I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5987 

To amend the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act and the Workforce 

Innovation and Opportunity Act to strengthen adult education. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 18, 2023 

Mrs. MCBATH (for herself, Ms. MANNING, and Mr. MRVAN) introduced the 

following bill 

OCTOBER 25, 2023 

Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To amend the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act 

and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to 

strengthen adult education. 

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 ‘‘Adult Education Work5 force Opportunity and Reskilling for Knowledge and Suc6 cess Act’’ or the ‘‘Adult Education WORKS Act’’. 


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1 TITLE I—WORKFORCE 

2 DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES 

3 SEC. 101. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES. 

4 (a) AMENDMENT TO WIOA.—Except as otherwise ex5 pressly provided, whenever in this section an amendment 

6 or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or 

7 repeal of, a section or other provision, the reference shall 

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

9 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

10 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.). 

11 (b) DEFINITIONS.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 3 (29 U.S.C. 3102) 

13 is amended— 

14 (A) by striking paragraph (5); 

15 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (6) 

16 through (9) as paragraphs (5) through (8), re17 spectively; 

18 (C) by inserting after paragraph (8), as re19 designated by subparagraph (B), the following: 

20 ‘‘(9) COLLEGE AND CAREER NAVIGATOR.—The 

21 term ‘college and career navigator’ means an indi22 vidual who— 

23 ‘‘(A) has extensive knowledge of workforce 

24 development programs and services, postsec25 ondary programs and services, Federal and 


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1 other student financial aid for postsecondary 

2 education, and case management techniques; 

3 ‘‘(B) supports persons who are accessing 

4 services under this Act, by gathering work his5 tory and skills information, providing tailored 

6 college and career guidance and labor market 

7 information, helping jobseekers identify training 

8 and educational options to best fit their needs, 

9 including Federal student aid and other assist10 ance available to pay the costs of attendance at 

11 an institution of higher education or for partici12 pation in training, facilitating access to serv13 ices, and facilitating co-enrollment of individ14 uals in programs carried out under title I and 

15 title II; 

16 ‘‘(C) provides or organizes provision of 

17 services to promote job readiness, digital lit18 eracy skills, information literacy skills, and the 

19 skills needed for success in postsecondary edu20 cation, facilitates the successful transition of in21 dividuals to postsecondary education, coordi22 nates activities with employers and with entities 

23 and individuals involved in the one-stop delivery 

24 system in the local area, and conducts commu25 nity outreach; and 


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1 ‘‘(D) as determined appropriate by the 

2 one-stop operator or eligible provider of adult 

3 education and literacy activities involved, is re4 sponsible for recruitment of students in adult 

5 education and literacy activities and partici6 pants in workforce investment activities, provi7 sion of intensive case management, provision of 

8 career exploration services, and data collection 

9 associated with an activity specified in this sub10 paragraph.’’; 

11 (D) by redesignating paragraphs (12) 

12 through (14), (15) through (21), (22) through 

13 (26), and (27) through (71), as paragraphs 

14 (13) through (15), (17) through (23), (25) 

15 through (29), and (31) through (75), respec16 tively; 

17 (E) by inserting after paragraph (11) the 

18 following: 

19 ‘‘(12) CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT.—The term 

20 ‘concurrent enrollment’ has the meaning given the 

21 term in section 203.’’; 

22 (F) by inserting after paragraph (15), as 

23 redesignated by subparagraph (D), the fol24 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(16) DIGITAL LITERACY SKILLS.—The term 

2 ‘digital literacy skills’ has the meaning given the 

3 term in section 203.’’; 

4 (G) by inserting after paragraph (23), as 

5 redesignated by subparagraph (D), the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(24) FOUNDATIONAL SKILL NEEDS.—The 

8 term ‘foundational skill needs’, used with respect to 

9 an individual, means— 

10 ‘‘(A) in the case of an individual who is a 

11 youth, an individual who has English reading, 

12 writing, or computing skills at or below the 8th 

13 grade level on a generally accepted standardized 

14 test; or 

15 ‘‘(B) in the case of an individual who is a 

16 youth or adult, an individual who is unable to 

17 compute or solve problems, or read, write, or 

18 speak English, at a level necessary to function 

19 on the job, in the individual’s family, or in soci20 ety.’’; and 

21 (H) by inserting after paragraph (29), as 

22 redesignated by subparagraph (D), the fol23 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(30) INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS.—The 

2 term ‘information literacy skills’ has the meaning 

3 given the term in section 203.’’. 

