I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3862 
To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to support 
community college and industry partnerships, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 29, 2015 
Ms. DUCKWORTH (for herself, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. CART-
WRIGHT, Ms. TSONGAS, Mr. HONDA, Mr. RUSH, Ms. NORTON, Ms. 
DELBENE, Mr. TED LIEU of California, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. FOSTER, 
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. CARSON 
of Indiana, Ms. EDWARDS, Mr. ASHFORD, Mr. SARBANES, Mr. BRADY 
of Pennsylvania, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. WALZ, Mr. TAKAI, 
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Mr. 
CICILLINE, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. GUTIE´RREZ, Mrs. BUSTOS, Mr. HINOJOSA, 
Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. LEE, Mr. POCAN, Mr. SABLAN, Mr. RANGEL, and 
Mr. RYAN of Ohio) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 
to support community college and industry partnerships, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Community College 
to Career Fund Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO CAREER FUND. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title I of the Workforce Innova-
tion and Opportunity Act is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘Subtitle F—Community College to 
Career Fund 
‘‘SEC. 199. COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND INDUSTRY PARTNER-
SHIPS PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—From funds appro-
priated under section 199A, the Secretary of Labor (in 
coordination with the Secretary of Education and the Sec-
retary of Commerce) shall award competitive grants to eli-
gible entities described in subsection (b) for the purpose 
of developing, offering, improving, and providing edu-
cational or career training programs for workers. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.— 
‘‘(1) PARTNERSHIPS WITH EMPLOYERS OR AN 
EMPLOYER OR INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP.— 
‘‘(A) GENERAL
DEFINITION.—For pur-
poses of this section, an ‘eligible entity’ means 
any of the entities described in subparagraph 
(B) (or a consortium of any of such entities) in 
partnership with employers or an employer or 
industry partnership representing multiple em-
ployers. 
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‘‘(B) DESCRIPTION OF ENTITIES.—The en-
tities described in this subparagraph are— 
‘‘(i) a community college; 
‘‘(ii) a 4-year public institution of 
higher education (as defined in section 
101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a))) that offers 2- 
year degrees, and that will use funds pro-
vided under this section for activities at 
the certificate and associate degree levels; 
‘‘(iii) a Tribal College or University 
(as defined in section 316(b) of the Higher 
Education 
Act 
of 
1965 
(20 
U.S.C. 
1059c(b))); or 
‘‘(iv) a private or nonprofit, 2-year in-
stitution of higher education (as defined in 
section 102 of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002)) in the Com-
monwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the 
United States Virgin Islands, American 
Samoa, the Commonwealth of the North-
ern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the 
Marshall Islands, the Federated States of 
Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau. 
‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL PARTNERS.— 
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‘‘(A) AUTHORIZATION
OF
ADDITIONAL 
PARTNERS.—In addition to partnering with em-
ployers or an employer or industry partnership 
representing multiple employers as described in 
paragraph (1)(A), an entity described in para-
graph (1) may include in the partnership de-
scribed in paragraph (1) one or more of the or-
ganizations described in subparagraph (B). 
Each eligible entity that includes one or more 
such organizations shall collaborate with the 
State or local board in the area served by the 
eligible entity. 
‘‘(B) ORGANIZATIONS.—The organizations 
described in this subparagraph are as follows: 
‘‘(i) A provider of adult education (as 
defined in section 203) or an institution of 
higher education (as defined in section 101 
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1001)). 
‘‘(ii) A community-based organization. 
‘‘(iii) A joint labor-management part-
nership. 
‘‘(iv) A State or local board. 
‘‘(v) Any other organization that the 
Secretaries consider appropriate. 
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‘‘(c) EDUCATIONAL
OR CAREER TRAINING PRO-
GRAM.—For purposes of this section, the Governor of the 
State in which at least one of the entities described in sub-
section (b)(1)(B) of an eligible entity is located shall es-
tablish criteria for an educational or career training pro-
gram leading to a recognized postsecondary credential for 
which an eligible entity submits a grant proposal under 
subsection (d). 
