I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3408

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to improve college access 

through experiential education. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 30, 2003

Mr. BISHOP of New York (for himself, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, 

Mr. PAYNE, Mr. HOLT, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. CASE, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. 

RYAN of Ohio, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, 

Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. OWENS, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. HINOJOSA, Ms. 

MAJETTE, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, and Mr. TIERNEY) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 

the Workforce 

A BILL

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to improve 

college access through experiential education.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘College and Job Op5 portunities for the Future Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds the following: 
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1 (1) Over 15 million students are enrolled in in2 stitutions of higher education. 

3 (2) It is projected that the number of students 

4 enrolling in higher education will increase by 20 per5 cent by the year 2011. At that time, more students 

6 will be attending college than in any other time in 

7 history. 

8 (3) Of those students already enrolled in under9 graduate higher education, 55 percent receive some 

10 type of student aid averaging $6,265 per year, with 

11 72 percent of full-time undergraduates receiving 

12 some type of aid averaging $8,580 per year. 

13 (4) Average tuition at both public and private 

14 four-year colleges and universities rose 38 percent 

15 over the past ten years, while educational grants, 

16 such as the Pell Grant, have essentially remained 

17 stagnant. 

18 (5) In 1974, the maximum Pell Grant of 

19 $1,050 covered 31 percent of tuition and fees at a 

20 private, 4-year college and 60 percent at a public 

21 school. Today, the $4,050 maximum will cover only 

22 17 percent of private college costs and 42 percent at 

23 a public college. 
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1 (6) The average 4-year college graduate accu2 mulates over $16,000 in debt, with monthly pay3 ments of almost $200. 

4 (7) The nations’ unemployment rate has risen 

5 to 6.4 percent, the highest level in 9 years, making 

6 it increasingly difficult for college graduates to find 

7 jobs. 

8 (8) Cooperative education, a program that al9 lows students to work in paid, full- or part-time 

10 jobs, most often for academic credit, offers college 

11 students a number of resources to offset this admit12 tedly adverse climate. 

13 (9) Salaries earned by students working on co14 operative education placements may be used to de15 fray education-related expenses, and reduce amounts 

16 students may be required to borrow. In this way, co17 operative education addresses, in a very positive 

18 fashion, the important issues of access and afford19 ability. 

20 (10) Many, many studies have demonstrated 

21 that students who participate in cooperative edu22 cation placements persist through to graduation in 

23 greater numbers than those who have not. 

24 (11) The skilled job training that cooperative 

25 education students receive, coupled with their gen-
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1 eral exposure to the world of work, makes students 

2 more attractive to potential employers when they 

3 enter the job market. In fact, approximately 80 per4 cent of co-op students are offered permanent posi5 tions by their cooperative education employer upon 

6 graduation. 

7 (12) There are a number of goals associated 

8 with reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. 

9 These goals include improving access and afford10 ability, improving graduation rates, and improving 

11 employment prospects for graduates. Cooperative 

12 education assists students in all of these areas in a 

13 very positive and cost effective fashion. 

14 (13) Cooperative education is cost effective, in 

15 that it represents a relatively modest expenditure of 

16 Federal resources which provides students with ac17 cess to more substantial private resources. 

18 SEC. 3. REENACTMENT OF TITLE VIII: COOPERATIVE EDU19 CATION. 

20 The Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101 

21 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following 

22 title: 
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1 ‘‘TITLE VIII—COOPERATIVE 

2 EDUCATION 

3 ‘‘SEC. 801. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE; DEFINITION. 

4 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this title to 

5 award grants to institutions of higher education or com6 binations of such institutions to encourage such institu7 tions to develop and make available to as many of their 

8 students as possible work experience that will aid such stu9 dents in future careers and will enable such students to 

10 support themselves financially while in school. 

11 ‘‘(b) DEFINITION.—For the purpose of this title the 

12 term ‘cooperative education’ means the provision of alter13 nating or parallel periods of academic study and public 

14 or private employment in order to give students work expe15 riences related to their academic or occupational objectives 

16 and an opportunity to earn the funds necessary for con17 tinuing and completing their education. 

18 ‘‘SEC. 802. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; RES19 ERVATIONS. 

20 ‘‘(a) APPROPRIATIONS AUTHORIZED.—There are au21 thorized to be appropriated to carry out this title 

22 $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2004 and such sums as may 

23 be necessary for each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years. 

