[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8050 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8050

  To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to support and strengthen 
   outcomes for student parents through the provision of child care 
                   services, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 17, 2024

  Mr. Moran 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 support and strengthen 
   outcomes for student parents through the provision of child care 
                   services, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Supporting Parents in Education 
Act''.

SEC. 2. CHILD CARE ACCESS MEANS PARENTS IN SCHOOL.

    (a) In General.--Section 419N of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1070e) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 419N. CHILD CARE ACCESS MEANS PARENTS IN SCHOOL.

    ``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to support the 
participation and strengthen outcomes of eligible student parents in 
postsecondary education through the provision of child care services.
    ``(b) Program Authorized.--
            ``(1) Authority.--The Secretary may award grants to 
        eligible entities to assist such entities in providing child 
        care services to eligible student parents.
            ``(2) Amount of grants.--
                    ``(A) Minimum grant amount.--The amount of a grant 
                awarded to an eligible entity under this section for a 
                fiscal year shall be not less than $75,000.
                    ``(B) Maximum grant amount.--The amount of a grant 
                awarded to an eligible entity under this section for a 
                fiscal year shall not exceed--
                            ``(i) in the case of an eligible entity 
                        that is an individual institution of higher 
                        education, 3 percent of the total amount of all 
                        Federal Pell Grant funds awarded to students 
                        enrolled at the institution for the preceding 
                        fiscal year; or
                            ``(ii) in the case of an eligible entity 
                        that is a consortium of institutions of higher 
                        education, 3 percent of the total amount of all 
                        Federal Pell Grant funds awarded to students 
                        enrolled at all institutions in such consortium 
                        for the preceding fiscal year.
                    ``(C) Exception.--If the maximum amount of a grant 
                calculated under subparagraph (B) for an eligible 
                entity is less the minimum amount specified in 
                subparagraph (A), the eligible entity shall be awarded 
                a grant of $75,000.
            ``(3) Duration; renewal; and payments.--
                    ``(A) Duration.--The Secretary shall award a grant 
                under this section for a period of 4 years.
                    ``(B) Payments.--Subject to subsection (e)(2), the 
                Secretary shall make annual grant payments under this 
                section.
            ``(4) Use of funds.--Grant funds under this section shall 
        be used by an eligible entity to carry out one or more of the 
        following activities:
                    ``(A) Supporting or establishing child care 
                services primarily serving the needs of eligible 
                student parents served by the entity.
                    ``(B) Making grants to or entering into contracts 
                or other agreements with local child care providers or 
                other appropriate entities for purposes of providing 
                eligible student parents with access to child care 
                services.
                    ``(C) Providing or supporting additional services 
                (other than direct child care services) to help 
                eligible student parents served by the entity care for 
                their children, including transportation, nutrition 
                support, and health care services.
            ``(5) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this section shall 
        be construed to prohibit an eligible entity that receives grant 
        funds under this section from serving the child care needs of 
        the community served by the entity.
            ``(6) Publicity.--The Secretary shall publicize the 
        availability of grants under this section, including by--
                    ``(A) publishing notice of the availability of such 
                grants in the Federal Register;
                    ``(B) informing appropriate educational, nonprofit, 
                and child care organizations of such availability; and
                    ``(C) carrying out such other activities as the 
                Secretary determines appropriate.
