II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1599 

To require the Secretary of Labor to award grants for promoting industry 

or sector partnerships to encourage industry growth and competitiveness 

and to improve worker training, retention, and advancement. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 20, 2017 

Mr. KAINE (for himself and Mr. PORTMAN) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Labor to award grants for promoting industry or sector partnerships to encourage industry growth and competitiveness and to improve worker training, retention, and advancement. 

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 ‘‘Building U.S. Infra5 structure by Leveraging Demands for Skills’’ or the 

6 ‘‘BUILDS Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

2 The purpose of this Act is to promote industry or 

3 sector partnerships that engage in collaborative planning, 

4 resource alignment, and training efforts across multiple 

5 businesses, for a range of workers employed or potentially 

6 employed by infrastructure industries, in order to encour7 age industry growth and competitiveness and to improve 

8 worker training, retention, and advancement. 

9 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

10 In this Act: 

11 (1) CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION; CA12 REER GUIDANCE AND ACADEMIC COUNSELING.—The 

13 terms ‘‘career and technical education’’ and ‘‘career 

14 guidance and academic counseling’’ have the mean15 ings given such terms in section 3 of the Carl D. 

16 Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 

17 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302). 

18 (2) CAREER PATHWAY.—The term ‘‘career 

19 pathway’’ has the meaning given such term in sec20 tion 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 

21 Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 

22 (3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti23 ty’’ means an entity that is an industry or sector 

24 partnership, or (with respect to an implementation 

25 grant) an entity that is in the process of establishing 

26 an industry or sector partnership. 


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1 (4) INDIVIDUAL WITH A BARRIER TO EMPLOY2 MENT; INDUSTRY OR SECTOR PARTNERSHIP; LOCAL

3 BOARD.—The terms ‘‘individual with a barrier to 

4 employment’’, ‘‘industry or sector partnership’’, and 

5 ‘‘local board’’ have the meanings given such terms in 

6 section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor7 tunity Act. 

8 (5) RECOGNIZED POSTSECONDARY CREDEN9 TIAL; REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.— 

10 The terms ‘‘recognized postsecondary credential’’ 

11 and ‘‘registered apprenticeship program’’ have the 

12 meanings given such terms in such section. 

13 (6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

14 the Secretary of Labor. 

15 (7) STATE; STATE BOARD.—The terms ‘‘State’’ 

16 and ‘‘State board’’ have the meanings given such 

17 terms in 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor18 tunity Act. 

19 (8) TARGETED INFRASTRUCTURE INDUSTRY.— 

20 The term ‘‘targeted infrastructure industry’’ means 

21 an industry, including transportation (including sur22 face, transit, aviation, or railway transportation), 

23 construction, energy, information technology, or util24 ities industries, that the eligible entity identifies in 


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1 accordance with section 5(c) to be served by a grant 

2 under this Act. 

3 (9) WORK-BASED LEARNING PROGRAM.—The 

4 term ‘‘work-based learning program’’ means a pro5 gram (which may be a registered apprenticeship pro6 gram) that provides workers with paid work experi7 ence and corresponding approved classroom instruc8 tion, delivered in an employment relationship that 

9 both the employer and worker intend to be perma10 nent. 

11 SEC. 4. GRANTS AUTHORIZED. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation 

13 with the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of En14 ergy, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Edu15 cation, and the Chief of Engineers and Commanding Gen16 eral of the Army Corps of Engineers, shall award, on a 

17 competitive basis, grants to eligible entities to plan and 

18 implement activities to achieve the strategic objectives de19 scribed in section 5(d) with respect to a targeted infra20 structure industry. 

21 (b) GRANTS.— 

22 (1) TYPES OF GRANTS.—A grant awarded 

23 under this Act may be in the form of— 

24 (A) an implementation grant, for entities 

25 seeking an initial grant under this Act; or 


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1 (B) a renewal grant for entities that have 

2 already received an implementation grant under 

3 this Act. 

