Transportation Workforce Modernization Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 7050 To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a program to provide grants to retrain certain transportation workers, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 28, 2020 Ms. JOHNSON of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILL To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a program to provide grants to retrain certain transpor- tation workers, 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 ‘‘Transportation Work- 4 force Modernization Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. TRANSPORTATION WORKER RETRAINING GRANT 6 PROGRAM. 7 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Transpor- 8 tation shall establish a program to make grants to eligible 9 entities to develop a curriculum for and establish transpor- 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:06 Jun 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7050.IH H7050 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 7050 IH tation worker training programs in urban and rural areas 1 to train, upskill, and prepare workers whose jobs may be 2 changed or worsened by automation, or who have been 3 separated from their jobs, or have received notice of im- 4 pending job loss, as a result of being replaced by auto- 5 mated driving systems. 6 (b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The following entities 7 shall be eligible to receive grants under this section: 8 (1) Institutions of higher education. 9 (2) Consortia of institutions of higher edu- 10 cation. 11 (3) Trade associations. 12 (4) Nongovernmental stakeholders. 13 (5) Organizations with a demonstrated capacity 14 to develop and provide career ladder programs 15 through labor-management partnerships and appren- 16 ticeships on a nationwide basis. 17 (c) LIMITATION ON AWARDS.—An entity may only 18 receive one grant per year under this section in an amount 19 determined appropriate by the Secretary. 20 (d) PARTICIPANTS IN TRANSPORTATION WORKER 21 RETRAINING PROGRAMS.—A grant provided under this 22 section may be used for participants in transportation 23 worker retraining programs to pursue a degree or certifi- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:06 Jun 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7050.IH H7050 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 7050 IH cation through the coursework or curriculum developed 1 under the program. 2 (e) USE OF FUNDS.—A recipient of a grant under 3 this section may use grant amounts for studies, pilot pro- 4 grams, as well as testing new roles for current jobs, includ- 5 ing mechanical work, diagnostic, and fleet operations man- 6 agement. 7 (f) GENERAL SELECTION CRITERIA.—The Secretary 8 shall select recipients of grants under this section on the 9 basis of the following criteria: 10 (1) Demonstrated research and extension re- 11 sources available to the applicant for carrying out 12 this section. 13 (2) Capability of the applicant to develop cur- 14 riculum in the training or retraining of individuals 15 described in subsection (a) as a result of driverless 16 vehicles. 17 (3) Demonstrated commitment of the recipient 18 to carry out a transportation workforce development 19 program through degree-granting programs or pro- 20 grams that provide other industry-recognized creden- 21 tials. 22 (g) ELIGIBILITY.—An applicant is only eligible for a 23 grant under this section if such applicant— 24 (1) has an established transportation program; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:06 Jun 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7050.IH H7050 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 7050 IH (2) has expertise in solving transportation prob- 1 lems through research, training, education, and tech- 2 nology; and 3 (3) shares information with other programs. 4 (h) FEDERAL SHARE.— 5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Federal share of a 6 grant under this section shall be a dollar for dollar 7 match of the costs of establishing and administering 8 the retraining program and related activities carried 9 out by the grant recipient or consortium of grant re- 10 cipients. 11 (2) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—For a recipient 12 of a grant under this section carrying out activities 13 under such grant in partnership with a public trans- 14 portation agency that is receiving amounts under 15 section 5307, 5337, or 5339, not more than 0.5 per- 16 cent of amounts made available under any such sec- 17 tion may qualify as the non-Federal share under 18 paragraph (1). 19 (i) TRACKING OF CERTAIN INFORMATION.—Not later 20 than 1 year after a grant award is made under this sec- 21 tion, the Secretary shall implement a reporting or tracking 22 mechanism to determine— 23 (1) from which sectors of the transportation in- 24 dustry are workers being displaced; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:06 Jun 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7050.IH H7050 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 7050 IH (2) for what skills and professions are workers 1 being retrained; 2 (3) how many workers have benefitted from the 3 grant award; and 4 (4) relevant demographic information of im- 5 pacted workers. 6 (j) DEFINITION OF INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDU- 7 CATION.—In this Act, the term ‘‘institution of higher edu- 8 cation’’ has the meaning given the term in section 101 9 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 10 (k) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 11 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 12 appropriated $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 13 2021, 2022, and 2023 to carry out this section. 14 (2) AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS.—Amounts 15 made available to the Secretary to carry out this sec- 16 tion shall remain available for obligation by the Sec- 17 retary for a period of 3 years after the last day of 18 the fiscal year for which the amounts are authorized. 19 SEC. 3. GAO STUDY. 20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 21 date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 22 of the United States shall conduct a study and submit to 23 Congress a report on the impact of driverless vehicle adop- 24 tion on— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:06 Jun 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7050.IH H7050 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 7050 IH (1) the workforce of the United States; 1 (2) the trucking, freight, and personal transpor- 2 tation industries; 3 (3) wages; 4 (4) job losses, including the economic impact on 5 each region of the United States; and 6 (5) the creation of new jobs and how transpor- 7 tation sector jobs would change due to driverless ve- 8 hicle adoption. 9 (b) CONSULTATION.—The study shall be carried out 10 in consultation with— 11 (1) academics; 12 (2) labor unions; 13 (3) the Department of Transportation; and 14 (4) the Department of Labor. 15 (c) RESEARCH.—The Secretary of Transportation 16 shall seek to enter into an agreement with an institute 17 of higher education or nonprofit organization with dem- 18 onstrated capacity in carrying out research on the subject 19 of the study required under subsection (a) to conduct such 20 research. Such agreement shall require the institute or 21 nonprofit to submit such research to the Comptroller Gen- 22 eral for inclusion in such study. 23 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:06 Jun 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H7050.IH H7050 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS