I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3408
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to improve college access 
through experiential education. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 30, 2003
Mr. BISHOP of New York (for himself, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, 
Mr. PAYNE, Mr. HOLT, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. CASE, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. 
RYAN of Ohio, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, 
Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. OWENS, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. HINOJOSA, Ms. 
MAJETTE, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, and Mr. TIERNEY) 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 improve 
college access through experiential education.
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 ‘‘College and Job Op-
portunities for the Future Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following:
(6) The average 4-year college graduate accu-
mulates over $16,000 in debt, with monthly pay-
ments of almost $200. 
(7) The nations’ unemployment rate has risen 
to 6.4 percent, the highest level in 9 years, making 
it increasingly difficult for college graduates to find 
jobs. 
(8) Cooperative education, a program that al-
lows students to work in paid, full- or part-time 
jobs, most often for academic credit, offers college 
students a number of resources to offset this admit-
tedly adverse climate. 
(9) Salaries earned by students working on co-
operative education placements may be used to de-
fray education-related expenses, and reduce amounts 
students may be required to borrow. In this way, co-
operative education addresses, in a very positive 
fashion, the important issues of access and afford-
ability. 
(10) Many, many studies have demonstrated 
that students who participate in cooperative edu-
cation placements persist through to graduation in 
greater numbers than those who have not. 
(11) The skilled job training that cooperative 
education students receive, coupled with their gen-
eral exposure to the world of work, makes students 
more attractive to potential employers when they 
enter the job market. In fact, approximately 80 per-
cent of co-op students are offered permanent posi-
tions by their cooperative education employer upon 
graduation. 
(12) There are a number of goals associated 
with reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. 
These goals include improving access and afford-
ability, improving graduation rates, and improving 
employment prospects for graduates. Cooperative 
education assists students in all of these areas in a 
very positive and cost effective fashion. 
(13) Cooperative education is cost effective, in 
that it represents a relatively modest expenditure of 
Federal resources which provides students with ac-
cess to more substantial private resources. 
SEC. 3. REENACTMENT OF TITLE VIII: COOPERATIVE EDU-
CATION. 
The Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following 
title:
‘‘TITLE VIII—COOPERATIVE 
EDUCATION 
‘‘SEC. 801. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE; DEFINITION. 
‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this title to 
award grants to institutions of higher education or com-
binations of such institutions to encourage such institu-
tions to develop and make available to as many of their 
students as possible work experience that will aid such stu-
dents in future careers and will enable such students to 
support themselves financially while in school. 
‘‘(b) DEFINITION.—For the purpose of this title the 
term ‘cooperative education’ means the provision of alter-
nating or parallel periods of academic study and public 
or private employment in order to give students work expe-
riences related to their academic or occupational objectives 
and an opportunity to earn the funds necessary for con-
tinuing and completing their education. 
‘‘SEC. 802. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; RES-
ERVATIONS. 
‘‘(a) APPROPRIATIONS AUTHORIZED.—There are au-
thorized to be appropriated to carry out this title 
$30,000,000 for fiscal year 2004 and such sums as may 
be necessary for each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years. 
‘‘(b) RESERVATIONS.—Of the amount appropriated 
in each fiscal year—
‘‘(1) not less than 50 percent shall be available 
for carrying out grants to institutions of higher edu-
cation and combinations of such institutions de-
scribed in section 803(a)(1)(A) for cooperative edu-
cation under section 803; 
‘‘(2) not less than 25 percent shall be available 
for carrying out grants to institutions of higher edu-
cation described in section 803(a)(1)(B) for coopera-
tive education under section 803; 
‘‘(3) not to exceed 11 percent shall be available 
for demonstration projects under paragraph (1) of 
section 804(a); 
‘‘(4) not to exceed 11 percent shall be available 
for training and resource centers under paragraph 
(2) of section 804(a); and 
‘‘(5) not to exceed 3 percent shall be available 
for research under paragraph (3) of section 804(a). 
‘‘(c) AVAILABILITY
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Appro-
priations under this title shall not be available for the pay-
ment of compensation of students for employment by em-
ployers under arrangements pursuant to this title. 
‘‘SEC. 803. GRANTS FOR COOPERATIVE EDUCATION. 
‘‘(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is author-
ized—
‘‘(A) from the amount available under sec-
tion 802(b)(1) in each fiscal year and in accord-
ance with the provisions of this title, to make 
grants to institutions of higher education or 
combinations of such institutions that have not 
received a grant under this paragraph in the 
10-year period preceding the date for which a 
grant under this section is requested to pay the 
Federal share of the cost of planning, estab-
lishing, expanding, or carrying out programs of 
cooperative education by such institutions or 
combinations of institutions; and 
‘‘(B) from the amount available under sec-
tion 802(b)(2) in each fiscal year and in accord-
ance with the provisions of this title, to make 
grants to institutions of higher education that 
are operating an existing cooperative education 
program as determined by the Secretary to pay 
the cost of planning, establishing, expanding, or 
carrying out programs of cooperative education 
by such institutions. 
‘‘(2) PROGRAM
REQUIREMENT.—Cooperative 
education programs assisted under this section shall 
provide alternating or parallel periods of academic 
study and of public or private employment, giving
placed in such jobs during the preceding fiscal 
year by all such institutions. 
‘‘(ii) No institution of higher education 
shall receive a grant pursuant to paragraph 
(1)(B) in any fiscal year in an amount which 
exceeds 25 percent of such institution’s cooper-
ative education program’s personnel and oper-
ating budget for the preceding fiscal year. 
‘‘(iii) The minimum annual grant amount 
which an institution of higher education is eligi-
ble to receive under paragraph (1)(B) is $1,000 
and the maximum annual grant amount is 
$75,000. 
‘‘(4) LIMITATION.—The Secretary shall not 
award grants pursuant to paragraphs (1)(A) and 
(1)(B) to the same institution of higher education or 
combination of such institution in any one fiscal 
year. 
‘‘(5) USES.—Grants under paragraph (1)(B) 
shall be used exclusively—
‘‘(A) to expand the quality and participa-
tion of a cooperative education program; 
‘‘(B) for outreach in new curricular areas; 
and
‘‘(C) for outreach to potential participants 
including underrepresented and nontraditional 
populations. 
‘‘(b) APPLICATIONS.—Each institution of higher edu-
cation or combination of such institutions desiring to re-
ceive a grant under this section shall submit an application 
to the Secretary at such time and in such manner as the 
Secretary shall prescribe. Each such application shall—
‘‘(1) set forth the program or activities for 
which a grant is authorized under this section; 
‘‘(2) specify each portion of such program or 
activities which will be performed by a nonprofit or-
ganization or institution other than the applicant 
and the compensation to be paid for such perform-
ance; 
‘‘(3) provide that the applicant will expend dur-
ing such fiscal year for the purpose of such program 
or activities not less than the amount expended for 
such purpose during the previous fiscal year; 
‘‘(4) describe the plans which the applicant will 
carry out to assure, and contain a formal statement 
of the institution’s commitment which assures, that 
the applicant will continue the cooperative education 
program beyond the 5-year period of Federal assist-
ance described in subsection (c)(1) at a level which
is not less than the total amount expended for such 
program during the first year such program was as-
sisted under this section; 
‘‘(5) provide that, in the case of an institution 
of higher education that provides a 2-year program 
which is acceptable for full credit toward a bach-
elor’s degree, the cooperative education program will 
be available to students who are certificate or asso-
ciate degree candidates and who carry at least one-
half the normal full-time academic workload; 
‘‘(6) provide that the applicant will—
‘‘(A) make such reports as may be essen-
tial to ensure that the applicant is complying 
with the provisions of this section, including the 
reports for the second and each succeeding fis-
cal year for which the applicant receives a grant 
with respect to the impact of the cooperative 
education program in the previous fiscal year, 
including—
‘‘(i) the number of unduplicated stu-
dent applicants in the cooperative edu-
cation program; 
‘‘(ii) the number of unduplicated stu-
dents placed in cooperative education jobs;
‘‘(iii) the number of employers who 
have hired cooperative education students; 
‘‘(iv) the income for students derived 
from working in cooperative education 
jobs; and 
‘‘(v) the increase or decrease in the 
number of unduplicated students placed in 
cooperative education jobs in each fiscal 
year compared to the previous fiscal year; 
and 
‘‘(B) keep such records as are essential to 
ensure that the applicant is complying with the 
provisions of this title, including the notation of 
cooperative education employment on the stu-
dent’s transcript; 
‘‘(7) describe the extent to which programs in 
the academic discipline for which the application is 
made have had a favorable reception by public and 
private sector employers; 
‘‘(8) describe the extent to which the institution 
is committed to extending cooperative education on 
an institution-wide basis for all students who can 
benefit;
‘‘(9) describe the plans that the applicant will 
carry out to evaluate the applicant’s cooperative edu-
cation program at the end of the grant period; 
‘‘(10) provide for such fiscal control and fund 
accounting procedures as may be necessary to assure 
proper disbursement of, and accounting for, Federal 
funds paid to the applicant under this title; 
‘‘(11) demonstrate a commitment to serving all 
underserved populations; and 
‘‘(12) include such other information as is es-
sential to carry out the provisions of this title. 
‘‘(c) DURATION OF GRANTS; FEDERAL SHARE.—
‘‘(1) DURATION OF GRANTS.—No individual in-
stitution of higher education may receive, individ-
ually or as a participant in a combination of such in-
stitutions—
‘‘(A) a grant pursuant to subsection 
(a)(1)(A) for more than 5 fiscal years; or 
‘‘(B) a grant pursuant to subsection 
(a)(1)(B) for more than 5 fiscal years. 
‘‘(2) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of a 
grant under section 803(a)(1)(A) may not exceed—
‘‘(A) 85 percent of the cost of carrying out 
the program or activities described in the appli-