I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 78 
To authorize the Secretary of Labor to make grants to States, units of 
local government, and Indian tribes to carry out employment training 
programs to assist long-term unemployed job hunters obtain the skills 
and training to reenter the workforce and fill jobs in high-growth sectors 
of the economy. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 6, 2015 
Ms. JACKSON LEE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of Labor to make grants to 
States, units of local government, and Indian tribes to 
carry out employment training programs to assist long- 
term unemployed job hunters obtain the skills and train-
ing to reenter the workforce and fill jobs in high-growth 
sectors of the economy. 
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 ‘‘New Chance for a New 
Start in Life Act of 2015’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 
in December 2013, the number of long-term unem-
ployed job hunters, persons jobless for 27 weeks or 
more, exceeded 3.9 million, which constitutes ap-
proximately 37.7 percent of the unemployed, among 
the highest rates in recent history; 
(2) the Bureau of Labor Statistics also esti-
mates that the health care and social assistance sec-
tors will account for almost a third of the projected 
job growth from 2014 to 2024 and that employment 
in the construction sector is expected to see a large 
increase, while still not reaching levels of the Great 
Recession of 2007, and that manufacturing is pro-
jected to experience a slight decline in employment 
over the projection period; and 
(3) reducing the number of persons in long- 
term unemployed status by providing training oppor-
tunities to obtain the skills needed to fill the jobs in 
the employment sectors predicted to experience the 
greatest rates of growth is an important national 
goal. 
SEC. 3. COMPENSATED EMPLOYMENT TRAINING GRANTS. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—Subject to the availability of 
appropriations for such funds, the Secretary of Labor 
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shall make grants to States, units of local government, 
and Indian tribes to carry out the activities described in 
subsection (b). Grants under this section may be made on 
such terms and conditions as the Secretary may deter-
mine. 
(b) USE OF FUNDS.—A recipient of a grant under 
this Act shall use the grant for the following purposes: 
(1) To create compensated training programs 
that offer training to assist long-term unemployed 
persons obtain the skills and training to reenter the 
workforce and fill jobs in sectors of the economy 
projected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to have 
the highest rates of demand during the period 2014 
to 2024. 
(2) To provide compensation to participants in 
training programs to temporarily aid in their finan-
cial distress. 
(3) To partner with cities and non-profit orga-
nizations to provide apprenticeships and internships. 
(4) To provide training and employment oppor-
tunities for veterans. 
(5) To partner with historically Black colleges 
and universities and Hispanic serving colleges and 
universities along with local community college sys-
tems to create innovative retraining programs for 
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minorities focused on retooling workers for jobs in 
the growth sectors of healthcare, biotech, and infor-
mation technology. 
(6) To provide access to public healthcare pro-
grams for participants. 
(7) To create training programs for ex-offend-
ers in an effort to reduce recidivism. 
(8) To aid newly trained participants in secur-
ing employment within the field of their newly ac-
quired expertise. 
(c) CONDITIONS.—As a condition of receiving a grant 
under this Act, a grant recipient shall— 
(1) comply with nondiscrimination standards of 
the Civil Rights Act of 1964; 
(2) allocate not less than 80 percent of the 
funding allocated under the grant to wages, benefits, 
and support activities, including child care services 
to individuals receiving compensated training under 
such a grant; and 
(3) institute a program to aid newly trained 
participants in securing employment in their new 
area of expertise. 
(d) INELIGIBILITY
OF FOR-PROFIT EDUCATIONAL 
INSTITUTIONS.—A State, unit of local government, or In-
dian tribe receiving a grant under this Act may not part-
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