I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 6472 

To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to codify a grant 

program to promote and assist in the reentry of justice-involved individuals into the workforce. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 21, 2023 

Mr. SMUCKER (for himself and Mr. OWENS) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 

to codify a grant program to promote and assist in 

the reentry of justice-involved individuals into the workforce. 

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 ‘‘Workforce Reentry 

5 Act’’. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
2 

•HR 6472 IH

1 SEC. 2. JUSTICE-INVOLVED INDIVIDUALS REENTRY PRO2 GRAM START-UP GRANTS. 

3 Subtitle D of title I of the Workforce Innovation and 

4 Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3221 et seq.) is amended— 

5 (1) by redesignating section 172 as section 173; 

6 and 

7 (2) by inserting after section 171 the following 

8 new section: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 172. JUSTICE-INVOLVED INDIVIDUALS REENTRY PRO10 GRAM START-UP GRANTS. 

11 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to— 

12 ‘‘(1) prompt innovation and improvement in the 

13 reentry of justice-involved individuals into the work14 force so that successful initiatives can be continued 

15 and replicated; and 

16 ‘‘(2) allow for the dissemination of information 

17 regarding best practices in preparing justice-involved 

18 individuals for sustained participation in the work19 force. 

20 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

21 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en22 tity’ means— 

23 ‘‘(A) a private nonprofit organization 

24 under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 

25 Code of 1986, including a faith-based organiza26 tion; 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
3 

•HR 6472 IH

1 ‘‘(B) a local board; 

2 ‘‘(C) a State or local government; 

3 ‘‘(D) an Indian or Native American entity 

4 eligible for grants under section 166; 

5 ‘‘(E) an employer or group of employers; 

6 ‘‘(F) an institution of higher education; 

7 ‘‘(G) an industry or sector partnership; or 

8 ‘‘(H) a trade or professional association. 

9 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANT.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘eligible par11 ticipant’ means an individual— 

12 ‘‘(i) who has been convicted as a juve13 nile or an adult and imprisoned under 

14 Federal or State law; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) who has not been released from 

16 prison or jail for more than 2 years before 

17 the date on which the individual begins 

18 participation in an activity funded under 

19 this section. 

20 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—Up to 10 percent of all 

21 participants may be individuals who do not 

22 meet the requirements of clause (ii) of subpara23 graph (A). 

24 ‘‘(3) EVIDENCE-BASED.—The term ‘evidence25 based’ means a program or practice that— 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
4 

•HR 6472 IH

1 ‘‘(A) is demonstrated effective when imple2 mented with fidelity; 

3 ‘‘(B) is based on a clearly articulated and 

4 empirically supported theory; 

5 ‘‘(C) has measurable outcomes relevant to 

6 workforce outcomes for reentering justice-in7 volved individuals; and 

8 ‘‘(D) has been scientifically tested and 

9 proven effective through randomized control 

10 studies or comparison group studies. 

11 ‘‘(4) PROMISING.—The term ‘promising’ refers 

12 to a program or practice that— 

13 ‘‘(A) is demonstrated to be effective based 

14 on positive outcomes relevant to workforce en15 gagement for reentering justice-involved individ16 uals from one or more objective, independent, 

17 and scientifically valid evaluation; and 

18 ‘‘(B) includes ongoing efforts to examine 

19 the effects of such program or practice. 

20 ‘‘(c) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the activi22 ties under this section, the Secretary shall— 

23 ‘‘(A) use not less than 30 percent of the 

24 funds made available to carry out this section 

25 under section 173(d), to implement pay-for-perVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:45 Nov 28, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6472.IH H6472

kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
5 

•HR 6472 IH

1 formance contracts for a contract period of not 

2 more than 4 years with eligible entities to carry 

3 out projects to facilitate the reentry of justice4 involved individuals into the workforce (which 

5 may include the activities described in sub6 section (f)(1)), and which— 

7 ‘‘(i) specify a fixed amount that the 

8 Secretary will pay to the entity based on 

9 the achievement of specified levels of per10 formance on each indicator of performance 

11 described in subsection (g)(1) within a de12 fined timetable; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) may provide for bonus payments 

14 from the Secretary to such entity to ex15 pand capacity to provide effective services; 

16 and 

17 ‘‘(B) using any funds remaining to carry 

18 out this section under section 173(d), award 

19 grants, on a competitive basis, award grants for 

20 a period of not more than 4 years to eligible en21 tities to enable such entities to provide skills de22 velopment opportunities, job placement services, 

23 and mentoring to eligible participants. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
6 

•HR 6472 IH

1 ‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In awarding contracts or 

2 grants under this section, the Secretary shall give 

3 priority to eligible entities that— 

4 ‘‘(A) establish partnerships with business, 

5 educational institutions, or eligible providers 

6 identified by the State under section 122 to 

7 provide a program of study leading to postsec8 ondary credentials in in-demand occupations; or 

9 ‘‘(B) provide on-the-job training or cus10 tomized training that is designed to meet the 

11 specific requirements of an employer (including 

12 a group of employers) and is conducted with a 

13 commitment by the employer to employ an indi14 vidual upon successful completion of the pro15 gram. 

