I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1655 

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 

MARCH 17, 2023 

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia (for himself, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, and Ms. NORTON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend 

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

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 ‘‘Jobs to Compete Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. WORKFORCE PELL GRANTS. 

6 Section 401 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

7 U.S.C. 1070a), as amended by section 703 of the FAFSA 

8 Simplification Act (title VII of division FF of Public Law 


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1 116–260), is further amended by adding at the end the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(k) WORKFORCE PELL GRANTS PROGRAM.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For award year 2025–2026 

5 and each succeeding award year, the Secretary shall 

6 award grants (referred to as a ‘Workforce Pell 

7 Grants’) to eligible students under paragraph (2) in 

8 accordance with this subsection. 

9 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE STUDENTS.—To be eligible to 

10 receive a Workforce Pell Grant under this subsection 

11 for any period of enrollment, a student shall meet 

12 the eligibility requirements for a Federal Pell Grant 

13 under this section, except that the student— 

14 ‘‘(A) notwithstanding the eligibility re15 quirements with respect to the program of 

16 study, shall be enrolled, or accepted for enroll17 ment, in an eligible workforce program de18 scribed in section 481(b)(3), offered by an eligi19 ble institution of higher education (as defined 

20 in section 481(b)(3)(F)); and 

21 ‘‘(B) notwithstanding the eligibility re22 quirements with respect to the first under23 graduate baccalaureate course of study under 

24 subsection (d)(1) may have completed such first 

25 undergraduate baccalaureate course of study, 


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1 but shall not have received a postbaccalaureate 

2 degree. 

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

4 The Secretary shall award Workforce Pell Grants 

5 under this subsection in the same manner and with 

6 the same terms and conditions as the Secretary 

7 awards Federal Pell Grants under subsection (b), ex8 cept that a student who is eligible for a grant equal 

9 to less than the amount of the minimum Federal 

10 Pell Grant because the eligible workforce program in 

11 which the student is enrolled or accepted for enroll12 ment is less than an academic year (in hours of in13 struction or weeks of duration) may still be eligible 

14 for a Workforce Pell Grant. 

15 ‘‘(4) PREVENTION OF DOUBLE BENEFITS.—No 

16 eligible student described in paragraph (2) may, for 

17 the same period of enrollment, receive both a grant 

18 under this subsection and a Federal Pell Grant 

19 under subsection (b) or (c). 

20 ‘‘(5) INCLUSION IN TOTAL ELIGIBILITY PE21 RIOD.—Any period during which a student receives 

22 a Workforce Federal Pell Grant under this sub23 section shall be included in calculating the student’s 

24 period of eligibility for Federal Pell Grants under 

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1 garding students who are enrolled in an under2 graduate program on less than a full-time basis shall 

3 similarly apply to students who are enrolled in an el4 igible workforce program at an eligible institution of 

5 higher education on less than a full-time basis.’’. 

6 SEC. 3. PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY FOR WORKFORCE PELL 

7 GRANTS. 

8 (a) ELIGIBLE WORKFORCE PROGRAMS.—Section 

9 481(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

10 1088(b)) is amended— 

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

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

13 (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol14 lowing: 

15 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE PROGRAM FOR PURPOSES OF

16 WORKFORCE PELL GRANTS.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A program is an eligi18 ble program for purposes of the Workforce Pell 

19 Grants program under section 401(k) (referred 

20 to in this paragraph as an ‘eligible workforce 

21 program’) only if the program— 

22 ‘‘(i) is at least 150 clock hours of in23 struction, but less than 600 clock hours of 

24 instruction (or an equivalent number of 


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1 credit hours) offered during a minimum of 

2 8 weeks, but less than 15 weeks; 

3 ‘‘(ii) in a case in which the State in 

4 which the program is located, or a Federal 

5 agency, has established the minimum num6 ber of clock hours (or an equivalent num7 ber of credit hours) required for the train8 ing provided by such program, does not ex9 ceed by more than 50 percent such min10 imum number of clock hours (or credit 

11 hours); 

12 ‘‘(iii) is a career and technical edu13 cation program at an eligible institution of 

14 higher education; 

15 ‘‘(iv) provides an education aligned 

16 with the requirements of high-skill, high17 wage, or in-demand industry sectors or oc18 cupations (including in nontraditional 

