the student’s progress toward a degree or certificate 
if the student is enrolled— 
‘‘(i) on at least a half-time basis for a pe-
riod of more than one academic year, or more 
than two semesters or an equivalent period of 
time, during a single award year; and 
‘‘(ii) in a program of instruction at an in-
stitution of higher education for which the insti-
tution awards an associate or baccalaureate de-
gree or a certificate. 
‘‘(B) In the case of a student receiving more 
than one Federal Pell Grant in a single award year 
under subparagraph (A), the total amount of Fed-
eral Pell Grants awarded to such student for the 
award year may exceed the maximum basic grant 
level specified in the appropriate appropriations Act 
for such award year.’’. 
TITLE III—RESTORING TITLE IV 
ABILITY-TO-BENEFIT 
ELIGI-
BILITY 
SEC. 301. ABILITY-TO-BENEFIT ELIGIBILITY. 
Section 484(d) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1091(d)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(d) STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT HIGH SCHOOL 
GRADUATES.—In order for a student who does not have 
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a certificate of graduation from a school providing sec-
ondary education, or the recognized equivalent of such cer-
tificate, to be eligible for any assistance under subparts 
1, 3, and 4 of part A and parts B, C, D, and E of this 
title, the student shall meet one of the following standards: 
‘‘(1) The student shall take an independently 
administered examination and shall achieve a score, 
specified by the Secretary, demonstrating that such 
student can benefit from the education or training 
being offered. Such examination shall be approved 
by the Secretary on the basis of compliance with 
such standards for development, administration, and 
scoring as the Secretary may prescribe in regula-
tions. 
‘‘(2) The student shall be determined as having 
the ability to benefit from the education or training 
in accordance with such process as the State shall 
prescribe. Any such process described or approved 
by a State for the purposes of this section shall be 
effective 6 months after the date of submission to 
the Secretary unless the Secretary disapproves such 
process. In determining whether to approve or dis-
approve such process, the Secretary shall take into 
account the effectiveness of such process in enabling 
students without high school diplomas or the equiva-
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lent thereof to benefit from the instruction offered 
by institutions utilizing such process, and shall also 
take into account the cultural diversity, economic 
circumstances, and educational preparation of the 
populations served by the institutions. 
‘‘(3) The student has completed a secondary 
school education in a home school setting that is 
treated as a home school or private school under 
State law. 
‘‘(4) The student shall be determined by the in-
stitution of higher education as having the ability to 
benefit from the education or training offered by the 
institution of higher education upon satisfactory 
completion of six credit hours or the equivalent 
coursework that are applicable toward a degree or 
certificate offered by the institution of higher edu-
cation.’’. 
TITLE IV—YOUTH PROMISE/FED-
ERAL 
COORDINATION 
OF 
LOCAL 
AND 
TRIBAL 
JUVE-
NILE JUSTICE INFORMATION 
AND EFFORTS 
SEC. 401. PROMISE ADVISORY PANEL. 
