I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5469 

To promote and support collaboration between Hispanic-serving institutions 

and local educational agencies with high enrollments of Hispanic or 

Latino students, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 

Mr. CASTRO of Texas (for himself, Mrs. GONZA ́LEZ-COLO ́N, Mr. BOWMAN, Mr. 

GOMEZ, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. CUELLAR, Mr. GARCI ́A of Illinois, Ms. 

BARRAGA ́N, Mr. STANTON, Mr. VARGAS, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. TITUS, Ms. MENG, Mr. VICENTE GONZALEZ of Texas, Mr. 

CA ́RDENAS, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. ALLRED, and 

Ms. CROCKETT) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To promote and support collaboration between Hispanic-serving institutions and local educational agencies with high 

enrollments of Hispanic or Latino students, 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 ‘‘Hispanic Educational 

5 Resources and Empowerment Act of 2023’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) Hispanics and Latinos are the largest, 

4 youngest, and second-fastest growing minority popu5 lation in the United States, accounting for half of 

6 the Nation’s population growth between 2010 and 

7 2020. 

8 (2) While Hispanics and Latinos compose 18 

9 percent of the population of the United States, they 

10 compose 26 percent of the prekindergarten through 

11 grade 12 public school student enrollment in the 

12 United States. 

13 (3) Over 3,300 local educational agencies have 

14 25 percent or more Hispanic and Latino enrollment 

15 and those local educational agencies enroll 78 per16 cent of all prekindergarten through grade 12 His17 panic and Latino students in the United States. 

18 (4) Hispanic and Latino students face dispari19 ties in educational outcomes, including lower grades, 

20 lower scores on standardized tests, and higher drop21 out rates. 

22 (5) Hispanic and Latino students tend to face 

23 greater barriers once in college than their non-His24 panic and Latino peers. Seventy percent of Hispanic 

25 and Latino college students are first-generation col26 lege students and nearly half of Hispanic and Latino 


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1 college students are eligible to receive a Federal Pell 

2 Grant. 

3 (6) Hispanics and Latinos have less access to 

4 enrolling in, or graduating from, institutions of high5 er education. 

6 (7) More Hispanics and Latinos are going to 

7 college than ever before, but only slightly more than 

8 half of the Hispanic and Latino students who enroll 

9 earn a bachelor’s degree. 

10 (8) Hispanics and Latinos lag behind non-His11 panic Whites, Blacks, and Asian American and Na12 tive American Pacific Islanders in educational at13 tainment of high school diplomas, associate’s de14 grees, and bachelor’s degrees. 

15 (9) In 2019, the median weekly earnings among 

16 high school graduates with no postsecondary degree 

17 were lower than such earnings for individuals hold18 ing associate’s degrees by $123, and for individuals 

19 holding bachelor’s degrees by $635. Given this infor20 mation, and the growth in the Hispanic and Latino 

21 population relative to the nearly stagnant population 

22 growth of the Nation as a whole, gains in Hispanic 

23 and Latino educational attainment are crucial to 

24 economic gains for the United States. 


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1 (10) Hispanics and Latinos are an increasingly 

2 vital component of the workforce of the United 

3 States. The number of Hispanics and Latinos in the 

4 labor force is expected to grow by approximately 

5 6,900,000 between 2020 and 2030. 

6 (11) To help ensure that the United States is 

7 prepared to meet the needs of its changing work8 force, Hispanics and Latinos and the institutions 

9 that enroll them most, Hispanic-serving institutions, 

10 must be afforded the resources and support nec11 essary to close the achievement and opportunity 

12 gaps. 

13 SEC. 3. COLLABORATION BETWEEN HISPANIC-SERVING IN14 STITUTIONS AND LOCAL EDUCATIONAL 

15 AGENCIES. 

16 Title V of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

17 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

18 the following new part: 

19 ‘‘PART D—COLLABORATION BETWEEN HISPANIC20 SERVING INSTITUTIONS AND LOCAL EDU21 CATIONAL AGENCIES WITH HIGH ENROLL22 MENTS OF HISPANIC OR LATINO STUDENTS 

23 ‘‘SEC. 531. PURPOSES. 

