,,ii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #cbgc ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #aa1 #bjbj,mr4 ,kaine 7for himself and ,mr4 ,young7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife to establish a community college and career training grant program4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,assisting ,community ,colleges in ,educating ,skilled ,students to ,careers ,act of #bjbj or the ,,access to ,careers ,act of #bjbj4 #b4 ,community college and career training grant program ,part ,c of title ,,viii of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #aafa;c et seq47 is amended to read as follows3 ,c ,community college and career training grant program #hjc4 ,community college and career training grant program 7a7 ,purposes ,the purposes of this section include the following3 7#a7 ,to increase the number of students who attain postsecondary credentials in high-skill1 high-wage1 or in-demand industry sectors or occupations4 7#b7 ,to increase the degree to which postsecondary education meets the skill needs of employers in high-skill1 high-wage1 or in-demand industry sectors or occupations4 7#c7 ,to assist the ,nation's community colleges and technical colleges1 through grants to eligible institutions1 consortia of eligible institutions1 and ,states1 to develop1 improve1 and scale evidence-based strategies and delivery structures and that best meet the skill needs of students and employers4 7b7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,,wioa definitions ,the terms career pathway1 individual with a barrier to employment1 industry or sector partnership1 integrated education and training1 local board1 ,state board1 in-demand industry sector or occupation1 and recognized postsecondary credential have the meanings given such terms in section #c of the ,workforce ,innovation and ,opportunity ,act 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #cajb74 7#b7 ,apprenticeship program ,the term apprenticeship program means a program under the ,act of ,august #af1 #aicg 7commonly known as the ,national ,apprenticeship ,act7 7#ej ,stat4 #ffd1 chapter #ffc2 #bi ,u4,s4,c4 #ej et seq474 7#c7 ,community college partnership ,the term community college partnership means a partnership of private and public sector entities which-- 7,a7 shall include a community college1 a local or regional employer representing an in-demand industry sector or occupation1 and a ,state board or local board2 and 7,b7 may include an industry or sector partnership1 a local educational agency1 an entity with experience in providing employment1 education1 or support services relevant to student populations receiving services under this section 7such as a community-based organization71 a provider of adult education 7as defined in section #bjc of the ,adult ,education and ,family ,literacy ,act71 or an institution of higher education4 7#d7 ,consortium of eligible institutions ,the term consortium of eligible institutions means a consortium that includes #c or more eligible institutions4 7#e7 ,education and career training program ,the term education and career training program means-- 7,a7 a career pathway program that leads to a recognized postsecondary credential2 or 7,b7 a program that utilizes integrated education and training strategies and leads to a recognized postsecondary credential4 7#f7 ,eligible institution ,the term eligible institution means a public institution of higher education at which the highest degree that is predominantly awarded to students is an associate degree1 including a #b-year ,tribal ,college or ,university 7as defined in section #caf74 7#g7 ,state ,the term ,state means each of the #ej ,states1 the ,district of ,columbia1 the ,commonwealth of ,puerto ,rico1 ,american ,samoa1 ,guam1 the ,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands1 and the ,united ,states ,virgin ,islands4 7#h7 ,work-based learning ,the term work-based learning means sustained interactions with industry or community professionals in real workplace settings1 to the extent practicable1 or simulated environments at an eligible institution that foster in-depth1 firsthand engagement with the tasks required in a given career field1 that are aligned to curriculum and instruction4 7c7 ,authorization of appropriations and administrative provisions 7#a7 ,grants to eligible institutions and consortia of eligible institutions ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out subsection 7d71 such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year #bjbj and each of the #e succeeding fiscal years4 7#b7 ,grants to ,states ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out subsection 7e71 such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year #bjbj and each of the #e succeeding fiscal years4 7#c7 ,national activities ,for each fiscal year1 the ,secretary shall reserve #e percent of the amount appropriated to carry out subsection 7d7 and #e percent of the amount appropriated to carry out subsection 7e7 to carry out subsection 7g74 7#d7 ,limitations ,an eligible institution1 consortium of eligible institutions1 or ,state may not receive more than one grant under this section as a primary applicant4 7#e7 ,duration ,each grant awarded under this section shall be for a period of not more than #e years4 7#f7 ,priority ,in