4 (2) DURATION.—Each grant awarded under 

5 this Act shall be for a period not to exceed 3 years. 

6 (3) AMOUNT.—The amount of a grant awarded 

7 under this Act may not exceed— 

8 (A) for an implementation grant, 

9 $2,500,000; and 

10 (B) for a renewal grant, $1,500,000. 

11 (c) AWARD BASIS.— 

12 (1) GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY.—The Secretary 

13 shall award grants under this Act in a manner that 

14 ensures geographic diversity in the areas in which 

15 activities will be carried out under the grants. 

16 (2) PRIORITY FOR RENEWAL GRANTS.—In 

17 awarding renewal grants under this Act, the Sec18 retary shall give priority to eligible entities that— 

19 (A) demonstrate long-term sustainability of 

20 an industry or sector partnership; and 

21 (B) provide a non-Federal share of the 

22 cost of the activities. 

23 SEC. 5. APPLICATION PROCESS. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity desiring a grant 

25 under this Act shall submit an application to the Secretary 


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1 at such time, in such manner, and containing such infor2 mation as the Secretary may require, including the con3 tents described in subsection (b). 

4 (b) CONTENTS.—An application submitted under this 

5 Act shall contain, at a minimum— 

6 (1) a description of the eligible entity, evidence 

7 of the eligible entity’s capacity to carry out activities 

8 to achieve the strategic objectives described in sub9 section (d), and the expected participation and re10 sponsibilities of each of the partners included in the 

11 industry or sector partnership involved; 

12 (2) a description of the targeted infrastructure 

13 industry served by the grant, and a description of 

14 how such industry was identified in accordance with 

15 subsection (c); 

16 (3) a description of the workers that will be tar17 geted or recruited by the partnership, including an 

18 analysis of the existing labor market, a description 

19 of potential barriers to employment for targeted 

20 workers, and a description of strategies that will be 

21 employed to help workers overcome such barriers; 

22 (4) a description of the local, State, or federally 

23 funded infrastructure projects on which the eligible 

24 entity anticipates engaging partners; 


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1 (5) a description of the strategic objectives de2 scribed in subsection (d) that the eligible entity in3 tends to achieve concerning the targeted infrastruc4 ture industry; 

5 (6) a description of the credentials that the eli6 gible entity proposes to use or develop as a perform7 ance measure, to assess the degree to which the eli8 gible entity has achieved such strategic objectives, 

9 which credentials— 

10 (A) shall be nationally portable; 

11 (B) shall be recognized postsecondary cre12 dentials or, if not available for the industry, 

13 other credentials determined by the Secretary 

14 to be appropriate; and 

15 (C) shall be related to the targeted infra16 structure industry that the eligible entity pro17 poses to support; 

18 (7) a description of the manner in which the eli19 gible entity intends to make sustainable progress to20 wards achieving such strategic objectives; 

21 (8) performance measures for measuring 

22 progress towards achieving such strategic objectives; 

23 (9) a description of the Federal and non-Fed24 eral resources, available under provisions of law 

25 other than this Act, that will be leveraged in support 


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1 of the partnerships and activities under this Act; 

2 and 

3 (10) a timeline for progress towards achieving 

4 such strategic objectives. 

5 (c) TARGETED INFRASTRUCTURE INDUSTRY.—Each 

6 grant under this Act shall serve a targeted infrastructure 

7 industry that is identified by the eligible entity through 

8 working with businesses, industry associations and organi9 zations, labor organizations, State boards, local boards, 

10 economic development agencies, and other organizations 

11 that the eligible entity determines necessary. 

12 (d) STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES.—The activities to be 

13 carried out under each grant awarded under this Act shall 

14 be designed to achieve strategic objectives that include the 

15 following: 

16 (1) Recruiting key stakeholders in the targeted 

17 infrastructure industry, such as multiple businesses, 

18 labor organizations, local boards, and education and 

19 training providers, including providers of career and 

20 technical education, and regularly convening the 

21 stakeholders in a collaborative structure that sup22 ports the sharing of information, ideas, and chal23 lenges common to the targeted infrastructure indus24 try. 


