II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1612 

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 

MAY 22, 2019 

Ms. DUCKWORTH (for herself, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. DURBIN, Mrs. SHAHEEN, 

Mr. VAN HOLLEN, and Ms. SMITH) 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’, and ‘in-demand industry sector 

10 or occupation’ have the meanings given to such 

11 terms in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and 

12 Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 

13 ‘‘(2) COMMUNITY COLLEGE.—The term ‘com14 munity college’ means a public institution of higher 

15 education at which the highest degree that is pre16 dominantly awarded to students is an associate’s de17 gree, including 2-year Tribal Colleges or Univer18 sities, as defined in section 316, and public 2-year 

19 institutions of higher education. 

20 ‘‘(3) EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE TRAINING

21 PROGRAM.—The term ‘education and workforce 

22 training program’— 

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

24 a program that utilizes integrated education 

25 and training strategies, that leads to a recog26 nized postsecondary credential; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) includes a registered apprenticeship 

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

3 internship, if the program or internship meets 

4 the requirements of subparagraph (A). 

5 ‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en6 tity’ means an institution of higher education, or a 

7 consortium of institutions of higher education, 

8 that— 

9 ‘‘(A) is part of an industry or sector part10 nership, or is working directly with an industry 

11 or sector partnership for purposes of a grant 

12 under this section; and 

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

14 this section and in addition to the industry or 

15 sector partnership, partner with one or more of 

16 the following: 

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

18 section 203 of the Adult Education and 

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

20 ‘‘(ii) An institution of higher edu21 cation, as defined in section 101. 

22 ‘‘(iii) An elementary school or sec23 ondary school, as such terms are defined in 

24 section 8101 of the Elementary and Sec25 ondary Education Act of 1965. 


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1 ‘‘(iv) Any other entity that the Secre2 taries consider appropriate. 

3 ‘‘(5) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 

4 The term ‘institution of higher education’— 

5 ‘‘(A) means— 

6 ‘‘(i) a community college; or 

7 ‘‘(ii) a 4-year public institution of 

8 higher education (as defined in section 

9 101(a)) or a Tribal College or University 

10 (as defined in section 316(b)) that— 

11 ‘‘(I) offers an associate degree; 

12 and 

13 ‘‘(II) will use funds provided 

14 under this section for education and 

15 workforce training programs or activi16 ties for courses of study that cul17 minate with a recognized postsec18 ondary credential, and not for courses 

19 of study culminating in a bacca20 laureate or advanced degree; and 

21 ‘‘(B) includes institutions described in sub22 paragraph (A) that are located in the Common23 wealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the United States 

24 Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Common25 wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the 


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1 Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated 

2 States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau. 

3 ‘‘(6) RECOGNIZED POSTSECONDARY CREDEN4 TIAL.—The term ‘recognized postsecondary creden5 tial’ means a credential consisting of an industry6 recognized certificate or certification, a certificate of 

7 completion of an apprenticeship, a license recognized 

8 by the State involved or Federal Government, or an 

9 associate degree. 

10 ‘‘(7) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘Secretaries’ 

11 means the Secretary of Education and the Secretary 

12 of Labor, acting jointly in accordance with the inter13 agency agreement described in subsection (h). 

14 ‘‘(b) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 

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

16 of the first full fiscal year following the date of en17 actment of the Community College to Career Fund 

18 in Higher Education Act and from funds appro19 priated under subsection (g), the Secretaries shall 

20 award competitive grants to eligible entities to en21 able the eligible entities to carry out education and 

22 workforce training programs or activities described 

23 in subsection (e). 


