I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3764
To provide effective training and education programs for displaced home-
makers, single parents, and individuals entering nontraditional employ-
ment. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 4, 2004
Ms. HART (for herself and Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce 
A BILL 
To provide effective training and education programs for 
displaced homemakers, single parents, and individuals 
entering nontraditional employment.
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 ‘‘Pathways Advancing 
Career Training Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSE AND FINDINGS. 
(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to provide 
assistance to States for preparatory services, education 
and training programs, support service assistance, and re-
ferral services to displaced homemakers, single parents, 
and individuals pursuing nontraditional occupations. Such 
assistance will create workforce pathways for individuals 
in transition and help meet the employment needs of a 
high skilled, high wage information technology economy. 
(b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) A high quality, productive, and diverse 
workforce is necessary to compete in the global econ-
omy. 
(2) There are approximately 15,000,000 dis-
placed homemakers and single parents in the United 
States for whom the pathway to employment and 
economic independence requires education and train-
ing services. 
(3) The education and training needs of dis-
placed homemakers, single parents, and individuals 
pursuing nontraditional occupations are not suffi-
ciently met through existing systems. 
(4) Displaced homemakers and single parents 
represent an untapped resource to enter unfilled po-
sitions in the information technology sector. 
(5) Employment in information technology and 
high skill, high wage nontraditional careers offers 
wages and advancement opportunities to help fami-
lies achieve economic independence.
(6) Vocational education programs continue to 
be highly sex-segregated resulting in a dearth of fe-
male students filling the pipeline for jobs in the 
growing high-skill high-wage labor market, especially 
in the areas of technology and the skilled trades. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
Except as otherwise specified in this Act, as used in 
this Act: 
(1) COMMUNITY-BASED
ORGANIZATION.—The 
term ‘‘community-based organization’’ means a pub-
lic or private nonprofit organization of demonstrated 
effectiveness that—
(A) is representative of a community or 
significant segments of a community; and 
(B) provides educational or related services 
to individuals in the community. 
(2) DISPLACED HOMEMAKER.—The term ‘‘dis-
placed homemaker’’ means an individual who has 
been providing unpaid services to family members in 
the home and who—
(A) has been dependent on the income of 
another family member but is no longer sup-
ported by that income; and
(B) is unemployed or underemployed and 
is experiencing difficulty in obtaining or up-
grading employment. 
(3) ELIGIBLE STATE AGENCY.—The term ‘‘eli-
gible State agency’’ means a State board designated 
or created as the State agency responsible for the 
administration of vocational and technical education 
in the State. 
(4) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENT.—The term ‘‘eligible 
recipient’’ means a community-based organization, 
an area vocational school, a local educational agency, 
a postsecondary vocational institution, or other enti-
ties that have demonstrated ability to meet the edu-
cation and training needs of displaced homemakers, 
single parents and students in secondary and post-
secondary programs preparing for nontraditional 
training and employment. 
(5) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term 
‘‘local educational agency’’ has the meaning given 
such term in section 14101 of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801). 
(6) 
NONTRADITIONAL
EMPLOYMENT.—The 
term ‘‘nontraditional employment,’’ refers to occupa-
tions or fields of work for which individuals from 
one gender comprise less than 25 percent of the in-
dividuals employed in each such occupation or field 
of work. 
(7) PREPARATORY SERVICES.—The term ‘‘pre-
paratory services’’ means services, programs, or ac-
tivities designed to assist individuals who are not en-
rolled in education or training programs in the selec-
tion of, or preparation for participation in, an appro-
priate education or training program, such as—
(A) services, programs, or activities related 
to outreach in the recruitment of potential stu-
dents; 
(B) career and personal counseling and life 
skills development; 
(C) vocational assessment and testing; and 
(D) other appropriate services, programs, 
or activities. 
(8) POSTSECONDARY
VOCATIONAL
INSTITU-
TION.—The term ‘‘postsecondary vocation institu-
tion’’ has the same meaning given such term in sec-
tion 102(c) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1002(c)). 
