I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1855 

To promote industry growth and competitiveness and to improve worker 

training, retention, and advancement, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 1, 2009 

Mr. LOEBSACK (for himself and Mr. PLATTS) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in 

addition to the Committees on Ways and Means and the Judiciary, 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 promote industry growth and competitiveness and to improve worker training, retention, and advancement, 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 ‘‘Strengthening Employ5 ment Clusters to Organize Regional Success Act of 2009’’ 

6 or the ‘‘SECTORS Act of 2009’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. INDUSTRY OR SECTOR PARTNERSHIP GRANT. 

2 Subtitle D of title I of the Workforce Investment Act 

3 of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2911 et seq.) is amended by inserting 

4 after section 174 the following: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 174A. INDUSTRY OR SECTOR PARTNERSHIP GRANT 

6 PROGRAM. 

7 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this section to 

8 create designated capacity to promote industry or sector 

9 partnerships that lead collaborative planning, resource 

10 alignment, and training efforts across multiple firms for 

11 a range of workers employed or potentially employed by 

12 a targeted industry cluster, in order to encourage industry 

13 growth and competitiveness and to improve worker train14 ing, retention, and advancement in targeted industry clus15 ters, including by developing— 

16 ‘‘(1) immediate strategies for regions and com17 munities to fulfill pressing skilled workforce needs; 

18 ‘‘(2) long-term plans to grow targeted industry 

19 clusters with better training and a more productive 

20 workforce; 

21 ‘‘(3) core competencies and competitive advan22 tages for regions and communities undergoing struc23 tural economic redevelopment; and 

24 ‘‘(4) cross-firm skill standards, career ladders, 

25 job redefinitions, employer practices, and shared 


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1 training and support capacities that facilitate the 

2 advancement of workers at all skill levels. 

3 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

4 ‘‘(1) CAREER LADDER.—The term ‘career lad5 der’ means an identified series of positions, work ex6 periences, and educational benchmarks or credentials 

7 that offer occupational and financial advancement 

8 within a specified career field or related fields over 

9 time. 

10 ‘‘(2) ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY.—The term 

11 ‘economic self-sufficiency’ means, with respect to a 

12 worker, earning a wage sufficient to support a fam13 ily adequately over time, based on factors such as— 

14 ‘‘(A) family size; 

15 ‘‘(B) the number and ages of children in 

16 the family; 

17 ‘‘(C) the cost of living in the worker’s com18 munity; and 

19 ‘‘(D) other factors that may vary by re20 gion. 

21 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en22 tity’ means— 

23 ‘‘(A) an industry or sector partnership; or 

24 ‘‘(B) an eligible State agency. 


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1 ‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE STATE AGENCY.—The term ‘eli2 gible State agency’ means a State agency designated 

3 by the Governor of the State for the purposes of the 

4 grant program under this section. 

5 ‘‘(5) HIGH-PRIORITY OCCUPATION.—The term 

6 ‘high-priority occupation’ means an occupation 

7 that— 

8 ‘‘(A) has a significant presence in an in9 dustry cluster; 

10 ‘‘(B) is in demand by employers; 

11 ‘‘(C) pays family-sustaining wages that en12 able workers to achieve economic self-suffi13 ciency, or can reasonably be expected to lead to 

14 such wages; 

15 ‘‘(D) has a documented career ladder; and 

16 ‘‘(E) has a significant impact on a region’s 

17 economic development strategy. 

18 ‘‘(6) INDUSTRY CLUSTER.—The term ‘industry 

19 cluster’ means a concentration of interconnected 

20 businesses, suppliers, research and development, 

21 service providers, and associated institutions in a 

22 particular field that are linked by common workforce 

23 needs. 


