II

104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 6

To replace certain Federal job training programs by developing a training

account system to provide individuals the opportunity to choose the

type of training and employment-related services that most closely meet

the needs of such individuals, and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

JANUARY 4, 1995

Mr. DASCHLE (for himself, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. BREAUX, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr.

REID, Mr. ROCKEFELLER, Mr. DODD, Mr. KERRY, Mr. DORGAN, and

Ms. MOSELEY-BRAUN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice

and referred to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources

A BILL

To replace certain Federal job training programs by developing a training account system to provide individuals the

opportunity to choose the type of training and employment-related services that most closely meet the needs

of such individuals, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the

5 ‘‘Working Americans Opportunity Act’’.
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1 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for

2 this Act is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.

Sec. 2. Findings and purposes.

Sec. 3. Definitions.

TITLE I—JOB TRAINING ACCOUNT SYSTEM

Sec. 101. Establishment.

Sec. 102. Individual choice.

Sec. 103. Eligibility.

Sec. 104. Obtaining a voucher.

Sec. 105. Oversight and accountability.

Sec. 106. Eligibility requirements for providers of job training.

Sec. 107. Eligibility requirements for providers of employment-related services.

Sec. 108. Evaluation of training account system and assistance centers.

Sec. 109. Apportionment of funds.

TITLE II—ELIMINATION OF FEDERAL JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS

Sec. 201. Elimination of programs.

Sec. 202. Authorization of appropriations.

TITLE III—INFORMATION FOR BETTER CHOICES

Sec. 301. Assistance centers.

Sec. 302. Access to labor market information.

Sec. 303. Direct loans to working Americans.

TITLE IV—REPORTS AND PLANS

Sec. 401. Consolidation and streamlining.

Sec. 402. Report relating to income support.

3 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

4 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—

5 (1) increasing international competition, techno6 logical advances, and structural changes in the econ7 omy of the United States present new challenges to

8 private firms and public policymakers in creating a

9 skilled workforce with the ability to adapt to change

10 and progress;

11 (2) a substantial number of Americans lose jobs

12 due to the constantly changing world and national
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1 economies rather than cyclical downturns, with more

2 than 2,000,000 full-time workers permanently dis3 placed annually due to plant closures, production

4 cutbacks, and layoffs;

5 (3) the current response of the Federal Govern6 ment to dislocation and structural employment is a

7 patchwork of categorical programs, with varying eli8 gibility requirements and different sets of services

9 and benefits;

10 (4) the lack of coherence among existing Fed11 eral programs creates administrative and regulatory

12 obstacles that hamper the efforts of individuals who

13 are seeking new jobs or reemployment;

14 (5) enacted in 1944, the Servicemen’s Readjust15 ment Act of 1944, popularly known as the GI Bill

16 of Rights, helped millions of World War II veterans,

17 and later, Korean and Vietnam War veterans, fi18 nance college educations and assisted in building the

19 middle class of the United States;

20 (6) restructuring the current job training sys21 tem, with respect to dislocated and disadvantaged

22 workers, in a manner that is conceptually similar to

23 the GI Bill will help millions of Americans to become

24 more competitive in today’s dynamic world economy

25 in which most Americans—
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1 (A) can expect to move to new jobs a num2 ber of times, voluntarily or by layoff; and

3 (B) must upgrade their skills continuously;

4 (7) success in this ever-changing environment

5 depends, in part, on an individual’s effective man6 agement of the individual’s career based on personal

7 choice and reliable information;

8 (8) there is insufficient market information and

9 assistance regarding access to job training opportu10 nities that lead to good employment opportunities;

11 (9) only a small fraction of individuals eligible

12 for current Federal job training are now served, and

13 by removing obstacles and layers of administrative

14 costs, more funds will be made available to individ15 uals to enable such individuals to receive the train16 ing of their choice; and

17 (10) while the Federal Government proceeds to

18 create a new marketplace for job training, the Fed19 eral Government must also maintain its commitment

20 to providing intensive services to assist those individ21 uals who are economically disadvantaged.

22 (b) PURPOSES.—It is the purpose of this Act to—

23 (1) enhance the choices available to dislocated

24 workers, and the economically disadvantaged, who
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1 want to upgrade their work skills and learn new

2 skills to compete in a changing economy;

3 (2) enable individuals to make choices that are

4 best for the careers of such individuals;

5 (3) replace a number of Federal job training

6 programs and employment-related services with a

7 simple and direct training account voucher system

8 that relies on individual choice and provides high9 quality job market information;

10 (4) allow an individual to tailor training and

11 education to the personal needs of such individual so

12 that such individual may remain in long-term em13 ployment yet have the means to be flexible when

14 necessary; and

15 (5) create a system that provides timely and re16 liable information to individuals to use to assist such

17 individuals in making the best choices with respect

18 to the use of vouchers for job training and employ19 ment-related services.

20 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

21 As used in this Act:

22 (1) DISLOCATED WORKERS.—

23 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘dislocated

24 workers’’ means individuals who—
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1 (i) have been terminated or laid off or

2 who have received a notice of termination

3 or layoff from employment, are eligible for

4 or have exhausted their entitlement to un5 employment compensation, and are un6 likely to return to their previous industry

7 or occupation;

8 (ii) have been terminated or have re9 ceived a notice of termination of employ10 ment, as a result of any permanent closure

11 of or any substantial layoff at a plant, fa12 cility, or enterprise;

13 (iii) are long-term unemployed and

14 have limited opportunities for employment

15 or reemployment in the same or a similar

16 occupation in the area in which such indi17 viduals reside, including older individuals

18 who may have substantial barriers to em19 ployment by reason of age; or

20 (iv) were self-employed (including

21 farmers and ranchers and fishermen) and

22 are unemployed as a result of general eco23 nomic conditions in the community in

24 which they reside or because of natural
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1 disasters, subject to regulations prescribed

2 by the Secretary.

3 (B) SPECIAL RULE.—The Secretary of

4 Labor shall establish categories of self-employed

5 individuals and of economic conditions and nat6 ural disasters to which subparagraph (A)(iv)

7 applies.

8 (2) COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS.—The

9 term ‘‘community-based organizations’’ means pri10 vate nonprofit organizations that—

11 (A) are representative of communities or

12 significant segments of communities; and

13 (B) provide education, training, and relat14 ed services.

15 (3) ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED ADULT.—

16 The term ‘‘economically disadvantaged adult’’ means

17 an individual who is age 18 and older and who has,

18 or is a member of a family that has, received a total

19 family income (exclusive of unemployment com20 pensation, child support payments, and welfare pay21 ments) that, in relation to family size, was not in ex22 cess of the higher of—

23 (A) the official poverty line (as defined by

24 the Office of Management and Budget, and re-
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1 vised annually in accordance with section

2 9902(2)) of title 42; or

3 (B) 70 percent of the lower living standard

4 income level.

5 (4) GOVERNOR.—The term ‘‘Governor’’ means

6 the chief executive of any State.

7 (5) PROVIDER.—The term ‘‘provider’’ means a

8 public agency, private nonprofit organization, or pri9 vate for-profit entity that delivers basic employment,

10 educational, job training, employment-related, or

11 supportive services.

12 (6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means any of

13 the several States, the District of Columbia, the

14 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands,

15 Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana

16 Islands, American Samoa, the Republic of the Mar17 shall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia,

18 and the Republic of Palau.

19 TITLE I—JOB TRAINING

20 ACCOUNT SYSTEM

21 SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT.

22 Not later than January 1, 1996, the Secretary of

23 Labor and the Secretary of Education shall jointly estab24 lish pursuant to the requirements of this Act a job train25 ing account system that provides vouchers to individuals
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1 for the purpose of the provision of job training and em2 ployment-related services.

3 SEC. 102. INDIVIDUAL CHOICE.

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Upon notification of approval of

5 an application under section 104, an individual may re6 ceive a voucher in the amount of $3,000 for 2-years begin7 ning on the date on which an application is approved

8 under section 104.

9 (b) USE OF TRAINING ACCOUNT VOUCHERS FOR JOB

10 TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT-RELATED SERVICES.—

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—An individual who is a recip12 ient of a voucher under subsection (a) may use such

13 voucher to purchase job training or employment-re14 lated services from providers that meet the require15 ments of section 106 or 107, whichever is applicable.

