21st Century Energy Workforce Act of 2019

II Calendar No. 271 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 2334 [Report No. 116–150] To require the Secretary of Energy to establish the 21st Century Energy Workforce Advisory Board, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JULY 30, 2019 Ms. CANTWELL (for herself and Ms. HIRONO) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Nat- ural Resources OCTOBER 24, 2019 Reported by Ms. MURKOWSKI, without amendment A BILL To require the Secretary of Energy to establish the 21st Century Energy Workforce Advisory Board, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘21st Century Energy 4 Workforce Act of 2019’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:02 Oct 24, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2334.RS S2334 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 2334 RS SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 1 In this Act: 2 (1) BOARD.—The term ‘‘Board’’ means the 3 21st Century Energy Workforce Advisory Board es- 4 tablished under section 3(a). 5 (2) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘Department’’ 6 means the Department of Energy. 7 (3) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ 8 has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 9 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 10 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 11 (4) MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTION.—The 12 term ‘‘minority-serving institution’’ means an insti- 13 tution of higher education eligible to receive funds 14 under section 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 15 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)). 16 (5) NATIONAL LABORATORY.—The term ‘‘Na- 17 tional Laboratory’’ has the meaning given the term 18 in section 2 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 19 U.S.C. 15801). 20 (6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 21 the Secretary of Energy. 22 SEC. 3. 21ST CENTURY ENERGY WORKFORCE ADVISORY 23 BOARD. 24 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall establish 25 a board, to be known as the ‘‘21st Century Energy Work- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:02 Oct 24, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2334.RS S2334 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 2334 RS force Advisory Board’’, to develop a strategy for the sup- 1 port and development of a skilled energy workforce that— 2 (1) meets the current and future industry and 3 labor needs of the energy sector; 4 (2) provides opportunities for students to be- 5 come qualified for placement in traditional energy 6 sector and clean energy sector jobs; 7 (3) aligns apprenticeship programs and work- 8 force development programs to provide industry-rec- 9 ognized certifications and credentials; 10 (4) encourages leaders in the education system 11 of the United States to equip students with the 12 skills, mentorships, training, and technical expertise 13 necessary to fill the employment opportunities vital 14 to managing and operating the energy- and manu- 15 facturing-related industries of the United States; 16 (5) appropriately supports other Federal agen- 17 cies; 18 (6) strengthens and more fully engages work- 19 force training programs of the Department and the 20 National Laboratories in carrying out the Minorities 21 in Energy Initiative of the Department and other 22 Department workforce priorities; 23 (7) supports the design and replication of exist- 24 ing model energy curricula, particularly in new and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:02 Oct 24, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2334.RS S2334 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 2334 RS emerging technologies, that leads to industry-wide 1 credentials; 2 (8) develops plans to support and retrain dis- 3 placed and unemployed energy sector workers; and 4 (9) makes a Department priority to provide 5 education and job training to underrepresented 6 groups, including ethnic minorities, Indian tribes, 7 women, veterans, and socioeconomically disadvan- 8 taged individuals. 9 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Board shall be com- 11 posed of 9 members, with the initial members of the 12 Board to be appointed by the Secretary not later 13 than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act. 14 (2) NOMINATIONS.—Not later than 1 year after 15 the date of enactment of this Act, the President’s 16 Council of Advisors on Science and Technology shall 17 nominate for appointment to the Board under para- 18 graph (1) not fewer than 18 individuals who meet 19 the qualifications described in paragraph (3). 20 (3) QUALIFICATIONS.