I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1402 

To amend the Federal Pell Grant Program to support career training 

opportunities for young Americans. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 26, 2021 

Mr. CARTER of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Education and Labor 

A BILL 

To amend the Federal Pell Grant Program to support career 

training opportunities for young Americans. 

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 ‘‘More Choice for Career 

5 Training Act of 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SUPPORTING CAREER TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES 

7 FOR ALL YOUNG AMERICANS. 

8 (a) AMENDMENTS.— 

9 (1) BEGINNING ON THE DATE OF ENACTMENT

10 OF THIS ACT.—Section 401 of the Higher Education 


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1 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a) is amended by add2 ing at the end the following: 

3 ‘‘(k) ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall devise 

5 an alternative certification program to enable stu6 dents to use Federal Pell Grants to enroll in edu7 cational programs (either at eligible institutions or 

8 institutions that are not eligible institutions) for 

9 which students are not otherwise eligible to use Fed10 eral Pell Grants under this section. 

11 ‘‘(2) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

12 ‘‘(A) PROGRAM COMPLETION RATE.—The 

13 term ‘program completion rate’ means the per14 centage of enrollees in a program who success15 fully complete the program requirements within 

16 the standard program duration. 

17 ‘‘(B) JOB PLACEMENT RATE.—The term 

18 ‘job placement rate’ means the percentage of 

19 graduates who have obtained full-time employ20 ment in the graduate’s field of study. 

21 ‘‘(3) NO REQUIREMENT FOR ACCREDITATION

22 OR STATE AUTHORIZATION.—The alternative certifi23 cation program shall not require accreditation, State 

24 authorization, minimum instructional hours, or min25 imum classroom time of educational programs for 


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1 which students may use Federal Pell Grants to en2 roll pursuant to this subsection. 

3 ‘‘(4) CONTINUOUS OPERATION; DETERMINA4 TION OF ELIGIBILITY.—The Secretary shall— 

5 ‘‘(A) only certify an educational program 

6 under the alternative certification program 

7 that— 

8 ‘‘(i) has been in existence for not less 

9 than 5 years; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) has an annual cost of enrollment 

11 for a year that is equal to or less than the 

12 maximum Federal Pell Grant award appli13 cable to that year; 

14 ‘‘(B) make an initial determination of edu15 cational program eligibility under the alter16 native certification program not later than 180 

17 days after the date of application of the edu18 cational program; and 

19 ‘‘(C) re-evaluate educational program eligi20 bility under the alternative certification pro21 gram not less often than once every 5 years. 

22 ‘‘(5) INFORMATION TO ASSESS PROGRAM ELIGI23 BILITY.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each educational pro25 gram applying for certification or re-certifiVerDate Sep 11 2014 15:48 Mar 24, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1402.IH H1402

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1 cation under the alternative certification pro2 gram, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the 

3 Secretary of Labor shall submit to the Sec4 retary all data necessary for the Secretary to 

5 assess educational program eligibility under the 

6 alternative certification program. 

7 ‘‘(B) PRIVACY.—The Secretary shall keep 

8 all student data submitted under subparagraph 

9 (A) private and confidential. 

10 ‘‘(6) DETERMINATIONS OF PROGRAM ELIGI11 BILITY.—The Secretary shall make a determination 

12 of educational program eligibility under the alter13 native certification program on the basis of student 

14 outcomes in the educational program, including 

15 based on each of the following: 

16 ‘‘(A) Program completion rate. 

17 ‘‘(B) Job placement rate within 90 days of 

18 program completion. 

19 ‘‘(C) Job placement rate within 12 months 

20 of program completion. 

21 ‘‘(D) Graduate median starting salary. 

22 ‘‘(E) Graduate median salary 5 years after 

23 program completion. 

24 ‘‘(F) Graduate average starting salary. 


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1 ‘‘(G) Graduate average salary 5 years after 

2 program completion. 

3 ‘‘(7) DECERTIFICATION.—The Secretary may 

4 decertify an educational program under the alter5 native certification program if the program meets 

6 any of the following: 

7 ‘‘(A) The program completion rate is less 

8 than 70 percent. 

9 ‘‘(B) The job placement rate within 90 

10 days of program completion is less than 50 per11 cent. 

12 ‘‘(C) The job placement rate within 12 

13 months of program completion is less than 70 

14 percent. 

15 ‘‘(D) The graduate median starting salary 

16 is less than 200 percent of the Federal poverty 

17 level for a one-person household. 

18 ‘‘(E) The graduate median salary 5 years 

19 after program completion is less than 300 per20 cent of the Federal poverty level for a one-per21 son household. 

22 ‘‘(8) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in 

23 this subsection shall be construed to extend eligi24 bility with respect to an educational program that is 

25 certified under the alternative certification program 


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1 under this subsection to other programs under this 

2 title.’’. 

3 (2) BEGINNING ON JULY 1, 2023.—Section 401 

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

5 1070a), as amended by section 703 of division FF 

6 of Public Law 116–260, is further amended by add7 ing at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(k) ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall devise 

10 an alternative certification program to enable stu11 dents to use Federal Pell Grants to enroll in edu12 cational programs (either at eligible institutions or 

13 institutions that are not eligible institutions) for 

14 which students are not otherwise eligible to use Fed15 eral Pell Grants under this section. 

16 ‘‘(2) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

17 ‘‘(A) PROGRAM COMPLETION RATE.—The 

18 term ‘program completion rate’ means the per19 centage of enrollees in a program who success20 fully complete the program requirements within 

21 the standard program duration. 

22 ‘‘(B) JOB PLACEMENT RATE.—The term 

23 ‘job placement rate’ means the percentage of 

24 graduates who have obtained full-time employ25 ment in the graduate’s field of study. 


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1 ‘‘(3) NO REQUIREMENT FOR ACCREDITATION

2 OR STATE AUTHORIZATION.—The alternative certifi3 cation program shall not require accreditation, State 

4 authorization, minimum instructional hours, or min5 imum classroom time of educational programs for 

6 which students may use Federal Pell Grants to en7 roll pursuant to this subsection. 

8 ‘‘(4) CONTINUOUS OPERATION; DETERMINA9 TION OF ELIGIBILITY.—The Secretary shall— 

10 ‘‘(A) only certify an educational program 

11 under the alternative certification program 

12 that— 

13 ‘‘(i) has been in existence for not less 

14 than 5 years; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) has an annual cost of enrollment 

16 for a year that is equal to or less than the 

17 maximum Federal Pell Grant award appli18 cable to that year; 

19 ‘‘(B) make an initial determination of edu20 cational program eligibility under the alter21 native certification program not later than 180 

22 days after the date of application of the edu23 cational program; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) re-evaluate educational program eligi2 bility under the alternative certification pro3 gram not less often than once every 5 years. 

4 ‘‘(5) INFORMATION TO ASSESS PROGRAM ELIGI5 BILITY.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each educational pro7 gram applying for certification or re-certifi8 cation under the alternative certification pro9 gram, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the 

10 Secretary of Labor shall submit to the Sec11 retary all data necessary for the Secretary to 

12 assess educational program eligibility under the 

13 alternative certification program. 

14 ‘‘(B) PRIVACY.—The Secretary shall keep 

15 all student data submitted under subparagraph 

16 (A) private and confidential. 

17 ‘‘(6) DETERMINATIONS OF PROGRAM ELIGI18 BILITY.—The Secretary shall make a determination 

19 of educational program eligibility under the alter20 native certification program on the basis of student 

21 outcomes in the educational program, including 

22 based on each of the following: 

23 ‘‘(A) Program completion rate. 

24 ‘‘(B) Job placement rate within 90 days of 

25 program completion. 


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1 ‘‘(C) Job placement rate within 12 months 

2 of program completion. 

3 ‘‘(D) Graduate median starting salary. 

4 ‘‘(E) Graduate median salary 5 years after 

5 program completion. 

6 ‘‘(F) Graduate average starting salary. 

7 ‘‘(G) Graduate average salary 5 years after 

8 program completion. 

9 ‘‘(7) DECERTIFICATION.—The Secretary may 

10 decertify an educational program under the alter11 native certification program if the program meets 

12 any of the following: 

13 ‘‘(A) The program completion rate is less 

14 than 70 percent. 

15 ‘‘(B) The job placement rate within 90 

16 days of program completion is less than 50 per17 cent. 

18 ‘‘(C) The job placement rate within 12 

19 months of program completion is less than 70 

20 percent. 

21 ‘‘(D) The graduate median starting salary 

22 is less than 200 percent of the Federal poverty 

23 level for a one-person household. 

24 ‘‘(E) The graduate median salary 5 years 

25 after program completion is less than 300 perVerDate Sep 11 2014 15:48 Mar 24, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1402.IH H1402

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1 cent of the Federal poverty level for a one-per2 son household. 

3 ‘‘(8) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in 

4 this subsection shall be construed to extend eligi5 bility with respect to an educational program that is 

6 certified under the alternative certification program 

7 under this subsection to other programs under this 

8 title.’’. 

9 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

10 subsection (a)(2) shall take effect as if included in the en11 actment of Division FF of the Consolidated Appropria12 tions Act, 2021 (Public Law 116–260). 

Æ 


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