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1 ‘‘(7) INDUSTRY OR SECTOR PARTNERSHIP.— 

2 The term ‘industry or sector partnership’ means a 

3 workforce collaborative that— 

4 ‘‘(A) organizes key stakeholders in a tar5 geted industry cluster into a working group 

6 that focuses on the human capital needs of a 

7 targeted industry cluster and that includes, at 

8 the appropriate stage of development of the 

9 partnership— 

10 ‘‘(i) representatives of multiple firms 

11 or employers, including workers, in a tar12 geted industry cluster, including small- and 

13 medium-sized employers when practicable; 

14 ‘‘(ii) 1 or more representatives of 

15 State labor organizations, central labor 

16 coalitions, or other labor organizations; 

17 ‘‘(iii) 1 or more representatives of 

18 local boards; 

19 ‘‘(iv) 1 or more representatives of 

20 postsecondary educational institutions or 

21 other training providers; and 

22 ‘‘(v) 1 or more representatives of 

23 State workforce agencies or other entities 

24 providing employment services; and 

25 ‘‘(B) may include representatives of— 


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1 ‘‘(i) State or local government; 

2 ‘‘(ii) State or local economic develop3 ment agencies; 

4 ‘‘(iii) other State or local agencies; 

5 ‘‘(iv) chambers of commerce; 

6 ‘‘(v) nonprofit organizations; 

7 ‘‘(vi) philanthropic organizations; 

8 ‘‘(vii) economic development organiza9 tions; 

10 ‘‘(viii) industry associations; and 

11 ‘‘(ix) other organizations, as deter12 mined necessary by the members com13 prising the industry or sector partnership. 

14 ‘‘(8) TARGETED INDUSTRY CLUSTER.—The 

15 term ‘targeted industry cluster’ means an industry 

16 cluster that has— 

17 ‘‘(A) economic impact in a local or regional 

18 area; 

19 ‘‘(B) immediate workforce development 

20 needs; and 

21 ‘‘(C) documented career opportunities. 

22 ‘‘(c) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—From amounts appro24 priated under subsection (i), the Secretary shall 

25 award, on a competitive basis, planning grants deVerDate Nov 24 2008 00:05 Apr 03, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1855.IH H1855

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1 scribed in paragraph (3) and implementation grants 

2 described in paragraph (4) to eligible entities, to en3 able the eligible entities to plan and implement, re4 spectively, the eligible entities’ strategic objectives in 

5 accordance with subsection (f). 

6 ‘‘(2) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.— 

7 ‘‘(A) PLANNING GRANTS.—A planning 

8 grant awarded under paragraph (3) shall not 

9 exceed $250,000. 

10 ‘‘(B) IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS.—An im11 plementation grant awarded under paragraph 

12 (4)(A) shall not exceed a total of $2,500,000 

13 for a 3-year period. 

14 ‘‘(C) RENEWAL GRANTS.—A renewal grant 

15 awarded under paragraph (4)(C) shall not ex16 ceed a total of $1,500,000 for a 3-year period. 

17 ‘‘(3) PLANNING GRANTS.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

19 award a planning grant under this section to an 

20 eligible entity that— 

21 ‘‘(i) is a newly formed industry or sec22 tor partnership; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) has not received a grant under 

24 this section. 


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1 ‘‘(B) DURATION.—A planning grant shall 

2 be for a duration of 1 year. 

3 ‘‘(4) IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

5 award an implementation grant under this sec6 tion to— 

7 ‘‘(i) an eligible entity that has already 

8 received a planning grant under this sec9 tion; or 

10 ‘‘(ii) an eligible entity that is an es11 tablished industry or sector partnership. 

12 ‘‘(B) DURATION.—An implementation 

13 grant shall be for a duration of not more than 

14 3 years, and may be renewed in accordance 

15 with subparagraph (C). 

16 ‘‘(C) RENEWAL.—The Secretary may 

17 renew an implementation grant for not more 

18 than 3 years. A renewal of such grant shall be 

19 subject to the requirements of this section, ex20 cept that the Secretary shall— 

21 ‘‘(i) prioritize renewals to eligible enti22 ties that can demonstrate the long-term 

23 sustainability of an industry or sector part24 nership funded under this section; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) as a condition of renewing the 

2 grant, and notwithstanding subsection (d), 

3 decrease the amount of the Federal share 

4 and increase the amount of the non-Fed5 eral share required for the grant, which 

6 must include at least a 25 percent cash 

7 match from the State, the industry cluster, 

8 or some combination thereof; and 

9 ‘‘(iii) require assurances that the eligi10 ble entity will leverage, each year, addi11 tional funding sources in accordance with 

12 subparagraph (D)(ii) than the eligible enti13 ty provided for the preceding year of the 

14 grant. 

