I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3234 
To establish a demonstration project to train unemployed workers for 
employment as health care professionals, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 16, 2009 
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition 
to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subse-
quently determined 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 demonstration project to train unemployed 
workers for employment as health care professionals, 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 ‘‘Community-Based 
Health Care Retraining Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. HEALTH PROFESSIONS TRAINING DEMONSTRATION 
PROJECT. 
Section 171 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 
(29 U.S.C. 2916) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(f) HEALTH PROFESSIONS TRAINING DEMONSTRA-
TION PROJECT.— 
‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection the fol-
lowing definitions apply: 
‘‘(A) COVERED
COMMUNITY.—The term 
‘covered community’ means a community or re-
gion— 
‘‘(i) that has experienced a significant 
percentage decline in rates of employment; 
and 
‘‘(ii)(I) that is determined by the Sec-
retary of Health and Human Services (in 
consultation with the medical community) 
to be an area with a shortage of health 
care professionals described in subpara-
graph (C)(i); or 
‘‘(II) that is underserved by the 
health care structure, such as a rural com-
munity, a community with a significant mi-
nority population, or a community for 
which an applicant can otherwise dem-
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onstrate need for increased training for 
health care professionals. 
‘‘(B) COVERED WORKER.—The term ‘cov-
ered worker’ means an individual who— 
‘‘(i)(I) has been terminated or laid 
off, or who has received a notice of termi-
nation or layoff; 
‘‘(II)(aa) is eligible for or has ex-
hausted entitlement to unemployment com-
pensation; or 
‘‘(bb) has been employed for a dura-
tion sufficient to demonstrate, to the ap-
propriate entity at a one-stop center re-
ferred to in section 134(c), attachment to 
the workforce, but is not eligible for unem-
ployment compensation due to insufficient 
earnings or having performed services for 
an employer that were not covered under a 
State unemployment compensation law; 
and 
‘‘(III) is unlikely to return to a pre-
vious industry or occupation; 
‘‘(ii)(I) has been terminated or laid 
off, or has received a notice of termination 
or layoff, as a result of any permanent clo-
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sure of, or any substantial layoff at, a 
plant, facility, or enterprise; or 
‘‘(II) is employed at a facility at 
which the employer has made a general an-
nouncement that such facility will close 
within 180 days; or 
‘‘(iii) is an incumbent worker em-
ployed in a health care profession, and 
whose training will provide an opportunity 
for employment of other individuals by in-
creasing— 
‘‘(I) the number of instructors 
serving the covered community; or 
‘‘(II) the number of vacant posi-
tions in the covered community. 
‘‘(C) HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL.—The 
term ‘health care professional’— 
‘‘(i) means an individual who is in-
volved with— 
‘‘(I) the delivery of health care 
services, or related services, pertaining 
to— 
‘‘(aa) 
the 
identification, 
evaluation, 
management, 
and 
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prevention of diseases, disorders, 
or injuries; or 
‘‘(bb) home-based or com-
munity-based long-term care; 
‘‘(II) the delivery of dietary and 
nutrition services; 
‘‘(III) the delivery of dental serv-
ices; or 
‘‘(IV) rehabilitation and health 
systems management; and 
‘‘(ii) includes individuals in health 
care professions for which there is a short-
age in the community involved, as deter-
mined by the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services (in consultation with the 
medical community) or as otherwise dem-
onstrated by the applicant. 
‘‘(D) TRIBAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.— 
The term ‘tribal college or university’ means a 
Tribal College or University, as defined in sec-
tion 316(b) of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)). 
‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT
OF
PROJECT.—In ac-
cordance with subsection (b), the Secretary shall es-
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tablish and carry out a health professions training 
demonstration project. 
‘‘(3) GRANTS.—In carrying out the project, the 
Secretary, after consultation with the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services, shall make grants to 
eligible entities to pay for the Federal share of the 
cost of enabling the entities to carry out programs 
in covered communities to train covered workers for 
employment as health care professionals (referred to 
in this subsection as ‘training programs’). The Sec-
retary shall make each grant in an amount of not 
less than $100,000 and not more than $500,000, 
and each such grant shall be for a period of 5 years. 
‘‘(4) 
ELIGIBLE
ENTITIES.—Notwithstanding 
subsection (b)(2)(B), to be eligible to receive a grant 
under this subsection to carry out a training pro-
gram in a covered community, an entity shall be a 
partnership that consists of— 
‘‘(A) a local workforce investment board 
established under section 117 that is serving 
the covered community; and 
‘‘(B) an institution of higher education, as 
defined in sections 101 and 102 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001, 1002), 
in partnership with at least 1 of the following: 
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‘‘(i) A health clinic or hospital. 
‘‘(ii) A home-based or community- 
based long-term care facility or program. 
‘‘(iii) A health care facility adminis-
tered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 
‘‘(iv) A tribal college or university. 
‘‘(v) A labor organization, or an in-
dustry or industry group. 
‘‘(vi) A local economic development 
entity serving the covered community. 
‘‘(vii) A joint labor-management part-
nership. 
