I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4942 
To require the Secretary of Labor to award grants for promoting industry 
or sector partnerships to encourage industry growth and competitiveness 
and to improve worker training, retention, and advancement. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 6, 2018 
Mr. MITCHELL (for himself, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, and Mr. SMUCKER) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Edu-
cation and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Labor to award grants for pro-
moting industry or sector partnerships to encourage in-
dustry growth and competitiveness and to improve work-
er training, retention, and advancement. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Building U.S. Infra-
structure by Leveraging Demands for Skills’’ or the 
‘‘BUILDS Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to promote industry or 
sector partnerships that engage in collaborative planning, 
resource alignment, and training efforts across multiple 
businesses, for a range of workers employed or potentially 
employed by infrastructure industries, in order to encour-
age industry growth and competitiveness and to improve 
worker training, retention, and advancement. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION; CA-
REER GUIDANCE AND ACADEMIC COUNSELING.—The 
terms ‘‘career and technical education’’ and ‘‘career 
guidance and academic counseling’’ have the mean-
ings given such terms in section 3 of the Carl D. 
Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 
2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302). 
(2) CAREER
PATHWAY.—The term ‘‘career 
pathway’’ has the meaning given such term in sec-
tion 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 
Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 
(3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means an entity that is an industry or sector 
partnership, or (with respect to an implementation 
grant) an entity that is in the process of establishing 
an industry or sector partnership. 
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(4) INDIVIDUAL WITH A BARRIER TO EMPLOY-
MENT; INDUSTRY OR SECTOR PARTNERSHIP; LOCAL 
BOARD.—The terms ‘‘individual with a barrier to 
employment’’, ‘‘industry or sector partnership’’, and 
‘‘local board’’ have the meanings given such terms in 
section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor-
tunity Act. 
(5) RECOGNIZED
POSTSECONDARY
CREDEN-
TIAL; REGISTERED
APPRENTICESHIP
PROGRAM.— 
The terms ‘‘recognized postsecondary credential’’ 
and ‘‘registered apprenticeship program’’ have the 
meanings given such terms in such section. 
(6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Labor. 
(7) STATE; STATE BOARD.—The terms ‘‘State’’ 
and ‘‘State board’’ have the meanings given such 
terms in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and 
Opportunity Act. 
(8) TARGETED INFRASTRUCTURE INDUSTRY.— 
The term ‘‘targeted infrastructure industry’’ means 
an industry, including transportation (including sur-
face, transit, aviation, or railway transportation), 
construction, energy, information technology, or util-
ities industries, that the eligible entity identifies in 
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accordance with section 5(c) to be served by a grant 
under this Act. 
(9) WORK-BASED
LEARNING
PROGRAM.—The 
term ‘‘work-based learning program’’ means a pro-
gram (which may be a registered apprenticeship pro-
gram) that provides workers with paid work experi-
ence and corresponding approved classroom instruc-
tion, delivered in an employment relationship that 
both the employer and worker intend to be perma-
nent. 
SEC. 4. GRANTS AUTHORIZED. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation 
with the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of En-
ergy, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Edu-
cation, and the Chief of Engineers and Commanding Gen-
eral of the Army Corps of Engineers, shall award, on a 
competitive basis, grants to eligible entities to plan and 
implement activities to achieve the strategic objectives de-
scribed in section 5(d) with respect to a targeted infra-
structure industry. 
(b) GRANTS.— 
(1) TYPES
OF
GRANTS.—A grant awarded 
under this Act may be in the form of— 
(A) an implementation grant, for entities 
seeking an initial grant under this Act; or 
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(B) a renewal grant for entities that have 
already received an implementation grant under 
this Act. 
(2) DURATION.—Each grant awarded under 
this Act shall be for a period not to exceed 3 years. 
(3) AMOUNT.—The amount of a grant awarded 
under this Act may not exceed— 
(A) 
for 
an 
implementation 
grant, 
$2,500,000; and 
(B) for a renewal grant, $1,500,000. 
(c) AWARD BASIS.— 
(1) GEOGRAPHIC
DIVERSITY.—The Secretary 
shall award grants under this Act in a manner that 
ensures geographic diversity in the areas in which 
activities will be carried out under the grants. 
(2) PRIORITY
FOR
RENEWAL
GRANTS.—In 
awarding renewal grants under this Act, the Sec-
retary shall give priority to eligible entities that— 
(A) demonstrate long-term sustainability of 
an industry or sector partnership; and 
(B) provide a non-Federal share of the 
cost of the activities. 
SEC. 5. APPLICATION PROCESS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity desiring a grant 
under this Act shall submit an application to the Secretary 
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at such time, in such manner, and containing such infor-
mation as the Secretary may require, including the con-
tents described in subsection (b). 
