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[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1252 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1252

 To promote the economic self-sufficiency of low-income women through 
  their increased participation in high-wage, high-demand occupations 
  where they currently represent 25 percent or less of the workforce.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 22, 2011

Ms. Mikulski (for herself and Mrs. Gillibrand) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
 To promote the economic self-sufficiency of low-income women through 
  their increased participation in high-wage, high-demand occupations 
  where they currently represent 25 percent or less of the workforce.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Women and Workforce Investment for 
Nontraditional Jobs'' or ``Women WIN Jobs''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) According to the Council of Economic Advisors, 
        ``occupations requiring higher educational attainment are 
        projected to grow much faster than those with lower education 
        requirements between 2006 and 2016, with the fastest growth 
        among occupations that require an associate's degree or a post-
        secondary vocational award.'' Some of the occupations cited in 
        the report include electricians, plumbers, aircraft mechanics 
        and service technicians, electrical power line installers and 
        repairers, and environmental engineering technicians, all of 
        which are nontraditional occupations for women, as defined 
        under the Carl T. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 
        2006.
            (2) Only 6.2 percent of employed women worked in 
        nontraditional occupations in 2008.
            (3) More than one-half of all working women are clustered 
        in 25 of 504 job categories tracked by the Bureau of Labor 
        Statistics. Excluding teachers and nurses, most of these 
        categories are among the lowest-paid occupations. In general, 
        women working in nontraditional fields earn 20 to 30 percent 
        more than women in traditionally female fields.
            (4) The National Association of Manufacturers estimates a 
        need for 10 million new workers by 2020 due to the aging of the 
        current workforce. Moreover, 90 percent of manufacturers are 
        experiencing a shortage of qualified employees including 
        machinists, operators, craft workers, distributors, and 
        technicians. Women hold only 4.7 percent of welding, soldering, 
        and brazing jobs.
            (5) Women make up 75.5 percent of cashiers, whose hourly 
        wage averages $9.08, but only 3.3 percent of electrical power-
        line installers and repairers, who earn an average hourly wage 
        of $26.11, and only 3 percent of telecommunications line 
        installers and repairers, who earn an average hourly wage of 
        $22.75.
            (6) Women comprise 73.2 percent of wait staff, whose hourly 
        wage averages $9.41, but only 2 percent of HVAC mechanics and 
        installers, who make an average hourly wage of $20.31.
            (7) Women make up 95.6 percent of child care workers, whose 
        hourly wage averages $9.79, but only 1 percent of electricians, 
        who make an average hourly wage of $23.98.
            (8) Women comprise 93.6 percent of receptionists and 
        information clerks, whose hourly wage averages $12.21, but only 
        4.9 percent of surveying and mapping technicians who make an 
        average hourly wage of $18.03.
            (9) Women make up 84.4 percent of office clerks, whose 
        hourly wage averages $12.20, but only 10.5 percent of computer, 
        ATM and office machine repairers, who make an average hourly 
        wage of $18.95, and only 13 percent of avionics technicians, 
        who earn an average hourly wage of $23.73.
            (10) Women are only 5 percent of surveying and mapping 
        technicians with a median weekly wage of $794; 11 percent of 
        computer, ATM, and office machine repair persons with a median 
        weekly wage of $823; and 18 percent of web developers or 
        programmers with a median weekly wage of $1,218.
            (11) Girls comprise only 15 percent of students enrolled in 
        high school courses leading to nontraditional occupations. This 
        proportion has stayed relatively constant for the past 30 
        years.
            (12) An independent study conducted in 2001 found that when 
        programs, such as those under the Women in Apprenticeship and 
        Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) Act of 1992, were 
        implemented in an area, local women were 25 percent more likely 
        to hold a nontraditional job and were more likely to hold these 
        jobs years after the intervention.
            (13) More than half of the individuals receiving training 
        services under the Workforce Investment Act are women. However, 
        males who complete training are 11 times more likely to be 
        employed in the occupational category farming, fishing, 
        forestry, construction and extraction and 7 times more likely 
        in the area installation, repair, production, transportation, 
        and material moving. In 2007, quarterly earnings of females who 
        completed training were 18 percent lower than the earnings of 
        males who completed the training.
            (14) Among women who received training services under the 
        Workforce Investment Act in either the adult or dislocated 
        worker program, the share of those employed in nontraditional 
        occupations the first quarter after exiting declined from 4.9 
        percent and 6.2 percent in each program respectively in program 
        year 2002 to 2.3 percent and 2.8 percent respectively in 
        program year 2007.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act--
            (1) the term ``designated region'' has the meaning given 
        such term in section 116(c)(5)(A) of the Workforce Investment 
        Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2831(c)(5(A));
            (2) the term ``eligible entity'' means a partnership--
                    (A) among--
                            (i) a community-based organization 
                        experienced in serving women;
                            (ii) 1 or more employers or a business 
                        association;
                            (iii) a registered apprenticeship program 
                        if available in a designated region; and
                            (iv) a public postsecondary education 
                        institution; and
                    (B) in addition to the required partners described 
                in subparagraph (A), that may include business and 
                trade associations, labor unions, high schools, and 
                workforce and economic development agencies;
            (3) the term ``self-sufficiency standard'' means a measure 
        of how much income families need to cover their basic costs 
        without subsidies, as determined or recognized by the State for 
        an applicable local area using a consistent methodology that 
        calculates the costs of living and working (including taxes) 
        based upon sub-State geographic location and family size and 
        composition;
            (4) the term ``non-traditional occupations'' means those 
        occupations in which women make up less than 25 percent of the 
        current workforce (as defined in section 3 of the Carl D. 
        Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 
        2302));
            (5) the term ``public postsecondary education institution'' 
        means--
                    (A) a junior or community college, as defined in 
                section 312(f) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
                U.S.C. 1058(f)); or
                    (B) an area technical school, as defined in section 
                3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education 
                Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302);
            (6) the term ``registered apprenticeship program'' means a 
        program registered under the Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly 
        known as the ``National Apprenticeship Act'' (29 U.S.C. 50 
        note)); and
            (7) the term ``State'' has the meaning given such term in 
        section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education 
        Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302).

