Port Opportunity Reinvestment and Training Act of 2013

To authorize the Secretary of Transportation to establish a program to make grants to ports to enable ports to employ high school students during the summer. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Port Opportunity Reinvestment and Training Act of 2013 2. Grant program (a) Establishment The Secretary of Transportation (in this Act referred to as the Secretary (b) Application In order to receive a grant under the program established under subsection (a), the authority in charge of a port shall submit an application at such time, in such form, and with such information and assurances as the Secretary may require, including an assurance that no worker will be displaced or terminated because of the creation of temporary summer employment for students. (c) Priority In considering applications for a grant under this section and in determining the grant amount for each port awarded a grant under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to a port located in a city with a high rate of unemployment, and shall also consider— (1) the cargo volume of the port; and (2) the size of the surrounding city. (d) Grant Amount Amounts awarded under this section shall not exceed $1,000,000 per port per fiscal year. (e) Grant Duration A grant awarded under this section shall be for a 1-year period and may be renewed based on such criteria as the Secretary may require. The authority in charge of the port shall return any amounts awarded but not expended to the Secretary at the end of the grant period. (f) Uses of Funds (1) Required Uses A port receiving a grant under this section shall use such funds to— (A) provide summer jobs for students— (i) aged 14 through 19; (ii) who are enrolled in high school at the time they apply for a job with the port; and (iii) live within the Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget, in which the port is located; and (B) compensate the student employees in accordance with applicable State and Federal wage statutes. (2) Permitted Uses A port receiving a grant under this section may use such funds to provide job training for student employees described in paragraph (1), provided that no more than 15 percent of the students’ time may be spent on such training, and the students are compensated at their normal rate of pay for participation in such training. (g) Authorization of Appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2016.

Summary: Port Opportunity Reinvestment and Training Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to award renewable one-year grants to ports to provide summer jobs to high school students who live within each port's Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Requires the Secretary, when considering grant applications and amounts, to favor ports located in cities with high unemployment rates and also consider each port's cargo volume and the size of its MSA. Allows ports to use the grants to provide job training to such students, provided no more than 15% of the students' time is spent training and they are compensated at their normal pay rate while training.