I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2497 

To amend title 49, United States Code, to expand and improve transit 

training programs. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 19, 2009 

Mr. NADLER of New York introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To amend title 49, United States Code, to expand and 

improve transit training programs. 

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 ‘‘Transportation Job 

5 Corps Act of 2009’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) There are millions of young people ages 16 

9 through 24 who are neither in school nor in the 

10 labor force. 


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1 (2) According to a report issued by the Commu2 nity Service Society in June 2008, entitled ‘‘Out of 

3 Focus: A Snapshot of Public Funding to Reconnect 

4 Youth to Education and Employment’’, the young 

5 people described in paragraph (1), often referred to 

6 as disconnected youth, are largely youth of color 

7 from poor communities and at risk of becoming per8 manently disengaged from the labor market which 

9 threatens their ability to break out of the cycle of 

10 poverty and contribute to our economy and commu11 nities. 

12 (3) When our young people lack the skills that 

13 local industries need and are unable to support 

14 themselves, we all bear the financial costs. 

15 (4) In the coming years, the combination of 

16 public transportation industry growth and an aging 

17 workforce will produce sizeable new openings in the 

18 transit sector. 

19 (5) There is no pipeline of replacements on the 

20 horizon, and the transit industry has been limited in 

21 its ability to attract, recruit, and retain employees. 

22 (6) For the existing workforce, new technology 

23 is rapidly changing the way transit agencies func24 tion, affecting every sector of the workforce, includ25 ing executive directors, mid-level managers, bus opVerDate Nov 24 2008 06:45 May 21, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2497.IH H2497

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1 erators, and mechanics, yet relatively few programs 

2 exist to provide training to workers so that they can 

3 perform their jobs adequately, move up the career 

4 ladder, and help the Nation’s transit agencies oper5 ate at maximum efficiency. 

6 SEC. 3. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. 

7 (a) WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.—Title 

8 49, United States Code, is amended— 

9 (1) by striking section 5322; and 

10 (2) by inserting the following: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 5322. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. 

12 ‘‘(a) NATIONAL JOINT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

13 COUNCIL.— 

14 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 

15 days after the date of enactment of the Transpor16 tation Job Corps Act of 2009, the Administrator of 

17 the Federal Transit Administration shall establish a 

18 National Joint Workforce Development Council (re19 ferred to in this section as the ‘National Council’). 

20 ‘‘(2) COMPOSITION.— 

21 ‘‘(A) VOTING MEMBERS.—Two representa22 tives, one representing labor and one rep23 resenting management, from each Regional 

24 Workforce Development Board described in 

25 subsection (c), shall be elected by majority vote 


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1 of labor and management representatives re2 spectively, on each Regional Board, to serve on 

3 the National Council. 

4 ‘‘(B) EX OFFICIO MEMBERS.—The Admin5 istrator shall appoint as non-voting ex officio 

6 members to the National Council— 

7 ‘‘(i) up to 10 members, such as rep8 resentatives of transit trade associations, 

9 non-profit organizations, research organi10 zations, community colleges and univer11 sities, private industry, and any other 

12 group or individual the Administrator be13 lieves would contribute to the National 

14 Council; 

15 ‘‘(ii) a representative of the Inter16 national Transportation Learning Center 

17 which administers the transit career ladder 

18 training program authorized pursuant to 

19 section 3046 of the Safe, Accountable, 

20 Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity 

21 Act: A Legacy for Users (49 U.S.C. 5338 

22 note); and 

23 ‘‘(iii) an individual who has expertise 

24 in youth development programs. 


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1 ‘‘(3) DUTIES.—The National Council shall with 

2 a national focus— 

3 ‘‘(A) conduct a prevue national study on 

4 transit workforce development issues; 

5 ‘‘(B) identify skills gaps in transit agency 

6 maintenance departments and develop programs 

7 to train maintenance employees and fixed route 

8 and paratransit operators; 

9 ‘‘(C) develop programs to address the re10 cruitment and retention of managerial and non11 managerial employees; 

12 ‘‘(D) initiate relationships with nontrans13 portation sector industries, associations, and 

14 groups in the public and private sector to de15 velop best practices in training and skills devel16 opment and determine appropriate ways to col17 laborate on behalf of disconnected youth; 

18 ‘‘(E) conduct research on transit workforce 

19 development issues and develop best practices 

20 for recruitment, training, and retention of em21 ployees; 

22 ‘‘(F) conduct research on the extent of 

23 labor market disconnection among disconnected 

24 youth and assess the provision of employment 

25 services for such youth; 


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1 ‘‘(G) make recommendations to the Sec2 retary and to public transit agencies regarding 

3 how to expand current employment training 

4 programs, outreach programs to increase mi5 nority and female employment in public trans6 portation activities, and apprenticeship pro7 grams; 

8 ‘‘(H) develop programs and make rec9 ommendations to public transit agencies to ad10 dress issues related to workplace quality of life 

