HR 5532
To direct the Secretary of Education to establish a program to facilitate the transition to tuition-free community college in certain States, and for other purposes.
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Bill overview
This bill directs the Secretary of Education to establish a program that would provide grants to states to facilitate the transition to tuition-free community college. States would need to create interagency committees to assess workforce needs and develop plans for improving access to postsecondary education, including aligning secondary school requirements with community colleges. The program would also provide subgrants to institutions for supportive services and direct grants to students to cover non-tuition costs, with a focus on supporting individuals facing barriers to employment or with low incomes.
Key provisions
- Grants to states for tuition-free community college programs.
- Requirement for states to establish interagency committees to assess workforce needs and develop plans.
- Subgrants to community colleges for improving supportive services.
- Direct grants to students to cover non-tuition costs.
- Emphasis on aligning secondary school and community college requirements.
- Prioritization of assistance for individuals with barriers to employment, low incomes, or without postsecondary credentials.
- Data collection and reporting requirements to measure program outcomes.
- Establishment of transfer agreements between community colleges and four-year institutions.
Who is affected
- State governments
- Community colleges
- Students (particularly those facing barriers to education)
- Low-income individuals
- Employers
Notable changes
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119th CONGRESS — 1st Session
H. R. 5532
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Education to establish a program to facilitate the transition to tuition-free community college in certain States, and for other purposes.
The Secretary shall establish a program to provide grants to each State that submits a complete application under subsection (b) to—
facilitate tuition-free community college for eligible students;
award subgrants to eligible institutions for the improvement of the capacity of institutions to provide supportive services; and
award subgrants to eligible institutions for the provision of direct grants to student to address non-tuition costs to meet the growing demand from employers for workers with postsecondary credentials.
To be eligible for a grant under this section, a State shall submit to the Secretary an application in such form, at such time, and containing such information as the Secretary determines appropriate, including a State plan describing the following:
A plan to formalize an interagency committee within such State to—
evaluate gaps and opportunities in the State workforce, higher education, childcare, and human services systems; and
maximize Federal and State resources to support pathway development that increases economic mobility and recognized postsecondary credential attainment.
An assurance that such committee shall consist of members from the following entities:
State unemployment insurance agency.
Office of the State higher education executive officer and public college boards.
State community college system.
State departments of health and human services.
State departments of economic development.
Workforce development agencies.
State or local housing authorities.
Students enrolled in community colleges in the State.
Other relevant State agencies as determined by the State.
A plan to—
with respect to eligible individuals without a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent, facilitate the completion of such diploma or recognized equivalent at a community college;
ensure that credits received for Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate classes are applied to an equivalent community college course; and
otherwise align the requirements between secondary schools and community colleges in order to increase the accessibility of community college for eligible individuals.
A plan to—
improve career pathway development, with special attention to career pathways related to in-demand industry sectors or occupations identified under paragraph (14);
increase economic mobility of State residents; and
provide access to affordable postsecondary education for State residents through a network of coordinated State and Federal support systems designed and implemented by State agencies in partnership with public institutions of higher education and public higher education systems.
A plan to prioritize secondary and recognized postsecondary credential attainment through—
integrated education and training models;
dual enrollment programs; and
an increased number of navigators.
A plan to prioritize assistance to individuals—
with a barrier to employment;
with incomes below 200 percent of the poverty level; or
without a recognized postsecondary credential.
A plan to maximize public resources to support the attainment of a recognized postsecondary credential, including with respect to—
transportation;
on-campus or off-campus housing;
childcare;
food assistance; and
other support programs.
A plan to reach eligible individuals without a recognized postsecondary credential, including with respect to individuals who—
live in high-poverty areas;
are first-generation students;
are low-income students; and
identify as belonging to other underrepresented student groups.
A plan to increase enrollment, persistence, retention, and credential completion by—
increasing the number of career counselors and navigators;
ensuring that eligible students enrolled in community colleges—
are not charged tuition or fees; and
are not required to apply Federal, State, or private financial assistance (including scholarships) to pay for the cost of tuition or fees; and
ensuring that the eligibility of an eligible student enrolled in community college for a Federal Pell Grant under subpart 1 of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a et seq.) or other financial assistance is not affected by funds provided under this Act or private scholarship awards unless the total amount of such student’s Federal Pell Grant, other financial assistance, and private scholarships exceeds the student’s annual cost of attendance.
Cost analyses for—
providing tuition-free community and technical college pathways to individuals who have not attained—
a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent; or
a recognized postsecondary credential, up to and including a bachelor’s degree; and
expanding institutional capacity to meet an increased demand for recognized postsecondary credentials by expanding supportive services, including with respect to hiring additional—
career counselors;
navigators; and
other support staff.
