I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3560

To amend the temporary assistance to needy families program under part 

A of title IV of the Social Security Act to provide grants for transitional 

jobs programs, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 20, 2003

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY (for herself, Mr. CONYERS, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. TOWNS, 

Mr. ACEVEDO-VILA ́, Ms. LEE, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. EMANUEL, Mr. 

LIPINSKI, Mr. PALLONE, Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Mrs. JONES of 

Ohio, and Mr. CUMMINGS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the 

Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 

provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL

To amend the temporary assistance to needy families program under part A of title IV of the Social Security 

Act to provide grants for transitional jobs 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 ‘‘Business Links Act 

5 of 2003’’. 
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1 SEC. 2. TRANSITIONAL JOBS GRANTS. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 403(a)(4) of the Social 

3 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 603(a)(4)) is amended to read 

4 as follows: 

5 ‘‘(4) INNOVATIVE BUSINESS LINK PARTNERSHIP

6 GRANTS.—

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary and the 

8 Secretary of Labor (in this paragraph referred 

9 to as the ‘Secretaries’) jointly shall award 

10 grants in accordance with this paragraph for 

11 projects proposed by eligible applicants based 

12 on the following: 

13 ‘‘(i) The potential effectiveness of the 

14 proposed project in carrying out the activi15 ties described in subparagraph (E). 

16 ‘‘(ii) Evidence of the ability of the eli17 gible applicant to leverage private, State, 

18 and local resources. 

19 ‘‘(iii) Evidence of the ability of the eli20 gible applicant to coordinate with other or21 ganizations at the State and local level. 

22 ‘‘(B) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE APPLI23 CANT.—

24 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In this paragraph, 

25 the term ‘eligible applicant’ means a non26 profit organization, a local workforce in-
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1 vestment board established under section 

2 117 of the Workforce Investment Act of 

3 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2832), a State, a political 

4 subdivision of a State, or an Indian tribe. 

5 ‘‘(ii) GRANTS TO PROMOTE BUSINESS

6 LINKAGES.—

7 ‘‘(I) ADDITIONAL ELIGIBLE AP8 PLICANT.—Only for purposes of 

9 grants to carry out the activities de10 scribed in subparagraph (E)(i), the 

11 term ‘eligible applicant’ includes an 

12 employer. 

13 ‘‘(II) ADDITIONAL REQUIRE14 MENT.—In order to qualify as an eli15 gible applicant for purposes of sub16 paragraph (E)(i), the applicant must 

17 provide evidence that the application 

18 has been developed by and will be im19 plemented by a local or regional con20 sortium that includes, at minimum, 

21 employers or employer associations, 

22 education and training providers, and 

23 local labor organizations in the local24 ity or region that represent workers in 

25 fields or occupations in which employ-
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1 ment, training, or a transitional job 

2 will be provided using grant funds 

3 under this paragraph, in consultation 

4 with social service providers that work 

5 with low-income families or individ6 uals with disabilities. 

7 ‘‘(C) REQUIREMENTS.—

8 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In awarding 

9 grants under this paragraph, the Secre10 taries shall—

11 ‘‘(I) consider the needs of rural 

12 areas and cities with large concentra13 tions of residents with an income that 

14 is less than 150 percent of the poverty 

15 line; and 

16 ‘‘(II) ensure that—

17 ‘‘(aa) all of the funds made 

18 available under this paragraph 

19 (other than funds reserved for 

20 use by the Secretaries under sub21 paragraph (K)) shall be used for 

22 activities described in subpara23 graph (E); 

24 ‘‘(bb) not less than 45 per25 cent of the funds made available 
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1 under this paragraph (other than 

2 funds so reserved) shall be used 

3 for activities described in sub4 paragraph (E)(i); and 

5 ‘‘(cc) not less than 45 per6 cent of the funds made available 

7 under this paragraph (other than 

8 funds so reserved) shall be used 

9 for the activities described in 

10 subparagraph (E)(ii). 

