119-s383

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 383 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 383

 To extend Federal Pell Grant eligibility of certain short-term 
 programs.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 February 4, 2025

 Mr. Kaine (for himself, Ms. Collins, Ms. Smith, Mr. Marshall, Ms. 
Baldwin, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Mr. Booker, Mr. Boozman, 
 Mrs. Capito, Mr. Coons, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Daines, Ms. 
Duckworth, Mrs. Gillibrand, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Hickenlooper, 
 Mr. Hoeven, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Kelly, Mr. King, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. 
Merkley, Mr. Ossoff, Mr. Peters, Ms. Rosen, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Sullivan, 
Mr. Tillis, Mr. Tuberville, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Warner, Mr. Wicker, and 
 Mr. Wyden) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
 referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To extend Federal Pell Grant eligibility of certain short-term 
 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``Jumpstart Our Businesses by 
Supporting Students Act of 2025'' or the ``JOBS Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. EXTENDING FEDERAL PELL GRANT ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN SHORT-TERM 
 PROGRAMS.

    (a) Job Training Federal Pell Grant Program.--

Section 401 of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a) is amended by adding at 
the end the following:
 ``

    (k) Job Training Federal Pell Grant Program.--
 ``

    (1) === Definitions. ===
-In this subsection:
 ``
        (A) Eligible career pathway program.--The term 
 `eligible career pathway program' means a program 
 that--
 ``
            (i) meets the requirements of 

section 484
            (d) (2) ;
 ``
            (ii) is listed on the provider list under 
 

section 122
            (d) of the Workforce Innovation and 
 Opportunity Act;
 ``
            (iii) is part of a career pathway, as 
 defined in 

section 3 of that Act; and
 ``
            (iv) is aligned to a program of study as 
 defined in 

section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins 
 Career and Technical Education Act of 2006.
 ``
        (B) Eligible job training program.--
 ``
            (i) In general.--The term `eligible job 
 training program' means a career and technical 
 education program at an institution of higher 
 education that--
 ``
            (I) provides not less than 150, 
 and not more than 600, clock hours of 
 instructional time over a period of not 
 less than 8 weeks and not more than 15 
 weeks;
 ``
            (II) provides training aligned 
 with the requirements of high-skill, 
 high-wage, or in-demand industry 
 sectors or occupations in the State or 
 local area, as determined by an 
 industry or sector partnership;
 ``
            (III) is a program of training 
 services, and provided through an 
 eligible training provider, as 
 described under 

section 122
            (d) of the 
 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 
 Act;
 ``
            (IV) provides a student, upon 
 completion of the program, with a 
 recognized postsecondary credential 
 that is recognized by employers in the 
 relevant industry, including 
 credentials recognized by industry or 
 sector partnerships in the relevant 
 industry in the State or local area 
 where the industry is located and the 
 job training program is provided;
 ``
            (V) has been determined by the 
 institution of higher education (after 
 validation of that determination by an 
 industry or sector partnership) to 
 provide academic content, an amount of 
 instructional time, and a recognized 
 postsecondary credential that are 
 sufficient to--
 ``

    (aa) meet the hiring 
 requirements of potential 
 employers; and
 ``

    (bb) satisfy any 
 applicable educational 
 prerequisite requirement for 
 professional licensure or 
 certification, so that the 
 student who completes the 
 program and seeks employment 
 qualifies to take any licensure 
 or certification examination 
 needed to practice or find 
 employment in an occupation 
 that the program prepares 
 students to enter;
 ``
            (VI) may include integrated 
 education and training;
 ``
            (VII) may be offered as part of 
 an eligible career pathway program;
 ``
            (VIII) does not exceed by more 
 than 50 percent the minimum number of 
 clock hours required for training if 
 the State has established such a 
 requirement; and
 ``
            (IX) shall include institutional 
 credit articulation for a student 
 enrolled in a noncredit job training 
 program.
 ``
            (ii) Approval by the secretary.--In the 
 case of a program that is seeking to establish 
 eligibility as an eligible job training program 
 under this subparagraph, the Secretary shall 
 make a determination about whether the program 
 meets the requirements of this subparagraph not 
 more than 60 days after the date on which such 
 program is submitted for consideration as an 
 eligible job training program.
 ``
            (iii) Additional assurance.--The 
 Secretary shall not determine that a program is 
 an eligible job training program in accordance 
 with clause
            (ii) unless the Secretary receives 
 a certification from the appropriate State 
 board containing an assurance that the program 
 meets the requirements of clause
            (i) .
 ``
            (C) Institution of higher education.--The term 
 `institution of higher education' means--
 ``
            (i) an institution of higher education, 
 as defined in 

section 101; or
 ``
            (ii) a postsecondary vocational 
 institution, as defined in 

section 102
            (c) .
 ``
            (D) Institutional credit articulation.--The term 
 `institutional credit articulation' means an 
 institution of higher education provides a student who 
 has completed a noncredit program with the equivalent 
 academic credit that may be applied to a subsequent 
 credit-bearing certificate or degree program upon 
 enrollment in such program at such institution.
 ``
        (E) WIOA 

