I 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4591 
To establish a national strategy for identifying job training needs to increase 
opportunities for technical school training and promote hiring. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 7, 2014 
Mr. BARROW of Georgia introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the 
Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish a national strategy for identifying job training 
needs to increase opportunities for technical school train-
ing and promote hiring. 
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 ‘‘Workforce Investment 
and Job Creation Act’’. 
SEC. 2. IDENTIFYING JOB TRAINING NEEDS. 
(a) STRATEGY REPORT.— 
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(1) STRATEGY REPORT REQUIRED.—The Sec-
retary of Labor shall develop and submit to Con-
gress a strategy report to address the skills gap by 
providing analysis and recommendations to increase 
on-the-job training and apprenticeship opportunities 
and increase employer participation in education and 
workforce training. 
(2) GOALS OF THE STRATEGY REPORT.—The 
strategy report required by paragraph (1) shall in-
clude specific recommendations to achieve the fol-
lowing goals: 
(A) To increase the aggregate number of 
employers and employees participating in on- 
the-job training and apprenticeships. 
(B) To determine ways in which the De-
partment of Labor can increase employer out-
reach to encourage new and expanded employer 
participation in education and workforce train-
ing. 
(C) To identify and prioritize industry-rec-
ognized postsecondary credentials that are na-
tionally portable and aligned with in-demand 
occupations in industries such as construction, 
manufacturing, and others that are emerging. 
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(D) To determine ways in which the De-
partment of Labor can better address the skills 
gap by maximizing existing resources, pro-
grams, and personnel. 
(3) ANALYSIS REQUIRED.—As part of the strat-
egy report under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall, 
at a minimum, include the following: 
(A) A comparison of United States on-the- 
job training and apprenticeship policies and 
strategies with the policies and strategies of 
other countries where employers play a larger 
role in education and workforce training. 
(B) An assessment of the Department of 
Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship program to 
determine how it can be better utilized to ap-
peal to more industries and to boost the goals 
described in paragraph (2). 
(C) An evaluation of any existing or poten-
tial opportunities within the Department of 
Labor to refocus or repurpose resources and 
personnel to better support on-the-job training 
and apprenticeship goals. 
(D) An analysis of the specific barriers 
preventing the domestic workforce from acquir-
ing the skills desired by domestic employers, in-
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(ii) help establish regional industry 
partnerships. 
(B) Adoption of strategies that have been 
implemented and proven successful in key in-
dustries and regions in the United States and 
in other countries. 
(C) In coordination with the Secretary of 
Commerce and the Secretary of Education, de-
velop plans that identify strategies— 
(i) for increased employer participa-
tion in career and technical education; 
(ii) to better align career and tech-
nical education curriculums and programs 
with fast growing industry sectors; 
(iii) to encourage more pre-apprentice-
ship and college credit courses in sec-
ondary schools; 
(iv) to improve school-to-work transi-
tions and connections; and 
(v) to assist employers in partnering 
with elementary schools, secondary schools, 
and institutions of higher education. 
(5) SUBMITTAL
OF
STRATEGY
REPORT.—Not 
later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of 
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this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress the 
strategy report developed under this subsection. 
(6) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary may im-
plement the recommendations under paragraph (4) 
as the Secretary determines appropriate, if otherwise 
permitted under law. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘elementary 
school’’ and ‘‘secondary school’’ have the meanings 
given such terms in section 9101 of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
7801). 
(2) INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED.—The term ‘‘indus-
try-recognized’’, as used with respect to a credential, 
means a credential that— 
(A) is sought or accepted by employers 
within the industry sector involved as recog-
nized, preferred, or required for recruitment, 
screening, hiring, or advancement; 
(B) is endorsed by a recognized trade or 
professional association or organization, rep-
resenting a significant part of the industry sec-
tor; and 
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(C) is a nationally portable credential that 
is sought or accepted across multiple States, as 
described in subparagraph (A). 
(3) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 102 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002). 
(4) RECOGNIZED
POSTSECONDARY
CREDEN-
TIAL.—The term ‘‘recognized postsecondary creden-
tial’’ means a credential consisting of an industry- 
recognized credential for postsecondary training, a 
certificate that meets the requirements of subpara-
graphs (A) and (C) of paragraph (1) for postsec-
ondary training, a certificate of completion of a post-
secondary apprenticeship through a program de-
scribed in section 122(a)(2)(B) of the Workforce In-
vestment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2842(a)(2)(B)), or 
an associate degree or baccalaureate degree awarded 
by an institution of higher education (as defined in 
section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1001(a))). 
(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Labor. 