4 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

5 (A) Section 121(h)(2)(C)(ii) (29 U.S.C. 

6 3151(h)(2)(C)(ii)) is amended by striking ‘‘sec7 tion 3(13)(D)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 

8 3(14)(D)’’. 

9 (B) Section 134(c)(3)(H)(i) (29 U.S.C. 

10 3174(c)(3)(H)(i)) is amended by striking ‘‘sec11 tion 3(44)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 3(48)’’. 

12 (C) Section 170(b)(1)(D)(i) (29 U.S.C. 

13 3225(b)(1)(D)(i)) is amended by striking ‘‘sec14 tion 3(15)(E)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 

15 3(17)(E)’’. 

16 (D) Section 211(e)(3) (29 U.S.C. 

17 3291(e)(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘section 

18 3(45)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 3(49)’’. 

19 (c) STATE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARDS.— 

20 Section 101 (29 U.S.C. 3111) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (b)(1)(C)(ii)(IV), by inserting 

22 ‘‘, and representatives of organizations that provide 

23 adult education’’ after ‘‘out-of-school youth’’; and 

24 (2) in subsection (d)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (7)(A), by striking ‘‘(as 

2 defined in section 202 of the Museum and Li3 brary Services Act (20 U.S.C. 9101); referred 

4 to in this Act as ‘digital literacy skills’)’’; 

5 (B) in paragraph (11), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

6 at the end; 

7 (C) by redesignating paragraph (12) as 

8 paragraph (13); and 

9 (D) by inserting after paragraph (11) the 

10 following: 

11 ‘‘(12) in collaboration with providers of adult 

12 education and literacy activities, the promotion of 

13 the employment of college and career navigators by 

14 the one-stop centers in the State; and’’. 

15 (d) PROGRAM SPECIFICS FOR STATE PLANS.—Sec16 tion 102(b)(2) (29 U.S.C. 3112(b)(2)) is amended— 

17 (1) in subparagraph (D)(ii)— 

18 (A) in subclause (II), by striking item (dd) 

19 and inserting the following: 

20 ‘‘(dd) integrated education 

21 and training, including how costs 

22 for such activities will be shared 

23 among relevant core programs;’’; 

24 (B) in subclause (V), by adding ‘‘and’’ at 

25 the end; and 


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1 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(VI) how the eligible agency will 

3 promote, through funding priority or 

4 other means, professionalization of 

5 adult education and literacy activities 

6 through the adoption of staffing mod7 els that include requirements and sup8 port for teacher credentialing, stand9 ards, and support for ongoing in-serv10 ice professional development, and ca11 reer ladders for professional growth, 

12 which may include more opportunities 

13 for full-time teaching positions;’’; and 

14 (2) in subparagraph (E)(iii)(II), by inserting 

15 ‘‘providers of adult education and literacy activities,’’ 

16 after ‘‘institutions of higher education,’’. 

17 (e) LOCAL BOARDS.—Section 107 (29 U.S.C. 3122) 

18 is amended— 

19 (1) in subsection (c)(1), by adding at the end 

20 the following: 

21 ‘‘(D) INFORMATION ON MEMBERSHIP.— 

22 The chief elected officials appointing the local 

23 board for a local area shall make publicly avail24 able information on the membership of the 

25 board (including information identifying how 


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1 the membership composition requirements of 

2 subsection (b) have been met), including by 

3 posting that information on the website of each 

4 unit of general local government included in the 

5 local area.’’; and 

6 (2) in subsection (d)— 

7 (A) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘sec8 ondary and postsecondary education’’ and in9 serting ‘‘secondary, postsecondary, and adult 

10 education’’; 

11 (B) in paragraph (7)(C)— 

12 (i) by inserting ‘‘, in consultation with 

13 providers of public access to technology,’’ 

14 after ‘‘identifying strategies’’; 

15 (ii) by inserting ‘‘, including deliveries 

16 through public libraries,’’ after ‘‘traditional 

17 service delivery’’; and 

18 (iii) by inserting ‘‘and information lit19 eracy skills’’ after ‘‘digital literacy skills’’; 

20 and 

21 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(14) COLLEGE AND CAREER NAVIGATORS.— 

23 The local board, in collaboration with providers of 

24 adult education and literacy activities in the local 

25 area, shall promote the employment of college and 


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1 career navigators by the one-stop centers and eligible 

2 providers (as defined in section 203) in the local 

3 area.’’. 

