I
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4402
To amend the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act
of 1998 to improve the use of amounts deposited into the H–1B Non-
immigrant Petitioner Account for demonstration programs and projects
to provide technical skills training for occupations for which there is
a high demand for skilled workers, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 10, 2000
Mr. GOODLING introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and the Workforce
A BILL
To amend the American Competitiveness and Workforce Im-
provement Act of 1998 to improve the use of amounts
deposited into the H–1B Nonimmigrant Petitioner Ac-
count for demonstration programs and projects to pro-
vide technical skills training for occupations for which
there is a high demand for skilled workers, and for
other purposes.
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 ‘‘Training and Edu-
cation for American Workers Act of 2000’’.
SEC. 2. USE OF H–1B NONIMMIGRANT PETITIONER FEES.
Section 414(c) the American Competitiveness and
Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 (as contained in title
IV of division C of the Omnibus Consolidated and Emer-
gency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1999; Public
Law 105–277) is amended to read as follows:
‘‘(c) DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS TO
PROVIDE TECHNICAL SKILLS TRAINING FOR WORKERS;
LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, AND
READING TEACHERS.—
‘‘(1) TECHNICAL SKILLS TRAINING FOR WORK-
ERS.—
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of
Labor shall use 75 percent of the funds made
available under section 286(s)(2) of the Immi-
gration 
and 
Nationality 
Act 
(8 
U.S.C.
1356(s)(2)) to establish demonstration pro-
grams or projects to provide technical skills
training for employed and unemployed workers
for any skill shortage related to a specialty oc-
cupation (as defined in section 214(i)(1) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1184(i)(1)).
‘‘(B) GRANTS.—The Secretary of Labor
shall award grants to carry out programs or
projects described in subparagraph (A) to—
‘‘(i) local workforce investment boards
established under section 117 of the Work-
force Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C.
2832);
‘‘(ii) regional consortia of local boards
described in clause (i); or
‘‘(iii) consortia (which may be local,
regional, or multi-state consortia)—
‘‘(I) a majority of whose mem-
bers are a business or represent a
business;
‘‘(II) whose membership shall in-
clude representatives of not less than
10 businesses or at least one non-
profit organization that represents not
less than 10 businesses; and
‘‘(III) whose membership may in-
clude representatives of State and
local governments, educational institu-
tions, and labor organizations (for a
local area (as defined in section 101
of the Workforce Investment Act of
1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801)) in which em-
ployees are represented by labor orga-
nizations), nominated by local labor
federations, or (for a local area (as so
defined) in which no employees are
represented by such organizations),
other representatives of employees.
‘‘(C) PRIORITY
PROJECTS.—In awarding
grants under subparagraph (B), the Secretary
of Labor shall give priority to programs or
projects that train employed and unemployed
workers in skills that are in shortage in the
high technology, information technology, and
biotechnology fields, including software and
communications services, telecommunications,
systems installation and integration, computers
and communications hardware, health care
technology, biotechnology, and biomedical re-
search, manufacturing, and innovation services.
‘‘(D) 
GRANTS
APPLICATION
REQUIRE-
MENT.—An application for a grant under this
paragraph shall include—
‘‘(i) specific goals for each program or
project for which funds are sought, includ-
ing targets for measurable increases in
skill gains for those individuals being
trained under the project; and
‘‘(ii) an agreement that the program
or project shall be subject to evaluations by
the Secretary of Labor to measure its ef-
fectiveness.
‘‘(E) MATCHING
FUNDS.—Each grantee
receiving funds under this paragraph shall dem-
onstrate the manner by which the grantee will
provide matching resources (in the form of
cash, in-kind contributions, or both) equal to at
least 25 percent of the total grant amount
awarded.
‘‘(F) TARGET POPULATION.—Each grantee
receiving funds under this paragraph shall
make efforts actively to recruit and train indi-
viduals who traditionally are underrepresented
in information technology occupations, such as
minorities, women, low-wage workers, workers
residing in empowerment zones and enterprise
communities (as defined in section 1393(b) of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986), and indi-
viduals with a disability.
‘‘(2) LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR MATHEMATICS,
SCIENCE, AND READING TEACHERS.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any
other provision of law, the Secretary of Labor