(9) SECONDARY
SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘sec-
ondary school’’ has the meaning given the term in 
section 14101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801).
(c) PLAN DEVELOPMENT.—The eligible State agency 
may develop the State plan in consultation with experts, 
students in displaced homemaker, single parent, and non-
traditional training programs, and any other individual 
the State considers necessary. 
(d) PLAN CONTENTS.—The State plan shall include 
information that—
(1) describes the preparatory services and voca-
tional and technical education activities to be as-
sisted that are designed to assist single parents, dis-
placed homemakers, and students pursuing non-
traditional training and employment; 
(2) describes the process for soliciting competi-
tive applications and the criteria that will be used by 
the eligible State agency in awarding eligible recipi-
ents funds under this Act; 
(3) describes how comprehensive professional 
development will be provided; 
(4) describes how the eligible State agency 
will—
(A) annually evaluate the effectiveness of 
such programs; and 
(B) coordinate such programs to ensure 
non-duplication with other existing Federal pro-
grams;
(5) provides assurances that the eligible State 
agency will comply with the requirements of this Act 
and the provisions of the State plan, including the 
provision of a financial audit of funds received under 
this Act which may be included as part of an audit 
of other Federal or State programs; 
(6) provides assurances that none of the funds 
expended under this Act will be used to acquire 
equipment (including computer software) in any in-
stance in which such acquisition results in a direct 
financial benefit to any organization representing 
the interests of the purchasing entity, the employees 
of the purchasing entity, or any affiliate of such an 
organization; 
(7) describes how the eligible State agency will 
measure and report the progress of the students who 
are served pursuant to this Act, including—
(A) single parent and displaced home-
maker’s participation in and completion of a vo-
cational and technical education program; 
(B) student participation in and comple-
tion of vocational and technical education pro-
grams that lead to nontraditional training and 
employment;
(C) single parent and displaced home-
maker’s attainment of a secondary school di-
ploma or its recognized equivalent; 
(D) single parent and displaced home-
maker’s placement in postsecondary education 
or advanced training, placement in military 
service, or placement in employment; 
(E) student placement in nontraditional 
employment; and 
(F) single parent and displaced home-
maker’s participation in and completion of ca-
reer and technical education programs that will 
prepare them to earn wages equal to or greater 
than that determined by the self sufficiency 
standard; 
(8) describes how the eligible State agency will 
provide eligible recipients with technical assistance; 
and 
(9) describes the methods proposed for the joint 
planning and coordination of programs carried out 
under this Act with other Federal programs. 
(e) PLAN OPTION.—The eligible State agency may 
fulfill the requirements of subsection (d) by submitting a 
plan under section 123 of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational 
and Technical Education Act of 1998 (20 U.S.C. 2343).
(f) PLAN APPROVAL.—The Secretary shall consider 
a plan or revision of a State plan approved, unless the 
Secretary determines, within 120 days of submission, that 
the State plan, or revision, respectively, does not meet the 
requirements of this section. 
SEC. 7. ACCOUNTABILITY. 
(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to es-
tablish activities, in coordination with the State perform-
ance accountability system, to assess the effectiveness of 
the State in achieving progress of career and technical 
education in serving single parents, displaced homemakers 
and individuals pursuing nontraditional training and em-
ployment, and to maximize the return on investment of 
Federal funds. 
(b) CORE INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE.—Each eli-
gible State agency shall identify in the State plan the proc-
ess used to collect data on the core indicators of perform-
ance from eligible recipients that include, at a minimum, 
measures of each of the following: 
(1) Participation and completion in a pre-
paratory services program. 
(2) Participation in and completion of career 
and technical education programs that lead to non-
traditional training and employment.
(3) Attainment of a secondary school diploma 
or its recognized equivalent, a proficiency credential 
in conjunction with a secondary school diploma, or 
a postsecondary degree or credential. 