24 ‘‘(b) RESERVATIONS.—Of the amount appropriated 

25 in each fiscal year—
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1 ‘‘(1) not less than 50 percent shall be available 

2 for carrying out grants to institutions of higher edu3 cation and combinations of such institutions de4 scribed in section 803(a)(1)(A) for cooperative edu5 cation under section 803; 

6 ‘‘(2) not less than 25 percent shall be available 

7 for carrying out grants to institutions of higher edu8 cation described in section 803(a)(1)(B) for coopera9 tive education under section 803; 

10 ‘‘(3) not to exceed 11 percent shall be available 

11 for demonstration projects under paragraph (1) of 

12 section 804(a); 

13 ‘‘(4) not to exceed 11 percent shall be available 

14 for training and resource centers under paragraph 

15 (2) of section 804(a); and 

16 ‘‘(5) not to exceed 3 percent shall be available 

17 for research under paragraph (3) of section 804(a). 

18 ‘‘(c) AVAILABILITY OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Appro19 priations under this title shall not be available for the pay20 ment of compensation of students for employment by em21 ployers under arrangements pursuant to this title. 

22 ‘‘SEC. 803. GRANTS FOR COOPERATIVE EDUCATION. 

23 ‘‘(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is author25 ized—
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1 ‘‘(A) from the amount available under sec2 tion 802(b)(1) in each fiscal year and in accord3 ance with the provisions of this title, to make 

4 grants to institutions of higher education or 

5 combinations of such institutions that have not 

6 received a grant under this paragraph in the 

7 10-year period preceding the date for which a 

8 grant under this section is requested to pay the 

9 Federal share of the cost of planning, estab10 lishing, expanding, or carrying out programs of 

11 cooperative education by such institutions or 

12 combinations of institutions; and 

13 ‘‘(B) from the amount available under sec14 tion 802(b)(2) in each fiscal year and in accord15 ance with the provisions of this title, to make 

16 grants to institutions of higher education that 

17 are operating an existing cooperative education 

18 program as determined by the Secretary to pay 

19 the cost of planning, establishing, expanding, or 

20 carrying out programs of cooperative education 

21 by such institutions. 

22 ‘‘(2) PROGRAM REQUIREMENT.—Cooperative 

23 education programs assisted under this section shall 

24 provide alternating or parallel periods of academic 

25 study and of public or private employment, giving 
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1 students work experience related to their academic 

2 or occupational objectives and the opportunity to 

3 earn the funds necessary for continuing and com4 pleting their education. 

5 ‘‘(3) AMOUNT OF GRANTS.—

6 ‘‘(A) The amount of each grant awarded 

7 pursuant to paragraph (1)(A) to any institution 

8 of higher education or combination of such in9 stitutions in any fiscal year shall not exceed 

10 $500,000. 

11 ‘‘(B) (i) Except as provided in clauses (ii) 

12 and (iii), the Secretary shall award grants in 

13 each fiscal year to each institution of higher 

14 education described in paragraph (1)(B) that 

15 has an application approved under subsection 

16 (b) in an amount which bears the same ratio to 

17 the amount reserved pursuant to section 

18 802(b)(2) for such fiscal year as the number of 

19 unduplicated students placed in cooperative 

20 education jobs during the preceding fiscal year 

21 (other than cooperative education jobs under 

22 section 804 and as determined by the Sec23 retary) by such institution of higher education 

24 bears to the total number of all such students 
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1 placed in such jobs during the preceding fiscal 

2 year by all such institutions. 

3 ‘‘(ii) No institution of higher education 

4 shall receive a grant pursuant to paragraph 

5 (1)(B) in any fiscal year in an amount which 

6 exceeds 25 percent of such institution’s cooper7 ative education program’s personnel and oper8 ating budget for the preceding fiscal year. 

9 ‘‘(iii) The minimum annual grant amount 

10 which an institution of higher education is eligi11 ble to receive under paragraph (1)(B) is $1,000 

12 and the maximum annual grant amount is 

13 $75,000. 

14 ‘‘(4) LIMITATION.—The Secretary shall not 

15 award grants pursuant to paragraphs (1)(A) and 

16 (1)(B) to the same institution of higher education or 

17 combination of such institution in any one fiscal 

18 year. 

19 ‘‘(5) USES.—Grants under paragraph (1)(B) 

20 shall be used exclusively—

21 ‘‘(A) to expand the quality and participa22 tion of a cooperative education program; 

23 ‘‘(B) for outreach in new curricular areas; 

24 and 
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1 ‘‘(C) for outreach to potential participants 

2 including underrepresented and nontraditional 

3 populations. 

