Transportation Workforce Investment Act of 2020

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 6156 To develop and improve the transportation workforce, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 9, 2020 Mr. LANGEVIN (for himself, Mr. BALDERSON, Ms. CRAIG, and Mr. MCKIN- LEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILL To develop and improve the transportation workforce, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 3 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 4 ‘‘Transportation Workforce Investment Act of 2020’’. 5 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 6 this Act is as follows: 7 Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Transportation education and training program. Sec. 3. Surface transportation workforce grants. Sec. 4. Research and development strategic plan. Sec. 5. Task force on future of transportation workforce. VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:55 Mar 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\H6156.IH H6156 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 6156 IH SEC. 2. TRANSPORTATION EDUCATION AND TRAINING PRO- 1 GRAM. 2 Section 504(f) of title 23, United States Code, is 3 amended to read as follows: 4 ‘‘(f) TRANSPORTATION EDUCATION AND TRAINING 5 PROGRAM.— 6 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary, in con- 7 sultation with the Secretary of Education and the 8 Secretary of Labor, shall establish a program (in 9 this subsection referred to as the ‘Program’) to pro- 10 vide grants to support transportation sector edu- 11 cation and workforce development projects. 12 ‘‘(2) GRANT AUTHORITY.—In carrying out the 13 Program, the Secretary may award a grant on a 14 competitive basis in accordance with this subsection. 15 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS.— 16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 17 award a grant under the Program to any part- 18 nership that includes, at a minimum, the fol- 19 lowing entities: 20 ‘‘(i) An institution of higher edu- 21 cation. 22 ‘‘(ii) A State department of transpor- 23 tation. 24 ‘‘(iii) Not fewer than 2 transportation 25 sector employers. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:55 Mar 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6156.IH H6156 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 6156 IH ‘‘(B) LABOR AND JOINT LABOR-MANAGE- 1 MENT ORGANIZATIONS.—A partnership eligible 2 for a grant under the Program may include a 3 labor or joint labor-management organization. 4 ‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.— 5 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 6 subparagraph (B), grant funds awarded under 7 the Program may only be used to assist a 8 project that includes, at a minimum, two of the 9 following activities: 10 ‘‘(i) Developing, implementing, and 11 assessing innovative programs of study 12 with respect to a transportation sector. 13 ‘‘(ii) Training educators to teach sec- 14 ondary or postsecondary career and tech- 15 nical education courses with respect to a 16 transportation sector. 17 ‘‘(iii) Increasing career recruitment 18 and outreach to youth, including through 19 career counseling and career exploration 20 opportunities, to encourage participation in 21 transportation sectors. 22 ‘‘(iv) Developing on-the-job training 23 and work-based learning opportunities, in- 24 cluding pre-apprenticeships and registered 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:55 Mar 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6156.IH H6156 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 6156 IH apprenticeships, with respect to a transpor- 1 tation sector. 2 ‘‘(v) Increasing participation of under- 3 represented individuals, including women, 4 in the transportation workforce. 5 ‘‘(vi) Any other activity the Secretary 6 determines appropriate for education or 7 workforce development in a transportation 8 sector. 9 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—If a project is in the 10 construction or maintenance sector, grant funds 11 awarded under the Program may only be used 12 to develop pre-apprenticeships that prepare in- 13 dividuals for acceptance into registered appren- 14 ticeships in such sector. 15 ‘‘(5) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible for a grant 16 under this subsection, a partnership referred to in 17 paragraph (3) shall submit to the Secretary an ap- 18 plication in such form, at such time, and containing 19 such information as the Secretary determines to be 20 appropriate, which shall include, at a minimum, a 21 description of the following: 22 ‘‘(A) How the partnership will use grant 23 funds to assist an eligible project. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:55 Mar 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6156.IH H6156 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 6156 IH ‘‘(B) The roles and responsibilities of each 1 partner in assisting the project. 2 ‘‘(C) Any prior experience or demonstrated 3 success in workforce development of a partner. 4 ‘‘(D) The current and projected workforce 5 shortages, if any, in the relevant transportation 6 sector and how the project will address those 7 shortages. 