I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2681 

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish the STEM 

Education and Training Account in order to enhance the economic competitiveness of the United States by providing funding for STEM education and training, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 4, 2015 

Ms. TITUS (for herself, Mrs. LAWRENCE, and Ms. BROWNLEY of California) 

introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 

Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on the 

Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 

provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish 

the STEM Education and Training Account in order 

to enhance the economic competitiveness of the United 

States by providing funding for STEM education and 

training, 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 ‘‘Training Highly 

5 Skilled Americans Act of 2015’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. STEM EDUCATION AND TRAINING. 

2 (a) FEE.—Section 212(a)(5)(A) of the Immigration 

3 and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(5)(A)) is amended 

4 by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(v) FEE.—An employer shall submit, along with an 

6 application for a certification under this subparagraph, a 

7 fee of $1,000, which shall be deposited in the STEM Edu8 cation and Training Account established under section 

9 286(w).’’. 

10 (b) H–1B NONIMMIGRANT PETITIONER ACCOUNT.— 

11 Section 286(s) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

12 U.S.C. 1356(s)) is amended by striking paragraphs (3) 

13 and (4) and inserting the following: 

14 ‘‘(3) LOW-INCOME STEM SCHOLARSHIP PRO15 GRAM.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Thirty percent of the 

17 amounts deposited into the H–1B Non18 immigrant Petitioner Account shall remain 

19 available to the Director of the National Science 

20 Foundation until expended for scholarships de21 scribed in section 414(d) of the American Com22 petitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 

23 1998 (42 U.S.C. 1869c) for low-income stu24 dents enrolled in a program of study leading to 

25 a degree in science, technology, engineering, or 

26 mathematics. 


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1 ‘‘(B) STEM EDUCATION FOR UNDERREP2 RESENTED.—The Director shall work in con3 sultation with, or direct scholarship funds 

4 through, national nonprofit organizations that 

5 primarily focus on science, technology, engineer6 ing, or mathematics education for underrep7 resented groups, such as women and minorities. 

8 ‘‘(C) LOAN FORGIVENESS.—The Director 

9 may expend funds from the Account for pur10 poses of loan forgiveness or repayment of stu11 dent loans which led to a low-income student 

12 obtaining a degree in science, technology, engi13 neering, mathematics, or other high demand 

14 fields. 

15 ‘‘(4) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION GRANT

16 PROGRAM FOR K–12 SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGI17 NEERING, AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Ten percent of the 

19 amounts deposited into the H–1B Non20 immigrant Petitioner Account shall remain 

21 available to the Director of the National Science 

22 Foundation until expended to carry out a direct 

23 or matching grant program to support improve24 ment in K–12 education, including through pri25 vate-public partnerships. Grants awarded purVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:24 Jun 09, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2681.IH H2681

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1 suant to this paragraph shall include formula2 based grants that target lower income popu3 lations with a focus on reaching women and mi4 norities. 

5 ‘‘(B) TYPES OF PROGRAMS COVERED.— 

6 The Director shall award grants to programs 

7 that— 

8 ‘‘(i) support the development and im9 plementation of standards-based instruc10 tional materials models and related student 

11 assessments that enable K–12 students to 

12 acquire an understanding of science, tech13 nology, engineering, and mathematics, and 

14 to develop critical thinking skills; 

15 ‘‘(ii) provide systemic improvement in 

16 training K–12 teachers and education for 

17 students in science, technology, engineer18 ing, and mathematics, including by sup19 porting efforts to promote gender-equality 

20 among students receiving such instruction; 

21 ‘‘(iii) support the professional develop22 ment of K–12 science, technology, engi23 neering, and mathematics teachers in the 

24 use of technology in the classroom; 


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1 ‘‘(iv) stimulate systemwide K–12 re2 form of science, technology, engineering, 

3 and mathematics in urban, rural, and eco4 nomically disadvantaged regions of the 

