“A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for Workforce Pell Grants.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes the Workforce Pell Grant program under new subsection 401(k) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, under which the Secretary awards grants beginning with the award year starting July 1, 2026, to students eligible for Federal Pell Grants who are enrolled in an eligible workforce program (as defined in new section 481(b)(3)) and who have not attained a graduate credential. Awards are made under the same terms and conditions as Federal Pell Grants (prorated for program length down to the minimum Pell Grant amount), except that eligible workforce program is substituted for eligible program; no student may receive both a Workforce Pell Grant and a regular Pell Grant under subsections (b) or (c); and periods of study count toward the Pell duration limit under subsection (d)(5). (Federal Pell Grants provide need-based aid to low-income undergraduate students attending eligible postsecondary programs.) The section also amends section 481(b)—(1) redesignating paragraphs (3) and (4) as (4) and (5); and (2) inserting new paragraph (3) to define eligible workforce programs as those with at least 150 but less than 600 clock hours (or equivalent) of instruction over a minimum of 8 but less than 15 weeks, that are not correspondence courses and that the state's governor determines align with high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand sectors, meet employer hiring needs, lead to a stackable/portable or single recognized postsecondary credential, and prepare students for further certificate or degree programs with transferable credit. After the governor's determination, the Secretary verifies program eligibility based on one year of prior operation, at least 70% completion rate within 150% of normal time, at least 70% job placement rate measured 180 days post-completion for each award year, and published tuition and fees not exceeding value-added earnings (i.e., median earnings of aid recipients who completed the program three years prior, adjusted for regional price parities, minus 150% of the poverty line for a single individual). (Thus, the amendments enable Pell Grant funding for short-term, high-quality job training programs previously ineligible due to length.)