I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4452 
To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to create a new 
national program to support mid-career workers in reentering the STEM 
workforce, by providing funding to small- and medium-sized STEM busi-
nesses so the businesses can offer paid internships or other returnships 
that lead to positions above entry level. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 16, 2025 
Ms. HOULAHAN (for herself and Mr. BAIRD) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 
to create a new national program to support mid-career 
workers in reentering the STEM workforce, by providing 
funding to small- and medium-sized STEM businesses 
so the businesses can offer paid internships or other 
returnships that lead to positions above entry level. 
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 ‘‘STEM Restoring Em-
ployment Skills through Targeted Assistance, Re-entry, 
and Training Act’’ or the ‘‘STEM RESTART Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. RETURNING SKILLED WORKERS TO THE STEM 
WORKFORCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle D of title I of the Work-
force Innovation and Opportunity Act is amended— 
(1) by redesignating section 172 (29 U.S.C. 
3227) as section 173; and 
(2) by inserting after section 171 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 172. GRANTS TO SUPPORT SKILLED WORKERS IN RE-
TURNING OR TRANSITIONING TO THE STEM 
WORKFORCE. 
‘‘(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are 
to— 
‘‘(1) prioritize expanding opportunities, through 
high-quality internships or other returnships in 
STEM fields for unemployed or underemployed 
workers, particularly workers from rural areas, who 
are mid-career skilled workers seeking to return or 
transition to in-demand industry sectors or occupa-
tions within the STEM workforce, at positions and 
compensation above entry level; and 
‘‘(2) establish grant funding and other incen-
tives for small-sized and medium-sized companies in 
in-demand industry sectors or occupations to estab-
lish programs that provide on-the-job evaluation, 
education, and training for mid-career skilled work-
ers described in paragraph (1). 
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‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) MEDIUM-SIZED
ENTERPRISE.—The term 
‘medium-sized’, used with respect to an enterprise, 
means an entity that employs more than 499 and 
fewer than 10,000 employees. 
‘‘(2) RESTART GRANT.—The term ‘RESTART 
grant’ means a grant made under subsection (c). 
‘‘(3) RETURNSHIP.—The term ‘returnship’ shall 
mean any internship, apprenticeship, re-entry oppor-
tunity, direct hiring opportunity with support, or 
other similar opportunity designed to provide work-
ers seeking to return or transition to the STEM 
workforce with positions that— 
‘‘(A) are above entry level; 
‘‘(B) provide salaries, stipends, or other 
payments, and benefits, that are above entry 
level; and 
‘‘(C) provide training that leads workers 
toward full-time careers and provides pathways 
toward advancement and leadership. 
‘‘(4) RURAL
AREA.—The term ‘rural area’ 
means an area that is not an urban area (within the 
meaning of the notice of final program criteria enti-
tled ‘Urban Area Criteria for the 2010 Census’ (76 
Fed. Reg. 53030 (August 24, 2011))). 
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‘‘(5) SMALL-SIZED
ENTERPRISE.—The term 
‘small-sized’, used with respect to an enterprise, 
means an entity that employs more than 49 and 
fewer than 500 individuals. 
‘‘(6) STEM.—The term ‘STEM’ has the mean-
ing given the term in section 2 of the America COM-
PETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 
6621 note). 
‘‘(7) UNEMPLOYED OR UNDEREMPLOYED INDI-
VIDUAL.—The term ‘unemployed or underemployed 
individual’ means— 
‘‘(A) an unemployed or underemployed in-
dividual as defined by the Bureau of Labor Sta-
tistics; and 
‘‘(B) a displaced or furloughed worker. 
‘‘(c) GRANT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—From the amounts made 
available to carry out this section, the Secretary 
shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible 
entities, to carry out returnship programs that pro-
vide opportunities above entry level in STEM fields 
for mid-career skilled workers, and achieve the pur-
poses described in subsection (a). 
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‘‘(2) PERIODS.—The Secretary shall award the 
grants for an initial period of not less than 3 years 
and not more than 5 years. 
‘‘(3) AMOUNTS.—In awarding grants under this 
subsection, the Secretary shall award a grant— 
‘‘(A) for a small-sized enterprise, in an 
amount so that each annual payment for the 
grant is not less than $100,000 or more than 
$1,000,000; and 
‘‘(B) for a medium-sized enterprise or con-
sortium, in an amount so that each annual pay-
ment for the grant is not less than $500,000 or 
more than $5,000,000. 
‘‘(d) ELIGIBILITY.— 
‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to re-
ceive a RESTART grant under this section, an enti-
ty shall— 
‘‘(A)(i) be located in the United States and 
have significant operations and employees with-
in the United States; 
‘‘(ii) not be a debtor in a bankruptcy pro-
ceeding, 
within 
the 
meaning 
of 
section 
4003(c)(3)(D)(i)(V) of the CARES Act (15 
U.S.C. 9042(c)(3)(D)(i)(V)) or under a State 
bankruptcy law; and 
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‘‘(iii) be within an in-demand industry sec-
tor or occupation in a STEM field; and 
‘‘(B) be— 
‘‘(i) a small-sized enterprise; 
‘‘(ii) a medium-sized enterprise; or 
‘‘(iii) a consortium of small-sized or 
medium-sized enterprises. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE PROVIDERS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that 
desires to partner with a provider in order to 
carry out a returnship program under this sec-
tion shall enter into an arrangement with an el-
igible provider. 
