I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2497 
To amend title 49, United States Code, to expand and improve transit 
training programs. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 19, 2009 
Mr. NADLER of New York introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To amend title 49, United States Code, to expand and 
improve transit training programs. 
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 ‘‘Transportation Job 
Corps Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) There are millions of young people ages 16 
through 24 who are neither in school nor in the 
labor force. 
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(2) According to a report issued by the Commu-
nity Service Society in June 2008, entitled ‘‘Out of 
Focus: A Snapshot of Public Funding to Reconnect 
Youth to Education and Employment’’, the young 
people described in paragraph (1), often referred to 
as disconnected youth, are largely youth of color 
from poor communities and at risk of becoming per-
manently disengaged from the labor market which 
threatens their ability to break out of the cycle of 
poverty and contribute to our economy and commu-
nities. 
(3) When our young people lack the skills that 
local industries need and are unable to support 
themselves, we all bear the financial costs. 
(4) In the coming years, the combination of 
public transportation industry growth and an aging 
workforce will produce sizeable new openings in the 
transit sector. 
(5) There is no pipeline of replacements on the 
horizon, and the transit industry has been limited in 
its ability to attract, recruit, and retain employees. 
(6) For the existing workforce, new technology 
is rapidly changing the way transit agencies func-
tion, affecting every sector of the workforce, includ-
ing executive directors, mid-level managers, bus op-
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erators, and mechanics, yet relatively few programs 
exist to provide training to workers so that they can 
perform their jobs adequately, move up the career 
ladder, and help the Nation’s transit agencies oper-
ate at maximum efficiency. 
SEC. 3. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. 
(a) WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.—Title 
49, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by striking section 5322; and 
(2) by inserting the following: 
‘‘SEC. 5322. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. 
‘‘(a) NATIONAL JOINT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT 
COUNCIL.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of enactment of the Transpor-
tation Job Corps Act of 2009, the Administrator of 
the Federal Transit Administration shall establish a 
National Joint Workforce Development Council (re-
ferred to in this section as the ‘National Council’). 
‘‘(2) COMPOSITION.— 
‘‘(A) VOTING MEMBERS.—Two representa-
tives, one representing labor and one rep-
resenting management, from each Regional 
Workforce Development Board described in 
subsection (c), shall be elected by majority vote 
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of labor and management representatives re-
spectively, on each Regional Board, to serve on 
the National Council. 
‘‘(B) EX OFFICIO MEMBERS.—The Admin-
istrator shall appoint as non-voting ex officio 
members to the National Council— 
‘‘(i) up to 10 members, such as rep-
resentatives of transit trade associations, 
non-profit organizations, research organi-
zations, community colleges and univer-
sities, private industry, and any other 
group or individual the Administrator be-
lieves would contribute to the National 
Council; 
‘‘(ii) a representative of the Inter-
national Transportation Learning Center 
which administers the transit career ladder 
training program authorized pursuant to 
section 3046 of the Safe, Accountable, 
Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity 
Act: A Legacy for Users (49 U.S.C. 5338 
note); and 
‘‘(iii) an individual who has expertise 
in youth development programs. 
