II 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2117 

To increase access to adult education to provide for economic growth. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 16, 2012 

Mr. WEBB (for himself, Mr. REED, and Mr. BROWN of Ohio) introduced the 

following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance 

A BILL 

To increase access to adult education to provide for economic 

growth. 

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 ‘‘Adult Education and 

5 Economic Growth Act of 2012’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) In order to remain competitive in today’s 

9 global economy, the United States must reverse the 

10 trend of underinvestment in adult education and 

11 workforce development and empower its workforce 


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1 through adequate resources and effective and inno2 vative educational and workforce programs. Since 

3 1979, investments in adult education and workforce 

4 development programs have declined in real terms by 

5 more than 70 percent. 

6 (2) Current Federal adult basic education pro7 grams serve less than 3,000,000 individuals a year. 

8 Some States have experienced difficulties integrating 

9 adult education public job training and career and 

10 technical education programs that could help these 

11 individuals meet specific industry demand while ad12 vancing along a career path. 

13 (3) In 2007, more than 25,000,000 adults ages 

14 18 through 64 had no high school credential. Every 

15 year, 1 in 3 young adults—more than 1,200,000 

16 people—drop out of high school. 

17 (4) Employers need highly skilled workers to be 

18 able to compete globally. Between 2004 and 2014, 

19 24 of the 30 fastest-growing occupations are pro20 jected to demand workers with some form of post21 secondary education or training. Yet nearly half of 

22 the United States workforce has a high school di23 ploma or less. 

24 (5) Technology and globalization, coupled with 

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1 wage and low-skill workers particularly vulnerable. 

2 Unemployment is highest among those without a col3 lege degree and has grown at a faster rate among 

4 this group since the start of the economic recession 

5 in December 2007. 

6 (6) According to the Bureau of Labor Statis7 tics, the unemployment rate for individuals 25 and 

8 older who have less than a high school diploma has 

9 risen from 7.5 percent in December 2007 to 15.9 

10 percent in February 2011. The unemployment rate 

11 for high school graduates with no college has in12 creased from 4.6 percent to 10.7 percent in Feb13 ruary 2011. The unemployment rate for high school 

14 graduates with some college experience or an asso15 ciate degree has risen from 3.7 percent to 8.2 per16 cent in February 2011. 

17 (7) The United States ranks 11th among 

18 OECD countries in percent of young adults with a 

19 high school diploma—the only country in which 

20 younger adults are less educated than the previous 

21 generation. 

22 (8) In 2006, 18,400,000 adults spoke English 

23 ‘‘less than very well’’, according to the United States 

24 Census Bureau (2006 American Community Sur25 vey). Of these adults, 8,200,000 held no high school 


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1 credential and 5,000,000 had completed high school 

2 but were not college or job ready. 

3 (9) Although 88,000,000 adults ages 18 to 64 

4 have a high school diploma or less, or limited 

5 English proficiency, funding for programs authorized 

6 under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 for 

7 adults, dislocated workers, and youth declined by 

8 about 12 percent between 2000 and 2007. 

9 (10) According to the National Commission on 

10 Adult Literacy, 1 in every 100 adults in the United 

11 States 16 and older is in prison or jail in the United 

12 States. About 43 percent do not have a high school 

13 diploma or its equivalent, and 56 percent have very 

14 low literacy skills. Ninety-five percent of incarcer15 ated individuals return to our communities. 

16 (11) In order to meet the needs of the work17 force, there must be a strong connection between the 

18 adult education and workforce development system, 

19 in order to better meet the needs of limited English 

20 proficient job seekers and those with basic skills de21 ficiencies. For example, in program year 2006, less 

22 than 1 percent of individuals who exited the title I 

23 adult program under the Workforce Investment Act 

24 of 1998 were co-enrolled in adult education. 


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1 (12) Workforce development programs, includ2 ing adult education, throughout the Federal Govern3 ment and the States are not aligned well, limiting 

4 their capacity to leverage resources, to provide full 

5 and appropriate access to services, and to provide 

6 reliable and comparable data related to activities and 

7 outcomes across the programs. 

8 (13) In the current economic climate, it is im9 perative that the United States invest in the edu10 cation, training, and development of all workers in 

11 the United States who are unemployed or under12 employed, to help fill the labor demands of the 

13 United States so that they do not look elsewhere to 

14 find skilled workers. 

15 SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 

16 The purposes of this Act are the following: 

17 (1) To increase access substantially to adult 

18 education, literacy, and workplace skills services for 

19 adults, including both incumbent workers and unem20 ployed adults, who have limited basic skills, lack a 

21 high school diploma or its equivalent, or are limited 

22 English proficient. 

23 (2) To create seamless pathways from adult 

24 education and occupational skills development to 

25 postsecondary education or training and workforce 


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1 development programs and services that help adult 

2 learners persist throughout the pipeline from the 

3 lowest levels of basic literacy or English language 

4 proficiency to the achievement of a level of pro5 ficiency that will enable the adult learner to transi6 tion to and succeed in family-sustaining jobs in ca7 reers with the promise of advancement. 

8 (3) To develop an adult education, literacy, and 

9 work skills system that coordinates and integrates 

10 adult education, literacy, and workplace skills serv11 ices with workforce development and postsecondary 

12 education and job training opportunities across 

13 agencies and programs. 

14 (4) To greatly improve outcomes for adults re15 ceiving adult education, literacy, and workplace skills 

16 services in terms of learning gains, acquisition of 

17 basic workplace skills, accelerated learning, acquisi18 tion of a high school diploma or its equivalent, or 

19 transition to and success in postsecondary education, 

20 job training, and family-sustaining jobs. 


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1 TITLE I—WORKFORCE 

2 INVESTMENT SYSTEMS 

3 SEC. 101. DEFINITIONS. 

4 Section 101 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 

5 (29 U.S.C. 2801) is amended by adding at the end the 

6 following: 

7 ‘‘(54) INTEGRATED EDUCATION AND TRAIN8 ING.—The term ‘integrated education and training’ 

9 means education that, at the same time, combines 

10 adult education services and occupational skills 

11 training for a specific occupation or occupational 

12 cluster leading to an employer-recognized credential. 

13 ‘‘(55) SEQUENTIAL EDUCATION AND TRAIN14 ING.—The term ‘sequential education and training’ 

15 means adult education services that may occur prior 

16 to job training or postsecondary education and are 

17 appropriate for adults who need services offered, one 

18 after another, in a progressive fashion. 

19 ‘‘(56) CAREER PATHWAY.—The term ‘career 

20 pathway’ means a system of educational and social 

21 services connecting education, training, and support 

22 services, including adult basic skills, English lan23 guage instruction, GED preparation, and noncredit 

24 and for-credit occupational certificate and degree 

25 programs, to enable youth and adults to advance 


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1 over time to successively higher levels of education 

2 and employment in a given industry or occupational 

3 sector and that— 

4 ‘‘(A) align adult education, job training, 

5 postsecondary education, or occupational train6 ing to create a pathway to attaining a recog7 nized postsecondary education credential that 

8 will qualify an individual for career advance9 ment in projected employment opportunities 

10 identified in the State plan under section 112; 

11 ‘‘(B) include advising and career naviga12 tion to support the development of individual 

13 education and career plans; and 

14 ‘‘(C) lead to a secondary school diploma or 

15 its recognized equivalent (for individuals who 

16 have not completed secondary school), a post17 secondary degree, a registered apprenticeship or 

18 another recognized occupational certification, a 

19 certificate, or a license in demand industries. 

20 ‘‘(57) WORKPLACE SKILLS.—The term ‘work21 place skills’ means the combination of basic skills, 

22 critical thinking skills, and self management skills 

23 with competency in utilizing resources, using infor24 mation, working with others, understanding systems, 


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1 working with technology, and other skills necessary 

2 for success in the workplace. 

