AHEAD Week One Recap: Workforce Pell, State Roles, and Implications for Digital Learning

Last week marked the close of the first week of the second negotiated rulemaking to implement the higher education provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Public Law 119-21 (OB3). Convened by the Department of Education (the Department), the AHEAD negotiated rulemaking committee began its work by tackling one of the most closely watched elements of OB3: changes to the Federal Pell Grant program, including the creation of a new Workforce Pell Grant for short-term programs. The rulemaking reached consensus with the regulatory process to implement the new Workforce Pell Grants, as directed by Congress, to take effect on July 1, 2026.

For this rulemaking, the Department deliberately narrowed the committee’s focus, separating what were originally two large issue areas, Workforce Pell and Accessibility, into distinct, week-long discussions. Week one focused on the regulatory framework needed to support the new Pell Grant opportunity for 8-to 15-week workforce-oriented programs. As with all negotiated rulemakings, the goal was to reach consensus on regulatory language. Consensus means that no committee member dissented from the final draft proposal for regulatory language at the conclusion of the meetings. When consensus is achieved, that language, subject to technical adjustments, forms the basis of the Department’s proposed regulations released for public comment. The AHEAD committee was successful in reaching consensus during week one, largely on the implementation structure for Workforce Pell.

This work builds on momentum from the previous RISE negotiated rulemaking, which concluded in early November and also achieved consensus. The agreed-upon RISE language is now posted on the Department’s website, providing the higher education community an early look at what is expected to appear in the forthcoming Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM).

In this post, we will address three key areas that affect the digital learning community:

1. Provide a brief recap of why these regulations are being developed and how the negotiated rulemaking process is structured.
2. Share the major elements from week one of the AHEAD committee, which reached consensus on the regulatory framework for implementing Workforce Pell Grants, with states and Governors at the center of implementation.
3. Recommend next steps for reviewing available materials and preparing to engage in the public comment process.[...]