(a) ORGANIZATION
OF STATE ADVISORY GROUP 
MEMBER REPRESENTATIVES.—Section 223(f) of the Ju-
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venile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 
(42 U.S.C. 5633(f)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘an eligible 
organization composed of member representatives of 
the State advisory groups appointed under sub-
section (a)(3)’’ and inserting ‘‘a nonpartisan, non-
profit organization that is described in section 
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986,’’; 
and 
(2) by amending paragraph (2) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(2) ASSISTANCE.—To be eligible to receive 
such assistance, such organization shall— 
‘‘(A) be governed by individuals who— 
‘‘(i) have been appointed by a chief 
executive of a State to serve as a State ad-
visory group member under subsection 
(a)(3); and 
‘‘(ii) are elected to serve as a gov-
erning officer of such organization by a 
majority of the Chairs (or Chair-designees) 
of all such State advisory groups; 
‘‘(B) include member representatives from 
a majority of such State advisory groups, who 
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shall be representative of regionally and demo-
graphically diverse States and jurisdictions; 
‘‘(C) annually seek appointments by the 
chief executive of each State of one State advi-
sory group member and one alternate State ad-
visory group member from each such State to 
implement the advisory functions specified in 
clauses (iv) and (v) of subparagraph (D), in-
cluding serving on the PROMISE Advisory 
Panel, and make a record of any such appoint-
ments available to the public; and 
‘‘(D) agree to carry out activities that in-
clude— 
‘‘(i) conducting an annual conference 
of such member representatives for pur-
poses relating to the activities of such 
State advisory groups; 
‘‘(ii) disseminating information, data, 
standards, advanced techniques, and pro-
gram models; 
‘‘(iii) reviewing Federal policies re-
garding juvenile justice and delinquency 
prevention; 
‘‘(iv) advising the Administrator with 
respect to particular functions or aspects 
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of the work of the Office, and appointing 
a representative, diverse group of members 
of such organization under subparagraph 
(C) to serve as an advisory panel of State 
juvenile justice advisors (referred to as the 
‘PROMISE Advisory Panel’) to carry out 
the functions specified in subsection (g); 
and 
‘‘(v) advising the President and Con-
gress with regard to State perspectives on 
the operation of the Office and Federal 
legislation pertaining to juvenile justice 
and delinquency prevention.’’. 
(b) PROMISE ADVISORY PANEL.—Section 223 of 
the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 
1974 (42 U.S.C. 5633) is further amended by adding at 
the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(g) PROMISE ADVISORY PANEL.— 
‘‘(1) FUNCTIONS.—The PROMISE Advisory 
Panel required under subsection (f)(2)(D) shall— 
‘‘(A) assess successful evidence-based and 
promising practices related to juvenile delin-
quency and criminal street gang activity preven-
tion and intervention carried out by PROMISE 
Coordinating Councils under section 511 of title 
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V of division A of the Pathways Out of Poverty 
Act of 2014; 
‘‘(B) provide the Administrator with a list 
of individuals and organizations with experience 
in administering or evaluating practices that 
serve youth involved in, or at risk of involve-
ment in, juvenile delinquency and criminal 
street gang activity, from which the Adminis-
trator shall select individuals who shall— 
‘‘(i) provide to the Administrator peer 
reviews of applications submitted by units 
of local government and Indian tribes pur-
suant to title V of division A of the Path-
ways Out of Poverty Act of 2014, to en-
sure that such applications demonstrate a 
clear plan to— 
‘‘(I) serve youth as part of an en-
tire family unit; and 
‘‘(II) coordinate the delivery of 
service to youth among agencies; and 
‘‘(ii) advise the Administrator with re-
spect to the award and allocation of 
PROMISE Planning grants to local and 
tribal governments that develop PROMISE 
Coordinating Councils, and of PROMISE 
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Implementation grants to such PROMISE 
Coordinating Councils, pursuant to of title 
V of division A of the Pathways Out of 
Poverty Act of 2014; and 
‘‘(C) develop performance standards to be 
used to evaluate programs and activities carried 
out with grants under of title V of division A 
of thePathways Out of Poverty Act of 2014, in-
cluding the evaluation of changes achieved as a 
result of such programs and activities related to 
decreases in juvenile delinquency and criminal 
street gang activity, including— 
‘‘(i) prevention of involvement by at- 
risk youth in juvenile delinquency or crimi-
nal street gang activity; 
‘‘(ii) diversion of youth with a high 
risk of continuing involvement in juvenile 
delinquency or criminal street gang activ-
ity; and 
‘‘(iii) financial savings from deferred 
or eliminated costs, or other benefits, as a 
result of such programs and activities, and 
the reinvestment by the unit or tribe of 
any such savings. 
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‘‘(2) ANNUAL
REPORT.—Not later than 18 
months after the date of the effective date of this 
subsection, and annually thereafter, the PROMISE 
Advisory Panel shall prepare a report containing the 
findings and determinations under paragraph (1)(A) 
and shall submit such report to Congress, the Presi-
dent, the Attorney General, and the chief executive 
and chief law enforcement officer of each State, unit 
of local government, and Indian tribe.’’. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 
299(a)(1) of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Preven-
tion Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5671(a)(1)) is amended to 
read as follows: 
‘‘(1) There are authorized to be appropriated 
such sums as may be necessary to carry out this 
title for each of the fiscal years 2015 through 
2017.’’. 
