II 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2984 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide greater access 

to higher education for America’s students, to eliminate educational 

barriers for participation in a public service career, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 24, 2018 

Mr. CARDIN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide 

greater access to higher education for America’s students, to eliminate educational barriers for participation 

in a public service career, 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 ‘‘Strengthening Amer5 ican Communities Act of 2018’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

7 It is the purpose of this Act to provide greater access 

8 to higher education for America’s students, to eliminate 


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1 educational barriers for participation in a public service 

2 career by providing an opportunity for potential public 

3 servants to obtain an undergraduate education, and to es4 tablish an accelerated form of the public service loan for5 giveness program for more immediate loan forgiveness for 

6 existing public servants holding Federal Direct Stafford 

7 Loans, Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, and 

8 Federal Direct PLUS Loans. 

9 TITLE I—AMERICA’S COLLEGE 

10 PROMISE 

11 SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE. 

12 This title may be cited as the ‘‘America’s College 

13 Promise Act of 2018’’. 

14 SEC. 102. PURPOSE. 

15 The purpose of this title is to help all individuals of 

16 the United States earn the education and skills the indi17 viduals need— 

18 (1) by making 2 years of community college 

19 free, through a new partnership with States and In20 dian Tribes to help the States and Indian Tribes— 

21 (A) waive resident community college tui22 tion and fees for eligible students; 

23 (B) maintain State and Indian Tribe sup24 port for higher education; and 


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1 (C) promote key reforms to improve stu2 dent outcomes; and 

3 (2) through a new partnership with minority4 serving institutions to— 

5 (A) encourage eligible students to enroll 

6 and successfully complete a baccalaureate de7 gree at participating institutions; and 

8 (B) promote key reforms to improve stu9 dent outcomes. 

10 Subtitle A—STATE AND INDIAN 

11 TRIBE GRANTS FOR COMMU12 NITY COLLEGES 

13 SEC. 111. IN GENERAL. 

14 From amounts appropriated under section 117(a) for 

15 any fiscal year, the Secretary shall award grants to eligible 

16 States and Indian Tribes to pay the Federal share of ex17 penditures needed to carry out the activities and services 

18 described in section 115. 

19 SEC. 112. FEDERAL SHARE; NON-FEDERAL SHARE. 

20 (a) FEDERAL SHARE.— 

21 (1) FORMULA.—Subject to paragraph (2), the 

22 Federal share of a grant under this subtitle shall be 

23 based on a formula, determined by the Secretary, 

24 that— 


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1 (A) accounts for the State or Indian 

2 Tribe’s share of eligible students; and 

3 (B) provides, for each eligible student in 

4 the State or Indian Tribe, a per-student 

5 amount that is— 

6 (i) not less than 300 percent of the 

7 per-student amount of the State or Indian 

8 Tribe share, determined under subsection 

9 (b), subject to clause (ii); and 

10 (ii) not greater than 75 percent of— 

11 (I) for the 2018–2019 award 

12 year, the average resident community 

13 college tuition and fees per student in 

14 all States for the most recent year for 

15 which data are available; and 

16 (II) for each subsequent award 

17 year, the average resident community 

18 college tuition and fees per student in 

19 all States calculated under this sub20 clause for the preceding year, in21 creased by the lesser of— 

22 (aa) the percentage by which 

23 the average resident community 

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1 cent year for which data are 

2 available increased as compared 

3 to such average for the preceding 

4 year; or 

5 (bb) 3 percent. 

6 (2) EXCEPTION FOR CERTAIN INDIAN

7 TRIBES.—In any case in which not less than 75 per8 cent of the students at the community colleges oper9 ated or controlled by an Indian Tribe are low-income 

10 students, the amount of the Federal share for such 

11 Indian Tribe shall be not less than 95 percent of the 

12 total amount needed to waive tuition and fees for all 

13 eligible students enrolled in such community col14 leges. 

15 (b) STATE OR TRIBAL SHARE.— 

16 (1) FORMULA.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—The State or Tribal 

18 share of a grant under this subtitle for each fis19 cal year shall be the amount needed to pay 25 

20 percent of the average community college resi21 dent tuition and fees per student in all States 

22 in the 2018–2019 award year for all eligible 

23 students in the State or Indian Tribe, respec24 tively, for such fiscal year, except as provided in 

25 subparagraph (B). 


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1 (B) EXCEPTION FOR CERTAIN INDIAN

2 TRIBES.—In a case in which not less than 5 

3 percent of the students at the community col4 leges operated or controlled by an Indian Tribe 

5 are low-income students, the amount of such 

6 Indian Tribe’s tribal share shall not exceed 5 

7 percent of the total amount needed to waive tui8 tion and fees for all eligible students enrolled in 

9 such community colleges. 

10 (2) NEED-BASED AID.—A State or Indian Tribe 

11 may include any need-based financial aid provided 

12 through State or Tribal funds to eligible students as 

13 part of the State or Tribal share. 

14 (3) NO IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS.—A State or 

15 Indian Tribe shall not include in-kind contributions 

16 for purposes of the State or Tribal share described 

17 in paragraph (1). 

18 SEC. 113. ELIGIBILITY. 

19 To be eligible for a grant under this subtitle, a State 

20 or Indian Tribe shall agree to waive community college 

21 resident tuition and fees for all eligible students for each 

22 year of the grant. 

23 SEC. 114. APPLICATIONS. 

24 (a) SUBMISSION.—For each fiscal year for which a 

25 State or Indian Tribe desires a grant under this subtitle, 


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1 an application shall be submitted to the Secretary at such 

2 time, in such manner, and containing such information as 

3 the Secretary may require. Such application shall be sub4 mitted by— 

5 (1) in the case of a State, the Governor, the 

6 State agency with jurisdiction over higher education, 

7 or another agency designated by the Governor to ad8 minister the program under this subtitle; or 

9 (2) in the case of an Indian Tribe, the gov10 erning body of such Tribe. 

11 (b) CONTENTS.—Each State or Indian Tribe applica12 tion shall include, at a minimum— 

13 (1) an estimate of the number of eligible stu14 dents in the State or Indian Tribe and the cost of 

15 waiving community college resident tuition and fees 

16 for all eligible students for each fiscal year covered 

17 by the grant, with annual increases of an amount 

18 that shall not exceed 3 percent of the prior year’s 

19 average resident community college tuition and fees; 

20 (2) an assurance that all community colleges in 

21 the State or under the jurisdiction of the Indian 

22 Tribe, respectively, will waive resident tuition and 

23 fees for eligible students in programs that are— 

24 (A) academic programs with credits that 

25 can fully transfer via articulation agreement toVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:51 May 30, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2984.IS S2984

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1 ward a baccalaureate degree or post2 baccalaureate degree at any public institution of 

3 higher education in the State; or 

4 (B) occupational skills training programs 

5 that lead to a recognized postsecondary creden6 tial that is in an in-demand industry sector or 

7 occupation in the State; 

8 (3) a description of the promising and evidence9 based institutional reforms and innovative practices 

10 to improve student outcomes, including completion 

11 or transfer rates, that have been or will be adopted 

12 by the participating community colleges, such as— 

13 (A) providing comprehensive academic and 

14 student support services, including mentoring 

15 and advising, especially for low-income, first16 generation, adult, and other underrepresented 

17 students; 

18 (B) providing accelerated learning opportu19 nities, such as dual or concurrent enrollment 

20 programs, including early college high school 

21 programs; 

22 (C) advancing competency-based education; 

23 (D) strengthening remedial education, es24 pecially for low-income, first-generation, adult 

25 and other underrepresented students; 


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1 (E) implementing course redesigns of high2 enrollment courses to improve student outcomes 

3 and reduce cost; or 

4 (F) utilizing career pathways or degree 

5 pathways; 

6 (4) a description of how the State or Indian 

7 Tribe will promote alignment between its public sec8 ondary school and postsecondary education systems, 

9 including between 2-year and 4-year public institu10 tions of higher education and with minority-serving 

11 institutions described in section 371(a) of the High12 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)), to 

13 expand awareness of and access to postsecondary 

14 education, reduce the need for remediation and re15 peated coursework, and improve student outcomes; 

16 (5) a description of how the State or Indian 

17 Tribe will ensure that programs leading to a recog18 nized postsecondary credential meet the quality cri19 teria established by the State under section 123(a) 

20 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 

21 (29 U.S.C. 3153(a)) or other quality criteria deter22 mined appropriate by the State or Indian Tribe; 

23 (6) an assurance that all participating commu24 nity colleges in the State or under the authority of 

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1 pation agreements under section 487 of the Higher 

2 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1094); and 

3 (7) an assurance that, for each year of the 

4 grant, the State or Indian Tribe will notify each eli5 gible student of the student’s remaining eligibility 

6 for assistance under this subtitle. 

7 SEC. 115. ALLOWABLE USES OF FUNDS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—A State or Indian Tribe shall use 

9 a grant under this subtitle only to provide funds to partici10 pating community colleges to waive resident tuition and 

11 fees for eligible students who are enrolled in— 

12 (1) academic programs with credits that can 

13 fully transfer via articulation agreement toward a 

14 baccalaureate degree or postbaccalaureate degree at 

15 any public institution of higher education in the 

16 State; or 

17 (2) occupational skills training programs that 

18 lead to a recognized postsecondary credential that is 

19 in an in-demand industry sector or occupation in the 

20 State. 

21 (b) ADDITIONAL USES.—If a State or Indian Tribe 

22 demonstrates to the Secretary that it has grant funds re23 maining after meeting the demand for activities described 

24 in subsection (a), the State or Indian Tribe may use those 

25 funds to carry out one or more of the following: 


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1 (1) Expanding the waiver of resident tuition 

2 and fees at community college to students who are 

3 returning students or otherwise not enrolling in 

4 postsecondary education for the first time, and who 

5 meet the student eligibility requirements of clauses 

6 (i) through (v) of section 116(5)(A). 

7 (2) Expanding the scope and capacity of high8 quality academic and occupational skills training 

9 programs at community colleges. 

10 (3) Improving postsecondary education readi11 ness in the State or Indian Tribe, through outreach 

12 and early intervention. 

