II 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3529 

To require that certain Federal job training and career education programs 

give priority to programs that provide an industry-recognized and nationally portable credential. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 24, 2010 

Mrs. HAGAN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

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

A BILL 

To require that certain Federal job training and career education programs give priority to programs that provide 

an industry-recognized and nationally portable credential. 

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 ‘‘American Manufac5 turing Efficiency and Retraining Investment Collaboration 

6 Achievement Works Act’’ or the ‘‘AMERICA Works Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED AND NATIONALLY PORT2 ABLE CREDENTIALS FOR JOB TRAINING PRO3 GRAMS. 

4 (a) WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACT OF 1998.— 

5 (1) GENERAL EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING AC6 TIVITIES.—Section 134(d)(4)(F) of the Workforce 

7 Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2864(d)(4)(F)) 

8 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(iv) PRIORITY FOR PROGRAMS THAT

10 PROVIDE AN INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED AND

11 NATIONALLY PORTABLE CREDENTIAL.—In 

12 selecting and approving training services, 

13 or programs of training services, under 

14 this section, a one-stop operator and em15 ployees of a one-stop center referred to in 

16 subsection (c) shall give priority consider17 ation to services and programs (approved 

18 by the appropriate State agency and local 

19 board in conjunction with section 122) that 

20 lead to a credential that is in high demand 

21 in the local area served and listed in the 

22 registry described in section 3(b) of the 

23 AMERICA Works Act.’’. 

24 (2) YOUTH ACTIVITIES.—Section 129(c)(1)(C) 

25 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 

26 2854(c)(1)(C)) is amended— 


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1 (A) by redesignating clauses (ii) through 

2 (iv) as clauses (iii) through (v), respectively; 

3 and 

4 (B) inserting after clause (i) the following: 

5 ‘‘(ii) training (with priority consider6 ation given to programs that lead to a cre7 dential that is in high demand in the local 

8 area served and listed in the registry de9 scribed in section 3(b) of the AMERICA 

10 Works Act, if the local board determines 

11 that such programs are available and ap12 propriate);’’. 

13 (b) CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION.— 

14 (1) CORE POSTSECONDARY INDICATORS.—Sec15 tion 113(b)(2)(B) of the Carl D. Perkins Career and 

16 Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 

17 2323(b)(2)(B)) is amended— 

18 (A) by redesignating clauses (iii) through 

19 (vi) as clauses (iv) through (vii), respectively; 

20 and 

21 (B) by inserting after clause (ii) the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘(iii) Student attainment of a high24 demand registry skills credential described 

25 in section 122(c)(1)(B)(i).’’. 


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1 (2) STATE PLAN.—Section 122(c)(1)(B) of the 

2 Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education 

3 Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2342(c)(1)(B)) is amended 

4 by striking the semicolon at the end and inserting 

5 the following: ‘‘and, with respect to programs of 

6 study leading to an industry-recognized credential or 

7 certificate, will give priority consideration to pro8 grams of study that— 

9 ‘‘(i) lead to an appropriate (as deter10 mined by the eligible agency) skills creden11 tial (which may be a certificate) that is in 

12 high demand in the area served and listed 

13 in the registry described in section 3(b) of 

14 the AMERICA Works Act; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) may provide a basis for addi16 tional credentials, certificates, or degrees;’’. 

17 (3) USE OF LOCAL FUNDS.—Section 134(b) of 

18 the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education 

19 Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2354(b)) is amended— 

20 (A) in paragraph (11), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 

21 and inserting a semicolon; 

22 (B) in paragraph (12)(B), by striking the 

23 period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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


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1 ‘‘(13) describe the career and technical edu2 cation activities supporting the attainment of indus3 try-recognized credentials or certificates, and how 

4 the eligible recipient, in selecting such activities, 

5 gave priority consideration to activities supporting 

6 high-demand registry skill credentials described in 

7 section 122(c)(1)(B)(i).’’. 