4 (f) LOCAL PLANS.—Section 108 (29 U.S.C. 3123) is 

5 amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (b)(13), by inserting ‘‘, includ7 ing, in all local plans after the first such plan, a de8 scription of how the local board carried out such co9 ordination and completed such review during the 

10 previous 4-year period’’ after ‘‘submitted under title 

11 II’’; and 

12 (2) in subsection (d)(3), by inserting ‘‘, along 

13 with a description of the actions the local board took 

14 in response to such comments’’ after ‘‘disagreement 

15 with the plan’’. 

16 (g) INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE.—Section 

17 116(b)(2)(A) (29 U.S.C. 3141(b)(2)(A)) is amended— 

18 (1) in clause (i), by striking subclauses (IV) 

19 and (V) and inserting the following: 

20 ‘‘(IV) the percentages of program 

21 participants who, during participation 

22 in the program— 

23 ‘‘(aa) obtain a recognized 

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1 ondary school diploma or its rec2 ognized equivalent; and 

3 ‘‘(bb) are in an education or 

4 training program that leads to a 

5 recognized postsecondary creden6 tial or employment and who are 

7 achieving measurable skill gains 

8 toward such a credential or em9 ployment; 

10 ‘‘(V) the percentages of program 

11 participants who, within 1 year after 

12 exit from the program— 

13 ‘‘(aa) obtain a secondary 

14 school diploma or its recognized 

15 equivalent; 

16 ‘‘(bb) have obtained or re17 tained employment; and 

18 ‘‘(cc) are in an education or 

19 training program leading to a 

20 recognized postsecondary creden21 tial; and’’; 

22 (2) by striking clause (iii) and inserting the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘(iii) INTERIM INDICATORS FOR

25 ADULT EDUCATION.—A State may develop 


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1 interim indicators for measuring the per2 centage of program participants on track 

3 to meet the indicators described in sub4 clauses (IV) and (V) of clause (i) for adult 

5 education and literacy activities authorized 

6 under title II.’’; and 

7 (3) in clause (iv), by striking ‘‘clauses (i)(VI)’’ 

8 and inserting ‘‘clause (i)(VI)’’. 

9 (h) COMMON PARTICIPANT INDIVIDUAL RECORD

10 LAYOUT.—Section 116 (29 U.S.C. 3141) is amended by 

11 adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(j) COMMON PARTICIPANT INDIVIDUAL RECORD

13 LAYOUT.—The Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of 

14 Education shall establish a common reporting system that 

15 covers, and that accommodates, the core programs, relat16 ing to participant records and the performance account17 ability measures described in subsection (b).’’. 

18 (i) ONE-STOP DELIVERY SYSTEMS.—Section 121 (29 

19 U.S.C. 3151) is amended— 

20 (1) in subsection (d)(2)(B)— 

21 (A) by redesignating clauses (ii) through 

22 (vi) as clauses (iii) through (vii), respectively; 

23 and 

24 (B) by inserting after clause (i) the fol25 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(ii) a public library;’’; and 

2 (2) in subsection (e)— 

3 (A) in paragraph (2)(B)— 

4 (i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

5 the end; 

6 (ii) in clause (ii), by striking the semi7 colon and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

8 (iii) by adding at the end the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(iii) through one or more public li11 braries in accordance with paragraph 

12 (5);’’; and 

13 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(5) INFORMATION AND SERVICES PROVIDED

15 THROUGH PUBLIC LIBRARIES.—A local board may 

16 use funds made available under subsection (h) to 

17 make programs, activities, and services available 

18 through a public library to the extent such library 

19 demonstrates to the local board— 

20 ‘‘(A) that the library provides or will pro21 vide career services or other workforce develop22 ment activities to address unmet need for such 

23 services or activities, such as by providing ca24 reer services and other workforce development 

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1 cations, at which the services or activities are 

2 not otherwise made available through the cor3 responding one-stop partners; 

4 ‘‘(B) that the library will provide a phys5 ical location within the library, which may in6 clude a mobile library site, in which to serve in7 dividuals seeking services provided by a college 

8 and career navigator; and 

9 ‘‘(C) the library’s ability to leverage addi10 tional resources, such as staff, facilities, com11 puter access, or learning materials, in order to 

12 extend the level of services otherwise provided 

13 through the local one-stop delivery system, par14 ticularly to geographically distant communities, 

15 communities for which physical one-stop centers 

16 are not easily accessible through public trans17 portation, or communities in which there is in18 adequate access for the level of services need19 ed.’’. 

