,,ii  #aaeth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #bihf  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,june #d1      
#bjah,mr4 ,casey 7for himself1 ,mr4     
,booker1 and ,mr4 ,kaine7 introduced the
 following bill2 which was read twice   
and referred to the ,committee on       
,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and        
,pensions  ,a ,,bill  ,to award grants  
to ,states to support efforts at        
institutions of higher education to     
increase degree attainment1 and for     
other purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this 
,act may be cited as the ,correctly     
,recognizing ,educational ,achievements 
,to ,empower ,graduates ,act or the     
,,create ,graduates ,act4  #b4 ,create  
graduates ,title ,,vii of the ,higher   
,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 
#aacc et seq47 is amended by inserting  
after part ,b the following3  ,c ,create
 graduates  #gea4 ,purpose ,the purpose 
of this part is to award grants to      
,states to support efforts at           
institutions of higher education or     

within systems of higher education to   
increase postsecondary degree attainment
 by--  7#a7 locating1 and conferring    
degrees to1 students who have           
accumulated sufficient applicable       
postsecondary credits and maintained a  
sufficient grade point average to earn  
an associate's degree but did not       
receive one2  7#b7 providing outreach to
 those students who are within #ab      
credits of earning an associate's       
degree2 and  7#c7 establishing          
partnerships between #b-year and #d-year
 institutions of higher education in    
,states1 in order to strengthen the     
transition pathways into #d-year        
institutions of higher education for    
transfer students4  #geb4 ,grants to    
increase degree attainment  7a7         
,definition of institution of higher    
education ,in this section1 the term    
institution of higher education has the 
meaning given the term in section       
#aja7;a74  7b7 ,program authorized  7#a7
 ,in general ,from amounts appropriated 

under subsection 7j71 the ,secretary    
shall award grants1 on a competitive    
basis1 to ,states to enable the ,states 
to carry out the activities described in
 subsections 7e7 and 7f7 in order to    
support efforts at institutions of      
higher education to increase degree     
attainment4  7#b7 ,partnerships allowed 
,a ,state may apply for a grant under   
this section in partnership with a      
nonprofit organization4 ,in any such    
partnership1 the ,state higher education
 agency or other ,state agency described
 in subsection 7c77#a7 shall serve as   
the fiscal agent for purposes of the    
grant4  7c7 ,submission and contents of 
application  7#a7 ,in general ,the      
,state1 acting through the ,state higher
 education agency or other ,state agency
 determined appropriate by the ,governor
 or chief executive officer of the      
,state1 shall submit an application to  
the ,secretary at such time1 in such    
manner1 and containing such information 
as the ,secretary may require4  7#b7    

,contents ,an application submitted     
under paragraph 7#a7 shall include the  
following3 7,a7 ,a description of the   
,state's capacity to administer the     
grant under this section and report     
annually to the ,secretary on the       
progress of the activities and services 
described in subsection 7e74  7,b7 ,a   
description of how the ,state will meet 
the purposes of the grant program under 
this part through outreach and memoranda
 of understanding with institutions of  
higher education1 including the ,state's
 plan for using grant funds to meet the 
requirements of subsections 7e7 and 7g7 
and1 if the ,state elects to use grant  
funds under such subsection to create   
strong articulation agreements1         
subsection 7f77#b74  7,c7 ,a description
 of how the ,state will coordinate with 
appropriate stakeholders1 including     
institutions of higher education1       
data-sharing agencies within the ,state1
 and other ,states4  7,d7 ,a description
 of-- 7i7 the structure that the ,state 

has in place to administer the          
activities and services described in    
subsection 7e71 including--  7,i7 the   
capacity of the ,state's longitudinal   
data system to-- 7aa7 be clean of record
 duplication and ensure alignment of    
,state and institutional credit         
completion records2  7bb7 include       
transfer flags and course and credit    
data to allow the ,state to run initial 
degree audits for institutions2  7cc7   
include all postsecondary educational   
institutions in the ,state1 including   
public1 private nonprofit1 and private  
for-profit institutions2 and  7dd7 have 
in place mechanisms to share data across
 institutions1 systems1 and ,states2    
7,,ii7 the capacity of the agency       
governing the ,state's longitudinal     
system to respond to data requests      
accurately and in a timely manner2 and  
7,,iii7 the ,state's plan to protect    
student privacy with respect to data in 
the ,state longitudinal data system and 
comply with section #ddd of the ,general

