[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1347 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1347
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make college affordable
and accessible by expanding access to dual or concurrent enrollment
programs and early college high school programs.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 8, 2025
Mr. Peters (for himself and Mr. Boozman) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make college affordable
and accessible by expanding access to dual or concurrent enrollment
programs and early college high school programs.
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 ``Making Education Affordable and
Accessible Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. DUAL OR CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT PROGRAMS AND EARLY COLLEGE HIGH
SCHOOL.
Part B of title VII of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1138 et seq.) is amended--
(1) by redesignating section 745 as section 746;
(2) in section 746, as redesignated by paragraph (1), by
striking ``fiscal year 2009'' and inserting ``fiscal year
2025''; and
(3) by inserting after section 744 the following:
``SEC. 745. DUAL OR CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT PROGRAMS AND EARLY COLLEGE
HIGH SCHOOL.
``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to expand access for
high school students to the opportunities offered in dual or concurrent
enrollment programs and early college high school programs established
through partnerships between local educational agencies and
institutions of higher education that enable such students to earn
postsecondary credits while enrolled in a public high school.
``(b) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) ESEA definitions.--The terms `dual or concurrent
enrollment program', `early college high school', `high
school', and `parent' have the meanings given to those terms in
section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965.
``(2) Eligible institution.--The term `eligible
institution' means an institution of higher education that
carries out or plans to carry out a dual or concurrent
enrollment program or an early college high school program.
``(3) First-generation college student.--The term `first-
generation college student' has the meaning given the term in
section 402A(h).
``(4) Rural school.--The term `rural school' means a school
designated with a locale code of 41, 42, or 43, as determined
by the Secretary.
``(c) Grants Authorized.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary may award grants to
eligible institutions to carry out dual or concurrent
enrollment programs or early college high school programs.
``(2) Duration.--A grant awarded under this subsection
shall be for a period of not more than 5 years.
``(3) Renewal.--The Secretary may renew a grant awarded to
an eligible institution under this subsection if the Secretary
determines that the eligible institution demonstrated
sufficient positive outcomes under the program carried out
under the grant, based on the reports submitted under
subsection (h).
``(d) Application.--An eligible institution that desires to receive
a grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary an application
at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the
Secretary may require. Such application shall include a description
of--
``(1) the partnership between the eligible institution and
each local educational agency involved in carrying out the dual
or concurrent enrollment program or early college high school
program; and
``(2) how the eligible institution will expand student
access to a dual or concurrent enrollment program or an early
college high school program, especially for students described
in subsection (e).
``(e) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the
Secretary shall give priority to eligible institutions that will use
grant funds for dual or concurrent enrollment programs or early college
high school programs that serve students from low-income families,
students who attend rural schools, or first-generation college
students.
``(f) Use of Funds.--An eligible institution that receives a grant
under this section shall use the grant funds to carry out a dual or
concurrent enrollment program or an early college high school program
for students enrolled in a public high school, which may include
activities such as--
``(1) providing educators, principals, counselors, and
other school leaders with professional development activities,
trainings, and certifications that enhance or enable the
provision of postsecondary coursework through a dual or
concurrent enrollment program or an early college high school
program;
``(2) designing the sequence of courses for a dual or
concurrent enrollment program or an early college high school
program--
``(A) to match the academic standards and rigor of
a corresponding postsecondary course; and
``(B) in collaboration with educators from the
local educational agency and faculty from the eligible
institution;
``(3) establishing a course articulation process for
defining and approving courses for high school and
postsecondary credit or credentials for both 2-year and 4-year
institutions of higher education in the State;
``(4) establishing outreach programs to provide elementary
school and secondary school students, especially those students
in middle grades, and their parents, educators, school
counselors, and principals with general information about a
dual or concurrent enrollment program or an early college high
school program, including the eligibility requirements and
academic preparation needed for the program;
``(5) helping students meet eligibility criteria for
postsecondary courses and ensuring that students understand how
credits earned will transfer to institutions of higher
education in the State; or
``(6) coordinating high school transition with academic
calendars.
``(g) Flexibility of Funds.--
``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), an eligible
institution that receives a grant under this section may use
grant funds for any of the costs associated with carrying out a
dual or concurrent enrollment program or an early college high
school program, including the costs of--
``(A) tuition and fees, books, and required
instructional materials for the program so that
students will not be required to pay tuition or fees
for postsecondary courses; and
``(B) transportation to and from the program.
``(2) Limitation.--An eligible institution may use not more
than 20 percent of grant funds received under this section for
transportation costs described in paragraph (1)(B).
``(h) Evaluation and Reports.--
``(1) In general.--Each eligible institution receiving a
grant under this section shall--
``(A) conduct an independent evaluation regarding
the effectiveness and rigor of the activities as
carried out by such eligible institution under this
section, which shall include--
``(i) data on course-specific student
enrollment; and
``(ii) the number of resulting
postsecondary credits earned by students
through dual or concurrent enrollment programs
or early college high school programs supported
under the grant that are transferred to
institutions of higher education; and
``(B) prepare and submit to the Secretary a report
containing the results of the evaluation described in
subparagraph (A).
``(2) Requirements.--The Secretary may establish additional
requirements for the program evaluations required under
paragraph (1).
``(3) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date of
enactment of the Making Education Affordable and Accessible Act
of 2025, and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall
submit to Congress a summarized report that describes the
findings of the evaluations conducted under paragraph
(1)(A).''.
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