15 ‘‘(D) FEDERAL AND NON-FEDERAL

16 SHARE.— 

17 ‘‘(i) FEDERAL SHARE.—Except as 

18 provided in subparagraph (C)(ii) and 

19 (D)(iii), the Federal share of an implemen20 tation grant under this section shall be— 

21 ‘‘(I) 90 percent of the costs of 

22 the activities described in subsection 

23 (g), in the first year of the grant; 

24 ‘‘(II) 80 percent of such costs in 

25 the second year of the grant; and 


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1 ‘‘(III) 70 percent of such costs in 

2 the third year of the grant. 

3 ‘‘(ii) NON-FEDERAL.—The non-Fed4 eral share of an implementation grant 

5 under this section may be in cash or in6 kind, and may come from State, local, phil7 anthropic, private, or other sources. 

8 ‘‘(iii) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary 

9 may require the Federal share of an imple10 mentation grant under this section to be 

11 100 percent if an eligible entity receiving 

12 such grant is located in a State or local 

13 area that is receiving a national emergency 

14 grant under section 173. 

15 ‘‘(5) FISCAL AGENT.—Each eligible entity re16 ceiving a grant under this section that is an industry 

17 or sector partnership shall designate an entity in the 

18 partnership as the fiscal agent for purposes of this 

19 grant. 

20 ‘‘(6) USE OF GRANT FUNDS DURING GRANT PE21 RIODS.—An eligible entity receiving grant funds 

22 under a planning grant, implementation grant, or a 

23 renewal grant under this section shall expend grant 

24 funds or obligate grant funds to be expended by the 

25 last day of the grant period. 


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1 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION PROCESS.— 

2 ‘‘(1) IDENTIFICATION OF A TARGETED INDUS3 TRY CLUSTER.—In order to qualify for a grant 

4 under this section, an eligible entity shall identify a 

5 targeted industry cluster that could benefit from 

6 such grant by— 

7 ‘‘(A) working with businesses, industry as8 sociations and organizations, labor organiza9 tions, State boards, local boards, economic de10 velopment agencies, and other organizations 

11 that the eligible entity determines necessary, to 

12 identify an appropriate targeted industry clus13 ter based on criteria that include, at a min14 imum— 

15 ‘‘(i) data showing the competitiveness 

16 of the industry cluster; 

17 ‘‘(ii) the importance of the industry 

18 cluster to the economic development of the 

19 area served by the eligible entity; 

20 ‘‘(iii) the identification of supply and 

21 distribution chains within the industry 

22 cluster; and 

23 ‘‘(iv) research studies on industry 

24 clusters; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) working with appropriate employment 

2 agencies, workforce investment boards, eco3 nomic development agencies, community organi4 zations, and other organizations that the eligi5 ble entity determines necessary to ensure that 

6 the targeted industry cluster identified under 

7 subparagraph (A) should be targeted for invest8 ment, based primarily on the following criteria: 

9 ‘‘(i) Demonstrated demand for job 

10 growth potential. 

11 ‘‘(ii) Measurable evidence of competi12 tiveness. 

13 ‘‘(iii) Employment base. 

14 ‘‘(iv) Wages and benefits. 

15 ‘‘(v) Demonstrated importance of the 

16 targeted industry cluster to the area’s 

17 economy. 

18 ‘‘(vi) Workforce development needs. 

19 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity desiring 

20 to receive a grant under this section shall submit an 

21 application to the Secretary at such time, in such 

22 manner, and containing such information as the Sec23 retary may require. An application submitted under 

24 this paragraph shall contain, at a minimum, the fol25 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(A) A description of the eligible entity, 

2 evidence of the eligible entity’s capacity to carry 

3 out activities in support of the strategic objec4 tives identified in the application under sub5 paragraph (D), and, if the eligible entity is an 

6 industry or sector partnership, a description of 

7 the expected participation and responsibilities of 

8 each of the mandatory partners described in 

9 subsection (b)(8)(A). 

10 ‘‘(B) A description of the targeted industry 

11 cluster for which the eligible entity intends to 

12 carry out activities through a grant under this 

13 section, and a description of how such targeted 

14 industry cluster was identified in accordance 

15 with paragraph (1). 

16 ‘‘(C) A description of the workers that will 

17 be targeted or recruited by the partnership, in18 cluding an analysis of the existing labor market, 

19 a description of potential barriers to employ20 ment for targeted workers, and a description of 

21 strategies that will be employed to help workers 

22 overcome such barriers. 

