Pathways to Health Careers Act

II 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. 3376 To amend title XX of the Social Security Act to provide low-income individ- uals with opportunities to enter and follow a career pathway in the health professions, to extend and expand demonstration projects, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 3, 2020 Mr. HEINRICH introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance A BILL To amend title XX of the Social Security Act to provide low-income individuals with opportunities to enter and follow a career pathway in the health professions, to extend and expand demonstration projects, 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 ‘‘Pathways to Health 4 Careers Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:22 Mar 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3376.IS S3376 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 3376 IS SEC. 2. PATHWAYS TO HEALTH CAREERS ACT. 1 (a) EXTENSION THROUGH FISCAL YEAR 2020 OF 2 FUNDING FOR DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS TO ADDRESS 3 HEALTH PROFESSIONS WORKFORCE NEEDS.— 4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 2008(c)(1) of the 5 Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397g(c)(1)) is 6 amended by striking ‘‘2019.’’ and inserting ‘‘2020, 7 and to provide technical assistance and cover admin- 8 istrative costs associated with implementing the suc- 9 cessor to this section $15,000,000 for fiscal year 10 2020.’’. 11 (2) AVAILABILITY OF OTHER FUNDS.—Upon 12 the date of the enactment of this section, amounts 13 expended pursuant to any other prior law making 14 amounts available for fiscal year 2020 for activities 15 authorized by section 2008 of the Social Security 16 Act, shall be charged to the appropriation made by 17 subsection (c)(1) of such section 2008 for fiscal year 18 2020 (not including the amount for technical assist- 19 ance and administrative costs). 20 (b) CAREER PATHWAYS THROUGH HEALTH PROFES- 21 SION OPPORTUNITY GRANTS.—Effective October 1, 2020, 22 section 2008 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397g) 23 is amended to read as follows: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:22 Mar 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3376.IS S3376 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 3376 IS ‘‘SEC. 2008. CAREER PATHWAYS THROUGH HEALTH PRO- 1 FESSION OPPORTUNITY GRANTS. 2 ‘‘(a) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—An eligible en- 3 tity desiring a grant under this section for a project shall 4 submit to the Secretary an application for the grant, that 5 includes the following: 6 ‘‘(1) A description of how the applicant will use 7 a career pathways approach to train eligible individ- 8 uals for health professions that pay well or will put 9 eligible individuals on a career path to an occupation 10 that pays well, under the project. 11 ‘‘(2) A description of the adult basic education 12 and literacy activities, work readiness activities, 13 training activities, and case management and career 14 coaching services that the applicant will use to assist 15 eligible individuals to gain work experience, connec- 16 tion to employers, and job placement, and a descrip- 17 tion of the plan for recruiting, hiring, and training 18 staff to provide the case management, mentoring, 19 and career coaching services, under the project di- 20 rectly or through local governmental, apprenticeship, 21 educational, or charitable institutions. 22 ‘‘(3) In the case of an application for a grant 23 under this section for a demonstration project de- 24 scribed in subsection (c)(2)(B)(i)(I)— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:22 Mar 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3376.IS S3376 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 3376 IS ‘‘(A) a demonstration that the State in 1 which the demonstration project is to be con- 2 ducted has in effect policies or laws that permit 3 certain allied health and behavioral health care 4 credentials to be awarded to people with certain 5 arrest or conviction records (which policies or 6 laws shall include appeals processes, waivers, 7 certificates, and other opportunities to dem- 8 onstrate rehabilitation to obtain credentials, li- 9 censure, and approval to work in the proposed 10 health careers), and a plan described in the ap- 11 plication that will use a career pathway to as- 12 sist participants with such a record in acquiring 13 credentials, licensing, and employment in the 14 specified careers; 15 ‘‘(B) a discussion of how the project or fu- 16 ture strategic hiring decisions will demonstrate 17 the experience and expertise of the project in 18 working with job seekers who have arrest or 19 conviction records or employers with experience 20 working with people with arrest or conviction 21 records; 22 ‘‘(C) an identification of promising innova- 23 tions or best practices that can be used to pro- 24 vide the training; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:22 Mar 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3376.IS S3376 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 3376 IS ‘‘(D) a proof of concept or demonstration 1 that the applicant has done sufficient research 2 on workforce shortage or in-demand jobs for 3 which people with certain types of arrest or 4 conviction records can be hired; 5 ‘‘(E) a plan for recruiting students who 6 are eligible individuals into the project; and 7 ‘‘(F) a plan for providing post-employment 8 support and ongoing training as part of a ca- 9 reer pathway under the project. 10 ‘‘(4) In the case of an application for a grant 11 under this section for a demonstration project de- 12 scribed in subsection (c)(2)(B)(i)(II)— 13 ‘‘(A) a description of the partnerships, 14 strategic staff hiring decisions, tailored program 15 activities, or other programmatic elements of 16 the project, such as training plans for doulas 17 and other community health workers and train- 18 ing plans for midwives and other allied health 19 professions, that are designed to support a ca- 20 reer pathway in pregnancy, birth, or post- 21 partum services; and 22 ‘‘(B) a demonstration that the State in 23 which the demonstration project is to be con- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:22 Mar 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3376.IS S3376 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 3376 IS ducted recognizes doulas or midwives, as the 1 case may be. 2 ‘‘(5) A demonstration that the applicant has ex- 3 perience working with low-income populations, or a 4 description of the plan of the applicant to work with 5 a partner organization that has the experience. 6 ‘‘(6) A plan for providing post-employment sup- 7 port and ongoing training as part of a career path- 8 way under the project. 9 ‘‘(7) A description of the support services that 10 the applicant will provide under the project, includ- 11 ing a plan for how child care and transportation 12 support services will be guaranteed and, if the appli- 13 cant will provide a cash stipend or wage supplement, 14 how the stipend or supplement would be calculated 15 and distributed. 16 ‘‘(8) A certification by the applicant that the 17 project development included— 18 ‘‘(A) consultation with a local workforce 19 development board established under section 20 107 of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor- 21 tunity Act; 22 ‘‘(B) consideration of apprenticeship and 23 pre-apprenticeship models registered under the 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:22 Mar 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3376.IS S3376 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 3376 IS Act of August 16, 1937 (also known as the 1 ‘National Apprenticeship Act’); 2 ‘‘(C) consideration of career pathway pro- 3 grams in the State in which the project is to be 4 conducted; and 5 ‘‘(D) a review of the State plan under sec- 6 tion 102 or 103 of the Workforce Innovation 7 and Opportunity Act. 8 ‘‘(9) A description of the availability and rel- 9 evance of recent labor market information and other 10 pertinent evidence of in-demand jobs or worker 11 shortages. 12 ‘‘(10) A certification that the applicant will di- 13 rectly provide or contract for the training services 14 described in the application. 15 ‘‘(11) A commitment by the applicant that, if 16 the grant is made to the applicant, the applicant 17 will— 18 ‘‘(A) during the planning period for the 19 project, provide the Secretary with any informa- 20 tion needed by the Secretary to establish ade- 21 quate data reporting and administrative struc- 22 ture for the project; 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:22 Mar 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3376.IS S3376 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 3376 IS ‘‘(B) hire a person to direct the project not 1 later than the end of the planning period appli- 2 cable to the project; 3 ‘‘(C) accept all technical assistance offered 4 by the Secretary with respect to the grant; 5 ‘‘(D) participate in such in-person grantee 6 conferences as are regularly scheduled by the 7 Secretary; 8 ‘‘(E) provide all data required by the Sec- 9 retary under subsection (g); and 10 ‘‘(F) notify the local disabled veterans’ 11 outreach program specialists under section 12 4103A of title 38, United States Code, and the 13 local veterans’ employment representatives 14 under section 4104 of such title, of the grant- 15 ee’s outreach plan for advertising training op- 16 portunities to potential participants in the 17 project. 18 ‘‘(b) PREFERENCES IN CONSIDERING APPLICA- 19 TIONS.—In considering applications for a grant under this 20 section, the Secretary shall give preference to— 21 ‘‘(1) applications submitted by applicants to 22 whom a grant was made under this section or any 23 predecessor to this section; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:22 Mar 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3376.IS S3376 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 3376 IS ‘‘(2) applications submitted by applicants who 1 have business and community partners in each of 2 the following categories: 3 ‘‘(A) State and local government agencies 4 and social service providers, including a State 5 or local entity that administers a State program 6 funded under part A of this title; 7 ‘‘(B) institutions of higher education, ap- 8 prenticeship programs, and local workforce de- 9 velopment boards established under section 107 10 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 11 Act; and 12 ‘‘(C) health care employers, health care in- 13 dustry or sector partnerships, labor unions, and 14 labor-management partnerships; 15 ‘‘(3) applications that include opportunities for 16 mentoring or peer support, and make career coach- 17 ing available, as part of the case management plan; 18 ‘‘(4) applications which describe a project that 19 will serve a rural area in which— 20 ‘‘(A) the community in which the individ- 21 uals to be enrolled in the project reside is lo- 22 cated; 23 ‘‘(B) the project will be conducted; or 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:22 Mar 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3376.IS S3376 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 3376 IS ‘‘(C) an employer partnership that has 1 committed to hiring individuals who successfully 2 complete all activities under the project is lo- 3 cated; 4 ‘‘(5) applications that include a commitment to 5 providing project participants with a cash stipend or 6 wage supplement; and 7 ‘‘(6) applications which have an emergency cash 8 fund to assist project participants financially in 9 emergency situations. 10 ‘‘(c) GRANTS.— 11 ‘‘(1) COMPETITIVE GRANTS.— 12 ‘‘(A) GRANT AUTHORITY.— 13 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in 14 consultation with the Secretary of Labor 15 and the Secretary of Education, may make 16 a grant in accordance with this paragraph 17 to an eligible entity whose application for 18 the grant is approved by the Secretary, to 19 conduct a project designed to train low-in- 20 come individuals for allied health profes- 21 sions, health information technology, physi- 22 cians assistants, nursing assistants, reg- 23 istered nurse, advanced practice nurse, and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:22 Mar 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3376.IS S3376 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 3376 IS other professions considered part of a 1 health care career pathway model. 2 ‘‘(ii) GUARANTEE OF GRANTEES IN 3 EACH STATE AND THE DISTRICT OF CO- 4 LUMBIA.—For each grant cycle, the Sec- 5 retary shall award a grant under this para- 6 graph to at least 2 eligible entities in each 7 State that is not a territory, to the extent 8 there are a sufficient number of applica- 9 tions submitted by the entities that meet 10 the requirements applicable with respect to 11 such a grant. If, for a grant cycle, there 12 are fewer than 2 such eligible entities in a 13 State, the Secretary shall include that in- 14 formation in the report required by sub- 15 section (g)(2) that covers the fiscal year. 16 ‘‘(B) GUARANTEE OF GRANTS FOR INDIAN 17 POPULATIONS.—From the amount reserved 18 under subsection (i)(2)(B) for each fiscal year, 19 the Secretary shall award a grant under this 20 paragraph to at least 10 eligible entities that 21 are an Indian tribe, a tribal organization, or a 22 tribal college or university, to the extent there 23 are a sufficient number of applications sub- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:22 Mar 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3376.IS S3376 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 3376 IS mitted by the entities that meet the require- 1 ments applicable with respect to such a grant. 2 ‘‘(C) GUARANTEE OF GRANTEES IN THE 3 TERRITORIES.—From the amount reserved 4 under subsection (i)(2)(C) for each fiscal year, 5 the Secretary shall award a grant under this 6 paragraph to at least 2 eligible entities that are 7 located in a territory, to the extent there are a 8 sufficient number of applications submitted by 9 the entities that meet the requirements applica- 10 ble with respect to such a grant. 11 ‘‘(2) GRANTS FOR DEMONSTRATION 12 PROJECTS.— 13 ‘‘(A) GRANT AUTHORITY.—The Secretary, 14 in consultation with the Secretary of Labor and 15 the Secretary of Education (and, with respect 16 to demonstration projects of the type described 17 in subparagraph (B)(i)(I), the Attorney Gen- 18 eral) shall make a grant in accordance with this 19 subsection to an eligible entity whose applica- 20 tion for the grant is approved by the Secretary, 21 to conduct a demonstration project that meets 22 the requirements of subparagraph (B). 23 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENTS.—The requirements 24 of this subparagraph are the following: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:22 Mar 05, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00 [Text truncated for display. 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