 ,education ,provisions ,act 7commonly  
referred to as the ,family ,educational 
,rights and ,privacy ,act of #aigd72 or 
7ii7 the ,state's plan to develop such  
administrative capacity as part of the  
activities carried out under the grant4 
7d7 ,award basis and priority ,the      
,secretary shall award grants under this
 section to ,states based on the quality
 of the applications submitted under    
subsection 7c74 ,in awarding grants     
under this section1 the ,secretary shall
 give priority to applications from     
,states--  7#a7 that do not have1 as of 
the time of the application1 statewide  
policies or statewide initiatives in    
place to retroactively award associate's
 degrees to students2 or  7#b7 that have
 a commitment to initiatives regarding  
the retroactive awarding of associate's 
degrees that will continue after the    
period of the grant4  7e7 ,mandatory use
 of funds  7#a7 ,subgrants ,a ,state    
that receives a grant under this section
 shall use not less than #hj percent of 

the grant funds provided to award       
subgrants1 on a competitive basis1 to   
institutions of higher education or     
systems of higher education4 ,each      
institution of higher education or      
system of higher education receiving a  
subgrant shall carry out all of the     
following activities and services1      
pursuant to the conditions under        
subsection 7g73  7,a7 ,identify the     
group of students enrolled at the       
institution of higher education on the  
date of the identification and former   
students enrolled at the institution of 
higher education1 or at the institutions
 of higher education within the system  
of higher education1 as the case may be1
 that1 based on the data held by the    
institution or system1 meet both of the 
following requirements3  7i7 ,each      
individual was enrolled in not less than
 #de postsecondary credit hours 7or the 
minimum required by the ,state to earn  
an associate's degree7--  7,i7 in the   
case of former students enrolled at the 

institution of higher education or at   
the institutions of higher education    
within the system of higher education1  
as the case may be1 at the institution  
or institutions2 and  7,,ii7 in the case
 of students enrolled at the institution
 of higher education or at the          
institutions of higher education within 
the system of higher education1 as the  
case may be1 on the date of the         
identification1 at another institution  
of higher education4  7ii7 ,each        
individual has not had any postsecondary
 degree or certificate1 of any kind1    
issued to the student by an institution 
of higher education4  7,b7 ,perform a   
degree audit on each student described  
in subparagraph 7,a71 and identify each 
such student as one of the following3   
7i7 ,eligible to obtain an associate's  
degree4  7ii7 ,eligible to obtain an    
associate's degree upon the completion  
of #ab or fewer postsecondary credit    
hours 7or the equivalent74  7iii7 ,not  
eligible under either clause 7i7 or     

7ii74  7,c7 ,provide outreach to each   
student identified in subparagraph      
7,b77i71 and award the earned           
associate's degree to such student1     
unless such student declines through a  
written or oral declaration4  7,d7      
,provide outreach to each student       
identified in subparagraph 7,b77ii7 that
 includes information regarding next    
steps toward degree attainment1         
including financial aid options4  7#b7  
,application process ,an institution of 
higher education or system of higher    
education desiring a subgrant under this
 subsection shall submit an application 
to the ,state at such time1 in such     
manner1 and containing such information 
as the ,state may require4 ,such        
application shall include a written     
commitment from the institution or      
system that1 if the institution or      
system receives a grant1 the institution
 or system will carry out all of the    
activities described in paragraph 7#a74 
7#c7 ,priority ,each ,state awarding    

