II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1738 

To require the Secretary of Labor to take initiatives to measure the impact 

of automation on the workforce in order to inform workforce development 

strategies, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 5, 2019 

Mr. PETERS introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Labor to take initiatives to 

measure the impact of automation on the workforce in 

order to inform workforce development strategies, 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 ‘‘Workforce Data for 

5 Analyzing and Tracking Automation Act of 2019’’ or the 

6 ‘‘Workforce DATA Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

8 In this Act: 


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1 (1) AUTOMATION.—The term ‘‘automation’’ 

2 means using technology to produce a good or service 

3 previously produced by human work. 

4 (2) BOARD; SUBCOMMITTEE.—The term 

5 ‘‘Board’’ or ‘‘Subcommittee’’ means the advisory 

6 board or subcommittee established or formed under 

7 section 4(a). 

8 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

9 the Secretary of Labor. 

10 SEC. 3. STUDY BY THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF 

11 SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE ON 

12 MEASURING THE IMPACT OF AUTOMATION 

13 ON THE WORKFORCE. 

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

15 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall request 

16 the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and 

17 Medicine to enter into an arrangement with the Secretary 

18 for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and 

19 Medicine to conduct a consensus study on how to measure 

20 the impact of automation on the workforce, including job 

21 creation, job displacement, job retention, and the shifting 

22 of skills in demand due to automation. 

23 (b) CONTENTS.—The study under subsection (a) 

24 shall— 


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1 (1) include a review of workforce data programs 

2 used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of the 

3 date of enactment of this Act, for measuring the im4 pact of automation on the workforce; 

5 (2) identify and review other potential data 

6 sources for measuring such impact; 

7 (3) identify appropriate statistical methods for 

8 using and integrating other data sources to supple9 ment or enhance the workforce data programs de10 scribed in paragraph (1); and 

11 (4) advise the Bureau of Labor Statistics on re12 search needed to acquire, evaluate, and incorporate 

13 additional data sources to adequately measure and 

14 assess, on an ongoing basis— 

15 (A) industry sectors and occupations sig16 nificantly impacted by automation; 

17 (B) jobs and occupations created or sub18 stantially changed as a result of automation; 

19 (C) occupational shifts in labor demand, 

20 including the number of workers displaced (or 

21 with a change in earnings) due to automation, 

22 and the demographics of such workers, such as 

23 the race, gender, age, level of education, loca24 tion, employment status, and earnings of such 

25 workers; 


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1 (D) the consequences of displacement due 

2 to automation, including the consequences of 

3 workers becoming subsequently unemployed, 

4 exiting from the workforce, entering retraining, 

5 changing positions within a company, and expe6 riencing a change in earnings; 

7 (E) changes to workforce skills in demand 

8 as a result of automation; and 

9 (F) additional data recommended by the 

10 Board or Subcommittee under section 

11 4(c)(1)(A)(iii). 

12 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

13 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 

14 Congress, and make publicly available, a report on the re15 sults of the study under subsection (a). 

16 (d) PLAN FOR BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.—Not 

17 later than 1 year after the date on which the Secretary 

18 submits the report to Congress under subsection (c), the 

19 Secretary shall make publicly available a plan for how the 

20 Bureau of Labor Statistics shall respond to the findings 

21 of the study contained in such report. 


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1 SEC. 4. INPUT ON IMPACT OF AUTOMATION FROM WORK2 FORCE ADVISORY BOARD OR SUB3 COMMITTEE. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish an 

5 advisory board, or form a subcommittee of an advisory 

6 board that exists on the date of enactment of this Act, 

7 to provide recommendations on addressing the impact of 

8 automation on the workforce. 

9 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Board or Subcommittee 

10 shall consist of nationally representative members, includ11 ing the balanced participation of— 

12 (1) State boards, as defined in section 3 of the 

13 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

14 U.S.C. 3102); 

15 (2) labor organizations; 

16 (3) industry representatives; 

17 (4) nonprofit entities, or community-based or18 ganizations, with experience researching the impact 

19 of automation on the workforce; 

20 (5) academic experts in the field of workforce 

21 development, labor economics, and program evalua22 tion; and 

23 (6) any other stakeholders the Secretary deter24 mines appropriate. 

25 (c) DUTIES.— 


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1 (1) RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADDITIONAL

2 DATA.— 

3 (A) INITIAL EVALUATION.—Not later than 

4 6 months after the date of enactment of this 

5 Act, the Board or Subcommittee shall— 

6 (i) identify additional types of data re7 lated to the impact of automation on the 

8 workforce that would inform actions of 

9 business and labor stakeholders; 

10 (ii) identify administrative data need11 ed to guide policy formation related to eas12 ing impacts of automation; and 

13 (iii) for purposes of the assessment 

14 under section 3(b)(4), provide rec15 ommendations to the Secretary and the 

16 National Academies of Sciences, Engineer17 ing, and Medicine based on the additional 

18 data identified under clauses (i) and (ii). 

19 (B) ANNUAL UPDATES.—Not later than 1 

20 year after the date on which the recommenda21 tions are provided under subparagraph (A), and 

22 each year thereafter, the Board or Sub23 committee shall evaluate the additional data 

24 identified under such subparagraph, and proVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Jun 10, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1738.IS S1738

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1 vide updated recommendations to the Secretary 

2 based on such evaluation. 

3 (2) RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON BUREAU OF

4 LABOR STATISTICS MEASUREMENTS.— 

5 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 4 years 

6 after the date of enactment of this Act, and 

7 each year thereafter, the Board or Sub8 committee shall— 

9 (i) evaluate strategies for workforce 

10 development, based on measurements of 

11 impact on the workforce due to automation 

12 determined by the Bureau of Labor Statis13 tics and on other relevant evidence; and 

14 (ii) provide recommendations to the 

15 Secretary and to Congress based on such 

16 evaluation. 

17 (B) PUBLIC ACCESS.—The Secretary shall 

18 disseminate the strategies recommended under 

19 subparagraph (A) to relevant stakeholders and 

20 make such strategies available to the public. 

21 (d) FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.—The 

22 Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not 

23 apply to the Board or Subcommittee. 

Æ 


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