Gateway to Careers Act of 2019

II 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1117 To establish a career pathway grant program. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES APRIL 10, 2019 Ms. HASSAN (for herself, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. KAINE, and Mr. GARDNER) intro- duced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Com- mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To establish a career pathway 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 ‘‘Gateway to Careers 4 Act of 2019’’. 5 SEC. 2. CAREER PATHWAYS GRANT PROGRAM. 6 Title VIII of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 7 U.S.C. 1161a et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 8 the following: 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:41 Apr 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1117.IS S1117 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 1117 IS ‘‘PART BB—CAREER PATHWAY GRANT PROGRAM 1 ‘‘SEC. 899. CAREER PATHWAY GRANT PROGRAM. 2 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 3 ‘‘(1) WIOA DEFINITIONS.—The terms ‘area ca- 4 reer and technical education school’, ‘career path- 5 way’, ‘in-demand industry sector or occupation’, ‘in- 6 dividual with a barrier to employment’, ‘industry or 7 sector partnership’, ‘integrated education and train- 8 ing’, ‘local board’, ‘recognized postsecondary creden- 9 tial’, and ‘State board’ have the meanings given such 10 terms in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and 11 Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 12 ‘‘(2) CAREER PATHWAY PARTNERSHIP.— 13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘career 14 pathway partnership’ means a partnership— 15 ‘‘(i) between an eligible institution, a 16 workforce development partner described 17 in subparagraph (B), and an education 18 partner described in subparagraph (C); 19 ‘‘(ii) evidenced by a formal agreement 20 between partners; and 21 ‘‘(iii) that is intended to support the 22 development and implementation of a ca- 23 reer pathway program. 24 ‘‘(B) WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PART- 25 NER.—A workforce development partner de- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:41 Apr 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1117.IS S1117 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 1117 IS scribed in subparagraph (A) means one or more 1 of the following: 2 ‘‘(i) A local board or a State board. 3 ‘‘(ii) An industry association or other 4 representative of multiple employers in the 5 target industry, including an industry or 6 sector partnership. 7 ‘‘(iii) A community-based organization 8 with experience in providing employment, 9 education, or support services relevant to 10 the career pathway and student popu- 11 lations receiving services under the grant 12 under this section. 13 ‘‘(C) EDUCATION PARTNER.—An education 14 partner described in subparagraph (A) means 15 one or more of the following: 16 ‘‘(i) A local educational agency, as de- 17 fined under section 8101 of the Elemen- 18 tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 19 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 20 ‘‘(ii) An eligible provider, as defined 21 under section 203 of the Workforce Inno- 22 vation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 23 3272). 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:41 Apr 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1117.IS S1117 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 1117 IS ‘‘(iii) An institution of higher edu- 1 cation, as defined in section 101, or a post- 2 secondary vocational institution, as defined 3 in section 102(c). 4 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘eligi- 5 ble institution’ means— 6 ‘‘(A) a public institution of higher edu- 7 cation at which the highest degree that is pre- 8 dominantly awarded to students is an associ- 9 ate’s degree, including 2-year Tribal Colleges or 10 Universities under section 316 of the Higher 11 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c) and 12 public 2-year State institutions of higher edu- 13 cation; 14 ‘‘(B) an area career and technical edu- 15 cation school that provides education at the 16 postsecondary level; or 17 ‘‘(C) a consortium of institutions described 18 in subparagraph (A) or (B). 19 ‘‘(4) EVIDENCE-BASED.—The term ‘evidence- 20 based’ means an activity, strategy, or intervention 21 that— 22 ‘‘(A) demonstrates a statistically signifi- 23 cant effect on improving student outcomes or 24 other relevant outcomes based on— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:41 Apr 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1117.IS S1117 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 1117 IS ‘‘(i) strong evidence from not less 1 than 1 well-designed and well-implemented 2 experimental study; 3 ‘‘(ii) moderate evidence from not less 4 than 1 well-designed and well-implemented 5 quasi-experimental study; or 6 ‘‘(iii) promising evidence from not less 7 than 1 well-designed and well-implemented 8 correlational study with statistical controls 9 for selection bias; 10 ‘‘(B) demonstrates a rationale based on 11 high quality research finding or positive evalua- 12 tion that such activity, strategy, or intervention 13 is likely to improve student outcomes or other 14 relevant outcomes; and 15 ‘‘(C) includes ongoing efforts to examine 16 the effects of such activity, strategy, or inter- 17 vention. 