I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5096 

To amend the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 

2006 to establish the American Technical Training Grant Program, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 28, 2016 

Ms. ESTY (for herself, Mr. COURTNEY, Mr. HIMES, and Mr. QUIGLEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To amend the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 to establish the American Technical 

Training Grant Program, 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 ‘‘Technical Education 

5 Creates High-Paying Careers Act of 2016’’ or the ‘‘TECH 

6 Careers Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. AMERICAN TECHNICAL TRAINING GRANT PRO2 GRAM. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title II of the Carl D. Perkins 

4 Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 

5 2371 et seq.) is amended— 

6 (1) by inserting before section 201 the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘PART A—TECH PREP PROGRAM’’; 

9 and 

10 (2) by adding at the end the following new part: 

11 ‘‘PART B—AMERICAN TECHNICAL TRAINING 

12 GRANT PROGRAM 

13 ‘‘SEC. 221. ESTABLISHMENT OF AMERICAN TECHNICAL 

14 TRAINING GRANT PROGRAM. 

15 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary of 

16 Education, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor, 

17 shall develop and implement a grant program, to be known 

18 as the American Technical Training Grant Program, to 

19 award competitive grants to eligible entities for supporting 

20 the establishment, redesign, or expansion of job training 

21 programs that enable economically disadvantaged students 

22 to enter into and advance along career pathways that lead 

23 to jobs in high-skill, high-wage, or high-demand occupa24 tions. 

25 ‘‘(b) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—For pur26 poses of this part, the term ‘eligible entity’ means an instiVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:29 May 04, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5096.IH H5096

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1 tution of higher education that offers career and technical 

2 education programs that can be completed in 2 years or 

3 less or a consortium of such institutions. 

4 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity that desires a 

5 grant under this part shall submit an application to the 

6 Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing 

7 such information as the Secretary may require. 

8 ‘‘(d) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In awarding grants 

9 under this part, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible 

10 entities that— 

11 ‘‘(1) would serve a large proportion of job train12 ing program participants who are from economically 

13 disadvantaged families; 

14 ‘‘(2) would provide training for an industry sec15 tor or occupation in high demand; 

16 ‘‘(3) demonstrate potential for a high percent17 age of job training program participants to secure 

18 employment after completion of such entity’s job 

19 training program; or 

20 ‘‘(4) meet such other criteria as the Secretary 

21 considers appropriate. 

22 ‘‘(e) PARTNERSHIPS.— 

23 ‘‘(1) REQUIRED PARTNERSHIPS.—Before 

24 awarding a grant to an eligible entity under this 


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1 part, the Secretary shall verify that the eligible enti2 ty has entered into a partnership agreement with— 

3 ‘‘(A) a local workforce development board; 

4 ‘‘(B) an employer with a workforce need in 

5 a high-skill, high-wage, or high-demand indus6 try; 

7 ‘‘(C) an industry organization or other 

8 intermediary representing the industry sector or 

9 occupation for which the job training program 

10 provides training; and 

11 ‘‘(D) an institution of higher education 

12 that— 

13 ‘‘(i) offers a baccalaureate degree; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) has an articulation agreement 

15 with the eligible entity. 

16 ‘‘(2) SEPARATE ENTITIES NOT REQUIRED.—In 

17 meeting the partnership requirements of subpara18 graphs (A) through (D) of paragraph (1), an eligible 

19 entity shall not be required to partner with a sepa20 rate entity for purposes of each such subparagraph. 

21 ‘‘(3) ADDITIONAL PARTNERSHIPS.—In addition 

22 to being in the partnerships described in paragraph 

23 (1), an eligible entity may be in a partnership 

24 with— 


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1 ‘‘(A) a nonprofit organization or other 

2 training provider, including an apprenticeship 

3 program registered with the Department of 

4 Labor; 

5 ‘‘(B) a community-based organization; 

6 ‘‘(C) a State, regional, or local economic 

7 development agency; 

8 ‘‘(D) a secondary school; or 

9 ‘‘(E) a local educational agency. 

10 ‘‘(f) REQUIRED USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity 

11 that receives a grant under this part shall use the grant 

12 funds to— 

13 ‘‘(1) establish, redesign, or expand a job train14 ing program that— 

15 ‘‘(A) leads to an industry recognized cre16 dential or certification at the post-secondary 

17 level or to an associate degree; 

18 ‘‘(B) trains job training program partici19 pants for a regionally in-demand industry sec20 tor or occupation; 

21 ‘‘(C) addresses through embedded remedi22 ation the needs of job training program partici23 pants for remediation or attainment of basic 

24 skills; 


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1 ‘‘(D) provides academic credit to job train2 ing program participants for prior learning, if 

3 applicable, including academic credit for courses 

4 completed in a foreign country by a foreign pro5 fessional or recognition of such professional’s 

6 foreign degree or certification; 

7 ‘‘(E) provides student support services, 

8 such as career guidance and academic coun9 seling, intake assessments to determine pro10 gram fit, and other services; and 

11 ‘‘(F) is accessible to nontraditional stu12 dents through alternative scheduling; 

13 ‘‘(2) conduct high quality, independent evalua14 tions of the job training program’s activities; and 

15 ‘‘(3) provide work-based learning opportunities 

16 for job training program participants. 