23 ‘‘(D) A description of the strategic objec24 tives that the eligible entity intends to carry out 


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1 for the targeted industry cluster, which objec2 tives shall include— 

3 ‘‘(i) recruiting key stakeholders in the 

4 targeted industry cluster, such as busi5 nesses and employers, labor organizations, 

6 industry associations, local boards, State 

7 boards, and education and training pro8 viders, and regularly convening the stake9 holders in a collaborative structure that 

10 supports the sharing of information, ideas, 

11 and challenges common to the targeted in12 dustry cluster; 

13 ‘‘(ii) identifying the training needs of 

14 multiple businesses, especially skill gaps 

15 critical to competitiveness and innovation 

16 to the targeted industry cluster; 

17 ‘‘(iii) facilitating economies of scale by 

18 aggregating training and education needs 

19 of multiple employers; 

20 ‘‘(iv) helping postsecondary edu21 cational institutions, training institutions, 

22 and registered apprenticeship programs 

23 align curricula entrance requirements and 

24 programs to industry demand, particularly 


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1 for higher skill, high-priority occupations 

2 validated by the industry; 

3 ‘‘(v) ensuring that the State agency, 

4 including services provided by State merit 

5 staff authorized under the Wagner-Peyser 

6 Act program, shall inform recipients of un7 employment insurance and trade adjust8 ment assistance under chapter 2 or 6 of 

9 title II of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 

10 U.S.C. 2271 et seq., 2401 et seq.) of the 

11 job and training opportunities that may re12 sult from the implementation of this grant; 

13 ‘‘(vi) informing and collaborating with 

14 organizations such as youth councils, busi15 ness-education partnerships, apprenticeship 

16 programs, secondary schools, and postsec17 ondary educational institutions, and with 

18 parents and career counselors, for the pur19 pose of addressing the challenges of con20 necting disadvantaged adults as defined in 

21 section 132(b)(1)(B)(v) and disadvantaged 

22 youth as defined in section 127(b) to ca23 reers; 

24 ‘‘(vii) helping companies identify, and 

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1 zational and human resource challenges, 

2 such as— 

3 ‘‘(I) recruiting new workers; 

4 ‘‘(II) implementing effective 

5 workplace practices; 

6 ‘‘(III) retaining dislocated and 

7 incumbent workers; 

8 ‘‘(IV) implementing a high-per9 formance work organization; 

10 ‘‘(V) recruiting and retaining 

11 women in nontraditional occupations; 

12 ‘‘(VI) adopting new technologies; 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(VII) fostering experiential and 

15 contextualized on-the-job learning; 

16 ‘‘(viii) developing and strengthening 

17 career ladders within and across companies 

18 (in cooperation with labor organizations if 

19 the labor organizations represent employ20 ees engaged in similar work in the industry 

21 cluster), in order to enable dislocated, in22 cumbent and entry-level workers to im23 prove skills and advance to higher-wage 

24 jobs; 


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1 ‘‘(ix) improving job quality through 

2 improving wages, benefits, and working 

3 conditions; 

4 ‘‘(x) helping partner companies in in5 dustry or sector partnerships to attract po6 tential employees from a diverse job seeker 

7 base, including individuals with barriers to 

8 employment (such as job seekers who are 

9 low income, youth, older workers, and indi10 viduals who have completed a term of im11 prisonment), by identifying such barriers 

12 through analysis of the existing labor mar13 ket and implementing strategies to help 

14 such workers overcome such barriers; and 

15 ‘‘(xi) strengthening connections 

16 among businesses in the targeted industry 

17 cluster, leading to cooperation beyond 

18 workforce issues that will improve competi19 tiveness and job quality, such as joint pur20 chasing, market research, or centers for 

21 technology and innovation. 

22 ‘‘(E) A description of the manner in which 

23 the eligible entity intends to make sustainable 

24 progress toward the strategic objectives de25 scribed in subparagraph (D). 