5 United States; 

6 ‘‘(v) provide externships and other op7 portunities for students to increase their 

8 appreciation and understanding of science, 

9 technology, engineering, and mathematics 

10 (including summer institutes sponsored by 

11 an institution of higher education for stu12 dents in grades 7 through 12 that provide 

13 instruction in such fields); 

14 ‘‘(vi) involve partnerships of industry, 

15 educational institutions, and national or 

16 regional community-based organizations 

17 with demonstrated experience addressing 

18 the educational needs of disadvantaged 

19 communities; 

20 ‘‘(vii) provide college preparatory sup21 port to expose and prepare students for ca22 reers in science, technology, engineering, 

23 and mathematics; or 

24 ‘‘(viii) provide for carrying out sys25 temic reform activities under section 


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1 3(a)(1) of the National Science Foundation 

2 Act of 1950 (42 U.S.C. 1862(a)(1)).’’. 

3 (c) USE OF FEE.—Section 286 of the Immigration 

4 and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1356) is amended by add5 ing at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(w) STEM EDUCATION AND TRAINING ACCOUNT.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is established in the 

8 general fund of the Treasury a separate account, 

9 which shall be known as the ‘STEM Education and 

10 Training Account’. Notwithstanding any other sec11 tion of this title, there shall be deposited as offset12 ting receipts into the Account all of the fees col13 lected under section 212(a)(5)(A)(v). 

14 ‘‘(2) PURPOSES.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The purposes of the 

16 STEM Education and Training Account are to 

17 enhance the economic competitiveness of the 

18 United States by— 

19 ‘‘(i) strengthening STEM education, 

20 including in computer science, at all levels; 

21 ‘‘(ii) ensuring that schools have access 

22 to well-trained and effective STEM teach23 ers; 

24 ‘‘(iii) supporting efforts to strengthen 

25 the elementary and secondary curriculum, 


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1 including efforts to make courses in com2 puter science more broadly available; and 

3 ‘‘(iv) helping colleges and universities 

4 produce more graduates in fields needed by 

5 American employers. 

6 ‘‘(B) DEFINED TERM.—In this paragraph, 

7 the term ‘STEM education’ means instruction 

8 in a field of science, technology, engineering, or 

9 math included in the Department of Edu10 cation’s Classification of Instructional Pro11 grams taxonomy within the summary groups of 

12 computer and information sciences and support 

13 services, engineering, mathematics and statis14 tics, biological and biomedical sciences, and 

15 physical sciences. 

16 ‘‘(3) ALLOCATIONS TO STATES AND TERRI17 TORIES.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara19 graph (B), the Secretary of Education shall 

20 proportionately allocate 70 percent of the 

21 amounts deposited into the STEM Education 

22 and Training Account each fiscal year to the 50 

23 States, the District of Columbia, the Common24 wealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the United States 

25 Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the 


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1 Northern Mariana Islands in an amount that 

2 bears the same relationship as the proportion 

3 the State, district, or territory received under 

4 subpart 2 of part A of title I of the Elementary 

5 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

6 U.S.C. 6331 et seq.) for the preceding fiscal 

7 year bears to the amount all States and terri8 tories received under that subpart for the pre9 ceding fiscal year. 

10 ‘‘(B) MINIMUM ALLOCATIONS.—No State 

11 or territory shall receive less than an amount 

12 equal to 0.5 percent of the total amount made 

13 available to all States from the STEM Edu14 cation and Training Account. If a State or ter15 ritory does not request an allocation from the 

16 Account for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall re17 allocate the State’s allocation to the remaining 

18 States and territories in accordance with this 

19 paragraph. 

20 ‘‘(C) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts allocated 

21 pursuant to this paragraph may be used for the 

22 activities described in section 2(d) of the Train23 ing Highly Skilled Americans Act of 2015. 

