College Completion Fund Act of 2021
Bill: S.2755 | Sponsor: Sen. Heinrich, Martin (D-NM)
Policy area: Education

Summary:
College Completion Fund Act of 2021
This bill establishes a grant program for participating public institutions of higher education to provide student support services to increase participation, retention, and completion rates of students from low-income backgrounds, historically underrepresented students, first-generation college enrollees, parenting students, students with disabilities, and student veterans.

To authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to States to 
   empower public institutions of higher education in the States to 
     provide student support services to students from low-income 
 backgrounds, historically underrepresented students, first-generation 
college enrollees, parenting students, students with disabilities, and 
                           student veterans.

    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 ``College Completion Fund Act of 
2021''.

SEC. 2. HIGHER EDUCATION COLLEGE COMPLETION FUND PROGRAM.

    (a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to support completion 
and retention activities designed to ensure the postsecondary success 
of students from low-income backgrounds, historically underrepresented 
students, first-generation college enrollees, parenting students, 
students with disabilities, and student veterans in public institutions 
of higher education serving a significant number of such students.
    (b) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Completion rate.--The term ``completion rate'' means--
                    (A) the percentage of students from an initial 
                cohort enrolled at a public institution of higher 
                education in the State that is a 2-year institution who 
                have graduated from the institution or transferred to a 
                4-year institution of higher education; or
                    (B) the percentage of students from an initial 
                cohort enrolled at a public institution of higher 
                education in the State that is a 4-year institution who 
                have graduated from the institution.
            (2) Eligible indian entity.--The term ``eligible Indian 
        entity'' means the entity responsible for the governance, 
        operation, or control of a Tribal College or University.
            (3) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1001).
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Education.
            (5) State service provider.--The term ``State service 
        provider'' means a nonprofit organization that receives Federal 
        funding or State funding to provide services commensurate with 
        guidelines for those services and is in good standing with 
        regard to such funding.
            (6) Tribal college or university.--The term ``Tribal 
        College or University'' has the meaning given the term in 
        section 316(b)(3) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1059c(b)(3)).
    (c) Authorization of Completion Fund.--
            (1) Reservation of funds for eligible indian entities.--
        From the total amount appropriated to carry out this section 
        for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall reserve 2 percent for 
        grants to eligible Indian entities to increase participation 
        and completion rates of students from low-income backgrounds, 
        historically underrepresented students, first-generation 
        college enrollees, parenting students, students with 
        disabilities, and student veterans.
            (2) Grant authorization.--The Secretary shall make grants, 
        from allotments under paragraph (3), to States to enable the 
        States to distribute funds to participating public institutions 
        of higher education in the State to provide student support 
        services to increase participation, retention, and completion 
        rates of students from low-income backgrounds, historically 
        underrepresented students, first-generation college enrollees, 
        parenting students, students with disabilities, and student 
        veterans.
            (3) Determination of allotment.--
                    (A) Amount of allotment.--From the total amount 
                appropriated to carry out this section for a fiscal 
                year and not reserved under paragraph (1), the 
                Secretary shall allot to each State having an 
                application approved under this section an amount, 
                subject to subparagraph (B), that shall be equal to the 
                sum of--
                            (i) the amount that bears the same relation 
                        to 50 percent of the amount appropriated and 
                        not reserved for such fiscal year as the number 
                        of residents in the State aged 5 through 17 who 
                        are living below the poverty line applicable to 
                        the resident's family size (as determined under 
                        section 673(2) of the Community Services Block 
                        Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2))) bears to the 
                        total number of such residents in all States; 
                        and
                            (ii) the amount that bears the same 
                        relation to 50 percent of the amount 
                        appropriated and not reserved for such fiscal 
                        year as the number of residents in the State 
                        aged 15 through 44 who are living below the 
                        poverty line applicable to the individual's 
                        family size (as determined under section 673(2) 
                        of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 
                        U.S.C. 9902(2))) bears to the total number of 
                        such residents in all States.
                    (B) Minimum amount.--The allotment for each State 
                under this section for a fiscal year shall not be an 
                amount that is less than 1.0 percent of the total 
                amount appropriated to carry out this section for the 
                fiscal year and not reserved under paragraph (1).
            (4) Set asides.--
                    (A) Evidence-based student success programs.--Each 
                State that receives a grant under this section shall 
                set aside not less than 20 percent of grant funds for 
                evidence-based student success programs, which are 
                programs designed to improve persistence, credit 
                accumulation, completion, or career success, carried 
                out by an institution and that--
                            (i) meet--
                                    (I) the requirements for evaluation 
                                as described in subsection (a)(2)(B) of 
                                section 4611 of the Elementary and 
                                Secondary Education Act, as amended (20 
                                U.S.C. 7261(a)(2)(B)); or
                                    (II) the requirements for 
                                evaluation as described in subsection 
                                (a)(2)(C) of section 4611 of the 
                                Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 
                                as amended (20 U.S.C. 7261(a)(2)(C)); 
                                and
                            (ii) provide students with a program 
                        advisor to each eligible student participating 
                        in such program who provides comprehensive 
                        academic and personal advising to the eligible 
                        student, including monitoring of academic 
                        progress of the eligible student, and may 
                        provide each eligible student with financial 
                        incentives, such as tuition assistance, 
                        transportation assistance or a gas card, free 
                        tutoring and career services (which can include 
                        benefit counseling) to eligible students in 
                        order to create a community with eligible 
                        student participating in such program.
                    (B) Permissive.--Each State that receives a grant 
                under this section may set aside--
                            (i) not more than 5 percent of grant funds 
                        for administration, capacity building, 
                        research, evaluation, and reporting; and
                            (ii) not more than 2 percent of grant funds 
                        for technical assistance to State service 
                        providers.
    (d) State Strategic Plans.--
            (1) In general.--A State that desires to receive a grant 
        under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary 
        at such time, in such manner, and containing such information 
        as the Secretary may require, including a State strategic plan.
            (2) Development of state strategic plan.--Each State 
        strategic plan shall be developed with input from each of the 
        following:
                    (A) 2-year public institutions of higher education 
                in the State.
                    (B) 4-year public institutions of higher education 
                in the State.
                    (C) The State workforce development board 
                established under section 101 of the Workforce 
                Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3111).
                    (D) A Tribal College or University with a campus 
                located in the State.
                    (E) State service providers.
                    (F) The State department with jurisdiction over 
                children, youth, and family services.
            (3) Content of state strategic plan.--Each State strategic 
        plan shall include the following:
                    (A) Information on the state of the public 
                institutions of higher education in the State, 
                including the following:
                            (i) A description of the distribution of 
                        funds to be provided from the grant to 
                        participating public institutions of higher 
                        education in the State.
                            (ii) A strategy for adopting a diverse 
                        portfolio of promising and evidence-based 
                        practices.
                            (iii) Annual benchmarks for student 
                        outcomes.
                            (iv) Information about the evaluation of 
                        interventions proposed to be funded by the 
                        grant.
                            (v) A description of the State's plan for 
                        an equity audit of higher education financing.
                            (vi) Rates of enrolled students who 
                        received a Federal Pell Grant under subpart 1 
                        of part A of title IV of the Higher Education 
                        Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a et seq.).
                            (vii) Demographics of enrolled students, 
                        including students from low-income backgrounds, 
                        historically underrepresented students, first-
                        generation college enrollees, parenting 
                        students, students with disabilities, and 
                        student veterans.
                    (B) A plan to increase student attainment and 
                completion rates or graduation rates of all students 
                enrolled at public institutions of higher education in 
                the State, with a particular focus on students from 
                students from low-income backgrounds, historically 
                underrepresented students, first-generation college 
                enrollees, parenting students, students with 
                disabilities, and student veterans through student 
                support services, cross-agency engagement, and 
                collaboration among 2-year programs, 4-year programs, 
                and workforce systems.
    (e) Institutional Participation.--
            (1) Eligibility.--A public institution of higher education 
        that desires to receive assistance under a grant made under 
        this section shall submit to the State in which the institution 
        is located a notification that the institution desires to opt 
        into participation under this section.
            (2) Development of strategic plan.--A State that desires to 
        receive a grant under this section shall solicit input from 
        public institutions of higher education in the State in the 
        development of the State strategic plan.
            (3) Institutional support.--A State that receives a grant 
        under this section shall not limit student support services to 
        students enrolled at public institutions of higher education in 
        the State that participated in the development of the State 
        strategic plan, but shall provide student support services to 
        students enrolled in participating public institutions of 
        higher education in the State.
    (f) Use of Funds.--A State that receives a grant under this section 
shall distribute funds to participating institutions of higher 
education in the State for evidence-based and promising practices in 
improving retention and completion rates, including the following:
            (1) Student support services to support retention, 
        completion, and success, including--
                    (A) faculty and peer counseling;
                    (B) use of real-time data on student progress; and
                    (C) incentives for students to stay on track.