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1 ‘‘(F) Performance measures, including 

2 quantifiable interim performance, for measuring 

3 progress toward the strategic objectives. Such 

4 measures shall consider, at a minimum, the 

5 benefits provided by the grant activities funded 

6 under this section for— 

7 ‘‘(i) workers employed in the targeted 

8 industry cluster, disaggregated by gender 

9 and race, including— 

10 ‘‘(I) the number of workers re11 ceiving portable industry-recognized 

12 credentials; 

13 ‘‘(II) the number of workers with 

14 increased wages, the percentage of 

15 workers with increased wages, and the 

16 average wage increase; and 

17 ‘‘(III) for dislocated or non18 incumbent workers, the number of 

19 workers placed in sector-related jobs; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(ii) firms and industries in the tar22 geted industry cluster, including— 

23 ‘‘(I) the creation or updating of 

24 an industry plan to meet current and 

25 future workforce demand; 


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1 ‘‘(II) the creation or updating of 

2 published industry-wide skill stand3 ards or career pathways; 

4 ‘‘(III) the creation or updating of 

5 portable, industry-recognized creden6 tials, or where there is not such a cre7 dential, the creation or updating of a 

8 training curriculum that can lead to 

9 the development of such a credential; 

10 ‘‘(IV) in the case of an eligible 

11 entity that is an industry or sector 

12 partnership, the number of firms, and 

13 the percentage of the local industry, 

14 participating in the industry or sector 

15 partnership; and 

16 ‘‘(V) the number of firms, and 

17 the percentage of the local industry, 

18 receiving workers or services through 

19 the grant funded under this section. 

20 ‘‘(G) A timeline for achieving progress to21 ward the strategic objectives. 

22 ‘‘(H) In the case of an eligible entity desir23 ing an implementation grant under this section, 

24 an assurance that the eligible entity will lever25 age other funding sources, in addition to the 


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1 amount required for the non-Federal share 

2 under subsection (d), to provide training or 

3 supportive services to workers under the grant 

4 program. Such additional funding sources may 

5 include— 

6 ‘‘(i) funding under this title used for 

7 such training and supportive services; 

8 ‘‘(ii) funding under the Adult Edu9 cation and Family Literacy Act of 1998 

10 (20 U.S.C. 9201 et seq.); 

11 ‘‘(iii) funding under chapter 2 or 6 of 

12 title II of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 

13 U.S.C. 2271 et seq.); 

14 ‘‘(iv) economic development funding; 

15 ‘‘(v) employer contributions to train16 ing initiatives; or 

17 ‘‘(vi) providing employees with em18 ployee release time for such training or 

19 supportive services. 

20 ‘‘(e) AWARD BASIS.— 

21 ‘‘(1) GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—The Sec22 retary shall award grants under this section in a 

23 manner to ensure geographic diversity. 


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1 ‘‘(2) PRIORITIES.—In awarding grants under 

2 this section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligi3 ble entities that— 

4 ‘‘(A) work with employers within a tar5 geted industry cluster to retain and expand em6 ployment in high wage, high growth areas; 

7 ‘‘(B) focus on helping workers move to8 ward economic self-sufficiency and ensuring the 

9 workers have access to adequate supportive 

10 services; 

11 ‘‘(C) address the needs of firms with lim12 ited human resources or in-house training ca13 pacity, including small- and medium-sized 

14 firms; and 

15 ‘‘(D) coordinate with entities carrying out 

16 State and local workforce investment, economic 

17 development, and education activities. 

18 ‘‘(f) ACTIVITIES.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity receiving 

20 a grant under this section shall carry out the activi21 ties necessary to meet the strategic objectives de22 scribed in the entity’s application in a manner 

23 that— 


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1 ‘‘(A) integrates services and funding 

2 sources in a way that enhances the effectiveness 

3 of the activities; and 

4 ‘‘(B) uses grant funds awarded under this 

5 section efficiently. 

6 ‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—An eligible enti7 ty may retain a portion of a grant awarded under 

8 this section for a fiscal year to carry out the admin9 istration of this section in an amount not to exceed 

10 10 percent of the grant amount. 

11 ‘‘(g) EVALUATION AND PROGRESS REPORTS.— 

12 ‘‘(1) ANNUAL ACTIVITY REPORT AND EVALUA13 TION.—Not later than 1 year after receiving a grant 

14 under this section, and annually thereafter, an eligi15 ble entity shall— 

16 ‘‘(A) report to the Secretary, and to the 

17 Governor of the State that the eligible entity 

18 serves, on the activities funded pursuant to a 

19 grant under this section; and 

20 ‘‘(B) evaluate the progress the eligible enti21 ty has made toward the strategic objectives 

22 identified in the application under subsection 

23 (d)(2)(D), and measure the progress using the 

24 performance measures identified in the applica25 tion under subsection (d)(2)(F). 