11 ‘‘(ii) CONTINUATION OF AVAIL12 ABILITY.—If any portion of the funds re13 quired to be used for activities referred to 

14 in item (bb) or (cc) of clause (i)(II) are not 

15 awarded in a fiscal year, such portion shall 

16 continue to be available in the subsequent 

17 fiscal year for the same activity, in addi18 tion to other amounts that may be avail19 able for such activities for that subsequent 

20 fiscal year. 

21 ‘‘(D) DETERMINATION OF GRANT

22 AMOUNT.—

23 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clause 

24 (ii), in determining the amount of a grant 

25 to be awarded under this paragraph for a 
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1 project proposed by an eligible applicant, 

2 the Secretaries shall provide the eligible 

3 applicant with an amount sufficient to en4 sure that the project has a reasonable op5 portunity to be successful, taking into ac6 count—

7 ‘‘(I) the number and characteris8 tics of the individuals to be served by 

9 the project; 

10 ‘‘(II) the level of unemployment 

11 in the area to be served by the 

12 project; 

13 ‘‘(III) the job opportunities and 

14 job growth in such area; 

15 ‘‘(IV) the poverty rate for such 

16 area; and 

17 ‘‘(V) such other factors as the 

18 Secretary deems appropriate in such 

19 area. 

20 ‘‘(ii) MAXIMUM AWARD FOR GRANTS

21 TO PROMOTE BUSINESS LINKAGES OR PRO22 VIDE TRANSITIONAL JOBS PROGRAMS.—

23 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—In the case 

24 of a grant to carry out activities de25 scribed in clause (i) or (ii) of subpara-
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1 graph (E), an eligible applicant 

2 awarded a grant under this paragraph 

3 may not receive more than 

4 $10,000,000 per fiscal year under the 

5 grant. 

6 ‘‘(II) RULE OF CONSTRUC7 TION.—Nothing in subclause (I) shall 

8 be construed as precluding an other9 wise eligible applicant from receiving 

10 separate grants to carry out activities 

11 described in clause (i) or (ii) of sub12 paragraph (E). 

13 ‘‘(iii) GRANT PERIOD.—The period in 

14 which a grant awarded under this para15 graph may be used shall be specified for a 

16 period of not less than 36 months and not 

17 more than 60 months. 

18 ‘‘(E) ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES.—An eligible 

19 applicant awarded a grant under this paragraph 

20 shall use funds provided under the grant to do 

21 the following: 

22 ‘‘(i) PROMOTE BUSINESS LINKAGES.—

23 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—To promote 

24 business linkages in which funds shall 
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1 be used to fund new or expanded pro2 grams that are designed to—

3 ‘‘(aa) substantially increase 

4 the wages of eligible individuals 

5 (as defined in subparagraph (F)), 

6 whether employed or unemployed, 

7 who have limited English pro8 ficiency or other barriers to em9 ployment by creating or upgrad10 ing job and related skills in part11 nership with employers, especially 

12 by providing supports and serv13 ices at or near work sites; and 

14 ‘‘(bb) identify and strength15 en career pathways by expanding 

16 and linking work and training 

17 opportunities for such individuals 

18 in collaboration with employers. 

19 ‘‘(II) CONSIDERATION OF IN20 KIND, IN-CASH RESOURCES.—In de21 termining which programs to fund 

22 under this clause, an eligible applicant 

23 awarded a grant under this paragraph 

24 shall consider the ability of a consor25 tium to provide funds in-kind or in-
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1 cash (including employer-provided, 

2 paid release time) to help support the 

3 programs for which funding is sought. 

4 ‘‘(III) PRIORITY.—In deter5 mining which programs to fund under 

6 this clause, an eligible applicant 

7 awarded a grant under this paragraph 

8 shall give priority to programs that 

9 include education or training for 

10 which participants receive credit to11 ward a recognized credential, such as 

12 an occupational certificate or license. 

13 ‘‘(IV) USE OF FUNDS.—

14 ‘‘(aa) IN GENERAL.—Funds 

15 provided to a program under this 

16 clause may be used for a com17 prehensive set of employment and 

18 training benefits and services, in19 cluding job development, job 

20 matching, workplace supports 

21 and accommodations, curricula 

22 development, wage subsidies, re23 tention services, and such other 

24 benefits or services as the pro25 gram deems necessary to achieve 
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1 the overall objectives of this 

2 clause. 