24 ‘‘The purposes of this part are— 


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1 ‘‘(1) to promote and support opportunities for 

2 academic alliances and collaborative partnerships be3 tween Hispanic-serving institutions and local edu4 cational agencies with high enrollments of Hispanic 

5 or Latino students for the purpose of improving 

6 postsecondary educational attainment of Hispanic 

7 and Latino students; and 

8 ‘‘(2) to expand and enhance the course offer9 ings, program quality, and overall functionality of 

10 the colleges, universities, and local educational agen11 cies that educate the majority of Hispanic and 

12 Latino students. 

13 ‘‘SEC. 532. PROGRAM AUTHORITY, APPLICATION, AND ELI14 GIBILITY. 

15 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORITY.—Subject to the avail16 ability of funds appropriated to carry out this part, the 

17 Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to 

18 Hispanic-serving institutions serving as grant recipient 

19 and fiscal agent for an eligible entity, to enable the eligible 

20 entity to carry out activities described under section 533 

21 to improve and expand the capacity to develop innovative 

22 collaboration agreements between local educational agen23 cies and institutions of higher education to better serve 

24 Hispanic and Latino students. 


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1 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible entity’ 

2 means a partnership that— 

3 ‘‘(1) shall include— 

4 ‘‘(A) one or more Hispanic-serving institu5 tions, one of which shall serve as the grant re6 cipient and fiscal agent for the eligible entity; 

7 and 

8 ‘‘(B) one or more local educational agen9 cies with high enrollments of Hispanic or 

10 Latino students; and 

11 ‘‘(2) may include— 

12 ‘‘(A) one or more emerging Hispanic-serv13 ing institutions; 

14 ‘‘(B) one or more local educational agen15 cies with high enrollments of Hispanic or 

16 Latino students; and 

17 ‘‘(C) one or more nonprofit or community18 based organizations, or public or private non19 profit entities with a demonstrated record of 

20 success in implementing activities similar to the 

21 activities authorized under section 533. 

22 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity that desires to 

23 receive a grant under this part shall— 

24 ‘‘(1) designate a Hispanic-serving institution 

25 that is a member of the eligible entity to serve as 


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1 the grant applicant, grant recipient, and fiscal agent 

2 for the eligible entity; and 

3 ‘‘(2) through such designated Hispanic-serving 

4 institution, submit an application to the Secretary at 

5 such time, in such manner, and accompanied by 

6 such information as the Secretary may require under 

7 part C and this part. 

8 ‘‘SEC. 533. AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES. 

9 ‘‘An eligible entity that receives a grant under this 

10 part shall use the grant funds for 1 or more of the fol11 lowing activities to support eligible students: 

12 ‘‘(1) Creating a college-bound culture among 

13 students, which may include activities to promote 

14 the early exposure of such students and their fami15 lies to the opportunities and requirements of post16 secondary education, and other evidence-based serv17 ices, including services determined to have proven 

18 positive outcomes by the What Works Clearinghouse 

19 maintained by the Institute of Education Sciences. 

20 ‘‘(2) Improvements to school-based and institu21 tional practices to prepare students for postsec22 ondary education, and provide high quality postsec23 ondary supports when necessary, which may in24 clude— 


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1 ‘‘(A) aligning high school coursework and 

2 high school graduation requirements with the 

3 requirements for entrance into credit-bearing 

4 coursework at 4-year institutions of higher edu5 cation, including Hispanic-serving institutions; 

6 ‘‘(B) early identification and support for 

7 students at risk of not graduating from high 

8 school within 4 years, or at risk of requiring re9 mediation upon enrolling in postsecondary edu10 cation; 

11 ‘‘(C) developing and implementing path12 ways to postsecondary education that— 

13 ‘‘(i) provide students with advanced 

14 coursework and result in a recognized post15 secondary credential, as defined in section 

16 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor17 tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102); or 

18 ‘‘(ii) integrate rigorous and chal19 lenging career and technical education, 

20 work-based learning, and advanced 

21 coursework or other academic instruction 

22 aligned with the challenging State aca23 demic standards adopted by the State in 

