TEACH for Tomorrow Act of 2021 - H. R. 5691 - amend Higher Education Act of 1965

Sep 4, 2026

The TEACH for Tomorrow Act of 2021 amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to impose additional requirements on institutions whose students receive TEACH grants. It adds new reporting obligations covering pass-rate outcomes on first attempts and compares program results to state averages. The bill strengthens provisions by requiring higher compliance actions, increases related financial penalties, adjusts institutional eligibility standards based on minimum first-attempt pass rates, and provides a grant continuation rule when an institution becomes ineligible.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Section 1. Short Title

Section 2. Amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965

(a) Pass rate reporting requirements

(b) Fine increase

(d) Ineligible institutions

(e) Regulations

I 117TH CONGR1ST SESSIOENSS H. R. 5691 To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 with respect to certain requirements for institutions of higher education whose students receive TEACH grants, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OCTOBER 22, 2021 Mr. GALLAGHER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 with respect to certain requirements for institutions of higher education whose students receive TEACH grants, and for other purposes. 1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘TEACH for Tomorrow 5 Act of 2021’’. 2 1 SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE HIGHER EDUCATION ACT OF 2 1965. 3 (a) PASS RATE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—Sec- 4 tion 205(a)(1)(B) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 5 (20 U. S.C. 1022d(a)(1)(B)) is amended— 6 (1) in clause (v), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 7 (2) in clause (vi), by striking the period at the 8 end and inserting a semicolon; and 9 (3) by adding at the end the following: 10 ‘‘(vii) the percentage of all students 11 who passed such assessment on the first 12 attempt; and 13 ‘‘(viii) a comparison of the program’s 14 first attempt pass rates with the average 15 first attempt pass rates for programs in 16 the State.’’. 17 (b) FINE INCREASE.—Section 205(a)(3) of the High- 18 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U. S.C. 1022d(a)(3)) is 19 amended— 20 (1) by striking ‘‘may’’ and inserting ‘‘shall’’; 21 and 22 (2) by striking ‘‘$27,500’’ and inserting 23 ‘‘$150,000’’. 24 (c) INSTITUTIONAL ELIGIBILITY FOR TEACH 25 GRANTS.—Section 420L(1) of the Higher Education Act 26 of 1965 (20 U. S.C. 1070g(1)) is amended— •HR 5691 IH 3 1 (1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 2 the end; 3 (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period 4 at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 5 (3) by adding at the end the following: 6 ‘‘(E) to have a first attempt pass rate of 7 not less than 75 percent with respect to the as- 8 sessments used for teacher certification or licen- 9 sure by the State in which the program is lo- 10 cated.’’. 11 (d) INELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS.—Section 420M of 12 the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U. S.C. 1070g–1) 13 is amended by adding at the end the following: 14 ‘‘(e) CONTINUATION OF GRANT.—In the case of an 15 institution that becomes ineligible to participate in the 16 program under this subpart, the Secretary shall continue 17 to pay such institution in accordance with subsection 18 (a)(1) with respect to each teacher candidate attending 19 such institution and receiving a grant under this subpart 20 at the time such institution became ineligible for the dura- 21 tion of such candidate’s course of study at such institu- 22 tion.’’. 23 (e) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of Education 24 shall issue or revise regulations in accordance with the 4 1 amendments made by this section, including section 686.4 2 of title 34, Code of Federal Regulations. Æ

FAQs

What short title does the bill use?

The bill is cited as the “TEACH for Tomorrow Act of 2021.”

What new reporting requirement is added under the Higher Education Act?

Institutions must report the percentage of students who passed on the first attempt and provide a comparison of the program’s first-attempt pass rates with the state average.

How does the bill change eligibility and penalties related to TEACH grants?

It sets a minimum first-attempt pass-rate threshold for teacher certification or licensure assessments and increases the applicable fine amount by requiring “shall” instead of “may,” replacing $27,500 with $150,000.

Sep 4, 2026

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