The Department shall assist incarcerated individuals in accessing federal Pell Grants for higher education. In order to assist incarcerated individuals in accessing federal Pell Grants, the Department shall consult with institutions of higher education, including: all University System of Maryland institutions; Morgan State University; Anne Arundel Community College; Hagerstown Community College; Wor–Wic Community College; and Goucher College.

This section applies only with respect to postsecondary education programs in a correctional institution in the Division of Correction in the Department. The Department shall: set goals for the number of incarcerated individuals in postsecondary education programs; establish a tracking system for the number of incarcerated individuals in postsecondary education programs; establish a tracking system for the progress of incarcerated individuals in postsecondary education programs, including the number of college credits that each incarcerated individual earns in an approved college program; and forward, at an agreed–on interval, the tracking data for the number of college credits that each incarcerated individual earns in an approved college program to the Maryland Higher Education Commission. The Maryland Higher Education Commission shall assist the Department in creating the tracking systems under subsection (b) of this section. For each fiscal year, the Governor shall include in the annual budget bill an appropriation in an amount sufficient for the Department to use for marketing for postsecondary education programs to incarcerated individuals and for the tracking systems for postsecondary education programs. The Department shall adopt regulations to carry out this section.