II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2800 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to support community college 

and industry partnerships, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 22 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 21), 2021 

Ms. DUCKWORTH (for herself, Mr. DURBIN, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mrs. SHAHEEN, and Ms. KLOBUCHAR) 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 support 

community college and industry partnerships, 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 ‘‘Community College 

5 to Career Fund in Higher Education Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO CAREER FUND. 

7 Title VIII of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

8 U.S.C. 1161a et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

9 the following: 


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1 ‘‘PART BB—COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO CAREER 

2 FUND 

3 ‘‘SEC. 899. COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND INDUSTRY PARTNER4 SHIPS GRANT PROGRAM. 

5 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

6 ‘‘(1) WIOA DEFINITIONS.—The terms ‘career 

7 pathway’, ‘integrated education and training’, ‘indi8 vidual with a barrier to employment’, ‘industry or 

9 sector partnership’, ‘in-demand industry sector or 

10 occupation’, and ‘recognized postsecondary creden11 tial’ have the meanings given to such terms in sec12 tion 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 

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

14 ‘‘(2) COMMUNITY COLLEGE.—The term ‘com15 munity college’ means an institution of higher edu16 cation that is— 

17 ‘‘(A) a degree-granting public institution of 

18 higher education at which the highest degree 

19 that is predominantly awarded to students is an 

20 associate degree; 

21 ‘‘(B) a 2-year Tribal College or University, 

22 as defined in section 316; or 

23 ‘‘(C) at the designation of the Secretary, a 

24 branch campus, college, or similarly defined and 

25 structured academic entity within a public 4- 

26 year institution of higher education at which 


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1 the highest degree that is predominantly award2 ed to students is an associate degree and that 

3 is in existence as of the date of enactment of 

4 the Community College to Career Fund in 

5 Higher Education Act. 

6 ‘‘(3) EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE TRAINING

7 PROGRAM.—The term ‘education and workforce 

8 training program’— 

9 ‘‘(A) means a career pathway program, or 

10 a program that utilizes integrated education 

11 and training strategies, that leads to a recog12 nized postsecondary credential; and 

13 ‘‘(B) includes a registered apprenticeship 

14 program, on-the-job training program, or paid 

15 internship, if the program or internship meets 

16 the requirements of subparagraph (A). 

17 ‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en18 tity’ means a community college, or a consortium of 

19 community colleges, that— 

20 ‘‘(A) is part of an industry or sector part21 nership, or is working directly with an industry 

22 or sector partnership for purposes of a grant 

23 under this section; and 

24 ‘‘(B) may, for purposes of a grant under 

25 this section and in addition to the industry or 


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1 sector partnership described in subparagraph 

2 (A), partner with one or more of the following: 

3 ‘‘(i) An eligible provider, as defined in 

4 section 203 of the Adult Education and 

5 Family Literacy Act (29 U.S.C. 3272). 

6 ‘‘(ii) An institution of higher edu7 cation, as defined in section 101 or 102(c). 

8 ‘‘(iii) An elementary school or sec9 ondary school, as such terms are defined in 

10 section 8101 of the Elementary and Sec11 ondary Education Act of 1965. 

12 ‘‘(5) REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PRO13 GRAM.—The term ‘registered apprenticeship pro14 gram’ means an apprenticeship registered under the 

15 Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly known as the 

16 ‘National Apprenticeship Act’; 50 Stat. 664, chapter 

17 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.), that meets the standards 

18 of subpart A of part 29 and part 30 of title 29, 

19 Code of Federal Regulations or any successor regu20 lations. 

21 ‘‘(6) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘Secretaries’ 

22 means the Secretary of Education and the Secretary 

23 of Labor, acting jointly in accordance with the inter24 agency agreement described in subsection (h). 

25 ‘‘(b) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than the last day 

2 of the first full fiscal year following the date of en3 actment of the Community College to Career Fund 

4 in Higher Education Act and from funds appro5 priated under subsection (g), the Secretaries shall 

6 award competitive grants to eligible entities to en7 able the eligible entities to carry out education and 

8 workforce training programs or activities described 

9 in subsection (e). 

10 ‘‘(2) DURATION OF GRANTS.—A grant awarded 

11 under this section shall be for a period of not more 

12 than 5 years, subject to subsection (f)(3). 

13 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity desiring a 

14 grant under this section shall submit to the Secretaries 

15 an application at such time, in such manner, and con16 taining such information as the Secretaries determine is 

17 required. The application shall contain— 

18 ‘‘(1) a grant proposal for each education and 

19 workforce training program or activity to be sup20 ported under the grant that includes a detailed de21 scription of— 

22 ‘‘(A) the specific education and workforce 

23 training program or activity that will be sup24 ported, and the quality of the program or activ25 ity; 


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1 ‘‘(B) the extent to which the program or 

2 activity aligns with— 

3 ‘‘(i) an overall strategic plan devel4 oped by the eligible entity in collaboration 

5 with an industry or sector partnership and, 

6 if applicable, other partner organizations; 

7 ‘‘(ii) a statewide, regional, or local 

8 workforce development strategy, including 

9 strategies established under the Workforce 

10 Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

11 U.S.C. 3201 et seq.) and the Carl D. Per12 kins Career and Technical Education Act 

13 of 2006; and 

14 ‘‘(iii) in-demand industry sectors or 

15 occupations; 

16 ‘‘(C) quantitative data and evidence that 

17 demonstrates the extent to which the program 

18 or activity to be supported will meet the needs 

19 of employers in the area for skilled workers in 

20 in-demand industry sectors or occupations; 

21 ‘‘(D) the extent to which the program or 

22 activity to be supported will meet the needs of 

23 students in the area; 

24 ‘‘(E) how the program or activity to be 

25 supported meets the criteria established under 


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1 subsection (d), including the manner in which 

2 the grant will be used to develop, offer, im3 prove, or provide the program or activity; and 

4 ‘‘(F) any previous experience of the eligible 

5 entity in successfully providing education and 

6 workforce training programs or activities, the 

7 absence of which shall not automatically dis8 qualify an eligible entity from receiving a grant 

9 under this section; and 

10 ‘‘(2)(A) a detailed description of how the eligi11 ble entity will ensure that any education and work12 force training programs or activities supported 

13 under the grant will meet the performance measures 

14 described in subsection (f); and 

15 ‘‘(B) an assurance that the entity will annually 

16 submit to the Secretaries information on the per17 formance of each education and workforce training 

18 program or activity supported under the grant, in 

19 the context of the performance measures described 

20 in subsection (f). 

21 ‘‘(d) CRITERIA FOR AWARD.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Grants under this section 

23 shall be awarded based on criteria established by the 

24 Secretaries that shall include, at a minimum, the fol25 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(A) A determination of the merits of the 

2 grant proposal submitted by the eligible entity 

3 to develop, offer, improve, or provide an edu4 cation and workforce training program or activ5 ity to be made available to students. 

6 ‘‘(B) An assessment of the likely employ7 ment opportunities available in the area to indi8 viduals who complete an education and work9 force training program or activity that the eligi10 ble entity proposes to develop, offer, improve, or 

11 provide under the grant, based on State or local 

12 labor market data. 

13 ‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this 

14 section, the Secretaries shall give priority to eligible 

15 entities that— 

16 ‘‘(A) are working with an industry or sec17 tor partnership that prioritizes facilitating the 

18 hiring of individuals who have obtained a recog19 nized postsecondary credential from the edu20 cation and workforce training programs or ac21 tivities offered by the eligible entity; 

22 ‘‘(B) are focused on serving individuals 

23 with barriers to employment or other histori24 cally underrepresented students, such as vet25 erans, spouses of members of the Armed 


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1 Forces, or incumbent workers who need to in2 crease their employability skills; 

3 ‘‘(C) serve areas with high unemployment 

4 rates; or 

5 ‘‘(D) commit to increasing access to edu6 cation and workforce training programs or ac7 tivities that meet the needs of employers in in8 demand industry sectors or occupations. 

9 ‘‘(e) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity receiving a 

10 grant under this section shall use grant funds for 1 or 

11 more of the following: 

12 ‘‘(1) The development, offering, improvement, 

13 or provision of 1 or more education and workforce 

14 training programs or activities leading to recognized 

15 postsecondary credentials that will meet the needs of 

16 employers in in-demand industry sectors or occupa17 tions. 

18 ‘‘(2) The development and implementation of 

19 policies, programs, or activities that expand opportu20 nities for students to earn a recognized postsec21 ondary credential in in-demand industry sectors or 

22 occupations, including by— 

23 ‘‘(A) facilitating the transfer of academic 

24 credits between community colleges and public 

25 4-year institutions of higher education in the 


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1 State, including the transfer of academic credits 

2 for courses in the same field or program of 

3 study; 

4 ‘‘(B) expanding articulation agreements 

5 and policies that guarantee transfers between 

6 such institutions described in subparagraph 

7 (A), including through common course num8 bering and use of general core curriculum; 

9 ‘‘(C) developing or enhancing student sup10 port service programs or activities; and 

11 ‘‘(D) establishing policies and processes for 

12 assessing and awarding postsecondary credit for 

13 prior learning or work-based learning (as de14 fined in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career 

15 and Technical Education Act of 2006). 

16 ‘‘(3) The creation or alignment of career path17 ways that provide a sequence of education and occu18 pational training that leads to a recognized postsec19 ondary credential, including programs or activities 

20 that— 

21 ‘‘(A) integrate education and training; 

22 ‘‘(B) facilitate means of transitioning par23 ticipants from noncredit occupational, basic 

24 skills, or developmental coursework to for-credit 


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1 coursework within and across community col2 leges; 

3 ‘‘(C) build or enhance linkages between 

4 secondary education or adult education and lit5 eracy programs (including those programs es6 tablished under the Carl D. Perkins Career and 

7 Technical Education Act of 2006 or the Work8 force Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

9 U.S.C. 3201 et seq.)) and community colleges, 

10 including the development of dual or concurrent 

11 enrollment programs; or 

12 ‘‘(D) are designed to increase the provision 

13 of workforce training for students, including 

14 students who are members of the Armed Forces 

15 (including members of the National Guard or 

16 Reserves) and veterans, in order to facilitate 

17 their entry into high-skill, high-wage jobs or in18 demand industry sectors or occupations. 

19 ‘‘(4) Carrying out the academic portion of a 

20 registered apprenticeship program or other edu21 cation and workforce training program, which may 

22 include funding to support a student’s cost of at23 tendance as defined under section 472. 

24 ‘‘(f) PERFORMANCE MEASURES.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries shall estab2 lish performance measures for the education and 

3 workforce training programs and activities supported 

4 under this section, which shall consist of— 

5 ‘‘(A) the primary indicators of perform6 ance, as described in section 116(b)(2)(A)(i) of 

7 the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 

8 (29 U.S.C. 3141(b)(2)(A)(i)); and 

9 ‘‘(B) a level of performance for each indi10 cator described in subparagraph (A). 

11 ‘‘(2) MONITORING PROGRESS.—The Secretaries 

12 shall— 

13 ‘‘(A) monitor the progress of eligible enti14 ties that receive grants under this section to en15 sure their education and workforce training 

16 programs or activities supported under this sec17 tion meet the performance measures established 

18 under paragraph (1); and 

19 ‘‘(B) annually publish a report regarding 

20 the progress of such programs or activities in 

21 meeting the performance measures, including 

22 the results for each performance measure 

23 disaggregated by— 

24 ‘‘(i) race and ethnicity; 

25 ‘‘(ii) income 


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1 ‘‘(iii) age intervals; 

2 ‘‘(iv) sex; and 

3 ‘‘(v) Federal Pell Grant recipient sta4 tus. 

5 ‘‘(3) SATISFACTORY PROGRESS.—The Secre6 taries shall not continue to provide funds under a 

7 grant under this section after the third year of the 

8 grant period unless the eligible entity has achieved 

9 satisfactory progress toward meeting the levels of 

10 performance on the performance measures, as deter11 mined by the Secretaries. 

12 ‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 

14 appropriated to carry out this section such sums as 

15 may be necessary. 

16 ‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATIVE COST.—Not more than 5 

17 percent of the amounts made available under para18 graph (1) for a fiscal year may be used by the Sec19 retaries for the Federal administration of the pro20 gram under this section, including providing tech21 nical assistance and carrying out evaluations. 

22 ‘‘(3) PERIOD OF AVAILABILITY.—Funds appro23 priated under paragraph (1) for a fiscal year shall 

24 remain available for obligation for that fiscal year 

25 and the succeeding 4 fiscal years. 


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1 ‘‘(h) INTERAGENCY AGREEMENT.—Not later than 90 

2 days after the date of enactment of the Community Col3 lege to Career Fund in Higher Education Act, the Secre4 taries shall enter into a formal interagency agreement es5 tablishing the terms by which the Secretaries shall jointly 

6 administer the program under this section.’’. 

Æ 


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