24 ‘‘(4) STEM CAPACITY BUILDING AT MINORITY25 SERVING INSTITUTIONS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Edu2 cation shall allocate 20 percent of the amounts 

3 deposited into the STEM Education and Train4 ing Account to establish or expand programs to 

5 award grants to institutions described in sub6 paragraph (C)— 

7 ‘‘(i) to enhance the quality of under8 graduate science, technology, engineering, 

9 and mathematics education at such institu10 tions; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) to increase the retention and 

12 graduation rates of students pursuing de13 grees in such fields at such institutions. 

14 ‘‘(B) TYPES OF PROGRAMS COVERED.— 

15 Grants awarded under this paragraph shall be 

16 awarded to— 

17 ‘‘(i) minority-serving institutions of 

18 higher education for— 

19 ‘‘(I) activities to improve courses 

20 and curriculum in science, technology, 

21 engineering, and mathematics; 

22 ‘‘(II) efforts to promote gender 

23 equality among students enrolled in 

24 such courses; 

25 ‘‘(III) faculty development; 


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1 ‘‘(IV) stipends for undergraduate 

2 students participating in research; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(V) other activities consistent 

5 with subparagraph (A), as determined 

6 by the Secretary of Education; and 

7 ‘‘(ii) to other institutions of higher 

8 education to partner with the institutions 

9 described in clause (i) for— 

10 ‘‘(I) faculty and student develop11 ment and exchange; 

12 ‘‘(II) research infrastructure de13 velopment; 

14 ‘‘(III) joint research projects; 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(IV) identification and develop17 ment of minority and low-income can18 didates for graduate studies in 

19 science, technology, engineering, and 

20 mathematics degree programs. 

21 ‘‘(C) INSTITUTIONS INCLUDED.—In this 

22 paragraph, the term ‘institutions’ shall in23 clude— 

24 ‘‘(i) colleges eligible to receive funds 

25 under the Act of August 30, 1890 (7 


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1 U.S.C. 321–326a and 328), including 

2 Tuskegee University; 

3 ‘‘(ii) 1994 Institutions, as defined in 

4 section 532 of the Equity in Educational 

5 Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 

6 301 note); 

7 ‘‘(iii) part B institutions (as defined 

8 in section 322 of the Higher Education 

9 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061)); and 

10 ‘‘(iv) Hispanic-serving institutions, as 

11 defined in section 502(a)(5) of the Higher 

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

13 1101a(a)(5)). 

14 ‘‘(D) GRANTING OF BONDING AUTHOR15 ITY.—A recipient of a grant awarded under this 

16 paragraph is authorized to utilize such funds 

17 for the issuance of bonds to fund research in18 frastructure development. 

19 ‘‘(E) LOAN FORGIVENESS.—The Director 

20 may expend funds from the allocation under 

21 this paragraph for purposes of loan forgiveness 

22 or repayment of student loans which led to a 

23 low-income student obtaining a degree in 

24 science, technology, engineering, mathematics, 

25 or other high demand fields. 


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1 ‘‘(5) WORKFORCE INVESTMENT.—The Sec2 retary of Education shall allocate 5 percent of the 

3 amounts deposited into the STEM Education and 

4 Training Account to the Secretary of Labor until ex5 pended for statewide workforce investment activities 

6 that may also benefit veterans and their spouses, in7 cluding youth activities and statewide employment 

8 and training and activities for adults and dislocated 

9 workers described in section 128(a) of the Workforce 

10 Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2853(a)), and 

11 the development of licensing and credentialing pro12 grams. 