‘‘(5) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to receive a 
grant under this subsection, an entity shall submit 
an application to the Secretary at such time, in such 
manner, and containing such information as the Sec-
retary may require, including, at a minimum— 
‘‘(A) a proposal to use the grant funds to 
establish or expand a training program in order 
to train covered workers for employment as 
health care professionals, including information 
that demonstrates the long-term viability of the 
training program beyond the period of the 
grant; 
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‘‘(B) information demonstrating the need 
for the training and support services to be pro-
vided through the training program; 
‘‘(C) information describing the manner in 
which the entity will expend the grant funds, 
and the activities to be carried out with the 
funds; 
‘‘(D) information demonstrating that the 
entity meets the requirements of paragraph (4); 
‘‘(E) with respect to training programs 
carried out by the applicant, information— 
‘‘(i) on the graduation rates of the 
training programs involved; 
‘‘(ii) on the retention measures car-
ried out by the applicant; 
‘‘(iii) on the length of time necessary 
to complete the training programs of the 
applicant; and 
‘‘(iv) on the number of qualified cov-
ered workers that are refused admittance 
into the training programs because of lack 
of capacity; and 
‘‘(F) a description of how the applicant 
has engaged all relevant stakeholders, including 
the health care industry to be served by the 
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training program, local labor organizations and 
other workforce groups, and local industry, in 
the design of the training program to be served 
with grant funds. 
‘‘(6) SELECTION.—In making grants under 
paragraph (3), the Secretary, after consultation with 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
shall— 
‘‘(A) consider the information submitted by 
the eligible entities under paragraph (5)(E); 
‘‘(B) select— 
‘‘(i) eligible entities submitting appli-
cations that meet such criteria as the Sec-
retary of Labor determines to be appro-
priate; and 
‘‘(ii) among such entities, the eligible 
entities serving the covered communities 
with the greatest need for the grants and 
the greatest potential to benefit from the 
grants; and 
‘‘(C) give preference to eligible entities— 
‘‘(i) submitting applications to serve 
covered workers who have been terminated 
or laid off or have received a notice of ter-
mination or layoff from a manufacturing, 
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service, or construction industry, or an-
other industry with significant decline in 
employment as determined by the Sec-
retary; and 
‘‘(ii) with a demonstrated history of 
similar and successful partnerships with 
State boards or local boards, institutions of 
higher education (as defined in paragraph 
(4)(B)), industry groups, and labor organi-
zations. 
‘‘(7) USE OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—An entity that re-
ceives a grant under this subsection shall use 
the funds made available through the grant for 
training and support services that meet the 
needs described in the application submitted 
under paragraph (5), which may include— 
‘‘(i) implementing training programs 
for covered workers; 
‘‘(ii) providing support services for 
covered workers participating in the train-
ing programs, such as— 
‘‘(I) providing tuition assistance; 
‘‘(II) establishing or expanding 
distance education programs; 
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‘‘(III) providing transportation 
assistance; or 
‘‘(IV) providing child care; or 
‘‘(iii) increasing capacity, subject to 
subparagraph (B), at an educational insti-
tution or training center to train individ-
uals for employment as health profes-
sionals, such as by— 
‘‘(I) expanding a facility, subject 
to subparagraph (B); 
‘‘(II) expanding course offerings; 
‘‘(III) hiring faculty; 
‘‘(IV) providing a student loan 
repayment program for the faculty; 
‘‘(V) establishing or expanding 
clinical education opportunities; 
‘‘(VI) 
purchasing 
equipment, 
such as computers, books, clinical 
supplies, or a patient simulator; or 
‘‘(VII) conducting recruitment. 
‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—Any such grant funds 
that are used to expand facilities may only be 
used to rent or modernize existing facilities, not 
to build additional facilities. The entity shall 
use not less than 50 percent of the grant funds 
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to carry out activities described in clause (i) or 
(ii) of subparagraph (A), unless the entity dem-
onstrates, in the application submitted under 
paragraph (5), a need to spend more than 50 
percent of the grant funds on activities de-
scribed in subparagraph (A)(iii). 
‘‘(8) FEDERAL SHARE.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Federal share of 
the cost described in paragraph (3) shall be— 
‘‘(i) for the first year of the grant pe-
riod, 95 percent; 
‘‘(ii) for the second such year, 85 per-
cent; 
‘‘(iii) for the third such year, 75 per-
cent; 
‘‘(iv) for the fourth such year, 65 per-
cent; and 
‘‘(v) for the fifth such year, 55 per-
cent. 
‘‘(B) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The eligible 
entity shall provide the non-Federal share of 
the cost in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, in-
cluding plant, equipment, or services. 
‘‘(9) EVALUATION.— 
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‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Under the Secretary’s 
existing authority under section 172, not more 
than 1 percent of the funds provided under this 
subsection shall be used for evaluation of the 
training programs described in paragraph (3). 
Eligible entities receiving grants under this sec-
tion shall use not more than 1 percent of the 
grant funds for purposes of evaluation or docu-
mentation of the training programs. 
‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—In conducting an eval-
uation under subparagraph (A), an eligible enti-
ty shall provide data detailing the success of the 
training program carried out by the entity 
under paragraph (3), including— 
‘‘(i) information on the number and 
percentage of participating covered work-
ers who complete a training program, in-
cluding those who earn a degree or certifi-
cate through such training programs; 
‘‘(ii) information on the rate of em-
ployment of covered workers who have 
completed the training program; 
‘‘(iii) an assessment of how well the 
needs of the health care community were 
addressed by the training program; and 
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‘‘(iv) any other data determined to be 
relevant by the entity to demonstrate the 
success of the training program. 
‘‘(C) REPORT.—The Secretary shall com-
pile the information resulting from the evalua-
tion or documentation conducted under sub-
paragraph (A), and shall submit a report to 
Congress containing the information. 
‘‘(10) FUNDING.—Of the amounts appropriated 
to, and available at the discretion of, the Secretary 
or the Secretary of Health and Human Services for 
programmatic and administrative expenditures, a 
total of $25,000,000 shall be used to establish and 
carry out the demonstration project described in 
paragraph (2) in accordance with this subsection.’’. 
Æ 
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