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1 (2) Identifying the training needs of multiple 

2 businesses in the targeted infrastructure industry, 

3 including— 

4 (A) needs for skills critical to competitive5 ness and innovation in the industry; 

6 (B) needs of the registered apprenticeship 

7 programs or other work-based learning pro8 grams supported by the grant; and 

9 (C) needs for the usage of career path10 ways. 

11 (3) Facilitating actions that lead to economies 

12 of scale by aggregating training and education needs 

13 of multiple businesses. 

14 (4) Helping postsecondary educational institu15 tions, training institutions, sponsors of registered 

16 apprenticeship programs, and all other providers of 

17 career and technical education and training pro18 grams receiving assistance under this Act, align cur19 ricula, entrance requirements, and programs to the 

20 targeted infrastructure industry needs and the cre21 dentials described in subsection (b)(6), particularly 

22 for higher skill, high-priority occupations related to 

23 the targeted infrastructure industry. 

24 (5) Providing information on the grant activi25 ties to the State agency carrying out the State proVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:59 Jul 28, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1599.IS S1599

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1 gram under the Wagner-Peyser Act (29 U.S.C. 49 

2 et seq.), including staff of the agency that provide 

3 services under such Act, to enable the agency to in4 form recipients of unemployment compensation of 

5 the employment and training opportunities that may 

6 be offered through the grant activities. 

7 (6) Helping partner businesses in industry or 

8 sector partnerships to attract potential workers from 

9 a diverse jobseeker base, including individuals with 

10 barriers to employment, by identifying any such bar11 riers through analysis of the labor market and im12 plementing strategies to help such workers overcome 

13 such barriers. 

14 SEC. 6. ACTIVITIES. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity receiving a 

16 grant under this Act shall— 

17 (1) designate an entity in the industry or sector 

18 partnership as the fiscal agent for the grant funds; 

19 and 

20 (2) carry out activities described in subsections 

21 (b) (as applicable), (c), and (d) to achieve the stra22 tegic objectives identified in the entity’s application 

23 under section 5(b)(5), in a manner that integrates 

24 services and funding sources to ensure effectiveness 


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1 of the activities and that uses the grant funds effi2 ciently. 

3 (b) PLANNING ACTIVITIES.—An eligible entity receiv4 ing an implementation grant under this Act shall use not 

5 more than $250,000 of the grant funds to carry out plan6 ning activities during the first year of the grant period. 

7 Such activities may include— 

8 (1) establishing the industry or sector partner9 ship; 

10 (2) convening key stakeholders as identified in 

11 the application process; 

12 (3) conducting outreach to local businesses and 

13 business associations; or 

14 (4) conducting an evaluation of workforce needs 

15 in the local area. 

16 (c) BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT.—An eligible entity re17 ceiving a grant under this Act shall use the grant funds 

18 to provide services to engage businesses in efforts to 

19 achieve the strategic objectives identified in the entity’s 

20 application under section 5(b)(5). The services may in21 clude assisting businesses— 

22 (1) in navigating the registration process for a 

23 sponsor of a registered apprenticeship program; 

24 (2) by connecting the business with an edu25 cation provider, including a provider of career and 


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1 technical education, to develop classroom instruction 

2 to complement on-the-job learning; 

3 (3) in developing the curriculum design of a 

4 work-based learning program; 

5 (4) in employing workers participating in a 

6 work-based learning program for a transitional pe7 riod before a business hires the worker for full-time 

8 employment not less than 30 hours a week; 

9 (5) in providing training to managers and 

10 front-line workers to serve as trainers or mentors to 

11 workers participating in a work-based learning pro12 gram; 

13 (6) in providing career awareness activities, 

14 such as career guidance and academic counseling; 

15 and 

16 (7) in recruiting, for participation in a work17 based learning program, individuals eligible to re18 ceive additional workforce or human services, includ19 ing— 

