II 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1825 

To improve the management of the Job Corps program, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 13 (legislative day, DECEMBER 11), 2013 

Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Mrs. MCCASKILL, and Mr. MANCHIN) introduced 

the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 

on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To improve the management of the Job Corps program, 

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 ‘‘Securing Job Corps 

5 Centers Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 

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

8 (1) The Department of Labor’s management of 

9 the Job Corps program has recently suffered from 

10 poor budgeting and financial management. The Ofmaindgalligan on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 fice of Inspector General of the Department of 

2 Labor found that the Department had projected 

3 costs erroneously and managerial factors exacer4 bated the resulting budget shortfalls. 

5 (2) For nearly 50 years, the Job Corps pro6 gram was overseen by a single individual appointed 

7 to a position in the Senior Executive Service. The 

8 management structure for the program has ex9 panded to include 3 positions in the Senior Execu10 tive Service. This expansion has not contributed to 

11 better management of the program but has created 

12 uncertainty about roles and responsibilities, accord13 ing to the May 31, 2013, report by the Office of In14 spector General. 

15 (3) The Department of Labor has not been suf16 ficiently transparent with Congress regarding poli17 cies that significantly affect constituents, particu18 larly decisions to suspend enrollments or reduce the 

19 number of enrollees the Job Corps program serves. 

20 (4) An advisory board of Job Corps operational 

21 experts can assist the new leadership of the Depart22 ment of Labor as the Department— 

23 (A) addresses the structural challenges the 

24 Job Corps program faces in its administration; 

25 and 

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1 (B) returns the program to the administra2 tive and operational efficiency that character3 ized the program’s first 50 years. 

4 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con5 gress that— 

6 (1) local Job Corps center operational experts 

7 should play an important role in ensuring the effec8 tive management by the Secretary of the Job Corps 

9 program, by informing the Office of Job Corps on 

10 the impact Federal decisions may have on Job Corps 

11 campuses; 

12 (2) the Job Corps program continues to 

13 produce results as the economy of the United States 

14 recovers and unemployment remains high, as more 

15 than 85 percent of Job Corps graduates obtain a 

16 job, enroll in higher education, or enlist in the mili17 tary upon completion; and 

18 (3) the 125 Job Corps center campuses, which 

19 includes locations in nearly every State, have com20 piled an impressive record of preparing at-risk youth 

21 for the workforce or higher education, and in nearly 

22 50 years, more than 3,000,000 youth have obtained, 

23 through the Job Corps program, the job and social 

24 skills needed to start a career or obtain further edu25 cational credentials. 

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1 SEC. 3. JOB CORPS PROGRAM ADVISORY BOARD. 

2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is established in the 

4 Department of Labor the Job Corps Program Advi5 sory Board (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Advi6 sory Board’’). 

7 (2) RECOMMENDATIONS.—The Secretary, act8 ing through the Assistant Secretary for Employment 

9 and Training, shall solicit and receive recommenda10 tions relating to the administration and management 

11 structure of the Job Corps program from the Advi12 sory Board. 

13 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Advisory Board shall be 

14 composed of 5 members appointed by the Secretary, of 

15 whom— 

16 (1) 1 shall be selected from recommendations 

17 submitted by the Board of Directors of the National 

18 Job Corps Association; and 

19 (2) 4 shall be selected from recommendations 

20 submitted by the chairpersons, in consultation with 

21 the ranking members, of the Committee on Health, 

22 Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and 

23 the Committee on Education and the Workforce of 

24 the House of Representatives. 

25 (c) QUALIFICATIONS.—A majority of the individuals 

26 appointed to the Board under subsection (b) shall have— 

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1 (1) backgrounds containing significant involve2 ment in Job Corps managing operations; or 

3 (2) relevant management experience, in areas 

4 such as financial management, procurement and 

5 contract administration, and performance manage6 ment, at a Job Corps center or at the regional or 

7 national level of the Job Corps program. 

8 (d) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES.—Mem9 bers of the Advisory Board shall serve for the life of the 

10 Advisory Board. Any vacancy in the Advisory Board shall 

11 not affect its powers, but shall be filled in the same man12 ner as the original appointment. 

13 (e) CHAIRPERSON.—The Advisory Board shall select 

14 a Chairperson from among its members. 

15 (f) DUTIES OF THE ADVISORY BOARD.— 

16 (1) ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT

17 STRUCTURE STUDY AND REPORT.— 

18 (A) STUDY.—The Advisory Board shall 

19 conduct a thorough study of all matters relating 

20 to the administration of and management struc21 ture for the Job Corps program. 

22 (B) RECOMMENDATIONS.—The Advisory 

23 Board shall develop recommendations on ways 

24 of improving the administration and manage25 ment structure of the Job Corps program, inmaindgalligan on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 cluding reducing to 1 the number of positions 

2 in the Senior Executive Service within the pro3 gram. 