13 ‘‘(6) AMERICAN DREAM ACCOUNTS.—The Sec14 retary of Education shall allocate 3 percent of the 

15 amounts deposited into the STEM Education and 

16 Training Account to award grants, on a competitive 

17 basis, to eligible entities to enable such eligible enti18 ties to establish and administer American Dream 

19 Accounts under section 2(e) of the Training Highly 

20 Skilled Americans Act of 2015. 

21 ‘‘(7) ADMINISTRATION EXPENSES.—The Sec22 retary of Education may expend up to 2 percent of 

23 the amounts deposited into the STEM Education 

24 and Training Account for administrative expenses, 

25 including conducting an annual evaluation of the imVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:24 Jun 09, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2681.IH H2681

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1 plementation and impact of the activities funded by 

2 the STEM Education and Training Account as re3 quired under section 2(d)(3) of the Training Highly 

4 Skilled Americans Act of 2015.’’. 

5 (d) STEM EDUCATION GRANTS.— 

6 (1) APPLICATION PROCESS.— 

7 (A) IN GENERAL.—Each Governor and 

8 Chief State School Officer desiring an allocation 

9 from the STEM Education and Training Ac10 count under section 286(w)(3) of the Immigra11 tion and Nationality Act, as added by sub12 section (c), shall jointly submit a plan, includ13 ing a proposed budget, signed by the Governor 

14 and Chief State School Officer, to the Secretary 

15 of Education at such time, in such form, and 

16 including such information as the Secretary of 

17 Education may prescribe pursuant to subpara18 graph (B). The plan shall describe how the 

19 State plans to improve STEM education to 

20 meet the needs of students and employers in 

21 the State. 

22 (B) RULEMAKING.—The Secretary of Edu23 cation shall issue a rule, through a rulemaking 

24 procedure that complies with section 553 of 

25 title 5, United States Code, prescribing the inVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:24 Jun 09, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2681.IH H2681

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1 formation that should be included in the State 

2 plans submitted under subparagraph (A). 

3 (2) ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES.—A State, district, 

4 or territory that receives funding from the STEM 

5 Education and Training Account may use such 

6 funding to develop and implement science, tech7 nology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) ac8 tivities to serve students, including students of 

9 underrepresented groups such as minorities, eco10 nomically disadvantaged, and females by— 

11 (A) strengthening the State’s STEM aca12 demic achievement standards; 

13 (B) implementing strategies for the re14 cruitment, training, placement, and retention of 

15 teachers in STEM fields, including computer 

16 science; 

17 (C) carrying out initiatives designed to as18 sist students in succeeding and graduating from 

19 postsecondary STEM programs; 

20 (D) improving the availability and access 

21 to STEM-related worker training programs, in22 cluding community college courses and pro23 grams; 


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1 (E) forming partnerships with higher edu2 cation, economic development, workforce, indus3 try, and local educational agencies; or 

4 (F) engaging in other activities, as deter5 mined by the State, in consultation with busi6 nesses and State agencies, to improve STEM 

7 education. 

8 (3) NATIONAL EVALUATION.— 

9 (A) IN GENERAL.—Using amounts allo10 cated under section 286(w)(7) of the Immigra11 tion and Nationality Act, as added by sub12 section (c), the Secretary of Education shall 

13 conduct, directly or through a grant or con14 tract, an annual evaluation of the implementa15 tion and impact of the activities funded by the 

16 STEM Education and Training Account. 

17 (B) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Secretary 

18 shall submit a report describing the results of 

19 each evaluation conducted under subparagraph 

20 (A) to— 

21 (i) the President; 

22 (ii) the Committee on the Judiciary of 

23 the Senate; 

24 (iii) the Committee on the Judiciary 

25 of the House of Representatives; 


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1 (iv) the Committee on Health, Edu2 cation, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; 

3 and 

4 (v) the Committee on Education and 

5 the Workforce of the House of Representa6 tives. 

7 (C) DISSEMINATION.—The Secretary shall 

8 make the findings of the evaluation widely 

9 available to educators, the business community, 

10 and the public. 

11 (4) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this 

12 subsection may be construed to permit the Secretary 

13 of Education or any other Federal official to approve 

14 the content or academic achievement standards of a 

15 State. 

16 (e) AMERICAN DREAM ACCOUNTS.— 

17 (1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

18 (A) AMERICAN DREAM ACCOUNT.—The 

19 term ‘‘American Dream Account’’ means a per20 sonal online account for low-income students 

21 that monitors higher education readiness and 

22 includes a college savings account. 