16 (2) AUTHORIZED JOB TRAINING AND EMPLOY17 MENT-RELATED SERVICES.—

18 (A) IN GENERAL.—The job training and

19 employment-related services described in para20 graph (1) may include—

21 (i) associate degree or nondegree pro22 grams at—

23 (I) two- and four-year colleges;

24 (II) vocational and technical edu25 cation schools;
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1 (III) private for-profit and not2 for-profit training organizations;

3 (IV) public agencies and schools;

4 and

5 (V) community-based organiza6 tions;

7 (ii) employer work-based training pro8 grams;

9 (iii) job search assistance;

10 (iv) in the case of individuals who

11 are economically disadvantaged,

12 preemployment training programs; or

13 (v) other appropriate employment-re14 lated services.

15 (B) SPECIAL RULE.—A recipient of a

16 voucher under subsection (a) may not pay by

17 voucher more than $750 for job search assist18 ance services.

19 SEC. 103. ELIGIBILITY.

20 An individual shall be eligible to receive a voucher

21 under this title if such individual is—

22 (1) a dislocated worker; or

23 (2) an economically disadvantaged adult.
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1 SEC. 104. OBTAINING A VOUCHER.

2 (a) APPLICATION.—An individual who desires to par3 ticipate in a training account program established under

4 this title shall submit an application to a voucher applica5 tion office described in subsection (b)(1) at such time, in

6 such manner, and accompanied by such information as the

7 Governor may reasonably require. The Governor shall, to

8 the extent that appropriations are available, approve an

9 application that meets the application requirements of reg10 ulations issued under section 105 and promptly notify

11 such applicant of such approval.

12 (b) STATE-DESIGNATED VOUCHER APPLICATION OF13 FICES.—

14 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Each State shall des15 ignate or establish easily accessible voucher applica16 tion offices within such State to assist in administer17 ing the training account system under this title.

18 Such offices may be administered by private (for19 profit or not-for-profit) or public entities.

20 (2) DUTIES.—Each voucher application office

21 shall—

22 (A) provide applications for vouchers under

23 this title to interested individuals, assist such

24 individuals in completing such applications, and

25 collect completed applications for determination

26 of eligibility;
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1 (B) provide performance-based information

2 to applicants relating to service providers eligi3 ble to receive payment by voucher in accordance

4 with section 106 or 107, whichever is applica5 ble;

6 (C) carry out such other duties relating to

7 the training account system as may be specified

8 by the Governor or prescribed in regulations is9 sued jointly by the Secretary of Labor and the

10 Secretary of Education; and

11 (D) provide information on—

12 (i) the local economy and availability

13 of employment;

14 (ii) profiles of local industries; and

15 (iii) details of local labor market de16 mand.

17 (3) CONFLICT OF INTEREST STANDARDS.—The

18 Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education

19 shall jointly issue regulations establishing procedures

20 to ensure that voucher application offices that are

21 administered by an entity that is concurrently an eli22 gible provider of services under the training account

23 system provide information to voucher applicants re24 lating to the other providers of services in the local

25 area in an objective and equitable manner.
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1 (c) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the

2 Congress that as States become more experienced with ad3 ministering vouchers to eligible individuals that the vouch4 er applications offices described in subsection (b) should

5 be converted to one stop assistance centers described in

6 section 301.

7 SEC. 105. OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY.

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months after the

9 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor and

10 the Secretary of Education shall jointly issue regulations

11 that—

12 (1) specify the—

13 (A) voucher application requirements;

14 (B) form of vouchers;

15 (C) use of such vouchers;

16 (D) method of redemption of such vouch17 ers;

18 (E) most expeditious and effective process

19 of distribution (consistent with the findings and

20 purposes of this Act) of a voucher from the

21 Federal Government to eligible individuals; and

22 (F) the arrangements necessary to phase

23 in the training account system in each State in

24 a timely manner;
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1 (2) specify the duties and responsibilities of

2 providers under a training account program estab3 lished by a State under this title;

4 (3) include a role for a State in the oversight

5 of such providers of such State;

6 (4) specify the Federal and State responsibil7 ities in such oversight, including the enforcement re8 sponsibilities and the determination of administra9 tive costs with respect to a State that establishes a

10 training account program under this title;

11 (5) include provisions that encourage States to

12 distribute in a regionally balanced manner, to the

13 extent practicable, vouchers to individuals to pur14 chase job training or employment-related services in

15 such State; and

16 (6) specify the manner in which economically

17 disadvantaged individuals will receive adequate coun18 seling and support services necessary to take full ad19 vantage of the voucher assistance under this title.

20 (b) PUBLIC COMMENTS.—In promulgating regula21 tions under subsection (a), the Secretary of Labor and the

22 Secretary of Education shall provide the opportunity for

23 comment from the public, including representatives of the

24 business community, workers, and community-based orga25 nizations.
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1 SEC. 106. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR PROVIDERS OF

2 JOB TRAINING.

3 (a) ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.—A provider of job

4 training shall be eligible to receive payment by voucher

5 under this title if such provider—

6 (1) is—

7 (A) eligible to participate in programs

8 under title IV of the Higher Education Act of

9 1965; or

10 (B) determined to be eligible under the

11 procedures described in subsection (b); and

12 (2) provides the performance-based information

13 required pursuant to subsection (c).

14 (b) ALTERNATIVE ELIGIBILITY PROCEDURE.—

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Governor shall establish

16 an alternative eligibility procedure for providers of

17 job training desiring to receive payment by voucher

18 under this title, but that are not eligible to partici19 pate in programs under title IV of the Higher Edu20 cation Act of 1965.

21 (2) PROCEDURE REQUIREMENTS.—The proce22 dure described in paragraph (1) shall establish mini23 mum acceptable levels of performance for providers

24 of job training based on factors and guidelines devel25 oped jointly by the Secretary of Labor and the Sec26 retary of Education. Such factors shall be com-
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1 parable in rigor and scope to those provisions of part

2 H of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965

3 that are used to determine an institution of higher

4 education’s eligibility to participate in programs

5 under such part as are appropriate to the type of

6 provider seeking eligibility under this subsection and

7 the nature of the education and training services to

8 be provided.

9 (3) LIMITATION.—Notwithstanding paragraph

10 (1), if the participation of an institution of higher

11 education in any of the programs under title IV of

12 the Higher Education Act of 1965 is terminated,

13 such institution shall not be eligible to receive funds

14 under this Act for a period of 2 years beginning on

15 the date of such termination.

16 (c) PERFORMANCE-BASED INFORMATION.—

17 (1) CONTENTS.—The Secretary of Labor and

18 the Secretary of Education, shall identify perform19 ance-based information that is to be submitted by

20 providers of job training desiring to be eligible under

21 this section. Such information may include informa22 tion relating to—

23 (A) the percentage of students completing

24 the programs conducted by a provider of job

25 training;
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1 (B) the rates of licensure of graduates of

2 the programs conducted by such provider;

3 (C) the percentage of graduates of the pro4 grams conducted by such provider that meet

5 skill standards and certification requirements

6 endorsed by the National Skill Standards Board

7 established under section 503 of the National

8 Skills Standards Act of 1994;

9 (D) the rates of placement and retention in

10 employment, and earnings of the graduates of

11 the programs conducted by such provider;

12 (E) the percentage of graduates of the pro13 gram conducted by such provider who obtained

14 employment in an occupation related to such

15 program conducted by such provider; and

16 (F) the warranties or guarantees provided

17 by such provider relating to the skill levels or

18 employment to be attained by graduates of the

19 program conducted by such provider.

20 (2) ADDITIONS.—The Governor may, pursuant

21 to the approval of the Secretary of Labor and the

22 Secretary of Education, prescribe additional per23 formance-based information that shall be submitted

24 by providers of job training pursuant to this sub25 section.
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1 (d) ADMINISTRATION.—

2 (1) STATE AGENCY.—The Governor shall des3 ignate a State agency to collect, verify, and dissemi4 nate the performance-based information submitted

5 pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection (c).

6 (2) APPLICATION.—A provider of job training

7 desiring to be eligible to receive funds under this

8 title shall submit the information required under

9 subsection (c) to the State agency designated under

10 paragraph (1) at such time and in such form as

11 such State agency may require.

12 (3) LIST OF ELIGIBLE PROVIDERS.—The State

13 agency designated under paragraph (1) shall compile

14 a list of eligible providers, accompanied by the per15 formance-based information submitted, and dissemi16 nate such list and information to the voucher appli17 cation offices described under section 105(b)(1), as18 sistance centers under section 301, and other appro19 priate entities within the State.

20 (4) ACCURACY OF INFORMATION.—

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—If the State agency de22 termines that a provider of training services

23 submitted inaccurate performance-based infor24 mation under this subsection, then such pro25 vider shall be disqualified from receiving funds
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1 under this title for a period of 2 years begin2 ning on the date of such determination, unless

3 such provider can demonstrate to the satisfac4 tion of the Governor or a designee of the Gov5 ernor, that the information was provided in

6 good faith.

