II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2501 

To require the Secretary of Energy to establish an offshore wind career 

training grant program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 28, 2021 

Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Mr. CARPER, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. CARDIN, and 

Mr. VAN HOLLEN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice 

and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Energy to establish an offshore 

wind career training grant 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 ‘‘Offshore Wind Jobs 

5 and Opportunity Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. OFFSHORE WIND CAREER TRAINING GRANT PRO7 GRAM. 

8 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 (1) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON2 GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con3 gress’’ means— 

4 (A) the Committee on Energy and Natural 

5 Resources of the Senate; 

6 (B) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

7 and Transportation of the Senate; 

8 (C) the Committee on Energy and Com9 merce of the House of Representatives; and 

10 (D) the Committee on Natural Resources 

11 of the House of Representatives. 

12 (2) COMMUNITY COLLEGE.—The term ‘‘commu13 nity college’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘junior 

14 or community college’’ in section 312 of the Higher 

15 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058). 

16 (3) DISLOCATED WORKER.—The term ‘‘dis17 located worker’’ has the meaning given the term in 

18 section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor19 tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 

20 (4) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti21 ty’’ means an entity that is— 

22 (A) an institution of higher education; or 

23 (B) a labor organization. 


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1 (5) GRANT PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘grant pro2 gram’’ means the grant program established under 

3 subsection (d). 

4 (6) GRANTEE.—The term ‘‘grantee’’ means an 

5 eligible entity that has received a grant under this 

6 section. 

7 (7) INDIVIDUAL WITH A BARRIER TO EMPLOY8 MENT.—The term ‘‘individual with a barrier to em9 ployment’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

10 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 

11 (29 U.S.C. 3102). 

12 (8) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

13 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

14 meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 

15 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

16 (9) LEAD APPLICANT.—The term ‘‘lead appli17 cant’’ means the eligible entity that is primarily re18 sponsible for the preparation, conduct, and adminis19 tration of the project for which a grant is awarded 

20 under this section. 

21 (10) QUALIFIED INTERMEDIARY.—The term 

22 ‘‘qualified intermediary’’ has the meaning given the 

23 term in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and 

24 Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302). 


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1 (11) RECOGNIZED POSTSECONDARY CREDEN2 TIAL.—The term ‘‘recognized postsecondary creden3 tial’’ has the meaning given the term in section 3 of 

4 the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

5 U.S.C. 3102). 

6 (12) REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PRO7 GRAM.—The term ‘‘registered apprenticeship pro8 gram’’ means an apprenticeship program registered 

9 under the Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly known 

10 as the ‘‘National Apprenticeship Act’’) (50 Stat. 

11 664, chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.). 

12 (13) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 

13 means the Secretary of Energy. 

14 (14) VETERAN.—The term ‘‘veteran’’ has the 

15 meaning given the term in section 101 of title 38, 

16 United States Code. 

17 (b) IDENTIFICATION OF EDUCATIONAL AND CAREER

18 TRAINING NEEDS.—Not later than 120 days after the 

19 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consulta20 tion with representatives from the offshore wind industry, 

21 eligible entities, including eligible entities that are commu22 nity colleges and labor organizations, State and local gov23 ernments, ports, and nonprofit organizations, shall iden24 tify educational and career training needs with respect to 

25 the offshore wind industry, including needs relating to 


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1 manufacturing, construction, installation, operation, engi2 neering training and education, and maintenance activi3 ties. 

4 (c) GUIDELINES.—Not later than 180 days after the 

5 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall— 

6 (1) issue guidelines for the submission of grant 

7 proposals under this section, which shall include a 

8 list of the educational and career training needs 

9 identified under subsection (b); and 

10 (2) publish and maintain the guidelines de11 scribed in paragraph (1) on a public website of the 

12 Secretary. 

13 (d) ESTABLISHMENT OF GRANT PROGRAM.—Not 

14 later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, 

15 the Secretary shall establish a grant program under which 

16 the Secretary may award offshore wind career training 

17 grants to eligible entities for the purpose of developing, 

18 offering, or improving educational or career training pro19 grams that provide individuals who are enrolled in those 

20 programs with skills that are necessary for employment 

21 in the offshore wind industry. 