13 (4) Expanding access to dual or concurrent en14 rollment programs, including early college high 

15 school programs. 

16 (5) Improving affordability at 4-year public and 

17 private, nonprofit institutions of higher education. 

18 (c) USE OF FUNDS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE PUR19 POSES.—A State or Indian Tribe that receives a grant 

20 under this subtitle may not use any funds provided under 

21 this subtitle for administrative purposes relating to the 

22 grant under this subtitle. 

23 (d) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT REQUIRED.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—A State or Indian Tribe that 

2 receives a grant under this subtitle shall provide, 

3 with respect to a fiscal year— 

4 (A) for public and private, nonprofit insti5 tutions of higher education in such State or In6 dian tribe an amount that is equal to or greater 

7 than the amount provided for non-capital and 

8 non-direct research and development expenses 

9 or costs by such State or Indian tribe to such 

10 institutions of higher education during the pre11 ceding fiscal year for which satisfactory data 

12 are available; and 

13 (B) for student financial aid for paying 

14 costs associated with public and private, non15 profit postsecondary education in such State or 

16 Indian tribe an amount that is equal to or 

17 greater than the amount provided for student 

18 financial aid for paying costs associated with 

19 public and private, nonprofit postsecondary 

20 education by such State or Indian tribe in the 

21 preceding fiscal year for which satisfactory data 

22 are available. 

23 (2) ADJUSTMENTS FOR BIENNIAL APPROPRIA24 TIONS.—The Secretary shall take into consideration 

25 any adjustments to the calculations under paragraph 


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1 (1) that may be required to accurately reflect fund2 ing levels in States or Indian tribes with biennial ap3 propriation cycles. 

4 (3) WAIVER.—The Secretary shall waive the re5 quirements of paragraph (1) if the Secretary deter6 mines that such a waiver would be equitable due to 

7 exceptional or uncontrollable circumstances, such as 

8 a natural disaster or a precipitous and unforeseen 

9 decline in the financial resources of a State or In10 dian tribe, as appropriate. 

11 (4) VIOLATION OF MAINTENANCE OF EF12 FORT.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 

13 the Secretary shall withhold from any State or In14 dian tribe that violates paragraph (1) and does not 

15 receive a waiver pursuant to paragraph (3) any 

16 amount that would otherwise be available to the 

17 State or Indian tribe under this Act until such State 

18 or Indian tribe has made significant efforts to cor19 rect such violation. 

20 (e) ANNUAL REPORT.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—A State or Indian Tribe re22 ceiving a grant under this subtitle shall submit an 

23 annual report to the Secretary describing the uses of 

24 grant funds under this subtitle, the progress made 

25 in fulfilling the requirements of the grant, and rates 


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1 of graduation, transfer and attainment of recognized 

2 postsecondary credentials at participating commu3 nity colleges, and including any other information as 

4 the Secretary may require. 

5 (2) INCLUSION IN HEA ANNUAL REPORT.—At 

6 the discretion of the Secretary, the information re7 quired in the report under paragraph (1) may be in8 cluded in an annual report on higher education re9 quired under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

10 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.). 

11 (f) REPORTING BY SECRETARY.—The Secretary an12 nually shall— 

13 (1) compile and analyze the information de14 scribed in subsection (e); and 

15 (2) prepare and submit a report to the Com16 mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

17 of the Senate and the Committee on Education and 

18 the Workforce of the House of Representatives con19 taining the analysis described in paragraph (1) and 

20 an identification of State and Indian Tribe best 

21 practices for achieving the purpose of this subtitle. 

22 (g) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 

23 provide technical assistance to eligible States and Indian 

24 Tribes concerning best practices regarding the promising 

25 and evidence-based institutional reforms and innovative 


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1 practices to improve student outcomes as described in sec2 tion 114(b)(3) and shall disseminate such best practices 

3 among the States and Indian Tribes. 

4 (h) CONTINUATION OF FUNDING.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—A State or Indian Tribe re6 ceiving a grant under this subtitle for a fiscal year 

7 may continue to receive funding under this title for 

8 future fiscal years conditioned on the availability of 

9 budget authority and on meeting the requirements 

10 of the grant, as determined by the Secretary. 

11 (2) DISCONTINUATION.—The Secretary may 

12 discontinue funding of the Federal share of a grant 

13 under this subtitle if the State or Indian Tribe has 

14 violated the terms of the grant or is not making ade15 quate progress in implementing the reforms de16 scribed in the application submitted under section 

17 114. 

18 SEC. 116. DEFINITIONS. 

19 In this subtitle: 

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

21 pathway’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

22 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 

23 (29 U.S.C. 3102). 

24 (2) COMMUNITY COLLEGE.—The term ‘‘commu25 nity college’’ means a public institution of higher 


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1 education at which the highest degree that is pre2 dominantly awarded to students is an associate’s de3 gree, including 2-year tribally controlled colleges 

4 under section 316 of the Higher Education Act of 

5 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c) and public 2-year State in6 stitutions of higher education. 

7 (3) DUAL OR CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT PRO8 GRAM.—The term ‘‘dual or concurrent enrollment 

9 program’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

10 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 

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

12 (4) EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL.—The term 

13 ‘‘early college high school’’ has the meaning given 

14 the term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Sec15 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

16 (5) ELIGIBLE STUDENT.— 

17 (A) DEFINITION.—The term ‘‘eligible stu18 dent’’ means a student who— 

19 (i)(I) enrolls in a community college 

20 after the date of enactment of this Act; or 

21 (II) is enrolled in a community college 

22 as of the date of enactment of this Act; 

23 (ii) attends the community college on 

24 not less than a half-time basis; 


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1 (iii) is maintaining satisfactory 

2 progress, as defined in section 484(c) of 

3 the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

4 U.S.C. 1091(c)), in the student’s course of 

5 study; 

6 (iv) qualifies for resident tuition, as 

7 determined by the State or Indian Tribe; 

8 and 

9 (v) is enrolled in an eligible program 

10 described in section 114(b)(2). 

11 (B) SPECIAL RULE.—An otherwise eligible 

12 student shall lose eligibility 3 calendar years 

13 after first receiving benefits under this subtitle. 

14 (6) IN-DEMAND INDUSTRY SECTOR OR OCCUPA15 TION.—The term ‘‘in-demand industry sector or oc16 cupation’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

17 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 

18 (29 U.S.C. 3102). 

19 (7) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

20 has the meaning given the term (without regard to 

21 capitalization) in section 102(2) of the Federally 

22 Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 

23 U.S.C. 5130(2)). 

24 (8) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

25 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 


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1 meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 

2 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

3 (9) RECOGNIZED POSTSECONDARY CREDEN4 TIAL.—The term ‘‘recognized postsecondary creden5 tial’’ has the meaning as described in section 3 of 

6 the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

7 U.S.C. 3102). 

8 (10) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 

9 means the Secretary of Education. 

10 (11) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the mean11 ing given the term in section 103 of the Higher 

12 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1003). 

13 SEC. 117. APPROPRIATIONS. 

14 (a) AUTHORIZATION AND APPROPRIATIONS.—For 

15 the purpose of making grants under this subtitle, there 

16 are authorized to be appropriated, and there are appro17 priated— 

18 (1) $1,515,150,000 for fiscal year 2018; 

19 (2) $3,352,200,000 for fiscal year 2019; 

20 (3) $4,277,940,000 for fiscal year 2020; 

21 (4) $5,988,450,000 for fiscal year 2021; 

22 (5) $7,837,710,000 for fiscal year 2022; 

23 (6) $8,974,350,000 for fiscal year 2023; 

24 (7) $11,302,020,000 for fiscal year 2024; 

25 (8) $14,451,090,000 for fiscal year 2025; 


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1 (9) $15,077,130,000 for fiscal year 2026; and 

2 (10) $15,729,810,000 for fiscal year 2027 and 

3 each succeeding fiscal year. 

4 (b) AVAILABILITY.—Funds appropriated under sub5 section (a) shall remain available to the Secretary until 

6 expended. 

7 (c) INSUFFICIENT FUNDS.—If the amount appro8 priated under subsection (a) for a fiscal year is not suffi9 cient to award each participating State and Indian Tribe 

10 a grant under this subtitle that is equal to the minimum 

11 amount of the Federal share described in section 112(a), 

12 the Secretary may ratably reduce the amount of each such 

13 grant or take other actions necessary to ensure an equi14 table distribution of such amount. 


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1 Subtitle B—GRANTS TO HISTORI2 CALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND 

3 UNIVERSITIES, HISPANIC4 SERVING INSTITUTIONS, 

5 ASIAN AMERICAN AND NA6 TIVE AMERICAN PACIFIC IS7 LANDER-SERVING INSTITU8 TIONS, TRIBAL COLLEGES 

9 AND UNIVERSITIES, ALASKA 

10 NATIVE-SERVING INSTITU11 TIONS, NATIVE HAWAIIAN12 SERVING INSTITUTIONS, PRE13 DOMINANTLY BLACK INSTI14 TUTIONS, AND NATIVE AMER15 ICAN-SERVING NONTRIBAL 

16 INSTITUTIONS 

17 SEC. 121. PATHWAYS TO STUDENT SUCCESS FOR HISTORI18 CALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—From amounts appropriated 

20 under section 124(a) for any fiscal year, the Secretary 

21 shall award grants to participating 4-year historically 

22 Black colleges or universities that meet the requirements 

23 of subsection (b) to— 


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1 (1) encourage students to enroll and success2 fully complete a bachelor’s degree at institutions eli3 gible under subsection (b); 

4 (2) provide incentives to community college stu5 dents to transfer to institutions eligible under sub6 section (b) through strong transfer pathways to 

7 complete a bachelor’s degree program; and 

8 (3) support institutions eligible under sub9 section (b) to better serve new and existing students 

10 by engaging in reforms and innovations designed to 

11 improve completion rates and other student out12 comes. 

13 (b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

14 under the program under this section, an institution shall 

15 be a historically Black college or university that— 

16 (1) has a student body of which not less than 

17 35 percent are low-income students; 

18 (2) commits to maintaining or adopting and im19 plementing promising and evidence-based institu20 tional reforms and innovative practices to improve 

21 the completion rates and other student outcomes, 

22 such as— 

23 (A) providing comprehensive academic and 

24 student support services, including mentoring 

25 and advising; 


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1 (B) providing accelerated learning opportu2 nities and degree pathways, such as dual or 

3 concurrent enrollment programs and pathways 

4 to graduate and professional degree programs; 

5 (C) advancing distance and competency6 based education; 

7 (D) partnering with employers, industry, 

8 nonprofit associations, and other groups to pro9 vide opportunities to advance learning outside 

10 the classroom, including work-based learning 

11 opportunities such as internships or apprentice12 ships or programs designed to improve inter13 cultural development and personal growth, such 

14 as foreign exchange and study abroad pro15 grams; 

16 (E) reforming remedial education, espe17 cially for low-income students, first generation 

18 college students, adult students, and other 

19 underrepresented students; or 

20 (F) implementing course redesigns of high21 enrollment courses to improve student outcomes 

22 and reduce cost; 

23 (3) sets performance goals for improving stu24 dent outcomes for the duration of the grant; and 


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1 (4) if receiving a grant for transfer students, 

2 has articulation agreements with community colleges 

3 at the national, State, or local level to ensure that 

4 community college credits can fully transfer to the 

5 institution. 

6 (c) GRANT AMOUNT.— 

7 (1) INITIAL AMOUNT.—For the first year that 

8 an eligible institution, as described in subsection (b), 

9 participates in the grant program under this section 

10 and subject to paragraph (3), such eligible institu11 tion shall receive a grant in an amount based on the 

12 product of— 

13 (A) the actual cost of tuition and fees at 

14 the eligible institution in such year (referred to 

15 in this section as the per-student rebate); multi16 plied by 

17 (B) the number of eligible students en18 rolled in the eligible institution for the pre19 ceding year. 

20 (2) SUBSEQUENT INCREASES.—For each suc21 ceeding year after the first year of the grant pro22 gram under this section, each eligible institution, as 

23 described in subsection (b), that participate in the 

24 grant program shall receive a grant in the amount 

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1 cept that in no case shall the amount of the per-stu2 dent rebate for an eligible institution increase by 

3 more than 3 percent as compared to the amount of 

4 such rebate for the preceding year. 

5 (3) LIMITATIONS.— 

6 (A) MAXIMUM PER-STUDENT REBATE.— 

7 No eligible institution, as described in sub8 section (b), participating in the grant program 

9 under this section shall receive a per-student re10 bate amount for any year that is greater than 

11 the national average of annual tuition and fees 

12 at public 4-year institutions of higher education 

13 for such year, as determined by the Secretary. 

14 (B) FIRST YEAR TUITION AND FEES.— 

15 During the first year of participation in the 

16 grant program under this section, no eligible in17 stitution, as described in subsection (b), may in18 crease tuition and fees at a rate greater than 

19 any annual increase at the eligible institution in 

20 the previous 5 years. 

21 (d) APPLICATION.—An eligible institution, as de22 scribed in subsection (b), that desires a grant under this 

23 section shall submit an application to the Secretary at 

24 such time, in such manner, and containing such informa25 tion as the Secretary may require. 


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1 (e) USE OF FUNDS.—Funds awarded under this sec2 tion to an eligible institution, as described in subsection 

3 (b), shall be used to waive or significantly reduce tuition 

4 and fees for eligible students in an amount of not more 

5 than up to the annual per-student rebate amount for each 

6 student, for not more than the first 60 credits an eligible 

7 student enrolls in the eligible institution. 

8 SEC. 122. PATHWAYS TO STUDENT SUCCESS FOR HISPANIC9 SERVING INSTITUTIONS, ASIAN AMERICAN 

10 AND NATIVE AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER11 SERVING INSTITUTIONS, TRIBAL COLLEGES 

12 AND UNIVERSITIES, ALASKA NATIVE-SERV13 ING INSTITUTIONS, NATIVE HAWAIIAN-SERV14 ING INSTITUTIONS, PREDOMINANTLY BLACK 

15 INSTITUTIONS, AND NATIVE AMERICAN-SERV16 ING NONTRIBAL INSTITUTIONS. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—From amounts appropriated 

18 under section 124(a) for any fiscal year, the Secretary 

19 shall award grants to eligible 4-year minority-serving insti20 tutions to— 

21 (1) encourage students to enroll and success22 fully complete a bachelor’s degree at institutions eli23 gible under subsection (b); 

24 (2) provide incentives to community college stu25 dents to transfer to institutions eligible under subVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:51 May 30, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2984.IS S2984

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1 section (b) through strong transfer pathways to 

2 complete a bachelor’s degree program; and 

3 (3) support institutions eligible under sub4 section (b) to better serve new and existing students 

5 by engaging in reforms and innovations designed to 

6 improve completion rates and other student out7 comes. 

8 (b) INSTITUTIONAL ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to 

9 participate and receive a grant under this section, an insti10 tution shall be a minority-serving institution with respect 

11 to which the majority of degrees awarded are bacca12 laureate degrees or higher that— 

13 (1) has a student body of which not less than 

14 35 percent are low-income students; 

15 (2) commits to maintaining or adopting and im16 plementing promising and evidence-based institu17 tional reforms and innovative practices to improve 

18 the completion rates and other student outcomes, 

19 such as— 

20 (A) providing comprehensive academic and 

21 student support services, including mentoring 

22 and advising; 

23 (B) providing accelerated learning opportu24 nities and degree pathways, such as dual or 


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1 concurrent enrollment programs and pathways 

2 to graduate and professional degree programs; 

3 (C) advancing distance and competency4 based education; 

5 (D) partnering with employers, industry, 

6 nonprofit associations, and other groups to pro7 vide opportunities to advance learning outside 

8 the classroom, including work-based learning 

9 opportunities such as internships or apprentice10 ships or programs designed to improve inter11 cultural development and personal growth, such 

12 as foreign exchange and study abroad pro13 grams; 

14 (E) reforming remedial education, espe15 cially for low-income students, first generation 

16 college students, adult students, and other 

17 underrepresented students; and 

18 (F) implementing course redesigns of high19 enrollment courses to improve student outcomes 

20 and reduce cost; 

21 (3) sets performance goals for improving stu22 dent outcomes for the duration of the grant; and 

23 (4) if receiving a grant for transfer students, 

24 has articulation agreements with community colleges 

25 at the national, State, or local levels to ensure that 


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1 community college credits can fully transfer to the 

2 institution. 

3 (c) GRANT AMOUNT.— 

4 (1) INITIAL AMOUNT.—For the first year that 

5 an eligible institution, as described in subsection (b), 

6 participates in the grant program under this section 

7 and subject to paragraph (3), such eligible institu8 tion shall receive a grant in an amount based on the 

9 product of— 

10 (A) the actual cost of tuition and fees at 

11 the eligible institution in such year (referred to 

12 in this section as the per-student rebate); multi13 plied by 

14 (B) the number of eligible students en15 rolled in the eligible institution for the pre16 ceding year. 

17 (2) SUBSEQUENT INCREASES.—For each suc18 ceeding year after the first year of the grant pro19 gram under this section, each eligible institution, as 

20 described in subsection (b), that participate in the 

21 grant program shall receive a grant in the amount 

22 determined under paragraph (1) for such year, ex23 cept that in no case shall the amount of the per-stu24 dent rebate increase by more than 3 percent as comVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:51 May 30, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2984.IS S2984

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1 pared to the amount of such rebate for the pre2 ceding year. 

3 (3) LIMITATIONS.— 

4 (A) MAXIMUM PER-STUDENT REBATE.— 

5 No eligible institution, as described in sub6 section (b), participating in the grant program 

7 under this section shall receive a per-student re8 bate amount for a grant year greater than the 

9 national average of public 4-year institutional 

10 tuition and fees, as determined by the Sec11 retary. 

12 (B) FIRST YEAR TUITION AND FEES.— 

13 During the first year of participation in the 

14 grant program under this section, no eligible in15 stitution, as described in subsection (b), may in16 crease tuition and fees at a rate greater than 

17 any annual increase made by the institution in 

18 the previous 5 years. 

19 (d) APPLICATION.—An eligible institution, as de20 scribed in subsection (b), shall submit an application to 

21 the Secretary at such time, in such a manner, and con22 taining such information as determined by the Secretary. 

23 (e) USE OF FUNDS.—Funds awarded under this sec24 tion to an eligible institution, as described in subsection 

25 (b), shall be used to waive or significantly reduce tuition 


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1 and fees for eligible students in an amount of not more 

2 than up to the annual per-student rebate amount for each 

3 student, for not more than the first 60 credits an eligible 

4 student enrolls in the eligible institution. 

5 SEC. 123. DEFINITIONS. 

6 In this subtitle: 

7 (1) ELIGIBLE STUDENT.— 

8 (A) DEFINITION.—The term ‘‘eligible stu9 dent’’ means a student, regardless of age, 

10 who— 

11 (i)(I) enrolls in a historically Black 

12 college or university, or minority-serving 

13 institution; or 

14 (II) transfers from a community col15 lege into a historically Black college or uni16 versity, or minority-serving institution; 

17 (ii) attends the historically Black col18 lege or university, or minority serving in19 stitution, on at least a half-time basis; and 

20 (iii) is maintaining satisfactory 

21 progress, as defined in section 484(c) of 

22 the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

23 U.S.C. 1091(c)), in the student’s course of 

24 study. 


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1 (B) SPECIAL RULE.—An otherwise eligible 

2 student shall lose eligibility 3 calendar years 

3 after first receiving benefits under this subtitle. 

4 (2) HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE OR UNI5 VERSITY.—The term ‘‘historically Black college or 

6 university’’ means a part B institution described in 

7 section 322(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

8 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2)). 

9 (3) LOW-INCOME STUDENT.—The term ‘‘low-in10 come student’’— 

11 (A) shall include any student eligible for a 

12 Federal Pell Grant under section 401 of the 

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

14 1070a); and 

15 (B) may include a student ineligible for a 

16 Federal Pell Grant under section 401 of the 

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

18 1070a) who is determined by the institution of 

19 higher education in which the student is en20 rolled to be a low-income student based on an 

21 analysis of the student’s ability to afford the 

22 cost of attendance at the institution. 

23 (4) MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTION.—The 

24 term ‘‘minority-serving institution’’ means any pub25 lic or nonprofit institution of higher education— 


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1 (A) described in paragraphs (2) through 

2 (7) of section 371(a) of the Higher Education 

3 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)); and 

4 (B) designated as a minority-serving insti5 tution by the Secretary. 

6 (5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

7 the Secretary of Education. 

8 SEC. 124. APPROPRIATIONS. 

9 (a) AUTHORIZATION AND APPROPRIATIONS FOR

10 HBCU AND MSI GRANTS.—For the purpose of carrying 

11 out sections 121 and 122, there are authorized to be ap12 propriated, and there are appropriated— 

13 (1) $61,050,000 for fiscal year 2018; 

14 (2) $199,800,000 for fiscal year 2019; 

15 (3) $1,189,920,000 for fiscal year 2020; 

16 (4) $1,237,650,000 for fiscal year 2021; 

17 (5) $1,287,600,000 for fiscal year 2022; 

18 (6) $1,338,660,000 for fiscal year 2023; 

19 (7) $1,359,750,000 for fiscal year 2024; 

20 (8) $1,449,660,000 for fiscal year 2025; 

21 (9) $1,508,490,000 for fiscal year 2026; and 

22 (10) $1,569,540,000 for fiscal year 2027 and 

23 each succeeding fiscal year. 


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1 (b) AVAILABILITY.—Funds appropriated under sub2 section (a) are to remain available to the Secretary until 

3 expended. 

4 (c) INSUFFICIENT FUNDS.—If the amount appro5 priated under subsection (a) for a fiscal year is not suffi6 cient to award each participating institution in the grant 

7 programs under sections 121 and 122 a grant under this 

8 subtitle that is equal to 100 percent of the grant amount 

9 determined under sections 121(c) and 122(c), as applica10 ble, the Secretary may ratably reduce the amount of each 

11 such grant or take other actions necessary to ensure an 

12 equitable distribution of such amount. 

13 TITLE II—NATIONAL PUBLIC 

14 SERVICE EDUCATION GRANT 

15 PROGRAM 

16 SEC. 201. NATIONAL PUBLIC SERVICE EDUCATION GRANT 

17 PROGRAM. 

18 Part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 

19 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.) is amended by adding at 

20 the end the following: 

21 ‘‘Subpart 11—National Public Service Education 

22 Grant Program 

23 ‘‘SEC. 420T. NATIONAL PUBLIC SERVICE EDUCATION 

24 GRANT PROGRAM. 

25 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 ‘‘(1) COST OF ATTENDANCE.— 

2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘cost of at3 tendance’ means tuition, fees, on-campus room 

4 and board, books and supplies, personal ex5 penses, and transportation. 

6 ‘‘(B) ON-CAMPUS ROOM AND BOARD.—The 

7 term ‘on-campus room and board’ means— 

8 ‘‘(i) the cost to a student of a double 

9 room on campus; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) the cost of a resident student 

11 meal plan. 

12 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘eligi13 ble institution’ means a public 4-year institution of 

14 higher education or a private, nonprofit 4-year insti15 tution of higher education. 

16 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE STUDENT.—The term ‘eligible 

17 student’ means a student who— 

18 ‘‘(A) has received an associate’s degree or 

19 has earned not less than 60 credits toward a 

20 baccalaureate degree; 

21 ‘‘(B) is enrolled, at an eligible institution 

22 awarded a grant under this section, on a full23 time basis in a course of study that will lead to 

24 employment in a public service job; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) has submitted a Free Application for 

2 Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to the Depart3 ment. 

4 ‘‘(4) PUBLIC SERVICE JOB.—The term ‘public 

5 service job’ has the meaning given the term in sec6 tion 455(m)(3)(B). 

7 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—The Secretary 

8 shall establish a National Public Service Education Grant 

9 program to assist in paying for the cost of attendance for 

10 an undergraduate education to students who commit to 

11 work for not less than 3 years in a public service job upon 

12 completion of their baccalaureate degree. 

13 ‘‘(c) GRANTS FROM THE DEPARTMENT TO ELIGIBLE

14 INSTITUTIONS.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 

16 grants to eligible institutions to enable the eligible 

17 institutions to award grants to eligible students who 

18 commit to work for not less than 3 years in a public 

19 service job upon completion of their baccalaureate 

20 degree. 

21 ‘‘(2) DURATION.—Grants awarded to eligible 

22 institutions under this subsection shall be 5 years in 

23 duration. Subject to subsection (e), such a grant 

24 may be extended for additional 5-year periods. 

25 ‘‘(3) AMOUNTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

2 subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall award a 

3 grant to an eligible institution under this sub4 section for a fiscal year in an amount equal to 

5 the lesser of— 

6 ‘‘(i) the average annual cost of in7 State tuition, fees, and on-campus room 

8 and board in the State in which the insti9 tution is located at a public 4-year institu10 tion of higher education during the fiscal 

11 year multiplied by the number of eligible 

12 students enrolled at the institution who 

13 apply for a grant under this section during 

14 the fiscal year; or 

15 ‘‘(ii) the actual annual cost of tuition, 

16 fees, and on-campus room and board at 

17 the eligible institution during the fiscal 

18 year multiplied by the number of eligible 

19 students enrolled at the institution who 

20 apply for a grant under this section during 

21 the fiscal year. 

22 ‘‘(B) NONTRADITIONAL CALENDAR.—The 

23 calculation of the cost of tuition, fees, and on24 campus room and board under subparagraph 

25 (A) with respect to an eligible student who apVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:51 May 30, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00036 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2984.IS S2984

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1 plies for a grant under this section for enroll2 ment during the summer or other nontradi3 tional period shall be the cost of the cost of tui4 tion, fees, and on-campus room and board for 

5 such summer or other nontraditional period. 

6 ‘‘(4) APPLICATIONS.—The Secretary shall de7 sign an application for eligible institutions to partici8 pate in the grant program under this subsection that 

9 includes a description of how the eligible institution, 

10 if awarded a grant under this subsection, will pro11 vide services to students as follows: 

12 ‘‘(A) Provide comprehensive academic and 

13 student support services for eligible students 

14 awarded grants under this section, including 

15 mentoring and advising, particularly for first16 generation and minority students. 

17 ‘‘(B) Provide accelerated learning opportu18 nities for eligible students awarded grants 

19 under this section to receive their baccalaureate 

20 degree and any required certificate or license to 

21 work in their respective public service job in 

22 less than 2 years if an eligible student seeks to 

23 complete the degree in less than 2 years. 

24 ‘‘(C) Foster opportunities for eligible stu25 dents awarded grants under this section to conVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:51 May 30, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00037 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2984.IS S2984

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1 nect with potential public service job employers 

2 through the Corporation for National and Com3 munity Service. 

4 ‘‘(D) Any additional information deter5 mined necessary by the Secretary. 

6 ‘‘(d) GRANTS TO ELIGIBLE STUDENTS.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible institution 

8 that receives a grant under subsection (c) shall 

9 award grants to eligible students enrolled at the in10 stitution. 

11 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—An eligible student who 

12 desires to receive a grant under this section shall 

13 submit an application to the eligible institution that 

14 includes the following: 

15 ‘‘(A) An agreement to work for not less 

16 than 3 years in a public service job upon com17 pletion of their baccalaureate degree. 

18 ‘‘(B) Information that demonstrates that 

19 the student is an eligible student for purposes 

20 of section 484. 

21 ‘‘(C) Information that demonstrates that 

22 the student has received counseling from the 

23 Department that explains the terms and condi24 tions of the grant award. 


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1 ‘‘(D) Any additional information deter2 mined necessary by the Secretary. 

3 ‘‘(3) GRANT AMOUNT.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

5 subparagraph (B), an eligible institution shall 

6 award a grant to an eligible student enrolled at 

7 the institution for an academic year in an 

8 amount equal to the total grant amount re9 ceived by the eligible institution under sub10 section (c) for the fiscal year preceding the aca11 demic year divided by the number of students 

12 to whom the eligible institution awards grants 

13 under this subsection for such academic year. 

14 ‘‘(B) NONTRADITIONAL CALENDAR.—An 

15 eligible institution shall award a grant to an eli16 gible student who applies for a grant under this 

17 section for enrollment during the summer or 

18 other nontraditional period in an amount, from 

19 the total grant amount received by the eligible 

20 institution under subsection (c), that is pro21 rated to reflect the cost of tuition, fees, and on22 campus room and board for such summer or 

23 other nontraditional period. 

24 ‘‘(4) COST OF ATTENDANCE BEYOND GRANT

25 AMOUNT.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) AMOUNTS NOT COVERED BY NPSEG

2 GRANTS.— 

3 ‘‘(i) PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS.— 

4 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—An eligible 

5 institution that is a public institution 

6 of higher education shall cover the ex7 cess costs to meet the difference be8 tween the in-State tuition, fees, and 

9 on-campus room and board at the in10 stitution and the amount awarded to 

11 the eligible student through the grant 

12 award under paragraph (3), through a 

13 combination of grant and work-study 

14 awards under this title for which the 

15 eligible student may be eligible, cam16 pus-based aid programs, State-based 

17 merit or need-based aid, or other in18 stitutional-based merit- or need-based 

19 aid. An eligible institution that is a 

20 public institution of higher education 

21 may cover, with respect to an eligible 

22 student, any amounts of the cost of 

23 attendance that are in excess of the 

24 total amount awarded to the eligible 

25 student through the grant award 


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1 under paragraph (3) and the amount 

2 of excess costs provided under this 

3 subclause based on the demonstrated 

4 financial need of the student. 

5 ‘‘(II) STUDENT CONTRIBU6 TION.—The eligible student shall be 

7 responsible for any amounts of the 

8 cost of attendance that are in excess 

9 of the total amount awarded to the el10 igible student through the grant 

11 award under paragraph (3) and the 

12 amount of excess costs provided under 

13 subclause (I). The eligible student 

14 may be eligible for Federal student 

15 aid in accordance with subparagraph 

16 (B) for the remaining cost of attend17 ance amount for which the student is 

18 responsible. 