‘‘(B) PROVIDER.—To be eligible to enter 
into such an arrangement, a provider— 
‘‘(i) may or may not directly employ 
skilled workers in STEM fields but— 
‘‘(I) shall have expertise in 
human 
resources-related 
activities, 
such as identifying or carrying out 
staffing with skilled workers; and 
‘‘(II) shall be capable of pro-
viding 
high-quality 
education 
and 
training services; and 
‘‘(ii) may be— 
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‘‘(I)(aa) an institution of higher 
education (as defined in section 101 
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1001)); or 
‘‘(bb) a non-degree-granting in-
stitution that is governed by the same 
body that governs an institution of 
higher education described in item 
(aa); 
‘‘(II) a public, private for-profit, 
or private nonprofit service provider, 
approved by the local board; 
‘‘(III) a joint labor-management 
organization; 
‘‘(IV) an eligible provider of 
adult education and literacy activities 
under title II; or 
‘‘(V) an established nonprofit or-
ganization that conducts research or 
provides training on technical and em-
ployability 
skills 
and 
knowledge 
aligned to the needs of adult learners 
and workers. 
‘‘(e) APPLICATIONS.— 
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a 
RESTART grant to carry out a returnship program, 
an entity shall submit an application to the Sec-
retary at such time and in such manner as the Sec-
retary may reasonably require. 
‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Such an application shall in-
clude— 
‘‘(A) a description of the demand for 
skilled workers in STEM fields and how the 
RESTART grant will be used to help meet that 
demand; 
‘‘(B) a description of how the program will 
lead to employment of unemployed or under-
employed individuals, particularly workers from 
rural areas, who seek to return or transition to 
the STEM workforce; 
‘‘(C) if the entity has entered into or plans 
to enter into an arrangement with an eligible 
provider as described in subsection (d)(2) to 
carry out a returnship program, information 
identifying the eligible provider, and a descrip-
tion of how the arrangement will help the entity 
build the knowledge and skills of skilled workers 
participating in the program; 
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‘‘(D) a description of how the eligible enti-
ty will develop and establish, or expand, a 
returnship program that adds to the number of 
full-time employees employed by the entity, but 
does not displace full-time employees currently 
(as of the date of submission of the application) 
employed by the entity; 
‘‘(E) an assurance that any new or exist-
ing returnship program developed and estab-
lished, or expanded, with the grant funds will 
last for at least 10 weeks and provide com-
pensation to participants in the form of a sal-
ary, stipend, or other payment, and benefits, 
that are offered to full-time employees with 
equivalent experience and expertise, such as 
health care or child care benefits; and 
‘‘(F) if the returnship program leads to a 
recognized postsecondary credential, informa-
tion on the quality of the program that leads to 
the credential. 
‘‘(3) PRIORITY.—In making grants under this 
section, the Secretary shall give priority to entities 
who 
are 
proposing 
programs 
that 
prioritize 
returnships for workers in in-demand industry sec-
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tors or occupations, according to the State board or 
from rural areas. 
‘‘(f) USE OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An entity that receives a 
grant under this section shall use the grant funds to 
carry out a returnship program, of not less than 10 
weeks, through which the entity provides for— 
‘‘(A) 
the 
education 
and 
training 
of 
returnship participants; and 
‘‘(B) the services of existing employees (as 
of the date the program begins) of the entity 
who are working with returnship participants in 
an educational, training, or managerial role, to 
maximize the retention rate and effectiveness of 
the returnship program. 
‘‘(2) SPECIFIC USES.—The grant funds may be 
used— 
‘‘(A) to pay for the evaluation, and entry 
into the program, and education and training of 
returnship participants, including payment for 
the duration of the program for the participants 
for— 
‘‘(i) equipment, travel, and (as nec-
essary) housing; 
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‘‘(ii) mentorship and career coun-
seling; and 
‘‘(iii) salaries, stipends, or payments, 
and benefits, described in subsection 
(e)(2)(E); 
‘‘(B) to supplement, and not supplant, the 
compensation of those existing employees of the 
entity who are directly supporting a returnship 
program through the work described in para-
graph (1)(B); and 
‘‘(C) to enter into an arrangement with an 
eligible provider to carry out a returnship pro-
gram. 
‘‘(3) EXISTING
EMPLOYEES.—Not more than 
20 percent of the grant funds may be used to pro-
vide compensation for the existing employees per-
forming the work described in paragraph (1)(B). 
‘‘(4) COORDINATION WITH STATE BOARDS.—An 
entity that receives a grant under this section shall 
coordinate activities with the State board established 
under section 101, to ensure collaboration and align-
ment of workforce programs. 
‘‘(g) REPORTING
AND
EVALUATION
REQUIRE-
MENTS.— 
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and an evaluation based on that data of the 
best practices for effectively implementing 
returnship (including internship) programs; and 
‘‘(ii) submit the report to the Committee 
on Education and Workforce of the House of 
Representatives, and the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; 
and 
‘‘(B) post information on a website on best 
practices described in subparagraph (A)(i). 
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry 
out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 
through 2030.’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents in 
section 1(b) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 
Act is amended— 
(1) by redesignating the item relating to section 
172 as the item relating to section 173; and 
(2) by inserting after the item relating to sec-
tion 171 the following: 
‘‘Sec. 172. Grants to support skilled workers in returning or transitioning to 
the STEM workforce.’’. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 8041(g)(2) 
of the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes 
Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Commu-
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nities Act (29 U.S.C. 3225a(g)(2)) is amended in subpara-
graph (C), by striking ‘‘172(f)’’ and inserting ‘‘173(f)’’. 
Æ 
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