A plan for data collection efforts to measure program outcomes and evaluate program success, including by leveraging existing administrative data to track any change in participation in recognized postsecondary credential programs at community colleges.
An assurance that the State that awards subgrants under this title will collect the following data:
With respect to each public institution of higher education—
the number and percentage of students receiving emergency aid; and
the average grant amount for each student.
With respect to each semester or quarter at a public institution of higher education—
rate of retention; and
rate of completion of a recognized secondary credential.
The grade point averages of students receiving emergency aid subgrants.
Other data reported by the State.
Other data required by the Secretary.
A State shall—
provide an interagency data-sharing agreement that facilitates statewide data collection efforts between—
State agencies that oversee the dispersal of State and Federal benefits;
the State educational agency;
the State higher education system;
the State board; and
other agencies determined by the Secretary to be necessary; and
detail how such agreement will promote cross-agency collaboration and improve recognized postsecondary credential completion.
transfer agreements between 2-year and 4-year public institutions of higher education in such State; and
the ways in which the State will expand the number of transfer agreements, including with respect to the facilitation and improvement of credit transfers between institutions.
The State shall describe—
the ways in which such State will sustain a tuition-free community college model; and
the amount of Federal assistance needed to sustain the model described in subparagraph (A).
A plan to—
identify in-demand industry sectors or occupations in such State; and
develop and provide access to pathways to credential and degree programs for jobs in such industries, giving priority to credential and degree programs that correspond to high-quality jobs in consultation with—
the State board;
the State health and human services agency;
the State board of higher education; and
business industry groups within the State.
A description of how the State will use amounts under covered programs, to the extent otherwise permitted by law, to reduce eligibility and participation requirement barriers in such programs in order to—
treat the pursuit of a recognized postsecondary credential as meeting any compliance, work participation, and core activity requirements for each such program; and
increase access to and completion of recognized postsecondary credential programs.
In this paragraph, the term covered programs means—
the temporary assistance for needy families program under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601);
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training Program under section 6 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015);
the Child Care Development Fund under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.); and
housing assistance programs carried out by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
The Secretary shall determine grant amounts under subsection (a) with respect to each State based on the following:
Statewide unemployment and underemployment rates that are 1 percentage point above the national average.
The number of local educational agencies in a State that elect to receive special assistance payments under section 11(a)(1)(F) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1759a(a)(1)(F)).
A statewide official poverty rate that is 1 percentage point above the national average.
As of the date on which the application is submitted under subsection (b), whether the State carries out a tuition-free community college program.
A grant under this title shall be awarded for a period of 5 years, of which—
a maximum of 1 year may be used for planning; and
a minimum of 4 years shall be used for implementation.
An eligible State shall use grant funds awarded under this section—
to award subgrants to—
eligible institutions in accordance with section 102; and
eligible students in accordance with section 103.
is at least 18 years of age;
does not have a postsecondary credential that is less than a bachelor’s degree; and
when used with respect to a State, is a resident of the State.
A State that receives a grant under section 101 shall award subgrants to eligible institutions for institutional capacity and wraparound services.
An eligible institution seeking a subgrant under this section shall submit to the State an application in such form, at such time, and containing such information as the State may require.
identifying and addressing the needs of students, including affordable housing, childcare, transportation, and food;
supporting the work of navigators, including—
providing information to students with respect to eligibility for assistance under other Federal, State, and institutional assistance programs; and
connecting students with on-campus and off-campus supportive services;
hiring additional staff;
increasing access to supportive services by centralizing such services on-campus;
offering additional scheduling options for classes with respect to the day, time, and location of such classes;
improving the transfer of credits between institutions of higher education, including community colleges;
expanding pathways related to in-demand industry sectors or occupations;
providing access to technology, including—
digital literacy courses;
computers;
software; and
other equipment necessary to attain a recognized postsecondary credential; and
partnering with an entity selected by the State to provide technical assistance, including with respect to—
carrying out the State plan under section 101;
awarding subgrants under section 103;
developing reports under section 104;
connecting students to public benefits; and
carrying out the activities described in paragraphs (1) through (8).
In this section, the term eligible institution means an institution—
located in the State; and
a community college that is located in a geographic area that serves local educational agencies that participate, through the community eligibility provision authorized by the Healthy, Hunger-free Kids Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 1758 note et seq.) in—
the national school lunch program under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.); and
the school breakfast program under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.);
an institution of higher education with an admission rate of 50 percent or higher; or
an institution that is eligible to receive a grant under part A or B of title III or title V of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.), including—
a historically Black college or university;
a Hispanic-serving institution;
a Tribal college or university;
a minority-serving institution; and
a rural-serving institution of higher education.
An eligible student seeking a subgrant under this section shall submit to the State an application in such form, at such time, and containing such information as the State may require.
Upon receipt of an application from an eligible student under paragraph (1), the State shall notify such student of such receipt in a manner to be determined by the State.
A subgrant awarded under this section shall be for a period of 5 years.
A State may award a contract to a scholarship-granting organization for purposes of—
disbursing subgrant funds to eligible students in accordance with subsection (e)(4).
Not more than 20 percent of funds awarded under this section may be used for the administration of emergency aid to eligible students.
Not less than 80 percent of funds awarded under this section shall be used to award emergency aid subgrants to eligible students.
With respect to an academic year, a subgrant awarded to an eligible student that does not have a dependent may not exceed $1,500.
With respect to an academic year, a subgrant awarded to an eligible student with a dependent may not exceed $2,500.
An institution shall disburse funds to eligible students in a timely manner, as determined by the State.
A subgrant under this title may not be considered income for purposes of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
In this section, the term eligible student means a student enrolled at a public junior or community college in the applicable State and participating in the tuition-free program pursuant to section 101, without regard to whether such student submits an application under section 483 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1090), who is experiencing financial challenges that may affect the ability of such student to remain enrolled at such college, including—
lack of access to or loss of—
employment (including a temporary loss of employment);
transportation;
child care;
utilities (including water and electricity); or
housing;
food insecurity;
with respect to a student or the dependent of such student, a medical condition or need, including—
pregnancy; and
mental health conditions; and
with respect to a student who is a dependent—
the death of a parent or guardian; or
Not later than 1 year after receiving the reports required under subsection (b) for a year, and on an annual basis thereafter, such State shall submit to the Secretary a report describing—
the uses of funds under this title;
progress made in fulfilling the requirements of the grant;
with respect to participating community colleges, rates of—
graduation;
persistence;
transfer; and
attainment of recognized postsecondary credentials;
the institutional reports submitted under subsection (b);
the ways in which the State is communicating with institutions to—
understand the barriers of students, with respect to eligibility and access, to public supports; and
use the information described in subparagraph (A) to inform any changes;
the ways in which the State human services agency and State board are aligning the policy goals of such agencies with the policy goals of the State higher education agency;
changes in access to, and use of, public benefits;
changes in employment with respect to in-demand industry sectors and high-quality jobs;
changes in rates of unemployment and underemployment;
other data as provided by the State; and
other data as required by the Secretary.
The information described in subparagraphs (G) through (K) shall be disaggregated, to the extent practicable, by—
race;
ethnicity; and
income level.
Not later than 1 year after receiving a subgrant under section 102 or 103, and on an annual basis thereafter, an institution shall submit to the State a report describing—
the uses of funds;
with respect to the period beginning on the date on which a subgrant was received and ending on the date on which the report is submitted, changes in rates of—
retention; and
graduation;
the ways in which such institution increased awareness of, and access to, public supports made available through State agencies; and
the ways in which such institution made improvements to tracking data with respect to—
the basic needs of students;
the financial barriers of students; and
the connection of students to public supports.
Not later than 1 year after the date described in subsection (a)(1) each year, the Secretary shall make the data from the report submitted by each State pursuant to such subsection publicly available and shall include—
a dashboard that provides key metrics; and
downloadable data sets for each participating State and participating institution.
In developing or adapting the reporting metrics described in paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary may consult with the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences.
In this title:
The term business industry group means an organization that represents businesses (including small businesses), individual employers, industry clusters, and individuals from—
business or trade organizations;
economic development organizations;
nonprofit organizations, community-based organizations, or intermediaries;
philanthropic organizations;
industry associations; or
other organizations determined necessary by the State.
The term community college has the meaning given the term junior or community college in Section 312 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058).
The term eligible State means a State that is a recipient of a grant under section 101.
The terms secondary school and Secretary have the meanings given such terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (20 U.S.C. 7801).
The term Hispanic-serving institution has the meaning given such term in section 502 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a).
The term historically Black college or university has the meaning given the term part B institution in section 322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061).
The term minority-serving institution includes the entities described in paragraphs (1) through (7) of section 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)).
The term Tribal college or university has the meaning given such term in section 316(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)).
The term rural-serving institution of higher education has the meaning given such term in section 861(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1161q(b)).
The term high-quality job means a job that is defined by the interagency committee described in section 101(b)(1).
The term institution of higher education has the meaning given such term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001).
The terms in-demand industry sector or occupation, individual with a barrier to employment, recognized postsecondary credential, State board, and supportive services have the meanings given such terms in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
The term integrated education and training has the meaning given such term in section 203 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3272).
The term navigator means an individual who is integrated into the existing community college operation and who works with students to—
understand the eligibility of such students for Federal, State, and local financial aid and benefit options;
assist such students with the application process for such options; and
connect students with resources on campus and in the community.
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this title for fiscal year 2026 and each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.