,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #djgc  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #be1 #bjai,mr4 
,trone 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,bacon1 ,ms4  
,lee of ,california1 ,mr4 ,wright1 and  
,mrs4 ,lee of ,nevada7 introduced the   
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,education and ,labor 
,a ,,bill  ,to amend the ,higher        
,education ,act of #aife to provide     
,federal ,pell ,grants on behalf of an  
incarcerated individual4  #a4 ,short    
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,expanding ,educational ,opportunities  
for ,justice-,impacted ,communities     
,act4  #b4 ,federal ,pell ,grants on    
behalf of incarcerated individuals  7a7 
,removal of prohibition ,section        
#dja7;b7 of the ,higher ,education ,act 
of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajgj;a7b77 is  
amended by striking paragraph 7#f74  7b7
 ,federal ,pell ,grants on behalf of    
incarcerated individuals ,section #dja  
of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 
7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajgj;a7 is amended by   

adding at the end the following3  7k7   
,federal ,pell ,grants on behalf of     
incarcerated individuals  7#a7          
,institutional requirements ,an eligible
 institution may not award a ,federal   
,pell ,grant to an incarcerated         
individual or on behalf of such         
individual1 unless the institution meets
 the following3  7,a7 ,the institution  
is approved to enroll incarcerated      
individuals by-- 7i7 the ,secretary in  
accordance with paragraph 7#b72 and     
7ii7 an accrediting agency or           
association that meets the requirements 
of section #dif7;a77,c74  7,b7 ,the     
eligible institution--  7i7 is an       
institution of higher education 7as     
defined in section #aja7 or a           
postsecondary vocational institution 7as
 defined in section #ajb7;c772 and  7ii7
 during the preceding #e years1 has not 
been subject to the denial1 withdrawal1 
suspension1 or termination of           
accreditation4  7,c7 ,the institution   
provides each incarcerated individual1  

upon completion of a course offered by  
the institution1 with academic credits  
that are the equivalent to credits      
earned by non-incarcerated students for 
an equivalent course of study4  7,d7    
,the institution provides to the        
,secretary confirmation from each       
facility involved that the course of    
study offered by the institution at such
 facility is accessible to incarcerated 
individuals 7including such individuals 
who are individuals with disabilities74 
7,e7 ,the institution does not enroll   
incarcerated individuals in a course of 
study offered primarily as a distance   
education program1 except in a case in  
which the institution provides to the   
,secretary--  7i7 confirmation that the 
distance education program offers levels
 of faculty interaction1 peer           
engagement1 and student support         
sufficient to enable incarcerated       
individuals to successfully participate 
in such a program2 and  7ii7 evidence of
 the institution's success in offering  

other distance education programs4  7,f7
 ,the institution develops and carries  
out a process to allow each incarcerated
 individual to access the transcripts   
and any other educational records of    
such individual held by the institution1
 without regard to the facility at which
 the individual is being held or whether
 the individual has been released from  
such a facility4  7,g7 ,the institution 
develops and carries out a process to   
allow each incarcerated individual an   
opportunity to provide feedback on      
courses that is comparable to the       
opportunity to provide such feedback    
that the institution offers to          
non-incarcerated students4  7,h7 ,the   
institution does not directly charge an 
incarcerated individual-- 7i7 in the    
case of such an individual who is an    
individual with a disability1 for any   
cost of the provision of reasonable     
accommodations for the individual to    
participate in a course of study offered
 by the institution2  7ii7 in the case  

of such an individual with an expected  
family contribution for an award year   
that would not disqualify the individual
 from receiving a ,federal ,pell ,grant1
 for any amount of the cost of          
attendance not covered by the ,federal  
,pell ,grant or other ,federal          
assistance received by the institution  
on behalf of the individual by ensuring 
that any such amount is offset--  7,i7  
by a ,state or institutional grant2 or  
7,,ii7 other non-,federal financial     
assistance that does not have to be     
repaid by such individual2 or  7iii7 in 
the case of such an individual with an  
expected family contribution for an     
award year that would disqualify the    
individual from receiving a ,federal    
,pell ,grant1 an amount that exceeds    
such expected family contribution4  7,i7
 ,the institution does not 7directly or 
indirectly7 charge an incarcerated      
individual for an award year1 an amount 
that exceeds the individual's expected  
family contribution or the cost of      

attendance for such year4  7,j7 ,the    
institution makes available to          
incarcerated individuals who are        
considering enrolling in a course of    
study offered by the institution1 in    
simple and understandable terms1 the    
following3  7i7 ,information with       
respect to each course of study at the  
institution for which such an individual
 may receive a ,federal ,pell ,grant1   
including--  7,i7 the cost of           
attendance2  7,,ii7 the mode of         
instruction 7such as distance education1
 in-person instruction1 or a combination
 of such modes72  7,,iii7 the source of 
funds 7in addition to ,federal ,pell    
,grants7 used to carry out such course  
of study1 including the funds used to   
ensure compliance with subparagraph     
7,g72  7,,iv7 how enrollment in such    
course of study will impact the period  
of eligibility for ,federal ,pell       
,grants for such an individual1         
including in a case in which the        
individual is transferred to another    

facility or released before the         
completion of such course2  7,v7 the    
transferability of credits earned1 and  
the acceptability of such credits toward
 a certificate or degree program offered
 by the institution2  7,,vi7 the process
 for continuing postsecondary           
education-- 7aa7 upon transfer to       
another facility2 or  7bb7 after the    
student's period of incarceration or    
confinement2 and  7,,vii7 the process   
for continuing enrollment at the        
institution after the student's period  
of incarceration or confinement1        
including any barriers to admission     
7such as criminal history questions on  
applications for admission to such      
institution74  7ii7 ,in the case of an  
institution that offers a program to    
prepare incarcerated individuals for    
gainful employment in a recognized      
occupation 7as such term is used in     
sections #aja7;b77#a71                  
#ajb7;c77#a77;,a71 and                  
#dha7;b77#a77;,a77i77--  7,i7           

information on any applicable ,state    
licensure and certification             
requirements1 including the requirements
 of the ,state in which the facility    
involved is located and each ,state in  
which such individuals permanently      
reside2 and  7,,ii7 restrictions related
 to the employment of formerly          
incarcerated individuals for each       
recognized occupation for which the     
course of study prepares students1      
including such restrictions--  7aa7 in  
,federal law2 and  7bb7 in the laws of  
the ,state in which the facility        
involved is located and each ,state in  
which such individuals permanently      
reside4  7,k7 ,the institution submits  
the information described in            
subparagraph 7,j7 to each facility      
involved1 the ,secretary1 and the       
accrediting agency or association       
described in subparagraph 7,a77ii74     
7#b7 ,approval by the ,secretary  7,a7  
,initial eligibility ,with respect to an
 eligible institution that seeks to     

award ,federal ,pell ,grants to         
incarcerated individuals under this     
subsection1 the ,secretary shall make an
 initial determination about whether    
such institution meets the requirements 
of this subsection1 which shall include 
a confirmation that the institution--   
7i7 has secured the approval required   
under paragraph 7#a77;,a77ii72 and  7ii7
 meets the requirements of paragraph    
7#a77;,b74  7,b7 ,ongoing eligibility   
,not later than #e years after the      
,secretary makes an initial             
determination under subparagraph 7,a7   
that an institution meets the           
requirements of this subsection1 and not
 less than every #e years thereafter1   
the ,secretary shall determine whether  
such institution continues to meet the  
requirements of this subsection1 based  
on--  7i7 a review of the data collected
 under paragraph 7#c7 with respect to   
the courses of study offered by such    
institution in which incarcerated       
individuals are enrolled1 and other     

applicable information that may be      
available to the ,secretary2 and  7ii7  
whether such institution meets the      
requirements of paragraph 7#a74  7#c7   
,data collection ,the ,secretary shall1 
on at least an annual basis1 collect    
data with respect to each course of     
study offered by each institution at    
which incarcerated individuals are      
enrolled1 including--  7,a7 the         
demographics of such individuals2  7,b7 
the share of such individuals receiving 
,federal ,pell ,grants2  7,c7           
information on the academic outcomes of 
such individuals 7such as credits       
attempted and earned1 and credential and
 degree completion72  7,d7 to the extent
 practicable1 information on            
post-release outcomes of such           
individuals 7such as continued          
postsecondary enrollment1 employment1   
and recidivism72 and  7,e7 any data from
 student satisfaction surveys conducted 
by the institution or the facility      
involved regarding such course of study4

  7#d7 ,definitions ,in this subsection3
 7,a7 ,cost of attendance ,the term cost
 of attendance has the meaning given the
 term in section #dgb4  7,b7 ,facility  
,the term facility means-- 7i7 a place  
used for the confinement of individuals 
convicted of a criminal offense that is 
owned by1 or under contract to1 the     
,bureau of ,prisons1 a ,state1 or a unit
 of local government2 or  7ii7 a        
facility to which an individual subject 
to involuntary civil confinement is     
committed4  7,c7 ,facility involved ,the
 term facility involved means1 when used
 with respect to an institution of      
higher education1 a facility at which a 
course of study of the institution is   
offered to incarcerated individuals4    
7,d7 ,incarcerated individual ,the term 
incarcerated individual means an        
individual who is incarcerated in a     
facility or who is subject to an        
involuntary civil commitment4  7,e7     
,non-incarcerated student ,the term     
non-incarcerated student means a student