3 ‘‘(58) REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PRO4 GRAM.—The term ‘registered apprenticeship pro5 gram’ means an industry skills training program at 

6 the postsecondary level that combines technical and 

7 theoretical training through structured on-the-job 

8 learning with related instruction (in classrooms or 

9 through distance learning) while an individual is em10 ployed, working under the direction of qualified per11 sonnel or a mentor, and earning incremental wage 

12 increases aligned to enhanced job proficiency, result13 ing in the acquisition of a nationally recognized and 

14 portable certificate, under a plan approved by the 

15 Office of Apprenticeship or a State agency recog16 nized by the Department of Labor.’’. 

17 SEC. 102. PURPOSE. 

18 Section 106 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 

19 (29 U.S.C. 2811) is amended by inserting ‘‘adult edu20 cation and’’ before ‘‘workforce investment systems’’. 

21 SEC. 103. STATE WORKFORCE INVESTMENT BOARDS. 

22 Section 111 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 

23 (29 U.S.C. 2821) is amended— 

24 (1) in subsection (b)(1)(C)— 


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1 (A) in clause (vi)(II), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

2 after the semicolon; 

3 (B) by redesignating clause (vii) as clause 

4 (viii); and 

5 (C) by inserting after clause (vi) the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(vii) the lead State agency officials 

8 with responsibilities for the programs and 

9 activities carried out under title II; and’’; 

10 and 

11 (2) in subsection (d)(2), by inserting ‘‘adult 

12 education and’’ before ‘‘workforce investment sys13 tem’’. 

14 SEC. 104. STATE PLAN. 

15 Section 112 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 

16 (29 U.S.C. 2822) is amended— 

17 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘and aligns 

18 with the State plan described in section 224’’ before 

19 the period at the end; 

20 (2) in subsection (b)— 

21 (A) in paragraph (4)— 

22 (i) in subparagraph (B), by inserting 

23 ‘‘academic levels and’’ before ‘‘job skills’’; 

24 (ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

25 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 


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1 (iii) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

2 ‘‘State;’’ and inserting ‘‘State, including 

3 education, training, and registered appren4 ticeship programs and their relationship to 

5 such career opportunities and skills and 

6 economic development needs; and’’; and 

7 (iv) by adding at the end the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(E) the integrated education and training 

10 and sequential education and training activities 

11 that will be integrated and aligned with work12 force programs and services under this title, 

13 and the State’s efforts to promote greater inte14 gration and alignment of adult education and 

15 workforce programs and services under this 

16 title;’’; 

17 (B) in paragraph (8)— 

18 (i) in subparagraph (A)(x), by striking 

19 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

20 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

21 the semicolon and inserting ‘‘, including 

22 performance on the core indicators de23 scribed in section 212; and’’; and 

24 (iii) by adding at the end the fol25 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(C) a description of any integrated data 

2 systems used to track performance outcomes 

3 over time for the participants in the programs 

4 and activities described in subparagraph (A);’’; 

5 (C) in paragraph (9), by striking ‘‘busi6 nesses and representatives of labor organiza7 tions’’ and inserting ‘‘businesses, representa8 tives of labor organizations, and representatives 

9 of education and training (including adult edu10 cation providers, postsecondary education pro11 viders, and training providers)’’; 

12 (D) in paragraph (17)— 

13 (i) in subparagraph (A)(iv), by adding 

14 ‘‘, including individuals receiving services 

15 under title II’’ after ‘‘disabilities)’’; and 

16 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

17 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

18 (E) in paragraph (18)(D), by striking the 

19 period at the end and inserting a semicolon; 

20 (F) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(19) a strategy for coordinating services to 

22 populations in need of such services, including guid23 ance, counseling, mentoring, and other supports 

24 through public and private partnerships and creating 

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1 rollment, curricular articulation, and high intensity 

2 instruction; and 

3 ‘‘(20) an assurance that every region, as de4 fined by the State, in the State has at least 1 adult 

5 education program that offers more than 1 option 

6 for earning a credential with value in the local mar7 ket to students who do not yet have a high school 

8 diploma or GED and who are unlikely to earn a di9 ploma or GED in the short-term, which option may 

10 include partnering with a community college or job 

11 training provider and may include getting a GED in 

12 the process.’’; and 

13 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(e) PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT PERIOD.—Notwith15 standing any other provision of this section, a State may 

16 be eligible to receive an allotment under section 127 or 

17 132, or to receive financial assistance under the Wagner18 Peyser Act (29 U.S.C. 49 et seq.), before the State sub19 mits a single State plan under this section if the State 

20 is in a 1-year program development period.’’. 

21 SEC. 105. LOCAL WORKFORCE INVESTMENT BOARDS. 

22 Section 117(h)(2)(A) of the Workforce Investment 

23 Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2832(h)(2)(A)) is amended— 

24 (1) in clause (v), by striking ‘‘and’’ after the 

25 semicolon; and 


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1 (2) by inserting after clause (vi), the following: 

2 ‘‘(vii) representatives of adult edu3 cation; and’’. 

4 SEC. 106. LOCAL PLAN. 

5 Section 118(b)(1) of the Workforce Investment Act 

6 of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2833(b)(1)) is amended— 

7 (1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

8 after the semicolon; 

9 (2) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ‘‘aca10 demic competencies and’’ before ‘‘job skills’’; and 

11 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(D) the type and availability of workforce 

13 investment activities in the local area, including 

14 education, training, and registered apprentice15 ship programs and their relationship to such 

16 business, job seeker, and worker needs, employ17 ment opportunities, and economic development 

18 needs; and 

19 ‘‘(E) the integrated education and training 

20 and sequential education and training activities 

21 that will be carried out under this title or title 

22 II and the alignment of those activities.’’. 

23 SEC. 107. USE OF FUNDS FOR YOUTH ACTIVITIES. 

24 Section 129 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 

25 (29 U.S.C. 2854) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (a)— 

2 (A) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

3 after the semicolon; 

4 (B) in paragraph (6), by striking the pe5 riod and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

6 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(7) to provide opportunities for multiple path8 ways for eligible youth.’’; and 

9 (2) in subsection (c)(1)(C)— 

10 (A) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

11 the semicolon; 

12 (B) in clause (iv)(II), by striking the pe13 riod and inserting a semicolon; and 

14 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(v) opportunities for career path16 ways; and 

17 ‘‘(vi) for the completion of secondary 

18 school, in appropriate cases.’’. 

19 SEC. 108. USE OF FUNDS FOR EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING 

20 ACTIVITIES. 

21 Section 134(d) of the Workforce Investment Act of 

22 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2864(d)) is amended— 

23 (1) in paragraph (3)(A)(i)(I), by striking ‘‘and 

24 are unable to obtain employment through core serv25 ices provided under paragraph (2)’’; 


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1 (2) in paragraph (4)— 

2 (A) in subparagraph (A)(i), by striking 

3 ‘‘and who are unable to obtain or retain em4 ployment through such services’’; 

5 (B) in subparagraph (D)— 

6 (i) in clause (viii), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

7 after the semicolon; 

8 (ii) in clause (ix), by striking the pe9 riod and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

10 (iii) by adding at the end the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘(x) integration of adult education 

13 and training.’’; and 

14 (C) in subparagraph (G)(ii)— 

15 (i) in subclause (II), by striking ‘‘or’’ 

16 after the semicolon; 

17 (ii) in subclause (III), by striking the 

18 period and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

19 (iii) by adding at the end the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(IV) the local board determines 

22 that it would facilitate the training of 

23 multiple individuals in high-demand 

24 occupations; or 


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1 ‘‘(V) the local board determines 

2 that it would facilitate the provision of 

3 integrated education and training and 

4 sequential education and training pro5 grams.’’; and 

6 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(5) AUTHORIZATION OF CONTRACTS TO INSTI8 TUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The local board 

9 may award a contract to an institution of higher 

10 education or other eligible training provider, includ11 ing an adult education provider, if the local board 

12 determines that it would facilitate the training of 

13 multiple individuals in high-demand occupations, if 

14 such contract does not limit consumer choice.’’. 

15 SEC. 109. PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM. 

16 Section 136(b)(2)(A) of the Workforce Investment 

17 Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2871(b)(2)(A)) is amended— 

18 (1) in clause (i)— 

19 (A) in the matter preceding subclause (I), 

20 by striking ‘‘and (for participants who are eligi21 ble youth age 19 through 21) for youth activi22 ties authorized under section 129’’; and 

23 (B) in subclause (IV)— 

24 (i) by inserting ‘‘and performance on 

25 the core indicators described in section 


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1 212, as appropriate’’ after ‘‘recognized 

2 equivalent’’; and 

3 (ii) by striking ‘‘, or by participants 

4 who are eligible youth age 19 through 21 

5 who enter postsecondary education, ad6 vanced training, or unsubsidized employ7 ment’’; and 

8 (2) in clause (ii)— 

9 (A) in the matter preceding subclause (I), 

10 by striking ‘‘(for participants who are eligible 

11 youth age 14 through 18)’’; 

12 (B) in subclause (I), by striking ‘‘and, as 

13 appropriate, work readiness or occupational 

14 skills’’ and inserting ‘‘, workplace skills, or oc15 cupation skills, as appropriate’’; 

16 (C) in subclause (II), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

17 after the semicolon; 

18 (D) in subclause (III), by striking the pe19 riod and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

20 (E) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(IV) performance on measures 

22 described in subclauses (I), (II), and 

23 (III) of clause (i) by youth 18 years 

24 of age and older.’’. 


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1 SEC. 110. DEMONSTRATION AND PILOT PROJECTS. 

2 Section 171(b)(1) of the Workforce Investment Act 

3 of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2916(b)(1)) is amended— 

4 (1) in subparagraph (G), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

5 after the semicolon; 

6 (2) in subparagraph (H), by striking the period 

7 and inserting a semicolon; and 

8 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(I) projects that assist low skill and lim10 ited English proficient workers to acquire the 

11 basic, English, work readiness, and applied 

12 technical or occupational skills through inte13 grated education and training and sequential 

14 education and training programs to successfully 

15 transition to postsecondary education, work16 force development, and employment in career 

17 pathways; and 

18 ‘‘(J) projects that test effective ways to de19 velop comprehensive career pathways learning 

20 approaches that fully align adult education with 

21 secondary education, postsecondary education, 

22 including registered apprenticeship programs, 

23 workforce development, and supportive service 

24 activities, and with regional economic develop25 ment strategies to meet the skill needs of exist26 ing and emerging regional employers as well as 


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1 the needs of low skilled adults, helping adults, 

2 especially those who are low skilled, to advance 

3 through progressive levels of education and 

4 training as quickly as possible and gain edu5 cation and workplace skills of demonstrated 

6 value to the labor market at each level.’’. 

7 TITLE II—ADULT EDUCATION, 

8 LITERACY, AND WORKPLACE 

9 SKILLS 

10 SEC. 201. PURPOSE. 

11 Section 202 of the Adult Education and Family Lit12 eracy Act (20 U.S.C. 9201) is amended— 

13 (1) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the 

14 following: 

15 ‘‘(1) assist adults to become literate and numer16 ate and to obtain the knowledge and skills necessary 

17 to transition to and succeed in postsecondary edu18 cation, job training, and employment in family-sus19 taining jobs, and to be self sufficient’’; 

20 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

21 the semicolon; 

22 (3) in paragraph (3)— 

23 (A) by inserting ‘‘and transition to postsec24 ondary education and career pathways’’ after 

25 ‘‘education’’; and 


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1 (B) by striking the period and inserting ‘‘; 

2 and’’; and 

3 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(4) assist adults with limited English pro5 ficiency in— 

6 ‘‘(A) improving their reading, writing, 

7 speaking, listening, and comprehension skills in 

8 English and mathematical skills; 

9 ‘‘(B) acquiring an understanding of the 

10 American system of Government, individual 

11 freedom, and the responsibilities of citizenship; 

12 and 

13 ‘‘(C) where necessary, obtaining the knowl14 edge and skills to transition to and succeed in 

15 postsecondary education, job training, and em16 ployment in family-sustaining jobs.’’. 

17 SEC. 202. DEFINITIONS. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 203 of the Adult Edu19 cation and Family Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 9202) is 

20 amended— 

21 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (3), (4), (5), 

22 (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14), (15), 

23 (16), (17), and (18), as paragraphs (4), (5), (6), 

24 (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (15), (16), (17), (18), 

25 (19), (20), and (21), respectively; 


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1 (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(3) CAREER PATHWAY.—The term ‘career 

4 pathway’ has the meaning given the term in section 

5 101 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.’’; 

6 (3) in paragraph (6), as redesignated by para7 graph (1)— 

8 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

9 (A), by inserting ‘‘an organization that has 

10 demonstrated effectiveness in providing adult 

11 education, literacy, and workplace skills activi12 ties that may include’’ after ‘‘means’’; 

13 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘of 

14 demonstrated effectiveness’’; 

15 (C) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘of 

16 demonstrated effectiveness’’; 

17 (D) in subparagraph (H), by striking 

18 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

19 (E) in subparagraph (I), by striking the 

20 period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

21 (F) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(J) a partnership between an entity de23 scribed in any of subparagraphs (A) through (I) 

24 and an employer.’’; 


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1 (4) in paragraph (8), as redesignated by para2 graph (1)— 

3 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

4 (A)— 

5 (i) by inserting ‘‘the economic pros6 pects for’’ after ‘‘sustainable changes in’’; 

7 and 

8 (ii) by inserting ‘‘and that better en9 able parents to support their children’s 

10 learning needs’’ after ‘‘a family’’; 

11 (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 

12 through (D) as subparagraphs (B) through (E), 

13 respectively; and 

14 (C) by inserting before subparagraph (B), 

15 as redesignated by subparagraph (B), the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(A) Parent adult education, literacy, and 

18 workplace skills activities that lead to readiness 

19 for postsecondary education or training, career 

20 advancement, and economic self-sufficiency.’’; 

21 (5) by inserting after paragraph (12), as redes22 ignated by paragraph (1), the following: 

23 ‘‘(13) INTEGRATED EDUCATION AND TRAINING

24 AND SEQUENTIAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING.—The 

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1 quential education and training’ have the meanings 

2 given the terms in section 101 of the Workforce In3 vestment Act of 1998. 

4 ‘‘(14) INTEGRATED ENGLISH LITERACY AND

5 CIVICS EDUCATION PROGRAM.—The term ‘integrated 

6 English literacy and civics education program’ 

7 means programs of instruction designed to help an 

8 individual of limited English proficiency achieve 

9 competence in English through contextualized in10 struction on the rights and responsibilities of citizen11 ship, naturalization procedures, civic participation, 

12 and United States history and Government to help 

13 such an individual acquire the skills and knowledge 

14 to become an active and informed parent, worker, 

15 and community member.’’; and 

16 (6) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(22) WORKPLACE SKILLS.—The term ‘work18 place skills’ has the meaning given the term in sec19 tion 101 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.’’. 

20 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 173A(b)(8) 

21 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 

22 2918a(b)(8)) is amended by striking ‘‘section 203(10) of 

23 the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 

24 9202(10))’’ and inserting ‘‘section 203(11) of the Adult 


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1 Education and Family Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 

2 9202(11))’’. 

3 SEC. 203. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

4 Section 205 of the Adult Education and Family Lit5 eracy Act (20 U.S.C. 9204) is amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 205. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

7 ‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

8 this title $850,000,000 for fiscal year 2013 and such sums 

9 as may be necessary for each succeeding fiscal year.’’. 

10 SEC. 204. RESERVATION OF FUNDS; GRANTS TO ELIGIBLE 

11 AGENCIES; ALLOTMENTS. 

12 Section 211(a) of the Adult Education and Family 

13 Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 9211(a)) is amended— 

14 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘$8,000,000’’ 

15 and inserting ‘‘$15,000,000’’; 

16 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

17 (A) by striking ‘‘1.5 percent’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘1.25 percent’’; 

19 (B) by striking ‘‘$8,000,000’’ and insert20 ing ‘‘$12,000,000’’; and 

21 (C) by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

22 (3) in paragraph (3), by striking the period and 

23 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

24 (4) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(4) shall reserve 12 percent to carry out sec2 tion 244.’’. 