(6) SKILLS GAP.—The term ‘‘skills gap’’ refers 
to the difference, or gap, between the current supply 
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of labor and skills of the workforce and that which 
is desired by employers. 
SEC. 3. TECHNICAL SCHOOL TRAINING SUBSIDY PROGRAM. 
Section 171 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 
(29 U.S.C. 2916) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(f) TECHNICAL SCHOOL TRAINING SUBSIDY PILOT 
PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT OF TECHNICAL SCHOOL 
TRAINING
SUBSIDY
PILOT
PROGRAM.—From the 
amounts appropriated to carry out this subsection, 
the Secretary shall award competitive grants to 
States to provide such funds to local boards for the 
provision of technical school training subsidies in 
local areas through one-stop delivery systems de-
scribed in section 134(c). 
‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—To receive a grant under 
this subsection a State shall submit to the Secretary 
an application in such manner, at such time, and 
containing such information as the Secretary may 
require. 
‘‘(3) QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR 
SUBSIDY.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—A technical school 
training subsidy for an academic year may be 
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provided, in accordance with subparagraph (E), 
to a technical school on behalf of an unem-
ployed individual who is enrolled, or accepted 
for enrollment, at a technical school. 
‘‘(B) AMOUNT OF SUBSIDY.— 
‘‘(i) 
CONSIDERATIONS.—In 
deter-
mining the amount of a subsidy to provide 
to an unemployed individual under this 
subsection, a one-stop operator or one-stop 
partner, as appropriate, shall take into ac-
count— 
‘‘(I) the cost of tuition of such 
individual; 
‘‘(II) the expected family con-
tribution, as determined in accordance 
with section 474 of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1087nn), for such individual; and 
‘‘(III) the estimated financial as-
sistance for such individual not re-
ceived under this subsection. 
‘‘(ii) AGGREGATE AMOUNT.—The ag-
gregate amount of subsidies an individual 
may receive under this subsection may not 
exceed $2,000. 
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‘‘(C) NUMBER
OF
SUBSIDIES.—An indi-
vidual may receive subsidies under this sub-
section for not more than 2 academic years. 
‘‘(D) USE OF FUNDS.—A subsidy an indi-
vidual receives under this subsection shall be 
used to assist the individual in paying the cost 
of tuition for career and technical education at 
a technical school. All subsidies received by an 
individual under this subsection shall be used to 
pay the cost of tuition for career and technical 
education at the same technical school. 
‘‘(E) PROVISION OF SUBSIDY.—Upon ap-
proving an unemployed individual for a subsidy 
under this subsection, a one-stop operator or 
one-stop partner, as appropriate, shall provide, 
prior to the start of an academic year, the sub-
sidy to the technical school in which the unem-
ployed individual is enrolled or accepted for en-
rollment. 
‘‘(4) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection— 
‘‘(A) The term ‘career and technical edu-
cation’ has the meaning given the term in sec-
tion 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Tech-
nical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302). 
‘‘(B) The term ‘cost of tuition’ means— 
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‘‘(i) tuition and fees normally assessed 
a student carrying the same academic 
workload as determined by the technical 
school, and including costs for rental or 
purchase of any equipment, materials, or 
supplies required of all students in the 
same course of study; and 
‘‘(ii) an allowance for books and sup-
plies, for a student attending the technical 
school on at least a half-time basis, as de-
termined by the school. 
‘‘(C) The term ‘technical school’ means a 
‘postsecondary vocational institution’ that pro-
vides career and technical education. 
‘‘(D) The term ‘postsecondary vocational 
institution’ has the meaning given the term in 
section 102(c) of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002(c)). 
‘‘(E) The term ‘unemployed individual’ 
means an unemployed individual who is a cit-
izen of the United States.’’. 
SEC. 4. TAX CREDITS FOR NEW HIRES. 
(a) CREDIT FOR INCREASING EMPLOYMENT.—Sub-
part C of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to refundable 
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credits) is amended by inserting after section 36B the fol-
lowing new section: 
‘‘SEC. 36C. CREDIT FOR INCREASING EMPLOYMENT. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There shall be allowed as a cred-
it against the tax imposed by this subtitle— 
‘‘(1) for any taxable year beginning in 2014, an 
amount equal to 60 percent of the excess of— 
‘‘(A) the aggregate wages paid during 
2014, over 
‘‘(B) the aggregate wages paid during 
2013, and 
‘‘(2) for any taxable year beginning in 2015, an 
amount equal to 40 percent of the excess of— 
‘‘(A) the aggregate wages paid during 
2015, over 
‘‘(B) 
the 
aggregate 
inflation-adjusted 
wages paid during 2014. 
