[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1710 Introduced in House (IH)]
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115th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1710
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make education affordable
and accessible.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 23, 2017
Mr. Polis (for himself and Mr. Reed) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to make education affordable
and accessible.
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 2017''.
SEC. 2. CREDIT-BASED ACADEMIC TRANSITION PROGRAMS.
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
2018''; and
(3) by inserting after section 744 the following:
``SEC. 745. CREDIT-BASED ACADEMIC TRANSITION PROGRAMS.
``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to expand access for
high school students to the opportunities offered in credit-based
academic transition programs established through partnerships between
high schools and institutions of higher education utilizing dual or
concurrent enrollment programs or early college high school programs
that enable such students to earn college credits while in high school.
``(b) Eligible Institution.--In this section, the term `eligible
institution' means an institution of higher education that carries out
a dual or concurrent enrollment program or an early college high school
program that enables high school students to earn college credits while
in high school.
``(c) Grants Authorized.--The Secretary may award grants to
eligible institutions to carry out credit-based academic transition
programs described in subsection (a).
``(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.
``(e) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the
Secretary shall give priority to eligible institutions that serve
students from low-income families, students from rural communities, or
students who are the first in their family to receive postsecondary
education.
``(f) Use of Funds.--An eligible institution that receives a grant
under this section shall use the grant funds--
``(1) to carry out a dual or concurrent enrollment program
or an early college high school program for high school
students, through which such students while enrolled in high
school are enrolled in postsecondary courses at the eligible
institution, through which such students can earn college
credits that can be transferred to 2-year and 4-year
institutions of higher education in the State;
``(2) to provide teachers, principals, and other school
leaders with professional development activities that enhance
or enable the provision of postsecondary coursework through a
dual or concurrent enrollment program or an early college high
school program; and
``(3) to support activities such as--
``(A) designing the curriculum and sequence of
courses in collaboration with teachers from the local
educational agency and faculty from the eligible
institution;
``(B) 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;
``(C) outreach programs to provide elementary
school and secondary school students, especially those
in middle grades, and their parents, teachers, school
counselors, and principals information about and
academic preparation for the credit-based academic
transition programs described in subsection (a);
``(D) 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; and
``(E) coordinating secondary and postsecondary
support services and academic calendars.
``(g) Flexibility of Funds.--An eligible institution that receives
a grant under this section may use grant funds for any of the costs
associated with carrying out credit-based academic transition programs
described in subsection (a), including the costs of--
``(1) tuition and fees, books, and required instructional
materials for such program so that students will not be
required to pay tuition or fees for postsecondary courses; and
``(2) transportation to and from such program.
``(h) Evaluation and Report.--Each eligible institution receiving a
grant under this section shall--
``(1) conduct an independent evaluation of the
effectiveness of the activities carried out by such eligible
institution under this section; and
``(2) prepare and submit to the Secretary a report
containing the results of the evaluation described in paragraph
(1).
``(i) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to impose on any State or public institution of higher
education any requirement or rule regarding credit-based academic
transition programs described in subsection (a) that is inconsistent
with State law.''.
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