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‘‘(3) DUTIES.—The National Council shall with 
a national focus— 
‘‘(A) conduct a prevue national study on 
transit workforce development issues; 
‘‘(B) identify skills gaps in transit agency 
maintenance departments and develop programs 
to train maintenance employees and fixed route 
and paratransit operators; 
‘‘(C) develop programs to address the re-
cruitment and retention of managerial and non- 
managerial employees; 
‘‘(D) initiate relationships with nontrans-
portation sector industries, associations, and 
groups in the public and private sector to de-
velop best practices in training and skills devel-
opment and determine appropriate ways to col-
laborate on behalf of disconnected youth; 
‘‘(E) conduct research on transit workforce 
development issues and develop best practices 
for recruitment, training, and retention of em-
ployees; 
‘‘(F) conduct research on the extent of 
labor market disconnection among disconnected 
youth and assess the provision of employment 
services for such youth; 
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‘‘(G) make recommendations to the Sec-
retary and to public transit agencies regarding 
how to expand current employment training 
programs, outreach programs to increase mi-
nority and female employment in public trans-
portation activities, and apprenticeship pro-
grams; 
‘‘(H) develop programs and make rec-
ommendations to public transit agencies to ad-
dress issues related to workplace quality of life 
issues, including absenteeism, scheduling, child 
care, and other issues that may be necessary to 
improve recruitment and retention of employ-
ees; 
‘‘(I) maintain and update routinely an elec-
tronic library, consisting of such materials as 
online courseware and training manuals, white 
papers, research materials, and other related 
items; 
‘‘(J) provide periodic assessments to the 
Secretary, on studies and programs carried out 
on the national level; 
‘‘(K) coordinate research and program de-
velopment of the Regional Boards pursuant to 
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subsection (c), to reduce duplication and assure 
complimentary research goals; and 
‘‘(L) make recommendations to the Sec-
retary for guidance on grant programs carried 
out in subsection (d) taking into account the 
recommendations of the Regional Boards. 
‘‘(b) REGIONAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COUN-
CILS.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days 
after the date of enactment of the Transportation 
Job Corps Act of 2009, the Administrator of the 
Federal Transit Administration shall establish a 
workforce development council in each of its 10 re-
gions. 
‘‘(2) COMPOSITION.— 
‘‘(A) SELECTION
OF
REGIONAL
COUN-
CILS.—The management of each public transit 
agency and the labor organization representing 
the majority of employees at each such transit 
agency in a region shall select one representa-
tive for the council established under paragraph 
(1). 
‘‘(B) ELECTION OF GOVERNING BOARD.— 
The selected individuals from each transit agen-
cy shall elect, by majority vote from among 
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members of such council, a governing board for 
the region, including a co-chairperson from 
among the representatives from labor and a co- 
chairperson from among the representatives 
from management. 
‘‘(c) REGIONAL GOVERNING BOARDS.— 
‘‘(1) COMPOSITION OF GOVERNING BOARDS.— 
The governing board for each region shall be com-
posed of not more than 10 members elected by the 
Council pursuant to subsection (b)(2). 
‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The governing board for each 
region shall on a regional basis— 
‘‘(A) identify skills gaps in transit agency 
maintenance departments and develop programs 
to train maintenance employees and fixed route 
and paratransit operators on a regional basis; 
‘‘(B) develop programs to address the re-
cruitment and retention of managerial and non-
managerial employees; 
‘‘(C) initiate relationships with nontrans-
portation sector industries, associations, and 
groups in the public and private sector to de-
velop best practices in training and skills devel-
opment and determine appropriate ways to col-
laborate on behalf of disconnected youth; 
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‘‘(D) conduct research on transit workforce 
development issues and develop best practices 
for recruitment, training, and retention of em-
ployees; 
‘‘(E) conduct research on the extent of 
labor market disconnection among disconnected 
youth and assess the provision of employment 
services for such youth; 
‘‘(F) make recommendations to the Sec-
retary and to public transit agencies regarding 
how to expand current employment training 
programs, outreach programs to increase mi-
nority and female employment in public trans-
portation activities, and apprenticeship pro-
grams; 
‘‘(G) develop programs and make rec-
ommendations to public transit agencies to ad-
dress issues related to workplace quality of life 
issues, including absenteeism, scheduling, child 
care, and other issues that may be necessary to 
improve recruitment and retention of employ-
ees; 
‘‘(H) provide periodic assessments to the 
Secretary and to the National Joint Workforce 
Development Council established under sub-
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section (a), on studies and programs carried out 
on the regional level; and 
‘‘(I) make recommendations to the Na-
tional Joint Workforce Development Council for 
guidance on grant programs carried out under 
subsection (d). 
‘‘(3) EX OFFICIO MEMBERS.— 
‘‘(A) POSSIBLE APPOINTMENTS.—The Ad-
ministrator— 
‘‘(i) shall appoint representatives in 
accordance with subparagraph (B); and 
‘‘(ii) may appoint non-voting ex officio 
members to each regional governing board 
from among representatives of nonprofit 
organizations, research organizations, and 
any other groups or individuals the Admin-
istrator believes would contribute to the 
board. 
