# 115-hr-3709: America's College Promise Act of 2017

115-hr-3709, America's College Promise Act of 2017, is a 115th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Scott, Robert C. "Bobby" [D-VA-3] (D-VA); status Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/115-hr-3709
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 115-hr-3709
- Congress: 115
- Title: America's College Promise Act of 2017
- Status: Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
- Introduced: 2017-09-07
- Sponsor: Rep. Scott, Robert C. "Bobby" [D-VA-3] (D-VA)
- Cosponsors: 9
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

America's College Promise Act of 2017 This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to award grants to states and Indian tribes to waive tuition and fees at community colleges. To receive a grant, states and Indian tribes must agree to waive tuition and fees at all their community colleges and for all eligible students. An eligible student is a student who: (1) qualifies for resident tuition, (2) enrolls in the college and attends at least half-time, (3) maintains satisfactory academic progress, and (4) enrolls in an academic program with credits that are fully transferable to any public institution of higher education in the state or enrolls in a training program that leads to credentials in an in-demand industry. The bill appropriates $1.5 billion in FY2018, an increasing annual amount through FY2026, and $15.7 billion for FY2027 and each succeeding fiscal year for grants under this community college program. This bill also requires ED to award grants to four-year historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and other minority-serving institutions (MSIs) to waive or reduce tuition and fees for up to 60 credits for low-income students. HBCUs and MSIs that participate must: (1) enroll a student body that contains at least 35% low-income students; (2) maintain or adopt reforms and practices to improve completion rates and student outcomes; (3) set performance goals; and (4) execute an articulation agreement with community colleges, if accepting transfer students. It appropriates $61 million for FY2018, an increasing annual amount through FY2026, and $1.6 billion for FY2027 and each succeeding fiscal year for grants under this HBCU/MSI program.

## Cosponsors (9)

- SUSAN DAVIS (D-CA), 2017-09-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Norcross, Donald [D-NJ-1] (D-NJ), 2017-09-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6] (D-MA), 2017-09-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Brown, Anthony G. [D-MD-4] (D-MD), 2017-09-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10] (D-CA), 2017-12-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Aguilar, Pete [D-CA-33] (D-CA), 2017-12-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fudge, Marcia L. [D-OH-11] (D-OH), 2018-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (D-CA), 2018-02-27T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gonzalez, Vicente [D-TX-34] (D-TX), 2018-07-18T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 115-hr-6545: Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2018
- 115-hr-6135: Keep Families Together Act
- 115-hr-4240: Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2017
- 115-hr-3591: American Hope Act of 2017
- 115-hr-3440: Dream Act of 2017
- 115-hr-3222: Do No Harm Act

## Sources
- [115-hr-3709 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/3709)

## Related
- [115-hr-6545: Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2018](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/115-hr-6545)
- [115-hr-6135: Keep Families Together Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/115-hr-6135)
- [115-hr-4240: Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2017](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/115-hr-4240)
- [115-hr-3591: American Hope Act of 2017](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/115-hr-3591)
- [115-hr-3440: Dream Act of 2017](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/115-hr-3440)
- [115-hr-3222: Do No Harm Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/115-hr-3222)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/115-hr-3709 (as of 2025-11-18).