IB 

Union Calendar No. 276 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 6585 

[Report No. 118–337] 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend Federal Pell Grant 

eligibility to certain short-term workforce programs. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 5, 2023 

Ms. STEFANIK (for herself, Ms. FOXX, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, and Mr. 

DESAULNIER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Education and the Workforce 

DECEMBER 22, 2023 

Additional sponsors: Mr. MILLER of Ohio, Mr. OWENS, Ms. TENNEY, Mrs. 

MCCLAIN, Mr. SMUCKER, Mrs. HOUCHIN, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. 

THOMPSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. JAMES, Mr. BERGMAN, Ms. LETLOW, 

Mr. LANDSMAN, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Mr. ALLRED, Mr. CRENSHAW, 

Mr. SABLAN, Ms. NORTON, Mr. COURTNEY, Mr. FLOOD, Mr. TRONE, Ms. 

MALOY, and Mr. WALBERG

DECEMBER 22, 2023 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on December 5, 2023] 


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A BILL 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend 

Federal Pell Grant eligibility to certain short-term workforce programs. 


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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 ‘‘Bipartisan Workforce 

5 Pell Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. WORKFORCE PELL GRANTS. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 401 of the Higher Edu8 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a), as amended by sec9 tion 703 of the FAFSA Simplification Act (title VII of divi10 sion FF of Public Law 116–260), is amended by adding 

11 at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(k) WORKFORCE PELL GRANT PROGRAM.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For the award year begin14 ning on July 1, 2025, and each subsequent award 

15 year, the Secretary shall award grants (to be known 

16 as ‘Workforce Pell Grants’) to eligible students under 

17 paragraph (2) in accordance with this subsection. 

18 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE STUDENTS.—To be eligible to re19 ceive a Workforce Pell Grant under this subsection for 

20 any period of enrollment, a student shall meet the eli21 gibility requirements for a Federal Pell Grant under 

22 this section, except that the student— 

23 ‘‘(A) shall be enrolled, or accepted for enroll24 ment, in an eligible program under section 


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1 481(b)(3) (hereinafter referred to as an ‘eligible 

2 workforce program’); and 

3 ‘‘(B) may not— 

4 ‘‘(i) be enrolled, or accepted for enroll5 ment, in a program of study that leads to 

6 a master’s degree, doctoral degree, or other 

7 post-graduate degree; or 

8 ‘‘(ii) have attained such a degree. 

9 ‘‘(3) TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF AWARDS.—The 

10 Secretary shall award Workforce Pell Grants under 

11 this subsection in the same manner and with the 

12 same terms and conditions as the Secretary awards 

13 Federal Pell Grants under this section, except that— 

14 ‘‘(A) each use of the term ‘eligible program’ 

15 shall be substituted by ‘eligible workforce pro16 gram under section 481(b)(3)’, other than with 

17 respect to— 

18 ‘‘(i) paragraph (9)(A) of such sub19 section; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) subsection (d)(2); and 

21 ‘‘(B) a student who is eligible for a grant 

22 equal to less than the amount of the minimum 

23 Federal Pell Grant because the eligible workforce 

24 program in which the student is enrolled or ac25 cepted for enrollment is less than an academic 


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1 year (in hours of instruction or weeks of dura2 tion) may still be eligible for a Workforce Pell 

3 Grant in an amount that is prorated based on 

4 the length of the program. 

5 ‘‘(4) PREVENTION OF DOUBLE BENEFITS.—No el6 igible student described in paragraph (2) may con7 currently receive a grant under both this subsection 

8 and— 

9 ‘‘(A) subsection (b); or 

10 ‘‘(B) subsection (c). 

11 ‘‘(5) DURATION LIMIT.—Any period of study cov12 ered by a Workforce Pell Grant awarded under this 

13 subsection shall be included in determining a stu14 dent’s duration limit under subsection (d)(5).’’. 