23 (B) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON24 GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of 

25 Congress’’ means— 


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1 (i) the Committee on Health, Edu2 cation, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; 

3 (ii) the Committee on Appropriations 

4 of the Senate; 

5 (iii) the Committee on Finance of the 

6 Senate; 

7 (iv) the Committee on Education and 

8 the Workforce of the House of Representa9 tives; 

10 (v) the Committee on Appropriations 

11 of the House of Representatives; 

12 (vi) the Committee on Ways and 

13 Means of the House of Representatives; 

14 and 

15 (vii) any other committee of the Sen16 ate or House of Representatives that the 

17 Secretary determines appropriate. 

18 (C) COLLEGE SAVINGS ACCOUNT.—The 

19 term ‘‘college savings account’’ means a savings 

20 account that— 

21 (i) provides some tax-preferred accu22 mulation; 

23 (ii) is widely available (such as Quali24 fied Tuition Programs under section 529 

25 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or 


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1 Coverdell Education Savings Accounts 

2 under section 530 of the Internal Revenue 

3 Code of 1986); and 

4 (iii) contains funds that may be used 

5 only for the costs associated with attending 

6 an institution of higher education, includ7 ing— 

8 (I) tuition and fees; 

9 (II) room and board; 

10 (III) textbooks; 

11 (IV) supplies and equipment; and 

12 (V) Internet access. 

13 (D) DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAM.—The 

14 term ‘‘dual enrollment program’’ means an aca15 demic program through which a secondary 

16 school student is able simultaneously to earn 

17 credit toward a secondary school diploma and a 

18 postsecondary degree or credential. 

19 (E) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible 

20 entity’’ means— 

21 (i) a State educational agency; 

22 (ii) a local educational agency; 

23 (iii) a charter school or charter man24 agement organization; 

25 (iv) an institution of higher education; 


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1 (v) a nonprofit organization; 

2 (vi) an entity with demonstrated expe3 rience in educational savings or in assist4 ing low-income students to prepare for, 

5 and attend, an institution of higher edu6 cation; or 

7 (vii) a consortium of 2 or more of the 

8 entities described in clauses (i) through 

9 (vi). 

10 (F) ESEA DEFINITIONS.—The terms 

11 ‘‘local educational agency’’, ‘‘parent’’, and 

12 ‘‘State educational agency’’ have the meanings 

13 given the terms in section 9101 of the Elemen14 tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

15 U.S.C. 7801) and the term ‘‘charter school’’ 

16 has the meaning given the term in section 5210 

17 of such Act. 

18 (G) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDU19 CATION.—The term ‘‘institution of higher edu20 cation’’ has the meaning given the term in sec21 tion 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 

22 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 

23 (H) LOW-INCOME STUDENT.—The term 

24 ‘‘low-income student’’ means a student who is 

25 eligible to receive a free or reduced price lunch 


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1 under the Richard B. Russell National School 

2 Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.). 

3 (2) GRANT PROGRAM.— 

4 (A) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Sec5 retary of Education is authorized to award 

6 grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible enti7 ties to enable such eligible entities to establish 

8 and administer American Dream Accounts for a 

9 group of low-income students. 

10 (B) RESERVATION.—From the amount 

11 made available each fiscal year to carry out this 

12 section under section 286(w)(6) of the Immi13 gration and Nationality Act, as added by sub14 section (c), the Secretary of Education shall re15 serve not more than 5 percent of such amount 

16 to carry out the evaluation activities described 

17 in paragraph (5)(A). 

18 (C) DURATION.—A grant awarded under 

19 this subsection shall be for a period of not more 

20 than 3 years. The Secretary of Education may 

21 extend such grant for an additional 2-year pe22 riod if the Secretary of Education determines 

23 that the eligible entity has demonstrated signifi24 cant progress, based on the factors described in 

25 paragraph (3)(B)(xi). 