SEC. 402. GEOGRAPHIC ASSESSMENT OF RESOURCE ALLO-
CATION. 
(a) GRANT FOR COLLECTION OF DATA TO DETER-
MINE NEED.—Subject to the availability of appropria-
tions, the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice 
and Delinquency Prevention shall award a grant, on a 
competitive basis, to an organization to— 
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(1) collect and analyze data related to the exist-
ing juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang ac-
tivity prevention and intervention needs and re-
sources in each designated geographic area; 
(2) use the data collected and analyzed under 
paragraph (1) to compile a list of designated geo-
graphic areas that have the most need of resources, 
based on such data, to carry out juvenile delin-
quency and criminal street gang activity prevention 
and intervention; 
(3) use the data collected and analyzed under 
paragraph (1) to rank the areas listed under para-
graph (2) in descending order by the amount of need 
for resources to carry out juvenile delinquency and 
criminal street gang activity prevention and inter-
vention, ranking the area with the greatest need for 
such resources highest; and 
(4) periodically update the list and rankings 
under paragraph (3) as the Administrator deter-
mines to be appropriate. 
(b) DATA SOURCES.—In compiling such list and de-
termining such rankings, the organization shall collect and 
analyze data relating to juvenile delinquency and criminal 
street gang activity prevention and intervention— 
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(1) using the geographic information system 
and Web-based mapping application known as the 
Socioeconomic Mapping and Resource Topography 
(SMART) system; 
(2) from the Department of Health and Human 
Services, the Department of Labor, the Department 
of Housing and Urban Development, and the De-
partment of Education; and 
(3) from the annual KIDS Count Data Book 
and other data made available by the KIDS Count 
initiative of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. 
(c) USE OF DATA BY THE ADMINISTRATOR.—The list 
and rankings required by this section shall be provided 
to the Administrator to be used to provide funds under 
this section in the most strategic and effective manner to 
ensure that resources and services are provided to youth 
in the communities with the greatest need for such re-
sources and services. 
(d) LIMITATION ON USE OF COLLECTED DATA.— 
The information collected and analyzed under this section 
may not be used for any purpose other than to carry out 
the purposes of this section. Such information may not 
be used for any purpose related to the investigation or 
prosecution of any person, or for profiling of individuals 
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based on race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, or any 
other characteristic. 
(e) AUTHORIZATION
AND LIMITATION
OF APPRO-
PRIATIONS.—Of the amount appropriated for fiscal year 
2015 to carry out this section and subtitle A of title V 
of this Act, not more than 1 percent of such amount, or 
$1,000,000, whichever is less, shall be available to carry 
out this section. 
TITLE V—PROMISE GRANTS 
SEC. 501. PURPOSES. 
The purposes of the grant programs established 
under this title are to— 
(1) enable local and tribal communities to as-
sess the unmet needs of youth who are involved in, 
or are at risk of involvement in, juvenile delinquency 
or criminal street gangs; 
(2) develop plans appropriate for a community 
to address those unmet needs with juvenile delin-
quency and gang prevention and intervention prac-
tices; and 
(3) implement and evaluate such plans in a 
manner consistent with this title. 
SEC. 502. DEFINITIONS. 
In this title: 
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(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Office of Ju-
venile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. 
(2) 
COMMUNITY.—The 
term 
‘‘community’’ 
means a unit of local government or an Indian tribe, 
or part of such a unit or tribe, as determined by 
such a unit or tribe for the purpose of applying for 
a grant under this title. 
(3) DESIGNATED
GEOGRAPHIC
AREA.—The 
term ‘‘designated geographic area’’ means a 5-digit 
postal ZIP Code assigned to a geographic area by 
the United States Postal Service. 