15 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by sub16 section (a) shall take effect as if included in section 703 

17 of the FAFSA Simplification Act (title VII of division FF 

18 of Public Law 116–260; 134 Stat. 3191) and in accordance 

19 with section 701(b) of such Act. 

20 SEC. 3. PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY FOR WORKFORCE PELL 

21 GRANTS. 

22 Section 481(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

23 (20 U.S.C. 1088(b)) is amended— 

24 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and (4) as 

25 paragraphs (4) and (5), respectively; and 


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1 (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(3)(A) A program is an eligible program for purposes 

4 of the Workforce Pell Grant program under section 401(k) 

5 only if— 

6 ‘‘(i) it is a program of at least 150 clock hours 

7 of instruction, but less than 600 clock hours of in8 struction, or an equivalent number of credit hours, of9 fered during a minimum of 8 weeks, but less than 15 

10 weeks; 

11 ‘‘(ii) it is not offered as a correspondence course, 

12 as defined in 600.2 of title 34, Code of Federal Regu13 lations (as in effect on September 20, 2020); 

14 ‘‘(iii) the State board makes a determination 

15 that the program— 

16 ‘‘(I) provides an education aligned with the 

17 requirements of high-skill, high-wage (as identi18 fied by the State pursuant to section 122 of the 

19 Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education 

20 Act (20 U.S.C. 2342), or in-demand industry 

21 sectors or occupations; 

22 ‘‘(II) meets the hiring requirements of po23 tential employers in the sectors or occupations 

24 described in subclause (I); and 


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1 ‘‘(III) satisfies any applicable educational 

2 prerequisite requirement for professional licen3 sure or certification in the State or States in 

4 which the program is offered, as applicable, such 

5 that a student who completes the program is 

6 qualified to— 

7 ‘‘(aa) practice or find employment in 

8 the sectors or occupations described in sub9 clause (I); and 

10 ‘‘(bb) as applicable, take any licensure 

11 or certification examinations required to 

12 practice or find employment in such sectors 

13 or occupations; 

14 ‘‘(iv) after the State board makes the determina15 tion that the program meets the requirements under 

16 clause (iii), the accrediting agency or association rec17 ognized by the Secretary pursuant to section 496(a) 

18 determines that the program— 

19 ‘‘(I) either— 

20 ‘‘(aa) leads to a recognized postsec21 ondary credential that is stackable and 

22 portable across more than one employer; or 

23 ‘‘(bb) with respect to students enrolled 

24 in the program— 


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1 ‘‘(AA) prepares such students for 

2 employment in an occupation for 

3 which there is only one recognized 

4 postsecondary credential; and 

5 ‘‘(BB) provides such students with 

6 such a credential upon completion of 

7 such program; 

8 ‘‘(II) prepares students to pursue 1 or more 

9 certificate or degree programs at 1 or more insti10 tutions of higher education (which may include 

11 the institution of higher education providing the 

12 program), including by ensuring— 

13 ‘‘(aa) that a student, upon completion 

14 of the program and enrollment in such a re15 lated certificate or degree program, will re16 ceive academic credit for the program that 

17 will be accepted toward meeting such cer18 tificate or degree program requirements; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(bb) the acceptability of such credit 

21 toward meeting such certificate or degree 

22 program requirements; and 

23 ‘‘(III) posts prominently on the website of 

24 the institution the recognized postsecondary cre25 dential that will be awarded to the student upon 


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1 completion of the program, including the entity 

2 issuing the credential, any third-party endorse3 ments of the credential, the occupation or occu4 pations for which the credential prepares indi5 viduals for employment, the competencies 

6 achieved to earn the credential, the level of mas7 tery of such competencies and how mastery is as8 sessed, and specific information with respect to 

9 where, whether, and under what circumstances 

10 the credential is stackable or portable; 

11 ‘‘(IV) with respect to the information col12 lected under section 131(i)— 

13 ‘‘(aa) posts such information promi14 nently on the website of the institution; and 

