S 2580
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2580
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to improve the participation
in higher education of, and to increase opportunities in employment
for, residents of rural areas.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 30, 2008
Mr. BROWN (for himself and Mr. SMITH) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions
A BILL
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to improve the participation
in higher education of, and to increase opportunities in employment
for, residents of rural areas.
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 `College and University Rural Education
Act of 2008' (CURE Act).
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.
The Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.) is amended
by adding at the end the following:
`TITLE VIII--RURAL DEVELOPMENT GRANTS FOR RURAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
`SEC. 801. PURPOSE.
`The purposes of this title are--
`(A) enrollment and graduation rates in and from 2-year and 4-year
colleges, and articulation from 2-year degree programs into 4-year
degree programs, with respect to graduates of rural secondary schools;
and
`(B) degree completion for nontraditional students from rural areas;
and
`(2) to promote economic growth and development in rural America through
assistance to partnerships, rural institutions of higher education
(including rural community colleges), and other entities, such as
local educational agencies, employers, education service agencies,
and nonprofit organizations.
`SEC. 802. DEFINITIONS.
`(1) NONTRADITIONAL STUDENT- The term `nontraditional student' means
an individual who--
`(A) delays enrollment in an institution of higher education by
3 or more years after completing secondary school;
`(B) attends an institution of higher education part-time or less
than part-time; or
`(C) attends an institution of higher education and--
`(ii) is an independent student;
`(iii) has 1 or more dependents other than a spouse;
`(iv) is a single parent; or
`(v) does not have a secondary school diploma or a general equivalency
diploma (GED).
`(2) RURAL AREA- The term `rural area' means an area in which there
is located a rural local educational agency.
`(3) REGIONAL EMPLOYER- The term `regional employer' means an employer
that is a business or other entity employing individuals within a
rural area.
`(4) RURAL INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION- The term `rural institution
of higher education' means an institution of higher education (as
such term is defined in section 101) that primarily serves rural areas.
`(5) RURAL LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY- The term `rural local educational
agency' means a local educational agency that is designated with a
metrocentric locale code of 41, 42, or 43 as determined by the National
Center for Education Statistics (hereafter in this paragraph referred
to as the `NCES'), in conjunction with the Bureau of the Census, using
the NCES system for classifying local educational agencies.
`SEC. 803. ENSURING COLLEGE ACCESS FOR RURAL SECONDARY SCHOOL GRADUATES.
`(a) Definition of Eligible Partnership- In this section the term `eligible
partnership' means a partnership formed between or among--
`(1) 1 or more rural institutions of higher education; and
`(2) any of the following entities:
`(A) One or more rural local educational agencies.
`(B) One or more rural education service agencies.
`(C) One or more regional employers.
`(D) One or more nonprofit organizations with expertise in rural
education.
`(b) Grants Authorized- The Secretary is authorized to award grants
to eligible partnerships to enable the eligible partnerships to carry
out the authorized activities described in subsection (d).
`(c) Applications- To be eligible to receive a grant under this section,
an eligible partnership shall submit to the Secretary an application
in such form and containing such information as the Secretary shall
prescribe.
`(d) Award Considerations- In determining which applications to approve
for a grant under this section, the Secretary shall consider--
`(1) the percentage of graduates, attendees, or former attendees of
secondary schools from rural local educational agencies who are enrolled
or otherwise affiliated with the rural institution of higher education
participating in the eligible partnership; and
`(2) in the case of employers, the percentage of employees of the
employer who are graduates of secondary schools served by a rural
local educational agency.
`(e) Use of Grant Amounts- Grant funds made available under this section
shall be used--
`(1) to improve enrollment rates at rural institutions of higher education,
for graduates and former attendees of rural secondary schools, including--
`(A) programs to provide information about college costs and financial
aid options, assistance with college enrollment applications, and
assistance with financial aid applications;
`(B) programs or initiatives that provide such graduates and attendees
access and exposure to campuses, classes, programs, and facilities
of rural institutions of higher education, including covering the
cost of transportation to and from rural institutions of higher
education;
`(C) the formation of groups or other initiatives that create support
groups of such graduates and attendees expressing interest in attending
rural institutions of higher education;
`(D) extra curricular activities, such as internships, community
service, and other activities for such graduates and attendees in
advance of attending rural institutions of higher education; and
`(E) other initiatives that assist such graduates and attendees
in applying for admission to and developing interest in attending
rural institutions of higher education; and
`(2) to encourage participation of nontraditional students in degree
programs at rural institutions of higher education, including--
`(A) programs to provide information about college costs and financial
aid options, assistance with college enrollment applications, and
assistance with financial aid applications for rural institutions
of higher education;
`(B) outreach to nontraditional students through community initiatives;
and
`(C) formation of support groups for nontraditional students enrolling
in 2-year degree programs and articulating from 2-year degree programs
to 4-year degree programs.