11 issues, including absenteeism, scheduling, child 

12 care, and other issues that may be necessary to 

13 improve recruitment and retention of employ14 ees; 

15 ‘‘(I) maintain and update routinely an elec16 tronic library, consisting of such materials as 

17 online courseware and training manuals, white 

18 papers, research materials, and other related 

19 items; 

20 ‘‘(J) provide periodic assessments to the 

21 Secretary, on studies and programs carried out 

22 on the national level; 

23 ‘‘(K) coordinate research and program de24 velopment of the Regional Boards pursuant to 


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1 subsection (c), to reduce duplication and assure 

2 complimentary research goals; and 

3 ‘‘(L) make recommendations to the Sec4 retary for guidance on grant programs carried 

5 out in subsection (d) taking into account the 

6 recommendations of the Regional Boards. 

7 ‘‘(b) REGIONAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COUN8 CILS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days 

10 after the date of enactment of the Transportation 

11 Job Corps Act of 2009, the Administrator of the 

12 Federal Transit Administration shall establish a 

13 workforce development council in each of its 10 re14 gions. 

15 ‘‘(2) COMPOSITION.— 

16 ‘‘(A) SELECTION OF REGIONAL COUN17 CILS.—The management of each public transit 

18 agency and the labor organization representing 

19 the majority of employees at each such transit 

20 agency in a region shall select one representa21 tive for the council established under paragraph 

22 (1). 

23 ‘‘(B) ELECTION OF GOVERNING BOARD.— 

24 The selected individuals from each transit agen25 cy shall elect, by majority vote from among 


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1 members of such council, a governing board for 

2 the region, including a co-chairperson from 

3 among the representatives from labor and a co4 chairperson from among the representatives 

5 from management. 

6 ‘‘(c) REGIONAL GOVERNING BOARDS.— 

7 ‘‘(1) COMPOSITION OF GOVERNING BOARDS.— 

8 The governing board for each region shall be com9 posed of not more than 10 members elected by the 

10 Council pursuant to subsection (b)(2). 

11 ‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The governing board for each 

12 region shall on a regional basis— 

13 ‘‘(A) identify skills gaps in transit agency 

14 maintenance departments and develop programs 

15 to train maintenance employees and fixed route 

16 and paratransit operators on a regional basis; 

17 ‘‘(B) develop programs to address the re18 cruitment and retention of managerial and non19 managerial employees; 

20 ‘‘(C) initiate relationships with nontrans21 portation sector industries, associations, and 

22 groups in the public and private sector to de23 velop best practices in training and skills devel24 opment and determine appropriate ways to col25 laborate on behalf of disconnected youth; 


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1 ‘‘(D) conduct research on transit workforce 

2 development issues and develop best practices 

3 for recruitment, training, and retention of em4 ployees; 

5 ‘‘(E) conduct research on the extent of 

6 labor market disconnection among disconnected 

7 youth and assess the provision of employment 

8 services for such youth; 

9 ‘‘(F) make recommendations to the Sec10 retary and to public transit agencies regarding 

11 how to expand current employment training 

12 programs, outreach programs to increase mi13 nority and female employment in public trans14 portation activities, and apprenticeship pro15 grams; 

16 ‘‘(G) develop programs and make rec17 ommendations to public transit agencies to ad18 dress issues related to workplace quality of life 

19 issues, including absenteeism, scheduling, child 

20 care, and other issues that may be necessary to 

21 improve recruitment and retention of employ22 ees; 

23 ‘‘(H) provide periodic assessments to the 

24 Secretary and to the National Joint Workforce 

25 Development Council established under subVerDate Nov 24 2008 06:45 May 21, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2497.IH H2497

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1 section (a), on studies and programs carried out 

2 on the regional level; and 

3 ‘‘(I) make recommendations to the Na4 tional Joint Workforce Development Council for 

5 guidance on grant programs carried out under 

6 subsection (d). 

7 ‘‘(3) EX OFFICIO MEMBERS.— 

8 ‘‘(A) POSSIBLE APPOINTMENTS.—The Ad9 ministrator— 

10 ‘‘(i) shall appoint representatives in 

11 accordance with subparagraph (B); and 

12 ‘‘(ii) may appoint non-voting ex officio 

13 members to each regional governing board 

14 from among representatives of nonprofit 

15 organizations, research organizations, and 

16 any other groups or individuals the Admin17 istrator believes would contribute to the 

18 board. 

19 ‘‘(B) APPOINTMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL

20 TRANSPORTATION LEARNING CENTER AND FED21 ERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATORS.—The Admin22 istrator shall appoint as a non-voting ex officio 

23 member to the regional governing board of the 

24 respective region— 


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1 ‘‘(i) one or more representatives of the 

2 International Transportation Learning 

3 Center which administers the transit ca4 reer ladder training program authorized by 

5 section 3046 of the Safe, Accountable, 

6 Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity 

7 Act: A Legacy for Users (Public Law 109– 

8 59); 

9 ‘‘(ii) the Federal Transit Administra10 tors of each of the 10 regions; and 

11 ‘‘(iii) an individual who has expertise 

12 in youth development programs. 