‘‘(d) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity seeking a 
grant under this section shall submit an application con-
taining a grant proposal, for an educational or career 
training program leading to a recognized postsecondary 
credential, to the Secretaries at such time and containing 
such information as the Secretaries determine is required, 
including a detailed description of— 
‘‘(1) the extent to which the educational or ca-
reer training program described in the grant pro-
posal fits within an overall strategic plan consisting 
of— 
‘‘(A) the State plan described in section 
102 or 103, for the State involved; 
‘‘(B) the local plan described in section 
108, for each local area that comprises a sig-
nificant portion of the area to be served by the 
eligible entity; and 
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‘‘(C) a strategic plan developed by the eli-
gible entity; 
‘‘(2) the extent to which the program will meet 
the needs of employers in the area for skilled work-
ers in in-demand industry sectors and occupations; 
‘‘(3) the extent to which the program will meet 
the educational or career training needs of workers 
in the area; 
‘‘(4) the specific educational or career training 
program and how the program meets the criteria es-
tablished under subsection (e), including the manner 
in which the grant will be used to develop, offer, im-
prove, and provide the educational or career training 
program; 
‘‘(5) any previous experience of the eligible enti-
ty in providing educational or career training pro-
grams, the absence of which shall not automatically 
disqualify an eligible institution from receiving a 
grant under this section; and 
‘‘(6) how the program leading to the credential 
meets the criteria described in subsection (c). 
‘‘(e) CRITERIA FOR AWARD.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Grants under this section 
shall be awarded based on criteria established by the 
Secretaries, that include the following: 
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‘‘(A) A determination of the merits of the 
grant proposal submitted by the eligible entity 
involved to develop, offer, improve, and provide 
an educational or career training program to be 
made available to workers. 
‘‘(B) An assessment of the likely employ-
ment opportunities available in the area to indi-
viduals who complete an educational or career 
training program that the eligible entity pro-
poses to develop, offer, improve, and provide. 
‘‘(C) An assessment of prior demand for 
training programs by individuals eligible for 
training and served by the eligible entity, as 
well as availability and capacity of existing (as 
of the date of the assessment) training pro-
grams to meet future demand for training pro-
grams. 
‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this 
section, the Secretaries shall give priority to eligible 
entities that— 
‘‘(A) include a partnership, with employers 
or an employer or industry partnership, that— 
‘‘(i) pays a portion of the costs of 
educational or career training programs; or 
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‘‘(ii) agrees to hire individuals who 
have attained a recognized postsecondary 
credential resulting from the educational or 
career training program of the eligible en-
tity; 
‘‘(B) enter into a partnership with a labor 
organization or labor-management training pro-
gram to provide, through the program, tech-
nical expertise for occupationally specific edu-
cation necessary for a recognized postsecondary 
credential leading to a skilled occupation in an 
in-demand industry sector; 
‘‘(C) are focused on serving individuals 
with barriers to employment, low-income, non- 
traditional students, students who are dis-
located workers, students who are veterans, or 
students who are long-term unemployed; 
‘‘(D) include any eligible entities serving 
areas with high unemployment rates; 
‘‘(E) are eligible entities that include an 
institution of higher education eligible for as-
sistance under title III or V of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1051 et seq.; 20 
U.S.C. 1101 et seq.); and 
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‘‘(F) include a partnership, with employers 
or an employer or industry partnership, that in-
creases domestic production of goods. 
‘‘(f) USE OF FUNDS.—Grant funds awarded under 
this section shall be used for one or more of the following: 
‘‘(1) The development, offering, improvement, 
and provision of educational or career training pro-
grams, that provide relevant job training for skilled 
occupations, that lead to recognized postsecondary 
credentials, that will meet the needs of employers in 
in-demand industry sectors, and that may include 
registered apprenticeship programs, on-the-job train-
ing programs, and programs that support employers 
in upgrading the skills of their workforce. 
‘‘(2) The development and implementation of 
policies and programs to expand opportunities for 
students to earn a recognized postsecondary creden-
tial, including a degree, in in-demand industry sec-
tors and occupations, including by— 
‘‘(A) facilitating the transfer of academic 
credits between institutions of higher education, 
including the transfer of academic credits for 
courses in the same field of study; 
‘‘(B) expanding articulation agreements 
and policies that guarantee transfers between 
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such institutions, including through common 
course numbering and use of a general core 
curriculum; and 
‘‘(C) developing or enhancing student sup-
port services programs. 
‘‘(3) The creation of career pathway programs 
that provide a sequence of education and occupa-
tional training that leads to a recognized postsec-
ondary credential, including a degree, including pro-
grams that— 
‘‘(A) blend basic skills and occupational 
training; 
‘‘(B) facilitate means of transitioning par-
ticipants from non-credit occupational, basic 
skills, or developmental coursework to for-credit 
coursework within and across institutions; 
‘‘(C) build or enhance linkages, including 
the development of dual enrollment programs 
and early college high schools, between sec-
ondary education or adult education programs 
(including programs established under the Carl 
D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act 
of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.) and title II 
of this Act); 
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