            (2) Direct student support services, including--
                    (A) transportation accessibility;
                    (B) room and board or assistance to address housing 
                instability;
                    (C) addressing food instability;
                    (D) remedial education;
                    (E) tutoring, academic supports, and enrichment 
                services; and
                    (F) emergency financial assistance.
            (3) Access to health care and mental health services on or 
        near campus.
            (4) Support helping students enroll in public benefits.
            (5) Issues with respect to dependents of students, 
        including--
                    (A) high-quality daycare and prekindergarten access 
                during traditional school hours;
                    (B) childcare access during non-traditional hours; 
                and
                    (C) prenatal and early childhood education classes.
            (6) Development of soft skills.
            (7) Career coaching, career counseling and planning 
        services, and efforts to lower student to advisor ratios, 
        including--
                    (A) networking and work-based learning 
                opportunities to support the development of skills and 
                relationships; and
                    (B) boosting experiences necessary to obtain and 
                succeed in high-quality jobs.
            (8) Reforms to developmental education, including--
                    (A) utilizing career pathways; and
                    (B) improving transfer student success.
            (9) Efforts to recruit, retain, and develop diverse faculty 
        and other instructional staff.
    (g) Evaluation and Reporting.--
            (1) Designation of independent agency.--The State 
        department with jurisdiction over higher education in each 
        State that receives a grant under this section shall designate 
        an independent agency to compile and evaluate data linked to 
        institutional programs and student outcomes funded with grant 
        funds.
            (2) Compilation of information.--Each independent agency 
        designated under paragraph (1) shall compile longitudinal data 
        tracking student participant outcomes, including the following:
                    (A) Graduation rates, disaggregated by age (25-
                years of age and younger, and older than 25-years of 
                age), gender, income, race and ethnicity, and first-
                generation college status--
                            (i) at 100 percent of the normal time for 
                        graduation;
                            (ii) at 150 percent of the normal time for 
                        graduation; and
                            (iii) at 200 percent of the normal time for 
                        graduation.
                    (B) Transfer out rates, disaggregated by age (25-
                years of age and younger, and older than 25-years of 
                age), gender, income, race and ethnicity, and first-
                generation college status.
                    (C) Withdrawal rates, including rates of students 
                who withdraw to seek employment in a related field of 
                study.
                    (D) The percentage of students who continue 
                enrollment at the institution after the first year of 
                enrollment.
                    (E) The median time to degree completion.
                    (F) Career outcomes and employment data, which may 
                include earnings, within 1 year of completion, within 3 
                years of completion, and within 5 years of completion.
                    (G) Career outcomes and employment data for student 
                participants who did not complete the program in which 
                the student was enrolled within 1 year of leaving the 
                program, within 3 years of leaving the program, and 
                within 5 years of leaving the program.
            (3) Techniques.--Each independent agency designated under 
        paragraph (1) shall evaluate the academic outcomes using quasi-
        experimental techniques.
            (4) Report.--Each independent agency designated under 
        paragraph (1) shall submit to the State department with 
        jurisdiction over higher education a report that includes 
        findings of the data compiled under paragraph (2).
            (5) Report to congress.--Each State department with 
        jurisdiction over higher education that receives a report under 
        paragraph (4) shall submit the report to the Department of 
        Education and the authorizing committees, as defined in section 
        103 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1003), at 
        such time and in such matter as the Secretary of Education 
        determines appropriate.
            (6) Exclusions.--Each independent agency designated under 
        paragraph (1) shall not track data with respect to individuals 
        who transfer, move, or seek employment outside of the State.
    (h) Maintaining Net State Operating Support for Higher Education.--
            (1) In general.--A State that receives a grant under this 
        section shall maintain net State operating support for higher 
        education for each fiscal year for which the State receives a 
        grant under this section at a level that is not less than the 
        level that is equal to the average of such net State operating 
        support for higher education for the 3 fiscal years preceding 
        such fiscal year.
            (2) Waivers.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary may grant a waiver 
                to a State from the requirement under paragraph (1) for 
                a fiscal year if the State demonstrates that--
                            (i) the net State operating support for 
                        higher education for such fiscal year as a 
                        percentage of total revenue available to the 
                        State that will fund higher education for such 
                        fiscal year is not less than such percentage 
                        for the previous fiscal year; and
                            (ii) unexpected or uncontrollable 
                        circumstances prevent the State from 
                        maintaining such State support.
                    (B) No reduction for subsequent fiscal year.--If 
                the Secretary grants a State a waiver under 
                subparagraph (A) for a fiscal year, a determination of 
                the required level of net State operating support for 
                higher education for subsequent fiscal years shall 
                exclude the fiscal year for which the waiver was 
                granted.
    (i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $62,000,000,000 for the period 
of fiscal years 2022 through 2031.
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