19 fields) in the State or local area in which 

20 the program is provided, as determined by 

21 an accrediting agency or association recog22 nized by the Secretary pursuant to section 

23 496(a)(4)(C), after validation of such de24 termination by— 


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1 ‘‘(I) the State board or local 

2 board that serves such State or local 

3 area; 

4 ‘‘(II) the eligible agency for such 

5 State, on the basis of the sectors or 

6 occupations in such State that such 

7 eligible agency identifies under section 

8 122(d)(13)(C) of the Carl D. Perkins 

9 Career and Technical Education Act 

10 of 2006; 

11 ‘‘(III) the eligible agency for such 

12 State, on the basis of the results of 

13 the comprehensive needs assessment 

14 submitted to the agency under section 

15 134(b)(1) of the Carl D. Perkins Ca16 reer and Technical Education Act of 

17 2006 with respect to the local area in 

18 which the program is provided; or 

19 ‘‘(IV) an industry or sector part20 nership convened by or acting in part21 nership with the State board or local 

22 board that serves such State or local 

23 area; 

24 ‘‘(v) is a program— 


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1 ‘‘(I) provided through an eligible 

2 training provider, as described under 

3 section 122(d) of the Workforce Inno4 vation and Opportunity Act; and 

5 ‘‘(II) subject to the reporting re6 quirements of section 116(d)(4) of the 

7 Workforce Innovation and Oppor8 tunity Act, or would be subject to 

9 such requirements except for a waiver 

10 issued to a State under section 189(i) 

11 of the Workforce Innovation and Op12 portunity Act; 

13 ‘‘(vi) has been determined by the eligi14 ble institution of higher education pro15 viding such program (after validation of 

16 that determination by at least one of the 

17 entities described in subclauses (I) through 

18 (IV) of clause (iv)) to provide academic 

19 content, an amount of instructional time, 

20 competencies, and a recognized postsec21 ondary credential that are sufficient to— 

22 ‘‘(I) meet the hiring requirements 

23 of potential employers in the sectors 

24 or occupations described in clause 

25 (iv); and 


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1 ‘‘(II) satisfy any applicable edu2 cational prerequisite requirement for 

3 professional licensure or certification 

4 in the State or States in which the 

5 program is offered, so that a student 

6 who completes the program and seeks 

7 employment is qualified to practice or 

8 find employment in such sectors or oc9 cupations that the program prepares 

10 students to enter, including, if appli11 cable, being qualified to take any rel12 evant licensure or certification exami13 nations that may be needed to prac14 tice such employment; 

15 ‘‘(vii) subject to subparagraph (E), 

16 provides a student, upon completion of the 

17 program, with a recognized postsecondary 

18 credential that is stackable and portable 

19 across multiple employers and geographical 

20 areas; 

21 ‘‘(viii) not later than 18 months after 

22 the date the program has been approved as 

23 an eligible workforce program under this 

24 paragraph, has demonstrated that students 

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1 dian increase of 20 percent of median 

2 earnings as compared to median earnings 

3 of such students prior to enrolling in such 

4 program, in accordance with subparagraph 

5 (B); 

6 ‘‘(ix) not later than 18 months after 

7 the date the program has been approved as 

8 an eligible workforce program under this 

9 paragraph, has demonstrated (on the basis 

10 of the data collected under section 131(i) 

11 and such other information as the Sec12 retary may require) that the median earn13 ings of students who complete such pro14 gram, as calculated in accordance with 

15 subparagraph (B)(i)(II), exceed the median 

16 earnings for adults who are at least 25 

17 years old, but younger than 35 years old, 

18 with only high school diploma (or a recog19 nized equivalent) in the State in which the 

20 program is located, based on data from the 

21 Bureau of the Census and approved by the 

22 Secretary; 

23 ‘‘(x) publishes prominently on the 

24 website of the institution, and provides a 

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1 dent prior to entering into an enrollment 

2 agreement for such program (which each 

3 such student shall confirm receiving 

4 through a written affirmation prior to en5 tering such enrollment agreement) con6 taining, at a minimum, the following infor7 mation calculated, as applicable, in accord8 ance with section 131(i), including— 

9 ‘‘(I) the required tuition and fees 

10 of the program; 

11 ‘‘(II) the difference between re12 quired tuition and fees described in 

13 subclause (I) and any grant aid 

14 (which does not need to be repaid) 

15 provided to the student; 

16 ‘‘(III) the completion rate of the 

17 program; 

18 ‘‘(IV) the employment rates of 

19 students who complete the program, 

20 measured at approximately 6 months 

21 and 1 year, respectively, after comple22 tion of the program; 

23 ‘‘(V) median earnings of students 

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1 culated in accordance with subpara2 graph (B)(i)(II)); 

3 ‘‘(VI) median earnings of stu4 dents who do not complete the pro5 gram, calculated based on earnings 

6 approximately 6 months after ceasing 

7 enrollment in the program; 

8 ‘‘(VII) the ratio of the amount 

9 that is the difference between required 

10 tuition and fees and any grant aid 

11 provided to the student described in 

12 subclause (II) to the median earnings 

13 of students described in subclause 

14 (V); 

15 ‘‘(VIII) an explanation, in clear 

16 and plain language that shall be speci17 fied by the Secretary, of the ratio de18 scribed in subclause (VII); and 

19 ‘‘(IX) in the case of a program 

20 that prepares students for a profes21 sional licensure or certification exam22 ination, the share of such students 

23 who pass such examinations; 

24 ‘‘(xi) prepares students to pursue one 

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1 grams at one or more institutions of higher 

2 education (which may include the eligible 

3 institution of higher education providing 

4 the eligible workforce program), includ5 ing— 

6 ‘‘(I) by ensuring the acceptability 

7 of the credits received under the work8 force program toward meeting such 

9 certificate or degree program require10 ments (such as through an articula11 tion agreement as defined in section 

12 486A); and 

13 ‘‘(II) subject to subparagraph 

14 (B), by ensuring that a student who 

15 completes noncredit coursework in the 

16 workforce program, upon completion 

17 of the workforce program and enroll18 ment in such a related certificate or 

19 degree program, will receive academic 

20 credit for such noncredit coursework 

21 that will be accepted toward meeting 

22 such certificate or degree program re23 quirements; 

24 ‘‘(xii) is not offered exclusively 

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1 respondence course, except as determined 

2 by the Secretary to be necessary, on a tem3 porary basis, in connection with a— 

4 ‘‘(I) major disaster or emergency 

5 declared by the President under sec6 tion 401 or 501 of the Robert T. Staf7 ford Disaster Relief and Emergency 

8 Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170 and 

9 5191); or 

10 ‘‘(II) national emergency de11 clared by the President under section 

12 201 of the National Emergencies Act 

13 (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.); 

14 ‘‘(xiii) includes counseling for students 

15 to— 

16 ‘‘(I) support each such student in 

17 achieving the student’s education and 

18 career goals; and 

19 ‘‘(II) ensure that each such stu20 dent receives information on— 

21 ‘‘(aa) the sectors or occupa22 tions described in clause (iv) for 

23 which the eligible workforce pro24 gram provides training (including 

25 the median earnings of students 


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1 who have completed the program, 

2 as calculated in accordance with 

3 subparagraph (B)(i)(II), and are 

4 employed in such sectors or occu5 pations); 

6 ‘‘(bb) the related certificate 

7 or degree programs described in 

8 clause (xi) for which the work9 force program provides prepara10 tion; and 

11 ‘‘(cc) other sources of finan12 cial aid or other assistance for 

13 any component of the student’s 

14 cost of attendance (as defined in 

15 section 472); 

16 ‘‘(xiv) meets requirements that are 

17 applicable to a program of training to pre18 pare students for gainful employment in a 

19 recognized occupation; 

20 ‘‘(xv) has been offered by an institu21 tion for not less than 1 year prior to a de22 termination by such agency or association 

23 under this paragraph; 

24 ‘‘(xvi) has a verified completion rate 

25 of at least 70 percent, calculated so as to 


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1 ensure that a student shall be counted as 

2 a completion if the student completes the 

3 program within 150 percent of the normal 

4 time for completion; 

5 ‘‘(xvii) has a verified a employment 

6 placement rate of at least 70 percent, as 

7 determined in accordance with the regula8 tions of the Secretary; 

9 ‘‘(xviii) submits to the Secretary, for 

10 each institutional fiscal year, disclosures on 

11 the expenditures of the program; and 

12 ‘‘(xix) in the case of a program that 

13 has been approved for not less than 4 

14 years as an eligible workforce program 

15 under this paragraph, for each of the 3 

16 most recent fiscal years for which the insti17 tution submits the disclosures under clause 

18 (xviii), the amount expended by the pro19 gram for educational spending is greater 

20 than or equal to an amount equal to 1/2 

21 of the amount of revenue for such program 

22 derived from tuition and fees for such pro23 gram. 