subgrants under this part shall give    
priority to applications from           
institutions of higher education or     
systems of higher education that--  7,a7
 have up-to-date degree audit software  
or systems to increase automation of    
degree audits and transcript exchange1  
or a plan to invest and develop such    
software or systems2  7,b7 if such      
policy is permissible under applicable  
accreditation or ,state standards1 use a
 policy that awards associate's degrees 
to any candidate identified in paragraph
 7#a77;,b77i7 and provides candidates   
with a process to opt out of such award 
program2  7,c7 waive nonacademic        
barriers to graduation1 such as an      
application1 swimming test1 library     
fine1 transcript exchange fee1          
graduation fee1 parking ticket1 or any  
other nominal fee2  7,d7 waive or amend 
residency and recency requirements to   
prevent earned credits from expiring1 if
 such action is permissible under       
accreditation or ,state standards2  7,e7

 provide students with tuition waivers1 
reduced tuition1 or prior learning      
assessments for those who need to earn  
remaining credits2 and  7,f7 agree that1
 after the conclusion of the activities 
described in paragraph 7#a7 and         
continuing after the end of the grant   
period1 the institution or system will--
  7i7 conduct degree audits for all     
enrolled students once the students     
enroll in #de postsecondary credit      
hours2 and  7ii7 provide information    
about graduation deadlines to remind    
students of relevant requirements at    
least #d months before the students     
graduate and again #a month before      
graduation4  7f7 ,permissive use of     
funds ,a ,state receiving a grant under 
this section may use-- 7#a7 not more    
than #ae percent of the total amount    
received under this section for         
administrative purposes relating to the 
grant under this section1 including     
technology needed to carry out the      
purposes of this part2 and  7#b7 not    

more than #e percent of the total amount
 received under this section to create  
articulation agreements between #b-year 
and #d-year institutions of higher      
education1 in order to enhance          
collaboration and strengthen the        
transition pathways between such        
institutions for transfer students4  7g7
 ,special conditions and prohibitions   
7#a7 ,availability to students ,a       
,state1 institution of higher education1
 or system of higher education receiving
 a grant or subgrant1 as the case may   
be1 under this section shall not charge 
any student an additional fee or charge 
to participate in the activities or     
services supported under this section4  
7#b7 ,prohibited uses ,a ,state1        
institution of higher education1 or     
system of higher education receiving a  
grant or subgrant1 as the case may be1  
under this section shall not use any    
grant or subgrant funds for tuition1    
fees1 room and board1 or any other      
purpose outside the goals of the grant4 

7#c7 ,,ferpa requirements ,each ,state1 
institution of higher education1 or     
system of higher education receiving a  
grant or subgrant1 respectively1 under  
this section that enters into a contract
 or other agreement with any outside    
entity to assist in carrying out the    
activities or services under such grant 
or subgrant1 shall ensure that the      
outside entity complies with all        
requirements of section #ddd of the     
,general ,education ,provisions ,act    
7commonly referred to as the ,family    
,educational ,rights and ,privacy ,act  
of #aigd7 that would apply to the       
,state1 institution1 or system4  7#d7   
,coordination ,a ,state receiving a     
grant under this section shall ensure   
the coordination of the activities and  
services carried out under this section 
with any other activities carried out in
 the ,state that are similar to the     
goals of this program1 and with any     
other entities that support the existing
 activities in the ,state1 with the goal

 of minimizing duplication4  7h7 ,report
  7#a7 ,in general ,a ,state receiving a
 grant under this section shall prepare 
and submit an annual report to the      
,secretary on the activities and        
services carried out under this section1
 and on the implementation of such      
activities and services4 ,the report    
shall include1 for each institution of  
higher education or system of higher    
education receiving a subgrant1 the     
following information3  7,a7 ,the number
 of students who were first identified  
in the group described in subsection    
7e77#a77;,a77i74  7,b7 ,the number of   
students who were removed from such     
group because the students had received 
a degree elsewhere1 in accordance with  
subsection 7e77#a77;,a77ii74  7,c7 ,the 
number of degree audits performed under 
subsection 7e77#a77;,b74  7,d7 ,the     
number of students identified under     
subsection 7e77#a77;,b77i7 as eligible  
to obtain an associate's degree4  7,e7  
,the number of students identified under