3 ‘‘(bb) PROVISION OF SERV4 ICES.—So long as a program is 

5 principally designed to assist eli6 gible individuals (as defined in 

7 subparagraph (F)), funds may be 

8 provided to a program under this 

9 clause that also serves low-earn10 ing employees of 1 or more em11 ployers even if such individuals 

12 are not within the definition of 

13 eligible individual (as so defined). 

14 ‘‘(ii) PROVIDE FOR TRANSITIONAL

15 JOBS PROGRAMS.—

16 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—To provide 

17 for wage-paying transitional jobs pro18 grams which combine time-limited em19 ployment in the public or nonprofit 

20 private sector that is subsidized with 

21 public funds with skill development 

22 and activities to remove barriers to 

23 employment, pursuant to an individ24 ualized plan (or, in the case of an eli25 gible individual described in subpara-
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1 graph (F)(i), an individual responsi2 bility plan developed for an individual 

3 under section 408(b)). Such programs 

4 also shall provide job development and 

5 placement assistance to individual 

6 participants to help them move from 

7 subsidized employment in transitional 

8 jobs into unsubsidized employment, as 

9 well as retention services after the 

10 transition to unsubsidized employ11 ment. 

12 ‘‘(II) ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS.—

13 The Secretary shall ensure that indi14 viduals who participate in transitional 

15 jobs programs funded under a grant 

16 made under this paragraph shall be 

17 individuals who have been unemployed 

18 because of limited skills, experience, 

19 or other barriers to employment, and 

20 who are eligible individuals (as de21 fined in subparagraph (F)), provided 

22 that so long as a program is designed 

23 to, and principally serves, eligible indi24 viduals (as so defined), a limited num25 ber of individuals who are unemployed 
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1 because of limited skills, experience, 

2 or other barriers to employment, and 

3 who have an income below 100 per4 cent of the Federal poverty line but 

5 who do not satisfy the definition of el6 igible individual (as so defined) may 

7 be served in the program to the extent 

8 the Secretaries determine that the in9 clusion of such individuals in the pro10 gram is appropriate. 

11 ‘‘(III) USE OF FUNDS.—Funds 

12 provided to a program under this 

13 clause may only be used in accordance 

14 with the following: 

15 ‘‘(aa) To create subsidized 

16 transitional jobs in which work 

17 shall be performed directly for 

18 the program operator or at other 

19 public and non profit organiza20 tions (in this subclause referred 

21 to as ‘worksite employers’) in the 

22 community, and in which 100 

23 percent of the wages shall be 

24 subsidized, except as described in 
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1 item (ff) regarding placements in 

2 the private, for profit sector. 

3 ‘‘(bb) Participants shall be 

4 paid at the rate paid to unsub5 sidized employees of the worksite 

6 employer who perform com7 parable work at the worksite 

8 where the individual is placed. If 

9 no other employees perform the 

10 same or comparable work then 

11 wages shall be set, at a min12 imum, at 50 percent of the 

13 Lower Living Standard Income 

14 Level (commonly referred to as 

15 the ‘LLSIL’), as determined 

16 under section 101(24) of the 

17 Workforce Investment Act of 

18 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801(24)), for a 

19 family of 3 based on 35 hours 

20 per week. 