20 (j) DIGITAL LITERACY SKILLS; INFORMATION LIT21 ERACY SKILLS.—Section 134(c) (29 U.S.C. 3174(c)) is 

22 amended— 

23 (1) in paragraph (2)(A)— 


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1 (A) in clause (iii), by inserting ‘‘digital lit2 eracy, information literacy,’’ after ‘‘(including 

3 literacy,’’; and 

4 (B) in clause (xii)(VI), by inserting ‘‘dig5 ital literacy skills, information literacy skills,’’ 

6 after ‘‘learning skills,’’; and 

7 (2) in paragraph (3)(D)— 

8 (A) by redesignating clauses (x) and (xi) 

9 as clauses (xii) and (xiii), respectively; and 

10 (B) by inserting after clause (ix) the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘(x) digital literacy skills training; 

13 ‘‘(xi) information literacy skills train14 ing;’’. 

15 (k) LIBRARY-BASED AND COMMUNITY-BASED COL16 LEGE AND CAREER NAVIGATORS.—Subtitle D of title I 

17 is amended by inserting after section 171 (29 U.S.C. 

18 3226) the following: 

19 ‘‘SEC. 171A. LIBRARY-BASED AND COMMUNITY-BASED COL20 LEGE AND CAREER NAVIGATORS. 

21 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to ex22 pand the capacity of State and local workforce develop23 ment systems by leveraging the facilities and staff of li24 braries and community-based organizations to provide caVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:25 Nov 06, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5987.IH H5987

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1 reer navigation services to individuals through library2 based and community-based college and career navigators. 

3 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—In this section, the term 

4 ‘eligible entity’ means a partnership between a State board 

5 or local board and 1 or more of the following: 

6 ‘‘(1) A community-based organization. 

7 ‘‘(2) A library (as defined in section 213 of the 

8 Library Services and Technology Act (20 U.S.C. 

9 9122)) that offers workforce development activities 

10 at no cost to individuals. 

11 ‘‘(c) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—From funds made 

12 available under section 172(g), the Secretary is authorized 

13 to make grants to eligible entities to carry out the purpose 

14 of this section. 

15 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

16 under this section, an eligible entity shall submit an appli17 cation to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 

18 containing such information as the Secretary may require. 

19 ‘‘(e) USES OF FUNDS.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that re21 ceives a grant under this section shall use funds 

22 made available through the grant to establish a col23 lege and career navigator program within the li24 brary, community-based organization, or agency that 

25 is a partner of such eligible entity. 


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1 ‘‘(2) ACTIVITIES OF PROGRAM.—A college and 

2 career navigator program established under para3 graph (1) may hire, train, support, or retain 1 or 

4 more college and career navigators to provide career 

5 navigation services in coordination with a State or 

6 local workforce development system.’’. 

7 (l) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

8 172 (20 U.S.C. 3227) is amended by adding at the end 

9 the following: 

10 ‘‘(g) LIBRARY-BASED AND COMMUNITY-BASED

11 NAVIGATORS.—There are authorized to be appropriated to 

12 carry out section 171A, $135,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 

13 and each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.’’. 

14 TITLE II—ADULT EDUCATION 

15 AND LITERACY 

16 SEC. 201. PURPOSE. 

17 Section 202(1) of the Adult Education and Family 

18 Literacy Act (29 U.S.C. 3271(1)) is amended— 

19 (1) by inserting ‘‘(including digital literacy 

20 skills and information literacy skills)’’ after ‘‘skills’’; 

21 and 

22 (2) by striking ‘‘and economic self-sufficiency’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘, economic self-sufficiency, and full 

24 participation in all aspects of adult life’’. 


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1 SEC. 202. DEFINITIONS. 

