II 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2403 

To ensure that programs of training services under the Workforce Investment 

Act of 1998 make better use of participants’ prior learning so as to 

better assist the participants in obtaining degrees and other recognized 

postsecondary credentials, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 22, 2014 

Mr. WARNER (for himself, Mr. PRYOR, and Mr. BEGICH) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To ensure that programs of training services under the 

Workforce Investment Act of 1998 make better use of 

participants’ prior learning so as to better assist the 

participants in obtaining degrees and other recognized 

postsecondary credentials, 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 ‘‘Leverage Prior Skills 

5 Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) A recognized postsecondary credential is key 

2 to an individual’s self-sufficiency and upward mobil3 ity, and to higher levels of family well-being. 

4 (2) Jobseekers often come to programs pro5 viding training services with skills acquired through 

6 noncredit employment and training programs, such 

7 as corporate or military training programs, work8 place-based learning programs, volunteer activities, 

9 and other activities. 

10 (3) Workforce investment systems do not take 

11 into account prior learning. Workers and students 

12 who have persisted through demanding noncredit 

13 employment and training programs often have to re14 peat courses when they attempt to earn a recognized 

15 postsecondary credential through a workforce invest16 ment system, wasting both money and time. 

17 (4) At a time when unemployment remains rel18 atively high, training services should be geared to 

19 allow participants to quickly achieve recognized post20 secondary credentials that lead directly to employ21 ment. 

22 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to encour23 age States and local boards to develop competency-based 

24 workforce investment systems, to validate learning 


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1 through noncredit employment and training programs and 

2 to award recognized postsecondary credentials. 

3 SEC. 3. ELIGIBLE PROVIDERS. 

4 Section 122 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 

5 (29 U.S.C. 2842) is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (b)(2)(D)— 

7 (A) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

8 end; 

9 (B) in clause (iii), by striking the period 

10 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

11 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(iv) if the provider proposes to pro13 vide a program of training services that 

14 leads to a recognized postsecondary cre15 dential, shall include in the application in16 formation on the quality of the services 

17 that lead to the credential.’’; and 

18 (2) in subsection (c)(5)(A), by inserting ‘‘the 

19 information described in subsection (b)(2)(D)(iv) 

20 (for a program described in that subsection) and’’ 

21 after ‘‘submit’’. 

22 SEC. 4. COMPETENCY-BASED LEARNING. 

23 Section 134(a)(2)(B) of the Workforce Investment 

24 Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2864(a)(2)(B)) is amended— 

25 (1) in clause (v), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 


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1 (2) in clause (iv), by striking the period and in2 serting ‘‘; and’’; and 

3 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(vii) identifying and implementing a 

5 process by which local boards will enter 

6 into contracts with providers of training 

7 services under subsection (d)(4), or iden8 tify providers as eligible providers of train9 ing services under section 122, only if the 

10 providers involved agree to— 

11 ‘‘(I) use direct assessments to as12 sess, to the extent practical, the prior 

13 learning of the participants in non14 credit employment and training pro15 grams; and 

16 ‘‘(II) take that prior learning 

17 into account, to the extent practical, 

18 when determining whether such a par19 ticipant has earned credit hours or 

20 made progress toward earning a de21 gree from at an institution of higher 

22 education, or has earned or made 

23 progress towards earning a recognized 

24 postsecondary credential.’’. 

Æ 


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