21 ‘‘(cc) Transitional jobs shall 

22 be limited to not less than 6 

23 months and not more than 24 

24 months, however, nothing shall 

25 preclude a participant from mov-
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1 ing into unsubsidized employ2 ment at a point prior to the max3 imum duration of the transitional 

4 job placement. Participants shall 

5 be paid wages based on a work6 week of not less than 30 hours 

7 per week or more than 40 hours 

8 per week, except that a parent of 

9 a child under the age of 6, a 

10 child who is disabled, or a child 

11 with other special needs, or an 

12 individual who for other reasons 

13 cannot successfully participate 

14 for 30 to 40 hours per week, may 

15 be allowed to participate for more 

16 limited hours, but not less than 

17 20 hours per week. In any work 

18 week, 50 percent to 80 percent of 

19 hours shall be spent in the tran20 sitional job and 20 percent to 50 

21 percent of hours shall be spent in 

22 education or training, or other 

23 services designed to reduce or 

24 eliminate any barriers. 
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1 ‘‘(dd) Program operators 

2 shall provide case management 

3 services and ensure access to ap4 propriate education, training, and 

5 other services, including job ac6 commodation, work supports, and 

7 supported employment, as appro8 priate and consistent with an in9 dividual plan that is based on the 

10 individual’s strengths, resources, 

11 priorities, concerns, abilities, ca12 pabilities, career interests, and 

13 informed choice and that is devel14 oped with each participant. The 

15 goal of each participant’s plan 

16 shall focus on preparation for un17 subsidized jobs in demand in the 

18 local economy which offer the po19 tential for advancement and 

20 growth. Services shall also in21 clude job placement assistance 

22 and retention services, which may 

23 include coaching and work place 

24 supports, for 12 months after 

25 entry into unsubsidized place-
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1 ment. Participants shall also re2 ceive support services such as 

3 subsidized child care and trans4 portation, on the same basis as 

5 those services are made available 

6 to recipients of assistance under 

7 the State program funded under 

8 this part who are engaged in 

9 work-related activities. 

10 ‘‘(ee) Providers shall work 

11 with individual recipients to de12 termine eligibility for other em13 ployment-related supports which 

14 may include (but are not limited 

15 to) supported employment, other 

16 vocational rehabilitation services, 

17 and programs or services avail18 able under the Workforce Invest19 ment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 

20 2801 et seq.), or the ticket to 

21 work and self-sufficiency program 

22 established under section 1148, 

23 and, to the extent possible, shall 

24 provide transitional employment 

25 in collaboration with entities pro-
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1 viding, or arranging for the pro2 vision of, such other supports. 

3 ‘‘(ff) Not more than 20 per4 cent of the placements for a 

5 grantee shall be with a private 

6 for-profit company, except that 

7 such 20 percent limit may be 

8 waived by the Secretary for pro9 grams in rural areas when the 

10 grantee can demonstrate insuffi11 cient public and non-profit work12 sites. When a placement is made 

13 at a private for-profit company, 

14 the company shall pay 50 percent 

15 of program costs (including 

16 wages) for each participant, and 

17 the company shall agree, in writ18 ing, to hire each participant into 

19 an unsubsidized position at the 

20 completion of the agreed upon 

21 subsidized placement, or sooner, 

22 provided that the participant’s 

23 job performance has been satis24 factory. Not more than 5 percent 

25 of the workforce of a private for-
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1 profit company may be composed 

2 of transitional jobs participants. 

3 ‘‘(IV) DEFINITION OF TRANSI4 TIONAL JOBS PROGRAM.—In this 

5 clause, the term ‘transitional jobs pro6 gram’ means a program that is in7 tended to serve current and former re8 cipients of assistance under a State or 

9 tribal program funded under this part 

10 and other low-income individuals who 

11 have been unable to secure employ12 ment through job search or other em13 ployment-related services because of 

14 limited skills, experience, or other bar15 riers to employment. 

16 ‘‘(iii) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDI17 TURES.—Not more than 5 percent of the 

18 funds awarded to an eligible applicant 

19 under this paragraph may be used for ad20 ministrative expenditures incurred in car21 rying out the activities described in clause 

22 (i) or (ii) of this subpargraph, or for ex23 penditures related to carrying out the as24 sessments and reports required under sub25 paragraph (H). 
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1 ‘‘(F) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE INDI2 VIDUAL.—In this paragraph, the term ‘eligible 

3 individual’ means—

4 ‘‘(i) an individual who is a parent who 

5 is a recipient of assistance under a State 

6 or tribal program funded under this part; 

7 ‘‘(ii) an individual who is a parent 

8 who has ceased to receive assistance under 

9 such a State or tribal program; 

10 ‘‘(iii) an individual who is at risk of 

11 receiving assistance under a State or tribal 

12 program funded under this part; 

13 ‘‘(iv) an individual with a disability; or 

14 ‘‘(v) a noncustodial parent who is un15 employed, or is having difficulty in paying 

16 child support obligations, including such a 

17 parent who is a former criminal offender. 