18 ‘‘(5) MEASURABLE SKILL GAINS.—The term 19 ‘measurable skill gains’ has the meaning given the 20 term in section 361.155(a)(1)(v) of title 34, Code of 21 Federal Regulations (or successor regulations). 22 ‘‘(6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 23 the Secretary of Education. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:41 Apr 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1117.IS S1117 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 1117 IS ‘‘(b) PROGRAM ESTABLISHED.—The Secretary, in 1 consultation with the Secretary of Labor, shall establish 2 a career pathway grant program, through which the Sec- 3 retary shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligi- 4 ble institutions in order to enable eligible institutions to 5 carry out the activities described in subsection (e). 6 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—An eligible institution desiring 7 to receive a grant under this section shall submit an appli- 8 cation, at such time and in such manner as the Secretary 9 may require, that includes the following information: 10 ‘‘(1) A description of the career pathway part- 11 nership, including the roles and responsibilities of 12 each partner. 13 ‘‘(2) A description of the career pathway pro- 14 gram that will be supported under the grant, includ- 15 ing a description of the in-demand industry sectors 16 or occupations that will be targeted and the recog- 17 nized postsecondary credentials to be awarded. 18 ‘‘(3) A description of how the career pathway 19 program supported under the grant are aligned and 20 coordinated with other employment, education, and 21 support services offered in the geographic area 22 served under the grant. 23 ‘‘(4) A description of the student populations 24 that will be served under the grant, including an 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:41 Apr 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1117.IS S1117 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 1117 IS analysis of any barriers to postsecondary access and 1 completion that such populations face, and an anal- 2 ysis of how the services to be provided under the 3 grant will address those barriers. 4 ‘‘(5) A description of the activities and services 5 to be provided under this grant, consistent with the 6 subsection (e). 7 ‘‘(6) A description of the performance outcomes 8 that the eligible institution plans to achieve, includ- 9 ing a description of how the eligible institution will 10 evaluate and measure student progress and measur- 11 able skill gains along a career pathway. 12 ‘‘(7) Such other information as the Secretary 13 may require. 14 ‘‘(d) PRIORITY IN AWARDING GRANTS.—The Sec- 15 retary shall award grants under this part in a manner 16 that— 17 ‘‘(1) supports geographic diversity among 18 grantees; 19 ‘‘(2) gives priority to eligible institutions that 20 seek to serve individuals with a barrier to employ- 21 ment or individuals with a barrier to postsecondary 22 education; and 23 ‘‘(3) gives priority to eligible institutions that 24 will use grant funds for evidence-based activities. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:41 Apr 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1117.IS S1117 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 1117 IS ‘‘(e) USE OF FUNDS.— 1 ‘‘(1) DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING CAREER 2 PATHWAY PROGRAMS.—An eligible institution receiv- 3 ing a grant under this section shall use grant funds 4 to carry out activities that support the development 5 and implementation of career pathway programs, 6 which shall include one or more of the following: 7 ‘‘(A) The planning and implementation of 8 agreements between the eligible institution and 9 other partners in the career pathway partner- 10 ship to support seamless transitions between 11 elements of the career pathway program offered 12 by different partners, as appropriate. 13 ‘‘(B) The development and expansion of 14 new or existing programs at the eligible institu- 15 tion that utilize integrated education and train- 16 ing strategies, and support multiple entry and 17 exit points for working learners, which may in- 18 clude— 19 ‘‘(i) dual-enrollment approaches for 20 secondary students or disconnected youth 21 seeking to participate in a career pathway 22 program; and 23 ‘‘(ii) strategies that help working stu- 24 dents and other nontraditional and adult 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:41 Apr 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1117.IS S1117 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 1117 IS student populations access skills and recog- 1 nized postsecondary credentials. 