15 ‘‘(bb) provides such information in a 

16 written disclosure to each prospective stu17 dent prior to entering into an enrollment 

18 agreement with such student for such pro19 gram, and establishes procedures for each 

20 such student to confirm receipt of such dis21 closure; 

22 ‘‘(V) has established a plan to ensure stu23 dents who completed the program have access to 

24 transcripts for completed coursework without a 

25 fee; and 


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1 ‘‘(VI) has been offered by an eligible institu2 tion of higher education for not less than 1 year 

3 prior to the date on which such agency or asso4 ciation is to make a determination under this 

5 paragraph; 

6 ‘‘(v) after the accrediting agency makes the deter7 mination that the program meets the requirements 

8 under clause (iv), the Secretary determines that— 

9 ‘‘(I) for each award year, the program has 

10 a verified completion rate of at least 70 percent, 

11 within 150 percent of the normal time for com12 pletion; 

13 ‘‘(II) for each award year, the program has 

14 a verified job placement rate of at least 70 per15 cent, measured 180 days after completion; 

16 ‘‘(III) for each award year, the program 

17 charges to a Workforce Pell Grant recipient 

18 under section 401(k) a total amount of tuition 

19 and fees for the program for such year that does 

20 not exceed the value-added earnings of students 

21 for the most recent year for which data is avail22 able; and 

23 ‘‘(IV) for at least 2 of the 3 most recent con24 secutive award years for which data are avail25 able, the median earnings of students who comVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:57 Dec 22, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H6585.RH H6585

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1 pleted the program, measured three years after 

2 students completed the program, exceeded the an3 nual median earnings of individuals in the State 

4 in which the program is located— 

5 ‘‘(aa) who are in the labor force; 

6 ‘‘(bb) who are between 25 and 34 years 

7 of age, inclusive; and 

8 ‘‘(cc) for whom the highest degree at9 tained is a high school diploma (or recog10 nized equivalent); and 

11 ‘‘(vi) in the case of a program that has been an 

12 eligible workforce program under this paragraph for 

13 3 or more years, it uses common, linked, open, and 

14 interoperable data formats when posting on the 

15 website of the institution the data required under sub16 clauses (III) and (IV) of clause (iv). 

17 ‘‘(B)(i) The Secretary shall establish an appeals proc18 ess wherein a program may request that, in making a deter19 mination under subparagraph (A)(v) (other than with re20 spect to the median earnings of the individuals in the State 

21 described in subclause (IV) of such subparagraph), the Sec22 retary use alternate earnings data, provided by the pro23 gram, that is based on local, State, or Federal administra24 tive data sources and that is statistically rigorous, accurate, 

25 comparable to, and representative of such students, if such 


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1 program objects to a determination made by the Secretary 

2 under such subparagraph for purposes of— 

3 ‘‘(I) eligibility under this paragraph; or 

4 ‘‘(II) the reporting or publishing of the rates or 

5 earnings described in such a determination under sec6 tion 131(i). 

7 ‘‘(ii) In the case of a program that is seeking to estab8 lish initial eligibility under this paragraph that does not 

9 have data available for the Secretary to make the deter10 minations required under subparagraph (A)(v), the Sec11 retary may, for a period that does not exceed 1 year, make 

12 such determinations (other than the median earnings of the 

13 individuals in the State described in subclause (IV) of such 

14 subparagraph) with respect to the program using, as pro15 vided by the program— 

16 ‘‘(I) alternate earnings data of students who 

17 complete the program, provided such data are statis18 tically rigorous, accurate, comparable to, and rep19 resentative of such students; and 

20 ‘‘(II) alternate completion and job placement 

21 rates of students who enroll in the program, provided 

22 such data are statistically rigorous, accurate, com23 parable, and representative of such students. 

24 ‘‘(iii) If the Secretary determines that a program pro25 vided inaccurate earnings data under clause (i)(I) or clause 


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1 (ii), such program shall return to the Secretary any funds 

2 received under section 401(k) during the period beginning 

3 on the date that is the first day of the provisional eligibility 

4 period and ending on the date on which the Secretary 

5 makes such determination. 