17 ‘‘(g) ALLOWABLE USES OF FUNDS.—In addition to 

18 the required uses of funds under subsection (f), an eligible 

19 entity that receives a grant under this part may also use 

20 the grant funds to support the job training program by— 

21 ‘‘(1) developing the program curriculum; 

22 ‘‘(2) engaging employers or industries hire job 

23 training program participants; 

24 ‘‘(3) purchasing supplies; 


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1 ‘‘(4) supporting the professional development of 

2 faculty, administrators, and career guidance and 

3 academic counselors; 

4 ‘‘(5) supporting faculty salaries; 

5 ‘‘(6) providing tuition assistance counseling and 

6 financial aid counseling services; 

7 ‘‘(7) providing services that target disconnected 

8 youth; 

9 ‘‘(8) providing childcare for the children of pro10 gram participants during classes, internships, or 

11 other activities relating to the job training program; 

12 ‘‘(9) providing program participants with trans13 portation to classes, internships, or other activities 

14 relating to the job training program; and 

15 ‘‘(10) carrying out any other permissible activ16 ity consistent with the purposes of this part, as ap17 proved by the Secretary. 

18 ‘‘(h) GRANT AMOUNT.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The amount of a grant to 

20 an eligible entity for a fiscal year shall not exceed 

21 $5,000,000. 

22 ‘‘(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In determining the 

23 amount of a grant to be awarded to an eligible enti24 ty under this part, the Secretary shall consider— 


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1 ‘‘(A) if the grant is for the initial start-up 

2 of a job training program or for the expansion 

3 of an existing model, with smaller grants 

4 awarded for the initial start-up and larger 

5 grants awarded for the expansion of an existing 

6 model; and 

7 ‘‘(B) in the case of an application for the 

8 expansion of an existing job training program, 

9 the extent to which the job training program 

10 demonstrates evidence of effectiveness. 

11 ‘‘(3) MEASURING EFFECTIVENESS.—For pur12 poses of paragraph (2)(B), the measure of effective13 ness shall include the graduation rates, job place14 ment rates, and wages earned by graduates of the 

15 job training program. 

16 ‘‘(i) GRANT DURATION.— 

17 ‘‘(1) MAXIMUM GRANT PERIOD.—The Secretary 

18 shall make a grant award under this part for a pe19 riod of not more than 3 years. 

20 ‘‘(2) MAXIMUM GRANT EXTENSION.—If an eli21 gible entity that receives a grant under this part 

22 makes substantial progress based on the account23 ability and performance indicators described in sub24 section (j), the Secretary may extend a grant award 

25 for not more than 2 additional years. 


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1 ‘‘(j) ACCOUNTABILITY AND PERFORMANCE INDICA2 TORS.— 

3 ‘‘(1) REQUIRED ACCOUNTABILITY AND PER4 FORMANCE INDICATORS.—An eligible entity shall 

5 provide annually to the Secretary data on the eligi6 ble entity’s job training program carried out under 

7 this part, including— 

8 ‘‘(A) the number of program participants; 

9 ‘‘(B) for such program participants, the 

10 core indicators of performance described in 

11 clauses (i) through (iv) of section 113(b)(2)(B); 

12 ‘‘(C) the median earnings of program par13 ticipants who have completed the job training 

14 program, measured at the time at which post15 secondary student placement rates are meas16 ured under clause (iv) of section 113(b)(2)(B); 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(D) the percentage of program partici19 pants who have completed the job training pro20 gram and who, at the time at which postsec21 ondary student placement rates are measured 

22 under clause (iv) of section 113(b)(2)(B), are 

23 employed by an employer that meets the re24 quirement under subsection (e)(1)(b). 


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1 ‘‘(2) DISAGGREGATION OF ACCOUNTABILITY

2 AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS.—Such data shall 

3 be disaggregated by— 

4 ‘‘(A) race and ethnicity; 

5 ‘‘(B) gender; 

6 ‘‘(C) disability status; 

7 ‘‘(D) sexual orientation; 

8 ‘‘(E) English proficiency; 

9 ‘‘(F) status as economically disadvantaged; 

10 ‘‘(G) status as an individual preparing for 

11 employment in a non-traditional field, including 

12 individuals from a racial, ethnic, or national ori13 gin group that is underrepresented in such 

14 field; and 

15 ‘‘(H) status as a military-connected stu16 dent. 