(4) Placement in, retention in, and completion 
of, postsecondary education or advanced training, 
placement in military service, or placement or reten-
tion in employment. 
(5) Placement in nontraditional employment. 
(c) ANNUAL REPORT BY STATE AGENCY.—Each eli-
gible State agency shall transmit to the Secretary an an-
nual report of data compiled in accordance with Section 
7(b) disaggregated by gender, race, age, disability, na-
tional origin, ethnicity, and English proficiency status. 
The eligible State agency may fulfill the requirements of 
reporting for core indications in paragraphs (2) through 
(5) of subsection (b) by submitting a report under section 
113(c)(2) of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical 
Education Act of 1998 (20 U.S.C. 2324). 
(d) ANNUAL REPORT
OF
THE SECRETARY.—The 
Secretary shall transmit to Congress annually a national 
report that describes the extent to which the purposes of 
the Act are being achieved.
SEC. 8. PROGRAMS FOR SINGLE PARENTS, DISPLACED 
HOMEMAKERS, AND NONTRADITIONAL EM-
PLOYMENT. 
Except as provided in section 8(a), each State may 
use funds provided under section 9 only to—
(1) provide programs for single parents and dis-
placed homemakers, including—
(A) subsidies, reimbursement, tuition as-
sistance, or payment for preparatory services, 
necessary 
educational 
materials 
(including 
books and supplies), career guidance and coun-
seling services, and support services; 
(B) information to inform individuals of 
career and technical education and training 
programs, related support services, and coun-
seling; 
(C) program services, counseling, and ac-
tivities to prepare individuals to attain market-
able skills for employment that will lead to eco-
nomic self-sufficiency; 
(2) provide programs for secondary and post-
secondary students pursuing nontraditional training 
and employment, including—
(A) programs, preparatory services, coun-
seling, tuition assistance and activities that will 
provide individuals with the skills to pursue
education and training in nontraditional ca-
reers, including information technology and 
other high skill and high wage careers; 
(B) programs services, counseling, profes-
sional development, and activities to—
(i) increase awareness of nontradi-
tional occupations; and 
(ii) to ensure a fair and respectful 
learning environment for all career and 
technical education students, particularly 
those preparing for nontraditional employ-
ment; and 
(C) replicable model programs that in-
crease participation, completion, and placement 
rates of individuals in nontraditional employ-
ment. 
SEC. 9. WITHIN STATE ALLOCATION AND ADMINISTRATION. 
(a) RESERVATION FOR STATE ACTIVITIES.—From 
the amounts allocated under section 5, not more than 5 
percent shall be reserved for State administration. 
(b) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—Each eligible State 
agency receiving funds made available under section 5(a), 
shall match, from non-Federal sources and on a dollar-
for-dollar basis, the funds received under section 9.
(c) ADMINISTRATION.—Any State desiring to partici-
pate in a program authorized by this Act shall assign not 
less than one individual within the appropriate agency es-
tablished to administer vocational education programs 
within the State to assist in fulfilling the purposes of this 
Act by—
(1) administering the program of vocational 
education described in section 7; 
(2) gathering, analyzing, and disseminating 
data on the adequacy and effectiveness of vocational 
education programs in the State as described in sec-
tion 6; 
(3) developing the State plan described in sec-
tion 6; 
(4) providing technical assistance and profes-
sional development in expanding vocational opportu-
nities for students pursuing nontraditional occupa-
tions and single parents, and displaced homemakers; 
(5) managing the distribution of funds pursu-
ant to section 6; 
(6) monitoring the use of funds distributed to 
recipients under such programs; and 
(7) evaluating the effectiveness of programs and 
activities supported by such funds.
(d) COMPETITIVE AWARDS.—The administrator as-
signed under subsection (c) shall—
(1) on a competitive basis, provide grants to eli-
gible recipients; and 
(2) ensure that each grant is for a program 
that is of sufficient size, scope, and quality to be ef-
fective. 
SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this Act, $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2005 and such sums 
as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal 
years.
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