SEC. 4. GRANTS TO STATES.

    (a) Allocation of Funds.--
            (1) In general.--In any fiscal year in which the total 
        amount appropriated under section 11 exceeds $50,000,000, the 
        Secretary of Labor shall, from the amount appropriated under 
        section 11 to carry out this section, allocate funds to States 
        using a formula based on each State's share of the national 
        population of women from families with an income of less than 
        200 percent of the poverty threshold, according to the most 
        recent data available by the Bureau of the Census.
            (2) Reallocation.--If a State does not receive funds under 
        paragraph (1), the Secretary shall reallocate such funds to 
        other States in the same proportion funds are allocated under 
        such paragraph.
    (b) Submission of State Plan.--
            (1) In general.--In order to receive an allocation of funds 
        under subsection (a), the Governor of a State shall submit a 
        State Plan that describes how the State plans to--
                    (A) distribute such funds to eligible entities 
                located in the State to increase women's participation 
                in high-wage, high-demand occupations in which women 
                are currently underrepresented in the State's workforce 
                in accordance with section 5; and
                    (B) use such funds to carry out the statewide 
                activities described in subsection (c).
            (2) Administration of state plan.--The State Plan described 
        in paragraph (1) shall be administered by a State workforce 
        development board (as referred to in the Workforce Investment 
        Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.)), in consultation with a 
        State entity (as defined in section 118(c) of the Carl D. 
        Perkins Career Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 
        2328)).
            (3) Review of plan.--The Secretary of Labor shall review 
        each State plan submitted pursuant to this subsection within 60 
        days of receipt.
    (c) Use of Funds.--The designated State entity may reserve not more 
than 15 percent of the grant for statewide activities to--
            (1) provide technical assistance to eligible entities 
        receiving funding under this Act and to State registered 
        apprenticeship programs and sponsors and joint apprenticeship 
        training councils on meeting their enrollment goal for women in 
        nontraditional occupations;
            (2) develop institutional and cross-agency policies and 
        protocols such as memoranda of understanding that set goals for 
        the hiring of specific percentages of women served under this 
        Act into registered apprenticeships and permanent employment 
        openings in publicly assisted projects;
            (3) engage in public education and outreach activities, to 
        overcome stereotypes about women in nontraditional occupations, 
        including the development of educational and marketing 
        materials; and
            (4) provide training and technical assistance to overcome 
        gender inequity among employers, registered apprenticeship 
        programs, and State equal employment opportunity and 
        affirmative action agencies.

