TECH Act
Sponsored By: Representative Kennedy (UT)
Introduced
Summary
Places qualified technical schools on equal footing with 2‑ and 4‑year colleges for certain federal grants. It would require the Education and Labor Departments to change eligibility rules and issue guidance so technical schools can compete for specific grant programs and help build workforce pipelines in critical sectors.
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- Qualified technical schools would be eligible to participate in covered federal grant programs on the same basis as 2‑year and 4‑year institutions. Covered programs named include the Higher Education Act Strengthening Institutions program, TRIO, CCAMPIS, and Labor's Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants.
- Students and jobseekers in short-term training could see more grant-supported options when programs meet the bill's criteria. Eligible job training programs generally run about 150 to 600 hours over roughly 8 to 15 weeks and must lead to employer-recognized postsecondary credentials.
- The bill pushes agencies to act on a timetable to expand access and direct funds toward priority sectors like national security, healthcare, transportation, critical manufacturing, infrastructure, public safety, and public health. Education and Labor must change rules and applications within 180 days and the Education Secretary has a 60-day window to decide if a program qualifies.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
More federal support for technical schools
If enacted, qualified technical schools would be eligible for certain federal grants on the same basis as 2‑ and 4‑year colleges. The bill would treat these as covered Federal grant programs: the Strengthening Institutions Program, Federal TRIO programs, CCAMPIS, and the Labor Department's Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants. The Education and Labor Secretaries would have 180 days after enactment to change eligibility rules and issue guidance on grant distribution. The bill would also create an "eligible job training program" rule: programs must be 150–599 clock hours and run at least 8 weeks but under 15 weeks, train in specified essential sectors, be on the WIOA provider list, align to Perkins programs of study, and lead to a credential employers accept. The Secretary of Education would decide a program's eligibility within 60 days after submission, and a State board must certify the program before the Secretary can approve it.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Kennedy (UT)
UT • R
Cosponsors
Owens
UT • R
Sponsored 3/24/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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