17 ‘‘(3) STUDENT PRIVACY.—The report to the 

18 Secretary required under paragraph (1) shall only 

19 include data to the extent that such data are suffi20 cient to yield statistically reliable information that 

21 does not reveal personally identifiable information 

22 about an individual student. 

23 ‘‘(4) PUBLICATION OF DATA.—The Secretary 

24 shall aggregate the data received under paragraph 


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1 (1) and publish such aggregation so that it is rea2 sonably available to the public. 

3 ‘‘(5) FUNDS RESERVED FOR DATA COLLECTION

4 AND DISSEMINATION.—An eligible entity that re5 ceives a grant under this part may reserve not more 

6 than 3 percent of the grant amount to administer 

7 the collection, disaggregation, and reporting of the 

8 data received under paragraph (1). 

9 ‘‘(k) RESERVED FUNDS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) FUNDS RESERVED FOR RURAL, TRIBAL, 

11 OR OUTLYING AREAS.—The Secretary shall reserve 

12 not less than 1 percent and not more than 10 per13 cent of the funds appropriated under subsection (n) 

14 to carry out this part for a fiscal year for making 

15 awards to eligible entities located in rural, tribal, or 

16 outlying areas. 

17 ‘‘(2) FUNDS RESERVED FOR HISTORICALLY

18 BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES AND OTHER

19 MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTIONS.—The Secretary 

20 shall reserve not less than 1 percent and not more 

21 than 10 percent of the funds appropriated under 

22 subsection (n) to carry out this part for a fiscal year 

23 for making awards to eligible entities listed in para24 graphs (1) through (7) of section 371(a) of the 


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

2 1067q(a)). 

3 ‘‘(l) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible entity that re5 ceives a grant under this part shall secure, toward 

6 the cost of establishing, redesigning, or expanding a 

7 job training program under this part, from non-Fed8 eral sources, an amount as determined by the Sec9 retary for such eligible entity. 

10 ‘‘(2) NON-FEDERAL CONTRIBUTION.—The non11 Federal contribution may be— 

12 ‘‘(A) in cash or in the form of in-kind con13 tributions that are directly related to the pur14 pose for which the grant was made; and 

15 ‘‘(B) from a State government, local gov16 ernment, or private person. 

17 ‘‘(m) FEDERAL FUNDS TO SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUP18 PLANT, NON-FEDERAL FUNDS.—An eligible entity receiv19 ing a grant under this part shall use Federal funds re20 ceived under this part only to supplement the funds that 

21 would, in the absence of such Federal funds, be made 

22 available from non-Federal sources for the support of the 

23 job training programs assisted under this part, and not 

24 to supplant such funds. 


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1 ‘‘(n) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part— 

3 ‘‘(1) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2017; and 

4 ‘‘(2) such sums as may be necessary for subse5 quent fiscal years. 

6 ‘‘SEC. 222. DEFINITIONS. 

7 ‘‘In this part: 

8 ‘‘(1) CAREER PATHWAY.—The term ‘career 

9 pathway’ has the meaning given that term in the 

10 section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor11 tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 

12 ‘‘(2) DISCONNECTED YOUTH.—The term ‘dis13 connected youth’ has the meaning given that term in 

14 section 526(a) of the Consolidated Appropriations 

15 Act, 2014 (42 U.S.C. 12301 note). 

16 ‘‘(3) IN-DEMAND INDUSTRY SECTOR OR OCCU17 PATION.—The term ‘in-demand industry sector or 

18 occupation’ has the meaning given that term in sec19 tion 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 

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

21 ‘‘(4) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 

22 The term ‘institution of higher education’ has the 

23 meaning given that term in section 102 of the High24 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001), except 


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1 that such term shall not include proprietary institu2 tions of higher education. 

3 ‘‘(5) MILITARY-CONNECTED STUDENT.—The 

4 term ‘military-connected student’ means a student 

5 that is the child of a person serving in the Armed 

6 Forces. 

7 ‘‘(6) NONTRADITIONAL STUDENT.—The term 

8 ‘nontraditional student’ has the meaning given that 

9 term in section 861(b) of the Higher Education Act 

10 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1161q(b)).’’. 

11 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—The table of contents 

12 in section 1(b) of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Tech13 nical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2301 note) is 

14 amended— 

15 (1) by inserting before the item relating to sec16 tion 201 the following new item: 

‘‘PART A—TECH PREP PROGRAM’’; 

17 and 

18 (2) by inserting after the item relating to sec19 tion 206 the following new items: 

‘‘PART B—AMERICAN TECHNICAL TRAINING GRANT PROGRAM

‘‘Sec. 221. Establishment of American Technical Training Grant Program. 

‘‘Sec. 222. Definitions.’’. 

20 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Part A of title II 

21 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education 

22 Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2371 et seq.), as designated by 


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1 this Act, is amended by striking ‘‘this title’’ each place 

2 it appears and inserting ‘‘this part’’. 

Æ 


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