 public and private, nonprofit postsecondary 19 education by such State or India [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]