Investing in Tomorrow's Workforce Act of 2019

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 4788 To address the needs of workers in industries likely to be impacted by rapidly evolving technologies. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OCTOBER 22, 2019 Mrs. BUSTOS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To address the needs of workers in industries likely to be impacted by rapidly evolving technologies. 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 ‘‘Investing in Tomor- 4 row’s Workforce Act of 2019’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress makes the following findings: 7 (1) In 2014, the United States spent just 0.1 8 percent of the Nation’s Gross Domestic Product on 9 labor market policies, less than half of what the 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Oct 27, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4788.IH H4788 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 4788 IH United States spent on labor market policies 30 1 years ago. 2 (2) The number of workers receiving federally 3 supported training has declined in the past 3 dec- 4 ades as advances in technology have simultaneously 5 shifted labor market demand over time. 6 (3) As much as 47 percent of all jobs in the 7 United States are at risk of being replaced by auto- 8 mation technology, and job losses from automation 9 are more likely to impact workers making less than 10 $40,000 annually. 11 (4) Strong Federal investment in expanding 12 training services for workers whose jobs may be lost 13 due to automation could prepare the United States 14 workforce to better adapt to changes in the labor 15 market and enter into skilled positions in techno- 16 logically oriented occupations and industries. 17 (5) A focus on preparing the workforce of the 18 United States for jobs that utilize advanced tech- 19 nologies could grow wages, increase economic pro- 20 ductivity, and boost the competitiveness of the 21 United States. 22 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 23 In this Act: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:16 Oct 30, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4788.IH H4788 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 4788 IH (1) AUTOMATION.—The term ‘‘automation’’ 1 means a device, process, or system that functions 2 without continuous input from an operator, includ- 3 ing— 4 (A) advanced technologies, such as— 5 (i) data collection, classification proc- 6 essing, and analytics; and 7 (ii) 3–D printing, digital design and 8 simulation, and digital manufacturing; 9 (B) robotics, including collaborative robot- 10 ics, and worker augmentation technology; 11 (C) autonomous vehicle technology; or 12 (D) autonomous machinery technology. 13 (2) DISLOCATED WORKER.—The term ‘‘dis- 14 located worker’’ has the meaning given the term in 15 section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor- 16 tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 17 (3) IN-DEMAND INDUSTRY SECTOR OR OCCUPA- 18 TION.—The term ‘‘in-demand industry sector or oc- 19 cupation’’ has the meaning given the term in section 20 3 of that Act. 21 (4) INTEGRATED EDUCATION AND TRAINING.— 22 The term ‘‘integrated education and training’’ has 23 the meaning given the term in section 203 of that 24 Act (29 U.S.C. 3272). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Oct 27, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4788.IH H4788 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 4788 IH (5) ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIP.—The term ‘‘eligi- 1 ble partnership’’ means an industry or sector part- 2 nership, as defined in section 3 of that Act, except 3 that— 4 (A) for purposes of applying paragraph 5 (26)(A)(iii) of that section, the term ‘‘institu- 6 tion of higher education’’ has the meaning given 7 the term in section 101 of the Higher Edu- 8 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001); and 9 (B) the partnership shall include, in addi- 10 tion to the representatives described in clauses 11 (i) through (iii) of paragraph (26)(A) of that 12 section, representatives of— 13 (i) a State workforce development 14 board or a local workforce development 15 board; and 16 (ii) an economic development organi- 17 zation. 18 (6) LOCAL AND STATE WORKFORCE DEVELOP- 19 MENT BOARDS.—The terms ‘‘local workforce devel- 20 opment board’’ and ‘‘State workforce development 21 board’’ have the meanings given the terms ‘‘local 22 board’’ and ‘‘State board’’, respectively, in section 3 23 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 24 (29 U.S.C. 3102). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Oct 27, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4788.IH H4788 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 4788 IH (7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 1 the Secretary of Labor. 2 (8) TRAINING SERVICES.—The term ‘‘training 3 services’’ means training services described in sec- 4 tion 134(c)(3)(D) of that Act (29 U.S.C. 5 3174(c)(3)(D)). 