19 ‘‘(ii) PRIVATE INSTITUTION.— 

20 ‘‘(I) MATCHING AMOUNT.— 

21 ‘‘(aa) IN GENERAL.—An eli22 gible institution that is a private, 

23 nonprofit institution of higher 

24 education shall— 


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1 ‘‘(AA) with respect to 

2 an eligible student described 

3 in item (bb), cover excess 

4 costs toward meeting an eli5 gible student’s cost of at6 tendance in an amount 

7 equal to or greater than the 

8 amount of the grant award 

9 to the eligible student de10 scribed in paragraph (3); 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(BB) with respect to 

13 an eligible student not de14 scribed in item (bb), not be 

15 obligated to provide addi16 tional institutional-based fi17 nancial aid to such student. 

18 ‘‘(bb) ELIGIBLE STU19 DENTS.—An eligible student is 

20 described in this item if the stu21 dent’s (or the student’s parents’ 

22 in the case of a dependent stu23 dent) adjusted gross income for 

24 the taxable year that is 1 year 

25 prior to the taxable year that 


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1 ends immediately prior to the be2 ginning of the first award year of 

3 the program under this section is 

4 equal to or less than $125,000, 

5 indexed for inflation by regula6 tion of the Secretary. 

7 ‘‘(cc) SOURCE OF AID.—The 

8 required amount described in 

9 item (aa)(AA) may be provided 

10 through a combination of grant 

11 and work-study awards under 

12 this title for which the eligible 

13 student may be eligible, campus14 based aid programs, State-based 

15 merit or need-based aid, or other 

16 institutional-based merit- or 

17 need-based aid. 

18 ‘‘(II) STUDENT CONTRIBU19 TION.—The eligible student shall be 

20 responsible for any amounts of the 

21 cost of attendance that are in excess 

22 of the total amount awarded to that 

23 eligible student through the grant 

24 award under paragraph (3) and the 

25 amount of excess costs provided under 


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1 subclause (I). The eligible student 

2 may be eligible for Federal student 

3 aid in accordance with subparagraph 

4 (B) for the remaining cost of attend5 ance amount for which the student is 

6 responsible. 

7 ‘‘(iii) STUDENT CHOICE.—An eligible 

8 student who receives a Federal work-study 

9 award by an eligible institution to meet the 

10 cost of attendance beyond a grant awarded 

11 under this section may choose to decline 

12 the Federal work-study award and take 

13 out a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Staf14 ford Loan. An eligible institution shall be 

15 considered to have met the institution’s re16 sponsibilities if a student chooses to take 

17 out such a loan in lieu of a Federal work18 study award. 

19 ‘‘(B) FIRST DOLLAR AWARD.—An eligible 

20 institution shall consider the grant award under 

21 this subsection as the first dollar award, to be 

22 available prior to other funds awarded by the 

23 Department of Education under this title, the 

24 State involved, or the institution. 


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1 ‘‘(C) HOUSING.—An eligible student who 

2 receives a grant under this subsection may use 

3 the grant amounts for off-campus housing but 

4 the student may not use such grant amounts 

5 for any amounts for such off-campus housing 

6 that are in excess of the cost of on-campus 

7 room and board. 

8 ‘‘(5) CLASSES IN NONTRADITIONAL CAL9 ENDARS.—An eligible student who receives a grant 

10 under this subsection may use the grant amounts for 

11 enrollment during any period of study. 

12 ‘‘(e) INSTITUTIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible institution 

14 that receives a grant under subsection (c) shall— 

15 ‘‘(A) provide comprehensive academic and 

16 student support services for eligible students 

17 awarded grants under this section, including 

18 mentoring and advising, particularly for first19 generation and minority students; 

20 ‘‘(B) provide accelerated learning opportu21 nities for eligible students awarded grants 

22 under this section to receive their baccalaureate 

23 degree and any required certificate or license to 

24 work in their respective public service job in 


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1 less than 2 years if an eligible student seeks to 

2 complete the degree in less than 2 years; and 

3 ‘‘(C) foster opportunities for eligible stu4 dents awarded grants under this section to con5 nect with potential public service job employers 

6 through the Corporation for National and Com7 munity Service. 

8 ‘‘(2) BIENNIAL REPORT.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible institu10 tion that receives a grant under subsection (c) 

11 shall submit a biennial report to the Secretary 

12 describing the following: 

13 ‘‘(i) Academic and student support 

14 services offered to eligible students award15 ed grants under this section. 

16 ‘‘(ii) Such students’ progress towards 

17 baccalaureate degree completion and grad18 uation. 

19 ‘‘(iii) Outreach to potential public 

20 service job employers for the eligible stu21 dents awarded grants under this section. 

22 ‘‘(B) CONTINUING GRANT AWARDS TO ELI23 GIBLE INSTITUTIONS.—The Secretary may con24 tinue grant awards to an eligible institution 


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1 under subsection (c) after the initial 5-year 

2 grant period for additional 5-year periods if— 

3 ‘‘(i) the institution complies with the 

4 requirements of paragraph (1); and 

5 ‘‘(ii) the eligible students awarded 

6 grants under this section who are enrolled 

7 at the institution have a baccalaureate de8 gree graduation rate that meets or exceeds 

9 a rate determined appropriate by the Sec10 retary. 

11 ‘‘(C) DISCONTINUING GRANT AWARDS TO

12 ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS.— 

13 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

14 may discontinue grant awards to an eligi15 ble institution under subsection (c) after 

16 the initial 5-year grant period based on the 

17 outcome of the biennial reports under sub18 paragraph (A). 

19 ‘‘(ii) NOTIFICATION.—Prior to the 

20 Secretary discontinuing a grant award 

21 under clause (i), the Secretary shall notify 

22 the institution, prior to the start of the 5th 

23 year of the 5-year grant period, in a pub24 lically available format, that the institution 

25 is, or is potentially, out of compliance with 


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1 the requirements of the grant award and 

2 may have the institution’s grant awards 

3 discontinued. 

4 ‘‘(iii) MODIFICATIONS.—In the 5th 

5 year of the 5-year grant period, an eligible 

6 institution may make modifications to the 

7 institution’s grant program and appeal to 

8 the Secretary for a renewal of the institu9 tion’s grant. 

10 ‘‘(iv) DECISION.—The Secretary, prior 

11 to the conclusion of the 5-year grant pe12 riod, shall render a decision on whether to 

13 continue grant awards to an eligible insti14 tution. 

15 ‘‘(v) REMAINING RESPONSIBILITY.—If 

16 the Secretary discontinues grant awards to 

17 an eligible institution under subsection (c), 

18 the institution shall be responsible for 

19 maintaining academic and student support 

20 services and providing the full remaining 

21 costs for eligible students awarded a grant 

22 under this section prior to such discontinu23 ation to receive their baccalaureate degree 

24 debt free. 


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1 ‘‘(3) INSTITUTIONAL PROHIBITIONS.—Each eli2 gible institution that receives a grant under sub3 section (c) may not— 

4 ‘‘(A) use grant funds for administrative 

5 purposes; or 

6 ‘‘(B) establish different tuition prices be7 tween eligible students who receive grants 

8 under this section and students who do not re9 ceive grants under this section for pursing the 

10 same course of study. 

11 ‘‘(f) STUDENT ACCOUNTABILITY.— 

12 ‘‘(1) ENROLLMENT; GPA; SERVICE.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible student 

14 awarded a grant under this section shall— 

15 ‘‘(i) maintain full-time enrollment in 

16 order to complete the student’s bacca17 laureate degree in not more than 2 years; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(ii) maintain satisfactory academic 

20 progress, defined as a 3.0 grade point av21 erage (GPA) or higher, and meet all other 

22 institutional standards for academic 

23 progress. 

24 ‘‘(B) TWO WEEKS OF SERVICE.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as other2 wise provided in this subparagraph, an eli3 gible student awarded a grant under this 

4 section shall serve for 80 hours as a partic5 ipant in a Corporation for National and 

6 Community Service national service project 

7 for each year the eligible student receives 

8 the grant. The eligible institution shall as9 sist in placing the eligible student in such 

10 a project relevant to the eligible student’s 

11 course of study. Such required hours may 

12 be completed at any point during the stu13 dent’s enrollment but shall be completed 

14 prior to the date the eligible student re15 ceives the student’s baccalaureate degree. 

16 ‘‘(ii) OTHER PROJECT.—If an eligible 

17 student resides in an area without a local 

18 Corporation for National and Community 

19 Service national service project available, 

20 the student may instead participate in a 

21 service project with a community action 

22 agency, a local government agency, or an 

23 organization described in section 501(c)(3) 

24 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 


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1 ‘‘(iii) MEDICAL EXEMPTION.—The 

2 Secretary may grant an eligible student a 

3 medical exemption from the service com4 mitment under this subparagraph if the 

5 student becomes medically unable to com6 plete the service commitment over the 

7 course of the academic year. An eligible 

8 student granted such an exemption shall 

9 complete the service commitment upon re10 covery without risking eligibility status in 

11 the grant program under this section. 

12 ‘‘(2) SATISFACTORY PROGRESS.— 

13 ‘‘(A) AFTER ONE YEAR.—In the case in 

14 which an eligible student awarded a grant 

15 under this section does not maintain satisfac16 tory academic progress, as described in para17 graph (1)(A)(ii), after the first academic year 

18 for which the student received the grant, the 

19 student shall— 

20 ‘‘(i) serve an additional year in a pub21 lic service job beyond the 3-year commit22 ment upon receiving the student’s bacca23 laureate degree; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) receive additional academic sup2 ports from the eligible institution in which 

3 the student is enrolled. 

4 ‘‘(B) AFTER TWO YEARS.—In the case in 

5 which an eligible student awarded a grant 

6 under this section does not receive a bacca7 laureate degree after the second academic year 

8 for which the student received the grant, the 

9 total of the grant award amount and remaining 

10 funds provided by the institution shall be treat11 ed as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford 

12 Loan under part D of title IV, and shall be sub13 ject to repayment, as described in paragraph 

14 (4). 

