H. R. 1499
One Hundred Seventh Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
the twenty-third day of January, two thousand and two
An Act
To amend the District of Columbia College Access Act of 1999 to permit individuals
who enroll in an institution of higher education more than 3 years after graduating
from a secondary school and individuals who attend private historically black
colleges and universities nationwide to participate in the tuition assistance pro-
grams under such Act, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘District of Columbia College
Access Improvement Act of 2002’’.
SEC. 2. PUBLIC SCHOOL PROGRAM.
Section 3(c)(2) of the District of Columbia College Access Act
of 1999 (sec. 38–2702(c)(2), D.C. Official Code) is amended by
striking subparagraphs (A) through (C) and inserting the following:
‘‘(A)(i) in the case of an individual who begins an
undergraduate course of study within 3 calendar years
(excluding any period of service on active duty in the armed
forces, or service under the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C.
2501 et seq.) or subtitle D of title I of the National and
Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12571 et seq.))
of graduation from a secondary school, or obtaining the
recognized equivalent of a secondary school diploma, was
domiciled in the District of Columbia for not less than
the 12 consecutive months preceding the commencement
of the freshman year at an institution of higher education;
‘‘(ii) in the case of an individual who graduated from
a secondary school or received the recognized equivalent
of a secondary school diploma before January 1, 1998,
and is currently enrolled at an eligible institution as of
the date of enactment of the District of Columbia College
Access Improvement Act of 2002, was domiciled in the
District of Columbia for not less than the 12 consecutive
months preceding the commencement of the freshman year
at an institution of higher education; or
‘‘(iii) in the case of any other individual and an indi-
vidual re-enrolling after more than a 3-year break in the
individual’s post-secondary education, has been domiciled
in the District of Columbia for at least 5 consecutive years
at the date of application;
‘‘(B)(i) graduated from a secondary school or received
the recognized equivalent of a secondary school diploma
on or after January 1, 1998;
H. R. 1499—2
‘‘(ii) in the case of an individual who did not graduate
from a secondary school or receive a recognized equivalent
of a secondary school diploma, is accepted for enrollment
as a freshman at an eligible institution on or after January
1, 2002; or
‘‘(iii) in the case of an individual who graduated from
a secondary school or received the recognized equivalent
of a secondary school diploma before January 1, 1998,
is currently enrolled at an eligible institution as of the
date of enactment of the District of Columbia College Access
Improvement Act of 2002;
‘‘(C) meets the citizenship and immigration status
requirements described in section 484(a)(5) of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1091(a)(5));’’.
SEC. 3. PRIVATE SCHOOL PROGRAM.
Section 5(c)(1)(B) of the District of Columbia College Access
Act of 1999 (sec. 38–2704(c)(1)(B), D.C. Official Code) is amended
by striking ‘‘the main campus of which is located in the State
of Maryland or the Commonwealth of Virginia’’.
SEC. 4. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS.
Section 6 of the District of Columbia College Access Act of
1999 (sec. 38–2705, D.C. Official Code) is amended—
(1) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following:
‘‘(b) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Mayor of the District of Columbia
may not use more than 7 percent of the total amount of Federal
funds appropriated for the program, retroactive to the date
of enactment of this Act (the District of Columbia College
Access Act of 1999), for the administrative expenses of the
program.
‘‘(2) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term ‘administra-
tive expenses’ means any expenses that are not directly used
to pay the cost of tuition and fees for eligible students to
attend eligible institutions.’’;
(2) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as subsections
(f) and (g);
(3) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
‘‘(e) LOCAL FUNDS.—It is the sense of Congress that the District
of Columbia may appropriate such local funds as necessary for
the programs under sections 3 and 5.’’; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(h) DEDICATED ACCOUNT FOR PROGRAMS.—
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The District of Columbia govern-
ment shall establish a dedicated account for the programs
under sections 3 and 5 consisting of the following amounts:
‘‘(A) The Federal funds appropriated to carry out such
programs under this Act or any other Act.
‘‘(B) Any District of Columbia funds appropriated by
the District of Columbia to carry out such programs.
‘‘(C) Any unobligated balances in amounts made avail-
able for such programs in previous fiscal years.
‘‘(D) Interest earned on balances of the dedicated
account.
‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts in the dedicated account
shall be used solely to carry out the programs under sections
3 and 5.’’.
H. R. 1499—3
SEC. 
5. 
CONTINUATION 
OF 
CURRENT 
AGGREGATE 
LEVEL 
OF
AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The District of Columbia College Access Act
of 1999 (sec. 38–2701 et seq., D.C. Official Code) is amended by
adding at the end the following new section:
‘‘SEC. 7. LIMIT ON AGGREGATE AMOUNT OF FEDERAL FUNDS FOR
PUBLIC SCHOOL AND PRIVATE SCHOOL PROGRAMS.
‘‘The aggregate amount authorized to be appropriated to the
District of Columbia for the programs under sections 3 and 5
for any fiscal year may not exceed—
‘‘(1) $17,000,000, in the case of the aggregate amount for
fiscal year 2003;
‘‘(2) $17,000,000, in the case of the aggregate amount for
fiscal year 2004; or
‘‘(3) $17,000,000, in the case of the aggregate amount for
fiscal year 2005.’’.
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—
(1) PUBLIC SCHOOL PROGRAM.—Section 3(i) of such Act (sec.
38–2702(i), D.C. Official Code) is amended by striking ‘‘and
such sums’’ and inserting ‘‘and (subject to section 7) such sums’’.
(2) PRIVATE SCHOOL PROGRAM.—Section 5(f) of such Act
(sec. 38–2704(f), D.C. Official Code) is amended by striking
‘‘and such sums’’ and inserting ‘‘and (subject to section 7) such
sums’’.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.