,,ii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #caee ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,january #h1 #bjbj,ms4 ,collins 7for herself and ,ms4 ,hassan7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to establish a rural postsecondary and economic development grant program4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,success for ,rural ,students and ,communities ,act of #bjbj4 #b4 ,rural postsecondary and economic development grant program ,part ,q of title ,,viii of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #aafaq7 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #hfb4 ,rural postsecondary and economic development grant program 7a7 ,purposes ,the purposes of this section are to-- 7#a7 increase enrollment and graduation rates of secondary school graduates and nontraditional students from rural areas at #b-year and #d-year institutions of higher education1 their articulation from #b-year degree programs into #d-year degree programs1 and their attainment of market-relevant credentials and certificates2 7#b7 ensure rural communities benefit from their students' success by advancing rural economic development and cultivation of a skilled local workforce with employment opportunities for college graduates2 7#c7 promote economic growth and development in the rural ,united ,states through partnership grants to consortia of rural serving institutions of higher education1 local educational agencies1 and regional economic development entities2 7#d7 foster innovation and development of effective practices1 identify and document effective practices for the purpose of continuous quality improvement1 and ensure that additional rural areas benefit from innovations through dissemination of practices that are most effective in rural areas2 and 7#e7 foster elevated levels of investment in rural students and communities by ,state1 private sector1 and philanthropic partners4 7b7 ,definitions ,for the purposes of this section3 7#a7 ,nontraditional student ,the term nontraditional student means an individual who-- 7,a7 delays enrollment in an institution of higher education by #c or more years after secondary school graduation2 7,b7 attends an institution of higher education part-time2 or 7,c7 attends an institution of higher education and-- 7i7 works full-time2 7ii7 is an independent student1 as defined in section #dhj2 7iii7 has #a or more dependents other than a spouse2 7iv7 is a single parent or is the primary caregiver for a family member2 7v7 is aging out of foster care2 7vi7 has been involved in the juvenile justice system or the adult criminal justice system2 or 7vii7 is in recovery from a substance use disorder4 7#b7 ,regional economic development entity ,the term regional economic development entity means an entity working to promote economic development in1 or employing residents of1 a rural area1 which may include local boards 7as defined in section #c of the ,workforce ,innovation and ,opportunity ,act71 ,chambers of ,commerce1 and employers in the rural region covered by the grant4 7#c7 ,rural area ,the term rural area means an area that is defined1 identified1 or otherwise recognized as rural by a governmental agency of the ,state in which the area is located4 7#d7 ,rural serving institution of higher education ,the term rural serving institution of higher education means an institution of higher education that serves rural areas4 7c7 ,eligible ,partnership 7#a7 ,eligible partnership ,a partnership eligible to apply for a grant and carry out activities under this section 7referred to in this section as an eligible partnership7 shall include partners representing not less than #c of the following types of organizations3 7,a7 ,a local educational agency or educational service agency 7as such term is defined in section #haja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife7 serving a rural area4 7,b7 ,an institution of higher education4 7,c7 ,a regional economic development entity4 7,d7 ,a rural community-serving organization1 including a philanthropy1 with demonstrated success supporting rural students in accessing higher education and attaining #b-year or #d-year degrees1 including supporting students articulating from a #b-year to a #d-year college4 7#b7 ,optional partners ,other organizations serving rural students1 families1 or communities1 including agencies of ,tribal1 ,state1 or local government1 community action agencies1 or other non-governmental agencies1 and local elected officials may participate in the eligible partnership as optional partners4 7#c7 ,lead applicant ,any required partner in an eligible partnership described in paragraph 7#a7 may be designated by the eligible partnership to serve as the lead applicant and submit a competitive application on behalf of the eligible partnership of which that partner entity is a member4 7#d7 ,limitation ,no more than #a partner may submit a grant application under this section on behalf of an eligible partnership4 7d7 ,grants authorized 7#a7 ,in general ,from amounts made available under subsection 7j71 the ,secretary may award grants1 on a competitive basis1 to eligible partnerships to carry out the activities described in subsection 7f74 7#b7 ,duration ,a grant awarded under this section shall be awarded for a period of not less than #e years and not more than #i years4 7#c7 ,minimum grants ,a grant awarded under this section shall be in an amount not less than #a1jjj1jjj4 7e7 ,applications 7#a7 ,in ,general ,each eligible partnership desiring a grant under this section shall submit to the ,secretary an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may reasonably require4 7#b7 ,special considerations ,in awarding grants under this section1 the ,secretary shall give special consideration to applications that demonstrate the most potential and propose the most promising and innovative approaches for-- 7,a7 increasing the number and percentage of graduates from rural secondary schools who enroll in and graduate from institutions of higher education2 7,b7 increasing the number of market-relevant credentials and certificates awarded to students in rural communities2 7,c7 meeting the employment needs of regional employers2 7,d7 strengthening the regional economy of a rural area2 7,e7 utilizing ,labor ,market ,information data to determine regional job growth opportunities and connect that information to education and other partners2 and 7,f7 creating shared data systems accessible to all partners4 7f7 ,match ,as part of the application1 each eligible partnership applying for a grant under this section shall secure and document commitments of matching funds1 in cash or in kind1 totaling not less than #bj percent of the amount of grant funding that the eligible partnership is requesting in the application4 ,matching