I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4578 
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make improvements to 
the TEACH Grant program, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 
Ms. WILSON of Florida (for herself, Mrs. HAYES, and Mr. TAKANO) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Edu-
cation and Labor 
A BILL 
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make im-
provements to the TEACH Grant program, 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 ‘‘Build Effective Teach-
ers Through Essential Reforms to Teacher Education As-
sistance for College and Higher Education Grants Act of 
2019’’ or the ‘‘BETTER TEACH Grants Act of 2019’’. 
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SEC. 2. REVISED DEFINITIONS OF TEACH GRANTS. 
Section 420L of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1070g) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(4) TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM.—The 
term ‘teacher preparation program’— 
‘‘(A) means a State-approved course of 
study provided by an institution of higher edu-
cation, the completion of which signifies that an 
enrollee has met all the State’s educational or 
training requirements for initial certification or 
licensure to teach in the State’s elementary 
schools or secondary schools; and 
‘‘(B) may be a regular program or an al-
ternative route to certification, as defined by 
the State that approved such course of study.’’. 
SEC. 3. REVISIONS TO ESTABLISHING TEACH GRANT PRO-
GRAM. 
Section 420M of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1070g–1) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1) by striking ‘‘in the 
amount of’’ and all that follows through the period 
at the end and inserting the following: ‘‘in the 
amount of— 
‘‘(A) except as provided in subsection 
(d)(4), $8,000 dollars, to be available to a 
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teacher candidate who is enrolled as an under-
graduate junior at the eligible institution; 
‘‘(B) except as provided in subsection 
(d)(4), $8,000 dollars, to be available to a 
teacher candidate who is enrolled as an under-
graduate senior at the eligible institution; and 
‘‘(C) $4,000 for any year not described in 
subparagraph (A) or (B) during which that 
teacher candidate is in attendance at the insti-
tution.’’; and 
(2) in subsection (d)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘under-
graduate’’ and inserting ‘‘associate, under-
graduate,’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) ASSOCIATE DEGREE STUDENTS.— 
‘‘(A) MAXIMUM AMOUNT FOR ASSOCIATE 
DEGREE STUDY.—The period during which an 
associate degree student may receive grants 
under this subpart shall be the period required 
for the completion of an associate’s degree 
course of study pursued by the teacher can-
didate at the eligible institution at which the 
teacher candidate is in attendance, except that 
the total amount that a teacher candidate may 
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receive under this subpart for an associate’s de-
gree course of study shall not exceed $8,000. 
‘‘(B) 
EFFECT
ON
FURTHER
UNDER-
GRADUATE OR POST-BACCALAUREATE STUDY.— 
In the case of a teacher candidate who receives 
a grant under this subpart for an associate’s 
degree course of study and who seeks to receive 
a grant described in subparagraph (A) or (B) 
of subsection (a)(1), the amount of such grant 
shall be equal to— 
‘‘(i) one half of the amount that is 
equal to $16,000, minus the amount the 
teacher candidate received under this sub-
part for the associate’s degree course of 
study of such candidate, to be available to 
a teacher candidate who is enrolled as an 
undergraduate junior at the eligible insti-
tution; and 
‘‘(ii) one half of the amount that is 
equal to $16,000, minus the amount the 
teacher candidate received under this sub-
part for the associate’s degree course of 
study of such candidate, to be available to 
a teacher candidate who is enrolled as an 
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undergraduate senior at the eligible insti-
tution.’’. 
SEC. 4. REVISIONS TO TEACH GRANT APPLICATIONS AND 
ELIGIBILITY. 