2 Section 203 of the Adult Education and Family Lit3 eracy Act (29 U.S.C. 3272) is amended— 

4 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

5 (A) by striking ‘‘postsecondary level’’ and 

6 inserting ‘‘college placement level’’; 

7 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

8 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

9 (C) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as 

10 subparagraph (E); and 

11 (D) by inserting after subparagraph (B) 

12 the following: 

13 ‘‘(C) develop and use digital literacy skills; 

14 ‘‘(D) develop and use information literacy 

15 skills; and’’; 

16 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through 

17 (9) and (10) through (17) as paragraphs (6) 

18 through (12) and (14) through (21), respectively; 

19 (3) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(3) COLLEGE PLACEMENT LEVEL.—The term 

22 ‘college placement level’ means the level required for 

23 placement in college-level course work, rather than 

24 placement in developmental education, as dem25 onstrated by achievement of a designated score on a 

26 placement test or other college-identified measure. 


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1 ‘‘(4) CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT.—The term 

2 ‘concurrent enrollment’ means intentional, simulta3 neous enrollment in more than 1 one-stop partner 

4 program, as a strategy for leveraging resources and 

5 eliminating duplication of services while achieving 

6 the best possible outcomes. 

7 ‘‘(5) DIGITAL LITERACY SKILLS.—The term 

8 ‘digital literacy skills’ means the skills associated 

9 with— 

10 ‘‘(A) using technology to enable users to 

11 find, evaluate, organize, create, and commu12 nicate information; and 

13 ‘‘(B) developing digital citizenship and the 

14 responsible use of technology.’’; 

15 (4) in paragraph (7), as redesignated by para16 graph (2), in subparagraph (C)(i), by striking ‘‘is 

17 basic skills deficient’’ and inserting ‘‘has 

18 foundational skills needs’’; 

19 (5) in paragraph (9), as redesignated by para20 graph (2), in subparagraph (B)(i)— 

21 (A) in subclause (I), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

22 after the semicolon; 

23 (B) in subclause (II), by striking ‘‘or’’ and 

24 inserting ‘‘and’’; and 

25 (C) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(III) development of digital lit2 eracy skills and information literacy 

3 skills; or’’; 

4 (6) in paragraph (12), as redesignated by para5 graph (2), in the matter preceding subparagraph 

6 (A), by inserting ‘‘and educational’’ after ‘‘in the 

7 economic’’; 

8 (7) by inserting after paragraph (12), as redes9 ignated by paragraph (2), the following: 

10 ‘‘(13) INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS.—The 

11 term ‘information literacy skills’ means the set of 

12 skills needed to find, retrieve, understand, evaluate, 

13 analyze, discern the reliability and accuracy of, and 

14 effectively use information (which encompasses spo15 ken and broadcast words and videos, printed mate16 rials, and digital content, data, and images).’’; 

17 (8) in paragraph (15), as redesignated by para18 graph (2), by inserting ‘‘(and may be provided con19 currently with other activities and services, such as 

20 adult basic education)’’ after ‘‘workforce training’’; 

21 (9) in paragraph (17), as redesignated by para22 graph (2), by striking ‘‘and solve problems, at levels 

23 of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in 

24 the family of the individual, and in society’’ and in25 serting ‘‘solve problems, and use digital literacy 


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1 skills and information literacy skills at levels of pro2 ficiency necessary to function effectively as an em3 ployee, a parent or family member, and a member 

4 of society’’; and 

5 (10) in paragraph (21), as redesignated by 

6 paragraph (2)— 

7 (A) by inserting ‘‘information literacy 

8 skills,’’ after ‘‘digital literacy skills,’’; and 

9 (B) by striking ‘‘and completion of’’. 

10 SEC. 203. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

11 Section 206 of the Adult Education and Family Lit12 eracy Act (29 U.S.C. 3275) is amended by striking ‘‘this 

13 title’’ and all that follows through the period at the end 

14 and inserting ‘‘this title $810,000,000 for fiscal year 

15 2025, $945,000,000 for fiscal year 2026, $1,080,000,000 

16 for fiscal year 2027, $1,215,000,000 for fiscal year 2028, 

17 and $1,350,000,000 for fiscal year 2029.’’. 

18 SEC. 204. RESERVATION OF FUNDS. 

19 Section 211 of the Adult Education and Family Lit20 eracy Act (29 U.S.C. 3291) is amended in subsection 

21 (a)(1), by striking ‘‘$15,000,000’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘$25,000,000’’. 

