Title: Hispanic Educational Resources and Empowerment Act of 2019
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Hispanic Educational Resources and Empowerment Act of 2019
This bill directs the Department of Education to (1) award grants to Hispanic-serving institutions of higher education (IHEs) to improve and expand innovative collaboration agreements between local educational agencies and IHEs to better serve Hispanic students, (2) provide technical assistance to such IHEs, and (3) contract with a third party to conduct an independent evaluation of grant activities.
Such grants must be used for specific activities, such as providing academic support to prepare students for postsecondary education and addressing nonacademic needs of students that are barriers to college enrollment.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3827 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3827

     To promote and support collaboration between Hispanic-serving 
   institutions and Hispanic-serving school districts, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 18, 2019

    Mr. Castro of Texas (for himself, Mr. Cuellar, Mr. Gallego, Mr. 
  Panetta, Mrs. Kirkpatrick, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Ms. Barragan, Mr. 
  Payne, Ms. Haaland, Mr. Soto, Mr. Lujan, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. 
    Porter, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Mr. 
Carbajal, Mr. Sires, Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Ms. Meng, Ms. 
Mucarsel-Powell, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Cisneros, Mr. Gonzalez of Texas, Mr. 
 Serrano, Mr. Engel, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Mrs. Napolitano, Ms. Sanchez, 
Mr. Veasey, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Hurd of Texas, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. Garcia of 
Texas, Miss Gonzalez-Colon of Puerto Rico, Ms. Hill of California, and 
Mr. Cardenas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To promote and support collaboration between Hispanic-serving 
   institutions and Hispanic-serving school districts, 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 ``Hispanic Educational Resources and 
Empowerment Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Hispanics are the largest, youngest, and second-fastest 
        growing minority population in the United States.
            (2) While Hispanics compose 18 percent of the population of 
        the United States, they compose 26 percent of the 
        prekindergarten through grade 12 public school student 
        enrollment in the United States.
            (3) Over 3,300 school districts have 25 percent or more 
        Hispanic enrollment and those school districts enroll 78 
        percent of all prekindergarten through grade 12 Hispanic 
        students in the United States.
            (4) Hispanic students are overrepresented in lower 
        educational outcomes, including lower grades, lower scores on 
        standardized tests, and higher dropout rates.
            (5) Hispanic students tend to face greater barriers once in 
        college than non-Hispanic peers. Seventy percent of Hispanic 
        college students are first-generation college students and 48 
        percent of Hispanic college students have an expected family 
        contribution of $0, as calculated under title IV of the Higher 
        Education Act of 1965.
            (6) Hispanics are at high risk of not enrolling or 
        graduating from institutions of higher education.
            (7) More Hispanics are going to college than ever before, 
        but only a little more than half of the Hispanic students who 
        enroll earn a bachelor's degree.
            (8) Hispanics lag behind non-Hispanic Whites, Blacks, and 
        Asian American and Native American Pacific Islanders in 
        attainment of high school diplomas, associate's degrees, and 
        bachelor's degrees.
            (9) Gains in Hispanic educational attainment will greatly 
        benefit the United States economy because Hispanics will make 
        up nearly 20 percent of the United States labor force by 2024.
            (10) Hispanics are an increasingly vital component of the 
        workforce of the United States. Between 2010 and 2020, 74 
        percent of the growth in the workforce in the United States 
        will be Hispanic workers.
            (11) Without eliminating the education gap for Hispanics 
        now, the growing Hispanic population will not be prepared for 
        the jobs of the future, hindering the economy of the United 
        States.

SEC. 3. COLLABORATION BETWEEN HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS AND 
              HISPANIC-SERVING SCHOOL DISTRICTS.

    Title V of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101 et 
seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new part:

   ``PART D--COLLABORATION BETWEEN HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS AND 
                   HISPANIC-SERVING SCHOOL DISTRICTS

``SEC. 531. PURPOSES.

    ``The purposes of this part are--
            ``(1) to promote and support opportunities for academic 
        alliances and collaborative partnerships between Hispanic-
        serving institutions and Hispanic-serving school districts for 
        the purpose of improving postsecondary educational attainment 
        of Hispanic students; and
            ``(2) to expand and enhance the course offerings, program 
        quality, and overall functionality of the colleges, 
        universities, and school districts that educate the majority of 
        Hispanic students.

``SEC. 532. PROGRAM AUTHORITY, APPLICATION, AND ELIGIBILITY.

    ``(a) Program Authority.--Subject to the availability of funds 
appropriated to carry out this part, the Secretary shall award grants, 
on a competitive basis, to Hispanic-serving institutions serving as 
grant recipient and fiscal agent for an eligible entity, for the 
eligible entity to carry out activities described under section 533 to 
improve and expand the capacity to develop model and innovative 
collaboration agreements between local educational agencies and 
institutions of higher education to better serve Hispanic students.
    ``(b) Application.--An eligible entity that desires to receive a 
grant under this part shall--
            ``(1) designate a Hispanic-serving institution that is a 
        member of the eligible entity to serve as the grant applicant, 
        grant recipient, and fiscal agent for the eligible entity; and
            ``(2) through such designated Hispanic-serving institution, 
        submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such 
        manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary 
        may require under part C and this part.
    ``(c) Eligible Entity.--The term `eligible entity' means a 
partnership that--
            ``(1) shall include--
                    ``(A) one or more Hispanic-serving institutions, 
                one of which shall serve as the grant recipient and 
                fiscal agent for the eligible entity; and
                    ``(B) one or more Hispanic-serving school 
                districts; and
            ``(2) may include--
                    ``(A) one or more emerging Hispanic-serving 
                institutions;
                    ``(B) one or more emerging Hispanic-serving school 
                districts; and
                    ``(C) one or more nonprofit or community-based 
                organizations, businesses, or public or private 
                entities with a demonstrated record of success in 
                implementing activities similar to the activities 
                authorized under section 533.

``SEC. 533. AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.

    ``An eligible entity that receives a grant under this part shall 
use the grant funds for 1 or more of the following activities to 
support eligible students:
            ``(1) Creating a college-bound culture among eligible 
        students, which may include activities to promote the early 
        exposure of such students and their families to the 
        opportunities and requirements of postsecondary education, and 
        other evidence-based services, including services determined to 
        have proven positive outcomes by the What Works Clearinghouse 
        maintained by the Institute of Education Sciences.
            ``(2) Academic support to prepare eligible students for 
        postsecondary education, prevent the need for postsecondary 
        remediation, and provide high quality postsecondary remediation 
        when necessary, which may include--
                    ``(A) aligning high school coursework and high 
                school graduation requirements with the requirements 
                for entrance into credit-bearing coursework at 4-year 
                institutions of higher education, including Hispanic-
                serving institutions;
                    ``(B) early identification and support for eligible 
                students at risk of not graduating from high school 
                within 4 years, or at risk of requiring remediation 
                upon enrolling in postsecondary education;
                    ``(C) developing and implementing pathways to 
                postsecondary education that--
                            ``(i) provide eligible students with 
                        advanced coursework and result in a recognized 
                        postsecondary credential, as defined in section 
                        3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 
                        Act (29 U.S.C. 3102); or
                            ``(ii) integrate rigorous and challenging 
                        career and technical education, work-based 
                        learning, and advanced coursework or other 
                        academic instruction aligned with the 
                        challenging State academic standards adopted by 
                        the State in which the eligible entity is 
                        located under section 1111(b)(1) of the 
                        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
                        (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(1));
                    ``(D) co-requisite courses;
                    ``(E) technology-enhanced diagnostics and delivery 
                of remedial education;
                    ``(F) faculty development to ensure effective 
                instruction; and
                    ``(G) practices to teach self-regulated learning 
                and college success skills.
            ``(3) Support for eligible students with high school 
        completion and the transition to postsecondary education, which 
        may include--
                    ``(A) activities to encourage high school retention 
                and completion;
                    ``(B) assistance with the college application 
                process;
                    ``(C) assistance with applying for financial aid; 
                and
                    ``(D) assistance with selecting institutions of 
                higher education to which a student should apply based 
                on the needs and attributes of the student and the 
                available degree programs and outcomes of the 
                institutions.
            ``(4) Addressing non-academic needs that serve as barriers 
        to college enrollment, persistence, and completion for eligible 
        students, which may include--
                    ``(A) activities to address the comprehensive needs 
                of eligible students, including child care, food 
                insecurity, finances, health issues, and 
                transportation; and
                    ``(B) activities to promote a positive climate on 
                campuses of institutions of higher education and to 
                increase the sense of belonging among eligible 
                students, including through first year support programs 
                such as mentoring and peer networks and advisories.

``SEC. 534. REPORTING.

    ``Each eligible entity receiving a grant under this part shall, 
through the Hispanic-serving institution designated under section 
532(b), submit to the Secretary, at the end of each grant period, a 
report that includes information the Secretary may require. Such report 
shall include information on the outcomes of the activities carried out 
by the entity, before and after such activities were funded under this 
part, on the number and percentage of students entering, persisting, 
and completing postsecondary education. Such information shall be 
disaggregated to measure the specific impact on economically 
disadvantaged students, students from each major racial and ethnic 
group, students with disabilities, English learners, students of 
different genders, and migrant students.

