Stabilizing Workforce and Towns Act of 1998

Summary: Stabilizing Workforce and Towns Act of 1998 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the President's Economic Adjustment Committee, to ensure that a Stabilizing Workforce and Towns Team (SWAT Team) is mobilized and that such team travels to a community in need after an application for assistance is received by the Secretary.  Provides for such application to be submitted by the Governor of the State in which the community that is requesting assistance is located and to contain such information as the Secretary may require in order to determine whether the area is a community in need.  Lists the Federal agencies from which members (and additional members) of the SWAT Team shall be composed. 
Requires the SWAT Team to:  (1) establish operations in the community in need and maintain such operations for a minimum of five days; (2) provide to residents of such community information and materials that describe all relevant Federal assistance programs available and the process for applying for such assistance, and to make available the applications for such assistance; (3) provide information to such residents on additional resources available to them to address their economic needs; and (4) designate a SWAT Team member as a liaison to such community to continue advising the community on the long-term recovery of the community.  Defines the term "community in need" to mean an area that the Secretary determines is experiencing a sudden and severe dislocation because of the closure or significant downsizing of a plant or industry in the area. 
Requires the SWAT Team, not later than 60 days after the completion of a SWAT Team response in a community in need, to submit a report to the Congress, such community's congressional delegation, and the President's Economic Adjustment Committee containing a description of the assistance provided by the Team, recommendations regarding assistance to be provided by Teams in future responses, information on the long-term recovery plan for the community in need, and any other information on the provision of Federal assistance to communities in need, including community applications for Federal assistance that the team determines to be appropriate.  Directs the Secretary to maintain all SWAT Team reports in a centralized location and make such reports available to the public.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Stabilizing Workforce and Towns Act 
of 1998''.

SEC. 2. COORDINATED FEDERAL RESPONSE FOR COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE.

    (a) Establishment of SWAT Team Response.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation 
        with the President's Economic Adjustment Committee, shall 
        ensure that a Stabilizing Workforce and Towns Team (in this Act 
        referred to as a ``SWAT Team'') is mobilized and that such team 
        travels to a community in need (as defined in section 3) not 
        later than 3 days after an application for assistance is 
        received by that Secretary in accordance with paragraph (2).
            (2) Application.--For purposes of paragraph (1), the 
        application for assistance shall be submitted by the Governor 
        of the State in which the community that is requesting 
        assistance under this Act is located and shall contain such 
        information as the Secretary of Commerce may require in order 
        to determine whether the area is a community in need.
            (3) Determination.--The Secretary shall not provide a SWAT 
        Team response under this Act unless the Secretary determines 
        that the area under consideration for such response is a 
        community in need.
    (b) SWAT Team Membership.--
            (1) In general.--A SWAT Team shall be composed of a 
        representative from each of the following agencies:
                    (A) The Department of Commerce.
                    (B) The Department of Education.
                    (C) The Department of Health and Human Services.
                    (D) The Department of Housing and Urban 
                Development.
                    (E) The Department of Justice.
                    (F) The Department of Labor.
                    (G) The Department of Veterans Affairs.
                    (H) The Small Business Administration.
        The representative of the Department of Commerce shall be the 
        team leader of the SWAT Team.
            (2) Additional members.--In addition to the representatives 
        described in paragraph (1), a SWAT Team shall be composed of a 
        representative from any of the following agencies if the team 
        leader of the team determines that such representation is 
        appropriate in order to carry out the duties of the SWAT Team:
                    (A) The Department of Agriculture.
                    (B) The Department of Energy.
                    (C) The Department of the Interior.
                    (D) The Department of Treasury.
                    (E) The Office of Management and Budget.
                    (F) Any other Federal agency.
    (c) Duties of SWAT Team.--The SWAT Team shall have the following 
duties:
            (1) To establish operations in a public building in the 
        community in need and maintain such operations for a minimum of 
        5 days.
            (2) To provide to individuals residing in the community in 
        need information and materials that describe all relevant 
        Federal assistance programs available and the process for 
        applying for such assistance. The SWAT Team shall also make 
        available the applications for such assistance.
            (3) To provide information to individuals residing in the 
        community in need regarding additional resources available to 
        such individuals to address their economic needs.
            (4) To designate a member of the SWAT Team as a liaison to 
        the community in need. Such member shall be designated before 
        the SWAT Team terminates operations in the community and shall 
        continue to provide advise to the community regarding the long-
        term recovery of the community.

SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF COMMUNITY IN NEED.

    (a) In General.--In this Act, the term ``community in need'' means 
an area that the Secretary of Commerce determines, using the criteria 
described in subsection (b), is experiencing a sudden and severe 
dislocation because of the closure or significant downsizing of a plant 
or industry located in the area.
    (b) Criteria for determination of sudden and severe economic 
dislocation.--The criteria described in this subsection are that an 
area must show actual or threatened permanent job losses that exceed 
the following threshold criteria:
            (1) Areas located in metropolitan statistical areas.--For 
        an area located in a Metropolitan Statistical Area, if the 
        unemployment rate of the Metropolitan Statistical Area in which 
        the area is located--
                    (A) is greater than the national average, the 
                dislocation must be equal to or greater than the lesser 
                of--
                            (i) 0.5 percent of the employed population 
                        in the area; or
                            (ii) 4,000 direct jobs; or
                    (B) is equal to or less than the national average, 
                the dislocation must be equal to or greater than the 
                lesser of--
                            (i) 1 percent of the employed population in 
                        the area; or
                            (ii) 8,000 direct jobs.
            (2) Areas not located in metropolitan statistical areas.--
        For an area that is not located in a Metropolitan Statistical 
        Area, if the unemployment rate of the Labor Market Area in 
        which the area is located--
                    (A) is greater than the national average, the 
                dislocation must be equal to or greater than the lesser 
                of--
                            (i) 2 percent of the employed population in 
                        the area; or
                            (ii) 500 direct jobs; or
                    (B) is equal to or less than the national average, 
                the dislocation must be equal to or greater than the 
                lesser of--
                            (i) 4 percent of the employed population in 
                        the area; or
                            (ii) 1,000 direct jobs.
            (3) Percent of job loss ratio.--At least 50 percent of the 
        job loss ratio threshold is the result of the action of a 
        single employer, or at least 80 percent of the job loss 
        threshold occurs in a single standard industry classification.

SEC. 4. REPORT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 60 days after the completion of a 
SWAT Team response in a community in need, the SWAT Team shall submit a 
report to Congress, the community in need's congressional delegation, 
and the President's Economic Adjustment Committee.
    (b) Contents.--The report described in subsection (a) shall contain 
a detailed description of the assistance provided by the SWAT Team, 
recommendations regarding assistance to be provided by SWAT Teams in 
future responses, information regarding the long-term recovery plan for 
the community in need, and any other information regarding the 
provision of Federal assistance to communities in need, including 
community applications for Federal assistance, that the team determines 
to be appropriate.
    (c) Report on File.--A copy of the report described in subsection 
(a) shall be maintained on file by the Secretary of Commerce for use as 
a resource to assist similarly impacted communities in the future.
    (d) Centralized Location.--The Secretary of Commerce shall maintain 
all SWAT Team reports in a centralized location and shall make such 
reports available to the public.