=== definitions. ===
-The terms `industry or 
 sector partnership', `in-demand industry sector or 
 occupation', `recognized postsecondary credential', and 
 `State board' have the meanings given such terms in 
 

section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 
 Act.
 ``

    (2) In general.--For the award year beginning on July 1, 
 2025, and each subsequent award year, the Secretary shall carry 
 out a program through which the Secretary shall award Federal 
 Pell Grants to students in eligible job training programs 
 (referred to as a `job training Federal Pell Grant'). Each 
 eligible job training Federal Pell Grant awarded under this 
 subsection shall have the same terms and conditions, and be 
 awarded in the same manner, as other Federal Pell Grants 
 awarded under subsection

    (b) , except as follows:
 ``
        (A) A student who is eligible to receive a job 
 training Federal Pell Grant under this subsection is a 
 student who--
 ``
            (i) has not yet attained a 
 postbaccalaureate degree;
 ``
            (ii) attends an institution of higher 
 education;
 ``
            (iii) is enrolled, or accepted for 
 enrollment, in an eligible job training program 
 at such institution of higher education; and
 ``
            (iv) meets all other eligibility 
 requirements for a Federal Pell Grant (except 
 with respect to the type of program of study, 
 as provided in clause
            (iii) ).
 ``
        (B) The amount of a job training Federal Pell 
 Grant for an eligible student shall be determined under 
 subsection

    (b) , except that notwithstanding subsection

    (b)

    (1)
        (B) a student who is eligible for less than the 
 minimum Federal Pell Grant for an academic year in 
 which the student is enrolled in an eligible program 
 full time may still be eligible for a Federal Pell 
 Grant.
 ``

    (3) Inclusion in total eligibility period.--Any period 
 during which a student receives a job training Federal Pell 
 Grant under this subsection shall be included in calculating 
 the student's period of eligibility for Federal Pell Grants 
 under subsection
            (d) , and the eligibility requirements 
 regarding students who are enrolled in an undergraduate program 
 on less than a full-time basis shall similarly apply to 
 students who are enrolled in an eligible job training program 
 at an eligible institution on less than a full-time basis.''.

    (b) Accrediting Agency Recognition of Eligible Job Training 
Programs.--

Section 496

    (a)

    (4) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1099b

    (a)

    (4) ) is amended--

    (1) in subparagraph
        (A) , by striking ``and'' after the 
 semicolon;

    (2) in subparagraph
        (B)
            (ii) , by inserting ``and'' after the 
 semicolon; and

    (3) by adding at the end the following:
 ``
            (C) if such agency or association has or seeks to 
 include within its scope of recognition the evaluation 
 of the quality of institutions of higher education 
 participating in the job training Federal Pell Grant 
 program under 

section 401

    (k) , such agency or 
 association shall, in addition to meeting the other 
 requirements of this subpart, demonstrate to the 
 Secretary that, with respect to such eligible job 
 training programs (as defined in that subsection)--
 ``
            (i) the agency or association's standards 
 include a process for determining if the 
 institution has the capability to effectively 
 offer an eligible job training program; and
 ``
            (ii) the agency or association requires a 
 demonstration that the program--
 ``
            (I) has identified each 
 recognized postsecondary credential 
 offered and the corresponding industry 
 or sector partnership that actively 
 recognizes each credential in the 
 relevant industry in the State or local 
 area where the industry is located; and
 ``
            (II) provides the academic 
 content and amount of instructional 
 time that is sufficient to--
 ``

    (aa) meet the hiring 
 requirements of potential 
 employers; and
 ``

    (bb) satisfy any 
 applicable educational 
 prerequisites for professional 
 licensure or certification 
 requirements so that the 
 student who completes the 
 program and seeks employment 
 qualifies to take any licensure 
 or certification examination 
 that is needed to practice or 
 find employment in an 
 occupation that the program 
 prepares students to enter.''.
            (c) Interagency Data Sharing.--The Secretary of Education shall 
coordinate and enter into a data sharing agreement with the Secretary 
of Labor to ensure access to data related to indicators of performance 
collected under 

section 116 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 
Act (29 U.S.C. 3141). Under such data sharing agreement, the 
Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics shall 
collect and review the contents of performance reports for eligible 
providers of training services described in 

section 116
            (d) (4) of that 
Act not less frequently than once each year.
            (d) Minimum Federal Pell Grant.--

Section 401

    (a)

    (2)
        (F) of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a

    (a)

    (2)
        (F) ) is amended by striking 
``10 percent'' and inserting ``5 percent''.

    (e) Effective Date.--This section, and the amendments made by this 
section, shall take effect on July 1, 2025.
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