``SEC. 535. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND EVALUATION.

    ``(a) Reservations.--From the total amount appropriated for this 
part under section 528(a) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall 
reserve not more than the lesser of 5 percent or $5,000,000 for--
            ``(1) providing technical assistance to eligible entities, 
        directly or through grants, contracts, or cooperative 
        agreements, by qualified experts on using practices grounded in 
        evidence to improve the outcomes of programs funded under this 
        part; and
            ``(2) conducting the evaluation described in subsection 
        (b).
    ``(b) Evaluation.--The Secretary, in partnership with the Director 
of the Institute of Education Sciences, shall contract with a third 
party to conduct an independent evaluation of the activities funded 
under this part. Such evaluation shall include the impact of the 
policies and services resulting from such activities on the number and 
percentage of students entering, persisting, and completing 
postsecondary education. The data collected by such evaluation shall be 
disaggregated to measure the specific impact on economically 
disadvantaged students, students from each major racial and ethnic 
group, students with disabilities, English learners, students of 
different genders, and migrant students.

``SEC. 536. DEFINITIONS.

    ``In this part:
            ``(1) Advanced coursework.--The term `advanced coursework' 
        means coursework designed for students to earn postsecondary 
        credit upon successful completion of the coursework while still 
        in secondary school, such as Advanced Placement, International 
        Baccalaureate, dual or concurrent enrollment programs, and 
        early college high school programs.
            ``(2) Co-requisite courses.--The term `co-requisite 
        courses' means courses designed for students at institutions of 
        higher education in need of remediation that combine credit-
        bearing postsecondary-level coursework with supplemental 
        instruction.
            ``(3) Dual or concurrent enrollment program.--The term 
        `dual or concurrent enrollment program' has the meaning given 
        the term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
            ``(4) Early college high school.--The term `early college 
        high school' has the meaning given the term in section 8101 of 
        the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        7801).
            ``(5) Eligible student.--The term `eligible student' 
        means--
                    ``(A) any student who is enrolled or eligible to 
                enroll in a secondary school that is served by a 
                Hispanic-serving school district or an emerging 
                Hispanic-serving school district; and
                    ``(B) any student who is enrolled or has been 
                accepted for enrollment at a Hispanic-serving 
                institution or an emerging Hispanic-serving 
                institution.
            ``(6) Emerging hispanic-serving institution.--The term 
        `emerging Hispanic-serving institution' means an institution of 
        higher education that--
                    ``(A) is an eligible institution, as defined in 
                section 502; and
                    ``(B) has an enrollment of undergraduate full-time 
                equivalent students that is at least 15 percent but 
                less than 25 percent Hispanic students at the end of 
                the award year immediately preceding the date of the 
                application for a grant under this part.
            ``(7) Emerging hispanic-serving school district.--The term 
        `emerging Hispanic-serving school district' means a local 
        educational agency--
                    ``(A) in which at least 15 percent but less than 25 
                percent of the students served by the local educational 
                agency are Hispanic students, as determined by the 
                enrollment data of the local educational agency no 
                later than the date by which student membership data is 
                collected annually by State educational agencies for 
                submission to the National Center for Education 
                Statistics under section 153 of the Education Sciences 
                Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9543); and
                    ``(B) in which at least 50 percent of the students 
                served by the local educational agency meet a measure 
                of poverty described in section 1113(a)(5) of the 
                Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
                U.S.C. 6313(a)(5)).
            ``(8) Hispanic-serving school district.--The term 
        `Hispanic-serving school district' (except when used as part of 
        the term `emerging Hispanic-serving school district') means a 
        local educational agency--
                    ``(A) in which at least 25 percent of the students 
                served by the local educational agency are Hispanic 
                students, as determined by the enrollment data of the 
                local educational agency no later than the date by 
                which student membership data is collected annually by 
                State educational agencies for submission to the 
                National Center for Education Statistics under section 
                153 of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 
                U.S.C. 9543); and
                    ``(B) in which at least 50 percent of the students 
                served by the local educational agency meet a measure 
                of poverty described in section 1113(a)(5) of the 
                Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
                U.S.C. 6313(a)(5)).''.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 528(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1103g(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(3) Part d.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
        carry out part D $150,000,000 for fiscal year 2020 and such 
        sums as may be necessary for each of the five succeeding fiscal 
        years.''.
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