During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama promised to "create a Community College Partnership Program to strengthen community colleges by providing grants to a) conduct more thorough analysis of the types of skills and technical education that are in high demand from students and local industry; b) implement new associate of arts degree programs that cater to emerging industry and technical career demands; and c) reward those institutions that graduate more students and also increase their numbers of transfer students to four-year institutions."

A bill that includes provisions to do this -- the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 (H.R. 3221) -- passed the House on Sept. 17, 2009, by a 253-171 vote. The measure now awaits action by the Senate.

The bill authorizes grants totaling $730 million for each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2013, and $680 million for each of the fiscal years 2014 through 2019. These grants would aid community colleges in such areas as creating job-training partnerships with industry; providing student support services; creating new degree programs closely tied to the needs of employers; and increasing graduation and postcollege employment rates.

Separately, the economic stimulus bill passed in February 2009 included $90 million for 2009 and 2010 for a Community College and Career Training Grant Program. But its purpose was less specific, awarding grants broadly to "improve educational or career training programs."

The pending bill in Congress is the one that most directly addresses this promise, and the fact that one chamber has passed the bill and the other has not makes it an example of a promise that's In the Works.