18 ‘‘(G) APPLICATION.—Each eligible appli19 cant desiring a grant under this paragraph 

20 shall submit an application to the Secretaries at 

21 such time, in such manner, and accompanied by 

22 such information as the Secretaries may re23 quire. 

24 ‘‘(H) ASSESSMENTS AND REPORTS BY

25 GRANTEES.—
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1 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—An eligible appli2 cant that receives a grant under this para3 graph shall assess and report on the out4 comes of programs funded under the 

5 grant, including the identity of each pro6 gram operator, demographic information 

7 about each participant, including education 

8 level, literacy level, prior work experience 

9 and identified barriers to employment, the 

10 nature of education, training, or other 

11 services received by the participant, the 

12 reason for the participant’s leaving the 

13 program, and outcomes related to the 

14 placement of the participant in an unsub15 sidized job, including 1-year employment 

16 retention, wage at placement, benefits, and 

17 earnings progression, as specified by the 

18 Secretaries. 

19 ‘‘(ii) ASSISTANCE.—The Secretaries 

20 shall—

21 ‘‘(I) assist grantees in conducting 

22 the assessment required under clause 

23 (i) by making available where prac24 ticable low-cost means of tracking the 
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1 labor market outcomes of partici2 pants; and 

3 ‘‘(II) encourage States to provide 

4 such assistance. 

5 ‘‘(I) APPLICATION TO REQUIREMENTS OF

6 THE STATE PROGRAM.—

7 ‘‘(i) WORK PARTICIPATION REQUIRE8 MENTS.—With respect to any month in 

9 which a recipient of assistance under a 

10 State or tribal program funded under this 

11 part who satisfactorily participates in a 

12 business linkage or transitional jobs pro13 gram described in subparagraph (E) that 

14 is paid for with funds made available 

15 under a grant made under this paragraph, 

16 such participation shall be considered to 

17 satisfy the work participation requirements 

18 of section 407 and be included for pur19 poses of determining monthly participation 

20 rates under subsection (b)(1)(B)(i) of that 

21 section. 

22 ‘‘(ii) PARTICIPATION NOT CONSID23 ERED ASSISTANCE.—A benefit or service 

24 provided with funds made available under 

25 a grant made under this paragraph shall 
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1 not be considered assistance for any pur2 pose under a State or tribal program fund3 ed under this part. 

4 ‘‘(J) WORKER PROTECTIONS.—

5 ‘‘(i) NONDUPLICATION.—

6 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—Assistance 

7 under this paragraph shall be used 

8 only for a program that does not du9 plicate, and is in addition to, an activ10 ity otherwise available in the locality 

11 of the program. 

12 ‘‘(II) PRIVATE NONPROFIT ENTI13 TY.—Assistance made available under 

14 this paragraph shall not be provided 

15 to a private nonprofit entity to con16 duct activities that are the same or 

17 substantially equivalent to activities 

18 provided by a State or local govern19 ment agency that the entity resides in, 

20 unless the requirements of clause (ii) 

21 are met. 

22 ‘‘(ii) NONDISPLACEMENT.—

23 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—An employer 

24 shall not displace an employee or posi25 tion (including partial displacement 
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1 such as reduction in hours, wages, or 

2 employment benefits) or impair con3 tracts for services or collective bar4 gaining agreements, as a result of the 

5 use by the employer of a participant 

6 in a program receiving assistance 

7 under this paragraph, and no partici8 pant shall be assigned to fill any es9 tablished unfilled position vacancy. 

10 ‘‘(II) JOB OPPORTUNITIES.—A 

11 job opportunity shall not be created 

12 under this paragraph that will in13 fringe in any manner on the pro14 motional opportunity of an employed 

15 individual. 

16 ‘‘(III) LIMITATION ON SERV17 ICES.—

18 ‘‘(aa) SUPPLANTATION OF

19 HIRING.—A participant in any 

20 transitional job program shall not 

21 perform any services or duties or 

22 engage in activities that will sup23 plant the hiring of unsubsidized 

24 workers. 
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1 ‘‘(bb) DUTIES FORMERLY

2 PERFORMED BY ANOTHER EM3 PLOYEE.—A participant in any 

4 transitional job program under 

5 this paragraph shall not perform 

6 services or duties that are serv7 ices, duties, or activities—

8 ‘‘(AA) with respect to 

9 which an individual has re10 call rights pursuant to a col11 lective bargaining agreement 

12 or applicable personnel pro13 cedures; or 

14 ‘‘(BB) which had been 

15 performed by or were as16 signed to any employee de17 scribed in item (cc). 

18 ‘‘(cc) EMPLOYEE DE19 SCRIBED.—An employee is de20 scribed in this item if the em21 ployee—

22 ‘‘(AA) recently resigned 

23 or was discharged; 

24 ‘‘(BB) is subject to a 

25 reduction in force; 
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1 ‘‘(CC) is on leave (ter2 minal, temporary, vacation, 

3 emergency, or sick); or 

4 ‘‘(DD) is on strike or 

5 being locked out. 

6 ‘‘(iii) CONCURRENCE OF LOCAL

7 LABOR ORGANIZATION.—No work assign8 ment under a program receiving assistance 

9 under this paragraph shall be made until 

10 the program operator has obtained the 

11 written concurrence of any local labor or12 ganization representing employees who are 

13 engaged in the same or substantially simi14 lar work as that proposed to be carried out 

15 for the program operator or worksite em16 ployer with whom a participant is placed. 

17 ‘‘(iv) Individuals employed in transi18 tional jobs created under this paragraph 

19 shall be considered to be employees for all 

20 purposes under federal and state law, in21 cluding but not limited to health and safe22 ty, civil rights, and workers compensation. 

23 ‘‘(v) NONPREEMPTION OF STATE

24 LAW.—This subparagraph shall not be con25 strued to preempt any provision of State 
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1 law that affords greater protections to em2 ployees or to other participants engaged in 

3 work activities under a program funded 

4 under this part than is afforded by this 

5 subparagraph. 

6 ‘‘(vi) ENFORCING ANTIDISPLACEMENT

7 PROTECTIONS.—

8 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The State 

9 shall establish and maintain an impar10 tial grievance procedure to resolve any 

11 complaints alleging a violation of a re12 quirement set forth in any the pre13 ceding clauses of this subparagraph 

14 within 60 days of receipt of the com15 plaint and, if a decision is adverse to 

16 the party who filed such grievance or 

17 no decision has been reached, provide 

18 for the completion of an arbitration 

19 procedure within 75 days of receipt of 

20 the complaint or the adverse decision 

21 or conclusion of the 60-day period, 

22 whichever is earlier. 

23 ‘‘(II) APPEALS.—Appeals may be 

24 made to the Secretary who shall make 

25 a decision within 75 days. 
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1 ‘‘(III) REMEDIES.—Remedies for 

2 a violation of a requirement set forth 

3 in any of the preceding clauses of this 

4 subparagraph shall include termi5 nation or suspension of payments, 

6 prohibition of the placement of the 

7 participant, reinstatement of an em8 ployee, and other relief to make an 

9 aggrieved employee whole. 

10 ‘‘(IV) LIMITATION ON PLACE11 MENT.—If a grievance is filed regard12 ing a proposed placement of a partici13 pant, such placement shall not be 

14 made unless such placement is con15 sistent with the resolution of the 

16 grievance pursuant to this subclause. 

17 ‘‘(K) ASSESSMENTS BY THE SECRE18 TARIES.—

19 ‘‘(i) RESERVATION OF FUNDS.—Of 

20 the amount appropriated under subpara21 graph (M) for each of fiscal years 2005 

22 and 2006, $3,000,000 of such amount for 

23 each such fiscal year is reserved for use by 

24 the Secretaries to prepare an interim and 

25 final report summarizing and synthesizing 
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1 outcomes and lessons learned from the 

2 programs funded through grants awarded 

3 under this paragraph. 

