Transportation and Infrastructure Profession Opportunity Grants Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 7545 To amend subtitle A of title XX of the Social Security Act to provide for grants to conduct demonstration projects designed to provide eligible individuals with the opportunity to obtain education and training for occupations in the fields of transportation and infrastructure that pay well and are expected to experience labor shortages or be in high demand. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JULY 9, 2020 Mr. LEWIS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means A BILL To amend subtitle A of title XX of the Social Security Act to provide for grants to conduct demonstration projects designed to provide eligible individuals with the opportunity to obtain education and training for occupa- tions in the fields of transportation and infrastructure that pay well and are expected to experience labor short- ages or be in high demand. 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 and 4 Infrastructure Profession Opportunity Grants Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:52 Jul 29, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7545.IH H7545 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 7545 IH SEC. 2. TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROFES- 1 SION OPPORTUNITY GRANTS. 2 Subtitle A of title XX of the Social Security Act (42 3 U.S.C. 1397 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 4 2008 the following: 5 ‘‘SEC. 2008A. TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE 6 PROFESSION OPPORTUNITY GRANTS. 7 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to in- 8 crease and improve opportunities and Federal supports for 9 low-income people, especially women, racial or ethnic mi- 10 norities, and veterans, to enter, follow, and succeed in a 11 career pathway in transportation and infrastructure pro- 12 fessions. By the enactment of this section, the Congress 13 intends to enhance these opportunities through partner- 14 ships with organizations that specialize in serving these 15 populations. 16 ‘‘(b) AUTHORITY TO AWARD GRANTS.—The Sec- 17 retary, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor and 18 the Secretary of Transportation, shall award grants to eli- 19 gible entities to conduct demonstration projects that are 20 designed to provide eligible individuals with the oppor- 21 tunity to obtain education and training for transportation 22 and infrastructure professions that pay at least 300 per- 23 cent of the Federal poverty level and are expected to expe- 24 rience labor shortages or be in high demand. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:37 Aug 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7545.IH H7545 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 7545 IH ‘‘(c) ASSESSMENT OF LABOR SHORTAGE AND DE- 1 MAND.—In assessing whether a transportation and infra- 2 structure profession experiences labor shortages or is in 3 high demand, the Secretary, in consultation with the Sec- 4 retary of Labor and the Secretary of Transportation, 5 using available Federal, State, and local data and other 6 information as the Secretary may deem appropriate, shall 7 consider, with respect to the geographic area proposed to 8 be served by an applicant— 9 ‘‘(1) relevant and updated employment and 10 labor market trends to assess historic, current, and 11 projected future trends for specific occupations; 12 ‘‘(2) available occupational wage data to under- 13 stand earnings potential; 14 ‘‘(3) local training capacity to fill current and 15 future workforce needs; 16 ‘‘(4) the workforce needs of transportation and 17 infrastructure employers and agencies; and 18 ‘‘(5) racial, gender, and economic disparities in 19 pay or promotion rates that may exist in the trans- 20 portation and infrastructure profession for which the 21 applicant proposes to train, as well as disparities in 22 pay or promotion rates that may exist between vet- 23 erans and non-veterans in the profession. 24 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:52 Jul 29, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7545.IH H7545 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 7545 IH ‘‘(1) REQUIREMENTS.—An eligible entity apply- 1 ing for a grant to carry out a demonstration project 2 under this section shall submit to the Secretary an 3 application for the grant that includes the following: 4 ‘‘(A) A description of how the applicant 5 will use a career pathways approach to train eli- 6 gible individuals for transportation and infra- 7 structure professions that pay, or will put eligi- 8 ble individuals on a career path to a related oc- 9 cupation that pays, at least 300 percent of the 10 Federal poverty level. 