[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2755 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2755
To authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to States to
empower public institutions of higher education in the States to
provide student support services to students from low-income
backgrounds, historically underrepresented students, first-generation
college enrollees, parenting students, students with disabilities, and
student veterans.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 15, 2021
Mr. Heinrich introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to States to
empower public institutions of higher education in the States to
provide student support services to students from low-income
backgrounds, historically underrepresented students, first-generation
college enrollees, parenting students, students with disabilities, and
student veterans.
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 ``College Completion Fund Act of
2021''.
SEC. 2. HIGHER EDUCATION COLLEGE COMPLETION FUND PROGRAM.
(a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to support completion
and retention activities designed to ensure the postsecondary success
of students from low-income backgrounds, historically underrepresented
students, first-generation college enrollees, parenting students,
students with disabilities, and student veterans in public institutions
of higher education serving a significant number of such students.
(b) Definitions.--In this Act:
(1) Completion rate.--The term ``completion rate'' means--
(A) the percentage of students from an initial
cohort enrolled at a public institution of higher
education in the State that is a 2-year institution who
have graduated from the institution or transferred to a
4-year institution of higher education; or
(B) the percentage of students from an initial
cohort enrolled at a public institution of higher
education in the State that is a 4-year institution who
have graduated from the institution.
(2) Eligible indian entity.--The term ``eligible Indian
entity'' means the entity responsible for the governance,
operation, or control of a Tribal College or University.
(3) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the
term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001).
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Education.
(5) State service provider.--The term ``State service
provider'' means a nonprofit organization that receives Federal
funding or State funding to provide services commensurate with
guidelines for those services and is in good standing with
regard to such funding.
(6) Tribal college or university.--The term ``Tribal
College or University'' has the meaning given the term in
section 316(b)(3) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1059c(b)(3)).
(c) Authorization of Completion Fund.--
(1) Reservation of funds for eligible indian entities.--
From the total amount appropriated to carry out this section
for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall reserve 2 percent for
grants to eligible Indian entities to increase participation
and completion rates of students from low-income backgrounds,
historically underrepresented students, first-generation
college enrollees, parenting students, students with
disabilities, and student veterans.
(2) Grant authorization.--The Secretary shall make grants,
from allotments under paragraph (3), to States to enable the
States to distribute funds to participating public institutions
of higher education in the State to provide student support
services to increase participation, retention, and completion
rates of students from low-income backgrounds, historically
underrepresented students, first-generation college enrollees,
parenting students, students with disabilities, and student
veterans.
(3) Determination of allotment.--
(A) Amount of allotment.--From the total amount
appropriated to carry out this section for a fiscal
year and not reserved under paragraph (1), the
Secretary shall allot to each State having an
application approved under this section an amount,
subject to subparagraph (B), that shall be equal to the
sum of--
(i) the amount that bears the same relation
to 50 percent of the amount appropriated and
not reserved for such fiscal year as the number
of residents in the State aged 5 through 17 who
are living below the poverty line applicable to
the resident's family size (as determined under
section 673(2) of the Community Services Block
Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2))) bears to the
total number of such residents in all States;
and
(ii) the amount that bears the same
relation to 50 percent of the amount
appropriated and not reserved for such fiscal
year as the number of residents in the State
aged 15 through 44 who are living below the
poverty line applicable to the individual's
family size (as determined under section 673(2)
of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42
U.S.C. 9902(2))) bears to the total number of
such residents in all States.
(B) Minimum amount.--The allotment for each State
under this section for a fiscal year shall not be an
amount that is less than 1.0 percent of the total
amount appropriated to carry out this section for the
fiscal year and not reserved under paragraph (1).