24 which the eligible entity is located under 

25 section 1111(b)(1) of the Elementary and 


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1 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

2 U.S.C. 6311(b)(1)); 

3 ‘‘(D) co-requisite courses; 

4 ‘‘(E) technology-enhanced diagnostics and 

5 delivery of remedial education; 

6 ‘‘(F) use of multiple measures by institu7 tions of higher education for the purposes of 

8 placement; 

9 ‘‘(G) analysis of a given placement ap10 proach and how the approach affected equity; 

11 ‘‘(H) faculty development to ensure effec12 tive instruction; and 

13 ‘‘(I) practices to teach college success 

14 skills. 

15 ‘‘(3) Support for students for high school com16 pletion and transition to postsecondary education, 

17 which may include— 

18 ‘‘(A) assistance with the college application 

19 process; 

20 ‘‘(B) assistance with applying for financial 

21 aid; and 

22 ‘‘(C) assistance with selecting institutions 

23 of higher education to which a student should 

24 apply based on the needs and attributes of the 


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1 student, available degree programs, and out2 comes of the institutions. 

3 ‘‘(4) Addressing non-academic needs that are 

4 barriers to college enrollment, persistence, and com5 pletion for students, which may include— 

6 ‘‘(A) activities to address the comprehen7 sive needs of students, including child care, 

8 housing and food insecurity, finances, health 

9 issues, and transportation; and 

10 ‘‘(B) activities to promote a positive cam11 pus climate at institutions of higher education 

12 and to increase the sense of belonging among 

13 students, including through first year support 

14 programs such as mentoring and peer networks 

15 and advisories. 

16 ‘‘(5) Developing and offering ‘grow your own’ 

17 programs that encourage students to pursue careers 

18 in education and that provide pathways to meet ap19 plicable certification and licensure requirements in 

20 the State such program is operating in, including 

21 any requirements for certification obtained through 

22 alternative routes to certification, which may in23 clude— 

24 ‘‘(A) opportunities for students to take 

25 dual credit courses in education, where such 


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1 courses align with the regular high school di2 ploma (as defined in section 8101 of the Ele3 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) 

4 and count for credit at the institution of higher 

5 education; 

6 ‘‘(B) opportunities for students to engage 

7 in work-based learning opportunities in the field 

8 of education; 

9 ‘‘(C) experiential learning that supports 

10 the success of students and increases students’ 

11 interest in pursuing a teaching career; 

12 ‘‘(D) providing direct supports, including 

13 wrap-around services, for students to enroll and 

14 be successful in postsecondary enrollment op15 tions for courses that would meet degree re16 quirements for teacher licensure; and 

17 ‘‘(E) scholarships to students who have 

18 completed a secondary school diploma or its 

19 recognized equivalent to enroll in teacher prepa20 ration programs. 

21 ‘‘SEC. 534. REPORTING. 

22 ‘‘Each eligible entity receiving a grant under this part 

23 shall, through the Hispanic-serving institution designated 

24 under section 532(b), submit to the Secretary, at the end 

25 of each grant period, a report that includes information 


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1 the Secretary may require. Such report shall include infor2 mation on the outcomes of the activities carried out by 

3 the eligible entity, before and after such activities were 

4 funded under this part, on the number and percentage of 

5 students entering, persisting, and completing postsec6 ondary education. Such information shall be disaggregated 

7 to measure the specific impact on economically disadvan8 taged students, students from each major racial and eth9 nic group, students with disabilities, English learners, stu10 dents of different genders, and migrant students. 

11 ‘‘SEC. 535. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND EVALUATION. 

12 ‘‘(a) RESERVATIONS.—From the total amount appro13 priated for this part under section 528(a) for a fiscal year, 

14 the Secretary shall reserve not more than the lesser of 5 

15 percent or $5,000,000 for— 

16 ‘‘(1) providing technical assistance to eligible 

17 entities, directly or through grants, contracts, or co18 operative agreements, by qualified experts on using 

19 practices grounded in evidence to improve the out20 comes of programs funded under this part; and 

21 ‘‘(2) conducting the evaluation described in sub22 section (b). 