—Each individual nomi- 21 nated for appointment to the Board under para- 22 graph (1) shall— 23 (A) be eminent in the field of economics or 24 workforce development; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:02 Oct 24, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2334.RS S2334 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 2334 RS (B) have expertise in relevant traditional 1 energy industries or clean energy industries; 2 (C) have expertise in secondary or postsec- 3 ondary education; 4 (D) have expertise in energy workforce de- 5 velopment or apprentice programs of States or 6 units of local government; 7 (E) have expertise in relevant organized 8 labor organizations; or 9 (F) have expertise in bringing underrep- 10 resented groups, including ethnic minorities, 11 women, veterans, and socioeconomically dis- 12 advantaged individuals, into the workforce. 13 (4) REPRESENTATION.—The membership of the 14 Board shall be representative of the broad range of 15 the energy industry, labor organizations, workforce 16 development, education, minority participation, cy- 17 bersecurity, and economics disciplines related to ac- 18 tivities carried out under this section. 19 (5) LIMITATION.—No individual shall be nomi- 20 nated for appointment to the Board who is an em- 21 ployee of an entity applying for a grant under sec- 22 tion 4. 23 (c) ADVISORY BOARD REVIEW AND RECOMMENDA- 24 TIONS.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:02 Oct 24, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2334.RS S2334 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 2334 RS (1) DETERMINATION BY BOARD.—In developing 1 the strategy required under subsection (a), the 2 Board shall— 3 (A) determine whether there are opportuni- 4 ties to more effectively and efficiently use the 5 capabilities of the Department in the develop- 6 ment of a skilled energy workforce; 7 (B) identify ways in which the Department 8 could work with other relevant Federal agen- 9 cies, States, units of local government, edu- 10 cational institutions, labor, and industry in the 11 development of a skilled energy workforce; 12 (C) identify ways in which the Department 13 and National Laboratories can— 14 (i) increase outreach to minority-serv- 15 ing institutions; and 16 (ii) make resources available to in- 17 crease the number of skilled minorities and 18 women trained to go into the energy- and 19 manufacturing-related sectors; 20 (D) identify ways in which the Department 21 and National Laboratories can— 22 (i) increase outreach to displaced and 23 unemployed energy sector workers; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:02 Oct 24, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2334.RS S2334 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 2334 RS (ii) make resources available to pro- 1 vide training to displaced and unemployed 2 energy sector workers to reenter the en- 3 ergy workforce; and 4 (E) identify the energy sectors in greatest 5 need of workforce training and develop guide- 6 lines for the skills necessary to develop a work- 7 force trained to work in those energy sectors. 8 (2) REQUIRED ANALYSIS.—In developing the 9 strategy required under subsection (a), the Board 10 shall analyze the effectiveness of— 11 (A) existing Department-directed support; 12 and 13 (B) developing energy workforce training 14 programs. 15 (3) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 16 date on which the Board is established under this 17 section, and each year thereafter, the Board shall 18 submit to the Secretary and Congress, and make 19 public, a report containing, with respect to the strat- 20 egy required under subsection (a)— 21 (A) the findings of the Board; and 22 (B) model energy curricula. 23 (d) REPORT BY SECRETARY.—Not later than 18 24 months after the date on which the Board is established 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:02 Oct 24, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2334.RS S2334 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 2334 RS under this section, the Secretary shall submit to the Com- 1 mittee on Appropriations and the Committee on Energy 2 and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee 3 on Appropriations and the Committee on Energy and 4 Commerce of the House of Representatives a report 5 that— 6 (1) describes whether the Secretary approves or 7 disapproves the recommendations of the Board 8 under subsection (c)(3); and 9 (2) provides an implementation plan for rec- 10 ommendations approved by the Board under para- 11 graph (1). 12 (e) CLEARINGHOUSE.—Based on the recommenda- 13 tions of the Board under subsection (c)(3), the Secretary 14 shall establish a clearinghouse— 15 (1) to maintain and update information and re- 16 sources on training and workforce development pro- 17 grams for energy- and manufacturing-related jobs; 18 and 19 (2) to act as a resource, and provide guidance, 20 for secondary schools, institutions of higher edu- 21 cation (including community colleges and minority- 22 serving institutions), workforce development organi- 23 zations, labor management organizations, and indus- 24 try organizations that would like to develop and im- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:02 Oct 24, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2334.RS S2334 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 2334 RS plement energy- and manufacturing-related training 1 programs. 