    ``(c) Applications.--An eligible entity desiring a grant under this 
section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in 
such manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may 
require. Each application shall--
            ``(1) demonstrate that the entity is an eligible entity;
            ``(2) in the case of an application from an eligible entity 
        that is a consortium of institutions of higher education--
                    ``(A) identify each institution in the consortium;
                    ``(B) explain the reasons for the establishment of 
                the consortium; and
                    ``(C) describe how institutions in the consortium 
                will work together to meet the needs of eligible 
                student parents;
            ``(3) specify the amount of funds requested;
            ``(4) demonstrate the need of eligible student parents 
        served by the entity for child care services by including in 
        the application--
                    ``(A) information regarding student demographics;
                    ``(B) to the maximum extent practicable, an 
                assessment of child care capacity on or near each 
                campus or other location served by the entity;
                    ``(C) information regarding additional needs 
                created by community income levels or other factors;
                    ``(D) information about the number of eligible 
                student parents projected to be served by the entity 
                during the grant period which may be determined using 
                historical or projected data regarding the numbers of 
                eligible student parents enrolled in institutions that 
                comprise the entity;
                    ``(E) information about the retention and 
                completion rates of eligible student parents;
                    ``(F) information about the direct costs charged to 
                eligible student parents;
                    ``(G) information on the types and average amounts 
                of non-Federal aid given to eligible student parents; 
                and
                    ``(H) other relevant data;
            ``(5) contain a description of the activities to be funded 
        with the grant, including whether the grant funds will support 
        an existing child care program or a new child care program;
            ``(6) identify the resources, including non-Federal 
        resources, technical expertise, and community support, the 
        entity will draw upon to support eligible student parents in 
        accessing child care services, and provide an assurance that 
        the expenditure of such resources will not result in 
        compensatory increases in student tuition;
            ``(7) contain an assurance that the entity will meet the 
        child care needs of eligible student parents through the 
        provision of services, or through a contract for the provision 
        of services;
            ``(8) identify each program of study in the field of early 
        childhood education offered by the eligible entity and the CIP 
        code assigned to such program;
            ``(9) describe how the child care services supported with a 
        grant under this section may be integrated with the programs of 
        study identified under paragraph (8), including a description 
        of whether and to what extent students enrolled in such 
        programs may receive academic or other credit toward graduation 
        requirements in conjunction with providing such services;
            ``(10) in the case of an eligible entity seeking assistance 
        for a new child care program or a new contract for the 
        provision of child care services--
                    ``(A) provide a timeline, covering the period from 
                receipt of the grant through the provision of the child 
                care services, delineating the specific steps the 
                entity will take to achieve the goal of providing 
                eligible student parents with child care services;
                    ``(B) specify any measures the entity will take to 
                assist eligible student parents with child care during 
                the period before the entity provides child care 
                services; and
                    ``(C) include a plan for identifying the resources 
                needed for the child care services supported by the 
                grant, including--
                            ``(i) space in which to provide such 
                        services; and
                            ``(ii) any technical assistance that may be 
                        required;
            ``(11) include a certification that there are in effect 
        within the State, under State or local law, requirements 
        designed to protect the health and safety of children that are 
        applicable to child care providers that provide services for 
        which assistance is made available under this section;
            ``(12) contain an assurance that any child care facility 
        assisted under this section will meet the applicable State or 
        local government licensing, certification, approval, 
        provisional status, or registration requirements prior to 
        serving children and families;
            ``(13) describe how information regarding the availability 
        of child care services will be provided to eligible student 
        parents; and
            ``(14) contain an abstract summarizing the contents of such 
        application together with an explanation of how the entity 
        intends to achieve the purpose described in subsection (a).
    ``(d) Priority.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall give priority in 
        awarding grants under this section to eligible entities that 
        submit applications describing programs for eligible student 
        parents to access child care services that--
                    ``(A) include efforts to leverage significant non-
                Federal, local, or institutional resources, including 
                in-kind contributions, to support the activities 
                assisted under this section;
                    ``(B) utilize a sliding fee scale for child care 
                services provided under this section in order to 
                maximize the number of eligible student parents served;
                    ``(C) coordinate with other community programs, as 
                appropriate, to improve the quality of child care 
                services and limit the cost of such services;
                    ``(D) include efforts to improve the completion 
                rates and value-added earnings of eligible student 
                parents and plans to evaluate the effectiveness of such 
                efforts;
                    ``(E) include efforts by the eligible entity--
                            ``(i) to reduce the direct costs charged to 
                        eligible student parents; and
                            ``(ii) to increase the amount of non-
                        Federal aid given to eligible student parents; 
                        and
                    ``(F) are integrated with programs of study in 
                early childhood education identified under subsection 
                (c)(8), including by allowing students enrolled in such 
                programs to receive academic or other credit toward 
                graduation requirements in conjunction with providing 
                such services as described in subsection (c)(9).
            ``(2) Technical assistance.--The Secretary may provide 
        technical assistance to eligible entities to help such entities 
        qualify for, apply for, and maintain a grant under this 
        section.
    ``(e) Reporting Requirements; Continuing Eligibility.--
            ``(1) Reporting requirements.--
                    ``(A) Reports.--Each eligible entity receiving a 
                grant under this section shall report to the Secretary 
                annually.