24 ‘‘(B) MEDIAN EARNINGS INCREASE RE25 QUIREMENT.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clauses 

2 (ii) and (iii), the Secretary shall, using the 

3 data collected under section 131(i) and 

4 such other information as the Secretary 

5 may require, determine whether a work6 force program meets the requirements of 

7 subparagraph (A)(viii) with respect to 

8 whether the students who complete the 

9 program receive a median increase of 20 

10 percent of such students’ median earnings. 

11 For the purposes of this paragraph, the 

12 Secretary shall determine such percentage 

13 increase by calculating the difference be14 tween— 

15 ‘‘(I) the median earnings of stu16 dents who enroll in such program, cal17 culated based on earnings approxi18 mately 6 months prior to enrollment; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(II) the median earnings of stu21 dents who complete such program, 

22 calculated based on earnings approxi23 mately 6 months after completing 

24 such program, subject to clause (ii). 


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1 ‘‘(ii) EXCLUSION.—An eligible institu2 tion of higher education offering a pro3 gram has been approved as an eligible 

4 workforce program under this paragraph 

5 may exclude from the calculation under 

6 clause (i)(II) any students who are enrolled 

7 in any eligible program (as such term is 

8 defined in this subsection) at the time that 

9 earnings are evaluated under clause (i)(II). 

10 ‘‘(iii) DATE OF EFFECT.—The re11 quirement under this paragraph shall take 

12 effect beginning on the date that is 18 

13 months after the date the program has 

14 been approved as an eligible workforce pro15 gram under this paragraph. 

16 ‘‘(C) APPEALS PROCESS.—The Secretary 

17 shall establish an appeals process to permit any 

18 program has been approved as an eligible work19 force program under this paragraph to submit 

20 alternate earnings data to comply with subpara21 graph (A)(ix) or subparagraph (B), provided 

22 that such data are statistically rigorous, accu23 rate, comparable, and representative of students 

24 who receive a Workforce Pell Grant, and enroll 

25 in and complete the program. 


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1 ‘‘(D) APPROVAL BY THE SECRETARY.— 

2 ‘‘(i) INITIAL ELIGIBILITY.— 

3 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—In the case 

4 of a program that is seeking to estab5 lish initial eligibility as an eligible 

6 workforce program under this para7 graph, the Secretary shall make a de8 termination whether the program 

9 meets the requirements of this para10 graph not more than 120 days after 

11 the date on which such program is 

12 submitted for consideration as an eli13 gible workforce program. If the Sec14 retary determines the program meets 

15 the requirements of this paragraph, 

16 the Secretary shall grant an initial pe17 riod of approval of 2 years. 

18 ‘‘(II) ADDITIONAL STATE ASSUR19 ANCE.—The Secretary shall not deter20 mine that a program is an eligible 

21 workforce program in accordance with 

22 subclause (I) unless the Secretary re23 ceives a certification from the State in 

24 which the eligible workforce program 

25 is provided, containing an assurance 


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1 that the program meets the require2 ments of clauses (iv) through (vi) of 

3 subparagraph (A). 

4 ‘‘(ii) RENEWAL OF APPROVAL BY THE

5 SECRETARY.—An eligible workforce pro6 gram that desires to continue eligibility as 

7 an eligible workforce program after the pe8 riod of initial approval described in clause 

9 (i), or the subsequent period described in 

10 this clause, shall submit a renewal applica11 tion to the Secretary (with such informa12 tion as the Secretary may require), not 

13 more than 270 days and not less than 180 

14 days before the end of the previous ap15 proval period. If the Secretary determines 

16 the program meets such requirements, the 

17 Secretary shall grant another period of ap18 proval for 3 years. 

19 ‘‘(iii) REVOCATION OF APPROVAL BY

20 THE SECRETARY.—If at any time the Sec21 retary determines that a program pre22 viously approved under clause (i) or (ii) is 

23 no longer meeting any of the requirements 

24 of an eligible workforce program described 

25 in this subsection, the Secretary— 


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1 ‘‘(I) shall deny a subsequent re2 newal of approval in accordance with 

3 clause (ii) for such program after the 

4 expiration of the approval period; 

5 ‘‘(II) may withdraw approval for 

6 such program before the expiration of 

7 the approval period; 

8 ‘‘(III) shall ensure students who 

9 enrolled in such programs have access 

10 to transcripts for completed 

11 coursework without a fee or monetary 

12 charge and without regard to any bal13 ance owed to the institution; and 

14 ‘‘(IV) shall prohibit such pro15 gram and any substantially similar 

16 program, from being considered an el17 igible workforce program described in 

18 this subsection for a period of not less 

19 than 5 years. 

