I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9190 

To establish in the Department of Labor an Older Workers’ Bureau, to 

establish a data hub and a technical assistance center at the Department 

of Labor related to employment of older workers and the effect of 

older employment on retirement security, to establish grant programs 

related to the employment of older workers, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 30, 2024 

Mr. BEYER (for himself, Ms. BONAMICI, and Ms. GARCIA of Texas) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 

the Workforce 

A BILL 

To establish in the Department of Labor an Older Workers’ 

Bureau, to establish a data hub and a technical assistance center at the Department of Labor related to employment of older workers and the effect of older employment on retirement security, to establish grant programs 

related to the employment of older workers, 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, 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 9190 IH

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Older Workers’ Bureau 

3 Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 

5 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) Of the 7,700,000 workers expected to be 

7 added to the United States labor force, more than 

8 half—3,800,000—will be older than 55, according to 

9 the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

10 (2) From 1995 to 2021, the share of older 

11 workers in the labor force more than doubled, to 

12 nearly 24 percent from 12 percent, and is expected 

13 to continue to rise. 

14 (3) About 40 percent of middle-class older 

15 workers will be downwardly mobile into poverty or 

16 near poverty in the next 10 years when they reach 

17 their sixties, in part because of lack of employment 

18 or low wages. 

19 (4) Older workers who have less formal edu20 cation, earn lower wages, or who are Black or His21 panic tend to experience much worse health than 

22 those who are more advantaged and need more ac23 commodation at work and safer working conditions. 

24 (5) Physically and psychologically difficult 

25 working conditions are widespread and damaging for 

26 older workers. 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 9190 IH

1 (6) Older workers are more likely to be involun2 tary part time, gig, or temporary workers than 

3 prime age workers. 

4 (7) Nearly 30 percent of older women work in 

5 low wage jobs and most are considered working 

6 poor. 

7 (8) Concern about age discrimination amongst 

8 older workers has reached its highest level in nearly 

9 decades. 

10 (9) More than 1,000,000 older workers were 

11 pushed out or voluntarily left the labor force during 

12 the COVID–19 pandemic. 

13 (10) While some older workers have returned to 

14 the labor force since the beginning of the COVID– 

15 19 pandemic, many have struggled to obtain work 

16 and others fear returning to unsafe working condi17 tions. 

18 (11) The labor force participation rate and em19 ployment population ratio of older workers both de20 clined due to the COVID–19 pandemic and neither 

21 have fully recovered. 

22 (12) Older workers need specific policy consid23 eration and assistance that could be met by estab24 lishing an Older Workers’ Bureau within the De25 partment of Labor. 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 9190 IH

1 (b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to pro2 mote productive, inclusive, and welfare-enhancing employ3 ment opportunities and workplaces for older workers 

4 through research, policy development, outreach, and grant 

5 programs. 

6 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

7 For the purposes of this Act: 

8 (1) BUREAU.—The term ‘‘Bureau’’ means the 

9 Older Workers’ Bureau established under section 

10 4(a). 

11 (2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

12 the Director of the Older Workers’ Bureau. 

13 (3) OLDER WORKER.—The term ‘‘older worker’’ 

14 means an individual who— 

15 (A) is not younger than 55 years of age; 

16 and 

17 (B)(i) is employed; 

18 (ii) is seeking employment; or 

19 (iii) wants employment, is available for em20 ployment, and has sought employment within 

21 the preceding 12 months. 

22 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

23 the Secretary of Labor. 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 9190 IH

1 SEC. 4. OLDER WORKER’S BUREAU. 

2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 

3 Department of Labor a bureau to be known as the ‘‘Older 

4 Workers’ Bureau’’, which shall be under the direction of 

5 the Director of the Older Workers’ Bureau. 

6 (b) PERSONNEL.— 

7 (1) DIRECTOR.— 

8 (A) APPOINTMENT.—Not later than 1 year 

9 after the date of enactment of this Act, the 

10 President shall appoint a Director to lead the 

11 Bureau. 

12 (B) INCLUSION IN EXECUTIVE SCHED13 ULE.—Section 5315 of title 5, United States 

14 Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘Director of the Older Workers’ Bureau, De17 partment of Labor.’’. 

18 (2) STAFF.—The Secretary, acting through the 

19 Director, shall employ such staff as the Secretary 

20 determines necessary to carry out the functions of 

21 the Bureau, at such rates of pay as the Secretary 

22 may provide, subject to the provisions of chapter 51 

23 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title, relat24 ing to classification and General Schedule pay rates. 

25 (c) FUNCTIONS.—The Director shall promote the 

26 welfare and improve the working conditions of older workVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:35 Aug 29, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9190.IH H9190

ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 9190 IH

1 ers, increase the efficiency, capacity, and coordination of 

2 programs serving older workers, and advance the employ3 ment opportunities of older workers, including by carrying 

4 out, with respect to older workers, the following: 

5 (1) Research relating to— 

6 (A) public benefits that support— 

7 (i) the economic and financial security 

8 of such workers; and 

9 (ii) access and retention of safety net 

10 supports for such workers who earn an an11 nual income that is not more than 200 

12 percent of the Federal poverty guidelines; 

13 (B) access for such workers to— 

14 (i) leave under the Family and Med15 ical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2601 et 

16 seq.); and 

17 (ii) workplace flexibility opportunities 

18 to support the needs of such workers with 

19 respect to managing personal health and 

20 caregiving responsibilities; 