                    ``(B) Contents.--Each report under subparagraph (A) 
                shall include--
                            ``(i) data on the population served by the 
                        child care program supported with a grant under 
                        this section, including--
                                    ``(I) the total number of children 
                                served by the program and the age 
                                ranges of such children; and
                                    ``(II) the total number of eligible 
                                student parents served by the program;
                            ``(ii) in the case of an eligible entity 
                        that is an institution of higher education, the 
                        number of such eligible student parents served 
                        by such program--
                                    ``(I) who are attending an 
                                institution on a full-time basis;
                                    ``(II) who are attending an 
                                institution on a part-time basis;
                                    ``(III) who remain enrolled at an 
                                institution during the academic year 
                                for which such student parents received 
                                child care services supported under 
                                this section;
                                    ``(IV) who remain enrolled at an 
                                institution during the academic year 
                                following the academic year in which 
                                such student parents first received 
                                such services;
                                    ``(V) who graduate from an 
                                institution during the academic year 
                                for which such student parents received 
                                such services;
                                    ``(VI) who transfer to a different 
                                institution during the academic year 
                                for which such student parents received 
                                such services; and
                                    ``(VII) who withdraw from an 
                                institution during the academic year 
                                for which such student parents received 
                                such services;
                            ``(iii) in the case of an eligible entity 
                        that is a consortium of institutions of higher 
                        education, each category of information 
                        described in clause (ii) stated separately for 
                        the consortium as a whole and for each 
                        institution in the consortium;
                            ``(iv) information on the eligibility of 
                        eligible student parents for Federal Pell 
                        Grants (as described subsection (g)(6)(C)), 
                        including the average amount of Federal Pell 
                        Grants received by such student parents;
                            ``(v) the marital status of eligible 
                        student parents;
                            ``(vi) the average completion rate of 
                        eligible student parents;
                            ``(vii) information on sources of campus 
                        and community resources available to eligible 
                        student parents and the amount of non-Federal 
                        funding used by such parents to access child 
                        care services;
                            ``(viii) the fee structure for eligible 
                        student parents to receive child care services 
                        supported under this section, including a 
                        description of any sliding scale used to 
                        determine such fees;
                            ``(ix) the percentage of the grant funds 
                        received by the entity that was used directly 
                        to subsidize any fees charged for--
                                    ``(I) campus-based child care 
                                services for eligible student parents; 
                                and
                                    ``(II) off-campus child care 
                                services for eligible student parents;
                            ``(x) documentation that the child care 
                        services supported by the grant meet licensing, 
                        certification, approval, and registration 
                        requirements, as applicable; and
                            ``(xi) a description of how grant funds 
                        received under this section were used to pursue 
                        the goals of the entity as set forth in the 
                        application submitted by the entity under 
                        subsection (c).
                    ``(C) Public availability.--On an annual basis, the 
                Secretary shall publish the reports received under 
                subparagraph (A) on a publicly accessible website of 
                the Department of Education.
            ``(2) Continuing eligibility.--The Secretary shall make 
        continuation awards under this section to an eligible entity 
        only if the Secretary determines, on the basis of the reports 
        submitted under paragraph (1), that the entity is--
                    ``(A) using funds only for authorized purposes;
                    ``(B) providing eligible student parents served by 
                the entity with priority access to affordable, quality 
                child care services, as provided under this section;
                    ``(C) implementing practices that, to the maximum 
                extent practicable--
                            ``(i) improve the completion rates and 
                        value-added earnings of eligible student 
                        parents; and
                            ``(ii) reduce the direct costs charged to 
                        eligible student parents; and
                    ``(D) documenting a continued need for Federal 
                funding under this section, while demonstrating how 
                non-Federal sources will be leveraged to support a 
                continuation award.
    ``(f) Construction.--No funds provided under this section shall be 
used for construction, except for minor renovation or repair to meet 
applicable State or local health or safety requirements.
    ``(g) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Child care services.--The term `child care services' 
        includes campus-based child care services and child care 
        services provided in an off-campus setting that are accessible 
        to eligible student parents.
            ``(2) CIP code.--The term `CIP code' means the six-digit 
        taxonomic identification code assigned by an institution of 
        higher education to a specific program of study at the 
        institution, determined by the institution in accordance with 
        the Classification of Instructional Programs published by the 
        National Center for Education Statistics.
            ``(3) Completion rate.--The term `completion rate' means--
                    ``(A) the percentage of students from an initial 
                cohort enrolled at an institution of higher education 
                that is a 2-year institution who have graduated from 
                the institution or transferred to a 4-year institution 
                of higher education; or
                    ``(B) the percentage of students from an initial 
                cohort enrolled at an institution of higher education 
                in the State that is a 4-year institution who have 
                graduated from the institution.