20 (A) individuals participating in programs 

21 under the Workforce Innovation and Oppor22 tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.), and the 

23 amendments made by such Act, including to the 

24 Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 et 

25 seq.); 


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1 (B) recipients of assistance through the 

2 supplemental nutrition assistance program es3 tablished under the Food and Nutrition Act of 

4 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.); 

5 (C) recipients of assistance through the 

6 program of block grants to States for tem7 porary assistance for needy families established 

8 under part A of title IV of the Social Security 

9 Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.); or 

10 (D) any other individuals with a barrier to 

11 employment. 

12 (d) SUPPORT SERVICES.—The eligible entity receiv13 ing a grant under this Act shall use the grant funds to 

14 provide services to support the success of individuals de15 scribed in subsection (c)(7) who are participating in a 

16 work-based learning program for a period of not less than 

17 12 months. Such services may include the following: 

18 (1) PRE-EMPLOYMENT SERVICES.—Services, 

19 provided in a pre-employment stage of the program, 

20 to expand access to a work-based learning program 

21 for individuals described in subsection (c)(7). Such 

22 services may include— 

23 (A) skills training; 

24 (B) career and technical education; 

25 (C) initial assessments; 


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1 (D) providing work attire and necessary 

2 tools for a work site; 

3 (E) wrap-around services, such as child 

4 care and transportation; and 

5 (F) job placement assistance. 

6 (2) EARLY EMPLOYMENT SERVICES.—Services 

7 provided to individuals described in subsection (c)(7) 

8 who are participating in a work-based learning pro9 gram during their first 6 months of employment 

10 through such program, to assure the individuals suc11 ceed in the program. Such services may include— 

12 (A) ongoing case management and support 

13 services, including the services provided in the 

14 pre-employment stage described in paragraph 

15 (1); 

16 (B) continued skills training, including ca17 reer and technical education, conducted in col18 laboration with employers of such individuals; 

19 (C) additional mentorship and retention 

20 supports for such individuals; 

21 (D) targeted training for frontline man22 agers, journey level workers working with such 

23 individuals (such as mentors), and human re24 source representatives within the business 

25 where such individuals are placed; and 


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1 (E) subsidized wages and benefits for a pe2 riod of not more than 6 months, during which 

3 the eligible entities shall serve as the employers 

4 of record of such individuals. 

5 (3) EMPLOYMENT SERVICES.—Services to en6 sure the individuals described in paragraph (2) 

7 maintain employment in the work-based learning 

8 program for at least 12 months. The services shall 

9 include support necessary to complete the work10 based learning program, such as continuation of 

11 mentoring and support services provided under para12 graph (2). 

13 (e) EVALUATION AND PROGRESS REPORTS.—Not 

14 later than 1 year after receiving a grant under this Act, 

15 and annually thereafter, the eligible entity receiving the 

16 grant shall submit a report to the Secretary and the Gov17 ernor of the State that the eligible entity serves, that— 

18 (1) describes the activities funded by the grant; 

19 and 

20 (2) evaluates the progress the eligible entity has 

21 made towards achieving the strategic objectives iden22 tified under section 5(b)(5). 

23 (f) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—An eligible entity may 

24 use not more than 5 percent of the funds awarded through 


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1 a grant under this Act for administrative expenses in car2 rying out this section. 

3 SEC. 7. ADMINISTRATION BY THE SECRETARY. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may use not more 

5 than 10 percent of the amount appropriated under section 

6 8 for each fiscal year for administrative expenses to carry 

7 out this Act, including the expenses of providing the tech8 nical assistance and oversight activities under subsection 

9 (b). 

10 (b) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE; OVERSIGHT.—The Sec11 retary shall provide technical assistance and oversight to 

12 assist the eligible entities in applying for and admin13 istering grants awarded under this Act. 

14 SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

15 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 

16 as may be necessary to carry out this Act. 

Æ 


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