IIB 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4072 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 29, 2010 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 

Labor, and Pensions 

AN ACT 

To require that certain Federal job training and career education programs give 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘American Manufac3 turing Efficiency and Retraining Investment Collaboration 

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

5 SEC. 2. INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED AND NATIONALLY PORT6 ABLE CREDENTIALS FOR JOB TRAINING PRO7 GRAMS. 

8 (a) WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACT OF 1998.— 

9 (1) GENERAL EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING AC10 TIVITIES.—Section 134(d)(4)(F) of the Workforce 

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

12 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(iv) PRIORITY FOR PROGRAMS THAT

14 PROVIDE AN INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED AND

15 NATIONALLY PORTABLE CREDENTIAL.—In 

16 selecting and approving training services, 

17 or programs of training services, under 

18 this section, a one-stop operator and em19 ployees of a one-stop center referred to in 

20 subsection (c) shall give priority consider21 ation to services and programs (approved 

22 by the appropriate State agency and local 

23 board in conjunction with section 122) that 

24 lead to a credential that is in high demand 

25 in the local area served and listed in the 


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1 registry described in section 3(b) of the 

2 AMERICA Works Act.’’. 

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

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

5 2854(c)(1)(C)) is amended— 

6 (A) by redesignating clauses (ii) through 

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

8 and 

9 (B) inserting after clause (i) the following: 

10 ‘‘(ii) training (with priority consider11 ation given to programs that lead to a cre12 dential that is in high demand in the local 

13 area served and listed in the registry de14 scribed in section 3(b) of the AMERICA 

15 Works Act, if the local board determines 

16 that such programs are available and ap17 propriate);’’. 

18 (b) CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION.— 

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

20 Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education 

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

22 by striking the semicolon at the end and inserting 

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

24 study leading to an industry-recognized credential or 


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1 certificate, will give priority consideration to pro2 grams of study that— 

3 ‘‘(i) lead to an appropriate (as deter4 mined by the eligible agency) skills creden5 tial (which may be a certificate) that is in 

6 high demand in the area served and listed 

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

8 the AMERICA Works Act; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) may provide a basis for addi10 tional credentials, certificates, or degrees;’’. 

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

12 the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education 

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

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

15 and inserting a semicolon; 

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

17 period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

19 ‘‘(13) describe the career and technical edu20 cation activities supporting the attainment of indus21 try-recognized credentials or certificates, and how 

22 the eligible recipient, in selecting such activities, 

23 gave priority consideration to activities supporting 

24 high-demand registry skill credentials described in 

25 section 122(c)(1)(B)(i).’’. 


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1 (3) TECH-PREP PROGRAMS.—Section 

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

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

4 2373(c)(2)(E)) is amended by striking ‘‘industry5 recognized credential, a certificate,’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘industry-recognized credential or certificate (such 

7 as a high-demand registry skill credential described 

8 in section 122(c)(1)(B)(i)),’’. 

9 SEC. 3. SKILL CREDENTIAL REGISTRY. 

10 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

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

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

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

14 2864) and section 122(c)(1)(B) of the Carl D. Per15 kins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 

16 (20 U.S.C. 2342(c)(1)(B)). 

17 (2) INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED.—The term ‘‘indus18 try-recognized’’, used with respect to a credential, 

19 means a credential that— 

20 (A) is sought or accepted by companies 

21 within the industry sector involved as recog22 nized, preferred, or required for recruitment, 

23 screening, or hiring; and 


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1 (B) is endorsed by a nationally recognized 

2 trade association or organization representing a 

3 significant part of the industry sector. 

4 (3) NATIONALLY PORTABLE.—The term ‘‘na5 tionally portable’’, used with respect to a credential, 

6 means a credential that is sought or accepted by 

7 companies within the industry sector involved, across 

8 multiple States, as recognized, preferred, or required 

9 for recruitment, screening, or hiring. 

10 (4) WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACTIVITIES.— 

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

12 meaning given the term in section 101 of the Work13 force Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801). 

14 (b) REGISTRY.— 

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

16 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec17 retary of Labor (referred to in this section as the 

18 ‘‘Secretary’’) shall create a registry of skill creden19 tials (which may be certificates), for purposes of en20 abling programs that lead to such a credential to re21 ceive priority under a covered provision. 

22 (2) REGISTRY.—The Secretary shall— 

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

24 credential is required by Federal or State law 

25 for an occupation (such as a credential required 


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1 by a State law regarding qualifications for a 

2 health care occupation); 

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

4 credential is a credential from the Manufac5 turing Institute-Endorsed Manufacturing Skills 

6 Certification System; and 

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

8 credential, in the registry if the credential in9 volved is an industry-recognized, nationally 

10 portable credential that is consistent with the 

11 Secretary’s established industry competency 

12 models and is consistently updated through 

13 third party validation to reflect changing indus14 try competencies. 

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

16 shall be construed to require an entity with responsibility 

17 for selecting or approving an education, training, or work18 force investment activities program with regard to a cov19 ered provision, to select a program with a credential listed 

20 in the registry described in subsection (b). 


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1 SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

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

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

Passed the House of Representatives September 29, 

2010. 

Attest: LORRAINE C. MILLER, 

Clerk. 


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