II

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 3170

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to assist institutions of higher

education to help at-risk students to stay in school and complete their

4-year postsecondary academic programs by helping those institutions

to provide summer programs and grant aid for such students, and

for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

OCTOBER 5 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 22), 2000

Mr. DODD (for himself, Ms. COLLINS, and Mr. KENNEDY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

A BILL

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to assist institutions of higher education to help at-risk students to

stay in school and complete their 4-year postsecondary

academic programs by helping those institutions to provide summer programs and grant aid for such students,

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 ‘‘College Completion

5 Challenge Grant Act of 2000’’.
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1 SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

2 Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Act,

3 whenever in this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed

4 in terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or

5 other provision, the reference shall be considered to be

6 made to a section or other provision of the Higher Edu7 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.).

8 SEC. 3. SUMMER PROGRAMS AND SUPPLEMENTARY

9 GRANTS.

10 (a) DURATION OF GRANTS.—The matter preceding

11 subparagraph (A) of section 402A(b)(2) (20 U.S.C.

12 1070a–11(b)(2)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, except grants

13 made under section 402D(d),’’ before ‘‘shall’’.

14 (b) MINIMUM GRANTS.—Section 402A(b)(3)(A) (20

15 U.S.C. 1070a–11(b)(3)(A)) is amended by striking ‘‘sec16 tions 402D’’ and inserting ‘‘sections 402D(a)’’.

17 (c) COLLEGE COMPLETION CHALLENGE GRANTS.—

18 Section 402D (20 U.S.C. 1070a–14) is amended by add19 ing at the end the following:

20 ‘‘(d) COLLEGE COMPLETION CHALLENGE GRANTS.—

21 ‘‘(1) RESERVATION.—For any fiscal year, the

22 Secretary may reserve not more than 20 percent of

23 the funds made available under this section for Col24 lege Completion Challenge Grants in accordance

25 with this subsection.
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1 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The following enti2 ties may apply for a College Completion Challenge

3 Grant:

4 ‘‘(A) A recipient of a grant under sub5 section (a).

6 ‘‘(B) Any entity described in section

7 402A(b)(1) that demonstrates, to the satisfac8 tion of the Secretary, that it is providing serv9 ices described in subsection (a).

10 ‘‘(C) Subject to paragraph (5), any entity

11 that is seeking a grant under subsection (a).

12 ‘‘(3) USES OF FUNDS; REQUIREMENTS.—(A)

13 Subject to paragraph (4)(B), a recipient of a grant

14 under this subsection may use those funds to provide

15 grant aid under subparagraph (B) or a summer pro16 gram under subparagraph (C).

17 ‘‘(B)(i) Except as provided in subparagraphs

18 (C)(i) and (D), a recipient of a grant under this sub19 section may use those funds to provide grants to

20 students who are in their first 2 years of postsec21 ondary education and who are receiving Federal Pell

22 Grants under subpart 1.

23 ‘‘(ii)(I) The Secretary may, by regulation, es24 tablish minimum award levels for grants to students

25 under clause (i), taking into account such factors as
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1 the different costs of attendance associated with

2 public and private institutions.

3 ‘‘(II) If the Secretary does not establish min4 imum award levels under subclause (I), or if an in5 stitution wishes to provide grants under clause (i) in

6 an amount less than the minimum set by the Sec7 retary, the institution shall demonstrate in its appli8 cation, to the satisfaction of the Secretary, that the

9 size of the grants it will provide to students is ap10 propriate and likely to have a significant effect on

11 student retention at that institution.

12 ‘‘(iii) A grant provided to a student under

13 clause (i) shall not be considered in determining that

14 student’s need for grant or work assistance under

15 this title, except that in no case shall the total

16 amount of student financial assistance awarded to a

17 student under this title exceed that student’s cost of

18 attendance, as defined in section 472.

19 ‘‘(C)(i) A recipient of a grant under this sub20 section may use those funds to establish an intensive

21 summer program for incoming first-year students

22 (or students entering their second or third year of

23 postsecondary education if the institution can dem24 onstrate, to the satisfaction of the Secretary, that it

25 is addressing the needs of first-year students and
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1 that a summer program may help retention of

2 second- or third-year students at risk of dropping

3 out of school).

4 ‘‘(ii) A summer program under this subpara5 graph shall—

6 ‘‘(I) be no shorter than 6 weeks;

7 ‘‘(II) include room, board, and the cost of

8 the program, at no cost to the student; and

9 ‘‘(III) include a stipend.

10 ‘‘(D) A recipient of funds under this subsection

11 may serve students who have completed their first 2

12 years of postsecondary education if it demonstrates

13 in its application, to the satisfaction of the Sec14 retary, that—

15 ‘‘(i) these students are at high risk of

16 dropping out of school; and

17 ‘‘(ii) it will first meet the needs of all its

18 eligible first- and second-year students for serv19 ices under this subsection.

20 ‘‘(4) APPLICATIONS.—(A) Each eligible appli21 cant that desires a grant under this subsection shall

22 submit to the Secretary an application for that grant

23 at such time and containing such information as the

24 Secretary may prescribe.
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1 ‘‘(B) Each eligible applicant that submits to the

2 Secretary an application that does not propose to

3 use funds under this subsection for both grants

4 under paragraph (3)(B) and a summer program

5 under paragraph (3)(C) shall demonstrate, to the

6 satisfaction of the Secretary, how it will otherwise

7 provide both grants under paragraph (3)(B) and a

8 summer program under paragraph (3)(C).

9 ‘‘(C) Each eligible applicant for a grant under

10 this subsection whose grant under subsection (a) will

11 end prior to its grant under this subsection shall de12 scribe, in its application for a grant under this sub13 section, how it will continue to carry out the services

14 and activities it carried out under subsection (a)

15 during the duration of its grant under subsection

16 (a).

17 ‘‘(D) Each eligible applicant for a grant under

18 this subsection that is not receiving funds under

19 subsection (a) shall describe in its application, to the

20 satisfaction of the Secretary, the services described

21 under subsection (a) that it is providing using funds

22 other than funds provided under subsection (a).

23 ‘‘(5) SPECIAL RULE.— Any eligible applicant

24 that is applying for grants under both subsection (a)

25 and this subsection that does not provide the serv-
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1 ices described under subsection (a) at the time of

2 application through funding sources other than sub3 section (a) may not receive a grant under this sub4 section unless it also receives a grant under sub5 section (a).

6 ‘‘(6) MATCHING FUNDS.—(A) Except as pro7 vided in subparagraph (B), a recipient of a grant

8 under this subsection shall provide, from non-Fed9 eral funds, not less than 33 percent of the total cost,

10 in cash, of its program under this subsection.

11 ‘‘(B) Subparagraph (A) shall not apply to any

12 institution of higher education that is eligible to re13 ceive funds under part A or B of title III, or under

14 title V.

15 ‘‘(7) DURATION OF GRANTS.—Grants under

16 this subsection shall be awarded for a period of 4

17 years.’’.

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