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1 ‘‘(2) DURATION OF GRANTS.—A grants award2 ed under this section shall be for a period of not 

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

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

5 grant under this section shall submit to the Secretaries 

6 an application at such time, in such manner, and con7 taining such information as the Secretaries determine is 

8 required. The application shall contain— 

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

10 workforce training program or activity to be sup11 ported under the grant that includes a detailed de12 scription of— 

13 ‘‘(A) the specific education and workforce 

14 training program or activity that will be sup15 ported, and the quality of the program or activ16 ity; 

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

18 activity aligns with— 

19 ‘‘(i) an overall strategic plan devel20 oped by the eligible entity in collaboration 

21 with an industry sector partnership and, if 

22 applicable, other partner organizations; 

23 ‘‘(ii) a statewide or regional workforce 

24 development strategy, including strategies 

25 established under the Workforce InnovaVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 May 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1612.IS S1612

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1 tion and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3201 

2 et seq.) and the Carl D. Perkins Career 

3 and Technical Education Act of 2006; and 

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

5 occupations; 

6 ‘‘(C) quantitative data and evidence that 

7 demonstrates the extent to which the program 

8 or activity to be supported will meet the needs 

9 of employers in the area for skilled workers in 

10 in-demand industry sectors or occupations; 

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

12 activity to be supported will meet the needs of 

13 students in the area; 

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

15 supported meets the criteria established under 

16 subsection (d), including the manner in which 

17 the grant will be used to develop, offer, im18 prove, or provide the program or activity; and 

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

20 entity in providing education and workforce 

21 training programs or activities, the absence of 

22 which shall not automatically disqualify an eli23 gible entity from receiving a grant under this 

24 section; and 


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1 ‘‘(2)(A) a detailed description of how the eligi2 ble entity will ensure that any education and work3 force training programs or activities supported 

4 under the grant will meet the performance measures 

5 described in subsection (f); and 

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

7 submit to the Secretaries information on the per8 formance of each education and workforce training 

9 program or activity supported under the grant, in 

10 the context of the performance measures described 

11 in subsection (f). 

12 ‘‘(d) CRITERIA FOR AWARD.— 

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

14 shall be awarded based on criteria established by the 

15 Secretaries that shall include, at a minimum, the fol16 lowing: 

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

18 grant proposal submitted by the eligible entity 

19 to develop, offer, improve, or provide an edu20 cation and workforce training program or activ21 ity to be made available to students. 

22 ‘‘(B) An assessment of the likely employ23 ment opportunities available in the area to indi24 viduals who complete an education and work25 force training program or activity that the eligiVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 May 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1612.IS S1612

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1 ble entity proposes to develop, offer, improve or 

2 provide under the grant, based on State or local 

3 labor market data. 

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

5 section, the Secretaries shall give priority to eligible 

6 entities that— 

7 ‘‘(A) are working with an industry or sec8 tor partnership that prioritizes facilitating the 

9 hiring of individuals who have obtained a recog10 nized postsecondary credential from the edu11 cation and workforce training programs or ac12 tivities offered by the eligible entity; 

13 ‘‘(B) are focused on serving individuals 

14 with barriers to employment, veterans, spouses 

15 of members of the Armed Forces, or incumbent 

16 workers who are low-skilled and who need to in17 crease their employability skills; 

18 ‘‘(C) serve areas with high unemployment 

19 rates; or 

20 ‘‘(D) commit to increasing access to edu21 cation and workforce training programs or ac22 tivities that meet the needs of employers in in23 demand industry sectors or occupations. 


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

2 grant under this section shall use grant funds for one or 

3 more of the following: 

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

5 or provision of one or more education and workforce 

6 training programs or activities leading to recognized 

7 postsecondary credentials that will meet the needs of 

8 employers in in-demand industry sectors or occupa9 tions. 