21 (C) tailored, person-centered approaches to 

22 job training and adult education (including on 

23 soft skills, financial literacy education, and dig24 ital literacy) for such workers; 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 9190 IH

1 (D) access to savings and tax-advantaged 

2 opportunities for such workers to provide a 

3 path toward a financially secure retirement; 

4 (E) age discrimination in the workplace, 

5 including how such discrimination is, and could 

6 be, addressed and how such discrimination im7 pacts such workers; 

8 (F) wages paid to such workers, including 

9 whether such wages are commensurate with ex10 perience; 

11 (G) job security for such workers, includ12 ing— 

13 (i) the probability of job loss; and 

14 (ii) resources available to such work15 ers in the event of job separation; 

16 (H) retirement readiness for such workers, 

17 including the impact of Federal policies on re18 tirement readiness for such workers; and 

19 (I) the impact of Federal policies on the 

20 equitable treatment (including with respect to 

21 race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, 

22 education, ability, and residence) of such work23 ers and their retirement. 

24 (2) Policy development. 

25 (3) Outreach and education. 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 9190 IH

1 (4) Grant program administration. 

2 (5) Coordinating Federal research relating to 

3 such workers. 

4 (6) Improving access to data on the economic 

5 situation of such workers. 

6 (d) OFFICE QUARTERS.—The Secretary shall furnish 

7 sufficient quarters, office furniture, and equipment as the 

8 Secretary determines necessary to carry out the functions 

9 of the Bureau. 

10 (e) REPORT.—The Director— 

11 (1) shall annually submit to the Secretary a re12 port— 

13 (A) on the activities of the Bureau with re14 spect to older workers, including with respect to 

15 the functions described in subsection (c); 

16 (B) that catalogs Federal programs that 

17 support the employment, economic success, and 

18 well-being of such workers; 

19 (C) that identifies issues with respect to 

20 such workers that may be improved with Fed21 eral support; and 

22 (D) that makes recommendations to pro23 mote the welfare and economic and financial se24 curity, improve the working conditions, increase 

25 the efficiency, capacity, and coordination of proVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:35 Aug 29, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9190.IH H9190

ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 9190 IH

1 grams serving older workers, and advance the 

2 employment opportunities of such workers; and 

3 (2) may publish such report, as directed by the 

4 Secretary. 

5 (f) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out the functions of 

6 the Bureau, the Secretary, acting through the Director, 

7 may consult with— 

8 (1) Federal agencies that have jurisdiction over 

9 matters involving older adults, including— 

10 (A) the Social Security Administration, in11 cluding the Office of Retirement and Disability 

12 Policy; 

13 (B) the Department of Health and Human 

14 Services, including the Administration for Com15 munity Living, the Centers for Medicare and 

16 Medicaid Services, the National Institute for 

17 Occupational Safety and Health, and the Na18 tional Institute on Aging; 

19 (C) the Equal Employment Opportunity 

20 Commission; 

21 (D) the Department of Veterans Affairs; 

22 (E) the Department of the Treasury, in23 cluding the Internal Revenue Service; and 

24 (F) the Department of Housing and Urban 

25 Development; and 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
10 

•HR 9190 IH

1 (2) any other Federal agency that the Secretary 

2 determines has relevant expertise. 

3 (g) APPLICABILITY.—The Secretary shall take such 

4 actions as are necessary to ensure the Bureau is oper5 ational not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

6 of this Act. 

7 SEC. 5. RESEARCH GRANTS. 

8 Not later than 180 days after the date on which the 

9 Bureau is operational, the Secretary, acting through the 

10 Director, shall carry out a program to award, on a com11 petitive basis, grants to facilitate, with respect to older 

12 workers, research— 

13 (1) designed to identify areas that could benefit 

14 from additional research for the purposes of— 

15 (A) identifying and eliminating barriers to 

16 securing employment, job retention, and reem17 ployment for such workers; and 

18 (B) identifying policies that the Federal 

19 government may implement to assist such work20 ers; and 

21 (2) as determined appropriate by the Secretary, 

22 into the areas identified under paragraph (1). 

23 SEC. 6. GRANTS TO COMBAT STRUCTURAL AGEISM. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

25 date on which the Bureau is operational, the Secretary, 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
11 

•HR 9190 IH

1 acting through the Director, shall carry out a program to 

2 award, on a competitive basis, grants to covered institu3 tions to— 

4 (1) facilitate activities, services, and programs 

5 to improve the welfare of older workers; 

6 (2) combat structural ageism; 

7 (3) improve employment opportunities for older 

8 workers; and 

9 (4) create a more diverse and inclusive work10 place. 

11 (b) PRIORITY.—In making grants under subsection 

12 (a), the Secretary shall give priority to a covered institu13 tion that is located in an area that has no training pro14 grams specifically targeted to disadvantaged older work15 ers. 

16 (c) COVERED INSTITUTIONS DEFINED.—For the 

17 purposes of this section, the term ‘‘covered institution’’ 

18 means any of the following: 

19 (1) An employer. 

20 (2) An employer association. 

21 (3) A labor organization. 

22 (4) A nonprofit with expertise in older workers. 

23 (5) A worker organization. 

24 (6) Another institution determined appropriate 

25 by the Secretary. 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
12 

•HR 9190 IH

1 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 To carry out sections 5 and 6, there is authorized 

3 to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each fiscal year after 

4 fiscal year 2023. 

Æ 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS