Community College Educational Exchange Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4767 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4767

To encourage the growth of educational exchanges between international
  scholars and United States junior or community colleges and United
 States postsecondary vocational institutions, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 25, 2025

Mr. Olszewski (for himself, Mr. Bera, Mrs. McClain Delaney, Ms. Clarke
of New York, Mr. Fields, Mrs. McIver, and Mr. Thanedar) introduced the
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To encourage the growth of educational exchanges between international
  scholars and United States junior or community colleges and United
 States postsecondary vocational institutions, 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 ``Community College Educational
Exchange Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House
                of Representatives; and
                    (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
                Senate.
            (2) Educational exchange.--The term ``educational
        exchange'' means an activity listed in section 102(a)(1)(B) of
        the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 (22
        U.S.C. 2452(a)(1)(B)).
            (3) Eligible institutions.--The term ``eligible
        institutions'' means United States junior or community colleges
        and United States postsecondary vocational institutions that
        the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United
        States Agency for International Development have identified
        that--
                    (A) have entered into a grant, contract, or
                cooperative agreement with the Department of State or
                the United States Agency for International Development;
                or
                    (B) are eligible to participate in programs and
                initiatives under the jurisdiction of either such
                agency.
            (4) Junior or community college.--The term ``junior or
        community college'' mean an institution of higher education (as
        such term is defined in section 312(f) of the Higher Education
        Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002(c)))--
                    (A) 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;
                    (B) that does not provide an educational program
                for which it awards a bachelor's degree (or an
                equivalent degree); and
                    (C) that--
                            (i) provides an educational program of not
                        less than 2 years that is acceptable for full
                        credit toward such a degree, or
                            (ii) 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.
            (5) Postsecondary vocational institution.--The term
        ``postsecondary vocational institution'' means a school that--
                    (A) provides an eligible program of training to
                prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized
                occupation;
                    (B) meets the requirements of paragraphs (1), (2),
                (4), and (5) of section 102(c) in the Higher Education
                Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002(c)); and
                    (C) has been in existence for at least 2 years.
            (6) Relevant federal departments and agencies.--The term
        ``relevant Federal departments and agencies'' includes--
                    (A) the Department of State;
                    (B) the United States Agency for International
                Development; and
                    (C) any other Federal department or agency that is
                engaged in designing, providing, or supporting United
                States foreign assistance (including development
                finance) that the President determines is relevant for
                the purposes of this Act.

SEC. 3. EXPANDING EXCHANGE PROGRAMMING FOR INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARS AND
              EXPERTS TO STUDY AT UNITED STATES JUNIOR OR COMMUNITY
              COLLEGES AND UNITED STATES POSTSECONDARY VOCATIONAL
              INSTITUTIONS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of State and the Administrator of
the United States Agency for International Development should seek to
strengthen and expand partnerships and educational exchange
opportunities, including by working with eligible institutions, that
build the capacity and expertise of students, scholars, and experts in
key development sectors, including--
            (1) food systems and agriculture-led economic growth;
            (2) microenterprise business development and
        entrepreneurship;
            (3) early childhood education;
            (4) engineering;
            (5) information technology;
            (6) media;
            (7) social services, health, and public safety;
            (8) tourism and hospitality management;
            (9) water, sanitation, and hygiene;
            (10) water security; and
            (11) environmental resilience.
    (b) Exchange Programming.--To deepen relationships and educational
exchange between foreign participants from underrepresented backgrounds
and the United States in ways that advance United States foreign policy
goals and increase academic collaboration, there is established in the
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State a
Community College and Postsecondary Vocational Institution Initiative
Program to provide scholarships for students, scholars, and technical
experts to spend up to one academic year at eligible institutions to
support knowledge and skills training in the sectors referred to in
subsection (a).

SEC. 4. BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF UNITED STATES JUNIOR OR COMMUNITY
              COLLEGES AND UNITED STATES POSTSECONDARY VOCATIONAL
              INSTITUTIONS TO EXPAND STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMMING.

    (a) Capacity Building Program.--To strengthen educational grant
opportunities for eligible institutions and expand educational
exchanges with these institutions, there is established in the Bureau
of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State a
capacity building program to increase the capacity of eligible
institutions to create and expand study abroad programs for their
scholars through small-grant and in-person and virtual study abroad
capacity building activities. This program should seek to prepare
scholars to contribute to the fields critical to United States national
and economic security.
    (b) Small-Grant and In-Person and Virtual Study Abroad Capacity
Building Activities.--The Secretary of State is authorized to award
grants, provide technical assistance, and develop resources for the
program outlined in subsection (a) to--
            (1) increase the number of eligible institution students
        participating in study abroad programs;
            (2) provide training for faculty and staff at eligible
        institutions to design, implement, and sustain study abroad
        programs;
            (3) create and disseminate toolkits, curriculum guides, and
        program templates for eligible institutions seeking to launch
        or expand study abroad offerings;
            (4) fund faculty and staff training workshops on best
        practices for developing, managing, and sustaining study abroad
        programs;
            (5) support the development of study abroad programs
        aligned with workforce needs to STEM, technical, and vocational
        fields;
            (6) pilot hybrid exchange models that combine virtual and
        short-term in-person components to make study abroad more
        flexible and accessible for students at eligible institutions;
            (7) develop outreach and advising resources for
        underrepresented student populations to increase their
        participation in study-abroad programs; and
            (8) other activities the Secretary of State determines are
        necessary to strengthen the capacity of eligible institutions
        to create or expand their ability to administer study abroad
        programs.

SEC. 5. COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH PROGRAMMING.

    As part of strengthening and enhancing partnerships, the Secretary
of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for
International Development shall advance outreach to and communications
with eligible institutions, including by--
            (1) providing technical assistance in the development of
        grant and partnership applications; and
            (2) upon request, providing feedback to eligible
        institutions to the maximum extent practicable, after a grant
        rejection in order to improve future grant applications, as
        appropriate.

SEC. 6. CONGRESSIONAL CONSULTATION.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Administrator of the
United States Agency for International Development, shall consult with
the appropriate congressional committees regarding implementation of--
            (1) the countries prioritized for the program established
        by section 3;
            (2) existing partnerships and programs between relevant
        Federal departments and agencies and eligible institutions and
        efforts to expand such partnerships and programs;
            (3) efforts to strengthen the capacity of eligible
        institutions to participate, or to be eligible to participate,
        in relevant programs and initiatives; and
            (4) any progress made towards--
                    (A) advancing plans to develop partnerships or
                programs and initiatives with eligible institutions
                that are not engaged in existing partnerships with
                relevant Federal departments and agencies;
                    (B) identifying plans in which an eligible
                institution may participate; and
                    (C) any other information that relevant Federal
                departments and agencies determine is relevant to
                promoting opportunities to fund, partner, contract, or
                otherwise interact with eligible institutions.
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