20 ‘‘(E) EXCEPTIONS FOR CERTAIN PRO21 GRAMS.—The requirements of subparagraph 

22 (A)(ix)(II) and the requirement that a program 

23 be stackable (as described in subparagraph 

24 (A)(vii)) shall not apply to any program seeking 

25 approval as an eligible workforce program 


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1 under this paragraph with respect to which at 

2 least one of the entities described in subclauses 

3 (I) through (IV) of subparagraph (A)(iv) deter4 mines— 

5 ‘‘(i) prepares students for employment 

6 in an occupation for which there is only 

7 one recognized postsecondary credential; 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(ii) provides students with such a 

10 credential upon completion of such pro11 gram. 

12 ‘‘(F) ELIGIBILITY FOR PARTICIPATION IN

13 FEDERAL DIRECT LOAN PROGRAM.—A program 

14 that has been approved as an eligible workforce 

15 program under this paragraph is an eligible 

16 program for purposes of part D only if such 

17 program consists of at least 300 clock hours of 

18 instruction, but less than 600 clock hours of in19 struction (or an equivalent number of credit 

20 hours) offered during a minimum of 10 weeks, 

21 but less than 15 weeks. 

22 ‘‘(G) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph: 

23 ‘‘(i) CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDU24 CATION.—The term ‘career and technical 

25 education’ has the meaning given the term 


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1 in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career 

2 and Technical Education Act of 2006. 

3 ‘‘(ii) EDUCATIONAL SPENDING.— 

4 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The term 

5 ‘educational spending’ means amounts 

6 expended on instruction or instruc7 tional activities, academic support, 

8 and support services. 

9 ‘‘(II) EXCLUSIONS.—The term 

10 ‘educational spending’ does not in11 clude amounts expended on recruiting 

12 activities, advertising, or other pre-en13 rollment expenditures. 

14 ‘‘(iii) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION OF

15 HIGHER EDUCATION.—The term ‘eligible 

16 institution of higher education’ means an 

17 institution of higher education (as defined 

18 in section 102) that— 

19 ‘‘(I) is approved by an accred20 iting agency or association that meets 

21 the requirements of section 

22 496(a)(4)(C); and 

23 ‘‘(II) has not been subject, dur24 ing any of the preceding 5 years, to— 


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1 ‘‘(aa) any suspension, emer2 gency action, or termination of 

3 programs under this title; 

4 ‘‘(bb) any adverse action by 

5 the institution’s accrediting agen6 cy or association; or 

7 ‘‘(cc) any action by the 

8 State to revoke a license or other 

9 authority to operate. 

10 ‘‘(iv) MEDIAN EARNINGS.—The term 

11 ‘median earnings’ means the median 

12 annualized earnings, calculated using earn13 ings for a pay period, month, quarter, or 

14 other time period deemed appropriate by 

15 the Secretary. 

16 ‘‘(v) WIOA DEFINITIONS.—The terms 

17 ‘industry or sector partnership’, ‘in-de18 mand industry sector or occupation’, ‘rec19 ognized postsecondary credential’, ‘local 

20 board’, and ‘State board’ have the mean21 ings given such terms in section 3 of the 

22 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 

23 Act.’’. 

24 (b) SUNSET OF LOAN ELIGIBILITY FOR CERTAIN

25 SHORT-TERM PROGRAMS.—Section 481(b)(2) of the 


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1 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1088(b)(2)) is 

2 amended by adding at the end the following— 

3 ‘‘(C) No program may be determined eligi4 ble under this paragraph on or after the date 

5 that is 60 days after the date on which the Sec6 retary approves the first workforce program for 

7 purposes of the Workforce Pell Grants Program 

8 under section 401(k).’’. 

9 SEC. 4. DATA COLLECTION AND DISSEMINATION RELATED 

10 TO WORKFORCE PELL. 

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

12 U.S.C. 1015) is amended by adding at the end the fol13 lowing: 

14 ‘‘(i) INTERAGENCY DATA COORDINATION AND DATA

15 COLLECTION RELATED TO WORKFORCE PELL.— 

16 ‘‘(1) INTERAGENCY DATA COORDINATION.—The 

17 Secretary shall coordinate with the Secretary of 

18 Labor to ensure access to data necessary to imple19 ment this subsection that is not otherwise available 

20 to the Secretary, including such data related to indi21 cators of performance collected under section 116 of 

22 the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. 

23 ‘‘(2) DATA ON ELIGIBLE WORKFORCE PRO24 GRAMS.—Except as provided under paragraph (3), 

25 the Secretary, in coordination with the National 


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1 Center for Education Statistics, the Secretary of 

2 Labor, and each institution of higher education of3 fering an eligible workforce program for which the 

4 Secretary awards Workforce Federal Pell Grants 

5 under section 401(k), shall, on an annual basis and 

6 using, to the greatest extent practicable, data other7 wise available to the Secretary, collect, verify, and 

8 make publicly available on the College Scorecard, or 

9 any similar successor website, information with re10 spect to such eligible workforce program, including, 

11 at a minimum, the following: 

12 ‘‘(A) the length of the program (as meas13 ured in clock hours, credit hours, or weeks); 

14 ‘‘(B) the number and demographics of stu15 dents who enroll in the program during the 

16 most recent academic year for which data is 

17 available, disaggregated by— 

18 ‘‘(i) sex; 

19 ‘‘(ii) race and ethnicity; 

20 ‘‘(iii) classification as a student with a 

21 disability; 

22 ‘‘(iv) income quintile, as defined by 

23 the Secretary; 

24 ‘‘(v) military or veteran benefit status; 


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1 ‘‘(vi) status as a first-time student or 

2 transfer student from another institution; 

3 ‘‘(vii) status as a first generation col4 lege student; 

5 ‘‘(viii) status as parent or guardian of 

6 1 or more dependent children; 

7 ‘‘(ix) status as a confined or incarcer8 ated individual, as defined under section 

9 484(t)(1)(A); and 

10 ‘‘(x) status as a recipient of a Work11 force Federal Pell Grant; 

12 ‘‘(C) the number and demographics, 

13 disaggregated by the categories listed in sub14 paragraph (B), of students who— 

15 ‘‘(i) complete the program within 150 

16 percent of the normal time for completion 

17 of such program; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) do not complete the program; 

19 ‘‘(D) the required tuition and fees of the 

20 program; 

21 ‘‘(E) the median earnings (as defined in 

22 section 481(b)(3)(F)) of students, 

23 disaggregated by the categories listed in sub24 paragraph (B), who— 


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1 ‘‘(i) complete the program, calculated 

2 based on earnings approximately 6 months 

3 after completing such program; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) do not complete the program, 

5 calculated based on earnings approximately 

6 6 months after ceasing enrollment in such 

7 program; and 

8 ‘‘(F) outcomes of the students who com9 plete the program, disaggregated by the cat10 egories listed in subparagraph (B), with respect 

11 to— 

12 ‘‘(i) the median time for completion of 

13 such students; 

14 ‘‘(ii) the employment rates of such 

15 students— 

16 ‘‘(I) 6 months after completion of 

17 such program; and 

18 ‘‘(II) 1 year after completion of 

19 such program; 

20 ‘‘(iii) in the case of a program that 

21 prepares students for a professional licen22 sure or certification examination, the per23 centage of such students who pass such ex24 aminations; 


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1 ‘‘(iv) the percentage of such students 

2 who enroll in a certificate or degree pro3 gram at the institution of higher education 

4 offering the program within 1 year of com5 pleting such program; 

6 ‘‘(v) the percentage of such students 

7 who transfer to another institution of high8 er education within 1 year of completing 

9 such program; and 

10 ‘‘(vi) the percentage of such students 

11 who complete a subsequent certificate or 

12 degree program at any institution of high13 er education within 6 years of completing 

14 such program. 