11 ‘‘(B) A description of the adult basic edu- 12 cation and literacy activities, work readiness ac- 13 tivities, training activities, and case manage- 14 ment and career coaching services that the ap- 15 plicant will use to assist eligible individuals to 16 gain work experience, connection to employers, 17 and job placement, and a description of the 18 plan for recruiting, hiring, and training staff to 19 provide the case management, mentoring, and 20 career coaching services, under the project di- 21 rectly or through local governmental, appren- 22 ticeship, educational, or charitable institutions. 23 ‘‘(C) A demonstration that the applicant 24 has experience working with low-income popu- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:52 Jul 29, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7545.IH H7545 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 7545 IH lations, or a description of the plan of the appli- 1 cant to work with a partner organization that 2 has the experience. 3 ‘‘(D) A plan for providing post-employment 4 support and ongoing training as part of a ca- 5 reer pathway under the project. 6 ‘‘(E) A description of the support services 7 that the applicant will provide under the 8 project, including a plan for how child care and 9 transportation support services will be guaran- 10 teed and, if the applicant will provide a cash 11 stipend or wage supplement, how the stipend or 12 supplement would be calculated and distributed. 13 ‘‘(F) A certification by the applicant that 14 the project development included— 15 ‘‘(i) consultation with a local work- 16 force development board established under 17 section 107 of the Workforce Innovation 18 and Opportunity Act; 19 ‘‘(ii) consideration of apprenticeship 20 and pre-apprenticeship models registered 21 under the Act of August 16, 1937 (also 22 known as the ‘National Apprenticeship 23 Act’); 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:52 Jul 29, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7545.IH H7545 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 7545 IH ‘‘(iii) consideration of career pathway 1 programs in the State in which the project 2 is to be conducted; and 3 ‘‘(iv) a review of the State plan under 4 section 102 or 103 of the Workforce Inno- 5 vation and Opportunity Act. 6 ‘‘(G) A description of the availability and 7 relevance of recent labor market information 8 and other pertinent evidence of in-demand jobs 9 or worker shortages. 10 ‘‘(H) A certification that the applicant will 11 directly provide or contract for the training 12 services described in the application. 13 ‘‘(I) A commitment by the applicant that, 14 if the grant is made to the applicant, the appli- 15 cant will— 16 ‘‘(i) during the planning period for 17 the project, provide the Secretary with any 18 information needed by the Secretary to es- 19 tablish adequate data reporting and ad- 20 ministrative structure for the project; 21 ‘‘(ii) hire a person to direct the 22 project not later than the end of the plan- 23 ning period applicable to the project; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:52 Jul 29, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7545.IH H7545 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 7545 IH ‘‘(iii) accept all technical assistance 1 offered by the Secretary with respect to 2 the grant; 3 ‘‘(iv) participate in such in-person 4 grantee conferences as are regularly sched- 5 uled by the Secretary; 6 ‘‘(v) provide all data required by the 7 Secretary under subsection (h); and 8 ‘‘(vi) notify the local disabled vet- 9 erans’ outreach program specialists under 10 section 4103A of title 38, United States 11 Code, and the local veterans’ employment 12 representatives under section 4104 of such 13 title, of the grantee’s outreach plan for ad- 14 vertising training opportunities to potential 15 participants in the project. 16 ‘‘(2) PREFERENCES.—In considering applica- 17 tions for a grant for a demonstration project under 18 this section, the Secretary— 19 ‘‘(A) shall give preference to— 20 ‘‘(i) applications submitted by appli- 21 cants who have business and community 22 partners in each of the following cat- 23 egories: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:52 Jul 29, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7545.IH H7545 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 7545 IH ‘‘(I) State and local government 1 agencies and social service providers, 2 including a State or local entity that 3 administers a State program funded 4 under part A of title IV; 5 ‘‘(II) institutions of higher edu- 6 cation, apprenticeship programs, and 7 local workforce development boards 8 established under section 107 of the 9 Workforce Innovation and Oppor- 10 tunity Act; and 11 ‘‘(III) transportation and infra- 12 structure employers, transportation 13 and infrastructure industry or sector 14 partnerships, labor unions, and labor- 15 management partnerships; 16 ‘‘(ii) applications that include oppor- 17 tunities for mentoring or peer support, and 18 make career coaching available, as part of 19 the case management plan; 20 ‘‘(iii) applications that include a com- 21 mitment to providing project participants 22 with a cash stipend or wage supplement; 