`SEC. 804. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIPS.
`(a) Eligible Partnership Defined- In this section the term `eligible
partnership' means a partnership formed between or among--
`(1) 1 or more rural institutions of higher education; and
`(2) 1 or more regional employers.
`(b) Grants Authorized- The Secretary is authorized to award grants
to eligible partnerships to enable the eligible partnerships to carry
out the authorized activities described in subsection (e).
`(c) Applications- To be eligible to receive a grant under this section,
an eligible partnership shall submit to the Secretary an application
in such form and containing such information as the Secretary shall
prescribe.
`(d) Award Considerations- In determining which applications to approve
for a grant under this section, the Secretary shall consider--
`(1) the potential of the regional employer participating in the eligible
partnership to employ graduates of rural institutions of higher education
after graduation;
`(2) the potential of the regional employer participating in the eligible
partnership to spur economic development in the region; and
`(3) the relevance of the regional employer participating in the eligible
partnership to the regional economy.
`(e) Use of Grant Amounts- Grant funds made available under this section
shall be used--
`(1) to provide additional career training to attendees of rural institutions
of higher education in fields relevant to the regional economy; and
`(2) to encourage regional businesses to employ graduates of rural
institutions of higher education.
`SEC. 805. QUALITY OF LIFE IN RURAL AREAS.
`(a) Grants Authorized- The Secretary is authorized to award grants
to rural institutions of higher education to enable the rural institutions
of higher education to carry out the authorized activities described
in subsection (b).
`(b) Use of Grant Amounts- Grant funds made available under this section
shall be used to create or strengthen academic programs to prepare graduates
of the rural institutions of higher education to enter into high-need
occupations in the regional and local economies.
`SEC. 806. ADMINISTRATION.
`(a) Grant Considerations- In awarding grants under this title to eligible
partnerships and rural institutions of higher education, the Secretary
shall consider--
`(1) the percentage of graduates of rural secondary schools attending
rural institutions of higher education in proximity to the eligible
partnership or rural institution of higher education receiving the
grant;
`(2) employment needs of regional employers in proximity to the eligible
partnership or rural institution of higher education receiving the
grant; and
`(3) the health of the regional economy of the region surrounding
the eligible partnership or rural institution of higher education
receiving the grant.
`(b) Maximum Grant Amount- Each grant awarded by the Secretary under
this title shall be in an amount that is not more than $500,000.
`(c) Grant Duration- A grant under this title shall be awarded for one
3-year period.
`SEC. 807. GAO STUDY.
`(1) IN GENERAL- The Comptroller General shall carry out a study,
that shall be completed not later than 5 years after the date of enactment
of the College and University Rural Education Act of 2008, to identify
the challenges and solutions to increasing the availability of and
access to 2-year and 4-year degree programs and institutions of higher
education in rural America.
`(2) MATTERS STUDIED- The study shall investigate matters related
to--
`(A) the number of 4-year institutions of higher education and 4-year
degree programs in rural America in existence on the date of enactment
of the College and University Rural Education Act of 2008;
`(B) access to 4-year degree programs and institutions of higher
education in rural America;
`(C) the cost, availability of resources, and challenges associated
with the establishment and expansion of 4-year degree programs in
rural America; and
`(D) the role of rural America in contributing to overall bachelor's
degree attainment in the United States, as a measure of United States
global competitiveness.
`(b) Recommendations- The Comptroller General shall make recommendations
to Congress regarding the matters studied under subsection (a).
`SEC. 808. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
`There are authorized to be appropriated--
`(1) for fiscal year 2009--
`(A) $15,000,000 to carry out section 803;
`(B) $10,000,000 to carry out section 804; and
`(C) $5,000,000 to carry out section 805; and
`(2) such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal
years to carry out sections 803, 804, and 805.'.
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