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1 (3) APPLICATIONS; PRIORITY.— 

2 (A) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible entity de3 siring a grant under this subsection shall sub4 mit an application to the Secretary of Edu5 cation at such time, in such manner, and con6 taining such information as the Secretary of 

7 Education may require. 

8 (B) CONTENTS.—The application de9 scribed in subparagraph (A) shall include— 

10 (i) a description of the characteristics 

11 of a group of not less than 30 low-income 

12 public school students who— 

13 (I) are, at the time of the appli14 cation, attending a grade not higher 

15 than grade 9; and 

16 (II) will, under the grant, receive 

17 an American Dream Account; 

18 (ii) a description of how the eligible 

19 entity will engage, and provide support 

20 (such as tutoring and mentoring for stu21 dents, and training for teachers and other 

22 stakeholders) either online or in person, 

23 to— 

24 (I) the students in the group de25 scribed in clause (I); 


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1 (II) the family members and 

2 teachers of such students; and 

3 (III) other stakeholders such as 

4 school administrators and school 

5 counselors; 

6 (iii) an identification of partners who 

7 will assist the eligible entity in establishing 

8 and sustaining American Dream Accounts; 

9 (iv) a description of what experience 

10 the eligible entity or the eligible entity’s 

11 partners have in managing college savings 

12 accounts, preparing low-income students 

13 for postsecondary education, managing on14 line systems, and teaching financial lit15 eracy; 

16 (v) a description of how the eligible 

17 entity will help increase the value of the 

18 college savings account portion of each 

19 American Dream Account, such as by pro20 viding matching funds or incentives for 

21 academic achievement; 

22 (vi) a description of how the eligible 

23 entity will notify each participating student 

24 in the group described in subparagraph 

25 (A), on a semiannual basis, of the current 


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1 balance and status of the student’s college 

2 savings account portion of the student’s 

3 American Dream Account; 

4 (vii) a plan that describes how the eli5 gible entity will monitor participating stu6 dents in the group described in clause (i) 

7 to ensure that each student’s American 

8 Dream Account will be maintained if a stu9 dent in such group changes schools before 

10 graduating from secondary school; 

11 (viii) a plan that describes how the 

12 American Dream Accounts will be man13 aged for not less than 1 year after a ma14 jority of the students in the group de15 scribed in clause (i) graduate from sec16 ondary school; 

17 (ix) a description of how the eligible 

18 entity will encourage students in the group 

19 described in clause (i) who fail to graduate 

20 from secondary school to continue their 

21 education; 

22 (x) a description of how the eligible 

23 entity will evaluate the grant program, in24 cluding by collecting, as applicable, data 

25 about the students in the group described 


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1 in clause (i) during the grant period, and, 

2 if sufficient grant funds are available, after 

3 the grant period, including— 

4 (I) attendance rates; 

5 (II) progress reports; 

6 (III) grades and course selec7 tions; 

8 (IV) the student graduation rate 

9 (as defined in section 1111 

10 (b)(2)(C)(vi) of the Elementary and 

11 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

12 U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)(C)(vi))); 

13 (V) rates of student completion 

14 of the Free Application for Federal 

15 Student Aid described in section 483 

16 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

17 (20 U.S.C. 1090); 

18 (VI) rates of enrollment in an in19 stitution of higher education; and 

20 (VII) rates of completion at an 

21 institution of higher education; 

22 (xi) a description of what will happen 

23 to the funds in the college savings account 

24 portion of the American Dream Accounts 

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1 dents described in clause (i) who have not 

2 matriculated at an institution of higher 

3 education at the time of the conclusion of 

4 the period of American Dream Account 

5 management described in clause (viii); 

6 (xii) a description of how the eligible 

7 entity will ensure that funds in the college 

8 savings account portion of the American 

9 Dream Accounts will not make families in10 eligible for public assistance; and 

11 (xiii) a description of how the eligible 

12 entity will ensure that participating stu13 dents described in clause (i) will have ac14 cess to the Internet. 

