I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6935 
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for job training 
Federal Pell Grants and to increase support for working students. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 
Mr. BERA 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 provide 
for job training Federal Pell Grants and to increase 
support for working students. 
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 ‘‘Access to Professional 
Education and Lifelong Learning Act’’ or ‘‘Access to 
PELL Act’’. 
SEC. 2. JOB TRAINING FEDERAL PELL GRANTS. 
Section 401 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1070a) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘(k) JOB TRAINING FEDERAL PELL GRANT PRO-
GRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For the award years begin-
ning on or after July 1, 2019, the Secretary shall 
carry out a program through which the Secretary 
shall award job training Federal Pell Grants to stu-
dents in job training programs. Each job training 
Federal Pell Grant awarded under this subsection 
shall have the same terms and conditions, and be 
awarded in the same manner, as a Federal Pell 
Grant awarded under subsection (a), except as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(A) A student who is eligible to receive a 
job training Federal Pell Grant under this sub-
section is a student who— 
‘‘(i) has not yet attained a bacca-
laureate degree or postbaccalaureate de-
gree; 
‘‘(ii) attends an institution of higher 
education as defined in section 101 or 
102(a)(1)(B); 
‘‘(iii) is enrolled, or accepted for en-
rollment, in a job training program at such 
institution of higher education; and 
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‘‘(iv) meets all other eligibility re-
quirements for a Federal Pell Grant (ex-
cept with respect to the type of program of 
study, as provided in clause (iii)). 
‘‘(B) The amount of a job training Federal 
Pell Grant for an eligible student shall be deter-
mined 
under 
subsection 
(b)(2)(A), 
except 
that— 
‘‘(i) the maximum Federal Pell Grant 
awarded under this subsection for an 
award year shall be 50 percent of the max-
imum Federal Pell Grant awarded under 
subsection (b) applicable to that award 
year; 
‘‘(ii) no increase shall be calculated 
under subsection (b)(7)(B) for a student 
receiving a job training Federal Pell Grant 
under this subsection; and 
‘‘(iii) subsection (b)(4) shall not 
apply. 
‘‘(2) INCLUSION
IN
TOTAL
ELIGIBILITY
PE-
RIOD.—Any period during which a student receives 
a job training Federal Pell Grant under this sub-
section shall be included in calculating the student’s 
period of eligibility for Federal Pell Grants under 
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subsection (c), and any regulations under such sub-
section regarding students who are enrolled in an 
undergraduate program on less than a full-time 
basis shall similarly apply to students who are en-
rolled in a job training program at an eligible insti-
tution on less than a full-time basis. 
‘‘(3) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection, the fol-
lowing definitions apply: 
‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE CAREER PATHWAYS PRO-
GRAM.—The term ‘eligible career pathway pro-
gram’ means a program that is part of a career 
pathway, as defined under section 3(7) of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 
U.S.C. 3102(7)), that is a combination of rig-
orous and high-quality education, training, and 
other services that— 
‘‘(i) aligns with the skill needs of in-
dustries in the State or regional economy 
involved; 
‘‘(ii) prepares an individual to be suc-
cessful in any of a full range of secondary 
or postsecondary education options, includ-
ing apprenticeships registered under the 
Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly known 
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as the ‘National Apprenticeship Act’; 50 
Stat. 664; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.); 
‘‘(iii) includes counseling to support 
an individual in achieving the individual’s 
education and career goals; 
‘‘(iv) includes, as appropriate, edu-
cation offered concurrently with and in the 
same context as workforce preparation ac-
tivities and training for a specific occupa-
tion or occupational cluster; 
‘‘(v) organizes education, training, 
and other services to meet the particular 
needs of an individual in a manner that ac-
celerates the educational and career ad-
vancement of the individual to the extent 
practicable; 
‘‘(vi) enables an individual to attain a 
secondary school diploma or its recognized 
equivalent, and at least one recognized 
postsecondary credential; and 
‘‘(vii) helps an individual enter or ad-
vance within a specific occupation or occu-
pational cluster. 
‘‘(B) JOB TRAINING PROGRAM.—The term 
‘job training program’ means a career and tech-
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nical education program at an institution of 
higher education that— 
‘‘(i) provides not less than 150 clock 
hours of instructional time over a period of 
not less than 8 weeks; 
‘‘(ii) provides training aligned with 
the requirements of employers in the State 
or local area, which may include in-demand 
industry sectors or occupations in the 
State or local area, as defined under sec-
tion 3(23) of the Workforce Innovation 
and 
Opportunity 
Act 
(29 
U.S.C. 
3102(23)); 
‘‘(iii) provides a student, upon comple-
tion of the program, with a recognized 
postsecondary credential, as defined under 
section 3(52) of the Workforce Innovation 
and 
Opportunity 
Act 
(29 
U.S.C. 
3102(52)), that is recognized by employers 
in the relevant industry, including creden-
tials recognized by industry or sector part-
nerships in the State or local area where 
the industry is located; 
‘‘(iv) has been determined, by the in-
stitution of higher education, to provide 
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