Community College to Career Fund in Higher Education Act

II 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1612 To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to support community college and industry partnerships, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 22, 2019 Ms. DUCKWORTH (for herself, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. DURBIN, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, and Ms. SMITH) 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 support community college and industry partnerships, 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 ‘‘Community College 4 to Career Fund in Higher Education Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO CAREER FUND. 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 03:49 May 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1612.IS S1612 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •S 1612 IS ‘‘PART BB—COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO CAREER 1 FUND 2 ‘‘SEC. 899. COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND INDUSTRY PARTNER- 3 SHIPS GRANT PROGRAM. 4 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 5 ‘‘(1) WIOA DEFINITIONS.—The terms ‘career 6 pathway’, ‘integrated education and training’, ‘indi- 7 vidual with a barrier to employment’, ‘industry or 8 sector partnership’, and ‘in-demand industry sector 9 or occupation’ have the meanings given to such 10 terms in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and 11 Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 12 ‘‘(2) COMMUNITY COLLEGE.—The term ‘com- 13 munity college’ means a public institution of higher 14 education at which the highest degree that is pre- 15 dominantly awarded to students is an associate’s de- 16 gree, including 2-year Tribal Colleges or Univer- 17 sities, as defined in section 316, and public 2-year 18 institutions of higher education. 19 ‘‘(3) EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE TRAINING 20 PROGRAM.—The term ‘education and workforce 21 training program’— 22 ‘‘(A) means a career pathway program, or 23 a program that utilizes integrated education 24 and training strategies, that leads to a recog- 25 nized postsecondary credential; and 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 May 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1612.IS S1612 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •S 1612 IS ‘‘(B) includes a registered apprenticeship 1 program, on-the-job training program, or paid 2 internship, if the program or internship meets 3 the requirements of subparagraph (A). 4 ‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en- 5 tity’ means an institution of higher education, or a 6 consortium of institutions of higher education, 7 that— 8 ‘‘(A) is part of an industry or sector part- 9 nership, or is working directly with an industry 10 or sector partnership for purposes of a grant 11 under this section; and 12 ‘‘(B) may, for purposes of a grant under 13 this section and in addition to the industry or 14 sector partnership, partner with one or more of 15 the following: 16 ‘‘(i) An eligible provider, as defined in 17 section 203 of the Adult Education and 18 Family Literacy Act (29 U.S.C. 3272). 19 ‘‘(ii) An institution of higher edu- 20 cation, as defined in section 101. 21 ‘‘(iii) An elementary school or sec- 22 ondary school, as such terms are defined in 23 section 8101 of the Elementary and Sec- 24 ondary Education Act of 1965. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 May 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1612.IS S1612 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •S 1612 IS ‘‘(iv) Any other entity that the Secre- 1 taries consider appropriate. 2 ‘‘(5) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 3 The term ‘institution of higher education’— 4 ‘‘(A) means— 5 ‘‘(i) a community college; or 6 ‘‘(ii) a 4-year public institution of 7 higher education (as defined in section 8 101(a)) or a Tribal College or University 9 (as defined in section 316(b)) that— 10 ‘‘(I) offers an associate degree; 11 and 12 ‘‘(II) will use funds provided 13 under this section for education and 14 workforce training programs or activi- 15 ties for courses of study that cul- 16 minate with a recognized postsec- 17 ondary credential, and not for courses 18 of study culminating in a bacca- 19 laureate or advanced degree; and 20 ‘‘(B) includes institutions described in sub- 21 paragraph (A) that are located in the Common- 22 wealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the United States 23 Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Common- 24 wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 May 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1612.IS S1612 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •S 1612 IS Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated 1 States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau. 2 ‘‘(6) RECOGNIZED POSTSECONDARY CREDEN- 3 TIAL.