2 (f) OUTREACH TO MINORITY-SERVING INSTITU- 3 TIONS.—In developing the strategy under subsection (a), 4 the Board shall— 5 (1) give special consideration to increasing out- 6 reach to minority-serving institutions, including— 7 (A) part B institutions (as defined in sec- 8 tion 322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 9 (20 U.S.C. 1061)); 10 (B) Predominantly Black institutions (as 11 defined in section 371(c) of the Higher Edu- 12 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(c))); 13 (C) Hispanic-serving institutions (as de- 14 fined in section 502(a) of the Higher Education 15 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a))); and 16 (D) Tribal Colleges or Universities (as de- 17 fined in section 316(b) of the Higher Education 18 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b))); 19 (2) make resources available to minority-serving 20 institutions with the objective of increasing the num- 21 ber of skilled minorities and women trained to go 22 into the energy and manufacturing sectors; and 23 (3) encourage industry to improve the opportu- 24 nities for students of minority-serving institutions to 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:02 Oct 24, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2334.RS S2334 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 2334 RS participate in industry internships and cooperative 1 work-study programs. 2 (g) SUNSET.—The Board shall remain in effect until 3 September 30, 2024. 4 SEC. 4. ENERGY WORKFORCE PILOT GRANT PROGRAM. 5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 6 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consulta- 7 tion with the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of 8 Education, shall establish a pilot program to award grants 9 on a competitive basis to eligible entities for job training 10 programs that lead to an industry-recognized credential. 11 (b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a grant 12 under this section, an entity shall be a public or nonprofit 13 organization or a consortium of public or nonprofit organi- 14 zations that— 15 (1) includes an advisory board of proportional 16 participation, as determined by the Secretary, of rel- 17 evant organizations, including— 18 (A) relevant energy industry organizations, 19 including public and private employers; 20 (B) labor organizations; 21 (C) postsecondary education organizations; 22 and 23 (D) workforce development boards; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:02 Oct 24, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2334.RS S2334 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 2334 RS (2) demonstrates experience in implementing 1 and operating job training and education programs; 2 (3) demonstrates the ability to recruit and sup- 3 port individuals who plan to work in the energy in- 4 dustry in the successful completion of relevant job 5 training and education programs; and 6 (4) provides students who complete the job 7 training and education program with an industry- 8 recognized credential. 9 (c) APPLICATIONS.—Eligible entities desiring a grant 10 under this section shall submit to the Secretary an appli- 11 cation at such time, in such manner, and containing such 12 information as the Secretary may require. 13 (d) PRIORITY.—In selecting eligible entities to receive 14 grants under this section, the Secretary shall prioritize ap- 15 plicants that— 16 (1) house the job training and education pro- 17 grams in— 18 (A) a community college or other institu- 19 tion of higher education that includes basic 20 science and math education in the curriculum 21 of the community college or other institution of 22 higher education; or 23 (B) an apprenticeship program registered 24 with the Department of Labor or a State (as 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:02 Oct 24, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2334.RS S2334 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 2334 RS defined in section 202 of the Energy Conserva- 1 tion and Production Act (42 U.S.C. 6802)) (re- 2 ferred to in this section as a ‘‘State’’); 3 (2) work with the Secretary of Defense and the 4 Secretary of Veterans Affairs or veteran service or- 5 ganizations recognized by the Secretary of Veterans 6 Affairs under section 5902 of title 38, United States 7 Code, to transition members of the Armed Forces 8 and veterans to careers in the energy sector; 9 (3) work with— 10 (A) Indian tribes; 11 (B) tribal organizations (as defined in sec- 12 tion 3765 of title 38, United States Code); and 13 (C) Native American veterans (as defined 14 in section 3765 of title 38, United States 15 Code), including veterans who are descendants 16 of Natives (as defined in section 3 of the Alaska 17 Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 18 1602)); 19 (4) apply as a State or regional consortia to le- 20 verage best practices already available in the State 21 or region in which the community college or other 22 institution of higher education is located; [Text truncated for display. 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