SEC. 5. STATE GRANTS TO PARTNERSHIPS.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) Allocations authorized.--A State receiving funds under 
        section 4 shall allocate the funds not reserved to carry out 
        the statewide activities described in section 4(c) to eligible 
        entities in the State to support the recruitment, training, 
        placement, and retention of women in nontraditional 
        occupations.
            (2) Allocation duration.--An allocation under this section 
        to an eligible entity shall be made for not more than 2 years 
        with the possibility of a multi-year renewal upon submission of 
        a renewal application containing information--
                    (A) about the effectiveness of the services and 
                activities provided under subsection (d)(1) using the 
                funds made available under the first allocation; and
                    (B) any such additional information as the 
                Secretary may require.
            (3) Allocation amount.--An allocation under this section to 
        an eligible entity shall be of sufficient size and scope to 
        support the effective implementation of the services and 
        activities described in subsection (d)(1).
    (b) Application Process.--An eligible entity that desires to 
receive funds under this section shall submit an application to the 
designated State agency. Such application shall provide a plan 
detailing the roles and responsibilities of partnership members and how 
funds will be used in conjunction with funding from other public or 
private sources to carry out the activities described in subsection 
(d).
    (c) Priorities.--In allocating funds under this section, a State 
agency shall give priority to eligible entities that--
            (1) include entities with demonstrated success in 
        recruiting and preparing low-income women for nontraditional 
        occupations, and local workforce boards established under the 
        Workforce Investment Act; or
            (2) leverage additional public and private resources to 
        fund training programs, including cash or in-kind matches from 
        employers.
    (d) Use of Funds.--
            (1) Services and activities.--An eligible entity receiving 
        funds under this section shall--
                    (A) conduct public education and outreach designed 
                to overcome stereotypes and develop family support and 
                encouragement;
                    (B) recruit low-income women for careers in 
                nontraditional occupations and provide comprehensive 
                career guidance and counseling, including regional 
                labor market information and projections about 
                nontraditional jobs and salary information;
                    (C) conduct individual assessments and employment 
                counseling, including instruction on the use of online 
                job search databases;
                    (D) assist low-income women to access programs 
                leading to a degree, industry recognized certificate or 
                credential, and apprenticeship programs that will 
                prepare them for high-demand, high-skill occupations, 
                including providing information about--
                            (i) the quality and cost of the programs;
                            (ii) available financial aid; and
                            (iii) the use of self-sufficiency 
                        calculators where available;
                    (E) conduct education and pre-apprenticeship and 
                pre-employment skill development activities including 
                basic skills, education, literacy, including financial 
                literacy, and training;
                    (F) coordinate with public secondary education 
                institutions to improve the transition of participants 
                into--
                            (i) an institution of higher education (as 
                        defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 
                        Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001));
                            (ii) a program of study (as described in 
                        section 122(c)(1)(A) of the Carl D. Perkins 
                        Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 
                        U.S.C. 2342(c)(1)(A)); or
                            (iii) a registered apprenticeship program;
                    (G) engage in necessary activities for the 
                recruitment, preparation, placement, and retention of 
                participants in registered apprenticeships, and 
                postsecondary training programs, and permanent 
                employment;
                    (H) provide access to pre- and post-placement 
                supportive services such as child care, transportation, 
                tools, application fees, dues, needs-based payments or 
                stipends, and mentorships as may be necessary to 
                complete training and retain employment;
                    (I) develop or obtain curricula, handbooks, tools 
                and equipment;
                    (J) build capacity through staff training, 
                organizational development and technology upgrades;
                    (K) engage in activities requested by the national 
                clearinghouse established pursuant to section 9;
                    (L) develop incentives for employers and sponsors 
                of registered apprenticeship program to retain women in 
                nontraditional occupations for more than 6 months;
                    (M) provide technical assistance to employers on 
                how to create a safe and healthy workplace environment 
                designed to retain and advance women, including best 
                practices for addressing sexual harassment;
                    (N) provide post-placement assistance to 
                participants in order to promote employment retention, 
                including exit interviews, mentoring, networking and 
                leadership development for women employed in the field; 
                and
                    (O) develop and collect data, consistent with the 
                requirements of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, 
                to track women by race, ethnicity, and age throughout 
                the process and establish benchmarks such as numbers 
                contacted through outreach, placement into training and 
                completion rates, and employment outcomes, including 
                earnings progression.
            (2) Target participants.--In providing services and 
        activities described in paragraph (1), eligible entities shall 
        target women with family incomes below the local self-
        sufficiency standard, when available, or women in families with 
        income of less than 200 percent of the poverty threshold (as 
        determined by the Bureau of the Census).
    (e) Supplement, Not Supplant.--Funds provided under this section 
shall supplement and not supplant other Federal, State, or local funds 
that would, in the absence of funds provided under this section, be 
available for the purposes described in this section.