15 (C) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under 

16 this subsection, the Secretary of Education 

17 shall give priority to applications from eligible 

18 entities that— 

19 (i) are described in paragraph 

20 (1)(E)(vii); 

21 (ii) serve the largest number of low-in22 come students; 

23 (iii) emphasize preparing students to 

24 pursue careers in science, technology, engi25 neering, or mathematics; or 


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1 (iv) in the case of an eligible entity 

2 described in clause (i) or (ii) of paragraph 

3 (1)(E), provide opportunities for partici4 pating students described in clause (i) to 

5 participate in a dual enrollment program 

6 at no cost to the student. 

7 (4) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that 

9 receives a grant under this subsection shall use 

10 such grant funds to establish an American 

11 Dream Account for each participating student 

12 described in paragraph (3)(B)(i), which will be 

13 used to— 

14 (i) open a college savings account for 

15 such student; 

16 (ii) monitor the progress of such stu17 dent online, which— 

18 (I) shall include monitoring stu19 dent data relating to— 

20 (aa) grades and course se21 lections; 

22 (bb) progress reports; and 

23 (cc) attendance and discipli24 nary records; and 


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1 (II) may also include monitoring 

2 student data relating to a broad range 

3 of information, provided by teachers 

4 and family members, related to post5 secondary education readiness, access, 

6 and completion; 

7 (iii) provide opportunities for such 

8 students, either online or in person, to 

9 learn about financial literacy, including 

10 by— 

11 (I) assisting such students in fi12 nancial planning for enrollment in an 

13 institution of higher education; and 

14 (II) assisting such students in 

15 identifying and applying for financial 

16 aid (such as loans, grants, and schol17 arships) for an institution of higher 

18 education; 

19 (iv) provide opportunities for such 

20 students, either online or in person, to 

21 learn about preparing for enrollment in an 

22 institution of higher education, including 

23 by providing instruction to students 

24 about— 


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1 (I) choosing the appropriate 

2 courses to prepare for postsecondary 

3 education; 

4 (II) applying to an institution of 

5 higher education; 

6 (III) building a student portfolio, 

7 which may be used when applying to 

8 an institution of higher education; 

9 (IV) selecting an institution of 

10 higher education; 

11 (V) choosing a major for the stu12 dent’s postsecondary program of edu13 cation or a career path, including spe14 cific instruction on pursuing science, 

15 technology, engineering, and mathe16 matics majors; and 

17 (VI) adapting to life at an insti18 tution of higher education; and 

19 (v) provide opportunities for such stu20 dents, either online or in person, to iden21 tify skills or interests, including career in22 terests. 

23 (B) ACCESS TO AMERICAN DREAM AC24 COUNT.— 


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1 (i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clauses 

2 (iii) and (iv), and in accordance with appli3 cable Federal laws and regulations relating 

4 to privacy of information and the privacy 

5 of children, an eligible entity that receives 

6 a grant under this subsection shall allow 

7 vested stakeholders described in clause (ii), 

8 to have secure access, through the Inter9 net, to an American Dream Account. 

10 (ii) VESTED STAKEHOLDERS.—The 

11 vested stakeholders that an eligible entity 

12 shall permit to access an American Dream 

13 Account are individuals (such as the stu14 dent’s teachers, school counselors, coun15 selors at an institution of higher education, 

16 school administrators, or other individuals) 

17 that are designated, in accordance with the 

18 Family Educational Rights and Privacy 

19 Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. 1232g), by the 

20 parent of a participating student in whose 

21 name such American Dream Account is 

22 held, as having permission to access the 

23 account. A student’s parent may withdraw 

24 such designation from an individual at any 

25 time. 