 at an institution of higher education  
who is not an incarcerated individual4  
4  #c4 ,,fafsa ,section #dhc of the     
,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj   
,u4,s4,c4 #ajij7 is amended--  7#a7 in  
subsection 7a77#d71 by adding at the end
 the following3  7,c7 ,incarcerated     
individuals  7i7 ,in general ,the       
,secretary shall streamline the forms   
and processes for an incarcerated       
individual 7as defined in section       
#dja7k77#d77 to apply for a ,federal    
,pell ,grant under section #dja1 which--
  7,i7 shall be used to determine the   
expected family contribution for such   
individual as of the date of enrollment 
in the course for which the individual  
is applying for such ,federal ,pell     
,grant2 and  7,,ii7 may include-- 7aa7  
notwithstanding section #ab7;f7 of the  
,military ,selective ,service ,act 7#ej 
,u4,s4,c4 #chaa7;f771 a waiver of the   
selective service registration          
requirement2  7bb7 flexibility in the   
submission of any required documentation

 required to verify eligibility for a   
,federal ,pell ,grant2 and  7cc7        
assistance in rehabilitating loans under
 section #dbh;,f4  7ii7 ,report ,not    
later than #a year after the date of    
enactment of the ,expanding ,educational
 ,opportunities for ,justice-,impacted  
,communities ,act1 the ,secretary shall 
submit to the ,committee on ,education  
and ,labor of the ,house of             
,representatives and the ,committee on  
,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and        
,pensions of the ,senate1 and make      
publicly available on the website of the
 ,department1 a report on how the forms 
and processes are being streamlined     
under clause 7i74  2 and  7#b7 by adding
 at the end the following3  7i7         
,prohibition on questions relating to   
drug offenses ,the ,secretary may not   
include on the forms developed under    
this subsection any data items relating 
to whether an applicant has a conviction
 of any offense under any ,federal or   
,state law involving the possession or  

sale of a controlled substance 7as      
defined in section #ajb7f7 of the       
,controlled ,substances ,act 7#ba       
,u4,s4,c4 #hjb7f774  4  #d4 ,removal of 
suspension of eligibility for           
drug-related offenses ,section #dhd of  
the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife    
7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajia7 is amended by     
striking subsection 7r74  #e4           
,accrediting agency recognition of      
institutions enrolling incarcerated     
individuals ,section #dif7;a77#d7 of the
 ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj  
,u4,s4,c4 #ajii;b7a77#d77 is amended--  
7#a7 in subparagraph 7,a71 by striking  
and at the end2  7#b7 in subparagraph   
7,b77ii71 by inserting and at the end2  
and  7#c7 by adding at the end the      
following3  7,c7 if such agency or      
association has or seeks to include     
within its scope of recognition the     
evaluation of the quality of            
institutions of higher education that   
seek to award ,federal ,pell ,grants    
under section #dja7k7 to incarcerated   

individuals for a course of study at    
such institution1 such agency or        
association shall1 in addition to       
meeting the other requirements of this  
subpart1 demonstrate to the ,secretary  
that--  7i7 the agency or association's 
standards include a process for         
determining if the institution has the  
capability to effectively offer such a  
course of study to incarcerated         
individuals2 and  7ii7 the agency or    
association requires a demonstration    
that-- 7,i7 such course of study is     
taught by faculty with experience and   
credentials comparable to the experience
 and credentials of faculty who teach   
courses of study available to           
non-incarcerated students enrolled at   
the institution2  7,,ii7 academic       
credits earned by incarcerated          
individuals for completion of a course  
of study are treated by the institution 
as the equivalent to credits earned by  
non-incarcerated students for an        
equivalent course2  7,,iii7 the         

institution provides sufficient         
educational content and resources to    
students enrolled in such a course of   
study that are1 to the extent           
practicable1 consistent with the        
educational content and resources       
available to non-incarcerated students2 
and  7,,iv7 the institution has the     
capacity1 staffing1 and expertise to    
provide incarcerated individuals with   
the support and advising services       
necessary to select and successfully    
participate in such a course of study   
and1 to the extent practicable1 with    
support upon reentry 7including career  
and academic advising72  4  #f4 ,report 
on impacts of ,federal ,pell ,grants    
awarded to incarcerated individuals ,not
 later than #c years after the date of  
enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary  
of ,education shall submit to the       
,committee on ,education and ,labor of  
the ,house of ,representatives and the  
,committee on ,health1 ,education1      
,labor1 and ,pensions of the ,senate1   

and make publicly available on the      
website of the ,department of           
,education1 a report on the impacts of  
subsection 7k7 of section #dja of the   
,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj   
,u4,s4,c4 #ajgj;a71 as added by this    
,act1 based on the most recent data     
collected under paragraph 7#c7 of such  
subsection 7k74