22 (e) ALLOCATION OF GRANTS.— 

23 (1) LIMITATION ON GRANT QUANTITY AND

24 SIZE.—In carrying out this section, the Secretary 

25 may not award to an eligible entity— 


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1 (A) more than 1 grant for which the eligi2 ble entity is the lead applicant; or 

3 (B) a grant that is in an amount that is 

4 more than $2,500,000. 

5 (2) ALLOCATION TO ENTITIES WITH REG6 ISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS.—The Sec7 retary shall ensure that, in a fiscal year, not less 

8 than 25 percent of the total amount that the Sec9 retary awards in grants under this section is award10 ed to eligible entities that sponsor registered appren11 ticeship programs. 

12 (3) ALLOCATION OF CONSTRUCTION AND MAIN13 TENANCE GRANTS.—To the maximum extent prac14 ticable, the Secretary shall ensure that grants relat15 ing to construction and maintenance career training 

16 are reserved for— 

17 (A) eligible entities that sponsor a reg18 istered apprenticeship program or offer a pre19 apprenticeship program that facilitates entry 

20 into a registered apprenticeship program; and 

21 (B) eligible entities that are participating 

22 in a joint labor-management partnership. 

23 (f) PARTNERSHIPS.—An eligible entity seeking to re24 ceive a grant under this section may partner with 1 or 

25 more of the following: 


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1 (1) Another eligible entity, including an eligible 

2 entity that is— 

3 (A) a community college; or 

4 (B) participating in a joint labor-manage5 ment partnership. 

6 (2) A State or local government agency respon7 sible for education, workforce development, or off8 shore wind energy activities. 

9 (3) A nonprofit organization. 

10 (4) A qualified intermediary. 

11 (g) USE OF GRANT.—An eligible entity may use a 

12 grant awarded under this section to carry out— 

13 (1) occupational skills training, including cur14 riculum and career pathway development, on-the-job 

15 training, safety and health training, and classroom 

16 training; 

17 (2) incumbent worker and career ladder train18 ing and retraining, including skill upgrading and 

19 transitional job strategizing; 

20 (3) individual referral and tuition assistance for 

21 a training program through which an individual may 

22 attain a recognized postsecondary credential; 

23 (4) customized training in conjunction with an 

24 existing registered apprenticeship program or preVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:19 Aug 01, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2501.IS S2501

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1 apprenticeship program, paid internship, or joint 

2 labor-management partnership; and 

3 (5) other activities that the Secretary deter4 mines meet the purposes of this section. 

5 (h) SUBMISSION PROCEDURE FOR GRANT PRO6 POSALS.—An eligible entity seeking to receive a grant 

7 under this section shall submit a grant proposal to the 

8 Secretary at such time, in such manner, and, in accord9 ance with the guidelines issued under subsection (c)(1), 

10 containing such information as the Secretary may require. 

11 (i) CRITERIA FOR AWARD OF GRANTS.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of 

13 appropriations, the Secretary may award a grant 

14 under this section only after an evaluation of— 

15 (A) the merits of the grant proposal with 

16 respect to the grant; 

17 (B) the employment opportunities or pro18 jected employment opportunities, including the 

19 projected wages and benefits, available to indi20 viduals who complete the educational or career 

21 training program that the eligible entity apply22 ing for the grant proposes to develop, offer, or 

23 improve; 

24 (C) the availability and capacity of existing 

25 educational or career training programs in the 


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1 community served by the eligible entity applying 

2 for the grant to meet future demand for the 

3 educational or career training programs; and 

4 (D) the employment opportunities or pro5 jected employment opportunities for members of 

6 groups that have been historically underserved 

7 in the engineering and construction of energy 

8 facilities or the engineering and manufacture of 

9 energy facility components. 