6 ‘‘(C)(i) In the case of a program that is seeking to es7 tablish initial eligibility under this paragraph, the Sec8 retary shall grant eligibility for the program if it meets 

9 the requirements of this paragraph not more than 120 days 

10 after the date on which the Secretary receives a submission 

11 from such program for consideration as an eligible work12 force program under this paragraph. 

13 ‘‘(ii) If a program that is an eligible workforce pro14 gram under this paragraph no longer meets one or more 

15 of the requirements under this paragraph, as determined 

16 by the State Board, accrediting agency, or the Secretary, 

17 the Secretary— 

18 ‘‘(I) may withdraw the eligibility of such pro19 gram; and 

20 ‘‘(II) shall prohibit such program, and any sub21 stantially similar program of the institution, from 

22 being considered an eligible workforce program under 

23 this paragraph for a period of not less than 3 years. 

24 ‘‘(D)(i) In the case of a program with a number of 

25 enrolled students that is insufficient to provide the SecVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:57 Dec 22, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H6585.RH H6585

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1 retary with enough relevant data to make the determina2 tions under subparagraph (A)(v), the Secretary shall— 

3 ‘‘(I) aggregate up to 4 years of additional data 

4 for such program and use such aggregated data to 

5 make such determinations; or 

6 ‘‘(II) only if such aggregated data under sub7 clause (I) is insufficient, aggregate up to 4 years of 

8 data of students who completed or were enrolled in, 

9 as applicable, similar programs at the institution (as 

10 determined using the first 4 digits of the CIP codes 

11 of such programs) and use such data to make such de12 terminations. 

13 ‘‘(ii) For purposes of this subparagraph, the term ‘CIP 

14 code’ means the 6-digit taxonomic identification code as15 signed by an institution of higher education to a specific 

16 program of study at the institution, determined by the in17 stitution in accordance with the Classification of Instruc18 tional Programs published by the National Center for Edu19 cation Statistics. 

20 ‘‘(E) In this paragraph: 

21 ‘‘(i) The term ‘eligible institution of higher edu22 cation’ means an institution of higher education (as 

23 defined in section 102) that— 


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1 ‘‘(I) is approved by an accrediting agency 

2 or association that meets the requirements of sec3 tion 496(a)(4)(C); and 

4 ‘‘(II) has not been subject, during any of the 

5 preceding 3 years, to— 

6 ‘‘(aa) any suspension, emergency ac7 tion, or termination under this title; 

8 ‘‘(bb) any adverse action by the insti9 tution’s accrediting agency or association 

10 that revokes or denies accreditation for the 

11 institution; or 

12 ‘‘(cc) any final action by the State 

13 where the institution holds its legal domi14 cile, authorization, and accreditation that 

15 revokes a license or other authority to oper16 ate. 

17 ‘‘(ii) The term ‘median earnings’, when used 

18 with respect to an eligible workforce program under 

19 this paragraph— 

20 ‘‘(I) means the median annualized earn21 ings, calculated using earnings for a pay period, 

22 month, quarter, or other time period deemed ap23 propriate by the Secretary, of all students who 

24 received Federal financial assistance under this 


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1 title and who completed the program in an aca2 demic year; and 

3 ‘‘(II) shall be measured a given number of 

4 years after such students completed the program, 

5 with the number of years determined in accord6 ance with this Act based on the intended use of 

7 the median earnings data being calculated. 

8 ‘‘(iii) With respect to students who received Fed9 eral financial aid under this title and who completed 

10 an eligible workforce program under this paragraph 

11 in a given year, the term ‘value-added earnings’ 

12 means— 

13 ‘‘(I) the median earnings of such students, 

14 measured one year after students completed the 

15 program; minus 

16 ‘‘(II) for the year median earnings are 

17 measured for such students under subclause (I), 

18 150 percent of the poverty line applicable to a 

19 single individual as determined under section 

20 673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant 

21 Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)) for such year and, in 

22 the case of a program offered in-person, adjusted 

23 by the regional price parity index of the Bureau 

24 of Economic Analysis for the metropolitan statis25 tical area in which the eligible institution of 


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1 higher education offering such program is lo2 cated. 

3 ‘‘(iv) The terms ‘industry or sector partnership’, 

4 ‘in-demand industry sector or occupation’, ‘recognized 

5 postsecondary credential’, and ‘State board’ have the 

6 meanings given such terms in section 3 of the Work7 force Innovation and Opportunity Act.’’. 

8 SEC. 4. DATA COLLECTION AND DISSEMINATION RELATED 

9 TO WORKFORCE PELL. 

10 Section 131 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

11 U.S.C. 1015) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(i) DATA COLLECTION AND DISSEMINATION RELATED

13 TO WORKFORCE PELL.— 

14 ‘‘(1) PRIMARY DATA SOURCE.—The Secretary 

15 shall use data from the National Student Loan Data 

16 System or administrative data maintained by the De17 partment, matched with Internal Revenue Service in18 come data to collect data and make calculations in 

19 accordance with this subsection and section 481(b)(3). 

20 ‘‘(2) PUBLICATION.—The Secretary shall, on an 

21 annual basis, collect, verify, and make publicly avail22 able on the College Scorecard website (or any similar 

23 successor website), the information required under sec24 tion 481(b)(3)(A)(v), with respect to each eligible proVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:57 Dec 22, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H6585.RH H6585

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1 gram under section 481(b)(3) (hereinafter referred to 

2 as an ‘eligible workforce program’), including— 

3 ‘‘(A) the length of the program (as measured 

4 in clock hours, credit hours, or weeks); 

5 ‘‘(B) the required tuition and fees of the 

6 program; 

7 ‘‘(C) the difference between the required tui8 tion and fees described in section 

9 481(b)(3)(A)(v)(III) and median amount of 

10 grant aid (which does not need to be repaid) pro11 vided to students receiving Workforce Pell 

12 Grants, disaggregated by source of such grant 

13 aid; 

14 ‘‘(D) the median earnings of students as 

15 such term is defined in section 481(b)(3)(E); 

16 ‘‘(E) the median earnings of students who 

17 did not complete the program and received Fed18 eral financial assistance under this title; 

19 ‘‘(F) the ratio of the amount described in 

20 subparagraph (C) to the value-added earnings 

21 (as such term is defined in section 481(b)(3)(E)) 

22 of students and an explanation, in clear and 

23 plain language, of this ratio; 

24 ‘‘(G) in the case of a program that prepares 

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1 cation examination, the share of such students 

2 who pass such examinations; 

3 ‘‘(H) the number of students enrolled in the 

4 program during the most recent academic year 

5 for which data is available; 

6 ‘‘(I) the percentage of students who enroll in 

7 the program and who complete the program 

8 within— 

9 ‘‘(i) 100 percent of the normal time for 

10 completion of such program; 

11 ‘‘(ii) 150 percent of the normal time 

12 for completion of such program; and 

13 ‘‘(iii) 200 percent of the normal time 

14 for completion of such program; 

15 ‘‘(J) the percentage of students who are em16 ployed not later than 180 days and 1 year, re17 spectively, after completing the program; 

18 ‘‘(K) the percentage of individuals— 

19 ‘‘(i) who have completed such program; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(ii) 1 year after such completion, 

22 whose median earnings exceed 150 percent 

23 of the poverty line applicable to a single in24 dividual, as determined under section 


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1 673(2) of the Community Services Block 

2 Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)); 

3 ‘‘(L) the percentage of students who enroll 

4 in a certificate or degree program at any insti5 tution of higher education within 1 year of com6 pleting such program; and 

7 ‘‘(M) the percentage of students who com8 plete a subsequent certificate or degree program 

9 at any institution of higher education within 6 

10 years of completing such program. 

