I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6064 
To direct the Secretary of Labor to establish a competitive pilot program 
for STEM education or career training programs. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 15, 2016 
Mr. VEASEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Labor to establish a competitive 
pilot program for STEM education or career training 
programs. 
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 ‘‘Partnerships for the 
Future Act of 2016’’. 
SEC. 2. COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND INDUSTRY PARTNER-
SHIPS STEM PILOT GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Labor shall 
establish a competitive grant pilot program to award 
grants to eligible entities for the purpose of developing, 
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offering, improving, or providing STEM education or ca-
reer training programs for workers. 
(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of this Act, an 
‘‘eligible entity’’ means one of the following in part-
nership with employers or an association of employ-
ers: 
(A) A junior or community college (as de-
fined in section 312(f) of the Higher Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1085(f))). 
(B) A postsecondary vocational institution 
(as defined in section 102(c) of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002(c))). 
(C) A 4-year public institution of higher 
education (as defined in section 101 of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1001)) that offers two-year degrees, will use 
funds provided under this section for activities 
at the certificate and associate degree levels, 
and is not reasonably close, as determined by 
the Secretary of Labor, to a community college. 
(D) A tribal college or university (as de-
fined in section 316(b) of the Higher Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b))). 
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(E) At the discretion of the Secretary of 
Labor, a private, not-for-profit, 2-year institu-
tion of higher education in Puerto Rico, Guam, 
the United States Virgin Islands, American 
Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall 
Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or 
the Republic of Palau. 
(F) A consortium of any of the entities de-
scribed in subparagraphs (A) through (E). 
(2) ADDITIONAL
PARTNERSHIPS.—An eligible 
entity described in paragraph (1) may partner with 
any of the following: 
(A) An adult education provider or institu-
tion of higher education (as defined in section 
101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1001)). 
(B) A community-based organization, a 
nonprofit organization, or other public or pri-
vate entity with a demonstrated record of suc-
cessfully meeting student and family needs. 
(C) A joint labor-management partnership. 
(D) Any other organization that the Sec-
retary of Labor considers appropriate. 
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(3) WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD.—Any 
such partnership shall collaborate with, and may in-
clude, the State board or local board. 
(c) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity seeking a grant 
under this section shall submit a grant proposal to the 
Secretary of Labor at such time and containing such infor-
mation as the Secretary may require. The proposal shall 
include, at a minimum, a detailed description of— 
(1) the specific project for which the grant pro-
posal is submitted, including the manner in which 
the grant will be used to develop, offer, improve, or 
provide a STEM education or career training pro-
gram; 
(2) the extent to which the project will meet the 
STEM education or career training needs of workers 
in the area served by the eligible entity; 
(3) the extent to which the project will meet the 
needs of employers in the region for skilled workers 
in in-demand industry sectors and in-demand occu-
pations, including high technology areas, nanotech-
nology, and advanced manufacturing; 
(4) the extent to which the project fits within 
any overall strategic plan developed by an eligible 
entity; and 
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(5) any previous experience of the eligible entity 
in providing STEM education or career training pro-
grams, the absence of which shall not automatically 
disqualify an eligible institution from receiving a 
grant under this section. 
(d) SPECIFICATIONS OF GRANTS.— 
(1) DURATION.—A grant shall be awarded 
under this section for a period of up to 36 months 
in duration. 
(2) SIZE OF GRANT.—The amount of a grant 
awarded under this subsection may not exceed 
$3,000,000 for an individual entity and $20,000,000 
for a consortium. 
(e) CRITERIA FOR AWARD.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Grants under this section 
shall be awarded based on— 
(A) a determination of the merits of the 
grant proposal submitted by the eligible entity 
to develop, offer, improve, or provide STEM 
education or career training programs to be 
made available to workers; 
(B) an assessment of the likely employ-
ment opportunities available in the region to in-
dividuals who complete a STEM education or 
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career training program that the eligible entity 
proposes to develop, offer, improve, or provide; 
(C) an assessment of prior demand for 
STEM training programs by individuals eligible 
for training served by the eligible entity as well 
as availability and capacity of existing STEM 
training programs to meet future demand for 
STEM training programs; and 
(D) any additional criteria established by 
the Secretary of Labor. 
