I
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 690
To amend the National Literacy Act of 1991 to establish in the Department
of Labor an Office of Workplace Education to provide workplace edu-
cation services to small businesses and to provide grants to States to
improve the productivity of those businesses.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 27, 1993
Mr. REGULA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and Labor
A BILL
To amend the National Literacy Act of 1991 to establish
in the Department of Labor an Office of Workplace
Education to provide workplace education services to
small businesses and to provide grants to States to im-
prove the productivity of those businesses.
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 ‘‘Workplace Education
Act of 1993’’.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE OF WORKPLACE EDU-
CATION IN DEPARTMENT OF LABOR.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 201 of the National Lit-
eracy Act of 1991 (Public Law 102–73; 105 Stat. 342)
is amended—
(1) by striking subsections (a) and (b);
(2) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub-
section (d); and
(3) by inserting before subsection (d) the fol-
lowing new subsections:
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of Labor
shall establish in the Employment and Training Ad-
ministration an Office of Workplace Education for
the purpose of providing workplace education serv-
ices to small businesses.
‘‘(2) DIRECTOR.—The Office of Workplace
Education shall have a Director (in this section re-
ferred to as the ‘Director’), who shall be paid at a
rate equal to level 5 of the Executive Schedule.
‘‘(b) DUTIES.—The Director shall—
‘‘(1) establish and carry out the workplace edu-
cation grant program under subsection (c), includ-
ing—
‘‘(A) establishing standards for the estab-
lishment, staffing, and activities of State offices
of workplace education;
‘‘(B) establishing standards for the em-
ployment, qualifications, training, and activities
of workforce specialists;
‘‘(C) establishing standards for the admin-
istration of State demonstration grant pro-
grams;
‘‘(D) providing States with technical as-
sistance in providing workplace education serv-
ices; and
‘‘(E) monitoring and collecting information
on—
‘‘(i) the performance of States under
the grant program; and
‘‘(ii) problems relating to workplace
education and the provision of workplace
services to solve such problems nationwide;
‘‘(2) conduct national research and development
projects to improve the understanding of workplace
education, including—
‘‘(A) funding and evaluating demonstration
programs in workplace education;
‘‘(B) assessing and evaluating workplace
education programs; and
‘‘(C) assessing and evaluating State and
national policies affecting workplace education;
‘‘(3) develop and disseminate information on
workplace education on a nationwide basis; and
‘‘(4) enlist small businesses, labor organiza-
tions, and other appropriate entities in efforts to dis-
seminate information and provide technical assist-
ance on workplace education to the employees or
members of such entities.
‘‘(c) WORKPLACE EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM.—
‘‘(1) AUTHORIZATION.—
‘‘(A) STATES.—The Director shall provide
grants to States for the purpose of establishing
workplace education programs to improve the
productivity of small businesses in such States.
‘‘(B) TERRITORIES.—
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not more than 1
percent of the amount authorized to be ap-
propriated to carry out this section for
each fiscal year shall be used by the Direc-
tor to provide grants to the territories for
the purpose of establishing workplace edu-
cation programs to improve the productiv-
ity of small businesses in such territories.
‘‘(ii) REQUIREMENTS.—To receive a
grant under clause (i), a territory shall
comply with requirements similar to the re-
quirements for States in this subsection, as
determined by the Director.
‘‘(C) PERIOD OF GRANT.—A grant under
subparagraph (A) or (B) may extend over a pe-
riod of not more than 5 fiscal years. The provi-
sion of payments under such grant shall be sub-
ject to annual approval by the Director and
subject to the availability of appropriations for
the fiscal year involved to make the payments.
‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—To receive a grant
under paragraph (1)(A), a State shall submit to
the Director an application which contains—
‘‘(i) a plan containing the number of
workforce education districts to be estab-
lished by the State office in accordance
with paragraph (3)(B)(i); and
‘‘(ii) such information as the Director
may reasonably require.
‘‘(B) ASSURANCES.—Such application shall
include assurances that the State shall—
‘‘(i) use Federal funds received from a
grant under paragraph (1)(A) to supple-
ment, not supplant, non-Federal funds
that would otherwise be available for
projects funded under such paragraph;
‘‘(ii) submit, for any fiscal year in
which such State receives funds from a
grant under such paragraph, a report to
the Director describing the use of such
grant, including—
‘‘(I) the number of small busi-
nesses receiving assistance pursuant
to paragraph (3)(B); and
‘‘(II) any other information the
Director determines to be appropriate;
and
‘‘(iii) use not less than 17 percent of
amounts received from a grant under para-
graph (1)(A) to establish and carry out the
demonstration grant program under para-
graph (3)(D).
‘‘(3) USE
OF
FUNDS.—Grants made under
paragraph (1)(A) may be used by a State only in ac-
cordance with the following requirements:
‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT OF STATE OFFICE
OF WORKPLACE EDUCATION.—The State shall,
for the purpose of providing workplace edu-
cation services in such State, establish a State
office of workplace education in 1 of the follow-
ing entities:
‘‘(i) A State agency that has respon-
sibility for education, training, or economic
development policy.
‘‘(ii) A State literacy resource center
established pursuant to section 356 of the
Adult Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1208aa).
‘‘(iii) An institution of higher edu-
cation.