funds may be contributed from any non-,federal source1 including a ,state1 local1 private1 nonprofit1 or philanthropic source4 7g7 ,use of funds ,an eligible partnership that receives a grant under this section shall use grant and matching funds to carry out not less than #b of the following #d activities3 7#a7 ,improving postsecondary enrollment rates for rural secondary school students by providing supports to students1 beginning as early as middle school1 but in no case later than grade #aa1 and continuing through completion of postsecondary education4 ,such supports may include-- 7,a7 providing students and families with counseling related to applying for postsecondary education1 and ,federal and ,state financial assistance for postsecondary education2 7,b7 providing students at rural high schools1 and their families1 with exposure and access to campuses1 courses1 programs1 and internships of institutions of higher education1 including covering the cost of transportation to and from such institutions2 7,c7 providing students of rural high schools exposure and access to courses offering dual or concurrent enrollment that will earn credits towards postsecondary degrees1 credentials1 or certificates2 7,d7 supporting early connectivity to regional employment opportunities for rural students1 including early opportunities for career exploration and exposure1 expanding career counseling and opportunities for work-based learning experiences1 opportunities available through career and technical education schools1 and designing and implementing college and career pathways in secondary schools that align to local labor market demands2 7,e7 supporting the transition of students from high school to postsecondary education2 7,f7 supporting students in completing their postsecondary degree or credential2 7,g7 supporting the transition of students articulating from #b-year degree programs to #d-year degree programs2 and 7,h7 other initiatives that assist students and families in developing interest in1 applying for1 attending1 and graduating from rural serving institutions of higher education4 7#b7 ,increasing enrollment and completion rates of rural nontraditional students in degree programs at institutions of higher education1 which may include-- 7,a7 programs to provide nontraditional students with counseling related to applying for postsecondary education1 and ,federal and ,state financial assistance for postsecondary education2 7,b7 community outreach initiatives to encourage nontraditional students to enroll in an institution of higher education2 7,c7 programs to increase rural nontraditional student persistence in and completion of postsecondary education2 or 7,d7 programs to improve the enrollment of nontraditional students in #b-year degree programs and the transition of nontraditional students articulating from #b-year degree programs to #d-year degree programs4 7#c7 ,creating or strengthening academic programs at rural serving institutions of higher education to prepare graduates to enter into high-need occupations in the regional and local economies1 and to provide additional career training to such students in fields relevant to the regional economy4 ,such activities may include-- 7,a7 developing and expanding work-based learning opportunities1 such as apprenticeships or paid internships1 including covering the cost of transportation or the cost of internet access for virtual opportunities2 7,b7 establishing policies and processes for assessing and awarding course credit for prior learning2 7,c7 developing and expanding programs that accelerate learning and recognized postsecondary credential attainment1 including competency-based education1 corequisite remediation1 and other strategies for acceleration2 7,d7 developing and expanding efficient career pathways to credentials1 including the development of stackable credentials and integrated education and training strategies2 7,e7 working with local boards on the use of labor market information for making program decisions2 or 7,f7 engaging employers in the development of programs and curricula4 7#d7 ,generating local and regional economic development that creates employment opportunities for rural students with postsecondary degrees1 which may include-- 7,a7 promoting and incentivizing remote work opportunities to connect local talent with non-local employers2 7,b7 supporting entrepreneurship as a part of career pathways in secondary school and postsecondary academic and career programs2 7,c7 developing strategies to address transportation and internet connectivity gaps that create barriers to employment opportunities in rural areas2 7,d7 designing and implementing marketing efforts to attract employers and talent to the region or community2 or 7,e7 developing strategies to identify start-up funding for local entrepreneurs4 7h7 ,technical assistance ,the ,secretary may reserve not more than #e percent of funds authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section to provide technical assistance to assist eligible partnerships in preparing and submitting successful applications1 and to support grantees in the successful implementation of grant awards under this section4 7i7 ,research1 evaluation1 and dissemination of promising practices 7#a7 ,ongoing data collection and research ,the ,secretary shall reserve not less than #aj percent of the amount appropriated to carry out this section for the purpose of-- 7,a7 ongoing data collection and research to-- 7i7 identify innovative practices that improve attainment of market-relevant credentials1 certificates1 and degrees for rural students2 or 7ii7 enhance rural economic development that results in employment opportunities for graduates of postsecondary education in rural areas2 and 7,b7 dissemination of the findings related to that data collection and research on a regular basis throughout the duration of the grant period4 7#b7 ,data collection and research by grantees ,at the ,secretary's discretion1 data collection and research under this subsection may be conducted by eligible partnerships4 7#c7 ,purpose2 prohibited use 7,a7 ,in ,general ,the purpose of data collection and research under this subsection shall be to identify1 document1 and disseminate effective practices throughout the duration of the grant period in order to support continuous quality improvement of programs funded under this section4 7,b7 ,prohibited use ,to incentivize innovation1 experimentation1 and collaboration1 findings that result from data collection and research under this subsection shall not be used for the purpose of denying subsequent applications for ,federal funds4 7j7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section #fj1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjba and each of the #e succeeding fiscal years4 4