CLEAR Act

Summary: Comprehensive Labor Evaluation and Research Act or the CLEAR Act This bill establishes in the Department of Labor an Office of Labor Evaluation and Research to collaborate with federal agencies to ensure that evaluations of labor issues meet evidence-based research standards and that the results are disseminated in forms that are usable or adaptable by practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and the public.  Labor must appoint a Chief Evaluation Officer as the head of the office to: (1) manage and conduct scientifically valid evaluation and research of labor issues, (2) assist in establishing and refining structures for programs and activities, (3) measure impacts of programs, (4) carry out data analytics to strengthen management, (5) solicit stakeholder recommendations, (6) identify long-term priority topics, (7) coordinate activities with other federal agencies, and (8) disseminate information to stakeholders.  The Chief Evaluation Officer must maintain a Clearinghouse for Labor Evaluation and Research that: (1) reviews whether labor evaluations and research meet evidence-based research standards; (2) promotes accessibility and public awareness of results that meet the standards; (3) encourages the use of reviewed evaluations and research to inform policies, programs, and activities; (4) assesses the quality of evaluations that examine the effectiveness of particular programs; and (5) acts to synthesize evaluations and research within a topic area, highlight gaps in literature, and identify areas for further research.  The Chief Evaluation Officer may award grants, enter contracts and cooperative agreements, and provide technical assistance to Labor agencies and other entities to carry out this bill. 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Comprehensive Labor Evaluation and 
Research Act'' or the ``CLEAR Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Applied research.--The term ``applied research'' means 
        research--
                    (A) to gain knowledge or understanding necessary 
                for determining the means by which a recognized and 
                specific need may be met; and
                    (B) that is specifically directed to the 
                advancement of practice concerning the issues and 
                fields under the jurisdiction of the Department.
            (2) Basic research.--The term ``basic research'' means 
        research--
                    (A) to gain fundamental knowledge or understanding 
                of phenomena and observable factors, without specific 
                application toward processes or products; and
                    (B) for the advancement of knowledge concerning the 
                issues and fields under the jurisdiction of the 
                Department.
            (3) Chief evaluation officer.--The term ``Chief Evaluation 
        Officer'' means the Chief Evaluation Officer of the Office of 
        Labor Evaluation and Research.
            (4) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the 
        Department of Labor.
            (5) Dissemination.--The term ``dissemination'' means the 
        communication and transfer of the information involved and the 
        results of the scientifically valid evaluations and other 
        research involved, in forms that are understandable, are easily 
        accessible, and are usable or adaptable, by practitioners, 
        researchers, policymakers, and the public, through (to the 
        extent practicable) technical assistance, publications, 
        electronic transfer, and other means.
            (6) Evidence-based research standards.--The term 
        ``evidence-based research standards'' means standards for 
        research (including evaluations)--
                    (A) that applies rigorous, systematic, and 
                objective methodology to obtain reliable and valid 
                knowledge relevant to programs and activities under the 
                jurisdiction of the Department; and
                    (B) for which the findings and claims are 
                appropriate to and supported by the methods that have 
                been employed;
                    (C) that includes, as appropriate to the research 
                being conducted--
                            (i) employing systematic, empirical methods 
                        that draw on observation or experiment;
                            (ii) employing data analyses that are 
                        adequate to support the general findings;
                            (iii) relying on measurements or 
                        observational methods that provide reliable 
                        data; and
                            (iv) making claims of causal relationships, 
                        if the research has a research design that 
                        substantially eliminates plausible competing 
                        explanations for the obtained results, such as 
                        random assignment experiments; and
                    (D) for which the studies and methods are presented 
                in sufficient detail and clarity to allow for 
                replication or, at a minimum, to offer the opportunity 
                to build systematically on the findings of the 
                research.
            (7) Office.--The term ``Office'' means the Office of Labor 
        Evaluation and Research.
            (8) Related to labor.--The term ``related to labor'', used 
        with respect to an issue, means an issue under the jurisdiction 
        of the Department.