3 SEC. 205. PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM. 

4 Section 212(b) of the Adult Education and Family 

5 Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 9212(b)) is amended— 

6 (1) in paragraph (1)(A)— 

7 (A) in clause (i), by inserting ‘‘and the em8 ployment performance indicator described in 

9 paragraph (2)(B)’’ after ‘‘paragraph (2)(A)’’; 

10 and 

11 (B) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘paragraph 

12 (2)(B)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph (2)(C)’’; 

13 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

14 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

15 (i) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘in, re16 tention in’’ and all that follows through the 

17 period at the end and inserting ‘‘in post18 secondary education, including registered 

19 apprenticeship, or other skill training pro20 grams.’’; and 

21 (ii) by adding at the end the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘(iv) Attainment of work readiness, 

24 workplace skills, and certificates that are 

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1 proved by the State board or local board, 

2 as appropriate.’’; 

3 (B) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as 

4 subparagraph (D); 

5 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (A) 

6 the following: 

7 ‘‘(B) EMPLOYMENT PERFORMANCE INDI8 CATOR.—Consistent with applicable Federal 

9 and State privacy laws— 

10 ‘‘(i) an eligible agency shall identify in 

11 the State plan an individual participant 

12 employment performance indicator, which 

13 shall be entry into employment, retention, 

14 and earnings; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) the State agency responsible for 

16 maintaining and analyzing the data de17 scribed in clause (i) shall assist the eligible 

18 agency in obtaining and using quarterly 

19 wage records to collect such data. 

20 ‘‘(C) TECHNOLOGY LITERACY INDI21 CATOR.—Beginning in 2013, an eligible agency 

22 shall include a technology literacy indicator in 

23 its performance measure.’’; and 


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1 (D) by striking subparagraph (D), as re2 designated by subparagraph (B), and inserting 

3 the following: 

4 ‘‘(D) ADDITIONAL INDICATORS.—An eligi5 ble agency may identify in the State plan addi6 tional indicators, including customer feedback, 

7 for adult education, literacy, and workplace 

8 skills activities authorized under this subtitle.’’; 

9 and 

10 (3) in paragraph (3)(B)— 

11 (A) in the heading, by inserting ‘‘AND EM12 PLOYMENT PERFORMANCE INDICATOR’’ after 

13 ‘‘INDICATORS’’; and 

14 (B) by striking ‘‘paragraph (2)(B)’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘paragraph (2)(C) and for the em16 ployment performance indicator described in 

17 paragraph (2)(B)’’. 

18 SEC. 206. STATE DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS; MATCHING RE19 QUIREMENT. 

20 Section 222(a) of the Adult Education and Family 

21 Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 9222(a)) is amended— 

22 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

23 (A) by striking ‘‘not more than 10’’ and 

24 inserting ‘‘not less than 10’’; and 


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1 (B) by striking ‘‘82.5 percent’’ both places 

2 the term appears and inserting ‘‘80 percent’’; 

3 and 

4 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘12.5 per5 cent’’ and inserting ‘‘15 percent’’. 

6 SEC. 207. STATE LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES. 

7 Section 223(a) of the Adult Education and Family 

8 Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 9223(a)) is amended to read as 

9 follows: 

10 ‘‘(a) ACTIVITIES.— 

11 ‘‘(1) REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.—Each eligible 

12 agency shall use funds made available under section 

13 222(a)(2) for the following adult education, literacy, 

14 and work readiness skills activities: 

15 ‘‘(A) The establishment or operation of 

16 professional development programs to improve 

17 the quality of instruction provided pursuant to 

18 local activities required under section 231(b). 

19 ‘‘(B) The provision of technical assistance 

20 to eligible providers of adult education, literacy, 

21 and workplace skills activities to enable them to 

22 fulfill the purpose of this title, as described in 

23 section 202. 

24 ‘‘(C) The monitoring and evaluation of 

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1 mine what works and broadly disseminate infor2 mation about models and best practices and 

3 tools within the State. 

4 ‘‘(D) The provision of technology assist5 ance, including staff training, to eligible pro6 viders of adult education, literacy, and work7 place skills activities to enable the eligible pro8 viders to improve the quality of such activities. 

9 ‘‘(E) Coordination with the workforce in10 vestment systems supported under title I. 

11 ‘‘(2) PERMISSIBLE ACTIVITIES.—Each eligible 

12 agency may use funds made available under section 

13 222(a)(2) for 1 or more of the following adult edu14 cation, literacy, and workplace skills activities: 

15 ‘‘(A) The support for State or regional net16 works of literacy resource centers. 

17 ‘‘(B) Incentives for program coordination 

18 and integration, and performance awards. 

19 ‘‘(C) Developing and disseminating cur20 ricula for postsecondary and job training readi21 ness, including curricula for using technology 

22 for distance learning and for instructional and 

23 teacher training purposes. 

24 ‘‘(D) Coordination with existing support 

25 services, such as transportation, child care, and 


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1 other assistance designed to increase rates of 

2 enrollment in, and successful completion of, 

3 adult education, literacy, and workplace skills 

4 activities, to adults enrolled in such activities. 

5 ‘‘(E) Developing innovative content and 

6 models for integrated education and training 

7 and sequential education and training pro8 grams. 

9 ‘‘(F) Developing innovative content and 

10 models to foster the transition to and success in 

11 postsecondary education and career pathways. 

12 ‘‘(G) Linkages with postsecondary edu13 cational institutions. 

14 ‘‘(H) Linkages with community-based or15 ganizations. 

16 ‘‘(I) Support for recruitment and outreach 

17 for instructors, students, and employers.’’. 

18 SEC. 208. STATE PLAN. 

19 Section 224 of the Adult Education and Family Lit20 eracy Act (20 U.S.C. 9224) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (a)— 

22 (A) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 

23 paragraph (4); and 

24 (B) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

25 following: 


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1 ‘‘(2) PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT PERIOD.—Not2 withstanding any other provision of this section, an 

3 eligible agency may be eligible to receive a grant 

4 under this title before submission of a 5-year State 

5 plan under this section if the eligible agency is in a 

6 1-year program development period. 

7 ‘‘(3) STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT.—The 5- 

8 year State plan shall be comprehensive in nature 

9 and developed and monitored by a planning group of 

10 all stakeholders in the State’s adult education and 

11 workforce development system. The stakeholders 

12 shall include— 

13 ‘‘(A) the agencies responsible for— 

14 ‘‘(i) the State’s programs under this 

15 title and title I; 

16 ‘‘(ii) the State program funded under 

17 part A of title IV of the Social Security 

18 Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.); 

19 ‘‘(iii) overseeing community colleges; 

20 ‘‘(iv) elementary and secondary edu21 cation; 

22 ‘‘(v) corrections; 

23 ‘‘(vi) economic development; 

24 ‘‘(vii) family literacy; and 


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1 ‘‘(viii) special services to immigrants; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(B) representatives of business and 

4 labor.’’; 

5 (2) in subsection (b)— 

6 (A) by striking paragraph (10) and insert7 ing the following: 

8 ‘‘(10) a description and strategy of how the eli9 gible agency will develop program strategies and co10 ordinate services, including guidance, counseling, 

11 mentoring, and other supports through public and 

12 private partnerships and creating transition strate13 gies with such elements as dual enrollment, cur14 ricular articulation, and high intensity instruction, 

15 for populations that include, at a minimum— 

16 ‘‘(A) low-income students; 

17 ‘‘(B) individuals with disabilities; 

18 ‘‘(C) single parents and displaced home19 makers; and 

20 ‘‘(D) individuals with multiple barriers to 

21 educational enhancement, including individuals 

22 with limited English proficiency;’’; 

23 (B) in paragraph (11), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

24 after the semicolon; 


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1 (C) in paragraph (12), by striking the pe2 riod at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

3 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(13) a description of the knowledge and skills 

