II 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2269 

To amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to prepare individuals 

with multiple barriers to employment to enter the workforce by providing 

such individuals with support services, job training, and education, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 29, 2014 

Mr. UDALL of New Mexico introduced the following bill; which was read twice 

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

A BILL 

To amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to prepare 

individuals with multiple barriers to employment to enter 

the workforce by providing such individuals with support 

services, job training, and education, 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 ‘‘Promoting Partner5 ships to Transform Opportunities Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

2 It is the purpose of this Act to provide resources to 

3 eligible institutions to prepare individuals with multiple 

4 barriers to employment, including underrepresented mi5 norities, to enter the workforce by providing support serv6 ices, job training, and education. 

7 SEC. 3. PROGRAMS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH MULTIPLE 

8 BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT. 

9 Subtitle D of title I of the Workforce Investment Act 

10 of 1998 is amended by inserting after section 166 (29 

11 U.S.C. 2911) the following new section: 

12 ‘‘SEC. 166A. PROGRAMS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH MULTIPLE 

13 BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT. 

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

15 support employment and training activities for individuals 

16 with multiple barriers to employment in order— 

17 ‘‘(1) to develop more fully the academic, occu18 pational, and literacy skills of such individuals; 

19 ‘‘(2) to make such individuals more competitive 

20 in the workforce; and 

21 ‘‘(3) to promote the economic and social devel22 opment of the communities, including minority com23 munities, of those individuals in accordance with the 

24 goals and values of the communities described in 

25 this paragraph. 

26 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section: 


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1 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘eligi2 ble institution’ means— 

3 ‘‘(A) a historically Black college or univer4 sity; 

5 ‘‘(B) a Hispanic-serving Institution; 

6 ‘‘(C) a Tribal College or University; or 

7 ‘‘(D) a Predominantly Black Institution. 

8 ‘‘(2) HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTION.—The 

9 term ‘Hispanic-serving institution’ has the meaning 

10 given the term in section 502 of the Higher Edu11 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a). 

12 ‘‘(3) HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE OR UNI13 VERSITY.—The term ‘historically Black college or 

14 university’ has the meaning given the term ‘part B 

15 institution’ in section 322 of the Higher Education 

16 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061). 

17 ‘‘(4) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The term 

18 ‘nonprofit organization’ means a nonprofit organiza19 tion that focuses on preparing individuals with mul20 tiple barriers to employment to enter the workforce 

21 by providing such individuals with support services, 

22 job training, and education. 

23 ‘‘(5) PREDOMINANTLY BLACK INSTITUTION.— 

24 The term ‘Predominantly Black Institution’ has the 


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1 meaning given the term in section 318 of the Higher 

2 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059e). 

3 ‘‘(6) TRIBAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.—The 

4 term ‘Tribal College or University’ has the meaning 

5 given the term in section 316 of the Higher Edu6 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c). 

7 ‘‘(c) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary shall, 

8 on a competitive basis, make grants to, or enter into con9 tracts or cooperative agreements with, eligible institutions 

10 to carry out the authorized activities described in sub11 section (d). Such an eligible institution may carry out the 

12 activities directly, or through a partnership with a non13 profit organization. 

14 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—An eligible institu15 tion receiving a grant, contract, or agreement under sub16 section (c) shall use such funds to serve individuals with 

17 multiple barriers to employment by carrying out one or 

18 more of the following activities: 

19 ‘‘(1) Education services, including postsec20 ondary education, English as a second language 

21 courses, General Educational Development prepara22 tion, financial literacy workshops, access to informa23 tion technology workshops and courses, Generational 

24 Diversity Awareness programs, and health and 

25 wellness programs. 


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1 ‘‘(2) Activities that increase access to workforce 

2 services, including on-the-job training, internships, 

3 skills training, job placement, financial literacy 

4 training, and personal development. 

5 ‘‘(3) Additional support services, including 

6 health and nutrition services, housing assistance, 

7 transportation, child care, and clothing. 

8 ‘‘(e) PROGRAM PLAN.—In order to receive a grant 

9 or enter into a contract or cooperative agreement under 

10 subsection (c), an eligible institution shall submit to the 

11 Secretary a program plan that describes a strategy for 

12 meeting the needs of individuals with multiple barriers to 

13 employment in the area served by such organization. Such 

14 plan shall— 

15 ‘‘(1) be consistent with the purpose of this sec16 tion; 

17 ‘‘(2) identify the population to be served; 

18 ‘‘(3) identify the education and employment 

19 needs of the population to be served and the manner 

20 in which the activities to be provided will strengthen 

21 the ability of the individuals served to obtain or re22 tain unsubsidized employment; 

23 ‘‘(4) describe the activities to be provided and 

24 the manner in which such activities are to be inte25 grated with other appropriate activities; and 


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1 ‘‘(5) describe, after the eligible institution 

2 consults with the Secretary, the performance meas3 ures to be used to assess the performance of the eli4 gible institution, and any nonprofit organization that 

5 carries out authorized activities assisted under this 

6 section, in carrying out the activities. 

7 ‘‘(f) PRIORITY.—In making grants or entering into 

8 contracts or cooperative agreements under subsection (c), 

9 the Secretary shall give priority to an eligible institution 

10 that— 

11 ‘‘(1) proposes to carry out the authorized activi12 ties through a partnership described in subsection 

13 (c); or 

14 ‘‘(2) demonstrates that the institution is unable 

15 to carry out the activities through such a partner16 ship because the institution is not within a reason17 able distance (as determined by the Secretary) of a 

18 nonprofit organization. 

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

20 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

21 necessary to carry out this section for each of fiscal years 

22 2015 through 2019.’’. 

Æ 


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