I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5531 
To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to promote the 
employment of older individuals, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 8, 2021 
Ms. NEWMAN (for herself, Mr. BEYER, Ms. BONAMICI, and Ms. GARCIA of 
Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 
to promote the employment of older individuals, 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 ‘‘Supporting Older 
Workers Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. INCENTIVE GRANTS AND ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES 
TO PROMOTE OLDER WORKERS. 
Section 134(a)(3)(A) of the Workforce Innovation 
and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3174(a)(3)(A)) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in clause (viii)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of item 
(ee); 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(gg) programs under the 
Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 
U.S.C. 3001 et seq.); and’’; 
(2) in clause (xi), by inserting before the semi-
colon the following: ‘‘, including for such perform-
ance that serves individuals with barriers to employ-
ment’’; 
(3) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of clause (xiii); 
(4) in clause (xiv), by striking the period and 
inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(5) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(xv) supporting the development of 
alternative, evidence-based programs and 
other activities that enhance the choices 
available to older individuals (including op-
tions for self-employment and other wage- 
earning activities that lead to economic 
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self-sufficiency), and enhance skills (such 
as digital literacy) in older individuals.’’. 
SEC. 3. SPECIALIZED CENTERS; OLDER WORKERS LOCAL 
AND STATE COORDINATOR GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) SPECIALIZED CENTERS IN ONE-STOP DELIVERY 
SYSTEMS.—Section 121(e)(2)(C) of the Workforce Inno-
vation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3151(e)(2)(C)) is 
amended by inserting ‘‘older individuals,’’ after ‘‘youth,’’. 
(b) GRANT PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle D of title I of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 
U.S.C. 3221 et seq.) is amended— 
(A) by redesignating section 172 (29 
U.S.C. 3227) as section 173; and 
(B) by inserting after section 171 (29 
U.S.C. 3226) the following: 
‘‘SEC. 172. OLDER WORKERS LOCAL AND STATE COORDI-
NATOR GRANT PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) AUTHORITY TO AWARD GRANTS.—From the 
amounts appropriated to carry out this section, the Sec-
retary shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to States 
and local areas to hire an older worker coordinator or co-
ordinators to— 
‘‘(1) use a person-centered approach to increase 
recruitment, job training, and job placement for 
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older individuals throughout the State or local area, 
including through outreach (such as through job 
fairs for older individuals and programming) to em-
ployers who may hire older individuals; 
‘‘(2) promote coordination of available sup-
portive services for older individuals, including serv-
ices available through area agencies on aging (as de-
fined in section 102 of the Older Americans Act of 
1965 (42 U.S.C. 3002)) or under the Older Ameri-
cans Act of 1965 42 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.), and 
which may include coordination with labor organiza-
tions, community colleges, small business develop-
ment centers (as defined in section 3 of the Small 
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)), women’s business 
centers (described under section 29 of the Small 
Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656)), non-profit organiza-
tions, community-based organizations, or community 
centers; and 
‘‘(3) document and share best practices for 
serving older workers. 
‘‘(b) REPORTING.—Not later than 3 years after the 
first grant is awarded under this section, the Secretary 
shall report to Congress on the performance in serving 
older individuals by States and local areas with one or 
more older worker coordinators.’’. 
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(2) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of con-
tents of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 
Act is amended by striking the item relating to sec-
tion 172 and inserting the following: 
‘‘172. Older Workers Local and State Coordinator Grant Program. 
‘‘173. Authorization of appropriations.’’. 
SEC. 4. OLDER WORKERS BUREAU. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 
Department of Labor an Older Workers Bureau. 
(b) ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE OLDER WORK-
ERS BUREAU.—The President shall appoint an Assistant 
Secretary of the Older Workers Bureau— 
(1) to carry out the mission of the Older Work-
ers Bureau; and 
(2) who shall be directed and supervised by the 
Secretary of Labor. 
(c) MISSION.—The mission of the Older Workers Bu-
reau is lead and coordinate the Federal response to ad-
vance employment, economic success, and well-being of 
older individuals through policy development, research and 
reporting, and technical assistance. The Assistant Sec-
retary of the Older Workers Bureau may administer 
grants and contracts in support of such mission. 
(d) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the estab-
lishment of the Older Workers Bureau, and every 2 years 
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thereafter, the Assistant Secretary of the Older Workers 
Bureau shall submit to Congress a report that— 
(1) catalogs Federal programs, including pro-
grams outside the Department of Labor, that sup-
port the employment, and the economic success and 
well-being, of older individuals; and 
(2) identifies issues affecting older individuals 
in the workforce that may be improved with Federal 
support and coordination. 
SEC. 5. GAO STUDY. 
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall submit to Congress a report on how accurately the 
State and local performance accountability measures 
under section 116 of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor-
tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3141) measure the success of older 
individuals, including older individuals who pursue self- 
employment or bridge employment prior to retirement, 
with a particular focus on older individuals who have addi-
tional barriers to employment and dislocated older individ-
uals. 
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SEC. 6. OLDER INDIVIDUAL DEFINED. 
In this Act, the term ‘‘older individual’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 3 of the Workforce In-
novation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 
Æ 
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