Manufacturing Jobs for Veterans Act of 2024

To provide for the establishment of a pilot program to encourage the employment of veterans in manufacturing positions, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be referred to as the Manufacturing Jobs for Veterans Act of 2024 2. Veterans Manufacturing Employment Program (a) Establishment of pilot program To encourage the employment of eligible veterans in manufacturing, the Secretary of Labor, as part of the Veteran’s Workforce Investment Program, shall carry out a pilot program to be known as the Veterans Manufacturing Employment Program State Manufacturing Employment Program (b) Eligibility for grants To be eligible to receive a grant under the pilot program, a State shall submit to the Secretary an application that includes each of the following: (1) A proposal for the expenditure of grant funds to establish and administer a public-private partnership program designed to— (A) provide to eligible veterans covered training, on-the-job training, apprenticeships, and training that leads to a recognized postsecondary credential; and (B) ensure sustainable employment in high-wage, high-skill jobs in manufacturing. (2) Evidence that the State has— (A) a population of eligible veterans of an appropriate size to carry out the State program; (B) a robust and diverse manufacturing industry, as determined by the Secretary; and (C) the ability to carry out the State program described in the proposal under paragraph (1). (3) Such other information and assurances as the Secretary may require. (c) Use of funds A State that is the recipient of a grant under this section shall use the grant for the following purposes: (1) Making grants to manufacturing employers and joint labor-management organizations to reimburse such employers and organizations for the cost of providing to eligible veterans covered training, on-the-job training, apprenticeships, and training that leads to a recognized postsecondary credential. (2) Conducting outreach to inform manufacturing employers, joint labor-management organizations, and veterans, including veterans in rural areas, of their eligibility or potential eligibility for participation in the State program. (d) Conditions Under the pilot program, each grant to a State shall be subject to the following conditions: (1) The State shall repay to the Secretary, on such date as shall be determined by the Secretary, any amount received under the pilot program that is not used for the purposes described in subsection (c). (2) The State shall submit to the Secretary, at such times and containing such information as the Secretary shall require, reports on the use of grant funds. (e) Employer requirements In order to receive a grant made by a State under the pilot program, a manufacturing employer shall— (1) submit to the administrator of the State Manufacturing Employment Program an application that includes— (A) the rate of pay for each eligible veteran proposed to be trained using grant funds; (B) the average rate of pay for an individual employed by the manufacturing employer in a similar position who is not an eligible veteran; and (C) such other information and assurances as the administrator may require; and (2) agree to submit to the administrator, for each quarter, a report containing such information as the Secretary may specify. (f) Limitation None of the funds made available to a manufacturing employer through a grant under the pilot program may be used to provide training of any kind to a person who is not an eligible veteran. (g) Report to Congress Together with the report required to be submitted annually under section 4107(c) of title 38, United States Code, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the pilot program for the year covered by such report. The report on the pilot program shall include— (1) a detailed description of activities carried out under this section; (2) the cost per participant; (3) an evaluation of the program; and (4) recommendations for serving more eligible veterans. (h) Administrative and reporting costs Of the amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under subsection (j), 2 percent shall be made available to the Secretary for administrative costs associated with implementing and evaluating the pilot program under this section and for preparing and submitting the report required under subsection (f). The Secretary shall determine the appropriate maximum amount of each grant awarded under this section that may be used by the recipient for administrative and reporting costs. (i) Definitions In this section: (1) The term covered training, on-the-job training, apprenticeships, and training that leads to a recognized postsecondary credential (A) designed to provide the veteran with in-demand skills that are particular to manufacturing and not directly transferable to employment in another industry; and (B) approved as provided in paragraph (1) or (2), as appropriate, of subsection (a) of section 3687 of title 38, United States Code. (2) The term eligible veteran (3) Except as otherwise provided, any term that is defined in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act ( 29 U.S.C. 3102 (4) The term manufacturing employer (A) that employs individuals in a trade or business in manufacturing; (B) the production facilities of which are located in the United States; and (C) the primary business of which is classified in sector 31, 32, or 33 of the North American Industrial Classification System. (j) Appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, for the purpose of carrying out the pilot program.

Summary: Manufacturing Jobs for Veterans Act of 2024 This bill requires the Department of Labor, as part of the Veteran's Workforce Investment Program, to implement the Veterans Manufacturing Employment Program to award competitive grants to three states for the establishment and administration of a State Manufacturing Employment Program. Such program must provide grants to manufacturing employers and joint-labor management organizations that provide eligible veterans with training, on-the-job training, apprenticeships, and training that leads to a recognized postsecondary credential. Eligible veterans are those who are employed by a manufacturing employer and enrolled or participating in a specified training, on-the-job training, apprenticeship, or certification class.