4 ‘‘(ii) INTERIM AND FINAL ASSESS5 MENTS.—With respect to the reports pre6 pared under clause (i), the Secretaries 

7 shall submit—

8 ‘‘(I) the interim report not later 

9 than 4 years after the date of enact10 ment of the Business Links Act of 

11 2003; and 

12 ‘‘(II) the final report not later 

13 than 6 years after such date of enact14 ment. 

15 ‘‘(L) EVALUATIONS.—

16 ‘‘(i) RESERVATION OF FUNDS.—Of 

17 the amount appropriated under subpara18 graph (M) for a fiscal year, an amount 

19 equal to 1.5 percent of the amount for 

20 each such fiscal year shall be reserved for 

21 use by the Secretaries to conduct evalua22 tions in accordance with the requirements 

23 of clause (ii). 

24 ‘‘(ii) REQUIREMENTS.—The Secre25 taries—
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1 ‘‘(I) shall develop a plan to evalu2 ate the extent to which programs 

3 funded under grants made under this 

4 paragraph have been effective in pro5 moting sustained, unsubsidized em6 ployment for each group of eligible 

7 participants, and in improving the 

8 skills and wages of participants in 

9 comparison to the participants’ skills 

10 and wages prior to participation in 

11 the programs; 

12 ‘‘(II) may evaluate the use of 

13 such a grant by a grantee, as the Sec14 retaries deem appropriate, in accord15 ance with an agreement entered into 

16 with the grantee after good-faith ne17 gotiations; and 

18 ‘‘(III) shall include, as appro19 priate, the following outcome meas20 ures in the evaluation plan developed 

21 under subclause (I): 

22 ‘‘(aa) Placements in unsub23 sidized employment. 

24 ‘‘(bb) Retention in unsub25 sidized employment 6 months 
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1 and 12 months after initial place2 ment. 

3 ‘‘(cc) Earnings of individuals 

4 at the time of placement in un5 subsidized employment. 

6 ‘‘(dd) Earnings of individ7 uals 12 months after placement 

8 in unsubsidized employment. 

9 ‘‘(ee) The extent to which 

10 unsubsidized job placements in11 clude access to affordable em12 ployer-sponsored health insurance 

13 and paid leave benefits. 

14 ‘‘(ff) Comparison of pre15 and post-program wage rates of 

16 participants. 

17 ‘‘(gg) Comparison of pre18 and post-program skill levels of 

19 participants. 

20 ‘‘(hh) Wage growth and em21 ployment retention in relation to 

22 occupations and industries at ini23 tial placement in unsubsidized 

24 employment and over the first 12 

25 months after initial placement. 
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1 ‘‘(ii) Recipient of cash as2 sistance under the State program 

3 funded under this part. 

4 ‘‘(jj) Average expenditures 

5 per participant. 

6 ‘‘(iii) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—The 

7 Secretaries shall submit to Congress the 

8 following reports on the evaluations of pro9 grams funded under grants made under 

10 this paragraph: 

11 ‘‘(I) INTERIM REPORT.—An in12 terim report not later than 4 years 

13 after the date of enactment of the 

14 Business Links Act of 2003. 

15 ‘‘(II) FINAL REPORT.—A final 

16 report not later than 6 years after 

17 such date of enactment. 

18 ‘‘(M) APPROPRIATION.—

19 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Out of any money 

20 in the Treasury of the United States not 

21 otherwise appropriated, there is appro22 priated for grants under this section, 

23 $200,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2005 

24 through 2009. 
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1 ‘‘(ii) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts appro2 priated under clause (i) for a fiscal year 

3 shall remain available for obligation for 5 

4 fiscal years after the fiscal year in which 

5 the amount is appropriated.’’. 

6 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

7 subsection (a) shall take effect on October 1, 2004.

Æ