15 ‘‘(3) EXCEPTIONS.—Notwithstanding any other 

16 provision of this subsection— 

17 ‘‘(A) if disclosure of any data under para18 graph (1) is prohibited from disclosure due to 

19 applicable privacy restrictions under State or 

20 Federal privacy laws or regulations, the Sec21 retary may take such steps as the Secretary de22 termines necessary to provide meaningful 

23 disaggregated student demographic or outcome 

24 information, including combining categories; 


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1 ‘‘(B) an institution may submit, and the 

2 Secretary may publish, data required to be col3 lected under paragraph (2) that is obtained 

4 through a State Unemployment Insurance 

5 Agency or through other supplemental means, 

6 in lieu of any additional data collection, pro7 vided that such data are statistically rigorous, 

8 accurate, comparable, and representative; 

9 ‘‘(C) to the extent that another provision 

10 of this Act, or any regulation prescribed under 

11 this Act, requires the same reporting or collec12 tion of data that is required under paragraph 

13 (2), the Secretary may consider the reporting 

14 under such provision or regulation to satisfy the 

15 requirements of paragraph (2); and 

16 ‘‘(D) the Secretary, in consultation with 

17 the Secretary of Labor, may modify or waive 

18 the requirements to disaggregate data by the 

19 categories listed in paragraph (2)(B) for data 

20 described in subparagraphs (E) and (F)(iii) of 

21 paragraph (2) to align with the reporting re22 quirements of section 116(d)(4) of the Work23 force Innovation and Opportunity Act, stream24 line reporting requirements, and minimize re25 porting burdens.’’. 


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1 SEC. 5. ACCREDITING AGENCY DETERMINATION OF ELIGI2 BILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE WORK3 FORCE PELL GRANTS PROGRAM. 

4 (a) RECOGNITION OF ACCREDITING AGENCY OR AS5 SOCIATION.—Section 496(a)(4) of the Higher Education 

6 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1099b(a)(4)) is amended— 

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

8 after the semicolon; 

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

10 after the semicolon; and 

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

12 ‘‘(C) if such agency or association has or 

13 seeks to include within its scope of recognition 

14 the evaluation of the quality of institutions of 

15 higher education offering an eligible workforce 

16 program for purposes of the Workforce Federal 

17 Pell Grant program under section 401(k), such 

18 agency or association shall, in addition to meet19 ing the other requirements of this subpart, 

20 demonstrate to the Secretary that, with respect 

21 to such eligible workforce programs— 

22 ‘‘(i) the agency or association’s stand23 ards include a process for determining if 

24 the institution has the capability to effec25 tively offer an eligible workforce program; 

26 and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) the agency or association re2 quires a demonstration that the program— 

3 ‘‘(I) has identified each recog4 nized postsecondary credential offered 

5 in the relevant industry in the State 

6 or local area where the industry is lo7 cated; and 

8 ‘‘(II) provides academic content, 

9 an amount of instructional time, com10 petencies, and a recognized postsec11 ondary credential sufficient to satisfy 

12 any applicable educational require13 ment for professional licensure or cer14 tification in the State or States in 

15 which the program is offered, so that 

16 a student who completes the program 

17 and seeks employment is qualified to 

18 practice or find employment in the 

19 sectors or occupations that the pro20 gram prepares students to enter, in21 cluding, if applicable, being qualified 

22 to take any relevant licensure or cer23 tification examinations that may be 

24 needed to practice such employment.’’. 


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1 (b) ADDITIONAL NACIQI REVIEW MEETINGS.—For 

2 the purpose of preparing for the implementation of the 

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

4 Higher Education Act of 1965 (as added by section 4), 

5 in addition to the meetings required under section 

6 114(d)(1) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

7 U.S.C. 1011c(d)(1)), the National Advisory Committee on 

8 Institutional Quality and Integrity (as established by such 

9 section 114) shall, through 2025, hold meetings to evalu10 ate the additions to the scope of recognition of accrediting 

11 agencies and associations with respect to an eligible work12 force program for purposes of the Workforce Pell Grants 

13 program (in accordance with section 481(b)(3) of the 

14 Higher Education Act of 1965, as added by section 3). 

15 (c) INTERIM ACCREDITATION AUTHORITY.— 

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

17 enactment of this Act, a qualified accrediting agency 

18 or association which seeks to include within its scope 

19 of recognition the evaluation of the quality of insti20 tutions offering eligible workforce programs for the 

21 purposes of the Workforce Pell Grants program, 

22 may include within its scope of recognition the eval23 uation of such institutions if the accrediting agency 

24 or association— 


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1 (A) submits to the Secretary a notification 

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

3 the evaluation of such institutions to its scope 

4 of recognition; and 

5 (B) includes with such notification an ex6 planation of how the agency or association in7 tends to meet the criteria under section 

8 496(a)(4)(C) of the Higher Education Act of 

9 1965 (as added by subsection (a)) with respect 

10 to the evaluation of institutions for purposes of 

11 the Workforce Pell Grants program. 

