I 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6756 

To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to direct the Secretary of Labor to award grants for workforce grants to assist incarcerated or previously incarcerated individuals. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 18, 2022 

Ms. BOURDEAUX (for herself, Mr. OBERNOLTE, and Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia) 

introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 

Education and Labor 

A BILL 

To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 

to direct the Secretary of Labor to award grants for 

workforce grants to assist incarcerated or previously incarcerated individuals. 

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 Opportunity 

5 for Returning Citizens Act’’ or the ‘‘WORC Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. GRANTS TO ASSIST INCARCERATED OR PRE2 VIOUSLY INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS. 

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 ‘‘SEC. 172. GRANTS TO ASSIST INCARCERATED OR PRE9 VIOUSLY INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS. 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—From the amounts appropriated 

11 under subsection (g), the Secretary shall award grants to 

12 eligible entities to develop or expand education or work13 force training programs that lead to employment opportu14 nities for incarcerated individuals or previously incarcer15 ated individuals and reduce recidivism. 

16 ‘‘(b) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this Act, 

17 the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that 

18 will use the grants to develop or expand training programs 

19 described in subsection (a) that will lead participants of 

20 such programs— 

21 ‘‘(1) to jobs in skilled trade (such as jobs in 

22 construction, plumbing, welding, heating and air 

23 conditioning, or masonry); or 

24 ‘‘(2) to the attainment of recognized postsec25 ondary credentials. 


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1 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—To receive a 

2 grant under this section, an eligible entity shall submit 

3 an application to the Secretary at such time, in such man4 ner, and containing such information as the Secretary may 

5 require. 

6 ‘‘(d) USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity that re7 ceives a grant under this section shall use such grant to 

8 develop or expand a training program described in sub9 section (a). 

10 ‘‘(e) REPORTS.—Each eligible entity that receives a 

11 grant under this section shall annually prepare and submit 

12 to the Secretary a report on— 

13 ‘‘(1) the amount of the grant awarded to the el14 igible entity for the preceding grant year, and how 

15 such grant was used; and 

16 ‘‘(2) the progress, as described in section 116, 

17 of the eligible entity with respect to the training pro18 gram developed or expanded with such grant, includ19 ing the relative rate of recidivism of the participants 

20 of such program. 

21 ‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.— 

22 ‘‘(1) CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION.—The term 

23 ‘correctional institution’ has the meaning given the 

24 term in section 225(e)(1). 


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1 ‘‘(2) EDUCATION OR WORKFORCE TRAINING

2 PROGRAM.—The term ‘education or workforce train3 ing program’ includes— 

4 ‘‘(A) an apprenticeship program; 

5 ‘‘(B) an on-the-job training program, or 

6 ‘‘(C) a program providing classroom in7 struction. 

8 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en9 tity’ means— 

10 ‘‘(A) a local board; 

11 ‘‘(B) an area career and technical edu12 cation school; 

13 ‘‘(C) an intermediary; 

14 ‘‘(D) an institution of higher education, in15 cluding a 2-year institution of higher education; 

16 or 

17 ‘‘(E) a consortium of the entities described 

18 in subparagraphs (A) through (D). 

19 ‘‘(4) INCARCERATED INDIVIDUAL.—The term 

20 ‘incarcerated individual’ means an adult or juvenile 

21 who is in the custody of a correctional institution. 

22 ‘‘(5) PREVIOUSLY INCARCERATED INDI23 VIDUAL.—The term ‘previously incarcerated indi24 vidual’ means an adult or juvenile who has been an 


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1 incarcerated individual at any time during the pre2 ceding 36-month period. 

3 ‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

4 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

5 $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.’’. 

6 SEC. 3. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

7 The table of contents in section 1(b) of the Workforce 

8 Innovation and Opportunity Act is amended by striking 

9 the item relating to section 172 and inserting the fol10 lowing: 

‘‘Sec. 172. Grants to assist incarcerated or previously incarcerated individuals. 

‘‘Sec. 173. Authorization of appropriations.’’. 

Æ 


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