I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 10312 

To authorize workforce development innovation grants for the implementation, 

expansion, and evaluation of evidence-based workforce programs, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 5, 2024 

Ms. SHERRILL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To authorize workforce development innovation grants for 

the implementation, expansion, and evaluation of evidence-based workforce programs, 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 ‘‘Better Jobs through 

5 Evidence and Innovation Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. EVALUATIONS AND RESEARCH. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 169 of the Workforce In8 novation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3224) is amend9 ed— 


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1 (1) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub2 section (d); 

3 (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(c) WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT INNOVATION

6 FUND.— 

7 ‘‘(1) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—From the amount 

9 made available pursuant to section 

10 132(a)(2)(A) for any program year to carry out 

11 this subsection, the Secretary may, on a com12 petitive basis and in accordance with subpara13 graph (B), award workforce development inno14 vation grants described in subparagraph (C) to 

15 eligible entities to enable such entities to— 

16 ‘‘(i) establish, implement, replicate, or 

17 take to scale evidence-based, field-initiated 

18 innovation programs or services for im19 proving the design and delivery of employ20 ment and training services that generate 

21 demonstrated long-term improvements in— 

22 ‘‘(I) the performance or impact 

23 of the workforce development system; 

24 ‘‘(II) earnings and employment 

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1 dividuals with barriers to employ2 ment) and earnings for employers; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(III) the cost-effectiveness of 

5 such innovation programs or services, 

6 particularly for participants and com7 munities not sufficiently served by ex8 isting models such as participants and 

9 communities in rural areas; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) rigorously evaluate, through a 

11 partnership with a third-party research or12 ganization or a third-party researcher, 

13 such innovation programs or services for 

14 effectiveness in achieving any dem15 onstrated long-term improvements in an 

16 outcome described in subclause (I), (II), or 

17 (III) of clause (i). 

18 ‘‘(B) GRANT AWARDS.— 

19 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary— 

20 ‘‘(I) shall award grants under 

21 subparagraph (A) on the basis of po22 tential achievements of the innovation 

23 program or service proposed by the el24 igible entity with respect to dem25 onstrated, long-term improvements in 


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1 an outcome described in subclause (I), 

2 (II), or (III) of subparagraph (A)(i); 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(II) may award under subpara5 graph (A) different types of grants 

6 described under subparagraph (C) to 

7 an eligible entity for separate innova8 tion programs or services that meet 

9 the relevant criteria for such different 

10 types of grants. 

11 ‘‘(ii) DURATION OF AWARD.—A grant 

12 awarded under subparagraph (A) shall be 

13 awarded for a period determined appro14 priate by the Secretary. 

15 ‘‘(C) DESCRIPTION OF GRANTS.—The 

16 grants described in subparagraph (A) shall, to 

17 the extent feasible, include— 

18 ‘‘(i) early-phase grants for an innova19 tion program or service supported by any 

20 level of evidence described in clause (i), 

21 (ii), or (iii) of subparagraph (D), for the 

22 purposes of funding the development, im23 plementation, and evaluation of such pro24 gram or service; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) mid-phase grants for an innova2 tion program or service supported by a 

3 moderate level of evidence or a high level 

4 of evidence (as described in clause (ii) or 

5 (iii) of subparagraph (D), respectively) for 

6 the purposes of funding the operation, ex7 pansion, and continued evaluation of such 

8 innovation program or service at a single 

9 site; and 

10 ‘‘(iii) expansion grants for an innova11 tion program or service supported by a 

12 high level of evidence, as described in sub13 paragraph (D)(iii), for the purposes of— 

14 ‘‘(I) funding the operation of 

15 such innovation program or service at 

16 a single site; 

17 ‘‘(II) expansion or such innova18 tion program or service to another 

19 site; and 

20 ‘‘(III) implementation of a multi21 site evaluation of such innovation pro22 gram or service. 

23 ‘‘(D) LEVEL OF EVIDENCE STANDARDS.— 

24 The levels of evidence described in this subpara25 graph are the following: 


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1 ‘‘(i) LOW LEVEL OF EVIDENCE.—An 

2 innovation program or service is supported 

3 by a low level of evidence if such program 

4 or service has demonstrated, through a 

5 reasonable hypothesis and credible research 

6 findings (such as a correlational study with 

7 statistical controls for selection bias), de8 scriptive research (such as a case study), 

9 or evidence review and needs assessment, 

10 the— 

11 ‘‘(I) ability to achieve positive ef12 fects on earnings and employment 

13 outcomes for jobseekers (including in14 dividuals with barriers to employ15 ment) and earnings for employers; or 

16 ‘‘(II) potential to achieve such ef17 fect on such outcomes. 

18 ‘‘(ii) MODERATE LEVEL OF EVI19 DENCE.—An innovation program or service 

20 is supported by a moderate level of evi21 dence if such program or service has dem22 onstrated the ability to achieve sizable, but 

23 not yet conclusive, positive effects on earn24 ings and employment outcomes for job25 seekers (including individuals with barriers 


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1 to employment) and earnings for employ2 ers, through— 

3 ‘‘(I) a well-designed and well-im4 plemented experimental study of such 

5 program or service, such as a random6 ized controlled trial; or 

7 ‘‘(II) a rigorous quasi-experi8 mental study of such program or serv9 ice capable of drawing causal conclu10 sions about the effectiveness of such 

11 program or service. 