            (9) Scientifically valid evaluation.--The term 
        ``scientifically valid'', used with respect to an evaluation, 
        means an evaluation that--
                    (A) adheres to the highest possible standards of 
                quality with respect to research design and statistical 
                analysis;
                    (B) provides an adequate description of what is 
                being evaluated and, to the extent possible, examines 
                the relationship between implementation and impacts of 
                the program or activities being evaluated;
                    (C) provides an analysis of the results achieved by 
                the program or activities with respect to the projected 
                effects for the program or activities;
                    (D) employs experimental designs using random 
                assignment, when feasible and appropriate, or other 
                research designs or methodologies that allow for the 
                strongest possible causal inferences when random 
                assignment is not feasible or appropriate; and
                    (E) may study implementation of the program or 
                activities through a combination of scientifically 
                valid and reliable methods.
            (10) Scientifically valid research.--The term 
        ``scientifically valid'', used with respect to research, 
        includes applied research and basic research in which the 
        rationale, design, and interpretation are soundly developed in 
        accordance with evidence-based research standards.
            (11) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Labor.
            (12) Technical assistance.--The term ``technical 
        assistance'' means--
                    (A) assistance in identifying, selecting, or 
                designing--
                            (i) evaluations and other research; or
                            (ii) solutions based on evaluations and 
                        other research;
                    (B) assistance in interpreting, analyzing, and 
                utilizing statistics and evaluations; and
                    (C) other assistance necessary to applying 
                techniques supported by scientifically valid research.

SEC. 3. OFFICE OF LABOR EVALUATION AND RESEARCH.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established in the Department an 
Office of Labor Evaluation and Research, to be headed by a Chief 
Evaluation Officer, as described in subsection (c).
    (b) Mission.--The mission of the Office is to coordinate, manage, 
and implement the Department's evaluation and other research programs. 
The Office shall collaborate with agencies in the Department, and other 
Federal agencies, to ensure that evaluations of issues related to labor 
meet evidence-based research standards and that the results of the 
evaluations are widely disseminated.
    (c) Chief Evaluation Officer.--
            (1) Appointment.--The Secretary shall appoint the Chief 
        Evaluation Officer.
            (2) Qualifications.--To be qualified to be appointed as the 
        Chief Evaluation Officer, an individual shall have substantial 
        knowledge relating to the functions of the Office, including a 
        high level of expertise in--
                    (A) evaluations, other research, and policymaking 
                using evaluations and other research that meet 
                evidence-based research standards; and
                    (B) the management of the activities described in 
                subparagraph (A).
            (3) Expert guidance and assistance.--The Chief Evaluation 
        Officer may establish technical and scientific peer review 
        groups and scientific program advisory committees, for 
        evaluations and other research, that the Chief Evaluation 
        Officer determines are necessary to carry out the requirements 
        of this section.
    (d) Functions.--The Chief Evaluation Officer shall--
            (1) coordinate, manage, and implement a Department-wide 
        program of evaluations and other research that meet evidence-
        based research standards;
            (2) provide leadership in expanding the fundamental 
        knowledge and understanding of issues related to labor;
            (3) conduct rigorous, scientifically valid evaluations and 
        other research (including basic research and applied research), 
        that will assist agencies in the Department to measure the 
        effectiveness of programs and activities and progress in 
        meeting and exceeding goals and outcomes;
            (4) assist agencies in the Department in meeting statutory 
        requirements for evaluations and reports;
            (5) assist agencies in the Department in establishing and 
        refining structures, resulting from evaluations and other 
        research that meet evidence-based research standards, for 
        programs, activities, and operations;
            (6) assist agencies in the Department in using findings and 
        other results from evaluations and other research that meet 
        evidence-based research standards;
            (7) measure the impacts of core programs and activities, 
        evaluate new programs and activities, and test the relative 
        effectiveness of alternative practices for programs and 
        activities;
            (8) carry out significant data analytics activities to 
        strengthen management, evaluations, and other research, for 
        programs and activities;
            (9) conduct and evaluate pilot and demonstration programs 
        that will assist in identifying effective approaches in 
        addressing issues related to labor;
            (10) establish necessary procedures for technical and 
        scientific peer review of the evaluations and other research 
        carried out by the Office;
            (11) solicit and consider the recommendations of 
        stakeholders in order to ensure there is broad and regular 
        public and professional input in the planning and carrying out 
        of the activities of the Office;
            (12) identify priority topics that may require long-term 
        evaluation and other research;
            (13) coordinate evaluation, other research, and related 
        activities carried out by the Office with such evaluation, 
        research, and activities carried out by other agencies in the 
        Federal Government; and
            (14) widely disseminate evaluation and other research 
        results and information through the Clearinghouse for Labor 
        Evaluation and Research described in subsection (f) and through 
        other appropriate means described in section 2(5), in manners 
        that are accessible to a broad range of stakeholders.