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:52 Jul 29, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7545.IH H7545 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 7545 IH ‘‘(iv) applications which have an emer- 1 gency cash fund to assist project partici- 2 pants financially in emergency situations; 3 ‘‘(v) applications submitted by, or in 4 partnership with, an eligible entity with a 5 history of providing specialized program- 6 ming or training to low-income women, ra- 7 cial or ethnic minorities, or veterans; and 8 ‘‘(vi) applications submitted by eligible 9 entities that include plans to provide one 10 or more of the supports described in sub- 11 section (e)(2)(B); and 12 ‘‘(B) may give preference to— 13 ‘‘(i) applicants that will administer 14 the training program through, or in part- 15 nership with, an institution of higher edu- 16 cation that is a Historically Black College 17 or University or a minority-serving institu- 18 tion; 19 ‘‘(ii) applicants that will administer 20 the training program through, or in part- 21 nership with, institutions of higher edu- 22 cation at which at least 50 percent of stu- 23 dents receive Pell Grants under subpart 1 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:52 Jul 29, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7545.IH H7545 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 7545 IH of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a); 2 ‘‘(iii) applicants that will administer 3 the training program through, or in part- 4 nership with, an Indian tribe or a tribal or- 5 ganization; and 6 ‘‘(iv) applicants that will administer 7 the training program through, or in part- 8 nership with, a territory or an eligible enti- 9 ty in a territory. 10 ‘‘(e) USE OF GRANTS.— 11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An entity to which a grant 12 for a demonstration project is made under this sec- 13 tion shall use the grant in accordance with the ap- 14 proved application for the grant. 15 ‘‘(2) SUPPORT TO BE PROVIDED.— 16 ‘‘(A) REQUIRED SUPPORT.—A project for 17 which a grant for a demonstration project is 18 made under this section shall include the fol- 19 lowing: 20 ‘‘(i) An assessment for adult basic 21 skill competency, and provision of adult 22 basic skills education if necessary for 23 lower-skilled eligible individuals to enroll in 24 the project and go on to enter and com- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:52 Jul 29, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7545.IH H7545 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 7545 IH plete post-secondary training, through 1 means including the following: 2 ‘‘(I) Establishing a network of 3 partners that offer pre-training activi- 4 ties for project participants who need 5 to improve basic academic skills or 6 English language proficiency before 7 entering a transportation and infra- 8 structure occupational training career 9 pathway program. 10 ‘‘(II) Offering resources to enable 11 project participants to continue ad- 12 vancing adult basic skill proficiency 13 while enrolled in a career pathway 14 program. 15 ‘‘(III) Embedding adult basic 16 skill maintenance as part of ongoing 17 post-graduation career coaching and 18 mentoring. 19 ‘‘(ii) A guarantee that child care is an 20 available and affordable support service for 21 project participants through means such as 22 the following: 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:52 Jul 29, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7545.IH H7545 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 7545 IH ‘‘(I) Referral to, and assistance 1 with, enrollment in a subsidized child 2 care program. 3 ‘‘(II) Direct payment to a child 4 care provider if a slot in a subsidized 5 child care program is not available or 6 reasonably accessible. 7 ‘‘(III) Payment of co-payments 8 or associated fees for child care. 9 ‘‘(iii) Case management plans that in- 10 clude career coaching (with the option to 11 offer appropriate peer support and men- 12 toring opportunities to help develop soft 13 skills and social capital), which may be of- 14 fered on an ongoing basis before, during, 15 and after initial training as part of a ca- 16 reer pathway model. 17 ‘‘(iv) A plan to provide project partici- 18 pants with commuting costs through 19 means such as the following: 20 ‘‘(I) Referral to, and assistance 21 with enrollment in, a subsidized trans- 22 portation program. 23 ‘‘(II) If a subsidized transpor- 24 tation program is not reasonably 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:52 Jul 29, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7545.IH H7545 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 13 •HR 7545 IH available, direct payments to subsidize 1 commuting costs. 2 ‘‘(v) Assistance with programs and ac- 3 tivities, including legal assistance, deemed 4 necessary to address arrest or conviction 5 records as an employment barrier. 6 ‘‘(B) ALLOWED S [Text truncated for display. 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