16 ‘‘(3) ADDITIONAL CONTRACTS OR GRANTS.— 

17 The Secretary may award, for not longer than a pe18 riod of 4 years, one or more additional grants to an 

19 eligible entity that received a grant or contract 

20 under this section if the eligible entity achieved the 

21 expected performance levels identified by the eligible 

22 entity under subsection (d)(4) during the preceding 

23 grant or contract period. 

24 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a con25 tract or grant under this section, an eligible entity shall 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
7 

•HR 6472 IH

1 submit an application to the Secretary, which shall include 

2 each of the following: 

3 ‘‘(1) A detailed description of the program in4 cluding the core services they will provide, how the 

5 eligible entity will recruit and select eligible partici6 pants for the program, how many participants they 

7 plan on serving each year, and the length of partici8 pation in the program. 

9 ‘‘(2) A description of evidence-based or prom10 ising practices the eligible entity will use in the ad11 ministration of the program. 

12 ‘‘(3) A description of partnerships with local 

13 businesses to provide apprenticeship opportunities, 

14 work-based learning, and job placement and recruit15 ment (if applicable). 

16 ‘‘(4) The expected levels of performance the eli17 gible entity will achieve on the indicators of perform18 ance described in subsection (g)(1). 

19 ‘‘(5) An assurance that the eligible entity will 

20 coordinate activities with workforce development pro21 grams and other services provided under this title, 

22 including utilizing the one-stop delivery system of 

23 the local workforce development areas to provide ap24 propriate services and recruit eligible individuals to 

25 ensure the maximum number of eligible individuals 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
8 

•HR 6472 IH

1 will have the opportunity to participate in the pro2 gram. 

3 ‘‘(6) In the case of a grant, an assurance that 

4 the eligible entity will meet the matching require5 ment described in subsection (e). 

6 ‘‘(7) A plan to coordinate with other programs 

7 and entities, including those that may be provided 

8 by such other programs and entities, to provide sub9 stance abuse treatment services, mental health treat10 ment services, housing services, and transportation 

11 services. 

12 ‘‘(8) An assurance that the eligible entity will 

13 provide the data necessary for the indicators of per14 formance in subsection (g). 

15 ‘‘(9) A plan to continue the program with non16 Federal funds after the grant or contract period. 

17 ‘‘(e) MATCHING REQUIREMENT FOR GRANTS.—In 

18 order to receive a grant from the Secretary under this sec19 tion, each eligible entity shall provide a non-Federal con20 tribution, including cash and in-kind donations, in the fol21 lowing amounts: 

22 ‘‘(1) With respect to the award period of the 

23 first grant awarded to such eligible entity under this 

24 section, in an amount that is not less than 25 perVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:45 Nov 28, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6472.IH H6472

kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
9 

•HR 6472 IH

1 cent of the total grant amount awarded to the eligi2 ble entity during such period. 

3 ‘‘(2) With respect to any additional award peri4 ods, in an amount not less than 50 percent of the 

5 total grant amount awarded to the eligible entity 

6 during such additional period. 

7 ‘‘(f) USE OF FUNDS FOR GRANTS.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A grant awarded under 

9 this section may be used to— 

10 ‘‘(A) provide workforce development and 

11 job placement services to eligible participants, 

12 including occupational skills education, on-the13 job training, apprenticeship opportunities, work 

14 experience, job referrals, basic skills remedi15 ation, educational services, work readiness ac16 tivities, and post-placement support, in coordi17 nation with the one-stop partners and one-stop 

18 operators that provide services at any center 

19 operated under a one-stop deliver system estab20 lished under section 121; 

21 ‘‘(B) mentor eligible participants, including 

22 the provision of support, guidance, and assist23 ance in the community and the workplace to 

24 address the challenges faced by justice-involved 

25 individuals; 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
10 

•HR 6472 IH

1 ‘‘(C) provide outreach to State or Federal 

2 correctional facilities to increase awareness, 

3 identify and recruit eligible participants, provide 

4 screening and assessment of eligible partici5 pants and align educational offerings with exist6 ing services available to individuals who are 

7 presently incarcerated; 

8 ‘‘(D) coordinate with employers to develop 

9 on-the-job training or customized training pro10 grams and agreements around the hiring of eli11 gible participants; or 

12 ‘‘(E) carrying out the activities described 

13 in subparagraph (A), (B), (C), or (D) with re14 spect to eligible participants who will be re15 leased from prison or jail within 90 days. 