(b) CONTENTS.—An application submitted under this 
Act shall contain, at a minimum— 
(1) a description of the eligible entity, evidence 
of the eligible entity’s capacity to carry out activities 
to achieve the strategic objectives described in sub-
section (d), and the expected participation and re-
sponsibilities of each of the partners included in the 
industry or sector partnership involved; 
(2) a description of the targeted infrastructure 
industry served by the grant, and a description of 
how such industry was identified in accordance with 
subsection (c); 
(3) a description of the workers that will be tar-
geted or recruited by the partnership, including an 
analysis of the existing labor market, a description 
of potential barriers to employment for targeted 
workers, and a description of strategies that will be 
employed to help workers overcome such barriers; 
(4) a description of the local, State, or federally 
funded infrastructure projects on which the eligible 
entity anticipates engaging partners; 
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of the partnerships and activities under this Act; 
and 
(10) a timeline for progress towards achieving 
such strategic objectives. 
(c) TARGETED INFRASTRUCTURE INDUSTRY.—Each 
grant under this Act shall serve a targeted infrastructure 
industry that is identified by the eligible entity through 
working with businesses, industry associations and organi-
zations, labor organizations, State boards, local boards, 
economic development agencies, and other organizations 
that the eligible entity determines necessary. 
(d) STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES.—The activities to be 
carried out under each grant awarded under this Act shall 
be designed to achieve strategic objectives that include the 
following: 
(1) Recruiting key stakeholders in the targeted 
infrastructure industry, such as multiple businesses, 
labor organizations, local boards, and education and 
training providers, including providers of career and 
technical education, and regularly convening the 
stakeholders in a collaborative structure that sup-
ports the sharing of information, ideas, and chal-
lenges common to the targeted infrastructure indus-
try. 
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(2) Identifying the training needs of multiple 
businesses in the targeted infrastructure industry, 
including— 
(A) needs for skills critical to competitive-
ness and innovation in the industry; 
(B) needs of the registered apprenticeship 
programs or other work-based learning pro-
grams supported by the grant; and 
(C) needs for the usage of career path-
ways. 
(3) Facilitating actions that lead to economies 
of scale by aggregating training and education needs 
of multiple businesses. 
(4) Helping postsecondary educational institu-
tions, training institutions, sponsors of registered 
apprenticeship programs, and all other providers of 
career and technical education and training pro-
grams receiving assistance under this Act, align cur-
ricula, entrance requirements, and programs to the 
targeted infrastructure industry needs and the cre-
dentials described in subsection (b)(6), particularly 
for higher skill, high-priority occupations related to 
the targeted infrastructure industry. 
(5) Providing information on the grant activi-
ties to the State agency carrying out the State pro-
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gram under the Wagner-Peyser Act (29 U.S.C. 49 
et seq.), including staff of the agency that provide 
services under such Act, to enable the agency to in-
form recipients of unemployment compensation of 
the employment and training opportunities that may 
be offered through the grant activities. 
(6) Helping partner businesses in industry or 
sector partnerships to attract potential workers from 
a diverse jobseeker base, including individuals with 
barriers to employment, by identifying any such bar-
riers through analysis of the labor market and im-
plementing strategies to help such workers overcome 
such barriers. 
SEC. 6. ACTIVITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity receiving a 
grant under this Act shall— 
(1) designate an entity in the industry or sector 
partnership as the fiscal agent for the grant funds; 
and 
(2) carry out activities described in subsections 
(b) (as applicable), (c), and (d) to achieve the stra-
tegic objectives identified in the entity’s application 
under section 5(b)(5), in a manner that integrates 
services and funding sources to ensure effectiveness 
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of the activities and that uses the grant funds effi-
ciently. 
(b) PLANNING ACTIVITIES.—An eligible entity receiv-
ing an implementation grant under this Act shall use not 
more than $250,000 of the grant funds to carry out plan-
ning activities during the first year of the grant period. 
Such activities may include— 
(1) establishing the industry or sector partner-
ship; 
(2) convening key stakeholders as identified in 
the application process; 
(3) conducting outreach to local businesses and 
business associations; or 
(4) conducting an evaluation of workforce needs 
in the local area. 
(c) BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT.—An eligible entity re-
ceiving a grant under this Act shall use the grant funds 
to provide services to engage businesses in efforts to 
achieve the strategic objectives identified in the entity’s 
application under section 5(b)(5). The services may in-
clude assisting businesses— 
(1) in navigating the registration process for a 
sponsor of a registered apprenticeship program; 
(2) by connecting the business with an edu-
cation provider, including a provider of career and 
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technical education, to develop classroom instruction 
to complement on-the-job learning; 
(3) in developing the curriculum design of a 
work-based learning program; 
(4) in employing workers participating in a 
work-based learning program for a transitional pe-
riod before a business hires the worker for full-time 
employment not less than 30 hours a week; 
(5) in providing training to managers and 
front-line workers to serve as trainers or mentors to 
workers participating in a work-based learning pro-
gram; 
(6) in providing career awareness activities, 
such as career guidance and academic counseling; 
and 
(7) in recruiting, for participation in a work- 
based learning program, individuals eligible to re-
ceive additional workforce or human services, includ-
ing— 
(A) individuals participating in programs 
under the Workforce Innovation and Oppor-
tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.), and the 
amendments made by such Act, including to the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 et 
seq.); 
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