23 ‘‘(b) EVALUATION.—The Secretary, in partnership 

24 with the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, 

25 shall contract with a third party to conduct an indeVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:00 Sep 16, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5469.IH H5469

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1 pendent evaluation of the activities funded under this part. 

2 Such evaluation shall include the impact of the policies 

3 and services resulting from such activities on the number 

4 and percentage of students entering, persisting, and com5 pleting postsecondary education. The data collected by 

6 such evaluation shall be disaggregated to measure the spe7 cific impact on economically disadvantaged students, stu8 dents from each major racial and ethnic group, students 

9 with disabilities, English learners, students of different 

10 genders, and migrant students. 

11 ‘‘SEC. 536. DEFINITIONS. 

12 ‘‘In this part: 

13 ‘‘(1) ADVANCED COURSEWORK.—The term ‘ad14 vanced coursework’ means coursework designed for 

15 students to earn postsecondary credit upon success16 ful completion of the coursework while still in sec17 ondary school, such as Advanced Placement, Inter18 national Baccalaureate, dual or concurrent enroll19 ment programs, and early college high school pro20 grams. 

21 ‘‘(2) CO-REQUISITE COURSES.—The term ‘co22 requisite courses’ means courses designed for stu23 dents at institutions of higher education that com24 bine credit-bearing postsecondary-level coursework 


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1 with supplemental instruction or additional academic 

2 support. 

3 ‘‘(3) DUAL OR CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT

4 PROGRAM.—The term ‘dual or concurrent enrollment 

5 program’ has the meaning given the term in section 

6 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 

7 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

8 ‘‘(4) EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL.—The 

9 term ‘early college high school’ has the meaning 

10 given the term in section 8101 of the Elementary 

11 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

12 7801). 

13 ‘‘(5) ELIGIBLE STUDENT.—The term ‘eligible 

14 student’ means— 

15 ‘‘(A) any student who is enrolled or eligible 

16 to enroll in a secondary school that is served by 

17 a local educational agency with high enroll18 ments of Hispanic or Latino students; and 

19 ‘‘(B) any student who is enrolled or has 

20 been accepted for enrollment at a Hispanic21 serving institution or an emerging Hispanic22 serving institution. 

23 ‘‘(6) EMERGING HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITU24 TION.—The term ‘emerging Hispanic-serving institu25 tion’ means an institution of higher education that— 


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1 ‘‘(A) is an eligible institution, as defined in 

2 section 502; and 

3 ‘‘(B) has an enrollment of undergraduate 

4 full-time equivalent students that is at least 15 

5 percent but less than 25 percent Hispanic stu6 dents at the end of the award year immediately 

7 preceding the date of the application for a 

8 grant under this part. 

9 ‘‘(7) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY WITH HIGH

10 ENROLLMENTS OF HISPANIC OR LATINO STU11 DENTS.—The term ‘local educational agency with 

12 high enrollments of Hispanic or Latino students’ 

13 means a local educational agency— 

14 ‘‘(A) in which at least 25 percent of the 

15 students served by the local educational agency 

16 are Hispanic or Latino students, as determined 

17 by the enrollment data of the local educational 

18 agency no later than the date by which student 

19 membership data is collected annually by State 

20 educational agencies for submission to the Na21 tional Center for Education Statistics under 

22 section 153 of the Education Sciences Reform 

23 Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9543); and 

24 ‘‘(B) in which at least 50 percent of the 

25 students served by the local educational agency 


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1 meet a measure of poverty described in section 

2 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and Secondary 

3 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

4 6313(a)(5)).’’. 

5 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

6 Section 528(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

7 (20 U.S.C. 1103g(a)) is amended by adding at the end 

8 the following new paragraph: 

9 ‘‘(3) PART D.—There are authorized to be ap10 propriated to carry out part D $150,000,000 for fis11 cal year 2024 and such sums as may be necessary 

12 for each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.’’. 

Æ 


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