I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1325 

To require that certain Federal job training and career education programs 

give a priority to programs that provide an industry recognized and 

nationally portable credential. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 1, 2011 

Mr. DONNELLY of Indiana (for himself, Mr. PLATTS, and Mr. BOREN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and 

Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To require that certain Federal job training and career education programs give a priority to programs that provide 

an industry recognized and nationally portable credential. 

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 ‘‘American Manufac5 turing Efficiency and Retraining Investment Collaboration 

6 Achievement Works Act’’ or the ‘‘AMERICA Works Act’’. 

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1 SEC. 2. INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED AND NATIONALLY PORT2 ABLE CREDENTIALS FOR JOB TRAINING PRO3 GRAMS. 

4 (a) WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACT OF 1998.— 

5 (1) GENERAL EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING AC6 TIVITIES.—Section 134(d)(4)(F) of the Workforce 

7 Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2864(d)(4)(F)) 

8 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(iv) PRIORITY FOR PROGRAMS THAT

10 PROVIDE AN INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED AND

11 NATIONALLY PORTABLE CREDENTIAL.—In 

12 selecting and approving training services, 

13 or programs of training services, under 

14 this section, a one-stop operator and em15 ployees of a one-stop center referred to in 

16 subsection (c) shall give priority consider17 ation to services and programs (approved 

18 by the appropriate State agency and local 

19 board in conjunction with section 122) that 

20 lead to a credential that is in high demand 

21 in the local area served and listed in the 

22 registry described in section 3(b) of the 

23 AMERICA Works Act.’’. 

24 (2) YOUTH ACTIVITIES.—Section 129(c)(1)(C) 

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

26 2854(c)(1)(C)) is amended— 

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1 (A) by redesignating clauses (ii) through 

2 (iv) as clauses (iii) through (v), respectively; 

3 and 

4 (B) by inserting after clause (i) the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(ii) training (with priority consider7 ation given to programs that lead to a cre8 dential that is in high demand in the local 

9 area served and listed in the registry de10 scribed in section 3(b) of the AMERICA 

11 Works Act, if the local board determines 

12 that such programs are available and ap13 propriate);’’. 

14 (b) CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION.— 

15 (1) STATE PLAN.—Section 122(c)(1)(B) of the 

16 Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education 

17 Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2342(c)(1)(B)) is amended 

18 by striking the semicolon at the end and inserting 

19 the following: ‘‘and, with respect to programs of 

20 study leading to an industry-recognized credential or 

21 certificate, will give priority consideration to pro22 grams of study that— 

23 ‘‘(i) lead to an appropriate (as deter24 mined by the eligible agency) skills creden25 tial (which may be a certificate) that is in 

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1 high demand in the area served and listed 

2 in the registry described in section 3(b) of 

3 the AMERICA Works Act; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) may provide a basis for addi5 tional credentials, certificates, or degrees;’’. 

6 (2) USE OF LOCAL FUNDS.—Section 134(b) of 

7 the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education 

8 Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2354(b)) is amended— 

9 (A) in paragraph (11), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 

10 and inserting a semicolon; 

11 (B) in paragraph (12)(B), by striking the 

12 period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

13 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(13) describe the career and technical edu15 cation activities supporting the attainment of indus16 try-recognized credentials or certificates, and how 

17 the eligible recipient, in selecting such activities, 

18 gave priority consideration to activities supporting 

19 high-demand registry skill credentials described in 

20 section 122(c)(1)(B)(i).’’. 

21 (3) TECH-PREP PROGRAMS.—Section 

22 203(c)(2)(E) of the Carl D. Perkins Career and 

23 Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 

24 2373(c)(2)(E)) is amended by striking ‘‘industry25 recognized credential, a certificate,’’ and inserting 

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1 ‘‘industry-recognized credential or certificate (such 

2 as a high-demand registry skill credential described 

3 in section 122(c)(1)(B)(i)),’’. 

4 (c) TRAINING PROGRAMS UNDER TAA.—Section 

5 236(a)(5) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 

6 2296(a)(5)) is amended by inserting after the sentence 

7 that follows subparagraph (H)(ii) the following: ‘‘In ap8 proving training programs under paragraph (1), the Sec9 retary shall give priority consideration to programs that 

10 lead to a credential that is in high demand in the local 

11 area (defined for purposes of title I of the Workforce In12 vestment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.)) served 

13 by the corresponding one-stop delivery system under that 

14 title for the training programs, and that is listed in the 

15 registry described in section 3(b) of the AMERICA Works 

16 Act.’’. 

17 SEC. 3. SKILL CREDENTIAL REGISTRY. 

18 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

19 (1) COVERED PROVISION.—The term ‘‘covered 

20 provision’’ means any of sections 129 and 134 of the 

21 Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2854, 

22 2864), section 122(c)(1)(B) of the Carl D. Perkins 

23 Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 

24 U.S.C. 2342(c)(1)(B)), and section 236 of the Trade 

25 Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2296). 

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1 (2) INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED.—The term ‘‘indus2 try-recognized’’, used with respect to a credential, 

3 means a credential that— 

4 (A) is sought or accepted by companies 

5 within the industry sector involved as recog6 nized, preferred, or required for recruitment, 

7 screening, or hiring; and 

8 (B) is endorsed by a nationally recognized 

9 trade association or organization representing a 

10 significant part of the industry sector. 

11 (3) NATIONALLY PORTABLE.—The term ‘‘na12 tionally portable’’, used with respect to a credential, 

13 means a credential that is sought or accepted by 

14 companies within the industry sector involved, across 

15 multiple States, as recognized, preferred, or required 

16 for recruitment, screening, or hiring. 

17 (4) WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACTIVITIES.— 

18 The term ‘‘workforce investment activities’’ has the 

19 meaning given the term in section 101 of the Work20 force Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801). 

21 (b) REGISTRY.— 

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

23 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec24 retary of Labor (referred to in this section as the 

25 ‘‘Secretary’’) shall create a registry of skill credenmstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with BILLS

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1 tials (which may be certificates), for purposes of en2 abling programs that lead to such a credential to re3 ceive priority under a covered provision. 

4 (2) REGISTRY.—The Secretary shall— 

5 (A) list the credential in the registry if the 

6 credential is required by Federal or State law 

7 for an occupation (such as a credential required 

8 by a State law regarding qualifications for a 

9 health care occupation); 

10 (B) list the credential in the registry if the 

11 credential is a credential from the Manufac12 turing Institute-Endorsed Manufacturing Skills 

13 Certification System; and 

14 (C) list the credential, and list an updated 

15 credential, in the registry if the credential in16 volved is an industry-recognized, nationally 

17 portable credential that is consistent with the 

18 Secretary’s established industry competency 

19 models and is consistently updated through 

20 third party validation to reflect changing indus21 try competencies. 

22 (c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this Act 

23 shall be construed to require an entity with responsibility 

24 for selecting or approving an education, training, or work25 force investment activities program with regard to a covmstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with BILLS

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1 ered provision, to select a program with a credential listed 

2 in the registry described in subsection (b). 

3 SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

4 This Act, and the amendments made by this Act, take 

5 effect 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act. 

Æ 

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