8 (4) TECH-PREP PROGRAMS.—Section 203 of the 

9 Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education 

10 Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2373) is amended— 

11 (A) in subsection (c)(2)(E), by striking 

12 ‘‘industry-recognized credential, a certificate,’’ 

13 and inserting ‘‘industry-recognized credential or 

14 certificate (such as a high-demand registry skill 

15 credential described in section 

16 122(c)(1)(B)(i)),’’; and 

17 (B) in subsection (e)(1)(B)— 

18 (i) by redesignating clauses (iv) and 

19 (v) as clauses (v) and (vi), respectively; 

20 and 

21 (ii) by inserting after clause (iii) the 

22 following: 

23 ‘‘(iv) complete a high-demand registry 

24 skill credential described in section 

25 122(c)(1)(B)(i);’’. 


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1 (c) TRAINING PROGRAMS UNDER TAA.—Section 

2 236(a)(5) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 

3 2296(a)(5)) is amended by inserting after the sentence 

4 that follows subparagraph (H)(ii) the following: ‘‘In ap5 proving training programs under paragraph (1), the Sec6 retary shall give priority consideration to programs that 

7 lead to a credential that is in high demand in the local 

8 area (defined for purposes of title I of the Workforce In9 vestment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.)) served 

10 by the corresponding one-stop delivery system under that 

11 title for the training programs, and that is listed in the 

12 registry described in section 3(b) of the AMERICA Works 

13 Act.’’. 

14 SEC. 3. SKILL CREDENTIAL REGISTRY. 

15 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

16 (1) COVERED PROVISION.—The term ‘‘covered 

17 provision’’ means any of sections 129 and 134 of the 

18 Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2854, 

19 2864), section 122(c)(1)(B) of the Carl D. Perkins 

20 Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 

21 U.S.C. 2342(c)(1)(B)), and section 236 of the Trade 

22 Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2296). 

23 (2) INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED.—The term ‘‘indus24 try-recognized’’, used with respect to a credential, 

25 means a credential that— 


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1 (A) is sought or accepted by companies 

2 within the industry sector involved as recog3 nized, preferred, or required for recruitment, 

4 screening, or hiring; and 

5 (B) is endorsed by a nationally recognized 

6 trade association or organization representing a 

7 significant part of the industry sector. 

8 (3) NATIONALLY PORTABLE.—The term ‘‘na9 tionally portable’’, used with respect to a credential, 

10 means a credential that is sought or accepted by 

11 companies within the industry sector involved, across 

12 multiple States, as recognized, preferred, or required 

13 for recruitment, screening, or hiring. 

14 (4) WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACTIVITIES.— 

15 The term ‘‘workforce investment activities’’ has the 

16 meaning given the term in section 101 of the Work17 force Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801). 

18 (b) REGISTRY.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days 

20 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec21 retary of Labor (referred to in this section as the 

22 ‘‘Secretary’’) shall create a registry of skill creden23 tials (which may be certificates), for purposes of en24 abling programs that lead to such a credential to re25 ceive priority under a covered provision. 


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1 (2) REGISTRY.—The Secretary— 

2 (A) shall list the credential in the registry 

3 if the credential is— 

4 (i) required by Federal or State law 

5 for an occupation (such as a credential re6 quired by a State law regarding qualifica7 tions for a health care occupation); or 

8 (ii) a credential from the Manufac9 turing Institute-Endorsed Manufacturing 

10 Skills Certification System; and 

11 (B) may list the credential in the registry 

12 if the credential is an industry-recognized, na13 tionally portable credential that is consistent 

14 with the Secretary’s established industry com15 petency models and the model for the American 

16 College Test National Career Readiness Certifi17 cation. 

18 (c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this Act 

19 shall be construed to require an entity with responsibility 

20 for selecting or approving an education, training, or work21 force investment activities program with regard to a cov22 ered provision, to select a program with a credential listed 

23 in the registry described in subsection (b). 


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1 SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

2 This Act, and the amendments made by this Act, take 

3 effect 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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