11 ‘‘(3) DATA DISAGGREGATION.—The information 

12 in subparagraphs (D), (E), and (H) through (M) 

13 shall be disaggregated by— 

14 ‘‘(A) sex; 

15 ‘‘(B) race and ethnicity; 

16 ‘‘(C) income quintile, as defined by the Sec17 retary; and 

18 ‘‘(D) status as a recipient of a Workforce 

19 Pell Grant. 

20 ‘‘(4) EXCEPTIONS.—Notwithstanding any other 

21 provision of this subsection, if disclosure of any data 

22 under paragraph (1) is prohibited under State or 

23 Federal privacy laws or regulations, the Secretary 

24 shall take the steps described in paragraph (5), and 

25 any other steps determined by the Secretary to be necVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:57 Dec 22, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H6585.RH H6585

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1 essary to make publicly available such data in ac2 cordance with such laws and regulations. 

3 ‘‘(5) SMALL PROGRAMS.— 

4 ‘‘(A) AGGREGATION.—For purposes of pub5 lishing the information described in this sub6 section with respect to an eligible workforce pro7 gram, for any year for which the number of stu8 dents is determined by the Secretary to be of in9 sufficient size to maintain the privacy of student 

10 data, the Secretary shall, to obtain data for a 

11 sufficient number of students to maintain stu12 dent privacy— 

13 ‘‘(i) aggregate up to 4 years of addi14 tional data for such program; 

15 ‘‘(ii) only if the aggregated data under 

16 clause (i) is insufficient to maintain stu17 dent privacy or cannot be aggregated, ag18 gregate data for students who completed or 

19 were enrolled in, as applicable, similar pro20 grams at the institution (as determined 

21 using the first 4 digits of the CIP codes); or 

22 ‘‘(iii) only if the aggregated data 

23 under clause (ii) is insufficient to maintain 

24 student privacy or cannot be aggregated, 

25 aggregate data with respect to all students 


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1 who completed or were enrolled in, as appli2 cable, any program of the institution of the 

3 same credential level, in lieu of data specific 

4 to students in such program. 

5 ‘‘(B) NOTIFICATION OF AGGREGATION.—The 

6 Secretary shall prominently indicate whether 

7 data published under this subsection has been ag8 gregated in accordance with subparagraph (A). 

9 ‘‘(C) CIP CODE DEFINED.—For purposes of 

10 this paragraph, the term ‘CIP code’ means the 6- 

11 digit taxonomic identification code assigned by 

12 an institution of higher education to a specific 

13 program of study at the institution, determined 

14 by the institution in accordance with the Classi15 fication of Instructional Programs published by 

16 the National Center for Education Statistics.’’. 

17 SEC. 5. ACCREDITING AGENCY DETERMINATION OF ELIGI18 BILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE WORK19 FORCE PELL GRANTS PROGRAM. 

20 (a) REFERENCES.—Except as otherwise expressly pro21 vided, whenever in this section an amendment or reference 

22 is expressed in terms of an amendment or reference to a 

23 section or other provision, the amendment or reference shall 

24 be considered to be made to a section or other provision 


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1 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et 

2 seq.). 

3 (b) RECOGNITION OF ACCREDITING AGENCY OR ASSO4 CIATION.—Section 496(a)(4) (20 U.S.C. 1099b(a)(4)) is 

5 amended— 

6 (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

7 the end; 

8 (2) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by inserting ‘‘and’’ 

9 at the end; and 

10 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(C) if such agency or association has or seeks 

12 to include within its scope of recognition the evalua13 tion of the quality of institutions offering an eligible 

14 program under section 481(b)(3), such agency or asso15 ciation shall, in addition to meeting the other require16 ments of this subpart, demonstrate to the Secretary 

17 that, with respect to such an eligible program— 

18 ‘‘(i) the agency or association’s standards 

19 include a process for determining if the institu20 tion has the capability to effectively offer such 

21 program; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) the agency or association requires a 

23 demonstration that the program satisfies the re24 quirements of section 481(b)(3)(A)(iv);’’. 

25 (c) PROSPECTIVE ACCREDITORS.—The Secretary— 


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1 (1) in the case of an accrediting agency or asso2 ciation that is not recognized under section 496 (20 

3 U.S.C. 1099b) and that is seeking initial recognition 

4 to evaluate only eligible programs under section 

5 481(b)(3) (20 U.S.C. 1088(b)), may only recognize 

6 such agency or association for such purpose if such 

7 agency or association demonstrates, in the applica8 tion submitted under such section 496 for such rec9 ognition, compliance with the requirements of such 

10 section for at least 1 year prior to the date on which 

11 such application is submitted; 

12 (2) shall, not later than 1 year after receiving 

13 such an application, make a recommendation with re14 spect to whether such agency or association should be 

15 recognized for such purpose; and 

16 (3) shall, after making the recommendation de17 scribed in paragraph (2), direct the National Advi18 sory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integ19 rity (as established by section 114 (20 U.S.C. 1011c)) 

20 (hereinafter referred to as ‘‘NACIQI’’) to, at the first 

21 scheduled meeting of such Committee following such a 

22 recommendation— 

23 (A) evaluate the recognition of the agency or 

24 association; and 


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1 (B) advise the Secretary with respect to 

2 whether the agency or association meets the cri3 teria under section 496(a)(4)(C) (20 U.S.C. 

4 1099b(a)(4)) (as added by subsection (b)). 

5 (d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 

6 provide technical assistance to any prospective accrediting 

7 agency or association seeking initial recognition by the Sec8 retary under section 496 (20 U.S.C. 1099b), including with 

9 respect to recognition to evaluate institutions with an eligi10 ble Workforce Pell Grants program. 

11 (e) ADDITIONAL NACIQI REVIEW MEETINGS.—For 

12 the purpose of preparing for the implementation of the 

13 Workforce Pell Grant program under section 401(k) (20 

14 U.S.C. 1070a) (as added by section 2), and in addition to 

15 the meetings required under section 114(d)(1) (20 U.S.C. 

16 1011c(d)(1)), NACIQI shall, for the period beginning on the 

17 date of the enactment of this Act and ending on December 

18 31, 2030, hold meetings to evaluate the recognition of pro19 spective accrediting agencies or associations described in 

20 subsection (c) and the addition to the scope of recognition 

21 of accrediting agencies and associations under section 

22 496(a)(4)(C) (20 U.S.C. 1099b(a)(4)). 

23 (f) INTERIM ACCREDITATION AUTHORITY.— 

24 (1) NOTIFICATION.—Beginning on the date of the 

25 enactment of this Act, a recognized accrediting agency 


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1 or association that seeks, for the first time, to add to 

2 its scope of recognition the evaluation of the quality 

3 of institutions offering an eligible program under sec4 tion 481(b)(3) (20 U.S.C. 1088(b)) may include with5 in its scope of recognition the evaluation of such in6 stitutions if such agency or association— 

7 (A) submits to the Secretary a notification 

8 of the agency or association’s intent to add the 

9 evaluation of such institutions to its scope of rec10 ognition; and 

11 (B) includes with such notification an ex12 planation of how the agency or association in13 tends to meet the criteria under section 

14 496(a)(4)(C) (20 U.S.C. 1099b(a)(4)) (as added 

15 by subsection (b)). 

16 (2) REVIEW OF SCOPE OF CHANGES.—Upon re17 ceipt of a notification from an accrediting agency or 

18 association described in subparagraph (A), the Sec19 retary shall direct NACIQI to evaluate, at the next 

20 available meeting of such Committee, the addition to 

21 the scope of recognition of the agency or association 

22 and to advise the Secretary with respect to whether 

23 the agency or association meets the criteria under sec24 tion 496(a)(4)(C) (20 U.S.C. 1099b(a)(4)) (as added 

25 by subsection (b)). 