—The term ‘recognized postsecondary creden- 4 tial’ means a credential consisting of an industry- 5 recognized certificate or certification, a certificate of 6 completion of an apprenticeship, a license recognized 7 by the State involved or Federal Government, or an 8 associate degree. 9 ‘‘(7) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘Secretaries’ 10 means the Secretary of Education and the Secretary 11 of Labor, acting jointly in accordance with the inter- 12 agency agreement described in subsection (h). 13 ‘‘(b) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than the last day 15 of the first full fiscal year following the date of en- 16 actment of the Community College to Career Fund 17 in Higher Education Act and from funds appro- 18 priated under subsection (g), the Secretaries shall 19 award competitive grants to eligible entities to en- 20 able the eligible entities to carry out education and 21 workforce training programs or activities described 22 in subsection (e). 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 May 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1612.IS S1612 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 •S 1612 IS ‘‘(2) DURATION OF GRANTS.—A grants award- 1 ed under this section shall be for a period of not 2 more than 5 years, subject to subsection (f)(3). 3 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity desiring a 4 grant under this section shall submit to the Secretaries 5 an application at such time, in such manner, and con- 6 taining such information as the Secretaries determine is 7 required. The application shall contain— 8 ‘‘(1) a grant proposal for each education and 9 workforce training program or activity to be sup- 10 ported under the grant that includes a detailed de- 11 scription of— 12 ‘‘(A) the specific education and workforce 13 training program or activity that will be sup- 14 ported, and the quality of the program or activ- 15 ity; 16 ‘‘(B) the extent to which the program or 17 activity aligns with— 18 ‘‘(i) an overall strategic plan devel- 19 oped by the eligible entity in collaboration 20 with an industry sector partnership and, if 21 applicable, other partner organizations; 22 ‘‘(ii) a statewide or regional workforce 23 development strategy, including strategies 24 established under the Workforce Innova- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 May 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1612.IS S1612 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 7 •S 1612 IS tion and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3201 1 et seq.) and the Carl D. Perkins Career 2 and Technical Education Act of 2006; and 3 ‘‘(iii) in-demand industry sectors or 4 occupations; 5 ‘‘(C) quantitative data and evidence that 6 demonstrates the extent to which the program 7 or activity to be supported will meet the needs 8 of employers in the area for skilled workers in 9 in-demand industry sectors or occupations; 10 ‘‘(D) the extent to which the program or 11 activity to be supported will meet the needs of 12 students in the area; 13 ‘‘(E) how the program or activity to be 14 supported meets the criteria established under 15 subsection (d), including the manner in which 16 the grant will be used to develop, offer, im- 17 prove, or provide the program or activity; and 18 ‘‘(F) any previous experience of the eligible 19 entity in providing education and workforce 20 training programs or activities, the absence of 21 which shall not automatically disqualify an eli- 22 gible entity from receiving a grant under this 23 section; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 May 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1612.IS S1612 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 8 •S 1612 IS ‘‘(2)(A) a detailed description of how the eligi- 1 ble entity will ensure that any education and work- 2 force training programs or activities supported 3 under the grant will meet the performance measures 4 described in subsection (f); and 5 ‘‘(B) an assurance that the entity will annually 6 submit to the Secretaries information on the per- 7 formance of each education and workforce training 8 program or activity supported under the grant, in 9 the context of the performance measures described 10 in subsection (f). 11 ‘‘(d) CRITERIA FOR AWARD.— 12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Grants under this section 13 shall be awarded based on criteria established by the 14 Secretaries that shall include, at a minimum, the fol- 15 lowing: 16 ‘‘(A) A determination of the merits of the 17 grant proposal submitted by the eligible entity 18 to develop, offer, improve, or provide an edu- 19 cation and workforce training program or activ- 20 ity to be made available to students. 