10 (2) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this 

11 section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible 

12 entities that— 

13 (A) are— 

14 (i) institutions of higher education 

15 that have formed partnerships with labor 

16 organizations; or 

17 (ii) labor organizations that have 

18 formed partnerships with institutions of 

19 higher education; 

20 (B) have entered into a memorandum of 

21 understanding with 1 or more employers in the 

22 offshore wind industry to partner on the estab23 lishment or expansion of the educational or ca24 reer training program that the eligible entity 


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1 applying for the grant proposes to develop, 

2 offer, or improve; or 

3 (C) will use the grant funds to assist indi4 viduals who are— 

5 (i) dislocated workers, with a focus on 

6 workers displaced from the offshore oil and 

7 gas, onshore fossil fuel, nuclear energy, or 

8 fishing industry; 

9 (ii) veterans, members of the reserve 

10 components of the Armed Forces, or 

11 former members of those reserve compo12 nents; or 

13 (iii) individuals with a barrier to em14 ployment. 

15 (j) MATCHING REQUIREMENTS.—A grant awarded 

16 under this section may not be used to satisfy any non17 Federal funds matching requirement under any other pro18 vision of law. 

19 (k) GRANTEE DATA COLLECTION.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—A grantee shall collect and 

21 report to the Secretary on an annual basis the fol22 lowing information regarding the educational or ca23 reer training program for which the grantee receives 

24 a grant under this section: 


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1 (A) The number of participants enrolled in 

2 the educational or career training program (re3 ferred to in this subsection as ‘‘participants’’). 

4 (B) The number of participants that com5 pleted the educational or career training pro6 gram during the previous 1-year period. 

7 (C) The services received in the edu8 cational or career training program by the par9 ticipants, including a description of training, 

10 educational, and supportive services. 

11 (D) The amount of grant funds expended 

12 by the grantee per participant. 

13 (E) The rate of job placement of partici14 pants in the offshore wind industry or related 

15 fields that have completed the educational or 

16 career training program. 

17 (F) The rate at which participants are re18 tained in positions of employment 1 year after 

19 the date on which the participant has completed 

20 the program. 

21 (G) The percentage of participants enrolled 

22 in the educational or career training program 

23 who obtain a recognized postsecondary creden24 tial or a secondary school diploma or its recogVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:19 Aug 01, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2501.IS S2501

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1 nized equivalent not later than 1 year after 

2 exiting the program. 

3 (2) DISAGGREGATION OF DATA.—The data col4 lected and reported under this subsection shall be 

5 disaggregated by— 

6 (A) each population specified in subpara7 graphs (A) through (M) of section 3(24) of the 

8 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

9 U.S.C. 3102(24)); 

10 (B) race; 

11 (C) ethnicity; 

12 (D) sex; and 

13 (E) age. 

14 (3) DATA COLLECTION ASSISTANCE.—The Sec15 retary shall assist grantees in the collection of data 

16 under this subsection— 

17 (A) by making available, in coordination 

18 with the Secretary of Labor and where prac19 ticable, low-cost means of tracking the labor 

20 market outcomes of participants; and 

21 (B) by providing standardized reporting 

22 forms, where appropriate. 

23 (l) TECHNICAL AND OVERSIGHT ASSISTANCE.—The 

24 Secretary shall provide technical assistance and over25 sight— 


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1 (1) to assist eligible entities in applying for 

2 grants under this section; and 

3 (2) to assist grantees in administering grants 

4 received under this section. 

5 (m) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 

6 (1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 18 

7 months after the date on which the grant program 

8 is established, the Secretary shall submit to the ap9 propriate committees of Congress an initial report 

10 describing the results of the grant program, includ11 ing a description of— 

12 (A) the grantees that were awarded a 

13 grant under this section; and 

14 (B) the activities for which the grantees 

15 described in subparagraph (A) used a grant 

16 awarded under this section. 

17 (2) ADDITIONAL REPORTS.—Not later than 2 

18 years after the date on which the initial report is 

19 submitted under paragraph (1), and every 2 years 

20 thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the appro21 priate committees of Congress a report describing 

22 the results of the grant program for the 2-year pe23 riod preceding the report. 

24 (n) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 

2 appropriated to carry out this section $25,000,000 

3 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026. 

4 (2) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—The Sec5 retary may use not more than 2 percent of the 

6 amount appropriated under paragraph (1) for each 

7 fiscal year for administrative expenses, including ex8 penses relating to providing technical assistance and 

9 oversight activities under subsection (l). 

Æ 


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