Title: Advancing Career Pathways Innovation Act
Policy area: Labor and Employment

Summary:
Advancing Career Pathways Innovation Act
This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to establish a career pathways innovation grant program to award competitive three-year grants to eligible agencies (a local educational agency, or consortium thereof, or a school operated or funded by the Bureau of Indian Education) for the purpose of addressing the specialized skill needs of business and industry by carrying out career pathways programs, featuring school partnerships, that support career pathways at the secondary school level or career exploration at the elementary school level.
The Assistant Secretary of Career, Technical, and Adult Education shall:
ED must designate at least one employee of the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education who will exclusively support rural and native-serving eligible agencies with the preparation of grant applications and the development of school partnerships necessary to apply for and implement a grant.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1245 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1245

    To award career pathways innovation grants to local educational 
   agencies and consortia of local educational agencies, to provide 
technical assistance within the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult 
 Education to administer the grants and support the local educational 
 agencies with the preparation of grant applications and management of 
                  grant funds, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 25, 2017

  Mr. Franken introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To award career pathways innovation grants to local educational 
   agencies and consortia of local educational agencies, to provide 
technical assistance within the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult 
 Education to administer the grants and support the local educational 
 agencies with the preparation of grant applications and management of 
                  grant funds, 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 ``Advancing Career Pathways Innovation 
Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) ESEA definitions.--The terms ``elementary school'', 
        ``local educational agency'', and ``secondary school'' have the 
        meanings given the terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
            (2) Business or industry partner.--The term ``business or 
        industry partner'' means--
                    (A) a business;
                    (B) an industry; or
                    (C) a sector partnership (which has the meaning 
                given the term ``industry or sector partnership'' in 
                section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 
                Act (29 U.S.C. 3102)).
            (3) Career pathway.--The term ``career pathway'' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation 
        and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
            (4) Eligible agency.--The term ``eligible agency'' means--
                    (A) a local educational agency;
                    (B) a consortium of local educational agencies; or
                    (C) a school operated or funded by the Bureau of 
                Indian Education.
            (5) Indian.--The term ``Indian'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and 
        Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
            (6) 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).
            (7) Native hawaiian.--The term ``Native Hawaiian'' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 6207 of the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7517).
            (8) Registered apprenticeship program.--The term 
        ``registered apprenticeship program'' means a program 
        registered under the Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly known as 
        the ``National Apprenticeship Act''; 50 Stat. 664, chapter 663; 
        29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.).
            (9) School partnership.--The term ``school partnership'' 
        means a partnership that--
                    (A) shall include, at a minimum--
                            (i) an eligible agency; and
                            (ii) one or more business or industry 
                        partners; and
                    (B) may also include one or more of the following 
                partners:
                            (i) A community-based organization.
                            (ii) A joint labor-management partnership.
                            (iii) An institution of higher education.
                            (iv) A State board or local board (as such 
                        terms are defined in section 3 of the Workforce 
                        Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
                        3102)).
                            (v) Any other entity that the Secretary, 
                        after consultation with the Secretary of Labor, 
                        considers appropriate.
            (10) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Education.

SEC. 3. CAREER PATHWAYS INNOVATION GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Career Pathways Innovation Grant Program Established.--
            (1) In general.--From amounts made available to carry out 
        this section, the Secretary, after consultation with the 
        Secretary of Labor, shall establish a career pathways 
        innovation grant program, through which the Secretary shall 
        award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible agencies for 
        the purpose of addressing the specialized skill needs of 
        business and industry by carrying out career pathways programs, 
        featuring school partnerships, that support career pathways at 
        the secondary school level or career exploration at the 
        elementary school level.
            (2) Duration.--A grant awarded under this section--
                    (A) shall be for a period of 3 years; and
                    (B) may be renewed for one additional 2-year 
                period, if the eligible agency demonstrates sufficient 
                progress in achieving the goals of the initial grant.
    (b) Application.--
            (1) In general.--An eligible agency desiring a grant under 
        this section shall submit to the Secretary an application at 
        such time, in such manner, and containing such information as 
        the Secretary may require.
            (2) Contents; partnership agreement.--The application 
        submitted under paragraph (1) shall include--
                    (A) an initial partnership agreement, entered into 
                by the eligible agency and all members of the school 
                partnership, that--
                            (i) specifies the duties and 
                        responsibilities of each partner;
                            (ii) describes the commitment of resources 
                        or materials to be provided by each partner 
                        toward the school partnership, ensuring that 
                        the business or industry partners in the school 
                        partnership provide an amount of resources, in 
                        cash or in-kind, toward the activities 
                        supported under the grant that equals or 
                        exceeds the amount contributed by the eligible 
                        agency and the amount to be provided by the 
                        grant under this section; and
                    (B) a description of how the eligible agency will 
                ensure the quality of the career pathways program 
                offered under the grant, including any program that 
                leads to an industry-certified credential.
    (c) Award Basis.--In awarding grants under this section, the 
Secretary shall--
            (1) ensure that, to the extent practicable based on the 
        applications received under subsection (b)--
                    (A) not less than 15 percent of the grant funds 
                available to carry out this section are awarded to 
                rural eligible agencies; and
                    (B) not less than 5 percent of the grant funds 
                available to carry out this section are awarded to 
                eligible agencies that serve a substantial percentage 
                of Indian or Native Hawaiian children; and
            (2) except to the extent necessary to comply with paragraph 
        (1), give priority to--
                    (A) any eligible agency whose school partnership 
                includes an institution of higher education offering 
                postsecondary credits, or an entity offering a 
                registered apprenticeship program, through the career 
                pathways program under the grant; and
                    (B) any eligible agency whose career pathways 
                program--
                            (i) at the secondary school level, offers 
                        concurrent enrollment opportunities for 
                        postsecondary credit; or
                            (ii) leads to an industry-certified 
                        credential.
    (d) Use of Funds.--
            (1) Required use of funds.--An eligible agency receiving 
        grant funds under this section shall use grant funds to build 
        or expand a career pathways program featuring school 
        partnerships that supports career pathways at the secondary 
        school level or career exploration at the elementary school 
        level.
            (2) Permissive use of funds.--An eligible agency receiving 
        grant funds under this section may use grant funds--
                    (A) to hire a designated career pathways 
                partnership coordinator to seek out and build 
                relationships with business or industry partners to 
                foster and manage the school partnerships supported 
                under the grant;
                    (B) for the costs of new equipment, infrastructure 
                (such as facilities, technology, and staffing), or 
                transportation related to the career pathways program;
                    (C) to recruit or train career and technical 
                education teachers;
                    (D) to provide externship opportunities for 
                educators to spend time in industry;
                    (E) for youth apprenticeship opportunities;
                    (F) to provide, as part of the career pathway 
                program, coursework that awards postsecondary credit at 
                no cost to secondary school students; and
                    (G) to support development of curricula that offer 
                industry-certified credentials.
    (e) Requirements.--
            (1) Matching funds.--An eligible agency that receives a 
        grant under this section shall provide, toward the cost of the 
        activities assisted under the grant and from non-Federal 
        sources, an amount equal to or greater than the amount of the 
        grant. Such matching amount may be in cash or in-kind and shall 
        include support from business or industry partners of a school 
        partnership in accordance with the partnership agreement 
        described in subsection (b)(2).
            (2) Participation of business or industry partner.--In any 
        case where a business or industry partner included in an 
        initial partnership agreement described in subsection (b)(2)(A) 
        withdraws from a school partnership supported under a grant 
        under this section, the eligible agency shall notify the 
        Secretary immediately of the withdrawal and of the eligible 
        agency's plan for obtaining a comparable business or industry 
        partner.
    (f) Reports.--
            (1) Eligible agency reports.--
                    (A) Interim reports.--By not later than 18 months 
                after receiving a grant under this section, the 
                eligible agency shall submit a report to the Secretary 
                demonstrating that the eligible agency is achieving 
                sufficient progress toward the goals of the grant.
                    (B) Final reports.--Each eligible agency receiving 
                a grant under this section shall prepare and submit to 
                the Secretary a final report regarding the use of funds 
                for the grant, including the outcomes of the activities 
                assisted under the grant, by not later than 90 days 
                after the end of the grant period.
            (2) Secretary reports.--The Secretary shall prepare and 
        submit to Congress, on an annual basis, a report regarding the 
        grant program under this section that includes a summary of the 
        reports received under paragraph (1) during the preceding year 
        and the outcomes resulting from the use of grant funds.

SEC. 4. CAREER PATHWAYS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Assistant 
Secretary of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, shall--
            (1) administer and manage the career pathways innovation 
        grants awarded under section 3;
            (2) provide technical assistance to eligible agencies 
        preparing grant applications under section 3(b); and
            (3) support career pathways partnership coordinators, or 
        other personnel of eligible agencies that have received a grant 
        under section 3, in order to ensure that--
                    (A) the eligible agency participates in the 
                required school partnership; and
                    (B) the grant results in positive program outcomes.
    (b) Designated Personnel for Rural and Native-Serving 
Applications.--The Secretary shall designate not less than 1 employee 
of the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education who will 
exclusively support rural and native-serving eligible agencies with the 
preparation of grant applications under section 3(b) and the 
development of school partnerships necessary to apply for and implement 
a grant under section 3.
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