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1 ‘‘(2) REPORT TO THE SECRETARY.—An eligible 

2 entity receiving a grant under this section shall sub3 mit to the Secretary a report containing the results 

4 of the evaluation described in subparagraph (B) at 

5 such time and in such manner as the Secretary may 

6 require. 

7 ‘‘(h) ADMINISTRATION BY THE SECRETARY.— 

8 ‘‘(1) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—The Secretary 

9 may retain not more than 10 percent of the funds 

10 appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appro11 priations under subsection (j) for each fiscal year to 

12 administer this section. 

13 ‘‘(2) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND OVER14 SIGHT.—The Secretary shall provide technical assist15 ance and oversight to assist the eligible State and 

16 local agencies or eligible entities in applying for and 

17 administering grants awarded under this section. 

18 The Secretary shall also provide technical assistance 

19 to eligible entities in the form of conferences and 

20 through the collection and dissemination of informa21 tion on best practices developed by eligible partner22 ships. The Secretary may award a grant or contract 

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1 mation, and implementation of industry cluster part2 nerships. 

3 ‘‘(3) GEOGRAPHIC EQUALITY.—The Secretary 

4 shall ensure that, to the extent practicable, grants 

5 are awarded on a geographically equal basis. 

6 ‘‘(4) PERFORMANCE MEASURES.—The Sec7 retary shall issue a range of performance measures, 

8 with quantifiable benchmarks, and methodologies 

9 that eligible entities may use to evaluate the effec10 tiveness of each type of activity in making progress 

11 toward the strategic objectives described in sub12 section (d)(2)(D). Such measures shall consider the 

13 benefits of the industry or sector partnership and its 

14 activities for workers, firms, industries, and commu15 nities. 

16 ‘‘(5) DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION.—The 

17 Secretary shall— 

18 ‘‘(A) coordinate the annual review of each 

19 eligible entity receiving a grant under this sec20 tion and produce an overview report that, at a 

21 minimum, includes— 

22 ‘‘(i) the critical learning of each in23 dustry or sector partnership, such as— 

24 ‘‘(I) the training that was most 

25 effective; 


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1 ‘‘(II) the human resource chal2 lenges that were most common; 

3 ‘‘(III) how technology is changing 

4 the targeted industry cluster; and 

5 ‘‘(IV) the changes that may im6 pact the targeted industry cluster over 

7 the next 5 years; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) a description of what eligible en9 tities serving similar targeted industry 

10 clusters consider exemplary practices, such 

11 as— 

12 ‘‘(I) how to work effectively with 

13 postsecondary educational institutions; 

14 ‘‘(II) the use of internships; 

15 ‘‘(III) coordinating with appren16 ticeships and cooperative education 

17 programs; 

18 ‘‘(IV) how to work effectively 

19 with schools providing vocational edu20 cation; 

21 ‘‘(V) how to work effectively with 

22 adult populations, including— 

23 ‘‘(aa) dislocated workers; 

24 ‘‘(bb) women in nontradi25 tional occupations; and 


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1 ‘‘(cc) individuals with bar2 riers to employment, such as job 

3 seekers who— 

4 ‘‘(AA) are economically 

5 disadvantaged; 

6 ‘‘(BB) have limited 

7 English proficiency; 

8 ‘‘(CC) require remedial 

9 education; 

10 ‘‘(DD) are older work11 ers; 

12 ‘‘(EE) are individuals 

13 who have completed a sen14 tence for a criminal offense; 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(FF) have other bar17 riers to employment; 

18 ‘‘(VI) employer practices that are 

19 most effective; 

20 ‘‘(VII) the types of training that 

21 are most effective; and 

22 ‘‘(VIII) other areas where indus23 try or sector partnerships can assist 

24 each other; 


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1 ‘‘(B) make resource materials, including all 

2 reports published and all data collected under 

3 this section, available on the Internet; and 

4 ‘‘(C) conduct conferences and seminars 

5 to— 

6 ‘‘(i) disseminate information on best 

7 practices developed by eligible entities re8 ceiving a grant under this section; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) provide information to the com10 munities of eligible entities. 

