To amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to establish a national emergency grant program to respond to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and for other purposes.

Summary: Back to Work Act of 2001 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to authorize appropriations to expand the National Emergency Grant program, for an 18-month period, to include grants to States to provide certain employment and training assistance and temporary health care coverage premium assistance for workers affected by major economic dislocations, such as plant closures, mass layoffs, or multiple layoffs, caused by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Labor should continue efforts to encourage Americans to take advantage of existing services under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 in order to assist workers during these times of unemployment.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Back to Work Act of 2001''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL EMERGENCY GRANTS TO RESPOND TO THE TERRORIST ATTACKS 
              OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001.

    (a) In General.--Section 173(a) of the Workforce Investment Act of 
1998 (29 U.S.C. 2918(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) to the Governor of any State who applies for 
        assistance under subsection (f) to provide employment and 
        training assistance to workers affected by major economic 
        dislocations, such as plant closures, mass layoffs, or multiple 
        layoffs, caused by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 
        2001.''.
    (b) Requirements.--Section 173 of the Workforce Investment Act of 
1998 (29 U.S.C. 2918) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(f) Relief for Dislocations Caused by the Terrorist Attacks of 
September 11, 2001.--
            ``(1) Grant recipient eligibility.--To be eligible to 
        receive a grant under subsection (a)(4), a Governor shall 
        submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such 
        manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may 
        require. Such application shall contain a certification by the 
        Governor that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, 
        contributed importantly to plant closures, mass layoffs of 
        workers, multiple layoffs of workers, or other major economic 
        dislocations in the State.
            ``(2) State administration.--The Governor may designate one 
        or more local workforce investment boards or other entities 
        with the capability to respond to the circumstances relating to 
        the particular closure, layoff, or other dislocation to 
        administer the grant under subsection (a)(4).
            ``(3) Participant eligibility.--
                    ``(A) In general.--An individual shall be eligible 
                to receive assistance described in subparagraph (B) 
                under a grant awarded under subsection (a)(4) if such 
                individual is a dislocated worker and the Governor has 
                certified that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 
                2001, contributed importantly to the dislocation.
                    ``(B) Types of assistance.--Assistance described in 
                this subparagraph is--
                            ``(i) employment and training assistance, 
                        including employment and training activities 
                        described in section 134; and
                            ``(ii) temporary health care coverage 
                        assistance described in paragraph (4).
            ``(4) Temporary health care coverage assistance.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Temporary health care coverage 
                assistance described in this paragraph consists of 
                health care coverage premium assistance provided to 
                qualified individuals under this paragraph.
                    ``(B) Qualified individuals.--For purposes of this 
                paragraph, a qualified individual is an individual 
                who--
                            ``(i) is a dislocated worker referred to in 
                        paragraph (3)(A) with respect to whom the 
                        Governor has made the certification regarding 
                        the dislocation as required under such 
                        paragraph, and
                            ``(ii) has enrolled in a program for health 
                        care coverage premium assistance established by 
                        the Governor for purposes of this paragraph.
                    ``(C) Provision of assistance.--Health care 
                coverage premium assistance provided under the program 
                established by the Governor for purposes of this 
                paragraph--
                            ``(i) shall be not in excess of 75 percent 
                        of the full amount of the premium for the 
                        health care coverage,
                            ``(ii) shall be provided with respect to 
                        not more than the first 10 months of the period 
                        of dislocation of the qualified individual, and
                            ``(iii) shall be credited against the 
                        premium otherwise owed with respect to the 
                        qualified individual.
                    ``(D) Limitation on entitlement.--Nothing in this 
                subsection shall be construed as establishing any 
                entitlement of qualified individuals to premium 
                assistance under this subsection.
                    ``(E) Definitions.--For purposes of this 
                paragraph--
                            ``(i) Health care coverage.--The term 
                        `health care coverage' means health insurance 
                        coverage other than coverage under--
                                    ``(I) title XVIII of the Social 
                                Security Act,
                                    ``(II) title XIX of the Social 
                                Security Act (other than section 1928),
                                    ``(III) title XXI of the Social 
                                Security Act,
                                    ``(IV) chapter 55 of title 10, 
                                United States Code,
                                    ``(V) chapter 17 of title 38, 
                                United States Code,
                                    ``(VI) chapter 89 of title 5, 
                                United States Code (other than coverage 
                                which is comparable to continuation 
                                coverage under section 4980B of the 
                                Internal Revenue Code of 1986), or
                                    ``(VII) the Indian Health Care 
                                Improvement Act.
                        Such term also does not include coverage under 
                        a qualified long-term care insurance contract 
                        and health insurance coverage in the individual 
                        market.
                            ``(ii) Premium.--The term `premium' means, 
                        in connection with health care coverage, the 
                        premium which would (but for this section) be 
                        charged for the cost of coverage.
            ``(5) Authorization of appropriations.--
                    ``(A) In general.--There is authorized to be 
                appropriated $3,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2002 for 
                the award of grants under subsection (a)(4) in 
                accordance with this subsection.
                    ``(B) Availability.--Amounts appropriated pursuant 
                to the authorization of appropriations under 
                subparagraph (A)--
                            ``(i) are in addition to amounts made 
                        available under section 132(a)(2)(A) or any 
                        other provision of law to carry out this 
                        section; and
                            ``(ii) are authorized to remain available 
                        until 18 months after the date of the enactment 
                        of this subsection.''.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS TO PROMOTE SERVICES UNDER THE WORKFORCE 
              INVESTMENT ACT OF 1998.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) In the wake of the terrorist attacks against the United 
        States on September 11, 2001, many workers and their families 
        are dealing with job loss and other effects of an economic 
        slowdown.
            (2) The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 was enacted to 
        create the Nation's coordinated workforce development system, 
        under which assistance is provided for workers who have been 
        laid off, including job training assistance.
            (3) The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 provides services 
        such as--
                    (A) one-stop career centers, which provide 
                integrated resources for job seekers and businesses, 
                including job search, job placement services and job 
                referrals to employers;
                    (B) individual training accounts, which are job 
                training vouchers established by local areas and given 
                to individuals to allow them to choose where they would 
                like to receive their job training; and
                    (C) rapid response services, under which States 
                establish on-site offices at affected businesses to 
                make immediate contact with employees and employers to 
                provide assistance in the areas of job search and 
                training activities.
            (4) The Nation's workforce development system is designed 
        to help individual dislocated workers and provide rapid 
        response services in times of mass layoffs or dislocations.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
Secretary of Labor should continue efforts to encourage Americans to 
take advantage of existing services under the Workforce Investment Act 
of 1998 in order to assist workers during these times of unemployment.