Section 420N of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1070g–2) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in the heading of paragraph (2), by 
striking ‘‘DEMONSTRATION OF TEACH’’ and in-
sert ‘‘TEACH’’; 
(B) in paragraphs (2)(B)(i), by striking 
‘‘or another high-need’’ and inserting ‘‘early 
childhood education, or another high-need’’; and 
(C) in paragraph (2)(B)(ii), by striking ‘‘, 
such as Teach for America,’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) in subparagraph (B), by inserting 
before the semicolon at the end the fol-
lowing: ‘‘or in a high-need early childhood 
education program (as defined in section 
200(15));’’; 
(ii) in subparagraph (C)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of 
clause (vi); 
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(II) by redesignating clause (vii) 
as clause (viii); 
(III) by inserting after clause 
(vi), as so amended, the following: 
‘‘(vii) early childhood education; or’’; 
and 
(IV) in clause (viii), as so redes-
ignated, by adding ‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(iii) in subparagraph (D), by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end; and 
(iv) by striking subparagraph (E); 
(B) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of para-
graph (2); 
(C) by striking the period at the end of 
paragraph (3) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(D) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) the Secretary will— 
‘‘(A) notify, or ensure that the applicable 
loan servicer will notify, the applicant of— 
‘‘(i) the date on which submission of 
the certification under paragraph (1)(D) is 
required; and 
‘‘(ii) any failure to submit such cer-
tification; and 
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‘‘(B) allow employers and borrowers to use 
electronic signatures to certify such employ-
ment.’’; 
(3) in subsection (c)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘In the event’’ and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 
in the event’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) CLARIFICATION.— 
‘‘(A) APPLICATION.—Paragraph (1) may 
only apply with respect to a recipient of a grant 
under this subpart if— 
‘‘(i) after completing the course of 
study for which the recipient received the 
grant, such recipient does not serve as a 
full-time teacher as required under sub-
section (b)(1) for at least— 
‘‘(I) 1 year, as certified under 
subsection (b)(1)(D) on a date that is 
not later than 5 years after the date 
such course of study was completed; 
‘‘(II) 2 years, as certified under 
subsection (b)(1)(D) on a date that is 
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not later than 6 years after the date 
such course of study was completed; 
‘‘(III) 3 years, as certified under 
subsection (b)(1)(D) on a date that is 
not later than 7 years after the date 
such course of study was completed; 
or 
‘‘(IV) 4 years, as certified under 
subsection (b)(1)(D) on a date that is 
not later than 8 years after the date 
such course of study was completed; 
or 
‘‘(ii) the recipient elects to have such 
grant treated as a loan in accordance with 
such paragraph (1). 
‘‘(B) APPEAL.—A recipient of a grant may 
appeal a decision to convert a loan under para-
graph (1).’’; and 
(4) in subsection (d)— 
(A) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 
paragraph (5); 
(B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘sub-
section (b)(1)(C)(vii)’’ and inserting ‘‘sub-
section (b)(1)(C)(viii)’’; and 
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(C) by inserting after paragraph (1), the 
following: 
‘‘(2) CHANGE
OF
SCHOOL
DESCRIPTION
OR 
PROGRAM DEFINITION.—If a recipient of an initial 
grant under this subpart teaches in a school or an 
early childhood education program for an academic 
year during which the school is identified as a school 
described in section 465(a)(2)(A) or a program that 
meets the definition of section 200(15), but the 
school or program no longer meets such description 
or definition during a subsequent academic year, the 
grant recipient may fulfill the service obligation de-
scribed in subsection (b)(1) by continuing to teach 
at that school or program. 
‘‘(3) CHANGE OF TEACHER DUTIES OR ASSIGN-
MENT.—If a recipient of an initial grant under this 
subpart teaches as a full-time teacher described in 
subsection (b)(1)(A), but the recipient no longer 
meets such description during a subsequent aca-
demic year due to switching academic roles to that 
of a full-time co-teacher, teacher leader, instruc-
tional or academic coach, department chairperson, 
special education case manager, guidance counselor, 
or school administrator within a school or program, 
the grant recipient may fulfill the service obligation 
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described in subsection (b)(1) by continuing to work 
in any such academic role on a full-time basis at 
that school or program. 
‘‘(4) CHANGE IN HIGH-NEED FIELD STATUS.— 
If a recipient of an initial grant under this subpart 
teaches in a field at a school or an early childhood 
education program for an academic year during 
which the field is designated under subsection 
(b)(1)(C)(viii), but the field no longer is so des-
ignated during a subsequent academic year, the 
grant recipient may fulfill the service obligation de-
scribed in subsection (b)(1) by continuing to teach 
in such field at such school or early childhood edu-
cation program.’’. 
SEC. 5. REVISIONS TO TEACH GRANT DATA COLLECTION 
AND REPORTING. 
Section 420P of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1070g–4) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 420P. DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING. 
‘‘(a) DATA COLLECTION.— 
‘‘(1) AGGREGATE STUDENT DATA.—On an an-
nual 
basis, 
the 
Secretary 
shall 
determine, 
disaggregate in accordance with paragraph (2), and 
make available to the public in accordance with 
paragraph (3), with respect to each institution (and 
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each category of institution listed in section 132(d)) 
that received a payment under this subpart in the 
previous academic year, the following information: 
‘‘(A) The number and mean dollar amount 
of TEACH Grants awarded to students at the 
institution. 
‘‘(B) The number and proportion of 
TEACH Grant recipients who exit their pro-
gram of study before completing the program. 
‘‘(C) The number and proportion of 
TEACH Grant recipients who complete their 
program of study and begin employment as a 
teacher in the first academic year following the 
year of such completion. 