‘‘(B) APPOINTMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL 
TRANSPORTATION LEARNING CENTER AND FED-
ERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATORS.—The Admin-
istrator shall appoint as a non-voting ex officio 
member to the regional governing board of the 
respective region— 
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‘‘(i) one or more representatives of the 
International 
Transportation 
Learning 
Center which administers the transit ca-
reer ladder training program authorized by 
section 3046 of the Safe, Accountable, 
Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity 
Act: A Legacy for Users (Public Law 109– 
59); 
‘‘(ii) the Federal Transit Administra-
tors of each of the 10 regions; and 
‘‘(iii) an individual who has expertise 
in youth development programs. 
‘‘(d) GRANT PROGRAMS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 
through the Administrator and taking into account 
the recommendations of the National Council under 
subsection (a) and the Regional Governing Boards 
under subsection (c), shall establish grant programs 
as follows: 
‘‘(A) TRANSIT YOUTH OPPORTUNITY.— 
‘‘(i) BASIC
SKILLS
EDUCATION
AND 
PRE-APPRENTICESHIP SKILLS.— 
‘‘(I) APPLICATIONS.—The Ad-
ministrator shall accept applications 
for grants from nonprofit organiza-
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tions and public or privately funded 
educational institutions providing aca-
demic or technical instruction to en-
courage and introduce youth discon-
nected to a variety of careers in the 
transit industry by providing such 
youth with basic skills education, if 
necessary, 
and 
pre-apprenticeship 
skills. 
‘‘(II) PRIORITY.—The Adminis-
trator shall give priority for such 
grants to organizations with a proven 
record of success in providing discon-
nected youth with basic education and 
pre-apprenticeship skills. 
‘‘(ii) APPRENTICESHIPS.—The Admin-
istrator shall accept applications from 
partnerships of transit agencies and the 
unions representing non-managerial em-
ployees for grants to develop local and re-
gional labor-management apprenticeship 
programs aligned with national transit in-
dustry apprenticeship programs for a vari-
ety of transit-related jobs, by giving pri-
ority to individuals who have successfully 
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completed a pre-apprenticeship program 
pursuant to clause (i). 
‘‘(B) TRANSIT WORKER EDUCATION AND 
RETENTION GRANTS.— 
‘‘(i) APPLICATIONS.—The Adminis-
trator shall accept applications from— 
‘‘(I) in the case of non-manage-
rial employees, partnerships of transit 
agencies and the unions representing 
non-managerial employees; and 
‘‘(II) in the case of managerial 
employees, from providers of manage-
ment and technical programs for the 
delivery of such programs and the re-
lated costs of attendee participation. 
‘‘(ii) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.—Funds 
for a grant under this subparagraph may 
be used— 
‘‘(I) to develop education pro-
grams in a variety of training settings 
for transit employees from diverse 
population groups to maintain and 
improve job skills and advance em-
ployee development across a career 
span; and 
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‘‘(1) to carry out subsections (a), (b), and (c), 
$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 
2011; and 
‘‘(2) to carry out subparagraphs of subsection 
(d), $90,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 and 
2011. 
‘‘(f) CERTIFICATION.—The Administrator shall de-
velop a category on ‘Workforce Development’ on its annual 
Certifications and Assurances for Federal Transit Admin-
istration Assistance Programs in accordance with section 
5323(n), and include such category as one of the areas 
of certification beginning in fiscal year 2010. Such cat-
egory shall require transit agencies to develop short-range 
and long-range planning with regard to workforce develop-
ment matters, with a particular focus on the recruitment, 
retention, and training of managerial and non-managerial 
employees. 
‘‘(g) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the 
term ‘disconnected youth’ means individuals ages 16 
through 24 who are out of school and not employed and 
composed primarily of youth of color from poor commu-
nities and at risk of becoming permanently disengaged 
from the labor market which threatens their ability to 
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break out of the cycle of poverty and contribute to our 
economy and communities.’’. 
Æ 
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