7 (B) APPEAL.—The Governor shall estab8 lish a procedure for a provider of job training

9 to appeal a determination by a State agency

10 that results in a disqualification under subpara11 graph (A). Such procedure shall provide an op12 portunity for a hearing and prescribe appro13 priate time limits to ensure prompt resolution

14 of the appeal.

15 (5) ASSISTANCE IN DEVELOPING INFORMA16 TION.—The State agency designated under para17 graph (1) may provide technical assistance to a pro18 vider of job training in developing the performance19 based information required under subsection (c).

20 Such assistance may include facilitating the utiliza21 tion of State administrative records, such as unem22 ployment compensation wage records, and other ap23 propriate coordination activities.

24 (6) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary of Labor

25 shall consult with the Secretary of Education re-
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1 garding the eligibility of institutions of higher edu2 cation or other providers of job training to partici3 pate in programs under this Act or under title IV

4 of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

5 SEC. 107. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR PROVIDERS OF

6 EMPLOYMENT-RELATED SERVICES.

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—A provider of employment-related

8 services shall be eligible to receive payment by voucher

9 under this title if such provider—

10 (1) is determined to be eligible under proce11 dures described in subsection (b); and

12 (2) provides the performance-based information

13 required pursuant to subsection (c).

14 (b) PROCEDURES.—The Governor, after consultation

15 with local elected officials and other appropriate entities

16 in the State, shall establish eligibility procedures for pro17 viders of employment-related services in such State desir18 ing to receive payment by voucher under this title. Such

19 procedures shall establish minimum acceptable levels of

20 performance for such providers based on factors and

21 guidelines developed by the Secretary of Labor.

22 (c) PERFORMANCE-BASED INFORMATION.—The Sec23 retary of Labor and the Secretary of Education shall iden24 tify performance-based information that is to be submitted
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1 by providers of employment-related services desiring to be

2 eligible under this section.

3 SEC. 108. EVALUATION OF TRAINING ACCOUNT SYSTEM

4 AND ASSISTANCE CENTERS.

5 The Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Edu6 cation shall annually—

7 (1) monitor the effectiveness of the training ac8 count system and the assistance centers established

9 under section 301;

10 (2) evaluate the benefit of such system and cen11 ters to voucher recipients under this title and the

12 taxpayer; and

13 (3) submit to the appropriate committees of

14 Congress information obtained from such evaluation.

15 SEC. 109. APPORTIONMENT OF FUNDS.

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Labor and the

17 Secretary of Education shall, without in any way reducing

18 the commitment of, or the level of effort by, the Federal

19 Government to improve the education, employment, and

20 earnings of all workers and jobseekers (particularly in

21 hard-to-serve communities), jointly apportion funds appro22 priated under section 202 to each State for each fiscal

23 year in accordance with subsection (b).

24 (b) CONSIDERATION OF FACTORS.—
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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—An apportionment of funds

2 under subsection (a) shall be based on the following

3 factors:

4 (A) The relative number of unemployed in5 dividuals who reside in each State as compared

6 to the total number of unemployed individuals

7 in all the States.

8 (B) The relative excess number of unem9 ployed individuals who reside in each State as

10 compared to the total excess number of unem11 ployed individuals in all the States.

12 (C) The relative number of individuals who

13 have been unemployed for 15 weeks or more

14 and who reside in each State as compared to

15 the total number of such individuals in all the

16 States.

17 (D) The relative number of economically

18 disadvantaged adults who reside in each State.

19 (2) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this sub20 section, the term ‘‘excess number’’ means the num21 ber which represents unemployed individuals in ex22 cess of 4.5 percent of the civilian labor force in the

23 State.

24 (c) FUNDS FOR VOUCHERS.—
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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para2 graph (2), not less than 75 percent of funds appor3 tioned to a State under subsection (a) shall be made

4 available in the form of vouchers to individuals in

5 the State who are eligible under section 103.

6 (2) WAIVER.—The Secretary of Labor may

7 waive the requirement under paragraph (1) for a

8 State if—

9 (A) such State provides job training and

10 employment-related services other than the job

11 training and employment-related services pro12 vided through vouchers; and

13 (B) such services are considered by the

14 Secretary of Labor to be more beneficial to in15 dividuals in such State to meet the self-deter16 mined training needs of such individuals.

17 (d) NONVOUCHER EMPLOYMENT-RELATED SERV18 ICES.—

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The remaining balance of

20 the funds apportioned under subsection (a) shall be

21 used for employment-related services that are pro22 vided through means other than voucher and that

23 increase the probability that such individuals will

24 benefit from training and reenter the workforce.
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1 (2) AUTHORIZED SERVICES.—The employment2 related services described in paragraph (1) may in3 clude—

4 (A) skill assessments;

5 (B) testing;

6 (C) counseling;

7 (D) job development;

8 (E) work experience evaluation;

9 (F) job readiness training;

10 (G) basic skills education;

11 (H) supportive and supplemental services;

12 and

13 (I) rapid response.

14 (3) AVAILABILITY OF SERVICES.—The services

15 described in paragraph (2) and any other related

16 services may be made available through assistance

17 centers established under title III.

18 (e) SPECIAL RULE.—The Secretary of Labor and the

19 Secretary of Education shall jointly determine the equi20 table distribution of voucher assistance and nonvoucher

21 assistance under subsections (c) and (d), respectively, be22 tween dislocated workers and economically disadvantaged

23 adults.
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1 TITLE II—ELIMINATION OF FED2 ERAL JOB TRAINING PRO3 GRAMS

4 SEC. 201. ELIMINATION OF PROGRAMS.

5 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con6 gress that the elimination and streamlining of Federal job

7 training programs should be accomplished without in any

8 way reducing the commitment of, or the level of effort by,

9 the Federal Government to improve the education, em10 ployment, and earnings of all workers and jobseekers par11 ticularly in hard-to-serve communities.

12 (b) REPEALS OF EMPLOYMENT TRAINING PRO13 GRAMS.—

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—The following provisions are

15 repealed:

16 (A) Section 6(d)(4) of the Food Stamp Act

17 of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2015(d)(4)).

18 (B) Section 106(b)(7) of the Job Training

19 Partnership Act (29 U.S.C. 1516(b)(7)).

20 (C) Section 123 of such Act (29 U.S.C.

21 1533).

22 (D) Section 204(d) of such Act (29 U.S.C.

23 1604(d)).

24 (E) Part A of title II of such Act (29

25 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.).
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1 (F) Section 302(c) of such Act (29 U.S.C.

2 1652(c)).

3 (G) Part A of title III of such Act (29

4 U.S.C. 1661 et seq.).

5 (H) Sections 321 through 324 of such Act

6 (29 U.S.C. 1662 through 1662c).

7 (I) Section 325 of such Act (29 U.S.C.

8 1662d).

9 (J) Section 325A of such Act (29 U.S.C.

10 1662d–1).

11 (K) Section 326 of such Act (29 U.S.C.

12 1662e).

13 (L) Sections 301 through 303 of such Act

14 (29 U.S.C. 1651 et seq.).

15 (M) Subtitle C of title VII of the Stewart

16 B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (42

17 U.S.C. 11441 et seq.).

18 (N) The Displaced Homemakers Self-Suffi19 ciency Assistance Act (29 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.).

20 (O) Section 43 of the Airline Deregulation

21 Act of 1978 (49 U.S.C. App. 1552).

22 (P) Title II of Public Law 95-250 (92

23 Stat. 172).

24 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The repeals made by

25 paragraph (1) shall take effect on January 1, 1996.
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1 SEC. 202. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

2 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out

3 this Act for fiscal years 1996, 1997, and 1998 the same

4 level of funds that were appropriated for the programs de5 scribed in section 201(b) for fiscal year 1995.

6 TITLE III—INFORMATION FOR

7 BETTER CHOICES

8 SEC. 301. ASSISTANCE CENTERS.

9 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—A State may, with the funds

11 made available under section 109(d), make arrange12 ments with private or public entities to establish as13 sistance centers to provide voucher recipients under

14 title I, jobseekers, employers, and workers informa15 tion and employment-related services to increase the

16 probability that such individuals will benefit from

17 job training and make better use of other Federal

18 job training assistance. An assistance center may

19 serve as the location where individuals may apply to

20 become eligible for voucher assistance under title I.

21 (2) LOCATION.—An assistance center may be

22 located within an existing unemployment office.

23 (3) PUBLIC CONSULTATION.—A State that de24 sires to establish an assistance center is encouraged

25 to consult the public, including the business commu-
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1 nity, and workers, regarding the choice of services to

2 be made available and the location of such center.