‘‘(D) The number and proportion of indi-
viduals employed as teachers who received a 
TEACH Grant and whose TEACH Grants are 
converted into loans during the 8-year period 
following the year in which the recipient com-
pleted the recipient’s program of study, set 
forth separately for each year in such period. 
‘‘(E) The number and proportion of 
TEACH Grant recipients who fulfill the terms 
of their agreement to serve under section 
420N(b) during the 8-year period following the 
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year in which the recipient completed the recipi-
ent’s program of study, set forth separately for 
each year in such period. 
‘‘(2) DISAGGREGATION.—The information de-
termined under paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(A) except in cases in which such 
disaggregation would reveal personally identifi-
able information about an individual student, 
shall be disaggregated by— 
‘‘(i) race; 
‘‘(ii) gender; 
‘‘(iii) socioeconomic status; 
‘‘(iv) Federal Pell Grant eligibility 
status; 
‘‘(v) status as a first-generation col-
lege 
student 
(as 
defined 
in 
section 
402A(h)); 
‘‘(vi) veteran or active duty status; 
‘‘(vii) disability status; 
‘‘(viii) level of study (associate, under-
graduate, postbaccalaureate, or graduate, 
as applicable); 
‘‘(ix) year of study (junior or senior 
year, as applicable); and 
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‘‘(x) each teacher preparation pro-
gram offered by an institution; and 
‘‘(B) may be disaggregated by any com-
bination of subgroups or descriptions described 
in subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(3) AVAILABILITY OF DATA.—The information 
determined under paragraph (1) shall— 
‘‘(A) remain available to the public for a 
period of not less than 10 years after its initial 
release by the Secretary; and 
‘‘(B) be updated as necessary to reflect the 
most accurate and up-to-date information for 
each institution for each year of data collection. 
‘‘(b) INFORMATION FROM INSTITUTIONS.—Each in-
stitution that receives a payment under this subpart shall 
provide to the Secretary, on an annual basis, such infor-
mation as may be necessary for the Secretary to carry out 
subsection (a). 
‘‘(c) REPORTS AND DISSEMINATION.— 
‘‘(1) INITIAL
AND
INTERIM
REPORTS.—Not 
later than one year after the date on which the first 
TEACH Grant is awarded under this subpart after 
the date of enactment of the BETTER TEACH 
Grants Act of 2019, and annually thereafter, the 
Secretary shall submit to the authorizing committees 
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a report that includes the information required 
under paragraph (3). 
‘‘(2) FINAL REPORT.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than one 
year after the date described in subparagraph 
(B), the Secretary shall submit to the author-
izing committees a final report that includes the 
information required under paragraph (3). 
‘‘(B) DATE
DESCRIBED.—The date de-
scribed in this subparagraph is the later of— 
‘‘(i) the date on which the last service 
agreement associated with a TEACH 
Grant is completed; or 
‘‘(ii) the date on which the last 
TEACH Grant awarded under this subpart 
is converted into a loan. 
‘‘(3) ELEMENTS.—Each report under this sub-
section shall include, based on information deter-
mined under subsection (a), the following: 
‘‘(A) A review of the utilization of TEACH 
Grants at teacher preparation programs at in-
stitutions that received a payment under this 
subpart. 
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‘‘(B) A review of TEACH Grant practices 
that correlate with higher rates of completion of 
agreements under section 420N(b). 
‘‘(C) Guidance and recommendations on 
how effective utilization of TEACH Grants can 
be replicated. 
‘‘(4) AVAILABILITY.—Each report under this 
subsection shall be made available to the public in 
an accessible format— 
‘‘(A) on a website of the Department of 
Education; and 
‘‘(B) in any other format determined to be 
appropriate by the Secretary.’’. 
SEC. 6. STUDY AND REPORT ON SINGLE CERTIFICATION 
FORM. 
(a) STUDY.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education 
shall conduct a study on the feasibility of developing a sin-
gle certification form that borrowers may use to electroni-
cally submit information with respect to— 
(1) TEACH Grants under subpart 9 of part A 
of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1070g et seq.); 
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(2) loan forgiveness under section 428J of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1078– 
10); 
(3) loan cancellation under section 460 of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087j); 
and 
(4) public service loan forgiveness under section 
455(m) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1087e(m)). 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education 
shall submit a report to Congress that includes— 
(1) the results of the study required under sub-
section (a); and 
(2) recommendations with respect to using a 
single certification form that borrowers may use to 
electronically submit information with respect to the 
programs specified in paragraphs (1) through (4) of 
such subsection. 
Æ 
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