13 ‘‘(d) GRANT PROGRAMS.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

15 through the Administrator and taking into account 

16 the recommendations of the National Council under 

17 subsection (a) and the Regional Governing Boards 

18 under subsection (c), shall establish grant programs 

19 as follows: 

20 ‘‘(A) TRANSIT YOUTH OPPORTUNITY.— 

21 ‘‘(i) BASIC SKILLS EDUCATION AND

22 PRE-APPRENTICESHIP SKILLS.— 

23 ‘‘(I) APPLICATIONS.—The Ad24 ministrator shall accept applications 

25 for grants from nonprofit organizaVerDate Nov 24 2008 06:45 May 21, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2497.IH H2497

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1 tions and public or privately funded 

2 educational institutions providing aca3 demic or technical instruction to en4 courage and introduce youth discon5 nected to a variety of careers in the 

6 transit industry by providing such 

7 youth with basic skills education, if 

8 necessary, and pre-apprenticeship 

9 skills. 

10 ‘‘(II) PRIORITY.—The Adminis11 trator shall give priority for such 

12 grants to organizations with a proven 

13 record of success in providing discon14 nected youth with basic education and 

15 pre-apprenticeship skills. 

16 ‘‘(ii) APPRENTICESHIPS.—The Admin17 istrator shall accept applications from 

18 partnerships of transit agencies and the 

19 unions representing non-managerial em20 ployees for grants to develop local and re21 gional labor-management apprenticeship 

22 programs aligned with national transit in23 dustry apprenticeship programs for a vari24 ety of transit-related jobs, by giving pri25 ority to individuals who have successfully 


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1 completed a pre-apprenticeship program 

2 pursuant to clause (i). 

3 ‘‘(B) TRANSIT WORKER EDUCATION AND

4 RETENTION GRANTS.— 

5 ‘‘(i) APPLICATIONS.—The Adminis6 trator shall accept applications from— 

7 ‘‘(I) in the case of non-manage8 rial employees, partnerships of transit 

9 agencies and the unions representing 

10 non-managerial employees; and 

11 ‘‘(II) in the case of managerial 

12 employees, from providers of manage13 ment and technical programs for the 

14 delivery of such programs and the re15 lated costs of attendee participation. 

16 ‘‘(ii) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.—Funds 

17 for a grant under this subparagraph may 

18 be used— 

19 ‘‘(I) to develop education pro20 grams in a variety of training settings 

21 for transit employees from diverse 

22 population groups to maintain and 

23 improve job skills and advance em24 ployee development across a career 

25 span; and 


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1 ‘‘(II) assisting individuals to ob2 tain education and training required 

3 to enter the transit profession and ad4 vance within such profession, such as 

5 by providing career counseling and 

6 mentoring. 

7 ‘‘(C) WORKFORCE DIVERSITY GRANTS.— 

8 The Administrator shall accept applications 

9 from partnerships of transit agencies and the 

10 unions representing non-managerial employees 

11 for a grant to develop special projects to in12 crease education opportunities within the tran13 sit industry for individuals who are from dis14 advantaged backgrounds, including racial and 

15 ethnic minorities under-represented among 

16 transit management, by providing student 

17 scholarships or stipends, pre-entry preparation, 

18 and retention activities. 

19 ‘‘(2) GRANT REQUIREMENTS.—A grant under 

20 this section shall be subject to all requirements of a 

21 grant under section 5307. 

22 ‘‘(e) FUNDING.—In addition to the amounts set forth 

23 in section 5315(d), there are authorized to be appro24 priated— 


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1 ‘‘(1) to carry out subsections (a), (b), and (c), 

2 $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 

3 2011; and 

4 ‘‘(2) to carry out subparagraphs of subsection 

5 (d), $90,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 and 

6 2011. 

7 ‘‘(f) CERTIFICATION.—The Administrator shall de8 velop a category on ‘Workforce Development’ on its annual 

9 Certifications and Assurances for Federal Transit Admin10 istration Assistance Programs in accordance with section 

11 5323(n), and include such category as one of the areas 

12 of certification beginning in fiscal year 2010. Such cat13 egory shall require transit agencies to develop short-range 

14 and long-range planning with regard to workforce develop15 ment matters, with a particular focus on the recruitment, 

16 retention, and training of managerial and non-managerial 

17 employees. 

18 ‘‘(g) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the 

19 term ‘disconnected youth’ means individuals ages 16 

20 through 24 who are out of school and not employed and 

21 composed primarily of youth of color from poor commu22 nities and at risk of becoming permanently disengaged 

23 from the labor market which threatens their ability to 


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1 break out of the cycle of poverty and contribute to our 

2 economy and communities.’’. 

Æ 


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