3 (b) AVAILABLE INFORMATION.—The information

4 made available to individuals described in subsection (a)

5 shall include data on—

6 (1) the local economy and availability of em7 ployment;

8 (2) profiles of local industries;

9 (3) details of local labor market demand;

10 (4) local demographic and socioeconomic char11 acteristics;

12 (5) the performance of training and education

13 providers; and

14 (6) private support service providers.

15 (c) EMPLOYMENT-RELATED SERVICES.—The em16 ployment-related services available to individuals described

17 in subsection (a) may include—

18 (1) counseling;

19 (2) skills and employability assessment;

20 (3) job referral; and

21 (4) child care.

22 (d) OTHER SERVICES.—The Governor shall make

23 available through the assistance centers information on

24 and provide referrals to other Federal and State job train25 ing and employment-related service programs.
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1 SEC. 302. ACCESS TO LABOR MARKET INFORMATION.

2 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that accurate,

3 timely, and relevant data regarding employment, training,

4 job skills, and education opportunities are useful for

5 individuals making choices about the careers of such indi6 viduals.

7 (b) AUTHORITY.—

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Labor and

9 the Secretary of Education are authorized to make

10 arrangements with public or private entities to de11 velop and provide relevant labor market information

12 to interested individuals, including voucher recipients

13 under title I, jobseekers, employers, and workers.

14 (2) TYPE OF INFORMATION FOR COLLEC15 TION.—The types of information to be developed

16 and provided under paragraph (1) shall include the

17 following:

18 (A) Regional labor market demand.

19 (B) Regional employment opportunities.

20 (C) Regional industries and employers.

21 (D) Demographic, socioeconomic, and eco22 nomic characteristics of particular regions.

23 SEC. 303. DIRECT LOANS TO WORKING AMERICANS.

24 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that the Federal

25 Direct Student Loan Program authorized by part D of

26 title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, is a valuable
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1 financing tool for working Americans who desire to take

2 advantage of training and education programs, consistent

3 with the goals of such Americans, to learn new skills for

4 careers that may bring higher salaries and improved qual5 ity of life.

6 (b) AWARENESS.—The Department of Education

7 shall endeavor to make known the value and availability

8 of direct loans through the Federal Direct Student Loan

9 Program under part D of title IV of the Higher Education

10 Act of 1965 through cooperative arrangements with train11 ing and educational training programs, assistance centers,

12 State agencies, and other Federal agencies.

13 TITLE IV—REPORTS AND PLANS

14 SEC. 401. CONSOLIDATION AND STREAMLINING.

15 (a) REPORT ON CONSOLIDATING NONCOVERED FED16 ERAL JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS.—Not later than Janu17 ary 1, 1996, and each year thereafter, the Secretary of

18 Labor and the Secretary of Education shall jointly prepare

19 and submit to Congress a report on how additional Fed20 eral job training programs not covered by this Act can

21 be consolidated into a more integrated and accountable

22 workforce development system that better meets the needs

23 of jobseekers, workers, and business.

24 (b) PLAN ON USE OF COMMON DEFINITIONS, MEAS25 URES, STANDARDS, AND CYCLES.—Not later than 180
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1 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary

2 of Labor and the Secretary of Education shall jointly de3 velop a plan that, wherever practicable, requires all Fed4 eral job training programs not covered by this Act to use

5 common definitions, common outcome measures, common

6 eligibility standards, and common funding cycles in order

7 to make such training programs more accessible.

8 SEC. 402. REPORT RELATING TO INCOME SUPPORT.

9 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the Con10 gress that—

11 (1) many dislocated workers and economically

12 disadvantaged adults are unable to enroll in long13 term job training because such workers and adults

14 lack income support after unemployment compensa15 tion is exhausted;

16 (2) evidence suggests that long-term job train17 ing is among the most effective adjustment service

18 in assisting dislocated workers and economically dis19 advantaged adults to obtain employment and en20 hance wages; and

21 (3) there is a need to identify options relating

22 to how income support may be provided to enable

23 dislocated workers and economically disadvantaged

24 adults to participate in long-term job training.
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1 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 120 days after the date

2 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor shall sub3 mit to the Congress a report that—

4 (1) examines the need for income support to en5 able dislocated workers and economically disadvan6 taged adults to participate in long-term job training;

7 (2) identifies options relating to how income

8 support can be provided to such workers and adults;

9 and

10 (3) contains such recommendations as the Sec11 retary of Labor determines are appropriate.

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