12 ‘‘(iii) HIGH LEVEL OF EVIDENCE.— 

13 An innovation program or service is sup14 ported by a high level of evidence if such 

15 program or service has demonstrated, 

16 through replication of studies, the ability 

17 to achieve a substantial and statistically 

18 significant, positive impact on earnings 

19 and employment outcomes for jobseekers 

20 (including individuals with barriers to em21 ployment) and earnings for employers, 

22 through 2 or more well-designed and well23 implemented experimental studies of such 

24 program or service conducted— 


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1 ‘‘(I) at different implementation 

2 sites; or 

3 ‘‘(II) through large, multi-site, 

4 randomized controlled trials. 

5 ‘‘(2) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND EVALUATION

6 RESEARCH.—Of the funds made available to carry 

7 out this subsection for a fiscal year, the Secretary 

8 shall reserve not more than 10 percent of the funds 

9 to— 

10 ‘‘(A) provide technical assistance to eligible 

11 entities, which may include preapplication work12 shops, web-based seminars, support for con13 ducting feasibility studies and other planning 

14 activities, assistance with methods and require15 ments for purposes of evaluation research under 

16 subparagraph (D), and support for improving 

17 grant implementation and the quality and effec18 tiveness of activities and services funded by 

19 grants awarded under subparagraph (A), in20 cluding the use of administrative data and in21 formation to improve outcomes for participants; 

22 ‘‘(B) disseminate information on low-, 

23 moderate-, and high-evidence-based practices; 

24 ‘‘(C) fund staffing and other costs related 

25 to such activities; and 


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1 ‘‘(D) conduct evaluation research regard2 ing activities or services funded by grants 

3 awarded under subparagraph (A). 

4 ‘‘(3) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

5 ‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligi6 ble entity’ means an entity that is any of the 

7 following: 

8 ‘‘(i) A State workforce development 

9 board established under section 101 (29 

10 U.S.C. 3111). 

11 ‘‘(ii) A local workforce development 

12 board established under section 107 (29 

13 U.S.C. 3122). 

14 ‘‘(iii) An Indian tribe, tribal organiza15 tion, Alaska Native entity, Indian-con16 trolled organization serving Indians, or Na17 tive Hawaiian organization that is eligible 

18 to receive an award under section 166 (29 

19 U.S.C. 3221). 

20 ‘‘(iv) An institution of higher edu21 cation (as defined in section 101 of the 

22 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

23 1001)). 

24 ‘‘(v) A State workforce agency. 

25 ‘‘(vi) An organization— 


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1 ‘‘(I) that— 

2 ‘‘(aa) is a community-based 

3 organization, a nonprofit organi4 zation, or a nongovernment orga5 nization; and 

6 ‘‘(bb) serves an underserved 

7 population; or 

8 ‘‘(II) that is a national or re9 gional organization that intends to 

10 use funds awarded under this Act to 

11 make direct grants to an organization 

12 described in subclause (I). 

13 ‘‘(vii) A consortium of any entities de14 scribed in clause (i) through (vi). 

15 ‘‘(B) FIELD-INITIATED.—The term ‘field16 initiated’, with respect to a program or service, 

17 means a program or service in which the ele18 ments of the program or service have been de19 veloped by practitioners or researchers in the 

20 policy area. 

21 ‘‘(C) INNOVATION PROGRAM OR SERV22 ICE.—The term ‘innovation program or service’ 

23 means a program or service designed to dem24 onstrate innovative and cost-effective ways to 


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1 augment and improve employment and training 

2 services. 

3 ‘‘(D) WELL-DESIGNED AND WELL-IMPLE4 MENTED EXPERIMENTAL STUDY.—The term 

5 ‘well-designed and well-implemented experi6 mental study’ means a study that— 

7 ‘‘(i) is replicable; 

8 ‘‘(ii) uses programmatic and control 

9 groups that are representative of the type 

10 of population served by the program or 

11 service that is subject to the study, includ12 ing by avoiding over-selection of partici13 pants who are highly skilled prior to par14 ticipation for such programmatic group; 

15 ‘‘(iii) uses controls for aggregate 

16 shifts that might affect baseline numbers; 

17 ‘‘(iv) does not have problems with at18 trition of participants from the study; and 

19 ‘‘(v) is conducted in a manner that is 

20 consistent with applicable evaluation, data, 

21 and privacy standards and practices de22 scribed in— 

23 ‘‘(I) the guidelines of the Office 

24 of Management and Budget entitled 

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1 mizing the Quality, Objectivity, Util2 ity, and Integrity of Information Dis3 seminated by Federal Agencies’ (67 

4 Fed. Reg. 8452 (February 22, 2002)) 

5 (or successor guidelines); and 

6 ‘‘(II) the Foundations for Evi7 dence-Based Policymaking Act of 

8 2018 (Public Law 115–435; 132 Stat. 

9 5529) and the amendments made by 

10 that Act.’’. 

11 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

12 132(a)(2)(A) of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor13 tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3172(a)(2)(A)) is amended by strik14 ing ‘‘169(c) (relating to dislocated worker projects),’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘169(c) (relating to the workforce development 

16 innovation fund), 169(d) (relating to dislocated worker 

17 projects), and’’. 

Æ 


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