15 ‘‘(C) APPEALS.—In the case in which an 

16 eligible student awarded a grant under this sec17 tion does not maintain satisfactory academic 

18 progress, as described in paragraph (1)(A)(ii), 

19 after the first academic year for which the stu20 dent received the grant, the student may appeal 

21 the decision to serve an additional year, as de22 scribed in subparagraph (A)(i). The appeal 

23 shall be made in writing to the eligible institu24 tion and include an academic plan approved by 

25 the student’s adviser. The academic plan shall 


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1 show a clear pathway to graduation within 1 

2 year. 

3 ‘‘(3) PUBLIC SERVICE JOB WORK OBLIGA4 TION.— 

5 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

6 paragraph (2)(A)(i) and subparagraph (C), an 

7 eligible student awarded a grant under this sec8 tion shall work for not less than 3 years in a 

9 public service job after receiving the student’s 

10 baccalaureate degree. Such 3 years (or 4 years, 

11 in the case of a scenario described in paragraph 

12 (2)(A)(i)) may be consecutive or nonconsecutive 

13 but shall be completed not later than 5 years 

14 (or 6 years, in the case of a scenario described 

15 in paragraph (2)(A)(i)) after the date the stu16 dent receives the student’s baccalaureate de17 gree. 

18 ‘‘(B) NOTIFICATION.—An eligible student 

19 awarded a grant under this section shall notify 

20 the Department, utilizing a form designed by 

21 the Secretary, of the student’s compliance or 

22 noncompliance with subparagraph (A) annually 

23 until such student completes the student’s work 

24 obligation. 


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1 ‘‘(C) DEFERMENT FOR GRADUATE

2 SCHOOL.—The work obligation described in 

3 subparagraph (A) of an eligible student award4 ed a grant under this section who enrolls as a 

5 full-time student in a post-baccalaureate degree 

6 program not later than 3 years after the date 

7 the student receives the student’s baccalaureate 

8 degree shall be deferred during the period of 

9 such full-time enrollment. Any years of service 

10 completed prior to full-time enrollment in a 

11 post-baccalaureate degree program shall count 

12 toward such work obligation. 

13 ‘‘(4) REPAYMENT FOR NONCOMPLIANCE.—In 

14 the event that an eligible student awarded a grant 

15 under this section fails or refuses to comply with the 

16 work obligation as described in paragraph (3), or the 

17 student does not receive a baccalaureate degree after 

18 the second academic year for which the student re19 ceived the grant, as described in paragraph (2)(B), 

20 the sum of the amounts of any grants received by 

21 the student shall, upon a determination of such a 

22 failure or refusal in such service obligation or failure 

23 to receive a baccalaureate degree, be treated as a 

24 Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan under 

25 part D of title IV, and shall be subject to repayVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:51 May 30, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00054 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2984.IS S2984

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1 ment, together with interest thereon accruing from 

2 the date of the grant award, in accordance with 

3 terms and conditions specified by the Secretary in 

4 regulations under this section. 

5 ‘‘(5) MEDICAL EXEMPTION.—The Secretary 

6 may grant an eligible student awarded a grant under 

7 this section a medical exemption— 

8 ‘‘(A) from the requirement of maintaining 

9 satisfactory academic progress under paragraph 

10 (1)(A)(ii); or 

11 ‘‘(B) from a term or condition of the work 

12 obligation of the student if the student becomes 

13 medically unable to complete the student’s stud14 ies or public service job work obligation. 

15 ‘‘SEC. 420U. NATIONAL PUBLIC SERVICE EDUCATION 

16 GRANT PROGRAM FOR MINORITY-SERVING 

17 INSTITUTIONS AND HBCUS. 

18 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

19 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘eligi20 ble institution’ means a minority-serving institution 

21 or historically black college or university that is a 

22 public 4-year institution of higher education or a 

23 private, nonprofit 4-year institution of higher edu24 cation. 


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1 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE STUDENT.—The term ‘eligible 

2 student’ means a student who— 

3 ‘‘(A) has received an associate’s degree or 

4 has earned not less than 60 credits toward a 

5 baccalaureate degree; 

6 ‘‘(B) is enrolled, at an eligible institution 

7 awarded a grant under this section, on a full8 time basis in a course of study that will lead to 

9 employment in a public service job; and 

10 ‘‘(C) has submitted a Free Application for 

11 Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to the Depart12 ment. 

13 ‘‘(3) HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE OR UNI14 VERSITY.—The term ‘historically black college or 

15 university’ means a part B institution described in 

16 section 322(2). 

17 ‘‘(4) MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTION.—The 

18 term ‘minority-serving institution’ means any public 

19 or nonprofit institution of higher education— 

20 ‘‘(A) described in paragraphs (2) through 

21 (7) of section 371(a); and 

22 ‘‘(B) designated as a minority-serving in23 stitution by the Secretary. 

24 ‘‘(5) ON-CAMPUS ROOM AND BOARD.—The term 

25 ‘on-campus room and board’ means— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the cost to a student of a double 

2 room on campus; and 

3 ‘‘(B) the cost of a resident student meal 

4 plan. 

5 ‘‘(6) PUBLIC SERVICE JOB.—The term ‘public 

6 service job’ has the meaning given the term in sec7 tion 455(m)(3)(B). 

8 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—The Secretary 

9 shall establish a National Public Service Education Grant 

10 program for eligible institutions to provide a debt-free un11 dergraduate education to students who commit to work 

12 for not less than 3 years in a public service job upon com13 pletion of their baccalaureate degree. 

14 ‘‘(c) GRANTS FROM THE DEPARTMENT TO ELIGIBLE

15 INSTITUTIONS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 

17 grants to eligible institutions to enable the eligible 

18 institutions to award grants to eligible students who 

19 commit to work for not less than 3 years in a public 

20 service job upon completion of their baccalaureate 

21 degree. 

22 ‘‘(2) DURATION.—Grants awarded to eligible 

23 institutions under this subsection shall be 5 years in 

24 duration. Subject to subsection (e), such a grant 

25 may be extended for additional 5-year periods. 


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1 ‘‘(3) AMOUNTS.— 

2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

3 subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall award a 

4 grant to an eligible institution under this sub5 section for a fiscal year in an amount equal to 

6 the actual annual cost of in-State tuition, fees, 

7 and on-campus room and board at the eligible 

8 institution during the fiscal year multiplied by 

9 the number of eligible students enrolled at the 

10 institution who apply for a grant under this 

11 section during the fiscal year. 

12 ‘‘(B) NONTRADITIONAL CALENDAR.—The 

13 calculation of the cost of tuition, fees, and on14 campus room and board under subparagraph 

15 (A) with respect to an eligible student who ap16 plies for a grant under this section for enroll17 ment during the summer or other nontradi18 tional period shall be the cost of the cost of tui19 tion, fees, and on-campus room and board for 

20 such summer or other nontraditional period. 

21 ‘‘(4) APPLICATIONS.—The Secretary shall de22 sign an application for eligible institutions to partici23 pate in the grant program under this subsection that 

24 includes a description of how the eligible institution, 


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1 if awarded a grant under this subsection, will pro2 vide services to students as follows: 

3 ‘‘(A) Provide comprehensive academic and 

4 student support services for eligible students 

5 awarded grants under this section, including 

6 mentoring and advising, particularly for first7 generation and minority students. 

8 ‘‘(B) Provide accelerated learning opportu9 nities for eligible students awarded grants 

10 under this section to receive their baccalaureate 

11 degree and any required certificate or license to 

12 work in their respective public service job in 

13 less than 2 years if an eligible student seeks to 

14 complete the degree in less than 2 years. 

15 ‘‘(C) Foster opportunities for eligible stu16 dents awarded grants under this section to con17 nect with potential public service job employers 

18 through the Corporation for National and Com19 munity Service. 

20 ‘‘(D) Any additional information deter21 mined necessary by the Secretary. 

22 ‘‘(d) GRANTS TO ELIGIBLE STUDENTS.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible institution 

24 that receives a grant under subsection (c) shall 


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1 award grants to eligible students enrolled at the in2 stitution. 

3 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—An eligible student who 

4 desires to receive a grant under this section shall 

5 submit an application to the eligible institution that 

6 includes the following: 

7 ‘‘(A) An agreement to work for not less 

8 than 3 years in a public service job upon com9 pletion of their baccalaureate degree. 

10 ‘‘(B) Information that demonstrates that 

11 the student is an eligible student for purposes 

12 of section 484. 

13 ‘‘(C) Information that demonstrates that 

14 the student has received counseling from the 

15 Department that explains the terms and condi16 tions of the grant award. 

17 ‘‘(D) Any additional information deter18 mined necessary by the Secretary. 

19 ‘‘(3) GRANT AMOUNT.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible institution 

21 shall award a grant to an eligible student en22 rolled at the institution for an academic year in 

23 an amount equal to the total grant amount re24 ceived by the eligible institution under sub25 section (c) for the fiscal year preceding the acaVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:51 May 30, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00060 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2984.IS S2984

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1 demic year divided by the number of students 

2 to whom the eligible institution awards grants 

3 under this subsection for such academic year. 

4 ‘‘(B) NONTRADITIONAL CALENDAR.—An 

5 eligible institution shall award a grant to an eli6 gible student who applies for a grant under this 

7 section for enrollment during the summer or 

8 other nontraditional period in an amount, from 

9 the total grant amount received by the eligible 

10 institution under subsection (c), that is pro11 rated to reflect the cost of tuition, fees, and on12 campus room and board for such summer or 

13 other nontraditional period. 