(4) EVIDENCE-BASED.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘‘evidence- 
based’’, when used with respect to a practice re-
lating to juvenile delinquency and criminal 
street gang activity prevention and intervention, 
means a practice (including a service, program, 
activity, intervention, technology, or strategy) 
for which the Administrator has determined— 
(i) causal evidence documents a rela-
tionship between the practice and its in-
tended outcome, based on measures of the 
direction and size of a change, and the ex-
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tent to which a change may be attributed 
to the practice; and 
(ii) the use of scientific methods rules 
out, to the extent possible, alternative ex-
planations for the documented change. 
(B) SCIENTIFIC METHODS.—For the pur-
poses of subparagraph (A), the term ‘‘scientific 
methods’’ means— 
(i) evaluation by an experimental trial, 
in which participants are randomly as-
signed to participate in the practice that is 
subject to such trial; or 
(ii) evaluation by a quasi-experimental 
trial, in which the outcomes for partici-
pants are compared with outcomes for a 
control group that is made up of individ-
uals who are similar to such participants. 
(5) INTERVENTION.—The term ‘‘intervention’’ 
means the provision of programs and services that 
are supported by research, are evidence-based or 
promising practices, and are provided to youth who 
are involved in, or who are identified by evidence- 
based risk assessment methods as being at high risk 
of continued involvement in, juvenile delinquency or 
criminal street gangs, as a result of indications that 
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demonstrate involvement with problems such as tru-
ancy, substance abuse, mental health treatment 
needs, or siblings who have had involvement with ju-
venile or criminal justice systems. 
(6) JUVENILE
DELINQUENCY
AND
CRIMINAL 
STREET
GANG
ACTIVITY
PREVENTION.—The term 
‘‘juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activ-
ity prevention’’ means the provision of programs and 
resources to children and families who have not yet 
had substantial contact with criminal justice or juve-
nile justice systems, that— 
(A) are designed to reduce potential juve-
nile delinquency and criminal street gang activ-
ity risks; and 
(B) are evidence-based or promising edu-
cational, health, mental health, school-based, 
community-based, faith-based, parenting, job 
training, social opportunities and experiences, 
or other programs, for youth and their families, 
that have been demonstrated to be effective in 
reducing juvenile delinquency and criminal 
street gang activity risks. 
(7) PROMISING.—The term ‘‘promising’’, when 
used with respect to a practice relating to juvenile 
delinquency and criminal street gang activity preven-
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tion and intervention, means a practice (including a 
service, program, activity, intervention, technology, 
or strategy) that, based on statistical analyses or a 
theory of change, the Administrator has deter-
mined— 
(A) has outcomes from an evaluation that 
demonstrate such practice reduces juvenile de-
linquency and criminal street gang activity; and 
(B) is part of a study being conducted to 
determine if such a practice is evidence-based. 
(8) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 
the several States, the District of Columbia, the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, 
American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Is-
lands, and any other territories or possessions of the 
United States. 
(9) THEORY OF CHANGE.—The term ‘‘theory of 
change’’ means a program planning strategy ap-
proved by the Administrator that outlines the types 
of interventions and outcomes essential to achieving 
a set of program goals. 
(10) YOUTH.—The term ‘‘youth’’ means— 
(A) an individual who is 18 years of age or 
younger; or 
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(B) in any State in which the maximum 
age at which the juvenile justice system of such 
State has jurisdiction over individuals exceeds 
18 years of age, an individual who is such max-
imum age or younger. 
Subtitle A—PROMISE Assessment 
and Planning Grants 
SEC. 510. PROMISE ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING GRANTS 
AUTHORIZED. 
(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Administrator is 
authorized to award grants to units of local government 
and Indian tribes to assist PROMISE Coordinating Coun-
cils with planning and assessing evidence-based and prom-
ising practices relating to juvenile delinquency and crimi-
nal street gang activity prevention and intervention, espe-
cially for youth who are involved in, or who are at risk 
of involvement in, juvenile delinquency and criminal street 
gang activity. Such PROMISE Coordinating Councils 
shall— 
(1) conduct an objective needs and strengths 
assessment in accordance with section 512; and 
(2) develop a PROMISE Plan in accordance 
with section 513, based on the assessment conducted 
in accordance with section 512. 
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