I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4572 

To amend the Trade Act of 1974 to authorize a State to reimburse certain 

costs incurred by the State in providing training to workers after a 

petition for certification of eligibility for trade adjustment assistance 

has been filed, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 12, 2016 

Mr. NOLAN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Ways and Means 

A BILL 

To amend the Trade Act of 1974 to authorize a State 

to reimburse certain costs incurred by the State in providing training to workers after a petition for certification of eligibility for trade adjustment assistance has 

been filed, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Workforce Training 

5 Enhancement Act of 2016’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 


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1 (1) The viability of the domestic steel industry 

2 is crucial to the United States economy and national 

3 security. 

4 (2) The steel and taconite iron mining indus5 tries have been severely impacted by the foreign 

6 dumping and overproduction of steel and are contin7 ually faced with unfair trade practices. 

8 (3) In 2014, United States imports of steel and 

9 steel products increased by 36 percent and captured 

10 28 percent of the total United States steel market. 

11 In 2015, United States imports of steel and steel 

12 products continued to increase, and captured 29 per13 cent of the total United States steel market. 

14 (4) In 1974, Congress enacted the Trade Act of 

15 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2101 et seq.), which established the 

16 trade adjustment assistance program under chapter 

17 2 of title II of that Act (19 U.S.C. 2271 et seq.) to 

18 assist workers who have been adversely affected by 

19 trade. 

20 (5) The trade adjustment assistance program 

21 provides vital benefits and services to workers whose 

22 employment has been adversely affected by foreign 

23 trade. Those benefits and services include education 

24 and training, income support, relocation assistance, 


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1 job search assistance, and the health coverage tax 

2 credit. 

3 (6) Since the inception of the trade adjustment 

4 assistance program, more than 5,000,000 United 

5 States workers have been certified as eligible for 

6 benefits and services under the program. 

7 (7) As of September 30, 2015, the trade adjust8 ment assistance program had served more than 

9 2,200,000 workers. 

10 (8) In fiscal year 2015, the Department of 

11 Labor certified 413 petitions for eligibility for the 

12 trade adjustment assistance program, which pro13 vided access to trade adjustment assistance benefits 

14 for 57,631 workers. 

15 (9) In 2015, more than 13,000 new partici16 pants were enrolled in the trade adjustment assist17 ance for workers program and the program provided 

18 services and benefits to more than 47,000 workers. 

19 (10) From fiscal year 2012 through fiscal year 

20 2015, the average processing time for a petition 

21 under the trade adjustment assistance for workers 

22 program was 49.1 days and the average processing 

23 time for fiscal year 2015 was 47.2 days. 

24 (11) The trade adjustment assistance program 

25 provides vital education and training services to asVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:57 Feb 17, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4572.IH H4572

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1 sist trade-affected workers to acquire new skills and 

2 prepare for new employment. 

3 (12) From 2012 through 2015, more than 

4 9,800 steelworkers and iron ore miners in 17 States 

5 lost their jobs as a result of increases in imports of 

6 steel and steel products and were certified as eligible 

7 to apply for the trade adjustment assistance pro8 gram. 

9 (13) In fiscal year 2015, more than 6,500 steel10 workers were certified as eligible for trade adjust11 ment assistance, including workers who were laid off 

12 or furloughed in 2014. 

13 (14) In order to empower workers who have 

14 been adversely affected by foreign trade, States 

15 should have the option of providing the funding for 

16 vital educational and training programs for workers 

17 while their petitions for certification of eligibility for 

18 trade adjustment assistance is pending. 

19 SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF STATES TO REIMBURSE CER20 TAIN COSTS OF PROVIDING TRAINING TO 

21 WORKERS AFTER A PETITION FOR TRADE AD22 JUSTMENT ASSISTANCE IS FILED. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 236(a)(6) of the Trade 

24 Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2296(a)(6)) is amended by adding 

25 at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(C)(i) If the conditions described in clause (ii) are 

2 met, a State may use the funds distributed to the State 

3 under paragraph (2) to reimburse the costs of providing 

4 training to a worker before the worker is approved for 

5 training under paragraph (1) paid by— 

6 ‘‘(I) the State from funds provided by the 

7 State; 

8 ‘‘(II) the State or local workforce development 

9 areas within the State from funds available under 

10 subtitle B of title I of the Workforce Innovation and 

11 Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3151 et seq.); or 

12 ‘‘(III) an eligible entity under section 170 of 

13 that Act (29 U.S.C. 3225) in the State from funds 

14 available under that section. 

15 ‘‘(ii) The conditions described in this clause are met 

16 if— 

17 ‘‘(I) as of the date of the reimbursement under 

18 clause (i) the worker is covered by a certification for 

19 eligibility under subchapter A; and 

20 ‘‘(II) the training, the costs of which are being 

21 reimbursed— 

22 ‘‘(aa) commenced after the date on which 

23 the total or partial separations of the group of 

24 workers covered by the certification for eligi25 bility began or threatened to begin; and 


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1 ‘‘(bb) meets the requirements for approval 

2 of training under paragraph (1).’’. 

3 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

4 236(a)(4)(B) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 

5 2296(a)(4)(B)) is amended by striking ‘‘No’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘Except as provided in paragraph (6)(C), no’’. 

Æ 


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