(4) Set asides.--
(A) Evidence-based student success programs.--Each
State that receives a grant under this section shall
set aside not less than 20 percent of grant funds for
evidence-based student success programs, which are
programs designed to improve persistence, credit
accumulation, completion, or career success, carried
out by an institution and that--
(i) meet--
(I) the requirements for evaluation
as described in subsection (a)(2)(B) of
section 4611 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act, as amended (20
U.S.C. 7261(a)(2)(B)); or
(II) the requirements for
evaluation as described in subsection
(a)(2)(C) of section 4611 of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act,
as amended (20 U.S.C. 7261(a)(2)(C));
and
(ii) provide students with a program
advisor to each eligible student participating
in such program who provides comprehensive
academic and personal advising to the eligible
student, including monitoring of academic
progress of the eligible student, and may
provide each eligible student with financial
incentives, such as tuition assistance,
transportation assistance or a gas card, free
tutoring and career services (which can include
benefit counseling) to eligible students in
order to create a community with eligible
student participating in such program.
(B) Permissive.--Each State that receives a grant
under this section may set aside--
(i) not more than 5 percent of grant funds
for administration, capacity building,
research, evaluation, and reporting; and
(ii) not more than 2 percent of grant funds
for technical assistance to State service
providers.
(d) State Strategic Plans.--
(1) In general.--A State that desires to receive a grant
under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary
at such time, in such manner, and containing such information
as the Secretary may require, including a State strategic plan.
(2) Development of state strategic plan.--Each State
strategic plan shall be developed with input from each of the
following:
(A) 2-year public institutions of higher education
in the State.
(B) 4-year public institutions of higher education
in the State.
(C) The State workforce development board
established under section 101 of the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3111).
(D) A Tribal College or University with a campus
located in the State.
(E) State service providers.
(F) The State department with jurisdiction over
children, youth, and family services.
(3) Content of state strategic plan.--Each State strategic
plan shall include the following:
(A) Information on the state of the public
institutions of higher education in the State,
including the following:
(i) A description of the distribution of
funds to be provided from the grant to
participating public institutions of higher
education in the State.
(ii) A strategy for adopting a diverse
portfolio of promising and evidence-based
practices.
(iii) Annual benchmarks for student
outcomes.
(iv) Information about the evaluation of
interventions proposed to be funded by the
grant.
(v) A description of the State's plan for
an equity audit of higher education financing.
(vi) Rates of enrolled students who
received a Federal Pell Grant under subpart 1
of part A of title IV of the Higher Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a et seq.).
(vii) Demographics of enrolled students,
including students from low-income backgrounds,
historically underrepresented students, first-
generation college enrollees, parenting
students, students with disabilities, and
student veterans.
(B) A plan to increase student attainment and
completion rates or graduation rates of all students
enrolled at public institutions of higher education in
the State, with a particular focus on students from
students from low-income backgrounds, historically
underrepresented students, first-generation college
enrollees, parenting students, students with
disabilities, and student veterans through student
support services, cross-agency engagement, and
collaboration among 2-year programs, 4-year programs,
and workforce systems.
(e) Institutional Participation.--
(1) Eligibility.--A public institution of higher education
that desires to receive assistance under a grant made under
this section shall submit to the State in which the institution
is located a notification that the institution desires to opt
into participation under this section.
(2) Development of strategic plan.--A State that desires to
receive a grant under this section shall solicit input from
public institutions of higher education in the State in the
development of the State strategic plan.
(3) Institutional support.--A State that receives a grant
under this section shall not limit student support services to
students enrolled at public institutions of higher education in
the State that participated in the development of the State
strategic plan, but shall provide student support services to
students enrolled in participating public institutions of
higher education in the State.
(f) Use of Funds.--A State that receives a grant under this section
shall distribute funds to participating institutions of higher
education in the State for evidence-based and promising practices in
improving retention and completion rates, including the following:
(1) Student support services to support retention,
completion, and success, including--
(A) faculty and peer counseling;
(B) use of real-time data on student progress; and
(C) incentives for students to stay on track.
(2) Direct student support services, including--
(A) transportation accessibility;
(B) room and board or assistance to address housing
instability;
(C) addressing food instability;
(D) remedial education;
(E) tutoring, academic supports, and enrichment
services; and
(F) emergency financial assistance.