2 ‘‘(C) The provision of evidence-based pro- 3 fessional development for faculty and other 4 staff at the eligible institution or at partner or- 5 ganizations described under subparagraph (B) 6 or (C) of subsection (a)(2) on the development 7 and implementation of career pathways. 8 ‘‘(D) The acquisition of equipment nec- 9 essary to support the delivery of career pathway 10 programs supported through a grant under this 11 section. 12 ‘‘(E) Any other evidence-based activities 13 identified by the eligible institution or partners 14 as necessary to support the development or im- 15 plementation of career pathway programs, as 16 long as such activities are clearly outlined in 17 the grant application. 18 ‘‘(2) STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES.—In addi- 19 tion to the activities described in paragraph (1), an 20 eligible institution receiving a grant under this sec- 21 tion shall use grant funds to provide student support 22 services to students engaged in career pathway pro- 23 grams, which shall include— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:41 Apr 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1117.IS S1117 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 1117 IS ‘‘(A) the provision of direct support serv- 1 ices such as childcare, transportation, mental 2 health and substance use disorder treatment, 3 assistance in obtaining health insurance cov- 4 erage, and assistance in accessing the supple- 5 mental nutrition assistance program established 6 under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), the special supplemental 8 nutrition program for women, infants, and chil- 9 dren established by section 17 of the Child Nu- 10 trition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786), housing, 11 and other benefits, as appropriate; 12 ‘‘(B) offering career pathway navigation 13 and case management services, including pro- 14 viding information and outreach to target popu- 15 lations to encourage individuals to take part in 16 programs and service offerings; and 17 ‘‘(C) the provision of emergency grants to 18 help students facing financial hardships that 19 may impact enrollment or completion of an ele- 20 ment of a career pathway program. 21 ‘‘(f) DURATION OF AWARD.—A grant under this sec- 22 tion shall be for a period of not more than 4 years. An 23 eligible institution may apply for subsequent grants after 24 the completion of a grant period. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:41 Apr 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1117.IS S1117 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 1117 IS ‘‘(g) REPORTS.— 1 ‘‘(1) REPORT TO THE SECRETARY.—Each eligi- 2 ble institution receiving a grant under this section 3 shall submit a report to the Secretary, on an annual 4 basis, describing— 5 ‘‘(A) the activities provided under the 6 grant, including activities carried out directly 7 by the eligible institution and activities carried 8 out by partner organizations; 9 ‘‘(B) the students receiving services under 10 the grant, disaggregated by age, race or eth- 11 nicity, gender, barriers to employment, and in- 12 come; and 13 ‘‘(C) indicators of performance for stu- 14 dents receiving services through a career path- 15 way program carried out through a grant under 16 this part, disaggregated by participant type as 17 described in paragraph (2), including, at a min- 18 imum— 19 ‘‘(i) the percentage of program par- 20 ticipants who are in unsubsidized employ- 21 ment prior to enrollment in the career 22 pathway program; 23 ‘‘(ii) the percentage of program par- 24 ticipants who are in unsubsidized employ- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:41 Apr 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1117.IS S1117 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 1117 IS ment during the second quarter after exit 1 from the program; 2 ‘‘(iii) the percentage of program par- 3 ticipants who are in unsubsidized employ- 4 ment during the fourth quarter after exit 5 from the program; 6 ‘‘(iv) the median earnings of program 7 participants who are in unsubsidized em- 8 ployment prior to enrollment in the career 9 pathway program; 10 ‘‘(v) the median earnings of program 11 participants who are in unsubsidized em- 12 ployment during the second quarter after 13 exit from the program; 14 ‘‘(vi) the percentage of program par- 15 ticipants who obtain a recognized postsec- 16 ondary credential, or a secondary school di- 17 ploma or its recognized equivalent, during 18 participation in or within 1 year after exit 19 from the program; 20 ‘‘(vii) the percentage of program par- 21 ticipants who, during a program year, are 22 in an education or training program that 23 leads to a recognized postsecondary cre- 24 dential or employment and who are achiev- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:41 Apr 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1117.IS S1117 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 13 •S 1117 IS ing measurable skill gains toward such a 1 credential or employment; and 2 ‘‘(viii) the percentage of program par- 3 ticipants receiving support se [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]