23 SEC. 205. PERFORMANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM. 

24 Section 212 of the Adult Education and Family Lit25 eracy Act (29 U.S.C. 3292) is amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 212. PERFORMANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM. 

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 

3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in sub4 section (b), programs and activities authorized under 

5 this title are subject to all of the performance ac6 countability provisions described in section 116. 

7 ‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL MEASURABLE SKILL GAINS.— 

8 With respect to the application to programs and ac9 tivities authorized under this title of the indicator of 

10 measurable skill gains under section 

11 116(b)(2)(A)(i)(IV), such measurable skill gains 

12 may include those relating to the purpose described 

13 in section 202. 

14 ‘‘(b) PILOT FOR INNOVATIVE PERFORMANCE AC15 COUNTABILITY SYSTEMS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ap17 prove an application from an eligible agency to pilot, 

18 for a subset of eligible providers within its State and 

19 as an alternative to the performance accountability 

20 system described in section 116, an innovative per21 formance accountability system that uses alternative 

22 indicators of performance that have the potential to 

23 more accurately reflect the objectives and adult edu24 cation and literacy activities of the eligible providers’ 

25 programs if the Secretary determines that an appliVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:25 Nov 06, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5987.IH H5987

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1 cation from such an eligible agency meets the re2 quirements of this subsection. 

3 ‘‘(2) PILOT PERIOD.—An eligible agency apply4 ing to pilot an innovative performance accountability 

5 system under this subsection shall propose in its ap6 plication the period of time that the agency desires 

7 to implement such system, except that the period 

8 shall not exceed 5 years. 

9 ‘‘(3) EXTENSION OF A PILOT PERIOD.—The 

10 Secretary shall approve an eligible agency’s request 

11 to extend the period of a pilot under this subsection 

12 if the Secretary determines that the innovative per13 formance system is meeting the objectives of this 

14 subsection. 

15 ‘‘(4) APPLICATION.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible agency de17 siring to undertake a pilot under this subsection 

18 shall submit an application at such time and in 

19 such manner as the Secretary may require. 

20 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—An application de21 scribed in subparagraph (A) shall include— 

22 ‘‘(i) a description of how the eligible 

23 agency engaged in an outreach process 

24 with eligible providers within its State to— 


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1 ‘‘(I) inform the eligible providers 

2 of the opportunity to implement a 

3 pilot under this subsection; and 

4 ‘‘(II) engage with the eligible 

5 providers in the development of alter6 native indicators of performance; 

7 ‘‘(ii) an explanation of whether and 

8 how the eligible agency established any 

9 standards or criteria for the alternative 

10 measures of performance that participating 

11 eligible providers could elect to use; 

12 ‘‘(iii) a listing of the eligible providers 

13 that will participate in the proposed pilot 

14 and a description of the indicators of per15 formance that each such provider will 

16 make use of through the pilot; 

17 ‘‘(iv) a description of why the eligible 

18 agency and the participating eligible pro19 viders believe the proposed indicators of 

20 performance would more accurately meas21 ure the attainment of the objectives of 

22 such providers’ adult education and lit23 eracy activities than would the indicators 

24 of performance described in section 

25 116(b)(2); 


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•HR 5987 IH

1 ‘‘(v) an explanation of how the pro2 posed indicators of performance will be 

3 valid and reliable measures of education 

4 and employment consistent with purposes 

5 of this title; 

6 ‘‘(vi) a description of how the eligible 

7 agency will collect, report to the Secretary, 

8 and make publicly available the proposed 

9 indicators of performance from each par10 ticipating eligible provider on a timely 

11 basis; and 

12 ‘‘(vii) an assurance that the eligible 

13 agency will, at the end of the pilot period, 

14 report to the Secretary on the outcomes of 

15 the pilot, including on whether the eligible 

16 agency met the objectives of the pilot. 

17 ‘‘(C) SECRETARIAL REVIEW AND AP18 PROVAL.—The Secretary shall determine wheth19 er to approve an application under this sub20 section by not later than 90 days of receiving 

21 the application. 

22 ‘‘(D) DISAPPROVAL.—The Secretary shall 

23 not disapprove an application under this sub24 section without giving the applicant the oppor25 tunity to revise and resubmit the application. 