SEC. 6. ALLOCATIONS TO ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.

    (a) Allocations.--
            (1) In general.--In any year in which the total amount 
        appropriated under section 11 is an amount less than 
        $50,000,000, the Secretary of Labor shall, from the amount 
        appropriated under section 11 to carry out this section, 
        allocate funds to eligible entities to support the recruitment, 
        training, placement, and retention of women in nontraditional 
        occupations.
            (2) Allocation duration.--An allocation under this section 
        shall be made to an eligible entity for not more than 2 years 
        with the possibility of multi-year renewals upon submission of 
        a renewal application containing information--
                    (A) about the effectiveness of the services and 
                activities provided under section (5)(d)(1) using the 
                funds made available under the first allocation; and
                    (B) any such additional information as the 
                Secretary may require.
            (3) Allocation amount.--An allocation under this section to 
        an eligible entity shall be of sufficient size and scope to 
        support the effective implementation of the services and 
        activities described in subsection (d).
    (b) Application.--An eligible entity desiring to receive an 
allocation under this section shall submit an application to the 
Secretary of Labor at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may require. An application shall provide 
a plan detailing the roles and responsibilities of partnership members 
and how funds will be used in conjunction with funding from other 
public or private sources to carry out the services and activities 
described in subsection (d).
    (c) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary 
of Labor shall give priority to eligible entities that--
            (1) include entities with demonstrated success in 
        recruiting and preparing low-income women for nontraditional 
        occupations, and local workforce boards created under the 
        Workforce Investment Act; or
            (2) leverage additional public and private resources to 
        fund training programs, including cash or in-kind matches from 
        participating employers.
    (d) Uses of Funds.--An eligible entity receiving funds under this 
section shall uses such funds to carry out the services and activities 
described in section 5(d).
    (e) Supplement, Not Supplant.--Funds provided under this section 
shall supplement and not supplant other Federal, State, or local funds 
that would, in the absence of funds provided under this section, be 
available for the purposes described in this section.

