I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6274 
To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to establish a 
State innovation demonstration authority. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 7, 2023 
Mr. OWENS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 
to establish a State innovation demonstration authority. 
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 ‘‘One Door to Work 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. STATE INNOVATION DEMONSTRATION AUTHORITY. 
Section 190 of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor-
tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3250) is amended to read as follows: 
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‘‘SEC. 190. STATE INNOVATION DEMONSTRATION AUTHOR-
ITY. 
‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to au-
thorize any State to apply under this section on behalf 
of the entire State, or a local area or a consortium of local 
areas in the State, to receive the allotments or allocations 
of the State or the local areas, respectively, for youth 
workforce investment activities and adult and dislocated 
worker employment and training activities under this Act, 
and for activities under the Wagner-Peyser Act, as a con-
solidated grant for 5 years for the purpose of carrying out 
a demonstration project to pursue innovative reforms to 
achieve better outcomes for jobseekers, employers, and 
taxpayers. 
‘‘(b) GENERAL AUTHORITY.— 
‘‘(1) WAIVERS
AND
DEMONSTRATION
GRANT 
AMOUNTS.—Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, during the demonstration period applicable to a 
demonstration project approved for a State pursuant 
to subsection (d)(3), the Secretary shall comply with 
each of the following: 
‘‘(A) WAIVERS.—Subject to paragraph (2), 
waive for the State as a whole, or for the local 
area or the consortium of local areas in such 
State selected by the State to carry out such 
demonstration project— 
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‘‘(i) all the statutory and regulatory 
requirements of subtitle A, subtitle B, and 
this subtitle; and 
‘‘(ii) all the statutory or regulatory re-
quirements of the Wagner-Peyser Act (29 
U.S.C. 49g et seq.). 
‘‘(B) 
DEMONSTRATION
GRANT 
AMOUNTS.—For each fiscal year applicable to 
such demonstration period: 
‘‘(i) STATE AS A WHOLE.—In a case 
of a State approved to carry out a dem-
onstration project under this section on be-
half of the State as a whole, distribute as 
a consolidated sum to the State, for pur-
poses of carrying out the project, the 
State’s total allotment for such fiscal year 
under— 
‘‘(I) subsections (b)(1)(C) and 
subsection (c) of section 127; 
‘‘(II) 
paragraphs 
(1)(B) 
and 
(2)(B) of section 132(b), and section 
132(c); and 
‘‘(III) section 6 of the Wagner- 
Peyser Act (29 U.S.C. 49e). 
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‘‘(ii) LOCAL AREA.—In a case of a 
local area selected by a State to carry out 
a demonstration project under this section, 
require the State to— 
‘‘(I) distribute as a consolidated 
sum to the local board for such local 
area, for purposes of carrying out the 
project— 
‘‘(aa) the local area’s alloca-
tion for such fiscal year under— 
‘‘(AA) subsections (b) 
and (c) of section 128; and 
‘‘(BB) subsections (b) 
and (c) of section 133; and 
‘‘(bb) any funds under sec-
tion 6 of the Wagner-Peyser Act 
(29 U.S.C. 49e) that the State 
would otherwise allocate for such 
fiscal year to the one-stop deliv-
ery system in the local area; or 
‘‘(II) if the local board of the 
local area enters into a written agree-
ment with the State for the State to 
serve as the fiscal agent for the local 
board 
during 
the 
demonstration 
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project, use the funds described in 
items (aa) and (bb) of subclause (I) 
for purposes of carrying out the 
project on behalf of the local board. 
‘‘(iii) 
CONSORTIUM
OF
LOCAL 
AREAS.—In a case of a consortium of local 
areas selected by a State to carry out a 
demonstration project under this section, 
require the State to— 
‘‘(I) distribute as a consolidated 
sum to the consortium, for purposes 
of carrying out the project— 
‘‘(aa) the total amount of 
the allocations for the local areas 
in such consortium for such fiscal 
year under— 
‘‘(AA) subsections (b) 
and (c) of section 128; and 
‘‘(BB) subsections (b) 
and (c) of section 133; and 
‘‘(bb) any funds under sec-
tion 6 of the Wagner-Peyser Act 
(29 U.S.C. 49e) that the State 
would otherwise allocate for such 
fiscal year to the one-stop deliv-
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ery systems in the local areas in 
such consortium; or 
‘‘(II) if the consortium enters 
into a written agreement with the 
State for the State to serve as the fis-
cal agent for the local board during 
the demonstration project, use the 
funds described in items (aa) and (bb) 
of subclause (I) for purposes of car-
rying out the project on behalf of such 
consortium. 
‘‘(2) EXCEPTIONS.—A State, local area, or con-
sortium of local areas carrying out a demonstration 
project under this section— 
‘‘(A) shall comply with statutory or regu-
latory requirements of— 
‘‘(i) this Act relating to— 
‘‘(I) wage and labor standards; 
‘‘(II) 
nondisplacement 
protec-
tions; 
‘‘(III) participation and protec-
tion of workers and participants; 
‘‘(IV) nondiscrimination; 
‘‘(V) grievance procedures and 
judicial review; and 
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‘‘(VI) performance accountability 
and reporting, except as otherwise 
provided in this section; and 
‘‘(ii) the Wagner-Peyser Act relating 
to provision of services to unemployed in-
surance claimants and veterans, and relat-
ing to universal access to basic labor ex-
change services without cost to jobseekers; 
and 
‘‘(B) may choose to comply with any other 
statutory or regulatory requirement of this Act 
or the Wagner-Peyser Act. 
‘‘(c) DEMONSTRATION PERIOD; LIMITATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—A demonstration project 
approved under this section for a State, local area, 
or consortium— 
‘‘(A) shall be carried out for a 5-year dem-
onstration period; and 
‘‘(B) may be renewed for additional 5-year 
demonstration periods, if the State, local area, 
or consortium meets its expected levels of per-
formance established under subsection (f)(1) for 
each of the final 3 years of the preceding 5-year 
period. 
‘‘(2) LIMITATIONS.— 
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‘‘(A) DEMONSTRATION
PERIOD
LIMITA-
TIONS.—For each 5-year demonstration period 
(including renewals of such period)— 
‘‘(i) not more than 8 States may carry 
out demonstration projects approved for a 
State as a whole under this section; and 
‘‘(ii) not more than 8 local areas (or 
consortia of local areas) may carry out 
demonstration projects approved for a local 
area (or a consortium) under this section. 
‘‘(B) STATE LIMITATIONS.—No more than 
1 demonstration project may be approved under 
this section per State. For purposes of this 
paragraph, a demonstration project approved 
for a local area or a consortium of local areas 
in a State shall be considered a demonstration 
project approved under this section for the 
State. 
‘‘(d) APPLICATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to carry out 
a demonstration project under this section, a State 
shall submit to the Secretary an application at such 
time, and in such manner, as the Secretary may rea-
sonably require, and containing the information de-
scribed in paragraph (2). 
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‘‘(2) CONTENT.—Each application submitted by 
a State under this subsection shall include the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(A) A description of the demonstration 
project to be carried out under this section, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(i) whether the project will be car-
ried out— 
‘‘(I) by the State as a whole; 
‘‘(II) by a local area, and if so— 
‘‘(aa) an identification of— 
‘‘(AA) such local area; 
and 
‘‘(BB) 
whether 
the 
local board for such local 
area is the fiscal agent for 
the project, or whether the 
local board has entered into 
a written agreement with 
the State for the State to 
serve as the fiscal agent dur-
ing the project; and 
‘‘(bb) 
written 
verification 
from the local board for such 
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local area that such local board 
agrees— 
‘‘(AA) to carry out such 
project; and 
‘‘(BB) to the fiscal 
agent 
identified 
in 
item 
(aa)(BB); and 
‘‘(III) by a consortium of local 
areas in the State, and if so— 
‘‘(aa) an identification of— 
‘‘(AA) each local area 
that comprises the consor-
tium; and 
‘‘(BB) the local area 
that will serve as the fiscal 
agent for the consortium 
during the project, or wheth-
er the consortium has en-
tered into a written agree-
ment with the State for the 
State to serve as the fiscal 
agent; and 
‘‘(bb) 
written 
verification 
from each local board of each 
local area identified in item 
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(aa)(AA) that such local board 
agrees— 
‘‘(AA) to carry out such 
project as a consortium; and 
‘‘(BB) to the fiscal 
agent for the consortium 
identified in item (aa)(BB); 
‘‘(ii) a description of the activities to 
be carried out under the project; and 
‘‘(iii) the goals the State, local area, 
or consortium intends to achieve through 
such activities, which shall be aligned with 
purpose described in subsection (a). 
‘‘(B) A description of the performance out-
comes the State, the local area, or consortium 
expects to achieve for such activities for each 
year of the demonstration period as described 
in subsection (f)(1). 
‘‘(C) A description of how the State, local 
area, or consortium consulted with employers, 
the State board, and the local boards in the 
State in determining the activities to carry out 
under the demonstration project. 
‘‘(D) A description of how the State will 
make such activities available to jobseekers and 
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employers in each of the local areas in the State 
or, in a case of a project that will be carried out 
by a local area or a consortium, a description 
of how such services will be made available to 
jobseekers and employers in such local area or 
each of the local areas in the consortium. 
‘‘(E) A description, if appropriate, of how 
the State, local area, or consortium will inte-
grate the funds received, and the activities car-
ried out, under the demonstration project under 
this section with State workforce development 
programs and other Federal or State workforce, 
education, or social service programs (including 
the programs and activities listed in section 
103(a)(2), the program of adult education and 
literacy activities authorized under title II, and 
the program authorized under title I of the Re-
habilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 720 et 
seq.)). 
‘‘(F) An assurance that the State, local 
area, or consortium will meet the requirements 
of this section. 