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1 ‘‘(5) ADDITIONAL SECRETARIAL RESPONSIBIL2 ITIES.—The Secretary shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) through the Director of the Institute 

4 of Education Sciences, carry out national eval5 uations of the implementation and outcomes of 

6 the pilots authorized under this subsection, with 

7 the first such evaluation to be completed not 

8 later than 5 years after the Secretary approves 

9 the first application from an eligible entity; 

10 ‘‘(B) in consultation with the Director of 

11 the Institute of Education Sciences, identify 

12 best practices in the development and imple13 mentation of innovative performance account14 ability systems under this subsection; 

15 ‘‘(C) disseminate information on those 

16 practices, including by making the information 

17 available on the website of the Department of 

18 Education; and 

19 ‘‘(D) provide a report to the Committee on 

20 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 

21 Senate and the Committee on Education and 

22 the Workforce of the House of Representatives 

23 on the results of the pilot program, including a 

24 comparison of the outcomes as measured by the 

25 innovative performance accountability systems 


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•HR 5987 IH

1 implemented under this subsection and the per2 formance measures described in section 116.’’. 

3 SEC. 206. MATCHING REQUIREMENT. 

4 Section 222(b) of the Adult Education and Family 

5 Literacy Act (29 U.S.C. 3302(b)) is amended by inserting 

6 after paragraph (2) the following: 

7 ‘‘(3) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION

8 ON MATCHING FUNDS.—Each eligible agency shall 

9 maintain, on the website of such agency and in an 

10 easily accessible format, information documenting 

11 the non-Federal contributions made available to 

12 adult education and literacy programs pursuant to 

13 this subsection, including the sources of such con14 tributions and, in the case of funds made available 

15 by the State, the distribution of such funds to eligi16 ble providers.’’. 

17 SEC. 207. STATE LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES. 

18 Section 223(a) of the Adult Education and Family 

19 Literacy Act (29 U.S.C. 3303(a)) is amended— 

20 (1) in paragraph (1)(C)— 

21 (A) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘programs,’’ 

22 and inserting ‘‘, family literacy,’’; and 

23 (B) in clause (iii), by inserting ‘‘and ex24 pand options for the education of adults’’ after 

25 ‘‘efficiencies’’; and 


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1 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

2 (A) in subparagraph (B), by inserting 

3 ‘‘digital’’ after ‘‘implementation of’’; 

4 (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) 

5 through (L) and subparagraph (M), as sub6 paragraphs (F) through (M) and subparagraph 

7 (O), respectively; 

8 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (D) 

9 the following: 

10 ‘‘(E) Developing content and models for 

11 family literacy programs.’’; 

12 (D) in subparagraph (J), as redesignated 

13 by subparagraph (B), in clause (i), by striking 

14 ‘‘and English language acquisition’’ and insert15 ing ‘‘English language acquisition, digital lit16 eracy skills, and information literacy skills’’; 

17 (E) in subparagraph (K), as redesignated 

18 by subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘, such as 

19 the development and retention of policies for 

20 credentialing of adult educators who dem21 onstrate effectiveness’’ after ‘‘retention’’; 

22 (F) in subparagraph (L), as redesignated 

23 by subparagraph (B)— 

24 (i) by striking ‘‘adult learners with 

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1 cific groups of adult learners, such as 

2 those with learning disabilities, those at 

3 the lowest levels of literacy, or those who 

4 are’’; and 

5 (ii) by striking ‘‘at the lowest achieve6 ment levels’’ and inserting ‘‘in appropriate 

7 and meaningful ways’’; and 

8 (G) by inserting after subparagraph (M), 

9 as redesignated by subparagraph (B), the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(N) Strengthening the quality of adult 

12 education and literacy programs in the State 

13 through support for improved credentials, pro14 gram quality standards, and certification and 

15 accreditation requirements.’’. 

16 SEC. 208. GRANTS AND CONTRACTS FOR ELIGIBLE PRO17 VIDERS. 

18 Section 231 of the Adult Education and Family Lit19 eracy Act (29 U.S.C. 3321) is amended— 

20 (1) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘subpara21 graphs (A) and (B) of section 203(4)’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 203(8)’’; and 

23 (2) in subsection (e)(2), by striking ‘‘learning 

24 disabilities’’ and inserting ‘‘learning differences’’. 


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1 SEC. 209. LOCAL ADMINISTRATIVE COST LIMITS. 