    (e) Standards for Conduct of Evaluation and Research.--In carrying 
out the functions under this section, the Chief Evaluation Officer 
shall ensure that the related activities--
            (1) meet evidence-based research standards;
            (2) utilize rigorous methods that are appropriate and 
        feasible;
            (3) promote best practices that are grounded on 
        scientifically valid evaluation and other research, as the case 
        may be;
            (4) take into account legislative requirements and reflect 
        the interests and needs of agencies in the Department and other 
        stakeholders;
            (5) are objective, neutral, and free of undue influence or 
        the appearance of such influence;
            (6) are conducted in a transparent and timely manner, and 
        that the results of the activities are disseminated in a timely 
        manner; and
            (7) are conducted in an ethical manner.
    (f) Clearinghouse for Labor Evaluation and Research.--The Chief 
Evaluation Officer shall maintain a Clearinghouse for Labor Evaluation 
and Research that--
            (1) reviews evaluations and other research on issues 
        related to labor, to determine if the evaluations and other 
        research meet evidence-based research standards;
            (2) promotes accessibility and public awareness of the 
        results of evaluations and other research that meet the 
        standards among practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and 
        the public;
            (3) encourages the use of reviewed evaluations and other 
        research that meet the standards to inform decisions relating 
        to appropriate policies and programs and activities;
            (4) assesses the quality of evaluations and other research 
        that examine the effectiveness of particular policies and 
        programs and activities; and
            (5) synthesizes evaluations and other research within a 
        topic area, highlights gaps in the literature, and identifies 
        areas in which further evaluations and other research may be 
        needed.
    (g) Performance of Functions.--
            (1) In general.--In carrying out the functions of the 
        Office under this section, the Chief Evaluation Officer may--
                    (A) award grants and enter into contracts and 
                cooperative agreements to carry out activities 
                described in this section, through--
                            (i) a process that complies with 
                        requirements for full and open competition 
                        under chapter 33 of title 41, United States 
                        Code; and
                            (ii) a peer review process, when 
                        practicable; and
                    (B) provide technical assistance to--
                            (i) support agencies in the Department to 
                        conduct scientifically valid evaluations and 
                        other research;
                            (ii) coordinate activities, as necessary, 
                        with other Departments that gather data; and
                            (iii) assist, as appropriate, other 
                        entities conducting evaluations and other 
                        research.
            (2) Subgrants.--The Chief Evaluation Officer may authorize 
        entities receiving grants or contracts under this section to 
        award subgrants or subcontracts to carry out activities 
        described in this section.
    (h) Report.--The Chief Evaluation Officer shall, not less often 
than once every 2 years, prepare and publicly release, including to the 
Secretary, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of 
the Senate, and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the 
House of Representatives, a report that contains--
            (1) a description of the activities carried out by the 
        Office, including activities carried out through grants, 
        contracts, and cooperative agreements funded by the Office, 
        during the fiscal years prior to the release of the report;
            (2) the activities undertaken to widely disseminate 
        evaluation and other research results and information in a 
        manner that is accessible to a broad range of stakeholders; and
            (3) a description of how the activities of the Office are 
        consistent with the principles of scientifically valid research 
        and the priorities and mission of the Office.
    (i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary 
for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2021.