[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 717 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 717

  To encourage partnerships between community colleges and four-year 
                       colleges and universities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 29, 2007

    Mr. Wu introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To encourage partnerships between community colleges and four-year 
                       colleges and universities.

    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 ``Community College Partnership Act of 
2007''.

SEC. 2. COMMUNITY COLLEGE OPPORTUNITY; COLLEGE PREPARATION PROGRAMS 
              AUTHORIZED.

    Subpart 2 of part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
is amended--
            (1) by redesignating section 407E as section 406E; and
            (2) by inserting after chapter 3 (20 U.S.C. 1070a-31 et 
        seq.) the following new chapter:

               ``CHAPTER 4--COMMUNITY COLLEGE OPPORTUNITY

``SEC. 407A. PURPOSE.

    ``It is the purpose of this chapter to enhance opportunities of 
students at community or technical colleges to transfer to 4-year 
institutions and complete bachelor's degrees.

``SEC. 407B. ACTIVITIES.

    ``(a) Grants Authorized.--From the amounts appropriated under 
section 407E, the Secretary shall award grants to an eligible 
partnership that--
            ``(1) shall include--
                    ``(A) 1 or more community or technical colleges 
                that award associate's degrees; and
                    ``(B) 1 or more institutions of higher education 
                that offer a baccalaureate or post-baccalaureate degree 
                not awarded by the institutions described in 
                subparagraph (A) with which it is partnered; and
            ``(2) may include a State agency responsible for the 
        oversight or coordination of institutions of higher education.
    ``(b) Use of Funds.--Grants awarded under this part shall be used 
for--
            ``(1) the development of policies and programs to expand 
        opportunities for community or technical college students to 
        earn bachelor's degrees, including promoting the transfer of 
        academic credits between institutions and expanding 
        articulation and guaranteed transfer agreements between 
        institutions of higher education;
            ``(2) support services to students participating in the 
        program, such as tutoring, mentoring, and academic and personal 
        counseling, as well as any service that facilitates the 
        transition of students from the community or technical college 
        to the partner institution;
            ``(3) academic program enhancements at the community or 
        technical college that result in increasing the quality of the 
        program offered and the number of student participants in the 
        program offered in cooperation with a baccalaureate degree 
        granting institution pursuant to this section; and
            ``(4) programs to identify barriers that inhibit student 
        transfers.
    ``(c) Applications.--Any institution, or a consortia or system of 
higher education, that desires to obtain a grant under this section 
shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such 
manner, and containing such information or assurances as the Secretary 
may require.
    ``(d) Regulations.--The Secretary shall prescribe such regulations 
as may be necessary to carry out this section.

``SEC. 407C. DEFINITION.

    ``For the purpose of this part, the term `community or technical 
college' means a public or nonprofit institution of higher education--
            ``(1) that admits as regular students persons who are 
        beyond the age of compulsory school attendance in the State in 
        which the institution is located and who have the ability to 
        benefit from the training offered by the institution;
            ``(2) that predominately does not provide an educational 
        program for which it awards a bachelor's degree (or an 
        equivalent degree);
            ``(3) that--
                    ``(A) provides an educational program of not less 
                than 2 years that is acceptable for full credit toward 
                such a degree; or
                    ``(B) offers a 2-year program in engineering, 
                mathematics, or the physical or biological sciences, 
                designed to prepare a student to work as a technician 
                or at the semiprofessional level in engineering, 
                scientific, or other technological fields requiring the 
                understanding and application of basic engineering, 
                scientific, or mathematical principles of knowledge; 
                and
            ``(4) that is accredited by a regional accrediting agency 
        or association recognized by the Secretary under section 496.

``SEC. 407D. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000 to carry out 
this chapter for fiscal year 2008 and such sums as may be necessary for 
each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.''.
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