SEC. 7. NATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN HIGH-DEMAND AND 
              HIGH-WAGE NONTRADITIONAL OCCUPATIONS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Education, shall convene a national commission (in this 
section referred to as the ``Commission'') for the purpose of examining 
and making recommendations for improving the status of women in high-
demand, high-wage nontraditional occupations.
    (b) Membership.--The Commission shall include 30 members, of which 
15 members shall be appointed by the President, 5 members by the 
Speaker and 3 members by the minority leader of the House of 
Representatives, and 4 members by the majority leader and 3 members by 
the minority leader of the Senate. Members shall include 
representatives from--
            (1) business or trade associations in industries with high-
        wage, high-demand nontraditional occupations and sponsors of 
        registered apprenticeship program;
            (2) women's organizations and other nonprofit organizations 
        serving low-income women;
            (3) labor unions and labor-management organizations;
            (4) high school and public postsecondary education 
        institutions;
            (5) State workforce and economic development agencies or 
        agencies responsible for the Workforce Investment Act and the 
        Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act; and
            (6) academics, researchers, and other stakeholders.
A minimum of 10 members must have demonstrated experience in serving 
low-income women.
    (c) Duties.--The duties of the Commission shall be to--
            (1) develop a 5-year plan to encourage the full 
        participation of women in high-wage, high-demand nontraditional 
        occupations;
            (2) hold hearings on the national and regional levels on 
        the goal of ending gender segregation in occupations, 
        particularly the underrepresentation of women in high-demand, 
        high-wage occupations;
            (3) recommend policies and programs, including the 
        establishment of sanctions and bonuses for Federal contractors 
        in designated sectors and the use of on-site equal opportunity 
        monitors on all large federally funded projects; and
            (4) submit its progress report and policy recommendations 
        to Congress and related Federal agencies not later than 1 year 
        after the Commission is convened and every 2 years thereafter.

SEC. 8. DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING.

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics shall collect data on the status of 
women's participation in underrepresented sectors of the economy and 
shall examine the status of women in relation to that of men. Such data 
shall include--
            (1) the gender, race, age of participants, including cross 
        tabulations of those three;
            (2) occupation;
            (3) geography;
            (4) advancement salary;
            (5) pay equity within categories within occupations; and
            (6) assignment disparity measured as through income and 
        hours worked.
The Bureau shall collect such information on an annual basis and submit 
it to relevant Federal agencies (including the Departments of Labor, 
Education, Commerce, the commission established under section 6, and to 
Congress. The Bureau shall also make such information available to the 
public on the Bureau's Web site.

SEC. 9. NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE.

    The Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the Secretary of 
Education, shall establish a national clearinghouse to collect and 
distribute best practices. The clearinghouse shall--
            (1) convene national and regional meetings and conferences 
        to bring together stakeholders at all levels;
            (2) collect and disseminate best practices of collaborative 
        models for the recruitment, preparation, placement and 
        retention of women in nontraditional employment;
            (3) provide legal, policy and technical assistance in order 
        to sustain and advance the promotion, employment and retention 
        of women in high-wage, high-demand nontraditional occupations; 
        and
            (4) develop and conduct a national training program, 
        including through distance learning, for staff, partners and 
        board members of grantees and subgrantees.

SEC. 10. EVALUATION.

    (a) Evaluation.--Beginning 2 years after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall conduct an independent, comprehensive, 
and scientifically sound evaluation, by grant or contract and using the 
highest quality research design available, of the impact of activities 
carried out under this Act in promoting the economic self-sufficiency 
of low-income women through their increased participation in high-wage, 
high-demand occupations where they currently represent 25 percent or 
less of the workforce.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 4 years after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, and biannually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to 
Congress a report on the results of the evaluation described in 
subsection (a).

SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated $100,000,000 to the 
Secretary of Labor to carry out this Act, of which a minimum of 
$3,000,000 is authorized to be used to carry out sections 8 and 9.
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