5 necessary for acceptance in postsecondary education 

6 and training; 

7 ‘‘(14) an assurance that every region, as de8 fined by the eligible agency, served by the eligible 

9 agency has at least 1 adult education program that 

10 offers more than 1 option for earning a credential 

11 with value in the local market to students who do 

12 not yet have a high school diploma or GED and who 

13 are unlikely to earn a diploma or GED in the short14 term, which option may include partnering with a 

15 community college or job training provider and may 

16 include getting a GED in the process; 

17 ‘‘(15) a description of any certification or other 

18 requirements for instructors in eligible adult edu19 cation, literacy, and workplace skills program pro20 viders in the State; 

21 ‘‘(16) a description of the professional develop22 ment needs of adult education, literacy, and work23 place skills providers in the State; 

24 ‘‘(17) a description of how the State will— 


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1 ‘‘(A) use technology to improve the quality 

2 of adult education, literacy, and workplace skills 

3 services; and 

4 ‘‘(B) expand access to such services for 

5 workers and students; 

6 ‘‘(18) a description of how the State will carry 

7 out programs described in section 244; 

8 ‘‘(19) a description of the data system that the 

9 State will use to track over time student outcomes 

10 on the performance measures described in section 

11 212; 

12 ‘‘(20) a description of the State’s program to 

13 invest in the skills of workers, including plans for in14 volving business as an active partner in the effort; 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(21) a description of how the adult education 

17 programs will be integrated with occupational skills 

18 programs and aligned with postsecondary education, 

19 career, and technical education, workforce develop20 ment programs, and other Federal funds available 

21 under title I and other relevant Federal programs.’’; 

22 (3) by striking subsection (e) and inserting the 

23 following: 

24 ‘‘(e) PEER REVIEW AND PLAN APPROVAL.—The Sec25 retary shall— 


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1 ‘‘(1) establish a peer review process to assist in 

2 the review and approval of State plans; 

3 ‘‘(2) in consultation with the National Center 

4 for Adult Education, Literacy, and Workplace Skills, 

5 appoint individuals, representing the range of stake6 holders, to the peer-review process, including— 

7 ‘‘(A) representatives of adult learners, 

8 adult education, literacy, and workplace skills 

9 providers, eligible agencies, State educational 

10 agencies, institutions of higher education, rep11 resentatives of local or State workforce invest12 ment boards; and 

13 ‘‘(B) experts in the fields of adult edu14 cation, literacy, and workplace skills; 

15 ‘‘(3) approve a State plan within 120 days after 

16 receiving the plan, unless the Secretary makes a 

17 written determination, within 30 days after receiving 

18 the plan, that the plan does not meet the require19 ments of this section or is inconsistent with specific 

20 provisions of this subtitle; and 

21 ‘‘(4) not finally disapprove of a State plan be22 fore offering the eligible agency the opportunity, 

23 prior to the expiration of the 30-day period begin24 ning on the date on which the eligible agency re25 ceived the written determination described in paraVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:02 Feb 17, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00036 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2117.IS S2117

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1 graph (3), to revise the plan, and providing technical 

2 assistance in order to assist the eligible agency in 

3 meeting the requirements of this subtitle.’’; and 

4 (4) by striking subsections (f) and (g). 

5 SEC. 209. PROGRAMS FOR CORRECTIONS EDUCATION AND 

6 OTHER INSTITUTIONALIZED INDIVIDUALS. 

7 Section 225 of the Adult Education and Family Lit8 eracy Act (20 U.S.C. 9225) is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (b)— 

10 (A) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

11 after the semicolon at the end; 

12 (B) in paragraph (4), by striking the pe13 riod at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

14 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(5) integrated education and training and se16 quential education and training programs; 

17 ‘‘(6) career pathways programs; 

18 ‘‘(7) dual enrollment programs; and 

19 ‘‘(8) preparation for postsecondary education 

20 and training.’’; 

21 (2) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub22 section (e); and 

23 (3) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol24 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(d) REPORT.—In addition to any report required 

2 under section 212(c), each eligible agency that receives as3 sistance provided under this section shall annually prepare 

4 and submit to the Secretary a report on the progress, as 

5 described in section 212(c)(1), of the eligible agency with 

6 respect to the programs and activities of the eligible entity 

7 receiving assistance under this section.’’. 

8 SEC. 210. GRANTS AND CONTRACTS FOR ELIGIBLE PRO9 VIDERS. 

10 Section 231(b)(1) of the Adult Education and Family 

11 Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 9241(b)(1)) is amended to read 

12 as follows: 

13 ‘‘(1) Adult education, literacy, and workplace 

14 skills services, which may include workplace literacy 

15 services, integrated education and training and se16 quential education and training services, and transi17 tion to postsecondary education and training, career 

18 pathways, and employment.’’. 

19 SEC. 211. LOCAL APPLICATION. 

20 Section 232 of the Adult Education and Family Lit21 eracy Act (20 U.S.C. 9242) is amended— 

22 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

23 inserting ‘‘the measurable goals to be accomplished 

24 as a result of the grant or contract and’’ after ‘‘in25 cluding’’; 


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1 (2) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

2 the semicolon; 

3 (3) in paragraph (2), by striking the period and 

4 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

5 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(3) a description of how the grantee or con7 tractor will collect data for purposes of reporting 

8 performance measures to assess and evaluate the 

9 progress of adult education students and activities.’’. 

10 SEC. 212. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS. 

11 Section 241 of the Adult Education and Family Lit12 eracy Act (20 U.S.C. 9251) is amended by adding at the 

13 end the following: 

14 ‘‘(c) RULEMAKING.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall issue 

16 such regulations as are necessary to reasonably en17 sure compliance with this title. 

18 ‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—Before publishing in the 

19 Federal Register proposed regulations to carry out 

20 this title, the Secretary shall consult with the Sec21 retary of Labor and obtain the advice and rec22 ommendations of representatives of— 

23 ‘‘(A) adult learners; 

24 ‘‘(B) adult education, literacy, and work25 place skills providers; 


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1 ‘‘(C) eligible agencies; 

2 ‘‘(D) State educational agencies; 

3 ‘‘(E) institutions of postsecondary edu4 cation, including community colleges; 

5 ‘‘(F) representatives of State and local 

6 workforce investment boards; 

7 ‘‘(G) other organizations involved with the 

8 implementation and operation of programs 

9 under this title; and 

10 ‘‘(H) community-based organizations in11 volved with the implementation and operation of 

12 programs under this title. 

13 ‘‘(3) MEETINGS AND ELECTRONIC EX14 CHANGE.—The advice and recommendations de15 scribed in paragraph (2) may be obtained through 

16 such mechanisms as regional meetings and electronic 

17 exchanges of information.’’. 

18 SEC. 213. NATIONAL CENTER FOR ADULT EDUCATION, LIT19 ERACY, AND WORKPLACE SKILLS. 

20 Section 242 of the Adult Education and Family Lit21 eracy Act (20 U.S.C. 9252) is amended— 

22 (1) by striking the section heading and insert23 ing the following ‘‘NATIONAL CENTER FOR

24 ADULT EDUCATION, LITERACY, AND WORK25 PLACE SKILLS ’’; 


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1 (2) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the National Center 

4 for Adult Education, Literacy, and Workplace Skills is 

5 to— 

6 ‘‘(1) provide national leadership regarding adult 

7 education and family literacy; 

8 ‘‘(2) coordinate adult education, literacy, and 

9 workplace skills services and policy; 

10 ‘‘(3) serve as a national resource for adult edu11 cation, literacy, and workplace skills programs by— 

12 ‘‘(A) providing the best and most accurate 

13 information available; 

14 ‘‘(B) providing national leadership on the 

15 use of technology for adult education; 

16 ‘‘(C) supporting the creation of new ways 

17 to offer adult education, literacy, and workplace 

18 skills services of proven effectiveness; and 

19 ‘‘(D) providing effective practices for inte20 grated English literacy and civics education 

21 programs; 