(2) PRIORITY.—The Secretary of Labor shall 
give priority to eligible entities that— 
(A) include a partnership with a business 
or industry or sector partnership that— 
(i) pays a portion of the costs of such 
programs; or 
(ii) agrees to hire individuals who 
have completed a particular postsecondary 
degree, certificate, or credential resulting 
from the training program of the eligible 
entity; 
(B) enter into a partnership with a labor 
organization or labor-management training pro-
gram that provides technical expertise for occu-
pationally specific education necessary for a rec-
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ognized postsecondary STEM credential leading 
to an occupation in an in-demand industry sec-
tor; 
(C) are focused on serving individuals with 
barriers to employment, particularly individuals 
who have been unemployed for 27 weeks or 
longer; 
(D) are community colleges serving areas 
with high unemployment rates, including rural 
areas; and 
(E) are eligible entities that include an in-
stitution of higher education eligible for assist-
ance under title III or V of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965. 
(f) USE OF FUNDS.—Grants awarded under this sec-
tion shall be used for one or more of the following: 
(1) The development, offering, improvement, or 
provision of STEM academic programs or training 
programs that provide relevant job training for 
skilled occupations that will meet the needs of em-
ployers in in-demand industry sectors, which may in-
clude registered apprenticeship programs, on-the-job 
training programs, and programs that support em-
ployers in upgrading the skills of their workforce. 
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(2) The development and implementation of 
policies and programs to expand opportunities for 
students to earn a recognized postsecondary STEM 
credential or degree in in-demand industry sectors 
and in-demand occupations, including by— 
(A) facilitating the transfer of academic 
credits between institutions of higher education, 
including the transfer of academic credits for 
courses in the same field of study; 
(B) expanding articulation agreements and 
policies that guarantee transfer between such 
institutions, including through common course 
numbering and general core curriculum; and 
(C) developing or enhancing student sup-
port services programs. 
(3) The creation of workforce programs that 
provide a sequence of education and occupational 
training that leads to a recognized postsecondary 
STEM credential or degree, including programs 
that— 
(A) blend basic skills and occupational 
training; 
(B) facilitate means of transitioning from 
noncredit occupational, basic skills, or develop-
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mental coursework to for-credit coursework 
within and across institutions; 
(C) build or enhance linkages including the 
development of dual enrollment programs and 
early college high schools between secondary 
education or adult education programs (includ-
ing programs established under the Carl D. 
Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 
2006); 
(D) implement other innovative programs 
designed to increase the provision of training 
for students, including students who are vet-
eran members of the National Guard or Re-
serves, to enter skilled occupations in in-de-
mand industry sectors; and 
(E) support paid internships that will allow 
students to simultaneously earn credit for work- 
based learning and gain relevant employment 
experience in an in-demand industry sector or 
in-demand occupation, which shall include op-
portunities that transition individuals into em-
ployment. 
(4) The support of regional or national in-de-
mand industry sectors to develop skills consortia 
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that will identify pressing workforce needs and de-
velop solutions such as— 
(A) standardizing industry certifications; 
(B) developing new training technologies; 
and 
(C) collaborating with industry employers 
to define and describe how specific skills lead to 
particular jobs and career opportunities. 
(g) AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of 
Labor $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2017 through 
2019 to carry out this section. 
(h) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this section: 
(1) The terms ‘‘in-demand industry sector or 
occupation’’, ‘‘local board’’, and ‘‘State board’’ have 
the meanings given the terms in section 3 of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 
U.S.C. 3102). 
(2) The term ‘‘STEM’’ means science, tech-
nology, education, and mathematics. 
Æ 
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