12 (2) REVIEW OF SCOPE OF CHANGES.—Upon re13 ceipt of a notification from an accrediting agency or 

14 association under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 

15 direct the National Advisory Committee on Institu16 tional Quality and Integrity (as established by sec17 tion 114 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

18 U.S.C. 1011c)) to evaluate, at the next available 

19 meeting of such Committee, the addition to the 

20 scope of recognition of the agency or association and 

21 to advise the Secretary with respect to whether the 

22 agency or association meets the criteria under sec23 tion 496(a)(4)(C) of the Higher Education Act of 

24 1965 (as added by subsection (a)). 


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1 (3) TERMINATION OF INTERIM AUTHORITY.— 

2 The interim authority under this subsection for an 

3 agency or association to include within its scope of 

4 recognition the evaluation of the quality of institu5 tions offering eligible workforce programs for the 

6 purposes of the Workforce Pell Grants program shall 

7 terminate on the earlier of— 

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

9 of enactment of this Act; or 

10 (B) the date on which the Secretary deter11 mines whether such agency or association meets 

12 the criteria under section 496(a)(4)(C) of the 

13 Higher Education Act of 1965 (as added by 

14 subsection (a)). 

15 (4) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

16 (A) QUALIFIED ACCREDITING AGENCY OR

17 ASSOCIATION.—The term ‘‘qualified accrediting 

18 agency or association’’ means an accrediting 

19 agency or association recognized by the Sec20 retary under section 496 of the Higher Edu21 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1099b) that 

22 seeks, for the first time, to add to its scope of 

23 recognition the evaluation of the quality of in24 stitutions offering an eligible workforce proVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:15 Mar 31, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00034 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1655.IH H1655

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1 gram for purposes of the Workforce Pell Grants 

2 program. 

3 (B) WORKFORCE PELL GRANTS PRO4 GRAM.—The term ‘‘Workforce Pell Grants pro5 gram’’ means the Workforce Pell Grant pro6 gram under section 401(k) of the Higher Edu7 cation Act of 1965 (as added by section 2). 

8 SEC. 6. WORKFORCE INNOVATION AND OPPORTUNITY ACT 

9 AMENDMENT. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.— 

11 (1) ELIGIBLE TRAINING PROVIDER REPORTS.— 

12 Section 116(d)(4) of the Workforce Innovation and 

13 Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3141(d)(4)) is amend14 ed— 

15 (A) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

16 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

17 (B) in subparagraph (F), by striking the 

18 period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

20 ‘‘(G) for programs of study of an eligible 

21 provider participating in the Workforce Federal 

22 Pell Grant program under section 401(k) of the 

23 Higher Education Act of 1965 such information 

24 related to employment and earnings as may be 

25 required under section 481(b)(3), including inVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:15 Mar 31, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1655.IH H1655

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1 formation relating to the total earnings increase 

2 under section 481(b)(3)(B), except that the 

3 sanctions for failure to report under subsection 

4 (f)(1)(B) of this section shall not apply to this 

5 subparagraph.’’. 

6 (2) INTERAGENCY DATA COORDINATION.—Sec7 tion 116(i) of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor8 tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3141(i)) is amended by add9 ing at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(4) INTERAGENCY DATA COORDINATION FOR

11 WORKFORCE FEDERAL PELL GRANT PROGRAM.—The 

12 Secretary of Labor shall coordinate with the Sec13 retary of Education to ensure access to data nec14 essary to implement sections 401(k) and 481(b)(3) 

15 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

16 1070a(k); 1088(b)(3)) that is not otherwise available 

17 to the Secretary of Education, which may include 

18 data related to unemployment insurance, wage infor19 mation, employment-related outcomes, and indica20 tors of performance collected under this section.’’. 

Æ 


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