‘‘(b) MAXIMUM CREDIT.—The amount of the credit 
allowable under this section for any employer with respect 
to any calendar year shall not exceed $500,000. 
‘‘(c) MINIMUM PRECEDING YEAR WAGES.—For pur-
poses of subsection (a)— 
‘‘(1) the amount taken into account under para-
graph (1)(B) thereof shall not be less than 50 per-
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cent of the amount described in paragraph (1)(A) 
thereof, and 
‘‘(2) the amount taken into account under para-
graph (2)(B) thereof shall not be less than 50 per-
cent of the amount described in paragraph (2)(A) 
thereof. 
‘‘(d) TOTAL WAGES MUST INCREASE.—The amount 
of credit allowed under this section for any taxable year 
shall not exceed the amount which would be so allowed 
for such year (without regard to subsection (c)) if— 
‘‘(1) the aggregate amounts taken into account 
as wages were determined without any dollar limita-
tion, and 
‘‘(2) 103 percent of the amount of wages other-
wise required to be taken into account under sub-
section (a)(1)(B) or subsection (a)(2)(B), as the 
case may be, were taken into account. 
‘‘(e) WAGES; INFLATION-ADJUSTED WAGES.—For 
purposes of this section: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), the term ‘wages’ has the meaning given 
to such term by section 3306(b). 
‘‘(2) RAILWAY AND AGRICULTURAL LABOR.— 
Rules similar to the rules of section 51(h) shall 
apply for purposes of this section. 
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‘‘(3) INFLATION-ADJUSTED WAGES.—The term 
‘inflation-adjusted wages’ means the aggregate 
wages paid during 2014 increased by an amount 
equal to— 
‘‘(A) such aggregate wages, multiplied by 
‘‘(B) the cost-of-living adjustment deter-
mined under section 1(f)(3) for 2014, deter-
mined by substituting ‘calendar year 2012’ for 
‘calendar year 1992’ in subparagraph (B) 
thereof. 
Any increase determined under the preceding sen-
tence shall be rounded in such manner as the Sec-
retary shall prescribe. 
‘‘(f) SPECIAL RULES.— 
‘‘(1) ADJUSTMENTS
FOR
CERTAIN
ACQUISI-
TIONS, ETC.— 
‘‘(A) ACQUISITIONS.—If, after December 
31, 2012, an employer acquires the major por-
tion of a trade or business of another person 
(hereinafter in this subparagraph referred to as 
the ‘predecessor’) or the major portion of a sep-
arate unit of a trade or business of a prede-
cessor, then, for purposes of applying this sec-
tion for any calendar year ending after such ac-
quisition, the amount of wages deemed paid by 
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the employer during periods before such acqui-
sition shall be increased by so much of such 
wages paid by the predecessor with respect to 
the acquired trade or business as is attributable 
to the portion of such trade or business ac-
quired by the employer. 
‘‘(B) DISPOSITIONS.—If, after December 
31, 2012— 
‘‘(i) an employer disposes of the major 
portion of any trade or business of the em-
ployer or the major portion of a separate 
unit of a trade or business of the employer 
in a transaction to which subparagraph 
(A) applies, and 
‘‘(ii) the employer furnishes the ac-
quiring person such information as is nec-
essary for the application of subparagraph 
(A), 
then, for purposes of applying this section for 
any calendar year ending after such disposition, 
the amount of wages deemed paid by the em-
ployer during periods before such disposition 
shall be decreased by so much of such wages as 
is attributable to such trade or business or sep-
arate unit. 
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‘‘(2) CHANGE
IN
STATUS
FROM
SELF-EM-
PLOYED TO EMPLOYEE.—If— 
‘‘(A) during 2013 or 2014 an individual 
has net earnings from self-employment (as de-
fined in section 1402(a)) which are attributable 
to a trade or business, and 
‘‘(B) for any portion of the succeeding cal-
endar year such individual is an employee of 
such trade or business, 
then, for purposes of determining the credit allow-
able for a taxable year beginning in such succeeding 
calendar year, the employer’s aggregate wages for 
2013 or 2014, as the case may be, shall be increased 
by an amount equal to so much of the net earnings 
referred to in subparagraph (A) as does not exceed 
the median household income in the United States 
for 2013 or 2014, as the case may be. 
‘‘(3) CERTAIN OTHER RULES TO APPLY.—Rules 
similar to the following rules shall apply for pur-
poses of this section: 
‘‘(A) Section 51(f) (relating to remunera-
tion must be for trade or business employment). 
‘‘(B) Section 51(i)(1) (relating to related 
individuals ineligible). 
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