WIRED Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 5561 To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to require one- stop delivery systems under such Act to offer services through internet websites and to direct the Secretary of Labor to develop standards and best practices for such websites, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JANUARY 8, 2020 Mr. SWALWELL of California (for himself and Ms. STEFANIK) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to require one-stop delivery systems under such Act to offer services through internet websites and to direct the Secretary of Labor to develop standards and best practices for such websites, 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 ‘‘Widening Internet 4 Readiness for Employment Development Act’’ or the 5 ‘‘WIRED Act’’. 6 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 Jan 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5561.IH H5561 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 5561 IH SEC. 2. ONLINE PROVISION OF ONE-STOP SERVICES. 1 (a) ONLINE PROVISION OF ONE-STOP SERVICES.— 2 Subparagraph (D) of section 121(e)(2) of the Workforce 3 Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 4 3151(e)(2)(D)) is amended to read as follows: 5 ‘‘(D) as applicable and practicable, shall 6 make programs, services, and activities acces- 7 sible to individuals through electronic means 8 that meet the standards and incorporate the 9 best practices established by the Secretary of 10 Labor under subsection (j), including through 11 an internet website that is unique to the par- 12 ticular one-stop delivery system.’’. 13 (b) STANDARDS AND BEST PRACTICES FOR ONLINE 14 PROVISION OF SERVICES BY ONE-STOP DELIVERY SYS- 15 TEMS.—Section 121 of the Workforce Innovation and Op- 16 portunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3951) is amended by adding at 17 the end the following: 18 ‘‘(j) STANDARDS AND BEST PRACTICES FOR PROVI- 19 SION OF SERVICES THROUGH ELECTRONIC MEANS.— 20 After soliciting public comments and consulting with and 21 receiving input from relevant parties, including local 22 boards, State boards, and the Secretary of Labor, in co- 23 ordination with the Federal agencies responsible for the 24 programs and activities described in subsection (b)(1)(B), 25 shall establish and maintain standards and best practices 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 Jan 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5561.IH H5561 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 5561 IH for the provision of services through electronic means, in- 1 cluding for internet websites maintained by one-stop deliv- 2 ery systems under subsection (e)(2)(D). Such standards 3 and best practices shall include— 4 ‘‘(1) a requirement for user-friendly, up-to-date 5 websites available to all individuals seeking one-stop 6 services, including individuals with barriers to em- 7 ployment; 8 ‘‘(2) a requirement that such websites promi- 9 nently display the address and hours of operation of 10 all physical one-stop centers in the local area, and a 11 description of services provided in and events held at 12 each such center; 13 ‘‘(3) best practices for incorporating social 14 media and networking capabilities into such 15 websites; 16 ‘‘(4) best practices for making such websites ac- 17 cessible by mobile devices to the extent practicable; 18 ‘‘(5) best practices for providing, through elec- 19 tronic means, services such as resume assistance, 20 cover letter review, job searching, interview prepara- 21 tions, and online employment-related practice tests, 22 through videos, video-conferencing, or other means; 23 and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 Jan 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5561.IH H5561 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 5561 IH ‘‘(6) best practices for assuring a secure net- 1 work and the protection of any personal informa- 2 tion.’’. 3 (c) DEADLINE.—The Secretary shall establish the 4 initial standards and best practices required by section 5 121(j) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 6 (as added by subsection (b)) not later than one year after 7 the date of enactment of this Act. 8 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 Jan 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H5561.IH H5561 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS