I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5566 

To establish a technology-based job training and education program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 18, 2018 

Mr. BEN RAY LUJA ́N of New Mexico (for himself, Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN

GRISHAM of New Mexico, and Ms. DELBENE) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To establish a technology-based job training and education 

program. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. TECHSMART WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PRO4 GRAM. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 12 months after 

6 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor 

7 shall establish a program, to be known as the ‘‘Tech8 SMART Workforce Development Program’’, under which 

9 the Secretary shall provide to eligible entities described in 

10 subsection (c), on a competitive basis, grants for techVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:26 Apr 27, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5566.IH H5566

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1 nology sector job training and education programs that 

2 provide industry-recognized credentials during the 5-year 

3 grant period beginning on the date of enactment of this 

4 Act. Such training and education programs may include— 

5 (1) programs that provide a postsecondary cre6 dential; 

7 (2) intensive coaching and other short-term, 

8 specialized services culminating in direct job place9 ment; and 

10 (3) short-term or accelerated training that may 

11 or may not result in a postsecondary credential in 

12 high-growth occupations and industries. 

13 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—A job training and education 

14 program that is awarded a grant under this section shall, 

15 to the extent practicable, provide technology-based train16 ing across two or more sectors, including— 

17 (1) information technology; 

18 (2) computer coding and cybersecurity tech19 nology; 

20 (3) healthcare services technology; 

21 (4) advanced manufacturing technology; 

22 (5) financial services technology; and 

23 (6) educational services technology. 

24 (c) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive a 

25 grant under this section, an entity shall be a workforce 


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1 intermediary, a public organization, or an organization de2 scribed in section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 

3 1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of 

4 that Code that— 

5 (1) includes an advisory board, which may be— 

6 (A)(i) a local workforce development board; 

7 (ii) a State workforce development board; 

8 or 

9 (iii) an appropriate subgroup of a local 

10 workforce development board or a State work11 force development board; and 

12 (B) a board of proportional participation, 

13 as determined by the Secretary of Labor, of rel14 evant organizations, including— 

15 (i) relevant industry organizations, in16 cluding public and private employers; 

17 (ii) labor organizations; 

18 (iii) one or more units of local govern19 ment; 

20 (iv) postsecondary education organiza21 tions; and 

22 (v) industry or sector partnerships. 

23 (2) demonstrates experience in implementing 

24 and operating job training and education programs; 


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1 (3) demonstrates the ability to recruit and sup2 port individuals who plan to work in a relevant sec3 tor on the successful completion of relevant job 

4 training and education programs; 

5 (4)(A) provides students who complete the 

6 training and education program with a postsec7 ondary credential; or 

8 (B) uses a customized training curriculum that 

9 is specifically aligned with employers, utilizing work 

10 place learning advisors and on-the-job training to 

11 the greatest extent possible; and 

12 (5) demonstrates successful outcomes con13 necting graduates of job training and education pro14 grams to quality jobs relevant to the job training 

15 and education programs. 

16 (d) APPLICATIONS.—An eligible entity seeking a 

17 grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary of 

18 Labor an application at such time, in such manner, and 

19 containing such information as the Secretary of Labor 

20 may require. 

21 (e) PRIORITY.—In selecting eligible entities to receive 

22 grants under this section, the Secretary of Labor shall 

23 prioritize applicants that meet one or more of the following 

24 criteria: 


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1 (1)(A) Include a local workforce development 

2 board or State workforce development board; or 

3 (B) demonstrate a strong partnership with a 

4 local workforce development board or State work5 force development board. 

6 (2) House the job training and education pro7 gram in— 

8 (A) a community college or institution of 

9 higher education that includes basic science, 

10 technology, and math education in the cur11 riculum of the community college or institution 

12 of higher education; 

13 (B) an apprenticeship program registered 

14 with the Department of Labor or a State; or 

15 (C) a customized training program devel16 oped in collaboration with employers that uti17 lizes on the job training to the greatest extent 

18 possible. 

19 (3) Work with the Secretary of Defense or vet20 erans organizations to transition members of the 

21 Armed Forces and veterans to careers in a relevant 

22 sector. 

23 (4) Include in the application an entity that re24 ceives State funding or is operated by a State agen25 cy. 


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1 (5) Include an apprenticeship program reg2 istered with the Department of Labor as part of the 

3 job training and education program. 

4 (6) Provide support services and career plan5 ning. 

6 (7) Provide entry-level technology workforce 

7 training aimed at matching workers with well-paying 

8 jobs. 

9 (8) Propose to serve— 

10 (A) young adults between the ages of 17 

11 and 29; or 

12 (B) individuals with barriers to employ13 ment (as defined in section 3 of the Workforce 

14 Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 

15 3102)). 

16 (f) ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATION.—In making grants 

17 under this section, the Secretary of Labor shall consider 

18 regional diversity. 

19 (g) LIMITATION ON APPLICATIONS.—An eligible enti20 ty may not submit, either individually or as part of a joint 

21 application, more than 1 application for a grant under this 

22 section during any 1 fiscal year. 

23 (h) LIMITATIONS ON AMOUNT OF GRANT.—The 

24 amount of a single grant provided under this section for 

25 any 24-month period shall not exceed $5,000,000. 


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1 (i) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non-Federal share 

2 of the cost of a job training and education program carried 

3 out using a grant under this section shall be not less than 

4 25 percent of the total cost. 

5 (j) REDUCTION OF DUPLICATION.—Before submit6 ting an application for a grant under this section, each 

7 applicant shall— 

8 (1) consult with the heads of appropriate Fed9 eral agencies; and 

10 (2) coordinate the proposed activities of the ap11 plicant with existing State and local programs. 

12 (k) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary of 

13 Labor may provide technical assistance to eligible entities 

14 under subsection (c) to leverage the existing job training 

15 and education programs of the Department of Labor and 

16 other relevant programs at appropriate Federal agencies. 

17 (l) REPORT.—Not less frequently than once every two 

18 years, the Secretary of Labor shall submit to Congress, 

19 and make publicly available on the website of the Depart20 ment of Labor, a report on the program established under 

21 this section, including a description of— 

22 (1) any entity that receives a grant under this 

23 section; 

24 (2) any activity carried out using the grants 

25 under this section; 


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1 (3) best practices used to leverage the invest2 ment of the Federal Government under this section; 

3 and 

4 (4) an assessment of the results achieved by the 

5 program established under this section, including the 

6 rate of employment for participants after completing 

7 a job training and education program carried out 

8 using a grant under this section. 

9 (m) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this Act— 

10 (1) the term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ 

11 has the meaning given the term in section 101 of the 

12 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001); 

13 (2) the term ‘‘community college’’ has the 

14 meaning given the term ‘‘junior or community col15 lege’’ in section 312(f) of the Higher Education Act 

16 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058(f)); 

17 (3) the terms ‘‘career planning’’, ‘‘customized 

18 training’’, ‘‘individuals with barriers to employ19 ment’’, ‘‘industry or sector partnership’’, ‘‘local 

20 workforce development board’’, ‘‘on-the-job train21 ing’’, ‘‘recognized postsecondary credential’’, ‘‘State 

22 workforce development board’’, and ‘‘workplace 

23 learning advisor’’ have the meanings given such 

24 terms in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and 

25 Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102); and 


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1 (4) the term ‘‘workforce intermediary’’— 

2 (A) means an organization that proactively 

3 addresses workforce needs using a dual cus4 tomer approach, which considers the needs of 

5 both employees and employers; and 

6 (B) may include a faith-based and commu7 nity organization, employer organizations, a 

8 community college, a temporary staffing agen9 cy, a State workforce development board, a 

10 local workforce development board, or a labor 

11 organization. 

12 (n) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

13 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

14 $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022. 

Æ 


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