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[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2368 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2368

  To direct the Secretary of Labor to make grants to States, units of 
general local government, and Indian tribes for the purpose of creating 
employment opportunities for unemployed and underemployed residents in 
                        distressed communities.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 24, 2011

   Mr. Ellison (for himself, Ms. Woolsey, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. 
Moore, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Carson of Indiana, and Mr. Jackson of 
  Illinois) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To direct the Secretary of Labor to make grants to States, units of 
general local government, and Indian tribes for the purpose of creating 
employment opportunities for unemployed and underemployed residents in 
                        distressed communities.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Put America to Work Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS TO STATES, UNITS OF GENERAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AND INDIAN 
              TRIBES.

    (a) Establishment.--Subject to the availability of appropriations 
for such purpose, the Secretary of Labor shall make grants to States, 
units of general local government, and Indian tribes to carry out 
activities in accordance with this Act.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this program is to create employment 
opportunities for unemployed and underemployed residents of distressed 
communities in activities designed to address community needs and 
reduce disparities in health, housing, education, job readiness, and 
public infrastructure that have impeded these communities from 
realizing their full economic potential.
    (c) Eligibility.--For purposes of the grant program under this Act, 
an eligible entity is--
            (1) a unit of general local government, including a 
        metropolitan city or an urban county;
            (2) a State; or
            (3) an Indian tribe.
    (d) Use of Funds.--A recipient of a grant under this section shall 
use the grant for the following purposes:
            (1) For the 9-month period after the date of the enactment 
        of this Act, the grant shall be used only to fund the following 
        types of fast-track job placements:
                    (A) The painting and repair of schools, community 
                centers, and libraries.
                    (B) The restoration and revitalization of abandoned 
                and vacant properties to alleviate blight in 
                distressed, foreclosure-affected, and natural disaster-
                affected areas of a unit of general local government.
                    (C) The expansion of emergency food programs to 
                reduce hunger and promote family stability.
                    (D) The augmentation of staffing in Head Start, 
                child care, and other early childhood education 
                programs to promote school readiness and early 
                literacy.
                    (E) The renovation and enhancement of maintenance 
                of parks, playgrounds, and other public spaces.
            (2) During the 9-month period after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the grant recipients shall consult with 
        community leaders, including local government officials, small 
        business owners, labor organizations, non-profit organizations, 
        and local residents to--
                    (A) assess the needs of the community served by the 
                grant recipient;
                    (B) determine sectors of the local economy that are 
                in need of employees;
                    (C) make recommendations for new employment 
                opportunities in the areas described in paragraph (3); 
                and
                    (D) assess the effectiveness of job placements made 
                under paragraph (1).
            (3) Not later than 9 months after the recipient of a grant 
        begins to use the grant to fund fast-track job placements under 
        paragraph (1), the recipient shall use the remaining amount of 
        the grant to make grants to public entities, nonprofit 
        organizations, public-private partnerships, or small businesses 
        to create opportunities for employment in the following areas:
                    (A) Construction, re-construction, rehabilitation, 
                and site improvements of residences or public 
                facilities, including improvements in the energy 
                efficiency or environmental quality of such public 
                facilities or residences.
                    (B) Provision of human services, including child 
                care services, health care services, education, or 
                recreational programs.
                    (C) The remediation and demolition of vacant and 
                abandoned properties to eliminate blight.
                    (D) Programs that provide disadvantaged youth with 
                opportunities for employment, education, leadership 
                development, entrepreneurial skills development, and 
                training.
    (e) Conditions.--As a condition of receiving a grant under this 
section, a grant recipient shall--
            (1) agree to comply with the nondiscrimination policy set 
        forth under section 109 of the Housing and Community 
        Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5309);
            (2) allocate not less than 85 percent of the funding 
        allocated to each project funded under the grant to wages, 
        benefits, and support services, including child care services, 
        for individuals employed on such project;
            (3) ensure that employment on any project funded under the 
        grant is carried out in accordance with subsection (f); and
            (4) institute an outreach program with community 
        organizations and service providers in low-income communities 
        to provide information about placements funded under the grant 
        to individuals suited to perform community infrastructure work.
    (f) Employment Described.--Employment funded under this section 
shall meet the following specifications:
            (1) Any employer that employs an individual whose 
        employment is funded under the grant shall--
                    (A) employ such individual for not less than 12 
                months;
                    (B) employ such individual for not less than 30 
                hours per week;
                    (C) comply with responsible contractor standards, 
                as determined by the relevant official in the unit of 
                local general government;
                    (D) provide compensation to such individual equal 
                to that which is paid to employees who have been 
                employed to perform similar work prior to the date such 
                individual was hired; and
                    (E) if such employment is in construction, provide 
                compensation to any laborer or mechanic employed under 
                the grant at rates not less than those prevailing on 
                similar construction in the locality as determined by 
                the Secretary of Labor in accordance with subchapter IV 
                of chapter 31 of title 40, United States Code.
            (2) No individual whose employment is funded under the 
        grant may work for an employer at which a collective bargaining 
        agreement is in effect covering the same or similar work, 
        unless--
                    (A) the consent of the union at such employer is 
                obtained; and
                    (B) negotiations have taken place between such 
                union and the employer as to the terms and conditions 
                of such employment.
            (3) An individual whose employment is funded under this Act 
        may not displace other employees whose employment is not funded 