22 ‘‘(4) collect and disseminate information on 

23 methods of advancing education and literacy that 

24 show great promise for adults eligible for services 

25 under this title; 


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1 ‘‘(5) provide policy and technical assistance to 

2 Federal, State, and local organizations for the im3 provement of adult education, literacy, and work4 place skills services; and 

5 ‘‘(6) not later than 4 years after the date of en6 actment of the Adult Education and Economic 

7 Growth Act of 2012, conduct an evaluation and sub8 mit a report to the Interagency Group, the Com9 mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

10 of the Senate, and the Committee on Education and 

11 the Workforce of the House of Representatives on 

12 the effectiveness of programs funded under this title 

13 in achieving the purpose described in section 202, 

14 which evaluation and report shall include— 

15 ‘‘(A) a longitudinal study of outcomes for 

16 adult learners served under programs under 

17 this title; 

18 ‘‘(B) an analysis of the adequacy of the 

19 performance measures identified in section 212; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(C) recommendations for improved per22 formance measures and on how to improve pro23 gram effectiveness.’’; 

24 (3) in subsection (b)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Na2 tional Institute for Literacy’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘National Center for Adult Education, Lit4 eracy, and Workplace Skills’’; 

5 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘sepa6 rate’’ and inserting ‘‘independent’’; and 

7 (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘Na8 tional Institute for Literacy Advisory Board’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘National Center for Adult Edu10 cation, Literacy, and Workplace Skills Advisory 

11 Board’’; 

12 (4) in subsection (c)(1)— 

13 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

14 (i) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

15 after the semicolon; 

16 (ii) in clause (iv), by inserting ‘‘and’’ 

17 after the semicolon; and 

18 (iii) by adding at the end the fol19 lowing: 

20 ‘‘(v) effective practices for integrated 

21 English literacy and civics education pro22 grams;’’; 

23 (B) by striking subparagraph (D) and in24 serting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(D) to collect and disseminate informa2 tion on methods of advancing education and lit3 eracy that show great promise for adults eligi4 ble for services under this title;’’; 

5 (C) by striking subparagraph (E) and in6 serting the following: 

7 ‘‘(E) to provide policy and technical assist8 ance to Federal, State, and local organizations 

9 for the improvement of adult education, lit10 eracy, and workplace skills services;’’; 

11 (D) in subparagraph (G), by inserting 

12 ‘‘and integrated English literacy and civics edu13 cation programs’’ after ‘‘workforce investment 

14 activities’’; 

15 (E) in subparagraph (H), by striking 

16 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

17 (F) in subparagraph (I), by striking the 

18 period and inserting a semicolon; and 

19 (G) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(J) to carry out section 306 of the Adult 

21 Education and Economic Growth Act of 2012; 

22 and 

23 ‘‘(K) not later than 4 years after the date 

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1 uation and submit a report to the Interagency 

2 Group, the Committee on Health, Education, 

3 Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, and the 

4 Committee on Education and the Workforce of 

5 the House of Representatives on the effective6 ness of programs funded under this title in 

7 achieving the purpose described in section 202, 

8 which evaluation and report shall include— 

9 ‘‘(i) a longitudinal study of outcomes 

10 for adult learners served under programs 

11 under this title; 

12 ‘‘(ii) an analysis of the adequacy of 

13 the performance measures identified in sec14 tion 212; and 

15 ‘‘(iii) recommendations for improved 

16 performance measures and on how to im17 prove program effectiveness.’’; and 

18 (5) in subsection (e)— 

19 (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘NATIONAL

20 INSTITUTE FOR LITERACY ADVISORY BOARD’’ 

21 and inserting ‘‘NATIONAL CENTER FOR ADULT

22 EDUCATION, LITERACY, AND WORKPLACE

23 SKILLS ADVISORY BOARD’’; and 

24 (B) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘Na25 tional Institute for Literacy Advisory Board’’ 


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1 and inserting ‘‘National Center for Adult Edu2 cation, Literacy, and Workplace Skills Advisory 

3 Board’’. 

4 SEC. 214. NATIONAL LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES. 

5 Section 243 of the Adult Education and Family Lit6 eracy Act (20 U.S.C. 9253) is amended to read as follows: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 243. NATIONAL LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES. 

8 ‘‘The Secretary shall establish and carry out a pro9 gram of national leadership activities to improve the qual10 ity and outcomes of adult education, literacy, and work11 place skills programs nationwide. Such activities shall in12 clude the following: 

13 ‘‘(1) Technical assistance, which may include— 

14 ‘‘(A) assistance to eligible providers in de15 veloping and using certification systems, per16 formance measures, and data systems for the 

17 improvement of adult education, literacy, and 

18 workplace skills activities, including family lit19 eracy services, transition to postsecondary edu20 cation or career pathways, and integrated 

21 English literacy and civics education programs; 

22 ‘‘(B) assistance related to professional de23 velopment activities and assistance for the pur24 pose of developing, improving, identifying, and 

25 disseminating the most successful methods and 


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1 techniques for providing adult education, lit2 eracy, and workplace skills activities, including 

3 family literacy services, transition to postsec4 ondary education or career pathways, and inte5 grated English literacy and civics education 

6 programs, based on scientific evidence where 

7 available; or 

8 ‘‘(C) assistance in distance learning and 

9 promoting and improving the use of technology 

10 in the classroom. 

11 ‘‘(2) National demonstration projects for im12 proving adult education, literacy, and workplace 

13 skills services, which may include projects that— 

14 ‘‘(A) accelerate learning outcomes for adult 

15 learners with the lowest literacy levels; 

16 ‘‘(B) promote career pathways; 

17 ‘‘(C) allow dual enrollment in adult sec18 ondary education and credit bearing postsec19 ondary coursework; 

20 ‘‘(D) provide integrated education and 

21 training and sequential education and training 

22 services; 

23 ‘‘(E) build capacity to enhance the inten24 sity of adult education, literacy, and workplace 

25 skills services; 


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1 ‘‘(F) establish partnerships to improve the 

2 quality of and expand adult education, literacy, 

3 and workplace skills services to more adults; 

4 ‘‘(G) provide professional development op5 portunities to adult education, literacy, and 

6 workplace skills service providers; 

7 ‘‘(H) develop new curricula and methods of 

8 instruction that improve learning outcomes in 

9 adult education, literacy, and workplace skills 

10 programs; and 

11 ‘‘(I) provide integrated English literacy 

12 and civics education program instruction. 

13 ‘‘(3) Dissemination of the results and best prac14 tices identified in the national demonstration 

15 projects described in paragraph (2). 

16 ‘‘(4) Program evaluation and data collection 

17 and reporting.’’. 

18 SEC. 215. INTEGRATED ENGLISH LITERACY AND CIVICS 

19 EDUCATION PROGRAMS. 

20 Chapter 4 of subtitle A of the Adult Education and 

21 Family Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 9251 et seq.) is amended 

22 by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 244. INTEGRATED ENGLISH LITERACY AND CIVICS 

2 EDUCATION PROGRAMS. 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—From funds reserved under sec4 tion 211(a)(4) for each fiscal year, the Secretary shall 

5 award grants to States, in accordance with the allocations 

6 under subsection (b), for integrated English literacy and 

7 civics education programs. 

8 ‘‘(b) ALLOCATIONS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

10 of the funds described in subsection (a), the Sec11 retary shall allocate— 

12 ‘‘(A) 65 percent to States on the basis of 

13 a State’s need for integrated English and civics 

14 education programs, as determined by calcu15 lating each State’s share of a 10-year average 

16 of the data compiled by the Office of Immigra17 tion Statistics of the Department of Homeland 

18 Security, for immigrants admitted for lawful 

19 permanent residence for the 10 most recent 

20 years; and 

21 ‘‘(B) 35 percent to States on the basis of 

22 whether the State experienced growth, as meas23 ured by the average of the 3 most recent years 

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1 land Security are available, for immigrants ad2 mitted for lawful permanent residence. 

3 ‘‘(2) MINIMUM.—No State shall receive an allo4 cation under paragraph (1) for a fiscal year in an 

5 amount that is less than $60,000.’’. 

