# 119-hr-1409: College Thriving Act

119-hr-1409, College Thriving Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Foushee, Valerie P. [D-NC-4] (D-NC); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1409
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-1409
- Congress: 119
- Title: College Thriving Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-02-18
- Sponsor: Rep. Foushee, Valerie P. [D-NC-4] (D-NC)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Skills-for-success courses for first-year students** would be funded through competitive federal grants to colleges so every incoming student can take a low‑ratio, pass‑fail course on campus navigation, wellbeing, and academic skills. The program targets institutions that serve large shares of low‑income students and supports a five‑year planning, pilot, and full‑implementation process. - First‑year students and families: Students would get an early, low‑pressure course covering time management, mental wellbeing, campus resources, goal setting, and relationship skills so they start college with practical supports. - Low‑income students and high‑need campuses: Grants would prioritize colleges where at least 50% of students received a Federal Pell Grant, directing resources to institutions serving more low‑income students. - Colleges and staff: Awardees receive five‑year grants to prepare, pilot, and fully implement the course, must evaluate results, and can request technical assistance from the Secretary of Education. *Would authorize $50.0 million in federal grants to run this program, increasing federal outlays for these awards.*

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Adams, Alma S. [D-NC-12] (D-NC), 2025-02-21T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Grants to build first-year college courses: benefit, low. The bill would create competitive 5-year grants for colleges. The grants would build a first-term "skills for success" course for all first-year students. Colleges must meet Higher Education Act rules to apply, and schools with at least 50% Pell-eligible students would get priority. Year 1 prepares…
- Authorizes $50 million for college success grants: benefit, low. The bill would authorize $50 million for these grants. The money would stay available until spent and would support course development, pilots, and full rollout. This is only an authorization; Congress would still need to appropriate funds before grants are paid.

## Related bills

- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7481: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act
- 119-hr-5356: National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-1409 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1409)

## Related
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-7481: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7481)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3971)
- [119-hr-5356: National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5356)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1409 (as of 2026-04-21).