4 (C) REPORT.—Not later than 6 months 

5 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Ad6 visory Board shall prepare and submit to the 

7 Secretary and the appropriate committees of 

8 Congress— 

9 (i) a report that contains a detailed 

10 statement of the findings and conclusions 

11 of the Advisory Board; and 

12 (ii) recommendations for such legisla13 tion and administrative actions as the Ad14 visory Board considers appropriate. 

15 (2) RECOMMENDATIONS.—The Advisory Board 

16 shall receive each report submitted under section 

17 5(a)(2) and make recommendations to the Assistant 

18 Secretary relating to the administration and man19 agement structure for the Job Corps program in re20 sponse to the report or to requests by the Secretary. 

21 (g) NO ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION.— 

22 (1) VOLUNTARY SERVICE.—Each member of 

23 the Advisory Board shall serve without compensation 

24 in addition to any such compensation received for 

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1 the member’s service as an officer or employee of the 

2 United States, if applicable. 

3 (2) NO TRAVEL EXPENSES.—A member of the 

4 Advisory Board shall not be allowed travel expenses 

5 while away from the member’s home or regular place 

6 of business in the performance of services for the 

7 Advisory Board. 

8 (h) TERMINATION.—The Advisory Board shall termi9 nate at the end of the 2-year period during which the Sec10 retary is not required to submit any notification reports 

11 under section 5, unless the Secretary elects to extend the 

12 life of the Advisory Board for any additional period of 

13 time. 

14 SEC. 4. IMPROVED ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT 

15 STRUCTURE. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after re17 ceiving a report under section 3(f)(1), the Secretary shall 

18 take action to improve the administration and manage19 ment structure of the Job Corps program, which actions 

20 shall include reducing to 1 the number of positions in the 

21 Senior Executive Service funded through the annual ap22 propriations provided for the Job Corps program. The in23 dividual appointed to the position in the Senior Executive 

24 Service for the Job Corps program shall be responsible 

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1 for the fiscal, program, and procurement oversight of the 

2 Job Corps program. 

3 (b) BUDGET PLAN.—Not later than 90 days after re4 ceiving the report submitted under section 6, the Secretary 

5 shall prepare and submit a plan detailing how the Sec6 retary will address and prevent any current or anticipated 

7 budget problem concerning the Job Corps program. The 

8 Secretary shall submit the plan to the appropriate commit9 tees of Congress. 

10 SEC. 5. NOTIFICATION REPORTS. 

11 (a) REPORT.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days 

13 prior to implementation of a policy described in sub14 section (b), the Secretary, acting through the Assist15 ant Secretary for Employment and Training, shall 

16 prepare, and submit to the appropriate committees 

17 of Congress, a report that contains a notification re18 garding the policy. 

19 (2) SUBMISSION TO THE ADVISORY BOARD.— 

20 The Secretary shall submit any report prepared 

21 under paragraph (1) to the Job Corps Program Ad22 visory Board established under section 3 at the same 

23 time as such report is submitted to Congress, until 

24 the date on which the Advisory Board is terminated 

25 in accordance with section 3(h). 

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1 (b) POLICIES COVERED.—Subsection (a) applies to 

2 any policy implemented by the Department of Labor that 

3 would— 

4 (1) suspend the enrollment of applicants to par5 ticipate in the Job Corps program; 

6 (2) reduce the number of positions available for 

7 enrollees in the program; or 

8 (3) affect the closure of a Job Corps center. 

9 SEC. 6. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REPORT. 

10 The Comptroller General of the United States shall 

11 conduct a financial audit of the Job Corps program for 

12 fiscal years 2012 and 2013, and prepare and submit a 

13 report describing the results of the audit. Such audit shall 

14 contain a full review of the financial shortfalls relating to 

15 the program. The Comptroller General shall submit the 

16 report to the Secretary and the appropriate committees 

17 of Congress. 

18 SEC. 7. FUNDING. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi20 sion of law, the Secretary shall reserve funds appropriated 

21 for fiscal year 2013 for the Employment and Training Ad22 ministration that have not been obligated as of the date 

23 of enactment of this Act, and shall use such funds to carry 

24 out the requirements of this Act. 

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1 (b) AVAILABILITY.—The funds reserved under this 

2 section shall remain available until expended. 

3 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 

4 In this Act: 

5 (1) JOB CORPS.—The term ‘‘Job Corps’’ means 

6 the Job Corps described in section 143 of the Work7 force Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2882). 

8 (2) JOB CORPS CENTER.—The term ‘‘Job Corps 

9 center’’ means a center described in section 147 of 

10 the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 

11 2887). 

12 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

13 the Secretary of Labor. 

Æ 

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