6 TITLE III—21ST CENTURY TECH7 NOLOGY AND SKILLS FOR 

8 ADULT LEARNERS 

9 SEC. 301. PURPOSES. 

10 The purposes of this title are the following: 

11 (1) To expand access to adult education serv12 ices and bring about cost efficiencies through in13 creased use of technology and the development of a 

14 national web portal. 

15 (2) To provide professional development for 

16 providers of adult education, literacy, and workplace 

17 skills services so that they are able to— 

18 (A) effectively use technology in the deliv19 ery of adult education, literacy, and workplace 

20 skills services; and 

21 (B) improve the quality of instruction and 

22 accelerate the— 

23 (i) achievement of basic educational 

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1 ondary school equivalency or postsecondary 

2 education; and 

3 (ii) training readiness for adult learn4 ers. 

5 (3) To assist States in developing a 21st cen6 tury delivery system for adult education, literacy, 

7 and workplace skills services. 

8 (4) To assist adults in developing technology lit9 eracy. 

10 SEC. 302. DEFINITIONS. 

11 In this title: 

12 (1) ADULT EDUCATION TERMS.—The terms 

13 ‘‘adult education’’, ‘‘eligible agency’’, ‘‘eligible pro14 vider’’, ‘‘Secretary’’, and ‘‘State’’ have the meanings 

15 given the terms in section 203 of the Adult Edu16 cation and Family Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 9202). 

17 (2) CENTER.—The term ‘‘Center’’ means the 

18 National Center for Adult Education, Literacy, and 

19 Workplace Skills established under section 242 of 

20 the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (20 

21 U.S.C. 9252). 

22 (3) DISTANCE EDUCATION.—The term ‘‘dis23 tance education’’ has the meaning given the term in 

24 section 103 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

25 (20 U.S.C. 1003). 


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1 (4) TECHNOLOGY LITERACY.—The term ‘‘tech2 nology literacy’’ means the knowledge and skills in 

3 using contemporary information, communication and 

4 learning technologies in a manner necessary for suc5 cessful lifelong learning and citizenship in the knowl6 edge-based, digital, and global 21st century, which 

7 includes the abilities— 

8 (A) to effectively communicate and collabo9 rate; 

10 (B) to analyze and solve problems; 

11 (C) to access, evaluate, manage, and create 

12 information and otherwise gain information lit13 eracy; and 

14 (D) to do so in a safe and ethical manner. 

15 SEC. 303. RESERVATION OF FUNDS AND ALLOTMENTS. 

16 (a) RESERVATION OF FUNDS.—From the sums ap17 propriated under section 307 for a fiscal year, the Sec18 retary shall reserve 3 percent or $7,500,000 to carry out 

19 section 306, whichever amount is less. 

20 (b) ALLOTMENT OF REMAINDER.—From the sums 

21 remaining for a fiscal year after making the reservation 

22 under subsection (a), the Secretary shall allot— 

23 (1) 75 percent to carry out section 305; 

24 (2) 20 percent to carry out section 304; and 


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1 (3) 5 percent for administrative costs in car2 rying out section 304. 

3 (c) ALLOTMENTS TO ELIGIBLE AGENCIES.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—From the sums available to 

5 carry out section 304 for a fiscal year, the Secretary 

6 shall allot to each eligible agency with an approved 

7 application an amount that bears the same relation8 ship to such sums as the amount received under sec9 tion 211(c)(2) of the Adult Education and Family 

10 Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 9211(c)(2)) by such eligible 

11 agency bears to the amount received under such sec12 tion for such fiscal year by all eligible agencies. 

13 (2) MINIMUM ALLOTMENT.—No eligible agency 

14 shall receive an allotment under paragraph (1) for a 

15 fiscal year in amount that is less than $100,000. If 

16 the amount appropriated to carry out section 304 

17 for a fiscal year is not sufficient to pay such min18 imum allotment, the amount of such minimum allot19 ments shall be ratably reduced. 

20 SEC. 304. GRANTS TO ELIGIBLE AGENCIES. 

21 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF GRANTS.—The Secretary 

22 shall award grants to eligible agencies from allotments 

23 under section 303(b). 

24 (b) APPLICATION.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible agency that de2 sires to receive a grant under this title shall submit 

3 an application to the Secretary at such time, in such 

4 manner, and accompanied by such information as 

5 the Secretary may require. 

6 (2) CONTENTS.—An application submitted 

7 under paragraph (1) shall contain the following: 

8 (A) A description of the eligible agency’s 

9 technology plan for the adult education system, 

10 including measurable goals to be achieved. 

11 (B) A description of how the eligible agen12 cy will provide technical assistance and support 

13 to local programs. 

14 (C) A description of how the eligible agen15 cy will use technology to expand adult edu16 cation, literacy, and workplace skills services to 

17 more adults, including those in rural areas. 

18 (D) A description of the long-term goals 

19 and strategies for improved outcomes for adult 

20 learners. 

21 (E) A description of the professional devel22 opment activities to be undertaken. 

23 (F) A description of the performance 

24 benchmarks and how data will be collected. 


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1 (G) A description of how the eligible agen2 cy will ensure that grants or contracts to eligi3 ble providers are of sufficient size and scope to 

4 achieve the purposes of this title. 

5 (c) ACTIVITIES.—An eligible agency that receives a 

6 grant under this title shall carry out the following: 

7 (1) Developing a statewide technology plan for 

8 the adult education system. 

9 (2) Providing professional development for 

10 adult education, literacy, and workplace skills service 

11 providers. 

12 (3) Providing access to curricula, instruction, 

13 and assessment for adult learners and eligible pro14 viders. 

15 (4) Supporting the development of curricula 

16 and assessment tools for adult education, literacy, 

17 and workplace skills service providers. 

18 (5) Providing guidance and technical assistance 

19 to eligible providers. 

20 (6) Supporting innovative pilot projects such as 

21 the use of assistive technology to deliver content to 

22 adult learners. 


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1 SEC. 305. GRANTS AND CONTRACTS TO ELIGIBLE PRO2 VIDERS. 

3 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF GRANTS AND CONTRACTS.— 

4 An eligible agency that receives a grant under this title 

5 shall award grants and contracts to eligible providers to 

6 carry out activities described in this section. 

7 (b) ELIGIBLE PROVIDER APPLICATION.—An eligible 

8 provider that desires to receive a grant or contract under 

9 this title shall submit an application to an eligible agency, 

10 which shall include— 

11 (1) a description of how the eligible provider 

12 will integrate technology into the eligible provider’s 

13 delivery of adult education, literacy, and workplace 

14 skills services; 

15 (2) a description of professional development 

16 activities to be undertaken; and 

17 (3) a description of plans to regularly replace 

18 computers and servers that lack the functional capa19 bilities to process new online applications and serv20 ices, including video conferencing, video streaming, 

21 virtual simulations, and distance education courses. 

22 (c) ELIGIBLE PROVIDER ACTIVITIES.—An eligible 

23 provider that receives a grant or contract under this title 

24 shall carry out the following: 

25 (1) Acquiring and effectively implementing 

26 technology tools, applications, and other resources in 


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1 conjunction with enhancing or redesigning adult 

2 education, literacy, and workplace skills curricula to 

3 increase adult learning outcomes and improve adult 

4 technology literacy. 

5 (2) Acquiring and effectively implementing 

6 technology tools, applications, and other resources 

7 to— 

8 (A) conduct on-going assessments and use 

9 other timely data systems to more effectively 

10 identify individual learning needs and guide 

11 personalized instruction, learning, and appro12 priate interventions that address those person13 alized student learning needs; and 

14 (B) support individualized learning, includ15 ing through instructional software and digital 

16 content that support the learning needs of each 

17 student or through providing access to high18 quality courses and instructors, especially in 

19 rural areas. 

