To strengthen and expand scientific and technological education capabilities of associate-degree-granting colleges through the establishment of partnership arrangements with bachelor-degree-granting institutions.

Summary: Higher Education Science and Technology Competitiveness Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award grants for articulation agreements between institutions of higher education that specifies the acceptability of courses in transfer toward meeting specific degree requirements, especially in mathematics, science, engineering, and technology.

Allows the use of grant funds to establish articulation agreements: (1) statewide, among public two-year and four-year institutions of higher education, to provide a seamless transition for the transfer of students through a common core curricula that reflects the workforce needs of private industry; and (2) within community colleges, between occupational competency or certification programs and associate degree programs, to increase the proportion of students who enroll to complete their associates degree.

Allows such grants also to be used to: (1) collect data on transfers from two-year to four-year institutions, for monitoring purposes; (2) develop a statewide articulation guide in consultation with public colleges and universities to provide students with descriptions of articulation requirements; and (3) develop a plan for professional development of two-year college faculty.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Higher Education Science and 
Technology Competitiveness Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The United States is losing its dominance in the 
        sciences and technology, and faces serious challenges from 
        highly educated foreign competitors.
            (2) The workforce of the United States must be better 
        prepared for the scientifically and technologically advanced 
        competition of the global economy.
            (3) New scientific knowledge is the engine of American 
        technological innovation, national security, economic growth, 
        and prosperity.
            (4) The competitiveness of the United States depends on 
        strengthening and expanding postsecondary educational efforts 
        in science, math, engineering, and technology.
            (5) Shortages of scientifically and technologically 
        educated workers will be best addressed through partnerships 
        between the Nation's associate degree-granting colleges and 
        public four-year colleges and universities.
            (6) Enlarging the traditional role of community colleges in 
        workforce training by developing seamless transitions from 
        occupational competency or certificate programs to associate 
        degree programs in math, science, engineering, and technology.

SEC. 3. ARTICULATION AGREEMENT PROGRAM.

    Part G of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 is amended 
by inserting after section 486 (20 U.S.C. 1093) the following new 
section:

``SEC. 486A. ARTICULATION AGREEMENT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Purpose; Definition.--
            ``(1) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to 
        strengthen and expand scientific and technological education 
        capabilities of associate-degree-granting public institutions 
        of higher education through the establishment of partnership 
        arrangements with bachelor-degree-granting public institutions 
        of higher education.
            ``(2) Definition.--For the purposes of this section, the 
        term `articulation agreement' means an agreement between 
        institutions of higher education that specifies the 
        acceptability of courses in transfer toward meeting specific 
        degree requirements.
    ``(b) Program Authorized.--
            ``(1) Grants to public institutions.--From the sums 
        appropriated under subsection (g), the Secretary shall award 
        grants under this section to public institutions of higher 
        education for the support of programs to establish and 
        implement statewide articulation agreements in accordance with 
        subsection (d).
            ``(2) Eligibility of private institutions to participate in 
        agreements.--Nothing in this section shall be construed to 
        preclude a nonprofit or for-profit private institution of 
        higher education from participating in the development and 
        implementation of a statewide articulation agreement under 
        subsection (d).
    ``(c) Applications.--Each institution, system, or consortium of 
institutions desiring to participate in a demonstration program under 
this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, 
in such manner, and containing such information and assurances as the 
Secretary may require.
    ``(d) Use of Funds.--Funds provided by grant under this section may 
be used--
            ``(1) to establish statewide articulation agreements in 
        math, science, engineering, and technology among public 2-year 
        institutions and public 4-year institutions to provide a 
        seamless transition for the transfer of students from the 
        public 2-year institutions to the public 4-year institutions by 
        having both such types of institutions provide and use a common 
        core curricula that reflects the workforce needs of private 
        industry;
            ``(2) to establish articulation agreements within community 
        colleges between occupational competency or certification 
        programs and associate degree programs in math, science, 
        engineering, and technology to increase the proportion of 
        students who enroll to complete their associates degree;
            ``(3) to collect data on transfers from 2-year institutions 
        to 4-year institutions on a regular basis and to submit such 
        data to commissioners or departments of higher education, for 
        transmission by such commissioners and departments to the 
        Secretary, in order to monitor program progress and success;
            ``(4) to develop a statewide articulation guide in 
        consultation with public colleges and universities to provide 
        students with descriptions of articulation requirements; and
            ``(5) to develop a plan for professional development of 2-
        year college faculty, including inter-institutional workshops, 
        consultations, and professional meetings.
    ``(e) Evaluations and Reports.--The Secretary shall collect from 
State commissioners and departments the data provided by grant 
recipients under subsection (d)(3) for the purposes of evaluating the 
success of the program authorized by this section. The Secretary shall 
submit a report on the results of such evaluation to the Congress not 
later than 2 years after the end of the first fiscal year for which 
funds are made available for grants under this section.
    ``(f) Additional Definition.--The Secretary shall by regulation 
define the term `degree programs in math, science, engineering, and 
technology'.
    ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to make grants under this section $10,000,000 for fiscal 
year 2005 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 
succeeding fiscal years.''.