4 ‘‘(b) APPLICATIONS.—Each institution of higher edu5 cation or combination of such institutions desiring to re6 ceive a grant under this section shall submit an application 

7 to the Secretary at such time and in such manner as the 

8 Secretary shall prescribe. Each such application shall—

9 ‘‘(1) set forth the program or activities for 

10 which a grant is authorized under this section; 

11 ‘‘(2) specify each portion of such program or 

12 activities which will be performed by a nonprofit or13 ganization or institution other than the applicant 

14 and the compensation to be paid for such perform15 ance; 

16 ‘‘(3) provide that the applicant will expend dur17 ing such fiscal year for the purpose of such program 

18 or activities not less than the amount expended for 

19 such purpose during the previous fiscal year; 

20 ‘‘(4) describe the plans which the applicant will 

21 carry out to assure, and contain a formal statement 

22 of the institution’s commitment which assures, that 

23 the applicant will continue the cooperative education 

24 program beyond the 5-year period of Federal assist25 ance described in subsection (c)(1) at a level which 
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1 is not less than the total amount expended for such 

2 program during the first year such program was as3 sisted under this section; 

4 ‘‘(5) provide that, in the case of an institution 

5 of higher education that provides a 2-year program 

6 which is acceptable for full credit toward a bach7 elor’s degree, the cooperative education program will 

8 be available to students who are certificate or asso9 ciate degree candidates and who carry at least one10 half the normal full-time academic workload; 

11 ‘‘(6) provide that the applicant will—

12 ‘‘(A) make such reports as may be essen13 tial to ensure that the applicant is complying 

14 with the provisions of this section, including the 

15 reports for the second and each succeeding fis16 cal year for which the applicant receives a grant 

17 with respect to the impact of the cooperative 

18 education program in the previous fiscal year, 

19 including—

20 ‘‘(i) the number of unduplicated stu21 dent applicants in the cooperative edu22 cation program; 

23 ‘‘(ii) the number of unduplicated stu24 dents placed in cooperative education jobs; 
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1 ‘‘(iii) the number of employers who 

2 have hired cooperative education students; 

3 ‘‘(iv) the income for students derived 

4 from working in cooperative education 

5 jobs; and 

6 ‘‘(v) the increase or decrease in the 

7 number of unduplicated students placed in 

8 cooperative education jobs in each fiscal 

9 year compared to the previous fiscal year; 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(B) keep such records as are essential to 

12 ensure that the applicant is complying with the 

13 provisions of this title, including the notation of 

14 cooperative education employment on the stu15 dent’s transcript; 

16 ‘‘(7) describe the extent to which programs in 

17 the academic discipline for which the application is 

18 made have had a favorable reception by public and 

19 private sector employers; 

20 ‘‘(8) describe the extent to which the institution 

21 is committed to extending cooperative education on 

22 an institution-wide basis for all students who can 

23 benefit; 
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1 ‘‘(9) describe the plans that the applicant will 

2 carry out to evaluate the applicant’s cooperative edu3 cation program at the end of the grant period; 

4 ‘‘(10) provide for such fiscal control and fund 

5 accounting procedures as may be necessary to assure 

6 proper disbursement of, and accounting for, Federal 

7 funds paid to the applicant under this title; 

8 ‘‘(11) demonstrate a commitment to serving all 

9 underserved populations; and 

10 ‘‘(12) include such other information as is es11 sential to carry out the provisions of this title. 

12 ‘‘(c) DURATION OF GRANTS; FEDERAL SHARE.—

13 ‘‘(1) DURATION OF GRANTS.—No individual in14 stitution of higher education may receive, individ15 ually or as a participant in a combination of such in16 stitutions—

17 ‘‘(A) a grant pursuant to subsection 

18 (a)(1)(A) for more than 5 fiscal years; or 

19 ‘‘(B) a grant pursuant to subsection 

20 (a)(1)(B) for more than 5 fiscal years. 

21 ‘‘(2) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of a 

22 grant under section 803(a)(1)(A) may not exceed—

23 ‘‘(A) 85 percent of the cost of carrying out 

24 the program or activities described in the appli-
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1 cation in the first year the applicant receives a 

2 grant under this section; 

3 ‘‘(B) 70 percent of such cost in the second 

4 such year; 

5 ‘‘(C) 55 percent of such cost in the third 

6 such year; 

7 ‘‘(D) 40 percent of such cost in the fourth 

8 such year; and 

9 ‘‘(E) 25 percent of such cost in the fifth 

10 such year. 

11 ‘‘(3) SPECIAL RULE.—Any provision of law to 

12 the contrary notwithstanding, the Secretary shall not 

13 waive the provisions of this subsection. 