16 ‘‘(2) LIMITATIONS.— 

17 ‘‘(A) CERTAIN SERVICES EXCLUDED.— 

18 Grants provided under this section may not be 

19 used to provide substance abuse treatment serv20 ices, mental health treatment services, or hous21 ing services, except that such a grant may be 

22 used to coordinate with other programs and en23 tities to provide substance abuse treatment 

24 services, mental health treatment services, or 

25 housing services to eligible participants. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
11 

•HR 6472 IH

1 ‘‘(B) ADMINISTRATIVE COST LIMIT.—A 

2 grantee may not use more than 5 percent of the 

3 funds received under a grant for administrative 

4 costs, including for the purpose of collecting in5 formation for purposes of subsection (g)(1). 

6 ‘‘(C) LIMIT ON AMOUNT PAID AS STIPENDS

7 TO PARTICIPANTS.—A grantee may not use 

8 more than 15 percent of the funds received 

9 under such grant to provide stipends to pro10 gram participants while completing an edu11 cational or skill development program. 

12 ‘‘(D) LIMIT ON FUNDS FOR EMERGENCY

13 SITUATIONS.—A grantee may not use more 

14 than 5 percent of the funds to assist eligible 

15 participants in an emergency situation. 

16 ‘‘(g) PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES AND ACCOUNT17 ABILITY.— 

18 ‘‘(1) INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE.—Each eli19 gible entity receiving a grant or contract under this 

20 section shall report each year to the Secretary on 

21 the primary indicators of performance described in 

22 section 116(b)(2)(A)(ii) and an indicator established 

23 by the Secretary with respect to participant recidi24 vism. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
12 

•HR 6472 IH

1 ‘‘(2) INDEPENDENT EVALUATION.—Not later 

2 than 5 years after the date of enactment of this sec3 tion and from amounts made available under section 

4 173(d) for this section, the Secretary shall submit to 

5 Congress a report on an independent evaluation of 

6 each grant and contract entered into under this sec7 tion, including an assessment of the effectiveness of 

8 each such grant and contract in reducing recidivism 

9 and assisting eligible participants in— 

10 ‘‘(A) earning credentials; 

11 ‘‘(B) finding and maintaining employment; 

12 and 

13 ‘‘(C) increasing their earnings. 

14 ‘‘(3) REPORT.—The Secretary shall, on an an15 nual basis— 

16 ‘‘(A) submit to the Committee on Edu17 cation and the Workforce of the House of Rep18 resentatives, and the Committee on Health, 

19 Employment, Labor, and Pensions of the Sen20 ate, a report, with respect to the preceding fis21 cal year, on— 

22 ‘‘(i) the number of individuals who 

23 participated in programs assisted under 

24 this section; 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
13 

•HR 6472 IH

1 ‘‘(ii) the percentage of individuals par2 ticipating in a program assisted under this 

3 section that successfully completed the pro4 gram; and 

5 ‘‘(iii) the performance of eligible enti6 ties as measured by the performance indi7 cators set forth in paragraph (1); and 

8 ‘‘(B) publish such report on a publicly 

9 available website of the Department of Labor. 

10 ‘‘(4) DISSEMINATING BEST PRACTICES.—Using 

11 the findings of the independent evaluation under 

12 paragraph (2) the Secretary shall disseminate infor13 mation to State and local government, local boards, 

14 and relevant stakeholders regarding best practices in 

15 providing workforce development opportunities for 

16 justice-involved individuals and reducing recidivism. 

17 ‘‘(h) ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary 

18 may use up to 2 percent of the funds annually appro19 priated to carry out the activities of this section, including 

20 disseminating best practices and providing technical as21 sistance to eligible entities receiving grants or contracts 

22 under this section and partnering businesses regarding the 

23 availability of the work opportunity credit determined 

24 under section 51(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
14 

•HR 6472 IH

1 ‘‘(i) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec2 tion shall be construed to authorize any new appropria3 tions to carry out the purpose of this section.’’. 

4 SEC. 3. AUTHORIZED FUNDS. 

5 Section 173(d) of the Workforce Innovation and Op6 portunity Act (as redesignated by section 2(1)) is amended 

7 by striking ‘‘section 169’’ and inserting ‘‘sections 169 and 

8 172’’. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB