Title: Direct Connect to Success Act
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Direct Connect to Success Act
This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require each state that receives assistance under the Act to carry out a program under which graduates of 2-year community colleges with at least 2.0 grade point averages are: (1) automatically enrolled into 4-year public institutions of higher education (IHE) in the state if they meet the admission requirements, and (2) given credits at the 4-year IHE for courses from the community college. The participating 4-year IHEs in the state must meet periodically with first-year students at the community colleges to assist in developing and maintaining 4-year academic plans for the students.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2554 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2554

 To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a program that 
 automatically enrolls certain community college graduates into 4-year 
                public institutions of higher education.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 19, 2017

Mr. Soto (for himself, Mrs. Murphy of Florida, Mrs. Demings, Ms. Castor 
  of Florida, Mr. Crist, Mr. Hastings, Mr. Lawson of Florida, and Ms. 
Wilson of Florida) 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 establish a program that 
 automatically enrolls certain community college graduates into 4-year 
                public institutions of higher education.

    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 ``Direct Connect to Success Act''.

SEC. 2. DIRECT CONNECT TO SUCCESS.

    Part B of title I of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1011 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 124. DIRECT CONNECT TO SUCCESS.

    ``(a) In General.--Each State that receives assistance under this 
Act shall carry out a program under which--
            ``(1) each eligible graduate of a community college in the 
        State, upon graduating from such community college--
                    ``(A) is automatically enrolled at a 4-year public 
                institution of higher education in the State for the 
                purpose of completing a bachelor's degree at such 
                institution after 2 years of such admission, as long as 
                the graduate meets all other admission requirements of 
                the institution; and
                    ``(B) will have the credits of the graduate from 
                the community college transfer to such institution; and
            ``(2) the administrators of each participating 4-year 
        public institutions of higher education in the State shall 
        meet, on a periodic basis, with first-year students at the 
        community colleges in the State to assist in developing and 
        maintaining a 4-year academic plan for the students.
    ``(b) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Community college.--The term `community college' 
        means a 2-year public institution of higher education.
            ``(2) Eligible graduate.--The term `eligible graduate' 
        means an individual who graduates from a community college with 
        at least 2.0 grade point average, or the equivalent.
            ``(3) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        `institution of higher education' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 101.''.
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