119-s1347

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1347 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

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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