20 (3) Providing professional development activi21 ties for providers of adult education, literacy, and 

22 workplace skills services that includes— 

23 (A) training that is on-going, sustainable, 

24 timely, and directly related to delivering adult 


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1 education, literacy, and workplace skills serv2 ices; 

3 (B) training in strategies and pedagogy in 

4 the delivery of adult education, literacy, and 

5 workplace skills services that involves the use of 

6 technology and curriculum redesign as key com7 ponents of changing teaching and learning and 

8 improving outcomes for adult learners; 

9 (C) training in the use of technology to en10 sure that providers of adult education, literacy, 

11 and workplace skills services are able to use 

12 technology for data analysis to enable individ13 ualized instruction and to use technology to im14 prove technology literacy for adult learners; and 

15 (D) training that includes on-going com16 munication and follow-up with instructors, 

17 facilitators, and peers. 

18 (4) Acquisition and implementation of tech19 nology tools, applications, and other resources to be 

20 employed in professional development activities. 

21 SEC. 306. NATIONAL ADULT LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY 

22 RESOURCE CENTER. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Center shall establish and 

24 maintain the National Adult Learning and Technology 


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1 Resource Center (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Cen2 ter’’). 

3 (b) DUTIES OF THE CENTER.—The Center shall— 

4 (1) develop frameworks for technology-based 

5 learning and professional development materials for 

6 adult education, literacy, and workplace skills; 

7 (2) develop frameworks for performance meas8 ures for technology literacy; 

9 (3) provide technical assistance to eligible enti10 ties and eligible providers of adult education, lit11 eracy, and workplace skills; 

12 (4) support distance education for professional 

13 development for eligible entities and eligible pro14 viders of adult education, literacy, and workplace 

15 skills services; 

16 (5) support the innovative uses of technology, 

17 such as the use of assistive technology, to deliver 

18 content to adult learners; and 

19 (6) be accessible to the public through the 

20 website of the Center. 

21 SEC. 307. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

22 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

23 this title $250,000,000 for fiscal year 2013 and such sums 

24 as may be necessary for each succeeding fiscal year. 


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1 TITLE IV—RESEARCH IN ADULT 

2 EDUCATION 

3 SEC. 401. RESEARCH IN ADULT EDUCATION. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 133(c)(2)(A) of the Edu5 cation Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 

6 9533(c)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting ‘‘education and’’ 

7 before ‘‘literacy’’. 

8 (b) NATIONAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CEN9 TER.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Education 

11 shall direct the Commissioner for Education Re12 search of the National Center for Education Re13 search established pursuant to section 131 of the 

14 Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 

15 9531) to establish a national research and develop16 ment center for adult education, literacy, and work17 place skills as described in section 133(c)(2)(A) of 

18 such Act (20 U.S.C. 9533(c)(2)(A)). 

19 (2) PROVISION FOR EXPANSION OF RE20 SEARCH.—If, as of the date of the enactment of this 

21 Act, the Commissioner for Education Research of 

22 the National Center for Education Research has es23 tablished a center for adult literacy in accordance 

24 with section 133(c)(2)(A) of the Education Sciences 

25 Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9533(c)(2)(A)), the 


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1 Commissioner shall expand the topic of research of 

2 such center to include adult education, in accordance 

3 with the amendment made by subsection (a). 

4 TITLE V—EMPLOYER 

5 INCENTIVES 

6 SEC. 501. CREDIT FOR EMPLOYER EDUCATIONAL ASSIST7 ANCE PROGRAMS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subpart D of part IV of sub9 chapter A of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 

10 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new 

11 section: 

12 ‘‘SEC. 45R. CREDIT FOR EMPLOYER EDUCATIONAL ASSIST13 ANCE PROGRAMS. 

14 ‘‘(a) GENERAL RULE.—For purposes of section 38, 

15 in the case of an employer, the employer educational as16 sistance program credit determined under this section for 

17 the taxable year is an amount equal to 50 percent of the 

18 qualified educational assistance expenses paid or incurred 

19 by the taxpayer to or on behalf of any employee of the 

20 taxpayer during the taxable year, regardless if the pro21 gram is provided at the workplace or outside of the work22 place. 

23 ‘‘(b) LIMITATIONS.— 

24 ‘‘(1) PER EMPLOYEE LIMITATION.—The 

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1 penses taken into account under subsection (a) with 

2 respect to any employee for the taxable year shall 

3 not exceed $5,250. 

4 ‘‘(2) TOTAL LIMITATION.—The aggregate 

5 amount of the qualified educational assistance ex6 penses taken into account under subsection (a) with 

7 respect to all employees of the taxpayer for the tax8 able year shall not exceed the average of the aggre9 gate qualified educational assistance expenses with 

10 respect to all employees of the taxpayer taken into 

11 account under subsection (a) in the 3 taxable years 

12 preceding such taxable year. 

13 ‘‘(3) TRANSITION RULE.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a tax15 able year in which qualified educational assist16 ance expenses of the taxpayer have not been 

17 taken into account under subsection (a) for 

18 each of the 3 taxable years preceding such tax19 able year, the aggregate amount of the qualified 

20 educational assistance expenses taken into ac21 count under subsection (a) with respect to all 

22 employees of the taxpayer for such taxable year 

23 shall not exceed the average of the sum of— 

24 ‘‘(i) the aggregate qualified edu25 cational assistance expenses with respect to 


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1 all employees of the taxpayer taken into 

2 account under subsection (a) in any of the 

3 3 taxable years preceding such taxable 

4 year, plus 

5 ‘‘(ii) the aggregate amount of 

6 amounts paid or expenses incurred by the 

7 employer, for which an exclusion was al8 lowable to any employee of the employer 

9 under section 127, in any of such 3 taxable 

10 years in which no expenses were taken into 

11 account under subsection (a), plus 

12 ‘‘(iii) in the case of a taxable year in 

13 which expenses have not been taken into 

14 account under subsection (a) or section 

15 127 for each of the 3 taxable years pre16 ceding such taxable year, an amount equal 

17 to— 

18 ‘‘(I) $5,250, multiplied by 

19 ‘‘(II) the number of employees of 

20 the taxpayer with respect to which the 

21 taxpayer has qualified educational as22 sistance expenses in such taxable year. 

23 ‘‘(c) QUALIFIED EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE EX24 PENSES.—For purposes of this section— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘qualified edu2 cational assistance expenses’ means expenses paid 

3 for educational assistance pursuant to an edu4 cational assistance program (within the meaning of 

5 section 127(b)). 

6 ‘‘(2) EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE.—The term 

7 ‘educational assistance’ has the meaning given such 

8 term by section 127(c)(1), applied without regard to 

9 subparagraph (B) thereof, except that such term in10 cludes a payment only if such payment is made with 

11 respect to an employee enrolled in a program pro12 vided at the workplace or outside of the workplace— 

13 ‘‘(A) leading to a sub-baccalaureate degree 

14 or career technical certificate awarded by an ac15 credited postsecondary institution; or 

16 ‘‘(B) in basic education, workplace skills, 

17 or English language training leading to a na18 tionally recognized certificate of proficiency. 

19 ‘‘(d) OTHER DEFINITIONS AND SPECIAL RULES.— 

20 Rules similar to the rules of paragraphs (2) through (5) 

21 of section 127(c) shall apply for purposes of this section. 

22 ‘‘(e) DENIAL OF DOUBLE BENEFIT.—No deduction 

23 or other credit shall be allowed under this chapter to an 

24 employer for any amount taken into account in deter25 mining the credit under this section.’’. 


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1 (b) CREDIT INCLUDED IN GENERAL BUSINESS

2 CREDIT.—Section 38(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 

3 1986 is amended by striking ‘‘plus’’ at the end of para4 graph (34), by striking the period at the end of paragraph 

5 (35) and inserting ‘‘, plus’’, and by adding at the end the 

6 following new paragraph: 

7 ‘‘(36) the employer educational assistance pro8 gram credit determined under section 45R(a).’’. 

9 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

10 for subpart D of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 

11 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by add12 ing at the end the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 45R. Credit for employer educational assistance programs.’’. 

13 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

14 this section shall apply to expenses relating to courses of 

15 instruction beginning after December 31, 2012. 

Æ 


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