PROPEL Act

Subjects: Education, Employment and training programs, Higher education, Licensing and registrations, Student aid and college costs, Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation, Vocational and technical education

Summary:  <p><b>Professional Pell Education Learning Act or the PROPEL Act</b></p> <p>This bill expands student eligibility for Pell Grants by allowing students to use these grants for enrollment in educational programs that consist of vocational or technical training, flight training, apprenticeship, or other on-job training. In addition, the bill expands institutional eligibility under the Federal Pell Grant program, including by allowing these vocational and training programs to be unaccredited.</p>

<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 221 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 221

  To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand eligibility for 
   participation in the Federal Pell Grant program to certain trade 
                                schools.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 9, 2023

 Mr. Wittman introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand eligibility for 
   participation in the Federal Pell Grant program to certain trade 
                                schools.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Professional Pell Education Learning 
Act'' or the ``PROPEL Act''.

SEC. 2. FEDERAL PELL GRANTS.

    (a) Clarification of Eligible Institutions.--
            (1) Award year 2023-2024.--Section 401(a) of the Higher 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a(a)) is amended by adding 
        at the end the following:
    ``(4) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, for purposes 
of this section, the terms `eligible institution', `institution of 
higher education', `eligible program', and `institution' include a 
program of education that--
            ``(A) consists of vocational or technical training, flight 
        training, or apprenticeship or other on-job training;
            ``(B) an individual may pursue using educational assistance 
        pursuant to section 3313(g) of title 38, United States Code;
            ``(C) is less than 600 clock hours of instruction, 16 
        semester hours, or 24 quarter hours, offered during a period of 
        less than 15 weeks;
            ``(D) is not required to be accredited by a nationally 
        recognized accrediting agency or association recognized by the 
        Secretary pursuant to part H;
            ``(E) is not required to lead to a recognized educational 
        credential;
            ``(F) for purposes of the reporting requirements under 
        section 132(i), reports on all enrolled students without regard 
        to whether a student is a first-time, full-time, degree- or 
        certificate-seeking student; and
            ``(G) except as otherwise provided in subparagraphs (A) 
        through (F) of this paragraph, meets the requirements of this 
        title for an institution to participate in the program under 
        this section.''.
            (2) Award year 2024-2025 and each succeeding award year.--
        Section 401(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        1070a(a)), as amended by the FAFSA Simplification Act (section 
        703 of division FF of Public Law 116-260), is amended by adding 
        at the end the following:
    ``(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, for purposes 
of this section, the terms `eligible institution', `institution of 
higher education', `eligible program', and `institution' include a 
program of education that--
            ``(A) consists of vocational or technical training, flight 
        training, or apprenticeship or other on-job training;
            ``(B) an individual may pursue using educational assistance 
        pursuant to section 3313(g) of title 38, United States Code;
            ``(C) is less than 600 clock hours of instruction, 16 
        semester hours, or 24 quarter hours, offered during a period of 
        less than 15 weeks;
            ``(D) is not required to be accredited by a nationally 
        recognized accrediting agency or association recognized by the 
        Secretary pursuant to part H;
            ``(E) is not required to lead to a recognized educational 
        credential;
            ``(F) for purposes of the reporting requirements under 
        section 132(i), reports on all enrolled students without regard 
        to whether a student is a first-time, full-time, degree- or 
        certificate-seeking student; and
            ``(G) except as otherwise provided in subparagraphs (A) 
        through (F) of this paragraph, meets the requirements of this 
        title for an institution to participate in the program under 
        this section.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 484(a)(1) of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1091(a)(1)) is amended by inserting 
``or, for purposes of the Federal Pell Grant program under section 401, 
a program of education described in section 401(a)(3) for award year 
2023-2024, or section 401(a)(4) for award year 2024-2025 or any 
succeeding award year'' after ``section 487''.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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