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1 (3) TERMINATION OF INTERIM AUTHORITY.—The 

2 interim authority granted to an agency or association 

3 under this paragraph shall terminate on the earlier 

4 of— 

5 (A) the date that is 5 years after the date 

6 of the enactment of this Act; or 

7 (B) the date on which the Secretary deter8 mines whether such agency or association meets 

9 the criteria under section 496(a)(4)(C) (20 

10 U.S.C. 1099b(a)(4)) (as added by subsection (b)). 

11 SEC. 6. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

12 Nothing in this Act shall be construed to impose or 

13 increase an occupational licensing or certification require14 ment on eligible programs under this title. 

15 SEC. 7. AGREEMENTS WITH APPLICABLE EDUCATIONAL IN16 STITUTIONS. 

17 (a) DIRECT LOANS.—Section 454(a) of the Higher 

18 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087d(a)) is amended— 

19 (1) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ after the 

20 semicolon; 

21 (2) by redesignating paragraph (6) as para22 graph (7); and 

23 (3) by inserting after paragraph (5) the fol24 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(6) notwithstanding any other provision of this 

2 Act, for the award year beginning on July 1, 2024, 

3 and each subsequent award year, if such institution 

4 is an applicable educational institution that is an or5 ganization subject to taxation under section 4968 of 

6 the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, provide that such 

7 institution may not award— 

8 ‘‘(A) a Federal Direct Stafford Loan, a Fed9 eral Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, or a 

10 Federal Direct Plus Loan to any eligible student; 

11 or 

12 ‘‘(B) a Federal Direct Plus Loan to a par13 ent of an eligible dependent undergraduate stu14 dent if such student is eligible for a Federal Pell 

15 Grant.’’; and 

16 (b) FEDERAL SUPPLEMENTAL EDUCATIONAL OPPOR17 TUNITY GRANTS.—Section 413C(a) of the Higher Edu18 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070b–2(a)) is amended— 

19 (1) in paragraph (3), by redesignating subpara20 graphs (A) through (D) as clauses (i) through (iv), re21 spectively; 

22 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (3) 

23 as subparagraphs (A) through (C), respectively; 


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1 (3) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), as 

2 so redesignated, by striking ‘‘Assistance may’’ and in3 serting 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Assistance may’’; and 

5 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—In addition to the require7 ments under paragraph (1), for the award year begin8 ning on July 1, 2024 and each subsequent award 

9 year, an institution that is an applicable educational 

10 institution that is an organization subject to taxation 

11 under section 4968 of the Internal Revenue Code of 

12 1986, may only receive assistance under this subpart 

13 if such institution guarantees that, for each such 

14 award year— 

15 ‘‘(A) the total amount of grants and schol16 arships, including other financial assistance not 

17 received under this title as defined in section 

18 480(i), awarded to a student who receives a Fed19 eral Pell Grant under this title shall not be less 

20 than the student’s cost of attendance (as defined 

21 in section 472); and 

22 ‘‘(B) the percentage of students enrolled at 

23 such institution who are eligible for a Federal 

24 Pell grant will be equal to or greater than the 

25 percentage of students who were enrolled at such 


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1 institution and were eligible for a Federal Pell 

2 grant in the award year during which the Bi3 partisan Workforce Pell Act was enacted.’’. 

4 SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

5 In addition to funds made available for payment of 

6 Workforce Pell Grants under section 401(k) of the Higher 

7 Education Act of 1965 (as added by section 2 of this Act), 

8 there are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of 

9 Education $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and 

10 $30,000,000 for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years for the 

11 costs of implementing such section 401(k) and the other 

12 amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

13 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.) made by this Act. 


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Union Calendar No. 276 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 6585 

[Report No. 118–337] 

A BILL 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to exshort-term workforce programs. tend Federal Pell Grant eligibility to certain 

DECEMBER 22, 2023 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


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