21 ‘‘(B) An assessment of the likely employ- 22 ment opportunities available in the area to indi- 23 viduals who complete an education and work- 24 force training program or activity that the eligi- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 May 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1612.IS S1612 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 9 •S 1612 IS ble entity proposes to develop, offer, improve or 1 provide under the grant, based on State or local 2 labor market data. 3 ‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this 4 section, the Secretaries shall give priority to eligible 5 entities that— 6 ‘‘(A) are working with an industry or sec- 7 tor partnership that prioritizes facilitating the 8 hiring of individuals who have obtained a recog- 9 nized postsecondary credential from the edu- 10 cation and workforce training programs or ac- 11 tivities offered by the eligible entity; 12 ‘‘(B) are focused on serving individuals 13 with barriers to employment, veterans, spouses 14 of members of the Armed Forces, or incumbent 15 workers who are low-skilled and who need to in- 16 crease their employability skills; 17 ‘‘(C) serve areas with high unemployment 18 rates; or 19 ‘‘(D) commit to increasing access to edu- 20 cation and workforce training programs or ac- 21 tivities that meet the needs of employers in in- 22 demand industry sectors or occupations. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 May 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1612.IS S1612 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 10 •S 1612 IS ‘‘(e) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity receiving a 1 grant under this section shall use grant funds for one or 2 more of the following: 3 ‘‘(1) The development, offering, improvement, 4 or provision of one or more education and workforce 5 training programs or activities leading to recognized 6 postsecondary credentials that will meet the needs of 7 employers in in-demand industry sectors or occupa- 8 tions. 9 ‘‘(2) The development and implementation of 10 policies, programs, or activities that expand opportu- 11 nities for students to earn a recognized postsec- 12 ondary credential in in-demand industry sectors or 13 occupations, including by— 14 ‘‘(A) facilitating the transfer of academic 15 credits between institutions of higher education 16 (as defined in section 101), including the trans- 17 fer of academic credits for courses in the same 18 field or program of study; 19 ‘‘(B) expanding articulation agreements 20 and policies that guarantee transfers between 21 such institutions, including through common 22 course numbering and use of general core cur- 23 riculum; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 May 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1612.IS S1612 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 11 •S 1612 IS ‘‘(C) developing or enhancing student sup- 1 port service programs or activities; and 2 ‘‘(D) establishing policies and processes for 3 assessing and awarding postsecondary credit for 4 work-related learning or work-based learning 5 (as defined in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins 6 Career and Technical Education Act of 2006). 7 ‘‘(3) The creation or alignment of career path- 8 ways that provide a sequence of education and occu- 9 pational training that leads to a recognized postsec- 10 ondary credential, including programs or activities 11 that— 12 ‘‘(A) blend basic skills and occupational 13 training; 14 ‘‘(B) facilitate means of transitioning par- 15 ticipants from noncredit occupational, basic 16 skills, or developmental coursework to for-credit 17 coursework within and across institutions; 18 ‘‘(C) build or enhance linkages between 19 secondary education or adult education and lit- 20 eracy programs (including those programs es- 21 tablished under the Carl D. Perkins Career and 22 Technical Education Act of 2006 or the Work- 23 force Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 24 U.S.C. 3201 et seq.)) and postsecondary insti- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 May 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1612.IS S1612 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 12 •S 1612 IS tutions, including the development of dual or 1 concurrent enrollment programs; or 2 ‘‘(D) are designed to increase the provision 3 of workforce training for students, including 4 students who are members of the Armed Forces 5 (including members of the National Guard or 6 Reserves) and veterans, in order to facilitate 7 their entry into high-skill, high-wage jobs or in- 8 demand industry sectors or occupations. 9 ‘‘(f) PERFORMANCE MEASURES.— 10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries shall estab- 11 lish performance measures for the education and 12 workforce training programs and activities supported 13 under this section, which shall consist of— 14 ‘‘(A) the primary indicators of perform- 15 ance, as described in section 116(b)(2)(A)(i) of 16 the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 17 (29 U.S.C. 3141(b)(2)(A)(i)); and 18 ‘‘(B) a level of performance for each indi- 19 cator described in subparagraph (A). 20 ‘‘(2) MONITORING PROGRESS.—The Secretaries 21 shall— 22 ‘‘(A) monitor the progress of eligible enti- 23 ties that receive grants under this section to en- 24 sure their education and workforce training 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03: [Text truncated for display. 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