(3) Access to health care and mental health services on or
near campus.
(4) Support helping students enroll in public benefits.
(5) Issues with respect to dependents of students,
including--
(A) high-quality daycare and prekindergarten access
during traditional school hours;
(B) childcare access during non-traditional hours;
and
(C) prenatal and early childhood education classes.
(6) Development of soft skills.
(7) Career coaching, career counseling and planning
services, and efforts to lower student to advisor ratios,
including--
(A) networking and work-based learning
opportunities to support the development of skills and
relationships; and
(B) boosting experiences necessary to obtain and
succeed in high-quality jobs.
(8) Reforms to developmental education, including--
(A) utilizing career pathways; and
(B) improving transfer student success.
(9) Efforts to recruit, retain, and develop diverse faculty
and other instructional staff.
(g) Evaluation and Reporting.--
(1) Designation of independent agency.--The State
department with jurisdiction over higher education in each
State that receives a grant under this section shall designate
an independent agency to compile and evaluate data linked to
institutional programs and student outcomes funded with grant
funds.
(2) Compilation of information.--Each independent agency
designated under paragraph (1) shall compile longitudinal data
tracking student participant outcomes, including the following:
(A) Graduation rates, disaggregated by age (25-
years of age and younger, and older than 25-years of
age), gender, income, race and ethnicity, and first-
generation college status--
(i) at 100 percent of the normal time for
graduation;
(ii) at 150 percent of the normal time for
graduation; and
(iii) at 200 percent of the normal time for
graduation.
(B) Transfer out rates, disaggregated by age (25-
years of age and younger, and older than 25-years of
age), gender, income, race and ethnicity, and first-
generation college status.
(C) Withdrawal rates, including rates of students
who withdraw to seek employment in a related field of
study.
(D) The percentage of students who continue
enrollment at the institution after the first year of
enrollment.
(E) The median time to degree completion.
(F) Career outcomes and employment data, which may
include earnings, within 1 year of completion, within 3
years of completion, and within 5 years of completion.
(G) Career outcomes and employment data for student
participants who did not complete the program in which
the student was enrolled within 1 year of leaving the
program, within 3 years of leaving the program, and
within 5 years of leaving the program.
(3) Techniques.--Each independent agency designated under
paragraph (1) shall evaluate the academic outcomes using quasi-
experimental techniques.
(4) Report.--Each independent agency designated under
paragraph (1) shall submit to the State department with
jurisdiction over higher education a report that includes
findings of the data compiled under paragraph (2).
(5) Report to congress.--Each State department with
jurisdiction over higher education that receives a report under
paragraph (4) shall submit the report to the Department of
Education and the authorizing committees, as defined in section
103 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1003), at
such time and in such matter as the Secretary of Education
determines appropriate.
(6) Exclusions.--Each independent agency designated under
paragraph (1) shall not track data with respect to individuals
who transfer, move, or seek employment outside of the State.
(h) Maintaining Net State Operating Support for Higher Education.--
(1) In general.--A State that receives a grant under this
section shall maintain net State operating support for higher
education for each fiscal year for which the State receives a
grant under this section at a level that is not less than the
level that is equal to the average of such net State operating
support for higher education for the 3 fiscal years preceding
such fiscal year.
(2) Waivers.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary may grant a waiver
to a State from the requirement under paragraph (1) for
a fiscal year if the State demonstrates that--
(i) the net State operating support for
higher education for such fiscal year as a
percentage of total revenue available to the
State that will fund higher education for such
fiscal year is not less than such percentage
for the previous fiscal year; and
(ii) unexpected or uncontrollable
circumstances prevent the State from
maintaining such State support.
(B) No reduction for subsequent fiscal year.--If
the Secretary grants a State a waiver under
subparagraph (A) for a fiscal year, a determination of
the required level of net State operating support for
higher education for subsequent fiscal years shall
exclude the fiscal year for which the waiver was
granted.
(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $62,000,000,000 for the period
of fiscal years 2022 through 2031.
<all>