Green Jobs and Opportunity Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 4148 To require the Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy and Secretary of Education, to submit a report on current and future trends and shortages in the clean energy technology industry to achieve a clean energy economy, and to provide grants to establish and enhance training programs for any occupation or field of work for which a shortage is identified, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AUGUST 2, 2019 Mr. DELGADO (for himself, Mr. POCAN, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Ms. WILD, Mr. CISNEROS, Ms. NORTON, Mr. HUFFMAN, Ms. MENG, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. HAALAND, Mr. COHEN, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. MORELLE, Mr. RYAN, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. CARBAJAL, Ms. OMAR, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. SIRES, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. TONKO, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Ms. SPANBERGER, Mr. HORSFORD, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Ms. BROWNLEY of California, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mrs. TRAHAN, and Mr. ROUDA) introduced the following bill; which was re- ferred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To require the Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy and Secretary of Education, to sub- mit a report on current and future trends and shortages in the clean energy technology industry to achieve a clean energy economy, and to provide grants to establish and enhance training programs for any occupation or VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:11 Aug 16, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H4148.IH H4148 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 4148 IH field of work for which a shortage is identified, 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 ‘‘Green Jobs and Oppor- 4 tunity Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 6 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 7 (1) The 21st century has some of the highest 8 recorded temperatures in known history. 9 (2) Scientists have high confidence that global 10 temperatures will continue to rise for decades to 11 come, largely due to greenhouse gases produced by 12 human activities. 13 (3) According to the Intergovernmental Panel 14 on Climate Change (IPCC), which includes more 15 than 1,300 scientists from the United States and 16 other countries, there will likely be a temperature 17 rise of 2.5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit over the next 18 century. 19 (4) With only around 4.4 percent of the Earth’s 20 population, World Bank studies have found that the 21 United States is the second largest contributor of 22 carbon dioxide emissions at 14.6 metric tons of CO2 23 per capita. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:11 Aug 16, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4148.IH H4148 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 4148 IH (5) When the world gets hotter, it can fuel the 1 proliferation of drought, typhoons, hurricanes, wild- 2 fires, and general habitat change, and can affect the 3 availability of food and water, among other issues. 4 (6) IPCC findings have revealed that the 5 United States is projected to lose more than 6 $500,000,000,000 in annual economic output by the 7 year 2100 from global warming. 8 (7) Additionally, the IPCC discovered that to 9 avoid the most severe impacts of a changing climate, 10 net-zero global emissions by 2050 will be required. 11 (8) According to the Brookings Institution, a 12 clean economy would encompass a vast array of in- 13 dustries and jobs directly involved in producing 14 goods and providing services with an environmental 15 benefit. 16 (9) Under the 2019 Clean Jobs America report 17 by E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs), it is esti- 18 mated that 3.26 million workers are currently em- 19 ployed in, or are engaged in closely related activities, 20 to the clean economy. 21 (10) According to the International Labor Or- 22 ganization, by 2030, it is projected that over 24 mil- 23 lion new clean energy jobs will be needed globally to 24 transition to a clean economy. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:11 Aug 16, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4148.IH H4148 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 4148 IH (11) To meet this clean energy agenda, invest- 1 ing in job training will be crucial to ensuring the 2 United States has a readied workforce. 3 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to ensure 4 the current United States workforce is prepared to transi- 5 tion to a clean energy economy. 6 SEC. 3. 21ST CENTURY WORKFORCE TRENDS AND SHORT- 7 AGES. 8 (a) MONITORING.—The Secretary of Labor, in con- 9 sultation with the Secretary of Energy, shall collect data 10 to monitor current and future trends and shortages within 11 the clean energy technology industry, which includes 12 skilled technical personnel, electric power engineers, trans- 13 mission engineers, and other occupations or fields of work 14 under— 15 (1) the agriculture and forestry industry; 16 (2) the electric utility industry; 17 (3) the manufacturing industry; 18 (4) the wholesale trade industry; 19 (5) the professional and business services indus- 20 try; and 21 (6) the manufacturing and operation and main- 22 tenance industries for component parts of clean en- 23 ergy technologies. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:11 Aug 16, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4148.IH H4148 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 4148 IH (b) REPORT ON CURRENT TRENDS AND SHORT- 1 AGES.—Not later than 120 days after the date of enact- 2 ment of this Act, and on a quarterly basis thereafter, the 3 Secretary shall submit to Congress, based on the data col- 4 lected under subsection (a), a report on— 5 (1) trends and shortages as of the date of such 6 report, and recommendations to prepare the work- 7 force to address such trends and shortages to meet 8 the demands of a clean energy economy; and 9 (2) other recommendations the Secretary deter- 10 mines appropriate. 11 (c) REPORT ON FUTURE TRENDS AND SHORT- 12 AGES.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 13 of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress, based 14 on the data collected under subsection (a), a report on— 15 (1) trends and shortages projected in the next 16 10 years, and recommendations to address such 17 trends and shortages to prepare the workforce to 18 meet the demands of a clean energy economy; and 19 (2) other recommendations the Secretary deter- 20 mines appropriate. 21 SEC. 4. TRAINEESHIP GRANTS. 22 (a) GRANTS.—The Secretary, in consultation with 23 the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of Education, 24 shall provide grants to eligible entities described in sub- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:11 Aug 16, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4148.IH H4148 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 4148 IH section (b) to establish training programs (including dis- 1 tance learning) for any occupation or field of work for 2 which a workforce shortage is identified or projected under 3 subsection (b) or (c) of section 3. 4 (b) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—To be eligible to receive a 5 grant under this subsection, an entity shall be— 6 (1) an institution of higher education (as such 7 term is defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Edu- 8 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a))), including 9 a junior or community college (as such term is de- 10 fined in section 312(f) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 11 1058(f))); 12 (2) a postsecondary vocational institution (as 13 such term is defined in section 102(c) of the Higher 14 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002(c))); 15 (3) an elementary school (as such term is de- 16 fined in section 8101 of the Elementary Education 17 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)); 18 (4) a secondary school (as such term is defined 19 in section 8101 of the Elementary Education Act of 20 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)); 21 (5) a Bureau-funded school (as such term is de- 22 fined in section 1141 of the Education Amendments 23 of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 2021)); 24 (6) a labor organization; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:25 Aug 19, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4148.IH H4148 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 4148 IH (7) an entity that is registered under the Act of 1 August 16, 1937 (commonly known as the ‘‘National 2 Apprenticeship Act’’; 50 Stat. 664, chapter 663; 29 3 U.S.C. 50 et seq.) that pays all participants of an 4 apprenticeship or on-the-job-training program com- 5 pensation at least the higher of $15 an hour or the 6 applicable Federal, State, or local minimum wage in 7 the location of the program; or 8 (8) an education and training provider that is 9 listed as an eligible provider of training services for 10 a program under section 122(d) of the Workforce 11 Innovation Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3152 (d)) 12 that pays all participants of an apprenticeship or on- 13 the-job-training program compensation at least the 14 higher of $15 an hour or the applicable Federal, 15 State, or local minimum wage in the location of the 16 program. 