14 ‘‘(4) COST OF ATTENDANCE BEYOND GRANT

15 AMOUNT.— 

16 ‘‘(A) AMOUNTS NOT COVERED BY NPSEG

17 GRANTS.— 

18 ‘‘(i) PUBLIC INSTITUTION.—An eligi19 ble institution that is a public institution 

20 of higher education may cover, with re21 spect to an eligible student, any amounts 

22 of the cost of attendance that are in excess 

23 of the total amount awarded to the eligible 

24 student through the grant award under 

25 paragraph (3), based on the demonstrated 


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1 financial need of the student. For the re2 maining costs, the eligible student enrolled 

3 at an eligible institution that is a public in4 stitution shall be responsible for any 

5 amounts of the cost of attendance that are 

6 in excess of the total amount awarded to 

7 that eligible student through the grant 

8 award under paragraph (3) and any 

9 amount provided pursuant to the preceding 

10 sentence. The eligible student may be eligi11 ble for Federal student aid in accordance 

12 with subparagraph (B) for the remaining 

13 cost of attendance amount for which the 

14 student is responsible. 

15 ‘‘(ii) PRIVATE INSTITUTION.— 

16 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—An eligible 

17 institution that is a private, nonprofit 

18 institution of higher education shall— 

19 ‘‘(aa) with respect to an eli20 gible student described in sub21 clause (II), cover excess costs to22 ward meeting an eligible stu23 dent’s cost of attendance in an 

24 amount equal to or greater than 

25 the amount of the grant award to 


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1 the eligible student described in 

2 paragraph (3); and 

3 ‘‘(bb) with respect to an eli4 gible student not described in 

5 subclause (II), not be obligated 

6 to provide additional institu7 tional-based financial aid to such 

8 student. 

9 ‘‘(II) ELIGIBLE STUDENTS.—An 

10 eligible student is described in this 

11 subclause if the student’s (or the stu12 dent’s parents’ in the case of a de13 pendent student) adjusted gross in14 come for the taxable year that is 1 

15 year prior to the taxable year that 

16 ends immediately prior to the begin17 ning of the first award year of the 

18 program under this section is equal to 

19 or less than $125,000, indexed for in20 flation by regulation of the Secretary. 

21 ‘‘(III) SOURCE OF AID.—The re22 quired amount described in subclause 

23 (I)(aa) may be provided through a 

24 combination of grant and work-study 

25 awards under this title for which the 


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1 eligible student may be eligible, cam2 pus-based aid programs, State-based 

3 merit or need-based aid, or other in4 stitutional-based merit- or need-based 

5 aid. 

6 ‘‘(IV) STUDENT CONTRIBU7 TION.—The eligible student shall be 

8 responsible for any amounts of the 

9 cost of attendance that are in excess 

10 of the total amount awarded to that 

11 eligible student through the grant 

12 award under paragraph (3) and the 

13 amount of excess costs provided under 

14 subclause (I). The eligible student 

15 may be eligible for Federal student 

16 aid in accordance with subparagraph 

17 (B) for the remaining cost of attend18 ance amount for which the student is 

19 responsible. 

20 ‘‘(iii) STUDENT CHOICE.—An eligible 

21 student who receives a Federal work-study 

22 award by an eligible institution to meet the 

23 cost of attendance beyond a grant awarded 

24 under this section may choose to decline 

25 the Federal work-study award and take 


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1 out a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Staf2 ford Loan. An eligible institution shall be 

3 considered to have met the institution’s re4 sponsibilities if a student chooses to take 

5 out such a loan in lieu of a Federal work6 study award. 

7 ‘‘(B) FIRST DOLLAR AWARD.—In calcu8 lating an eligible student’s financial need to 

9 cover excess costs described in subparagraph 

10 (A), the eligible institution shall consider the 

11 grant award under this subsection as the first 

12 dollar award, to be available prior to other 

13 funds awarded by the Department of Education 

14 under this title, the State involved, or the insti15 tution. If a grant awarded to an eligible student 

16 under this section is equal to the cost of tuition, 

17 fees, and on-campus room and board for such 

18 student, the eligible institution shall not be re19 quired to provide additional institutional schol20 arship or grant based aid to the eligible stu21 dent. 

22 ‘‘(C) HOUSING.—An eligible student who 

23 receives a grant under this subsection may use 

24 the grant amounts for off-campus housing but 

25 the student may not use such grant amounts 


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1 for any amounts for such off-campus housing 

2 that are in excess of the cost of on-campus 

3 room and board. 

4 ‘‘(5) CLASSES IN NONTRADITIONAL CAL5 ENDARS.—An eligible student who receives a grant 

6 under this subsection may use the grant amounts for 

7 enrollment during any period of study. 

8 ‘‘(e) INSTITUTIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible institution 

10 that receives a grant under subsection (c) shall— 

11 ‘‘(A) provide comprehensive academic and 

12 student support services for eligible students 

13 awarded grants under this section, including 

14 mentoring and advising, particularly for first15 generation and minority students; 

16 ‘‘(B) provide accelerated learning opportu17 nities for eligible students awarded grants 

18 under this section to receive their baccalaureate 

19 degree and any required certificate or license to 

20 work in their respective public service job in 

21 less than 2 years if an eligible student seeks to 

22 complete the degree in less than 2 years; and 

23 ‘‘(C) foster opportunities for eligible stu24 dents awarded grants under this section to con25 nect with potential public service job employers 


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1 through the Corporation for National and Com2 munity Service. 

3 ‘‘(2) BIENNIAL REPORT.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible institu5 tion that receives a grant under subsection (c) 

6 shall submit a biennial report to the Secretary 

7 describing the following: 

8 ‘‘(i) Academic and student support 

9 services offered to eligible students award10 ed grants under this section. 

11 ‘‘(ii) Such students’ progress towards 

12 baccalaureate degree completion and grad13 uation. 

14 ‘‘(iii) Outreach to potential public 

15 service job employers for the eligible stu16 dents awarded grants under this section. 

17 ‘‘(B) CONTINUING GRANT AWARDS TO ELI18 GIBLE INSTITUTIONS.—The Secretary may con19 tinue grant awards to an eligible institution 

20 under subsection (c) after the initial 5-year 

21 grant period for additional 5-year periods if— 

22 ‘‘(i) the institution complies with the 

23 requirements of paragraph (1); and 

24 ‘‘(ii) the eligible students awarded 

25 grants under this section who are enrolled 


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1 at the institution have a baccalaureate de2 gree graduation rate that meets or exceeds 

3 a rate determined appropriate by the Sec4 retary. 

5 ‘‘(C) DISCONTINUING GRANT AWARDS TO

6 ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS.— 

7 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

8 may discontinue grant awards to an eligi9 ble institution under subsection (c) after 

10 the initial 5-year grant period based on the 

11 outcome of the biennial reports under sub12 paragraph (A). 

13 ‘‘(ii) NOTIFICATION.—Prior to the 

14 Secretary discontinuing a grant award 

15 under clause (i), the Secretary shall notify 

16 the institution, prior to the start of the 5th 

17 year of the 5-year grant period, in a pub18 lically available format, that the institution 

19 is, or is potentially, out of compliance with 

20 the requirements of the grant award and 

21 may have the institution’s grant awards 

22 discontinued. 

23 ‘‘(iii) MODIFICATIONS.—In the 5th 

24 year of the 5-year grant period, an eligible 

25 institution may make modifications to the 


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1 institution’s grant program and appeal to 

2 the Secretary for a renewal of the institu3 tion’s grant. 

4 ‘‘(iv) DECISION.—The Secretary, prior 

5 to the conclusion of the 5-year grant pe6 riod, shall render a decision on whether to 

7 continue grant awards to an eligible insti8 tution. 

9 ‘‘(v) REMAINING RESPONSIBILITY.—If 

10 the Secretary discontinues grant awards to 

11 an eligible institution under subsection (c), 

12 the institution shall be responsible for 

13 maintaining academic and student support 

14 services and providing the full remaining 

15 costs for eligible students awarded a grant 

16 under this section prior to such discontinu17 ation to receive their baccalaureate degree 

18 debt free. 

19 ‘‘(3) INSTITUTIONAL PROHIBITIONS.—Each eli20 gible institution that receives a grant under sub21 section (c) may not— 

22 ‘‘(A) use grant funds for administrative 

23 purposes; or 

24 ‘‘(B) establish different tuition prices be25 tween eligible students who receive grants 


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1 under this section and students who do not re2 ceive grants under this section for pursing the 

3 same course of study. 

4 ‘‘(f) STUDENT ACCOUNTABILITY.— 

5 ‘‘(1) ENROLLMENT; GPA; SERVICE.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible student 

7 awarded a grant under this section shall— 

8 ‘‘(i) maintain full-time enrollment in 

9 order to complete the student’s bacca10 laureate degree in not more than 2 years; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(ii) maintain satisfactory academic 

13 progress, defined as a 3.0 grade point av14 erage (GPA) or higher, and meet all other 

15 institutional standards for academic 

16 progress. 

17 ‘‘(B) TWO WEEKS OF SERVICE.— 

18 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as other19 wise provided in this subparagraph, an eli20 gible student awarded a grant under this 

21 section shall serve for 80 hours as a partic22 ipant in a Corporation for National and 

23 Community Service national service project 

24 for each year the eligible student receives 

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1 sist in placing the eligible student in such 

2 a project relevant to the eligible student’s 

3 course of study. Such required hours may 

4 be completed at any point during the stu5 dent’s enrollment but shall be completed 

6 prior to the date the eligible student re7 ceives the student’s baccalaureate degree. 

8 ‘‘(ii) OTHER PROJECT.—If an eligible 

9 student resides in an area without a local 

10 Corporation for National and Community 

11 Service national service project available, 

12 the student may instead participate in a 

13 service project with a community action 

14 agency, a local government agency, or an 

15 organization described in section 501(c)(3) 

16 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 

17 ‘‘(iii) MEDICAL EXEMPTION.—The 

18 Secretary may grant an eligible student a 

19 medical exemption from the service com20 mitment under this subparagraph if the 

21 student becomes medically unable to com22 plete the service commitment over the 

23 course of the academic year. An eligible 

24 student granted such an exemption shall 

25 complete the service commitment upon reVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:51 May 30, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00071 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2984.IS S2984

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1 covery without risking eligibility status in 

2 the grant program under this section. 