 subsection 7e77#a77;,b77ii7 as eligible
 to obtain an associate's degree upon   
the completion of #ab or fewer credits4 
7,f7 ,the number of students identified 
under subsection 7e77#a77;,b77iii7 as   
ineligible to obtain an associate's     
degree and ineligible to obtain such a  
degree upon the completion of #ab or    
fewer credits4  7,g7 ,the number of     
students awarded an associate's degree  
under subsection 7e77#a77;,c74  7,h7    
,the number of students identified in   
subsection 7e77#a77;,b77ii7 who are     
returning to an institution of higher   
education after receiving outreach      
described in subsection 7e77#a77;,d74   
7,i7 ,the average amount of credit hours
 previously earned by students described
 in subsection 7e77#a77;,b77i7 when the 
associate's degrees are awarded4  7,j7  
,the number of students who received    
outreach described in subsection        
7e77#a77;,c7 and who decline to receive 
the associate's degree4  7,k7 ,the      
number of students who could not be     

located or reached as part of the       
process4  7,l7 ,the reasons why students
 identified in subsection               
7e77#a77;,b77ii7 did not return to an   
institution of higher education to      
receive a degree4  7,m7 ,details of any 
policy changes implemented as a result  
of implementing this program and        
conducting the required degree audits4  
7#b7 ,disaggregation ,the report shall  
include the information described in    
subparagraphs 7,a7 through 7,l7 of      
paragraph 7#a7 in the aggregate and     
disaggregated by age1 gender1 race or   
ethnicity1 status as an individual with 
a disability1 and socioeconomic status  
7including status as a ,federal ,pell   
,grant recipient74  7i7 ,enforcement    
provisions  7#a7 ,recovery or           
withholding ,the ,secretary may1 after  
notice and an opportunity for a hearing 
in accordance with chapter #e of title  
#e1 ,united ,states ,code--  7,a7       
withhold funds provided under a grant or
 subgrant under this section if a ,state

 or institution of higher education is  
failing to comply substantially with the
 requirements of this section2 or  7,b7 
take actions to recover funds provided  
under a grant or subgrant under this    
section1 if the ,state or institution   
made an unallowable expense1 or         
otherwise failed to discharge its       
responsibility to properly account for  
funds4  7#b7 ,use of recovered or unused
 funds ,any funds recovered or withheld 
under paragraph 7#a7 shall-- 7,a7 be    
credited to the appropriations account  
from which amounts are available to make
 grants or enter cooperative agreements 
under this section2 and  7,b7 remain    
available until expended for any purpose
 of that account authorized by law that 
relates to the program under this       
section4  7j7 ,authorization of         
appropriations ,there are authorized to 
be appropriated to carry out this       
section such sums as may be necessary   
for fiscal year #bjai and each of the #b
 subsequent fiscal years4  4  #c4       

,release of education records to        
facilitate the award of a recognized    
postsecondary credential ,section       
#ddd7;b7 of the ,general ,education     
,provisions ,act 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4         
#abcb;g7b77 is amended-- 7#a7 in        
paragraph 7#a7--  7,a7 in subparagraph  
7,k77ii71 by striking 2 and and         
inserting a semicolon2 and  7,b7 in     
subparagraph 7,l71 by striking the      
period at the end and inserting 2 and 2 
and  7#b7 by inserting after            
subparagraph 7,l7 the following3  7,m7  
an institution of postsecondary         
education in which the student was      
previously enrolled1 to which records of
 postsecondary coursework and credits   
are sent for the purpose of applying    
such coursework and credits toward      
completion of a recognized postsecondary
 credential 7as that term is defined in 
section #c of the ,workforce ,innovation
 and ,opportunity ,act 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4   
#cajb771 upon condition that the student
 provides written consent prior to      

receiving such credential4  4