10 ‘‘(2) The development and implementation of 

11 policies, programs, or activities that expand opportu12 nities for students to earn a recognized postsec13 ondary credential in in-demand industry sectors or 

14 occupations, including by— 

15 ‘‘(A) facilitating the transfer of academic 

16 credits between institutions of higher education 

17 (as defined in section 101), including the trans18 fer of academic credits for courses in the same 

19 field or program of study; 

20 ‘‘(B) expanding articulation agreements 

21 and policies that guarantee transfers between 

22 such institutions, including through common 

23 course numbering and use of general core cur24 riculum; 


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1 ‘‘(C) developing or enhancing student sup2 port service programs or activities; and 

3 ‘‘(D) establishing policies and processes for 

4 assessing and awarding postsecondary credit for 

5 work-related learning or work-based learning 

6 (as defined in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins 

7 Career and Technical Education Act of 2006). 

8 ‘‘(3) The creation or alignment of career path9 ways that provide a sequence of education and occu10 pational training that leads to a recognized postsec11 ondary credential, including programs or activities 

12 that— 

13 ‘‘(A) blend basic skills and occupational 

14 training; 

15 ‘‘(B) facilitate means of transitioning par16 ticipants from noncredit occupational, basic 

17 skills, or developmental coursework to for-credit 

18 coursework within and across institutions; 

19 ‘‘(C) build or enhance linkages between 

20 secondary education or adult education and lit21 eracy programs (including those programs es22 tablished under the Carl D. Perkins Career and 

23 Technical Education Act of 2006 or the Work24 force Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

25 U.S.C. 3201 et seq.)) and postsecondary instiVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 May 31, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1612.IS S1612

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1 tutions, including the development of dual or 

2 concurrent enrollment programs; or 

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

4 of workforce training for students, including 

5 students who are members of the Armed Forces 

6 (including members of the National Guard or 

7 Reserves) and veterans, in order to facilitate 

8 their entry into high-skill, high-wage jobs or in9 demand industry sectors or occupations. 

10 ‘‘(f) PERFORMANCE MEASURES.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries shall estab12 lish performance measures for the education and 

13 workforce training programs and activities supported 

14 under this section, which shall consist of— 

15 ‘‘(A) the primary indicators of perform16 ance, as described in section 116(b)(2)(A)(i) of 

17 the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 

18 (29 U.S.C. 3141(b)(2)(A)(i)); and 

19 ‘‘(B) a level of performance for each indi20 cator described in subparagraph (A). 

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

22 shall— 

23 ‘‘(A) monitor the progress of eligible enti24 ties that receive grants under this section to en25 sure their education and workforce training 


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1 programs or activities supported under this sec2 tion meet the performance measures established 

3 under paragraph (1); and 

4 ‘‘(B) annually publish a report regarding 

5 the progress of such programs or activities in 

6 meeting the performance measures, including 

7 the results for each performance measure 

8 disaggregated by— 

9 ‘‘(i) race and ethnicity; 

10 ‘‘(ii) age intervals; 

11 ‘‘(iii) gender; and 

12 ‘‘(iv) Federal Pell Grant recipient sta13 tus. 

14 ‘‘(3) SATISFACTORY PROGRESS.—The Secre15 taries shall not continue to provide funds under a 

16 grant under this section after the third year of the 

17 grant period unless the eligible entity has achieved 

18 satisfactory progress toward meeting the levels of 

19 performance on the performance measures, as deter20 mined by the Secretaries. 

21 ‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

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

23 appropriated to carry out this section such sums as 

24 may be necessary. 


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

2 percent of the amounts made available under para3 graph (1) for a fiscal year may be used by the Sec4 retaries for the Federal administration of the pro5 gram under this section, including providing tech6 nical assistance and carrying out evaluations. 

7 ‘‘(3) PERIOD OF AVAILABILITY.—Funds appro8 priated under paragraph (1) for a fiscal year shall 

9 remain available for obligation for that fiscal year 

10 and the succeeding 4 fiscal years. 

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

12 days after the date of enactment of the Community Col13 lege to Career Fund in Higher Education Act, the Secre14 taries shall enter into a formal interagency agreement es15 tablishing the terms by which the Secretaries shall jointly 

16 administer the program under this section.’’. 

Æ 


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