As Congress wrapped up work before adjourning for its March recess, several Higher Education Act-related bills that reflect CTE priorities were reintroduced. First, on March 14, Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tim Scott (R-SC), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and a number of other senators reintroduced the College Transparency Act as S. 800. ACTE endorsed this legislation in the last Congress and is pleased to do so again. The College Transparency Act would overturn the ban on a postsecondary student-unit record system, and create more efficient and effective mechanisms to link postsecondary student outcome data.
According to the press release announcing the bill, “CTA modernizes the college reporting system for postsecondary data by ensuring accurate reporting on student outcomes such as enrollment, completion, and post-college success across colleges and majors, while ensuring the privacy of individual students is securely protected.” In the House, Reps. Paul Mitchell (R-MI), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), and Josh Harder (D-CA) have reintroduced a companion bill, H.R. 1766.
Also on March 15, Sens. Kaine (D-VA) and Portman (R-OH), co-chairs of the Senate CTE Caucus, along with a number of co-sponsors, introduced the Jumpstart Our Businesses By Supporting Students (JOBS) Act, S. 839. This bill would amend the federal Pell grant program to allow eligibility for quality postsecondary programs that are at least 150 clock hours of instruction time over a period of at least 8 weeks. Current law restricts Pell funding to programs that are at least 600 hours over 15 weeks. Programs funded under the JOBS Act would have to lead to a recognized postsecondary program, be part of a career pathway, and provide training aligned with the requirements of high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry sectors or occupations in the State or local area. New in the bill this year, programs would also have to articulate to more advanced credential programs at the institution where they are offered.
When introducing the bill, Sen. Kaine said “We need to broaden our definition of higher education to include quality career and technical programs. And we have to make sure that federal policy supports this kind of learning too.” “The JOBS Act expands Pell Grant eligibility to help students get the job training they need for careers that will give them economic security and help them join the workforce,” Sen. Portman added. ACTE has also endorsed this legislation.