6 SEC. 4. GAO STUDY ON BARRIERS TO AND OPPORTUNITIES 7 FOR RETRAINING WORKERS. 8 (a) STUDY.— 9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of 10 the United States, in coordination with the Sec- 11 retary of Labor, shall conduct a study of the bar- 12 riers to providing, and opportunities for improving, 13 training for workers in industries that have, or are 14 likely to have, high rates of job loss due to automa- 15 tion. 16 (2) CONTENTS.—In conducting the study, the 17 Comptroller General shall study— 18 (A) considerations impacting, and strate- 19 gies to improve data collection with respect to, 20 the workforce in industries with high rates of 21 job loss or a high likelihood of automation in 22 the United States, including considerations and 23 data collection strategies concerning— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Oct 27, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4788.IH H4788 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 4788 IH (i) industries and occupations most 1 likely to be impacted by automation, in- 2 cluding— 3 (I) the geographical location of 4 those industries and occupations; 5 (II) the annual average wages of 6 those occupations; and 7 (III) demographic data on the 8 race, gender, and age of workers in 9 those industries and occupations; 10 (ii) employer-based training practices 11 in those industries and occupations; 12 (iii) the frequency with which employ- 13 ers provide worker training to address 14 skills needs and react to changes in the 15 labor market; 16 (iv) projected job losses; and 17 (v) labor organization membership 18 rates in those industries and occupations; 19 (B) considerations impacting, and strate- 20 gies to improve data collection with respect to, 21 the workforce in in-demand industry sectors 22 and occupations in the United States, such as 23 advanced manufacturing, information tech- 24 nology, and health care, including consider- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Oct 27, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4788.IH H4788 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 4788 IH ations and data collection strategies con- 1 cerning— 2 (i) industry sectors and occupations 3 that may emerge or become in-demand in- 4 dustry sectors or occupations as a result of 5 automation, including— 6 (I) the geographical location of 7 those industry sectors and occupa- 8 tions; 9 (II) the average annual wages of 10 those occupations; and 11 (III) demographic data on the 12 race, gender, and age of workers in 13 those occupations; 14 (ii) the skills and education needed to 15 fill the positions in those industry sectors; 16 (iii) employer-based training practices 17 in those industry sectors; 18 (iv) projected job gains; and 19 (v) labor organization membership 20 rates in those industries and occupations; 21 (C) barriers to, and opportunities for, re- 22 training workers in industries that have a high 23 likelihood of being impacted by automation; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Oct 27, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4788.IH H4788 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 4788 IH (D) the impact of the geographical location 1 of workers and their access to transportation on 2 the ability of the workers to access job training 3 and related higher-skilled positions; 4 (E) the impact of workers’ access to other 5 benefits and services, including child care, paid 6 sick leave, paid family and medical leave, or a 7 retirement plan, on the ability of the workers to 8 access job training and related higher-skilled 9 positions; and 10 (F) how reduced Federal funding for job 11 training programs has impacted the ability of 12 State and local governments, employers, labor 13 organizations, and communities to respond to 14 changes in the labor market, including rapidly 15 evolving technologies. 16 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 17 of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 18 United States shall prepare and submit to the Secretary 19 of Labor and the appropriate committees of Congress a 20 report concerning the results of the study. 21 SEC. 5. GRANTS TO IMPROVE TRAINING FOR WORKERS IM- 22 PACTED BY AUTOMATION. 23 (a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Oct 27, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4788.IH H4788 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 4788 IH (1) IN GENERAL.—From the amounts appro- 1 priated under subsection (g) and beginning not later 2 than 1 year after receiving the report by the Comp- 3 troller General of the United States under section 4 4(b), the Secretary of Labor shall award grants, on 5 a competitive basis, to eligible partnerships to sup- 6 port demonstration and pilot projects relating to the 7 training needs of workers who are, or are likely to 8 become, dislocated workers as a result of automa- 9 tion. 10 (2) DURATION.—A grant awarded under this 11 section shall be for a period not to exceed 4 years. 12 (3) USE OF REPORT.—The Secretary shall use 13 the report prepared the Comptroller General under 14 section 4(b) to inform the grant program carried out 15 under this section. 16 (b) APPLICATIONS.— 17 (1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a 18 grant under this section, an eligible partnership shall 19 submit an application to the Secretary at such time, 20 in such manner, and containing such information as 21 the Secretary shall reasonably require. 22 (2) CONTENTS.—Each application submitted 23 under paragraph (1) shall include a description of 24 the demonstration or pilot project to be completed 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Oct 27, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4788.IH H4788 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 4788 IH with the grant funds, which description shall in- 1 clude— 2 (A) a description of the members of the el- 3 igible partnership who will be involved in the 4 demonstration or pilot program and the services 5 each member will provide; 6 (B) a description of the training services 7 that will be available to individuals participating 8 in the demonstration or pilot project, which 9 may include— 10 (i) a plan to train dislocated workers 11 from industries likely to be impacted by 12 automation and transition the workers into 13 regionally in-demand industry sectors or 14 occupations; and 15 (ii) a plan to partner with local busi- 16 nesses to retrain, upskill, and re-deploy 17 workers within an industry as an alter- 18 native to layoffs; 19 (C) a plan to provide workers with tech- 20 nology-based skills training, which may include 21 training to provide skills related to coding, sys- 22 tems engineering, or information technology se- 23 curity, in addition to other skills; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Oct 27, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4788.IH H4788 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 4788 IH (D) a description of the goals that the eli- 1 gible partnership intends to achieve to upskill 2 workers and prepare them for in-demand indus- 3 try sectors or occupations. 4 (c) PRIORITIES.—In awarding grants under this sec- 5 tion, the Secretary shall give priority to— 6 (1) eligible partnerships that are located in an 7 area with a high concentration of— 8 (A) industries with a higher likelihood of 9 being impacted by automation; or 10 (B) industries included in in-demand in- 11 dustry sectors, as determined under subpara- 12 graphs (A)(i) and (B) of section 3(23) of the 13 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 14 U.S.C. 3102(23)); 15 (2) eligible partnerships— 16 (A) with a plan to provide incumbent 17 worker training— 18 (i) to assist workers in obtaining the 19 skills necessary to retain employment or 20 avert layoffs; or 21 (ii) that allows a worker working for 22 an employer to acquire new skills that 23 allow the worker to obtain a higher-skilled 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Oct 27, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4788.IH H4788 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 4788 IH or higher-paid position with such employer; 1 and 2 (B) that partner with local employers that 3 intend to backfill the pre-training positions of 4 the incumbent workers by hiring new workers 5 to fill those positions; 6 (3) eligible partnerships that will provide work- 7 ers with a transportation stipend, paid sick leave, 8 paid family and medical leave, access to child care 9 services, or other employment benefits; or 10 (4) eligible partnerships with a plan to develop 11 a shared training curriculum that can be used across 12 local and regional networks of employers and train- 13 ing providers. 14 (d) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible partnership that re- 15 ceives a grant under this section shall use the grant funds 16 for one or more of the following: 17 (1) Providing training services under the dem- 18 onstration or pilot project, which may include train- 19 ing services that prepare workers for in-demand in- 20 dustry sectors or occupations. 21 (2) Providing assistance for employers in devel- 22 oping a staff position for an individual who will be 23 responsible for supporting training services provided 24 under the grant. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:51 Oct 27, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4788.IH H4788 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 13 •HR 4788 IH (3) Purchasing equipment or technology nec- 1 essary for training services provided under para- 2 graph (1). 3 (4) Providing job search and other transitional 4 assistance to workers in industries with high rates of 5 job loss. 6 (5) Providing a training stipend to workers for 7 training services. 8 (6) Providing integrated education and train- 9 ing. 10 (e) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after an eligible 11 partnership’s completion of a demonstration or pilot 12 project supported [Text truncated for display. 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