11 ‘‘(6) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after 

12 the date of enactment of this Act and on an annual 

13 basis, the Secretary shall transmit a report to Con14 gress on the industry or sector partnership grant 

15 program established by this section. The report shall 

16 include a description of— 

17 ‘‘(A) the eligible entities receiving funding; 

18 ‘‘(B) the activities carried out by the eligi19 ble entities; 

20 ‘‘(C) how the eligible entities were selected 

21 to receive funding under this section; and 

22 ‘‘(D) an assessment of the results achieved 

23 by the grant program including findings from 

24 the annual reviews described in paragraph 

25 (4)(A). 


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1 ‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

2 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 

3 appropriated to carry out this section such sums as 

4 may be necessary for fiscal year 2010 and for each 

5 succeeding fiscal year. 

6 ‘‘(2) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts appropriated 

7 pursuant to the authorization of appropriations 

8 under paragraph (1) for the fiscal year shall remain 

9 available until the end of the second fiscal year fol10 lowing the fiscal year in which such amounts were 

11 first appropriated.’’. 

12 SEC. 3. FEDERAL AGENCY COORDINATION. 

13 (a) INTERAGENCY COOPERATION.—The head of each 

14 Federal department or agency whose funding, regulations, 

15 or other policies impact workers shall cooperate with the 

16 Secretary of Labor to— 

17 (1) maintain up-to-date information on jobs, 

18 wages, benefits, skills, and careers of workers im19 pacted by the actions of such agency or department; 

20 (2) develop and implement policies that would 

21 improve the jobs and careers of workers impacted by 

22 the actions of such agency or department; and 

23 (3) report the department or agency’s job cre24 ation and economic development strategies to the 

25 Secretary. 


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1 (b) ALIGNMENT.—Notwithstanding any other provi2 sion of law, the Secretary and the heads of other Federal 

3 departments or agencies shall work together to align exist4 ing education and training programs with the dem5 onstrated needs of industry or sector partnerships, as de6 fined in section 174A(b) of the Workforce Investment Act. 

7 These collaborative efforts shall include the following: 

8 (1) DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE.—The Sec9 retary of Commerce shall advise the Secretary of 

10 Labor of the Department of Commerce’s workforce 

11 and economic development strategies, programs, and 

12 initiatives. 

13 (2) JUSTICE DEPARTMENT.—The Attorney 

14 General shall— 

15 (A) align federally funded programs offer16 ing training for inmates with industry clusters 

17 (as defined in section 174A(b) of the Workforce 

18 Investment Act) and high-priority occupations, 

19 and annually review these training programs to 

20 assure that the training programs prepare indi21 viduals for high-priority occupations; and 

22 (B) align federally funded reentry pro23 grams to take advantage of information and ca24 reer opportunities provided by industry and sec25 tor partnerships. 


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1 (3) DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.—The Sec2 retary of Education shall— 

3 (A) develop and support career ladders for 

4 high-priority occupations critical to targeted in5 dustry clusters served by a grant under section 

6 174A of the Workforce Investment Act; 

7 (B) develop and support innovative pro8 grams to address literacy (including English as 

9 a second language) and numeracy short10 comings, especially in those occupations critical 

11 to such targeted industry clusters; 

12 (C) develop and support programs and 

13 strategies to reduce barriers to adult education; 

14 (D) develop and support career education 

15 initiatives in middle and high schools; and 

16 (E) support initiatives to develop industry17 recognized credentials and new credit-bearing 

18 programs in public and private postsecondary 

19 educational institutions, especially in occupa20 tions critical to such targeted industry clusters. 

21 (4) DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN

22 SERVICES.—The Secretary of Health and Human 

23 Services shall— 

24 (A) develop and support innovative pro25 grams that connect qualified individuals receivVerDate Nov 24 2008 00:05 Apr 03, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1855.IH H1855

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1 ing assistance under the State temporary assist2 ance for needy families program funded under 

3 part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 

4 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) with employment opportuni5 ties in the targeted industry clusters served by 

6 a grant under section 174A of the Workforce 

7 Investment Act; 

8 (B) develop and support strategies to pre9 pare individuals receiving assistance under the 

10 State temporary assistance for needy families 

11 programs funded under part A of title IV of the 

12 Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) for 

13 success in postsecondary education and training 

14 programs; and 

15 (C) develop and support career education 

16 initiatives that provide such individuals with in17 formation to guide the clients’ education and 

18 training plans. 

Æ 


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