I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3276
To establish an emergency program to provide immediate education assistance 
for unemployed workers, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 8, 2003
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California (for himself, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. RYAN of 
Ohio, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. 
PAYNE, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, and Mr. KUCINICH) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
the Workforce 
A BILL 
To establish an emergency program to provide immediate 
education assistance for unemployed 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 ‘‘21st Century Job Op-
portunities Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
(1) Since the beginning of 2001, the private 
sector has lost more than 3 million jobs. 
(2) The number of unemployed has risen in 49 
states and national unemployment levels are over 6 
percent, the highest in nearly a decade. 
(3) Today, 9.4 million people are out of work 
and an additional 4.5 million people work part-time 
because they are unable to find a full-time job. 
(4) In addition, by the year 2010 there will be 
an estimated shortage of 12 million workers with at 
least some college education. 
(5) Sixty-eight percent of the fastest growing 
jobs require at least some college education. 
(b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to estab-
lish a temporary emergency program to assist workers who 
have been laid off and who require immediate education 
and training to successfully re-enter the workforce. 
SEC. 3. POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION BENEFITS FOR DIS-
LOCATED WORKERS. 
Subpart 1 of part A of title IV of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 is amended by inserting after section 
401 (20 U.S.C. 1070a) the following new section:
‘‘SEC. 401A. JOB OPPORTUNITY GRANTS. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section, the 
term ‘eligible unemployed individual’ means an individual 
who—
‘‘(1) was, on or after March 1, 2001, employed 
full-time or part-time; 
‘‘(2) became unemployed after such date; and 
‘‘(3) on the date of application for a grant 
under this section, has been unemployed for at least 
3 months in the preceding 6 months. 
‘‘(b) BENEFITS AUTHORIZED.—
‘‘(1) PROGRAM AUTHORITY AND METHOD OF 
DISTRIBUTION.—For each fiscal year through fiscal 
year 2009, the Secretary shall pay to each eligible 
institution such sums as may be necessary to pay to 
each eligible unemployed individual for each aca-
demic year during which that individual is in attend-
ance at an institution of higher education, as an un-
dergraduate, a Job Assistance Grant in the amount 
for which that individual is eligible, as determined 
pursuant to subsection (c). Not less than 85 percent 
of such sums shall be advanced to eligible institu-
tions prior to the start of each payment period and 
shall be based upon an amount requested by the in-
stitution as needed to pay eligible unemployed indi-
viduals until such time as the Secretary determines
and publishes in the Federal Register with an oppor-
tunity for comment, an alternative payment system 
that provides payments to institutions in an accurate 
and timely manner, except that this sentence shall 
not be construed to limit the authority of the Sec-
retary to place an institution on a reimbursement 
system of payment. 
‘‘(2) DIRECT PAYMENTS PERMITTED.—Nothing 
in this section shall be interpreted to prohibit the 
Secretary from paying directly to eligible unem-
ployed individuals, in advance of the beginning of 
the academic term, an amount for which they are el-
igible, in cases where the eligible institution elects 
not to participate in the disbursement system re-
quired by paragraph (1). 
‘‘(3) NAME OF GRANTS.—Grants made under 
this section shall be known as ‘Job Opportunities 
Grants’. 
‘‘(c) PURPOSE AND AMOUNT OF GRANTS.—
‘‘(1) 
PURPOSE.—The 
Jobs 
Opportunities 
Grants program is a temporary emergency program 
established to assist American workers who have 
been laid off and who require additional education 
and training to successfully re-enter the workforce. 
‘‘(2) MAXIMUM GRANTS.—
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The amount of the 
Job Assistance Grant for an eligible unem-
ployed individual under this section shall be the 
sum of the individual’s tuition and fees not to 
exceed for any award year the maximum Pell 
Grant under section 401(b)(2)(A) of the Higher 
Education 
Act 
of 
1965 
(20 
U.S.C. 
1070a(b)(2)(A)) for such award year. 
‘‘(B) PART
TIME
ATTENDANCE.—In any 
case where an eligible unemployed individual at-
tends an institution of higher education on less 
than a full-time basis (including an individual 
who attends an institution of higher education 
on less than a half-time basis) during any aca-
demic year, the amount of the Job Assistance 
Grant to which that student is entitled shall be 
reduced in proportion to the degree to which 
that student is not so attending on a full-time 
basis, in accordance with a schedule of reduc-
tions established by the Secretary for the pur-
poses of this division, computed in accordance 
with this section. Such schedule of reductions 
shall be established by regulation and published 
in the Federal Register.
purpose, in such manner as will best accomplish the pur-
pose of this section. Any disbursement allowed to be made 
by crediting the eligible unemployed individual’s account 
shall be limited to tuition and fees and, in the case of insti-
tutionally owned housing, room and board. The student 
may elect to have the institution provide other such goods 
and services by crediting the student’s account. 
‘‘(g) INSUFFICIENT APPROPRIATIONS.—If, for any 
fiscal year, the funds appropriated for payments under 
this section are insufficient to satisfy fully all entitlements, 
as calculated under subsection (c) (but at the maximum 
grant level specified in such appropriation), the Secretary 
shall promptly transmit a notice of such insufficiency to 
each House of the Congress, and identify in such notice 
the additional amount that would be required to be appro-
priated to satisfy fully all entitlements (as so calculated 
at such maximum grant level). 
‘‘(h) USE OF EXCESS FUNDS.—
‘‘(1) If, at the end of a fiscal year, the funds 
available for making payments under this section ex-
ceed the amount necessary to make the payments re-
quired under this section to eligible students by 15 
percent or less, then all of the excess funds shall re-
main available for making payments under this sec-
tion during the next succeeding fiscal year.
‘‘(2) If, at the end of a fiscal year, the funds 
available for making payments under this section ex-
ceed the amount necessary to make the payments re-
quired under this section to eligible students by 
more than 15 percent, then all of such funds shall 
remain available for making such payments but pay-
ments may be made under this paragraph only with 
respect to entitlements for that fiscal year.’’.
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