The House Committee on Education and the Workforce this week approved bipartisan measures to establish workforce Pell Grant eligibility — H.R. 6585, the “Bipartisan Workforce Pell Grant Act” — and to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) H.R. 6655, “A Stronger Workforce for America Act.”
Although members voiced disagreements with some of the legislation’s components, Tuesday’s markup session was devoid of partisan rancor, and no amendments to the compromise legislation were adopted. The legislation now moves to the House floor, where action will not occur until 2024.
In championing the bills, committee chair Virginia Foxx (R-North Carolina) stated that the two workforce bills are “stronger pieces of legislation” for being bipartisan. Both Foxx and ranking member Bobby Scott (D-Virginia) opposed several amendments proposed by members of their party. Only one vote was cast against the WIOA reauthorization bill, coming from Rep. Bob Good (R-Virginia), who has just been selected as chair of the House Freedom Caucus. Good offered three amendments to the legislation that were all defeated.
Bill opens opportunities
“Community colleges continue to enthusiastically support the extension of Pell Grant eligibility to workforce programs between 150 and 599 clock hours in length,” Walter Bumphus, president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), wrote in correspondence to committee members. “In some cases, students who have already obtained a college degree or some college credit will return to community college to gain an aptitude that will help them advance economically. The reality is that millions of Americans simply are not able to pursue a years-long college degree, whether it be at a community college or elsewhere. However, they are just as deserving as other college students of federal support for the program of their choice.”
AACC’s statement also noted that the legislation contains strict quality standards to ensure that only high-quality programs will qualify.
For-profits still an issue for some
Approval of the workforce Pell Grant legislation was not without disagreement. Several Democrats inveighed against the inclusion of for-profit institutions in the expanded Pell Grant program, and this appeared to largely account for the six Democratic votes against final approval. (There were two Republican “nays” as well, and 37 votes overall in favor.)
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These votes could be a harbinger of hurdles that workforce Pell legislation may face in the Senate, where several Democratic members of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, including committee chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), are longtime antagonists of the for-profit college industry.
The House’s Scott acknowledged that the “challenge is how you limit [the bill] to high quality programs,” but he asserted that the House legislation achieved that.
AACC’s correspondence pointed to the extreme rigor of the bill’s eligibility criteria, and as the legislation advances, AACC staff will be engaged to ensure that the new eligibility process meshes with existing outcomes standards and reporting mechanisms to the maximum possible extent.
Controversy over ‘pay for’ provision
The workforce Pell legislation also drew conflict because of the bill’s “pay for” – an offset of new spending that is required of all bills under House rules. The “pay for” would prevent private colleges subject to an excise tax (those with endowments of $500,000 or more per student, affecting 53 institutions) from making federal student loans.
AACC does not support this offset and hopes that it will be altered as the legislation hopefully advances. The provision drew sharp criticism from impacted institutions as well as the American Council on Education, and this viewpoint was reflected in several committee members’ statements.
AACC will hold a webinar on these and other current public policy issues on December 19. Register today.
