I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1534 

To establish a program that provides dislocated workers with a subsidy 

or coupon that may be applied towards obtaining broadband Internet 

access service, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 15, 2017 

Mrs. DINGELL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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 establish a program that provides dislocated workers with 

a subsidy or coupon that may be applied towards obtaining broadband Internet access service, 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 ‘‘21st Century Worker 

5 Opportunity Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. BROADBAND SERVICE FOR DISPLACED WORKERS 

2 PROGRAM. 

3 (a) CREATION OF PROGRAM.—Not later than one 

4 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the As5 sistant Secretary shall implement and administer a pro6 gram that provides displaced workers with a subsidy or 

7 coupon for a lump sum payment of $500 that may only 

8 be applied towards— 

9 (1) obtaining broadband Internet access service; 

10 or 

11 (2) remote job training in a profession not like12 ly to be automated in the next 20 years. 

13 (b) PROGRAM SPECIFICATIONS.— 

14 (1) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a 

15 subsidy or coupon under the program, a displaced 

16 worker who has been laid off or terminated shall 

17 submit to the Assistant Secretary a certification 

18 from an employer that the worker was employed in 

19 the manufacturing sector and was laid off or termi20 nated due to the automation of the position of the 

21 worker. 

22 (2) LIMITATIONS.— 

23 (A) ONE PER HOUSEHOLD.—Not more 

24 than one request per household to receive a 

25 subsidy or coupon may be made under the pro26 gram. 


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1 (B) NO COMBINATION OF SUBSIDY OR

2 COUPON.—A subsidy or coupon distributed 

3 under the program may not be combined with 

4 any other subsidy or coupon distributed under 

5 the program. 

6 (c) REPORTS REQUIRED.—Not later than June 30 

7 and December 31 of each year, the Inspector General of 

8 the Department of Commerce and the Comptroller Gen9 eral shall submit to the committees on Energy and Com10 merce of the House of Representatives and Commerce, 

11 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report for the 

12 previous 6 months that reviews the program established 

13 under subsection (a). Such report shall include any rec14 ommendations to address waste, fraud, and abuse. 

15 (d) RULEMAKING.—Not later than 180 days after the 

16 date of the enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary 

17 shall promulgate regulations to implement this section, in18 cluding methods to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse within 

19 the program. 

20 (e) CONSUMER AWARENESS CAMPAIGN.—Not later 

21 than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

22 the Assistant Secretary shall launch a consumer aware23 ness campaign about the program established under this 

24 Act. 

25 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 (1) ASSISTANT SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Assist2 ant Secretary’’ means the Assistant Secretary of 

3 Commerce for Communications and Information. 

4 (2) AUTOMATION.—The term ‘‘automation’’ 

5 means the introduction of machinery into any enter6 prise that is intended to, or has the effect of, replac7 ing human labor. 

8 (3) BROADBAND INTERNET ACCESS SERVICE.— 

9 The term ‘‘broadband Internet access service’’ has 

10 the meaning given that term in section 8.2 of title 

11 47, Code of Federal Regulations. 

12 (4) DISPLACED WORKER.—The term ‘‘displaced 

13 worker’’ means an individual who, due to automa14 tion, has been terminated or laid off from employ15 ment, or who has received a notice of termination or 

16 layoff from employment. 

17 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

18 (1) PROGRAM.—There is authorized to be ap19 propriated $5,000,000,000 for the program estab20 lished under this Act, of which not more than 5 per21 cent is authorized for administrative expenses. 

22 (2) INSPECTOR GENERAL.—There is authorized 

23 to be appropriated $100,000,000 to the Inspector 

24 General of the Department of Commerce. 


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1 (3) CONSUMER AWARENESS CAMPAIGN.—There 

2 is authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000 for the 

3 consumer awareness campaign described under sub4 section (e). 

Æ 


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