            ``(4) Direct costs.--The term `direct costs' means the 
        total cost of all items included in the cost of attendance (as 
        defined in section 472) that are billed to the student by the 
        institution or otherwise required by the institution for 
        enrollment.
            ``(5) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means--
                    ``(A) an institution of higher education that had 
                an enrollment of not fewer than 150 eligible student 
                parents in the most recently completed award year as of 
                the date the determination is made; or
                    ``(B) a consortium of two or more institutions of 
                higher education that had a total combined enrollment 
                of not fewer than 150 eligible student parents in the 
                most recently completed award year as of the date the 
                determination is made.
            ``(6) Eligible student parent.--The term `eligible student 
        parent' means a student who--
                    ``(A) is the parent or guardian of one or more 
                dependent children;
                    ``(B) is enrolled in an institution of higher 
                education described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of 
                paragraph (5); and
                    ``(C)(i) is eligible to receive a Federal Pell 
                Grant under section 401 for the award year for which 
                the determination is made; or
                    ``(ii) meets the financial eligibility criteria for 
                receiving a Federal Pell Grant under section 401 for 
                such award year but is not eligible for a Federal Pell 
                Grant because the student is enrolled in a graduate or 
                first professional course of study.
            ``(7) Value-added earnings.--
                    ``(A) Calculation.--With respect to a student who 
                received Federal financial aid under this title and who 
                completed a program of study offered by an institution 
                of higher education, the term `value-added earnings' 
                means--
                            ``(i) the annual earnings of such student 
                        measured during the applicable earnings 
                        measurement period for such program (as 
                        determined under subparagraph (C)); minus
                            ``(ii) in the case of a student who 
                        completed a program of study that awards--
                                    ``(I) an undergraduate credential, 
                                150 percent of the poverty line 
                                applicable to a single individual as 
                                determined under section 673(2) of the 
                                Community Services Block Grant Act (42 
                                U.S.C. 9902(2)) for such year; or
                                    ``(II) a graduate credential, 300 
                                percent of the poverty line applicable 
                                to a single individual as determined 
                                under section 673(2) of the Community 
                                Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 
                                9902(2)) for such year.
                    ``(B) Geographic adjustment.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Except as provided in 
                        clause (ii), the Secretary shall use the 
                        geographic location of the institution at which 
                        a student completed a program of study to 
                        adjust the value-added earnings of the student 
                        calculated under subparagraph (A) by dividing--
                                    ``(I) the difference between 
                                subclauses (I) and (II) of such 
                                subparagraph; by
                                    ``(II) the most recent regional 
                                price parity index of the Bureau of 
                                Economics Analysis for the State or, as 
                                applicable, metropolitan area in which 
                                such institution is located.
                            ``(ii) Exception.--The value-added earnings 
                        of a student calculated under subparagraph (A) 
                        shall not be adjusted based on geographic 
                        location in accordance with clause (i) if such 
                        student attended principally through distance 
                        education.
                    ``(C) Earnings measurement period.--
                            ``(i) In general.--For the purpose of 
                        calculating the value-added earnings of a 
                        student, except as provided in clause (ii), the 
                        annual earnings of a student shall be 
                        measured--
                                    ``(I) in the case of a program of 
                                study that awards an undergraduate 
                                certificate, post baccalaureate 
                                certificate, or graduate certificate, 
                                one year after the student completes 
                                such program;
                                    ``(II) in the case of a program of 
                                study that awards an associate's degree 
                                or master's degree, 2 years after the 
                                student completes such program; and
                                    ``(III) in the case of a program of 
                                study that awards a bachelor's degree, 
                                doctoral degree, or professional 
                                degree, 4 years after the student 
                                completes such program.
                            ``(ii) Exception.--The Secretary may, as 
                        the Secretary determines appropriate based on 
                        the characteristics of a program of study, 
                        extend an earnings measurement period described 
                        in clause (i) for a program of study that--
                                    ``(I) requires completion of an 
                                additional educational program after 
                                completion of the program of study in 
                                order to obtain a licensure associated 
                                with the credential awarded for such 
                                program of study; and
                                    ``(II) when combined with the 
                                program length of such additional 
                                educational program for licensure, has 
                                a total program length that exceeds the 
                                relevant earnings measurement period 
                                prescribed for such program of study 
                                under clause (i),
                        except that in no case shall the annual 
                        earnings of a student be measured more than 5 
                        years after the student completes a program of 
                        study.''.
    (b) Applicability.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to grants made under section 419N of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070e) on or after the date of 
enactment of this Act.
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