8 ‘‘(E) Any promotion of the increased par- 9 ticipation of underrepresented individuals, in- 10 cluding women, in the transportation workforce 11 that the project will provide. 12 ‘‘(F) Any recognized postsecondary creden- 13 tials that participants in the project will be pre- 14 pared for. 15 ‘‘(G) Any registered apprenticeships, pre- 16 apprenticeships, or other on-the-job training or 17 work-based learning opportunities the project 18 will provide. 19 ‘‘(6) CONSIDERATIONS.—In making a grant 20 under the Program, the Secretary shall consider— 21 ‘‘(A) regional diversity; 22 ‘‘(B) the degree to which an eligible project 23 may address current or projected transportation 24 workforce shortages; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:55 Mar 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6156.IH H6156 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 6156 IH ‘‘(C) if applicable, the quality of any pro- 1 posed on-the-job training or work-based learn- 2 ing opportunities to be provided. 3 ‘‘(7) LIMITATIONS ON GRANTS.— 4 ‘‘(A) LIMITATION ON AMOUNTS.—The 5 amount of a grant under this subsection may 6 not exceed $300,000. 7 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION ON FEDERAL SHARE.— 8 After a recipient has received 2 grants under 9 this subsection, subsequent grants to the recipi- 10 ent may not be in an amount that exceeds 75 11 percent of the cost of the project to be assisted 12 with the grant. 13 ‘‘(8) REPORT.—A recipient of a grant under 14 this subsection shall submit to the Secretary, at such 15 time as the Secretary determines appropriate, a re- 16 port that includes a description of the following: 17 ‘‘(A) How grant funds were used. 18 ‘‘(B) The education and employment out- 19 comes for individuals participating in or bene- 20 fitting from the project assisted with grant 21 funds under the Program (in this paragraph re- 22 ferred to as ‘participants’), disaggregated by 23 special populations, which shall include at a 24 minimum the following: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:55 Mar 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6156.IH H6156 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 6156 IH ‘‘(i) The percentage, and median 1 earnings, of participants who are in unsub- 2 sidized employment 90 days after exit from 3 the project. 4 ‘‘(ii) The percentage of participants 5 who are in unsubsidized employment 180 6 days after exit from the project. 7 ‘‘(iii) The percentage of participants 8 who obtain a recognized postsecondary cre- 9 dential, or a secondary school diploma or 10 recognized equivalent during the project or 11 within 1 year after exit from the project. 12 ‘‘(iv) The percentage of participants 13 who, during the project— 14 ‘‘(I) enrolled in an education or 15 training program that leads to a rec- 16 ognized postsecondary credential or 17 employment; and 18 ‘‘(II) developed skills necessary 19 to receive such a credential or employ- 20 ment through such program. 21 ‘‘(9) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection, the fol- 22 lowing definitions apply: 23 ‘‘(A) CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDU- 24 CATION.—The term ‘career and technical edu- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:55 Mar 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6156.IH H6156 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 6156 IH cation’ has the meaning given the term in sec- 1 tion 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Tech- 2 nical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302). 3 ‘‘(B) INDIVIDUAL WITH A BARRIER TO EM- 4 PLOYMENT.—The term ‘individual with a bar- 5 rier to employment’ has the meaning given the 6 term in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation 7 and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3012). 8 ‘‘(C) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDU- 9 CATION.—The term ‘institution of higher edu- 10 cation’ has the meaning given the term in sec- 11 tion 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 12 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 13 ‘‘(D) ON-THE-JOB TRAINING.—The term 14 ‘on-the-job training’ has the meaning given the 15 term in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation 16 and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 17 ‘‘(E) PRE-APPRENTICESHIP.—The term 18 ‘pre-apprenticeship’ means a training model or 19 program that prepares individuals for accept- 20 ance into a registered apprenticeship and has a 21 demonstrated partnership with one or more reg- 22 istered apprenticeships. 23 ‘‘(F) PROGRAM OF STUDY.—The term 24 ‘program of study’ has the meaning given the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:55 Mar 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6156.IH H6156 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 6156 IH term in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career 1 and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 2 U.S.C. 2302). 3 ‘‘(G) RECOGNIZED POSTSECONDARY CRE- 4 DENTIAL.—The term ‘recognized postsecondary 5 credential’ has the meaning given the term in 6 section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Op- 7 portunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 8 ‘‘(H) REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP.— 9 The term ‘registered apprenticeship’ means an 10 apprenticeship program registered under the 11 Act of August 16, 1937 (29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.; 12 commonly known as the ‘National Apprentice- 13 ship Act’), that satisfies the requirements of 14 parts 29 and 30 of title 29, Code of Federal 15 Regulations (as in effect on January 1, 2020). 16 ‘‘(I) SPECIAL POPULATIONS.—The term 17 ‘special populations’ has the meaning given the 18 term in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career 19 and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 20 U.S.C. 2302). 21 ‘‘(J) TRANSPORTATION SECTOR.—The 22 term ‘transportation sector’ means an industry 23 sector that is involved in construction, manufac- 24 turing, maintenance, operation, inspection, lo- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:55 Mar 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6156.IH H6156 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 6156 IH gistics, design, or engineering with respect to 1 transportation equipment, materials, tech- 2 nologies, or infrastructure (including relating to 3 surface, transit, railway, aviation, and maritime 4 transportation). 5 ‘‘(K) UNDERREPRESENTED INDIVIDUAL.— 6 The term ‘underrepresented individual’ 7 means— 8 ‘‘(i) an individual who belongs to a 9 special population; 10 ‘‘(ii) an individual with a barrier to 11 employment; or 12 ‘‘(iii) an individual otherwise deter- 13 mined by the Secretary to be underrep- 14 resented in the transportation workforce. 15 ‘‘(L) WORK-BASED LEARNING.—The term 16 ‘work-based learning’ has the meaning given the 17 term in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career 18 and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 19 U.S.C. 2302).’’. 20 SEC. 3. SURFACE TRANSPORTATION WORKFORCE GRANTS. 21 Section 504(e) of title 23, United States Code, is 22 amended— 23 (1) in paragraph (1)— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:55 Mar 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6156.IH H6156 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 6156 IH (A) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘, 1 including development of the skills necessary to 2 utilize emerging technologies’’ after ‘‘develop- 3 ment’’; 4 (B) in subparagraph (F), by striking 5 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 6 (C) in subparagraph (G), by striking the 7 period and inserting a semicolon; and 8 (D) by adding at the end the following new 9 subparagraphs: 10 ‘‘(H) on-the-job training or work-based 11 learning opportunities, including pre-apprentice- 12 ships and registered apprenticeships; 13 ‘‘(I) activities to support the establishment 14 of industry or sector partnerships; 15 ‘‘(J) activities to increase the number of 16 underrepresented individuals in such workforce; 17 and 18 ‘‘(K) activities to update facilities and 19 equipment used in career and technical edu- 20 cation programs of study.’’; and 21 (2) by amending paragraph (3) to read as fol- 22 lows: 23 ‘‘(3) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection, the fol- 24 lowing definitions apply: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:55 Mar 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6156.IH H6156 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 6156 IH ‘‘(A) CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDU- 1 CATION.—The term ‘career and technical edu- 2 cation’ has the meaning given the term in sec- 3 tion 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Tech- 4 nical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302). 5 ‘‘(B) INDIVIDUAL WITH A BARRIER TO EM- 6 PLOYMENT.—The term ‘individual with a bar- 7 rier to employment’ has the meaning given the 8 term in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation 9 and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3012). 10 ‘‘(C) INDUSTRY OR SECTOR PARTNER- 11 SHIP.—The term ‘industry or sector partner- 12 ship’ has the meaning given the term in section 13 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 14 Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 15 ‘‘(D) ON-THE-JOB TRAINING.—The term 16 ‘on-the-job training’ has the meaning given the 17 term in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation 18 and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 19 ‘‘(E) PRE-APPRENTICESHIP.—The term 20 ‘pre-apprenticeship’ means a training model or 21 program that prepares individuals for accept- 22 ance into a registered apprenticeship and has a 23 demonstrated partnership with one or more reg- 24 istered apprenticeships. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:55 Mar 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6156.IH H6156 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 13 •HR 6156 IH ‘‘(F) PROGRAM OF STUDY.—The term 1 ‘program of study’ has the meaning given the 2 term in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career 3 and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 4 U.S.C. 2302). 5 ‘‘(G) REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP.—The 6 term ‘registered apprenticeship’ means an ap- 7 prenticeship program registered under the Act 8 of August 16, 1937 (29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.; com- 9 monly known as the ‘National [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]