        under this Act. A grant recipient under this Act may not hire 
        an employee or employees with funds under this Act for any 
        employment which the grant recipient would otherwise hire an 
        employee who has been furloughed.
            (4) An individual whose employment is funded under this Act 
        shall be unemployed for not less than 30 days prior to 
        beginning employment funded by a grant, as verified by the 
        State or local department of labor, department of welfare, or 
        similar office charged with maintaining records of 
        unemployment.
            (5) Not less than 35 percent of whose employment is funded 
        under this Act shall be members of a targeted group (as 
        described in section 51(d)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
        1986) as verified by the State or local department of labor, 
        department of welfare, or similar office charged with 
        maintaining records of unemployment.
    (g) Award of Grants.--
            (1) Selection criteria.--In selecting a project to receive 
        funding for employing individuals in employment funded under 
        this Act, a grant recipient shall consider--
                    (A) the input of all participants in a proposed 
                project, including labor organizations, community 
                organizations, and employers;
                    (B) the needs of the community intended to benefit 
                from such project;
                    (C) the long-term goals and short term objectives 
                to address such needs; and
                    (D) any recommendations for programs and activities 
                developed to meet such needs.
            (2) Priority given to certain projects.--A grant recipient 
        under this section shall give priority to projects that--
                    (A) serve areas with the greatest level of economic 
                need, determined for each such area by--
                            (i) the unemployment rate;
                            (ii) the rate of poverty;
                            (iii) the number of census tracts with 
                        concentrated poverty;
                            (iv) the lowest median income;
                            (v) the percentage of vacant and abandoned 
                        properties;
                            (vi) the percentage of home foreclosures; 
                        and
                            (vii) the indicators of poor resident 
                        health, including high rates of chronic 
                        disease, infant mortality, and life expectancy;
                    (B) integrate education and job skills training, 
                including basic skills instruction and secondary 
                education services;
                    (C) coordinate to the maximum extent feasible with 
                pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs; and
                    (D) provide jobs in sectors where job growth is 
                most likely, as determined by the Secretary, and in 
                which career advancement opportunities exist to 
                maximize long-term, sustainable employment for 
                individuals after employment funded under this Act 
                ends.
    (h) Allocation of Grants.--
            (1) Grants for indian tribes and deposits into 
        discretionary fund.--Not more than 5 percent of the funds 
        appropriated to carry out this Act for any fiscal year shall be 
        reserved for grants to Indian tribes and for deposit into a 
        discretionary fund established by the Secretary for national 
        demonstration projects and multi-jurisdictional projects.
            (2) Grants to states.--Not more than 30 percent of funds 
        appropriated to carry out this Act for any fiscal year shall be 
        allocated to States to distribute to units of general local 
        government that do not qualify for funds under paragraph (3).
            (3) Grants to units of general local government.--Grant 
        funds that are not reserved under paragraphs (1) and (2) shall 
        be allocated to metropolitan cities and urban counties using 
        the formula under section 106(b) of the Housing and Community 
        Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5306(b)).
    (i) Rulemaking.--The Secretary of Labor may issue regulations as 
the Secretary determines necessary and appropriate to carry out the 
grant program authorized by this Act.
    (j) Reports.--
            (1) Reports by grant recipients.--Not later than 90 days 
        after the last day of each fiscal year in which assistance 
        under this section is furnished, a recipient of a grant under 
        this section shall submit to the Secretary a report containing 
        the following:
                    (A) A description of the progress made in 
                accomplishing the objectives of this chapter.
                    (B) A summary of the use of the grant during the 
                preceding fiscal year.
                    (C) For units of general local government, a 
                listing of each entity receiving funds and the amount 
                of such grants, as well as a brief summary of the 
                projects funded for each such unit, the extent of 
                financial participation by other public or private 
                entities, and the impact on employment and economic 
                activity of such projects during the previous fiscal 
                year.
                    (D) For States, a listing of each unit of general 
                local government receiving funds and the amount of such 
                grants, as well as a brief summary of the projects 
                funded for each such unit, the extent of financial 
                participation by other public or private entities, and 
                the impact on employment and economic activity of such 
                projects during the previous fiscal year.
                    (E) The amount of money received and expended 
                during the fiscal year.
                    (F) The number of individuals assisted under the 
                grant whose household income is low-income, very low-
                income, or extremely low-income (as such terms are used 
                for purposes of the Housing Act of 1937 and the 
                regulations thereunder (42 U.S.C. 1437 et seq.)).
                    (G) The amount expended on administrative costs 
                during the fiscal year.
            (2) Report to congress.--At least once every 6 months, the 
        Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the use of 
        grants awarded under this section and any progress in job 
        creation.
    (k) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``State'' has the meaning given such term in 
        section 5302(2) of title 42, United States Code.
            (2) The term ``unit of general local government'' has the 
        meaning given such term in section 5302(1) of title 42, United 
        States Code.
            (3) The term ``Indian tribe'' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 5302(17) of title 42, United States Code.
            (4) The term ``small business'' has the meaning given the 
        term ``small business concern'' under section 3 of the Small 
        Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632).
            (5) The term ``metropolitan city'' has the meaning given 
        such term in section 5302(4) of title 42, United States Code.
            (6) The term ``urban county'' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 5302(6) of title 42, United States Code.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated $200,000,000,000 for fiscal 
year 2012 and $150,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2013 to carry out this 
Act. Amounts appropriated pursuant to this section shall remain 
available until expended.
                                 <all>
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