‘‘(B) DUTIES.—The State office estab-
lished under subparagraph (A) shall meet the
following requirements:
‘‘(i) Subject to subparagraph (C), the
State office shall establish workplace edu-
cation districts throughout the State—
‘‘(I) in which at least 1 institu-
tion of higher education which has ex-
isting workplace education programs
(or will establish such programs not
later than the date on which the State
in which such institution is located
will receive a grant under paragraph
(1)(A)) is located, to provide small
businesses with access to workplace
education programs; and
‘‘(II) which are of a sufficient
number in order to allow ease of ac-
cess by small businesses located in the
State to utilize the services provided
at institutions of higher education lo-
cated in each district.
‘‘(ii) The State office shall hire
workforce specialists and place 1 workforce
specialist, 
including 
necessary 
support
staff, in 1 of the institutions of higher edu-
cation located in each district to—
‘‘(I) serve as a local point of con-
tact for small businesses interested in
workplace education programs at such
institution or other suitable education
providers;
‘‘(II) analyze the needs of indi-
vidual small businesses for the pur-
pose of designing workplace education
programs that meet the needs of such
businesses;
‘‘(III) refer small businesses to
such institution or other suitable edu-
cation providers for the purpose of
providing workplace education pro-
grams to the employees of such busi-
nesses, provided that such businesses
shall reimburse such institution or
other suitable education provider in
an amount equal to at least 75 per-
cent of the cost of the programs at-
tributable to such businesses, includ-
ing instructional time, materials, and
facilities;
‘‘(IV) assist in negotiating finan-
cial, logistical, and other arrange-
ments between small businesses and
the institution of higher education or
suitable education provider;
‘‘(V) provide technical assistance
and training to the staff of the insti-
tution of higher education or suitable
education provider for the purpose of
providing workplace education pro-
grams;
‘‘(VI) enlist the help of small
businesses and labor groups in the
provision of such programs; and
‘‘(VII) provide small businesses
with information on workplace edu-
cation services in general.
‘‘(iii) The State office shall monitor
and supervise the activities of workforce
specialists.
‘‘(iv) The State office shall encourage
local educational agencies and other local
agencies, small businesses, labor organiza-
tions, community-based organizations, and
other private organizations to cooperate
with workforce specialists.
‘‘(v) The State office shall produce
and disseminate information to the entities
described in clause (iv) and the general
public on the need for and means of imple-
menting workplace education programs.
‘‘(vi) The State office shall conduct
research and demonstration programs to
promote the understanding and acceptance
of workplace education and encourage the
use of and improvement of state-of-the-art
workplace education services.
‘‘(vii) The State office shall, in con-
junction with the Office of Workplace Edu-
cation and workforce specialists, conduct
Statewide or regional training programs
for teachers and administrators at institu-
tions of higher education, small businesses,
labor organizations, community-based or-
ganizations, and other individuals and enti-
ties that are engaged, or wish to become
engaged, in the provision of workplace edu-
cation services.
‘‘(C) WORKPLACE
EDUCATION
DISTRICT
REQUIREMENTS.—In 
establishing 
workplace
education districts, the State office shall—
‘‘(i) if the amount of the grant re-
ceived by the State under paragraph
(1)(A) is greater than an amount equal to
$100,000 multiplied by the number of such
districts established by the State in its ap-
plication, place at least 1 workforce spe-
cialist at an institution of higher education
in each district; and
‘‘(ii) if the amount of the grant re-
ceived by the State under paragraph
(1)(A) is less than an amount equal to
$100,000 multiplied by the number of such
districts established by the State in its ap-
plication, place at least 1 workforce spe-
cialist at an institution of higher education
in each district that the State office deter-
mines to be appropriate.
‘‘(D) 
DEMONSTRATION
GRANT
PRO-
GRAM.—
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The State office
shall make grants to eligible small busi-
nesses for the purpose of paying the cost
of instructional services and course mate-
rials of any workplace education program
conducted pursuant to subparagraph (B)
attributable to the employees of such busi-
nesses.
‘‘(ii) APPLICATION.—To receive a
grant under clause (i), an eligible small
business shall submit an application to the
State office at such time, in such form,
and containing such information as the of-
fice may reasonably require.
‘‘(iii) USE OF FUNDS.—Grants made
under clause (i) may be used by an eligible
small business only to reimburse an insti-
tution of higher education for the cost of
instructional services and course materials
of any workplace education program con-
ducted pursuant to subparagraph (B) at-
tributable to the employees of such busi-
ness.
‘‘(iv) ALLOCATION
REQUIREMENT.—
The State office may not make grants
under clause (i) to any eligible small busi-
ness in an amount equal to or more than
$25,000.
‘‘(v) ELIGIBLE SMALL BUSINESS DE-
FINED.—For purposes of this subpara-
graph, the term ‘eligible small business’
means a business with 75 or fewer employ-
ees.
‘‘(4) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—
‘‘(i) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Of the
amount received from a grant under para-
graph (1)(A), the State shall not use more
than 8 percent of such amount for admin-
istrative costs, of which not less than 5
percent, or $300,000, whichever is greater,
shall be used for administrative costs in-
curred by the State office of workplace
education established under paragraph
(3)(A). If the State uses less than 8 per-
cent of such amount, then the remainder
of such amount shall be included in the
amount used by the State to carry out the
demonstration grant program established
under paragraph (3)(D).
‘‘(ii) MATCHING
FUNDS.—The State
shall provide non-Federal funds in any fis-
cal year for the purpose of conducting the
program under paragraph (1)(A), in an
amount equal to—
‘‘(I) with respect to the 1st and
2nd fiscal years in which a State re-
ceives funds from a grant under para-
graph (1)(A), not less than 20 percent
of Federal funds provided to the State
in each of such fiscal years;