14 ‘‘(d) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—If the Secretary 

15 determines that a recipient of funds under this section has 

16 failed to maintain the fiscal effort described in subsection 

17 (b)(3), then the Secretary may elect not to make grant 

18 payments under this section to such recipient. 

19 ‘‘(e) FACTORS FOR SPECIAL CONSIDERATION OF AP20 PLICATIONS.—

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In approving applications 

22 under this section, the Secretary shall give special 

23 consideration to applications from institutions of 

24 higher education or combinations of such institu-
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1 tions for programs which show the greatest promise 

2 of success because of—

3 ‘‘(A) the extent to which programs in the 

4 academic discipline with respect to which the 

5 application is made have had a favorable recep6 tion by public and private sector employers; 

7 ‘‘(B) the strength of the commitment of 

8 the institution of higher education or combina9 tion of such institutions to cooperative edu10 cation as demonstrated by the plans and for11 malized institutional commitment statement 

12 which such institution or combination has made 

13 to continue the program after the termination 

14 of Federal financial assistance, 

15 ‘‘(C) the extent to which the institution or 

16 combination is committed to extending coopera17 tive education for all students who can benefit, 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(D) such other factors as are consistent 

20 with the purposes of this section. 

21 ‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL SPECIAL CONSIDERATION.—

22 The Secretary shall also give special consideration to 

23 applications from institutions of higher education or 

24 combinations of such institutions which demonstrate 
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1 a commitment to serving all underserved popu2 lations. 

3 ‘‘SEC. 804. DEMONSTRATION AND INNOVATION PROJECTS; 

4 TRAINING AND RESOURCE CENTERS; AND RE5 SEARCH. 

6 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary is authorized, 

7 in accordance with the provisions of this section, to make 

8 grants and enter into contracts for—

9 ‘‘(1) the conduct of demonstration projects de10 signed to demonstrate or determine the feasibility or 

11 value of innovative methods of cooperative education 

12 from the amounts available in each fiscal year under 

13 section 802(b)(3); 

14 ‘‘(2) the conduct of training and resource cen15 ters designed to—

16 ‘‘(A) train personnel in the field of cooper17 ative education; 

18 ‘‘(B) improve materials used in cooperative 

19 education programs if such improvement is con20 ducted in conjunction with other activities de21 scribed in this paragraph; 

22 ‘‘(C) furnish technical assistance to institu23 tions of higher education to increase the poten24 tial of the institution to continue to conduct a 
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1 cooperative education program without Federal 

2 assistance; 

3 ‘‘(D) encourage model cooperative edu4 cation programs which furnish education and 

5 training in occupations in which there is a na6 tional need; 

7 ‘‘(E) support partnerships under which an 

8 institution carrying out a comprehensive cooper9 ative education program joins with one or more 

10 institutions of higher education in order to (i) 

11 assist the institution other than the comprehen12 sive cooperative education institution to develop 

13 and expand an existing program of cooperative 

14 education, or (ii) establish and improve or ex15 pand comprehensive cooperative education pro16 grams; and 

17 ‘‘(F) encourage model cooperative edu18 cation programs in the fields of science and 

19 mathematics for women and minorities who are 

20 underrepresented in such fields 

21 from the amounts available in each fiscal year under 

22 section 802(b)(4); and 

23 ‘‘(3) the conduct of research relating to cooper24 ative education, from the amounts available in each 

25 fiscal year under section 802(b)(5). 
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1 ‘‘(b) ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISION.—

2 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To carry out this section, 

3 the Secretary may—

4 ‘‘(A) make grants to or contracts with in5 stitutions of higher education, or combinations 

6 of such institutions; and 

7 ‘‘(B) make grants to or contracts with 

8 other public or private nonprofit agencies or or9 ganizations, whenever such grants or contracts 

10 will make an especially significant contribution 

11 to attaining the objectives of this section. 

12 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—

13 ‘‘(A) The Secretary may not use more than 

14 3 percent of the amount appropriated to carry 

15 out this section in each fiscal year to enter into 

16 contracts described in paragraph (1)(A). 

17 ‘‘(B) The Secretary may use not more 

18 than 3 percent of the amount appropriated to 

19 carry out this section in each fiscal year to 

20 enter into contracts described in paragraph 

21 (1)(B). 

22 ‘‘(c) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—A recipient of 

23 a grant or contract under this section may use the funds 

24 provided only so as to supplement and, to the extent pos25 sible, increase the level of funds that would, in the absence 
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1 of such funds, be made available from non-Federal sources 

2 to carry out the activities supported by such grant or con3 tract, and in no case to supplant such funds from non4 Federal sources.’’.

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