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1 (iii) EXCEPTION FOR COLLEGE SAV2 INGS ACCOUNT.—An eligible entity that re3 ceives a grant under this subsection shall 

4 not be required to give vested stakeholders 

5 described in clause (ii), access to the col6 lege savings account portion of a student’s 

7 American Dream Account. 

8 (iv) ADULT STUDENTS.—Notwith9 standing clauses (i) through (iii), if a par10 ticipating student is age 18 or older, an el11 igible entity that receives a grant under 

12 this subsection shall not provide access to 

13 such participating student’s American 

14 Dream Account without the student’s con15 sent, in accordance with the Family Edu16 cational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 

17 (20 U.S.C. 1232g). 

18 (v) INPUT OF STUDENT INFORMA19 TION.—Student data collected pursuant to 

20 subparagraph (A)(ii)(I) may only be en21 tered into an American Dream Account by 

22 a school administrator or such administra23 tor’s designee. 

24 (C) PROHIBITION ON USE OF STUDENT IN25 FORMATION.—An eligible entity that receives a 


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1 grant under this subsection may not use any 

2 student-level information or data for the pur3 pose of soliciting, advertising, or marketing any 

4 financial or nonfinancial consumer product or 

5 service that is offered by such eligible entity, or 

6 on behalf of any other person. 

7 (D) LIMITATION ON THE USE OF GRANT

8 FUNDS.—An eligible entity shall not use more 

9 than 25 percent of the grant funds provided 

10 under this subsection to provide the initial de11 posit into a college savings account portion of 

12 a student’s American Dream Account. 

13 (5) REPORTS AND EVALUATIONS.— 

14 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

15 after the Secretary of Education has disbursed 

16 grants under this subsection, and annually 

17 thereafter, the Secretary of Education shall pre18 pare and submit a report to the appropriate 

19 committees of Congress that includes an evalua20 tion of the effectiveness of the grant program 

21 established under this subsection. 

22 (B) CONTENTS.—The report described in 

23 subparagraph (A) shall— 

24 (i) list the grants that have been 

25 awarded under paragraph (2)(A); 


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1 (ii) include the number of students 

2 who have an American Dream Account es3 tablished through a grant awarded under 

4 paragraph (2)(A); 

5 (iii) provide data (including the inter6 est accrued on college savings accounts 

7 that are part of an American Dream Ac8 count) in the aggregate, regarding stu9 dents who have an American Dream Ac10 count established through a grant awarded 

11 under paragraph (2)(A), as compared to 

12 similarly situated students who do not have 

13 an American Dream Account; 

14 (iv) identify best practices developed 

15 by the eligible entities receiving grants 

16 under this subsection; 

17 (v) identify any issues related to stu18 dent privacy and stakeholder accessibility 

19 to American Dream Accounts; 

20 (vi) provide feedback from partici21 pating students and the parents of such 

22 students about the grant program, includ23 ing— 

24 (I) the impact of the program; 


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1 (II) aspects of the program that 

2 are successful; 

3 (III) aspects of the program that 

4 are not successful; and 

5 (IV) any other data required by 

6 the Secretary of Education; and 

7 (vii) provide recommendations for ex8 panding the American Dream Accounts 

9 program. 

10 (6) ELIGIBILITY TO RECEIVE FEDERAL STU11 DENT FINANCIAL AID.—Notwithstanding any other 

12 provision of law, any funds that are in the college 

13 savings account portion of a student’s American 

14 Dream Account shall not affect such student’s eligi15 bility to receive Federal student financial aid, includ16 ing any Federal student financial aid under the 

17 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001), 

18 and shall not be considered in determining the 

19 amount of any such Federal student aid. 

20 (f) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 480(j) of 

21 the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087vv(j)) 

22 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(5) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), amounts 

24 made available under the college savings account 

25 portion of an American Dream Account under secVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:24 Jun 09, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2681.IH H2681

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1 tion 2(e)(4) of the Training Highly Skilled Ameri2 cans Act of 2015 shall not be treated as estimated 

3 financial assistance for purposes of section 471(3).’’. 

Æ 


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