I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5146 

To amend the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 

2006 to establish the American Technical Training Grant Program, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 1, 2018 

Ms. ESTY of Connecticut (for herself, Mr. MACARTHUR, Mr. HIMES, and Mr. 

QUIGLEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To amend the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 to establish the American Technical 

Training Grant Program, and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Technical Education 

5 Creates High-Paying Careers Act of 2018’’ or the ‘‘TECH 

6 Careers Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. AMERICAN TECHNICAL TRAINING GRANT PRO2 GRAM. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title II of the Carl D. Perkins 

4 Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 

5 2371 et seq.) is amended— 

6 (1) by inserting before section 201 the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘PART A—TECH PREP PROGRAM’’; 

9 and 

10 (2) by adding at the end the following new part: 

11 ‘‘PART B—AMERICAN TECHNICAL TRAINING 

12 GRANT PROGRAM 

13 ‘‘SEC. 221. ESTABLISHMENT OF AMERICAN TECHNICAL 

14 TRAINING GRANT PROGRAM. 

15 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary of 

16 Education, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor, 

17 shall develop and implement a grant program, to be known 

18 as the American Technical Training Grant Program, to 

19 award competitive grants to eligible entities for supporting 

20 the establishment, redesign, or expansion of job training 

21 programs that enable economically disadvantaged students 

22 to enter into and advance along career pathways that lead 

23 to jobs in high-skill, high-wage, or high-demand occupa24 tions. 

25 ‘‘(b) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—For pur26 poses of this part, the term ‘eligible entity’ means an instiVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:42 Mar 08, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5146.IH H5146

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1 tution of higher education that offers career and technical 

2 education programs that can be completed in 2 years or 

3 less or a consortium of such institutions. 

4 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity that desires a 

5 grant under this part shall submit an application to the 

6 Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing 

7 such information as the Secretary may require. 

8 ‘‘(d) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In awarding grants 

9 under this part, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible 

10 entities that— 

11 ‘‘(1) would serve a large proportion of job train12 ing program participants who are from economically 

13 disadvantaged families; 

14 ‘‘(2) would provide training for an industry sec15 tor or occupation in high demand; 

16 ‘‘(3) demonstrate potential for a high percent17 age of job training program participants to secure 

18 employment after completion of such entity’s job 

19 training program; or 

20 ‘‘(4) meet such other criteria as the Secretary 

21 considers appropriate. 

22 ‘‘(e) PARTNERSHIPS.— 

23 ‘‘(1) REQUIRED PARTNERSHIPS.—Before 

24 awarding a grant to an eligible entity under this 


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1 part, the Secretary shall verify that the eligible enti2 ty has entered into a partnership agreement with— 

3 ‘‘(A) a local workforce development board; 

4 ‘‘(B) one or more employers with a work5 force need in a high-skill, high-wage, or high6 demand industry; and 

7 ‘‘(C) an industry organization or other 

8 intermediary representing the industry sector or 

9 occupation for which the job training program 

10 provides training. 

11 ‘‘(2) SEPARATE ENTITIES NOT REQUIRED.—In 

12 meeting the partnership requirements of subpara13 graphs (A) through (C) of paragraph (1), an eligible 

14 entity shall not be required to partner with a sepa15 rate entity for purposes of each such subparagraph. 

16 ‘‘(3) ADDITIONAL PARTNERSHIPS.—In addition 

17 to being in the partnerships described in paragraph 

18 (1), an eligible entity may be in a partnership 

19 with— 

20 ‘‘(A) a nonprofit organization or other 

21 training provider, including an apprenticeship 

22 program registered with the Department of 

23 Labor; 

24 ‘‘(B) an institution of higher education 

25 that— 


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1 ‘‘(i) offers a baccalaureate degree; and 

2 ‘‘(ii) has an articulation agreement 

3 with the eligible entity; 

4 ‘‘(C) a community-based organization; 

5 ‘‘(D) a State, regional, or local economic 

6 development agency; 

7 ‘‘(E) a secondary school; or 

8 ‘‘(F) a local educational agency. 

9 ‘‘(f) REQUIRED USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity 

10 that receives a grant under this part shall use the grant 

11 funds to— 

12 ‘‘(1) establish, redesign, or expand a job train13 ing program that— 

14 ‘‘(A) leads to an industry recognized cre15 dential or certification at the post-secondary 

16 level or to an associate degree; 

17 ‘‘(B) trains job training program partici18 pants for a regionally in-demand industry sec19 tor or occupation; 

20 ‘‘(C) addresses through embedded remedi21 ation the needs of job training program partici22 pants for remediation or attainment of basic 

23 skills; 

24 ‘‘(D) provides academic credit to job train25 ing program participants for prior learning, if 


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1 applicable, including academic credit for courses 

2 completed in a foreign country by a foreign pro3 fessional or recognition of such professional’s 

4 foreign degree or certification; 

5 ‘‘(E) provides student support services, 

6 such as career guidance and academic coun7 seling, intake assessments to determine pro8 gram fit, and other services; and 

9 ‘‘(F) is accessible to nontraditional stu10 dents through alternative scheduling; 

11 ‘‘(2) conduct high-quality, independent evalua12 tions of the job training program’s activities; and 

13 ‘‘(3) provide work-based learning opportunities 

14 for job training program participants. 

15 ‘‘(g) ALLOWABLE USES OF FUNDS.—In addition to 

16 the required uses of funds under subsection (f), an eligible 

17 entity that receives a grant under this part may also use 

18 the grant funds to support the job training program by— 

19 ‘‘(1) developing the program curriculum; 

20 ‘‘(2) engaging employers or industries hire job 

21 training program participants; 

22 ‘‘(3) purchasing supplies; 

23 ‘‘(4) supporting the professional development of 

24 faculty, administrators, and career guidance and 

25 academic counselors; 


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1 ‘‘(5) supporting faculty salaries; 

2 ‘‘(6) providing tuition assistance counseling and 

3 financial aid counseling services; 

4 ‘‘(7) providing services that target disconnected 

5 youth; 

6 ‘‘(8) providing childcare for the children of pro7 gram participants during classes, internships, or 

8 other activities relating to the job training program; 

9 ‘‘(9) providing program participants with trans10 portation to classes, internships, or other activities 

11 relating to the job training program; and 

12 ‘‘(10) carrying out any other permissible activ13 ity consistent with the purposes of this part, as ap14 proved by the Secretary. 

15 ‘‘(h) GRANT AMOUNT.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The amount of a grant to 

17 an eligible entity for a fiscal year shall not exceed 

18 $5,000,000. 

19 ‘‘(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In determining the 

20 amount of a grant to be awarded to an eligible enti21 ty under this part, the Secretary shall consider— 

22 ‘‘(A) if the grant is for the initial start-up 

23 of a job training program or for the expansion 

24 of an existing model, with smaller grants 

25 awarded for the initial start-up and larger 


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1 grants awarded for the expansion of an existing 

2 model; and 

3 ‘‘(B) in the case of an application for the 

4 expansion of an existing job training program, 

5 the extent to which the job training program 

6 demonstrates evidence of effectiveness. 

7 ‘‘(3) MEASURING EFFECTIVENESS.—For pur8 poses of paragraph (2)(B), the measure of effective9 ness shall include the graduation rates, job place10 ment rates, and wages earned by graduates of the 

11 job training program. 

12 ‘‘(i) GRANT DURATION.— 

13 ‘‘(1) MAXIMUM GRANT PERIOD.—The Secretary 

14 shall make a grant award under this part for a pe15 riod of not more than 3 years. 

16 ‘‘(2) MAXIMUM GRANT EXTENSION.—If an eli17 gible entity that receives a grant under this part 

18 makes substantial progress based on the account19 ability and performance indicators described in sub20 section (j), the Secretary may extend a grant award 

21 for not more than 2 additional years. 

22 ‘‘(j) ACCOUNTABILITY AND PERFORMANCE INDICA23 TORS.— 

24 ‘‘(1) REQUIRED ACCOUNTABILITY AND PER25 FORMANCE INDICATORS.—An eligible entity shall 


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1 provide annually to the Secretary data on the eligi2 ble entity’s job training program carried out under 

3 this part, including— 

4 ‘‘(A) the number of program participants; 

5 ‘‘(B) for such program participants, the 

6 core indicators of performance described in 

7 clauses (i) through (iv) of section 113(b)(2)(B); 

8 ‘‘(C) the median earnings of program par9 ticipants who have completed the job training 

10 program, measured at the time at which post11 secondary student placement rates are meas12 ured under clause (iv) of section 113(b)(2)(B); 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(D) the percentage of program partici15 pants who have completed the job training pro16 gram and who, at the time at which postsec17 ondary student placement rates are measured 

18 under clause (iv) of section 113(b)(2)(B), are 

19 employed by an employer that meets the re20 quirement under subsection (e)(1)(b). 

21 ‘‘(2) DISAGGREGATION OF ACCOUNTABILITY

22 AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS.—Such data shall 

23 be disaggregated by— 

24 ‘‘(A) race and ethnicity; 

25 ‘‘(B) gender; 


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1 ‘‘(C) disability status; 

2 ‘‘(D) sexual orientation, if feasibly avail3 able; 

4 ‘‘(E) status as an English learner; 

5 ‘‘(F) status as economically disadvantaged; 

6 ‘‘(G) status as an individual preparing for 

7 employment in an in-demand industry sector or 

8 occupation, including individuals from a racial, 

9 ethnic, or national origin group that is under10 represented in such field; and 

11 ‘‘(H) status as a military-connected stu12 dent. 

13 ‘‘(3) STUDENT PRIVACY.—The report to the 

14 Secretary required under paragraph (1) shall only 

15 include data to the extent that such data are suffi16 cient to yield statistically reliable information that 

17 does not reveal personally identifiable information 

18 about an individual student. 

19 ‘‘(4) PUBLICATION OF DATA.—The Secretary 

20 shall aggregate the data received under paragraph 

21 (1) and publish such aggregation so that it is rea22 sonably available to the public. 

23 ‘‘(5) FUNDS RESERVED FOR DATA COLLECTION

24 AND DISSEMINATION.—An eligible entity that re25 ceives a grant under this part may reserve not more 


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1 than 3 percent of the grant amount to administer 

2 the collection, disaggregation, and reporting of the 

3 data received under paragraph (1). 

4 ‘‘(k) RESERVED FUNDS.— 

5 ‘‘(1) FUNDS RESERVED FOR RURAL, TRIBAL, 

6 OR OUTLYING AREAS.—The Secretary shall reserve 

7 not less than 1 percent and not more than 10 per8 cent of the funds appropriated under subsection (n) 

9 to carry out this part for a fiscal year for making 

10 awards to eligible entities located in rural, tribal, or 

11 outlying areas. 

12 ‘‘(2) FUNDS RESERVED FOR HISTORICALLY

13 BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES AND OTHER

14 MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTIONS.—The Secretary 

15 shall reserve not less than 1 percent and not more 

16 than 10 percent of the funds appropriated under 

17 subsection (n) to carry out this part for a fiscal year 

18 for making awards to eligible entities listed in para19 graphs (1) through (7) of section 371(a) of the 

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

21 1067q(a)). 

22 ‘‘(l) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible entity that re24 ceives a grant under this part shall secure, toward 

25 the cost of establishing, redesigning, or expanding a 


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1 job training program under this part, from non-Fed2 eral sources, an amount as determined by the Sec3 retary for such eligible entity, except that such 

4 amount shall not exceed an amount equal to 25 per5 cent of such grant. 

6 ‘‘(2) NON-FEDERAL CONTRIBUTION.—The non7 Federal contribution may be— 

8 ‘‘(A) in cash or in the form of in-kind con9 tributions that are directly related to the pur10 pose for which the grant was made; and 

11 ‘‘(B) from a State government, local gov12 ernment, nonprofit organization, or business. 

13 ‘‘(m) FEDERAL FUNDS TO SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUP14 PLANT, NON-FEDERAL FUNDS.—An eligible entity receiv15 ing a grant under this part shall use Federal funds re16 ceived under this part only to supplement the funds that 

17 would, in the absence of such Federal funds, be made 

18 available from non-Federal sources for the support of the 

19 job training programs assisted under this part, and not 

20 to supplant such funds. 

21 ‘‘SEC. 222. DEFINITIONS. 

22 ‘‘In this part: 

23 ‘‘(1) CAREER PATHWAY.—The term ‘career 

24 pathway’ has the meaning given that term in the 


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1 section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor2 tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 

3 ‘‘(2) DISCONNECTED YOUTH.—The term ‘dis4 connected youth’ has the meaning given that term in 

5 section 526(a) of the Consolidated Appropriations 

6 Act, 2014 (42 U.S.C. 12301 note). 

7 ‘‘(3) IN-DEMAND INDUSTRY SECTOR OR OCCU8 PATION.—The term ‘in-demand industry sector or 

9 occupation’ has the meaning given that term in sec10 tion 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 

11 Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 

12 ‘‘(4) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 

13 The term ‘institution of higher education’— 

14 ‘‘(A) has the meaning given the term in 

15 section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 

16 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001); and 

17 ‘‘(B) has the meaning given the term in 

18 section 102(c) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1002), 

19 except that such term only includes postsec20 ondary vocational institutions that provide an 

21 educational program for which the institutions 

22 award an industry-recognized certificate or cer23 tification. 

24 ‘‘(5) MILITARY-CONNECTED STUDENT.—The 

25 term ‘military-connected student’ means a student 


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1 that is the child of a person serving in the Armed 

2 Forces. 

3 ‘‘(6) NONTRADITIONAL STUDENT.—The term 

4 ‘nontraditional student’ has the meaning given that 

5 term in section 861(b) of the Higher Education Act 

6 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1161q(b)).’’. 

7 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—The table of contents 

8 in section 1(b) of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Tech9 nical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2301 note) is 

10 amended— 

11 (1) by inserting before the item relating to sec12 tion 201 the following new item: 

‘‘PART A—TECH PREP PROGRAM’’; 

13 and 

14 (2) by inserting after the item relating to sec15 tion 206 the following new items: 

‘‘PART B—AMERICAN TECHNICAL TRAINING GRANT PROGRAM

‘‘Sec. 221. Establishment of American Technical Training Grant Program. 

‘‘Sec. 222. Definitions.’’. 

16 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Part A of title II 

17 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education 

18 Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2371 et seq.), as designated by 

19 this Act, is amended by striking ‘‘this title’’ each place 

20 it appears and inserting ‘‘this part’’. 

Æ 


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