2 Section 233(a) of the Adult Education and Family 

3 Literacy Act (29 U.S.C. 3323(a)) is amended— 

4 (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘and for pro5 fessional development’’ after ‘‘literacy activities’’; 

6 and 

7 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘professional 

8 development,’’. 

9 SEC. 210. NATIONAL LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES. 

10 Section 242 of the Adult Education and Family Lit11 eracy Act (29 U.S.C. 3332) is amended— 

12 (1) in subsection (b)— 

13 (A) by striking paragraph (1) and insert14 ing the following: 

15 ‘‘(1) assistance to help States meet the require16 ments of section 116 in order to ensure— 

17 ‘‘(A) that the outcomes and other data re18 quired pursuant to section 116 are collected 

19 and reported in a timely and accessible manner; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(B) that such data are reported consist22 ently across States and eligible providers and 

23 are reviewed for quality and consistency at the 

24 Federal level.’’; 


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1 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) 

2 through (4) as paragraphs (5) through (7), re3 spectively; and 

4 (C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

5 following: 

6 ‘‘(2) technical assistance to participating eligi7 ble agencies and eligible providers in implementing 

8 innovative performance accountability systems under 

9 section 212(b)(1); 

10 ‘‘(3) grants to such agencies and providers to 

11 assist them in implementing such systems; 

12 ‘‘(4) carrying out the national evaluations re13 quired under section 212(b)(5)(A);’’ and 

14 (2) in subsection (c)— 

15 (A) in paragraph (1)(C), by inserting 

16 ‘‘skills and information literacy skills’’ after 

17 ‘‘digital literacy’’; and 

18 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

19 (i) in subparagraph (C)(vii)— 

20 (I) in the matter preceding sub21 clause (I), by striking ‘‘best practices’’ 

22 and inserting ‘‘effective practices’’; 

23 (II) in subclause (I), by striking 

24 ‘‘adults with learning disabilities and 

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1 lations, such as adults with learning 

2 differences, adults with the lowest lev3 els of literacy or numeracy, adults 

4 who are supporting the education of 

5 their children, and’’; 

6 (III) by redesignating subclauses 

7 (III) and (IV) as subclauses (IV) and 

8 (V), respectively; 

9 (IV) by inserting after subclause 

10 (II) the following: 

11 ‘‘(III) family literacy programs;’’; 

12 and 

13 (V) in subclause (IV), as redesig14 nated by subclause (III), by inserting 

15 ‘‘, including digital literacy skills and 

16 information literacy skills develop17 ment’’ after ‘‘activities’’; 

18 (ii) in subparagraph (D)— 

19 (I) in clause (ii), by inserting 

20 ‘‘for themselves and their children’’ 

21 after ‘‘education and training’’; and 

22 (II) in clause (iii), by inserting ‘‘, 

23 such as counseling, transportation, 

24 and child care,’’ after ‘‘support serv25 ices’’; 


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1 (iii) in subparagraph (F), by striking 

2 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

3 (iv) by redesignating subparagraph 

4 (G) as subparagraph (K); and 

5 (v) by inserting after subparagraph 

6 (F) the following: 

7 ‘‘(G) developing and rigorously evaluating 

8 model programs for the preparation of highly 

9 effective adult educators; 

10 ‘‘(H) carrying out initiatives to support the 

11 professionalization of adult education through 

12 the creation and implementation of full-time 

13 staffing models; 

14 ‘‘(I) providing professional development 

15 and technical assistance to adult educators that 

16 is designed to help ensure that adult education 

17 and family literacy programs build pathways to 

18 future success for all adult learners; 

19 ‘‘(J) strengthening the quality of adult 

20 education and literacy programs through sup21 port for improved credentials, program quality 

22 standards, and certification and accreditation 

23 requirements that States may adopt on a vol24 untary basis; and’’. 


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1 SEC. 211. INTEGRATED ENGLISH LITERACY AND CIVICS 

2 EDUCATION. 

3 Section 243 of the Adult Education and Family Lit4 eracy Act (29 U.S.C. 3333) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘, in combina6 tion with integrated education and training activi7 ties’’; and 

8 (2) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘designed’’ 

9 and all that follows through the period at the end 

10 and inserting the following: ‘‘designed to prepare 

11 adults who are English learners for full participation 

12 in the economic, educational, and civic life of the 

13 community, which may include integration with the 

14 local workforce development system.’’. 

Æ 


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