‘‘(3) SECRETARIAL APPROVAL.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 60 
days after the date on which a State submits an 
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application under this subsection, the Secretary 
shall— 
‘‘(i) in a case in which the application 
meets the requirements of this section and 
is not subject to the limitations described 
in subsection (c)(2), approve such applica-
tion and the demonstration project de-
scribed in such application; or 
‘‘(ii) provide to the State a written ex-
planation of initial disapproval that meets 
the requirements of subparagraph (C). 
‘‘(B) DEFAULT APPROVAL.—With respect 
to an application submitted by a State under 
this subsection that is not subject to the limita-
tions described in subsection (c)(2), if the Sec-
retary fails to approve such application or pro-
vide an explanation of initial disapproval for 
such application as required under subpara-
graph (A), the application and the demonstra-
tion project described in such application shall 
be deemed approved by the Secretary. 
‘‘(C) INITIAL
DISAPPROVAL.—An expla-
nation of initial disapproval provided by the 
Secretary to a State under subparagraph (A)(ii) 
shall provide the State— 
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‘‘(i) detailed reasons for why the ap-
plication does not meet the requirements of 
this section; and 
‘‘(ii) if the State is not subject to the 
limitations described in subsection (c)(2), 
an opportunity to revise and resubmit the 
State’s application under this section. 
‘‘(e) STATE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT REQUIRE-
MENTS.—A State, local area, or consortium that has been 
approved to carry out a demonstration project under this 
section shall meet each of the following requirements: 
‘‘(1) USE OF FUNDS.—Use the funds received 
pursuant to subsection (b)(1)(B) solely to carry out 
the activities of the demonstration project to achieve 
the goals described in subsection (d)(2)(A). 
‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATIVE
COSTS
LIMITATION.— 
Use not more than 10 percent of the funds received 
pursuant to subsection (b)(1)(B) for a fiscal year for 
the administrative costs of carrying out the dem-
onstration project. 
‘‘(3) PRIORITY
FOR
SERVICES.—Give priority 
for services under the project to veterans and their 
eligible spouses in accordance with the requirements 
of section 4215 of title 38, United States Code, re-
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cipients of public assistance, low-income individuals, 
and individuals who are basic skills deficient. 
‘‘(4) NUMBER
OF
PARTICIPANTS.—Serve a 
number of participants under the activities of the 
demonstration project for each year of the dem-
onstration period that— 
‘‘(A) is greater than the number of partici-
pants served by such State, local area, or con-
sortium under the programs described in sub-
paragraphs (A) and (C) of section 3(13) for the 
most recent program year that ended prior to 
the beginning of the first year of the dem-
onstration period; or 
‘‘(B) is not less than the number of par-
ticipants to be served under the activities of the 
demonstration project that is agreed upon be-
tween the State, local area, or consortium, and 
the Secretary— 
‘‘(i) prior to the Secretary’s approval 
of the application submitted under sub-
section (d); 
‘‘(ii) after the Secretary takes into ac-
count— 
‘‘(I) the goals the State, local 
area, or consortium intends to achieve 
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through the demonstration project; 
and 
‘‘(II) the participants the State, 
local area, or consortium intends to 
serve under such project; and 
‘‘(iii) prior to approval of the applica-
tion submitted under subsection (d). 
‘‘(5) REPORTING OUTCOMES.—Submit, on an 
annual basis, to the Secretary a report, with respect 
to such State, local area, or consortium, on— 
‘‘(A) participant outcomes for each indi-
cator of performance described in subsection 
(f)(1)(A) for the activities carried out under the 
project; and 
‘‘(B) the applicable requirements of section 
116(d)(2), 
including 
subparagraphs 
(B) 
through (G) and subparagraph (J), as such 
subparagraphs are applicable to activities under 
the demonstration project. 
‘‘(6) COMPLIANCE WITH CERTAIN EXISTING RE-
QUIREMENTS.—Comply with the statutory or regu-
latory requirements listed in subsection (b)(2). 
‘‘(7) EVALUATION.—Prior to the end of the 
demonstration period— 
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‘‘(A) conduct a rigorous evaluation of the 
employment and earnings outcomes of partici-
pants in activities carried out under the dem-
onstration project, compared to the outcomes of 
similarly situated individuals in such State, 
local area, or a local area in the consortium 
that do not participate in such activities; and 
‘‘(B) submit to Congress and the Secretary 
the results of such evaluation. 
‘‘(f) PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT OF EXPECTED PERFORM-
ANCE INDICATORS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Each State, local 
area, or consortium shall establish in the appli-
cation submitted under subsection (d), for each 
year of the demonstration period— 
‘‘(i) with respect to participants who 
are at least 25 years old, the expected lev-
els of performance for each of the indica-
tors 
of 
performance 
under 
section 
116(b)(2)(A)(i) for the activities carried 
out under the project under this section, 
which shall meet the requirements of sub-
paragraph (B); and 
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