3 ‘‘(2) SATISFACTORY PROGRESS.— 

4 ‘‘(A) AFTER ONE YEAR.—In the case in 

5 which an eligible student awarded a grant 

6 under this section does not maintain satisfac7 tory academic progress, as described in para8 graph (1)(A)(ii), after the first academic year 

9 for which the student received the grant, the 

10 student shall— 

11 ‘‘(i) serve an additional year in a pub12 lic service job beyond the 3-year commit13 ment upon receiving the student’s bacca14 laureate degree; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) receive additional academic sup16 ports from the eligible institution in which 

17 the student is enrolled. 

18 ‘‘(B) AFTER TWO YEARS.—In the case in 

19 which an eligible student awarded a grant 

20 under this section does not receive a bacca21 laureate degree after the second academic year 

22 for which the student received the grant, the 

23 total of the grant award amount and remaining 

24 funds provided by the institution shall be treat25 ed as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford 


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1 Loan under part D of title IV, and shall be sub2 ject to repayment, as described in paragraph 

3 (4). 

4 ‘‘(C) APPEALS.—In the case in which an 

5 eligible student awarded a grant under this sec6 tion does not maintain satisfactory academic 

7 progress, as described in paragraph (1)(A)(ii), 

8 after the first academic year for which the stu9 dent received the grant, the student may appeal 

10 the decision to serve an additional year, as de11 scribed in subparagraph (A)(i). The appeal 

12 shall be made in writing to the eligible institu13 tion and include an academic plan approved by 

14 the student’s adviser. The academic plan shall 

15 show a clear pathway to graduation within 1 

16 year. 

17 ‘‘(3) PUBLIC SERVICE JOB WORK OBLIGA18 TION.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

20 paragraph (2)(A)(i) and subparagraph (C), an 

21 eligible student awarded a grant under this sec22 tion shall work for not less than 3 years in a 

23 public service job after receiving the student’s 

24 baccalaureate degree. Such 3 years (or 4 years, 

25 in the case of a scenario described in paragraph 


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1 (2)(A)(i)) may be consecutive or nonconsecutive 

2 but shall be completed not later than 5 years 

3 (or 6 years, in the case of a scenario described 

4 in paragraph (2)(A)(i)) after the date the stu5 dent receives the student’s baccalaureate de6 gree. 

7 ‘‘(B) NOTIFICATION.—An eligible student 

8 awarded a grant under this section shall notify 

9 the Department, utilizing a form designed by 

10 the Secretary, of the student’s compliance or 

11 noncompliance with subparagraph (A) annually 

12 until such student completes the student’s work 

13 obligation. 

14 ‘‘(C) DEFERMENT FOR GRADUATE

15 SCHOOL.—The work obligation described in 

16 subparagraph (A) of an eligible student award17 ed a grant under this section who enrolls as a 

18 full-time student in a post-baccalaureate degree 

19 program not later than 3 years after the date 

20 the student receives the student’s baccalaureate 

21 degree shall be deferred during the period of 

22 such full-time enrollment. Any years of service 

23 completed prior to full-time enrollment in a 

24 post-baccalaureate degree program shall count 

25 toward such work obligation. 


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1 ‘‘(4) REPAYMENT FOR NONCOMPLIANCE.—In 

2 the event that an eligible student awarded a grant 

3 under this section fails or refuses to comply with the 

4 work obligation as described in paragraph (3), or the 

5 student does not receive a baccalaureate degree after 

6 the second academic year for which the student re7 ceived the grant, as described in paragraph (2)(B), 

8 the sum of the amounts of any grants received by 

9 the student shall, upon a determination of such a 

10 failure or refusal in such service obligation or failure 

11 to meet satisfactory academic progress, be treated as 

12 a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan under 

13 part D of title IV, and shall be subject to repay14 ment, together with interest thereon accruing from 

15 the date of the grant award, in accordance with 

16 terms and conditions specified by the Secretary in 

17 regulations under this section. 

18 ‘‘(5) MEDICAL EXEMPTION.—The Secretary 

19 may grant an eligible student awarded a grant under 

20 this section a medical exemption— 

21 ‘‘(A) from the requirement of maintaining 

22 satisfactory academic progress under paragraph 

23 (1)(A)(ii); or 

24 ‘‘(B) from a term or condition of the work 

25 obligation of the student if the student becomes 


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1 medically unable to complete the student’s stud2 ies or public service job work obligation.’’. 

3 TITLE III—DEBT-FREE PUBLIC 

4 SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS 

5 PROGRAM 

6 SEC. 301. DEBT-FREE PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS 

7 PROGRAM. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 455(m) of the Higher 

9 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(m)) is amended 

10 by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(5) DEBT-FREE PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FOR12 GIVENESS PROGRAM.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Beginning after the 

14 date of enactment of the Strengthening Amer15 ican Communities Act of 2018, after the con16 clusion of each employment period in a public 

17 service job, as described in subparagraph (B), 

18 the Secretary shall cancel the percent specified 

19 in such subparagraph of the total amount due 

20 on any eligible Federal Direct Loan made after 

21 the date of enactment of the Strengthening 

22 American Communities Act of 2018 for a bor23 rower who— 

24 ‘‘(i) is employed in such public service 

25 job; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) submits an employment certifi2 cation form described in subparagraph (C); 

3 ‘‘(iii) is enrolled in a repayment plan 

4 described in paragraph (1)(A); and 

5 ‘‘(iv) notifies the Department that the 

6 borrower seeks loan cancellation under this 

7 paragraph. 

8 ‘‘(B) PERCENT AMOUNT.—The percent of 

9 a loan that shall be canceled under subpara10 graph (A) is as follows: 

11 ‘‘(i) In the case of a borrower who 

12 completes 2 years of employment in a pub13 lic service job, 15 percent of the total 

14 amount due on the eligible Federal Direct 

15 Loan on the date the borrower commenced 

16 employment in such public service job. 

17 ‘‘(ii) In the case of a borrower who 

18 completes 4 years of employment in a pub19 lic service job, 15 percent of the total 

20 amount due on the eligible Federal Direct 

21 Loan on the date the borrower commenced 

22 employment in such public service job. 

23 ‘‘(iii) In the case of a borrower who 

24 completes 6 years of employment in a pub25 lic service job, 20 percent of the total 


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1 amount due on the eligible Federal Direct 

2 Loan on the date the borrower commenced 

3 employment in such public service job. 

4 ‘‘(iv) In the case of a borrower who 

5 completes 8 years of employment in a pub6 lic service job, 20 percent of the total 

7 amount due on the eligible Federal Direct 

8 Loan on the date the borrower commenced 

9 employment in such public service job. 

10 ‘‘(v) In the case of a borrower who 

11 completes 10 years of employment in a 

12 public service job, 30 percent of the total 

13 amount due on the eligible Federal Direct 

14 Loan on the date the borrower commenced 

15 employment in such public service job. 

16 ‘‘(C) EMPLOYMENT CERTIFICATION

17 FORM.— 

18 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In order to receive 

19 loan cancellation under this paragraph, a 

20 borrower shall submit to the Secretary an 

21 employment certification form that is de22 veloped by the Secretary and includes at 

23 least self-certification of employment, a 

24 separate part for employer certification 

25 that indicates the dates of employment, 


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1 and any additional information required by 

2 the Secretary. 

3 ‘‘(ii) DEFERMENT.—If a borrower 

4 submits to the Secretary the employment 

5 certification form described in clause (i), 

6 during the period in which the borrower is 

7 employed in a public service job for which 

8 loan cancellation is eligible under this 

9 paragraph, the borrower’s eligible Federal 

10 Direct Loan shall be placed in deferment. 

11 ‘‘(D) INTEREST CANCELED.—If a portion 

12 of a loan is canceled under this paragraph for 

13 any year, the entire amount of interest on such 

14 loan that accrues for such year shall be can15 celed. 

16 ‘‘(E) NO RETROACTIVITY.—A borrower 

17 may not receive credit for purposes of loan for18 giveness under this paragraph for years of em19 ployment in a public service job that occurred 

20 before the date of enactment of the Strength21 ening American Communities Act of 2018. 

22 ‘‘(F) LEAVING PUBLIC SERVICE.— 

23 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—If a borrower who 

24 receives loan cancellation under this para25 graph leaves the public service job, either 


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1 voluntarily or involuntarily, for which the 

2 borrower received loan cancellation before 

3 the total amount due on the eligible Fed4 eral Direct Loan is cancelled under this 

5 paragraph, such borrower shall retain eligi6 bility for accelerated loan cancellation 

7 under this paragraph for such eligible Fed8 eral Direct Loan if the borrower com9 mences employment in a public service job 

10 not later than 3 years after the date the 

11 borrower left the public service job for 

12 which the borrower received loan cancella13 tion. 

14 ‘‘(ii) ELIGIBILITY STATUS.—If a bor15 rower described in clause (i) commences 

16 employment in a public service job within 

17 the time period described in clause (i), 

18 such borrower shall resume eligibility for 

19 accelerated loan cancellation under this 

20 paragraph for such eligible Federal Direct 

21 Loan. Such borrower upon resumption of 

22 eligibility shall be considered to have com23 pleted the number of years of employment 

24 in a public service job at the last completed 

25 loan cancellation period described in subVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:51 May 30, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00080 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2984.IS S2984

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1 paragraph (B) for such borrower, even if 

2 the borrower had actually completed an ad3 ditional year of employment in a public 

4 service job. 

5 ‘‘(iii) LOSS OF ELIGIBILITY.—If a 

6 borrower described in clause (i) does not 

7 commence employment in a public service 

8 job within the time period described in 

9 clause (i), such borrower shall no longer be 

10 eligible for loan cancellation under this 

11 paragraph but may be eligible for loan can12 cellation for such loan under paragraph 

13 (1).’’. 

14 (b) NOTIFICATION OF PROGRAM.—The Secretary of 

15 Education, in order to inform public servants of the bene16 fits of the debt-free public service loan cancellation pro17 gram established under section 455(m)(5) of the Higher 

18 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(m))— 

19 (1) shall make guidance publicly available to 

20 the employers of public servants to make public serv21 ants aware of such program; and 

22 (2) is encouraged to work in partnership with 

23 State licensing agencies to make recently licensed 

24 public servants aware of such program. 

Æ 


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