awarding grants under this section1 the ,secretary shall give priority to applicants based on the extent to which the applicant-- 7,a7 leverages resources other than the funds provided under this section to support the activities carried out under this section2 and 7,b7 can continue to sustain or expand such activities after the expiration of the grant4 7d7 ,grants to eligible institutions and consortia of eligible institutions 7#a7 ,in general 7,a7 ,authorization ,from funds authorized under subsection 7c77#a71 the ,secretary shall award1 on a competitive basis1 grants of not more than #a1ejj1jjj to eligible institutions1 and not more than #e1jjj1jjj to consortia of eligible institutions1 to assist such institutions in establishing and scaling education and career training programs consistent with the provisions of this subsection4 7,b7 ,priority ,in awarding grants under this subsection1 the ,secretary shall give priority1 in addition to the priorities specified in subsection 7c77#f71 to applicants that-- 7i7 will serve individuals with barriers to employment1 veterans1 spouses of members of the ,armed ,forces1 ,native ,american ,indians1 ,alaska ,natives1 ,native ,hawaiians1 or incumbent workers who are low-skilled and who need to increase their employability skills2 7ii7 will serve individuals from each major racial and ethnic group or gender with lower than average educational attainment in the ,state or employment in the in-demand industry sector or occupation2 7iii7 will serve areas with high unemployment rates or high levels of poverty1 including rural areas2 or 7iv7 will increase access to education and career training programs that meet the needs of regional employers in in-demand industry sectors or occupations4 7#b7 ,application ,an eligible institution or consortium of eligible institutions seeking a grant under this subsection shall submit an application containing a grant proposal for an education and career training program to the ,secretary at such time and containing such information as the ,secretary determines is required1 including a detailed description of-- 7,a7 the community college partnership1 including the roles and responsibilities of each partner2 7,b7 the education and career training programs that will be supported under the grant1 including a description of high-skill1 high-wage or in-demand industry sectors or occupations that will be targeted and the recognized postsecondary credentials to be awarded2 7,c7 quantitative data and evidence that demonstrates the extent to which the program supported under the grant will meet the skilled worker needs of employers in the geographic area served by the grant2 7,d7 the extent to which the education and career training programs described in the grant proposal align with a statewide or regional workforce development strategy1 including those established under the ,workforce ,innovation and ,opportunity ,act and the ,carl ,d4 ,perkins ,career and ,technical ,education ,act of #bjjf2 7,e7 the extent to which the eligible institution1 or consortium1 can leverage additional resources and the future sustainability of the education and career training programs supported under the grant2 7,f7 how the education and career training programs offered under the grant will include evidence-based practices2 7,g7 the student populations that will be served under the grant1 including an analysis of any barriers to employment or barriers to postsecondary education that such populations face and an analysis of how the services to be provided under the grant will address those barriers2 7,h7 any previous experience of the eligible institution1 or consortium1 in providing programs1 the absence of which shall not automatically disqualify the applicant from receiving a grant under this section2 7,i7 the extent to which the eligible institution1 or consortium1 plan to enroll and support students who are eligible to receive a ,federal ,pell ,grant under subpart #a of part ,a of title ,,iv2 and 7,j7 other information the ,secretary may require of the eligible institution or consortium4 7#c7 ,use of funds 7,a7 ,support and emergency services ,not less than #be percent of the grant funds awarded to an eligible institution or a consortium of eligible institutions under this subsection shall be used to carry out student support services which may include the following3 7i7 ,childcare1 transportation1 mental health and substance use disorder treatment1 assistance in obtaining health insurance coverage1 and assistance in accessing the supplemental nutrition assistance program established under the ,food and ,nutrition ,act of #bjjh 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #bjaa et seq471 the special supplemental nutrition program for women1 infants1 and children established by section #ag of the ,child ,nutrition ,act of #aiff 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aghf71 housing1 and other benefits1 as appropriate4 7ii7 ,connecting students to ,state or ,federal means-tested benefits programs1 including means-tested ,federal benefits programs1 as defined in section #dgi7;d74 7iii7 ,the provision of direct financial assistance to help students facing financial hardships that may impact enrollment in or completion of an education and career training program1 or a work-based learning program4 7iv7 ,navigation and case management services1 including providing information and outreach to target populations to take part in education and career training programs1 or work-based learning programs4 7,b7 ,required program activities ,the grant funds awarded to an eligible institution or a consortium of eligible institutions under this subsection that remain after the eligible institution or consortium carries out subparagraph 7,a7 shall be used to carry out #b or more of the following activities3 7i7 ,developing and expanding education and career training programs through a community college partnership for high-skill1 high-wage1 or in-demand industry sectors and occupations1 which may include-- 7,i7 apprenticeship programs2 7,,ii7 work-based learning opportunities2 and 7,,iii7 paid internships4 7ii7 ,establishing policies and processes for assessing and awarding course credit for prior learning4 7iii7 ,developing and expanding programs that accelerate learning and recognized postsecondary credential attainment1 including competency-based education1 corequisite remediation1 and other strategies for acceleration4 7iv7 ,developing and expanding efficient career pathways to credentials1 including the development of stackable credentials and integrated education and training strategies4 7v7 ,developing and expanding dual or concurrent enrollment programs or early college high school programs for secondary students or disconnected youth4 7vi7 ,planning and implementing formalized agreements between the eligible institution or consortium and other partners in the community college partnership4 7vii7 ,working with local boards on the use of labor market information for making program decisions4 7viii7 ,engaging employers in the development of programs and curricula4 7ix7 ,acquiring equipment necessary to support education and career training activities permitted under this section4 7x7 ,carrying out any other activities identified by the eligible institution or consortium as necessary to increase institutional capacity1 as long as such activities are clearly outlined in the application and approved by the ,secretary4 7#d7 ,maximum amount for equipment ,an eligible institution or consortium of eligible institutions that receives a grant under this subsection may use not more than #cj percent of the grant funds to carry out paragraph 7#c77;,b77ix74 7e7 ,grants to ,states 7#a7 ,in general 7,a7 ,authorization ,from funds authorized under subsection 7c77#b71 the ,secretary shall award grants to ,states1 on a competitive basis1 to assist in establishing statewide systemic reforms that result in student success and system relevance and in supporting and scaling education and career training programs1 consistent with the provisions of this subsection4 7,b7 ,grant amounts ,the ,secretary shall make grants to eligible ,states of not less than #b1ejj1jjj and not more than #aj1jjj1jjj for a #d-year grant period4 7,c7 ,priority ,in awarding grants under this subsection1 the ,secretary shall give priority1 in addition to the priorities specified in subsection 7c77#f71 to applicants that-- 7i7 will serve individuals with barriers to employment1 veterans1 spouses of members of the ,armed ,forces1 or incumbent workers who need to increase their employability skills2 7ii7 will serve areas with high unemployment rates or high levels of poverty1 including rural areas1 including by awarding subgrants under paragraph 7#c77;,b72 and 7iii7 will increase access to education and career training programs that meet the needs of regional employers in in-demand industry sectors or occupations4 7#b7 ,state application ,to receive a grant under this subsection1 a ,state shall submit an application to the ,secretary at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may reasonably require4 ,such application shall be developed in consultation with the ,state board4 ,at a minimum1 each ,state application shall include-- 7,a7 a description of how the ,state is implementing or has a plan to implement-- 7i7 a statewide longitudinal data system built upon student outcome data1 including labor market outcomes by institution1 program1 and subpopulation of interest1 with information made available to the public in easy-to-understand formats2 7ii7 statewide policies to develop and expand articulation agreements and policies that guarantee transfers between institutions1 including through common course numbering and use of a general core curriculum2 7iii7 statewide policies to support the development of articulation agreements between non-credit and credit-bearing courses at ,state postsecondary education institutions2 7iv7 statewide policies to support the expansion of high-quality dual or concurrent enrollment programs and early college high school programs2 7v7 statewide policies to support the expansion of education and career training programs in in-demand industry sectors or occupations2 7vi7 statewide policies to support the expansion of career pathway programs1 including the development of stackable credentials2 7vii7 statewide policies to support the expansion of work-based learning opportunities1 including apprenticeship programs2 7viii7 statewide policies to increase educational attainment among major racial and ethnic groups with below average educational attainment in the ,state2 7ix7 statewide policies that encourage the development and implementation of accelerated learning strategies1 including competency-based education1 credit for prior learning1 and other strategies for supporting students' pathways to credential attainment2 and 7x7 statewide policies to increase alignment between workforce1 postsecondary1 poverty alleviation1 and economic development systems in the ,state2 and 7,b7 a description of the ,state's plan to-- 7i7 use funds received under this subsection and the ,state's leveraged funds to carry out statewide activities described in the ,state's application under subparagraph 7,a72 7ii7 support community college partnerships in implementing or scaling the activities described in and consistent with the requirements of subsection 7d72 7iii7 provide technical assistance and support to subgrantees2 7iv7 align with statewide or regional workforce development strategies in place in the geographic area served under the grant1 including those established under the ,workforce ,innovation and ,opportunity ,act and the ,carl ,d4 ,perkins ,career and ,technical ,education ,act of #bjjf2 7v7 measure the performance of subgrantees1 including a description of how the ,state will work with subgrantees to track and report on the primary indicators of performance described under section #aaf7;b77#b77;,a77i7 of the ,workforce ,innovation and ,opportunity ,act2 and 7vi7 enroll and support students who are eligible to receive a ,federal ,pell ,grant under subpart #a of part ,a of title ,,iv4 7#c7 ,state uses of funds 7,a7 ,statewide activities ,a ,state that receives a grant under this subsection may reserve not more than #bj percent of the grant funds for statewide activities described under paragraph 7#b77;,a7 that support the purposes of the grant1 which may include technical assistance1 professional development1 activities to scale best practices1 and other activities required to carry out the functions described under paragraph 7#b77;,a74 7,b7 ,subgrants for community college partnerships ,a ,state that receives a grant under this subsection shall use not less than #hj percent of the grant funds to award subgrants to eligible community college partnerships to support the implementation and scaling of activities described under subsection 7d77#c7 that are consistent with the requirements of subsection 7d74 7f7 ,reporting requirements 7#a7 ,reports ,each eligible institution1 consortium of eligible institutions1 or ,state receiving a grant under this section shall report to the ,secretary annually4 7#b7 ,contents ,the report shall include-- 7,a7 the activities carried out with grant funds1 including activities carried out directly by the eligible institution1 consortium1 or ,state and activities carried out by any partner organizations2 7,b7 data on the population served with grant funds1 including on indicators of performance1 as described in section #aaf7;b77#b77;,a77i7 of the ,workforce ,innovation and ,opportunity ,act2 and 7,c7 resources leveraged by the eligible institution1 consortium1 or ,state to support activities under this section4 7g7 ,national activities 7#a7 ,national evaluations ,not later than #e months after the date of enactment of the ,assisting ,community ,colleges in ,educating ,skilled ,students to ,careers ,act of #bjbj1 the ,secretary shall seek to enter into a contract with an independent third-party entity to perform an evaluation of the grants awarded under this section4 ,such evaluation shall apply rigorous procedures to obtain valid and reliable data concerning the effect of strategies and delivery structures implemented through education and career training programs on student outcomes1 including labor market outcomes4 ,lessons learned through this evaluation shall be combined with lessons learned through the implementation of the ,trade ,adjustment ,assistance ,community ,college and ,career ,training ,grant ,program1 as authorized under chapter #d of title ,,ii of the ,trade ,act of #aigd 7#ai ,u4,s4,c4 #bcga et seq471 and reported to ,congress as described in paragraph 7#c74 7#b7 ,technical assistance ,the ,secretary shall provide technical assistance to ,states and to eligible institutions1 applying lessons learned from earlier grants awarded through the ,trade ,adjustment ,assistance ,community ,college and ,career ,training ,grant ,program1 as authorized under chapter #d of title ,,ii of the ,trade ,act of #aigd 7#ai ,u4,s4,c4 #bcga et seq471 as well as from evidence gained through the ,community ,college ,career ,training grant program4 7#c7 ,annual report ,the ,secretary shall submit an annual report to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,education and ,labor of the ,house of ,representatives-- 7,a7 describing each grant awarded under this section during the preceding fiscal year2 7,b7 assessing the impact of each award of a grant under this section in a fiscal year preceding the fiscal year referred to in subparagraph 7,a7 on the population served by the grant2 and 7,c7 providing data relating to program performance and student outcomes1 disaggregated by major racial and ethnic groups and by gender4 7#d7 ,administrative costs ,not more than #e percent of the amounts made available under subsection 7c77#c7 may be used by the ,secretary for ,federal administration of the program under this section4 4