17 (c) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 18 from the Secretary under this section, an entity shall sub- 19 mit an application to the Secretary containing such infor- 20 mation as the Secretary may require, including but not 21 limited to— 22 (1) a description of the training the entity 23 would provide with funds from such a grant, how 24 such training fulfills the workforce needs described 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:11 Aug 16, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4148.IH H4148 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 4148 IH in subsection (b) or (c) of section 3, and that the 1 workforce need being met is in an industry or occu- 2 pation in the region in which the training is con- 3 ducted; 4 (2) evidence of experience in conducting worker 5 training programs in the clean energy technology 6 sector; 7 (3) evidence that the program funded by such 8 a grant will aid a participating individual in finding 9 new or more advanced employment or training op- 10 portunities in the clean energy technology sector and 11 that such employment or training will help the indi- 12 vidual achieve economic self-sufficiency; and 13 (4) information about the entity and any rel- 14 evant partnerships with the Federal Government, 15 other worker training entities, employers or em- 16 ployer-sponsored organizations, State or local agen- 17 cies, labor unions, educational institutions, commu- 18 nity organizations, or faith-based organizations. 19 (d) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec- 20 tion, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities 21 that, in carrying out training programs under this section, 22 give priority to the following: 23 (1) Displaced workers (particularly workers 24 from the fossil fuel industry). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:25 Aug 19, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4148.IH H4148 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 4148 IH (2) Individuals with a barrier to employment 1 (as such term is defined in section 3 of the Work- 2 force Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3 3102)). 4 (3) Veterans, members of the reserve compo- 5 nents of the Armed Forces, or former members of 6 such reserve components. 7 (4) Members of underrepresented populations. 8 (5) Frontline and vulnerable communities. 9 (6) Any other identified group the Secretary de- 10 termines appropriate. 11 (e) GRANT PERIOD AND AMOUNT.—A grant awarded 12 under this section shall be awarded for a one year period 13 and may not exceed $2,500,000. 14 (f) REPORTING.—Not later than two years after the 15 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 16 a report to Congress on the grant program carried out 17 under this section, which shall include— 18 (1) a description of each eligible entity awarded 19 a grant under this section; 20 (2) the amount of each such grant; 21 (3) the activities for which such grant was used; 22 (4) policy recommendations; and 23 (5) any other information the Secretary deter- 24 mines appropriate. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:25 Aug 19, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4148.IH H4148 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 4148 IH SEC. 5. SECRETARY’S NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 1 The Secretary shall establish a National Advisory 2 Committee on the Clean Energy Technology workforce, re- 3 ferred to in this section as the ‘‘Advisory Committee’’, to 4 meet the objectives of this Act. 5 (1) COMPOSITION.—The Advisory Committee 6 shall have— 7 (A) 24 voting members appointed by the 8 Secretary, composed of— 9 (i) 6 representatives of employers who 10 participate in the clean energy technology 11 industry, including employers who partici- 12 pate in a registered apprenticeship pro- 13 gram in the clean energy technology indus- 14 try sponsored by a joint labor-management 15 partnership; 16 (ii) 6 representatives of labor organi- 17 zations who represent workers in the clean 18 energy technology industry; 19 (iii) 6 representatives of institutions 20 of higher education, postsecondary voca- 21 tional institutions, public high schools, an 22 entity that carries out programs registered 23 under the Act of August 16, 1937, and 24 other education and training providers that 25 are listed as an eligible provider of training 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:11 Aug 16, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4148.IH H4148 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 4148 IH services for a program under section 1 122(d) of the Workforce Innovation Oppor- 2 tunity Act; and 3 (iv) 6 representatives of environmental 4 and clean energy community organizations; 5 and 6 (B) members who are ex officio nonvoting 7 representatives from the Departments of Labor, 8 Education, and Energy. 9 (2) QUALIFICATIONS.—The members shall be 10 selected upon the basis of their experience and com- 11 petence concerning workforce development and train- 12 ing in the clean energy technology industry. 13 (3) TERMS.—The Secretary shall appoint the 14 members for terms of 3 years. 15 (4) CHAIRPERSON.—The Secretary shall des- 16 ignate one of the members of the Advisory Com- 17 mittee to serve as Chairperson of the Advisory Com- 18 mittee. 19 (5) MEETINGS.—The Advisory Committee shall 20 hold not fewer than 2 meetings during each calendar 21 year. All meetings of the Advisory Committee shall 22 be open to the public. A transcript shall be kept of 23 each meeting and made available for public inspec- 24 tion. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:11 Aug 16, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6 [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]