I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2368 
To direct the Secretary of Labor to make grants to States, units of general 
local government, and Indian tribes for the purpose of creating employ-
ment opportunities for unemployed and underemployed residents in dis-
tressed communities. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 24, 2011 
Mr. ELLISON (for himself, Ms. WOOLSEY, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. MOORE, 
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, and Mr. JACKSON of Illi-
nois) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Labor to make grants to States, 
units of general local government, and Indian tribes for 
the purpose of creating employment opportunities for 
unemployed and underemployed residents in distressed 
communities. 
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 ‘‘Put America to Work 
Act of 2011’’. 
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SEC. 2. GRANTS TO STATES, UNITS OF GENERAL LOCAL 
GOVERNMENT, AND INDIAN TRIBES. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subject to the availability of 
appropriations for such purpose, the Secretary of Labor 
shall make grants to States, units of general local govern-
ment, and Indian tribes to carry out activities in accord-
ance with this Act. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this program is to 
create employment opportunities for unemployed and un-
deremployed residents of distressed communities in activi-
ties designed to address community needs and reduce dis-
parities in health, housing, education, job readiness, and 
public infrastructure that have impeded these communities 
from realizing their full economic potential. 
(c) ELIGIBILITY.—For purposes of the grant pro-
gram under this Act, an eligible entity is— 
(1) a unit of general local government, includ-
ing a metropolitan city or an urban county; 
(2) a State; or 
(3) an Indian tribe. 
(d) USE OF FUNDS.—A recipient of a grant under 
this section shall use the grant for the following purposes: 
(1) For the 9-month period after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the grant shall be used 
only to fund the following types of fast-track job 
placements: 
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(A) The painting and repair of schools, 
community centers, and libraries. 
(B) The restoration and revitalization of 
abandoned and vacant properties to alleviate 
blight in distressed, foreclosure-affected, and 
natural disaster-affected areas of a unit of gen-
eral local government. 
(C) The expansion of emergency food pro-
grams to reduce hunger and promote family 
stability. 
(D) The augmentation of staffing in Head 
Start, child care, and other early childhood edu-
cation programs to promote school readiness 
and early literacy. 
(E) The renovation and enhancement of 
maintenance of parks, playgrounds, and other 
public spaces. 
(2) During the 9-month period after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the grant recipients shall 
consult with community leaders, including local gov-
ernment officials, small business owners, labor orga-
nizations, non-profit organizations, and local resi-
dents to— 
(A) assess the needs of the community 
served by the grant recipient; 
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(B) determine sectors of the local economy 
that are in need of employees; 
(C) make recommendations for new em-
ployment opportunities in the areas described in 
paragraph (3); and 
(D) assess the effectiveness of job place-
ments made under paragraph (1). 
(3) Not later than 9 months after the recipient 
of a grant begins to use the grant to fund fast-track 
job placements under paragraph (1), the recipient 
shall use the remaining amount of the grant to make 
grants to public entities, nonprofit organizations, 
public-private partnerships, or small businesses to 
create opportunities for employment in the following 
areas: 
(A) Construction, re-construction, rehabili-
tation, and site improvements of residences or 
public facilities, including improvements in the 
energy efficiency or environmental quality of 
such public facilities or residences. 
(B) Provision of human services, including 
child care services, health care services, edu-
cation, or recreational programs. 
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(C) The remediation and demolition of va-
cant and abandoned properties to eliminate 
blight. 
(D) Programs that provide disadvantaged 
youth with opportunities for employment, edu-
cation, leadership development, entrepreneurial 
skills development, and training. 
(e) CONDITIONS.—As a condition of receiving a grant 
under this section, a grant recipient shall— 
(1) agree to comply with the nondiscrimination 
policy set forth under section 109 of the Housing 
and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 
U.S.C. 5309); 
(2) allocate not less than 85 percent of the 
funding allocated to each project funded under the 
grant to wages, benefits, and support services, in-
cluding child care services, for individuals employed 
on such project; 
(3) ensure that employment on any project 
funded under the grant is carried out in accordance 
with subsection (f); and 
(4) institute an outreach program with commu-
nity organizations and service providers in low-in-
come communities to provide information about 
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placements funded under the grant to individuals 
suited to perform community infrastructure work. 
(f) EMPLOYMENT DESCRIBED.—Employment funded 
under this section shall meet the following specifications: 
(1) Any employer that employs an individual 
whose employment is funded under the grant shall— 
(A) employ such individual for not less 
than 12 months; 
(B) employ such individual for not less 
than 30 hours per week; 
(C) comply with responsible contractor 
standards, as determined by the relevant official 
in the unit of local general government; 
(D) provide compensation to such indi-
vidual equal to that which is paid to employees 
who have been employed to perform similar 
work prior to the date such individual was 
hired; and 
(E) if such employment is in construction, 
provide compensation to any laborer or me-
chanic employed under the grant at rates not 
less than those prevailing on similar construc-
tion in the locality as determined by the Sec-
retary of Labor in accordance with subchapter 
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IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United States 
Code. 
(2) No individual whose employment is funded 
under the grant may work for an employer at which 
a collective bargaining agreement is in effect cov-
ering the same or similar work, unless— 
(A) the consent of the union at such em-
ployer is obtained; and 
(B) negotiations have taken place between 
such union and the employer as to the terms 
and conditions of such employment. 
(3) An individual whose employment is funded 
under this Act may not displace other employees 
whose employment is not funded under this Act. A 
grant recipient under this Act may not hire an em-
ployee or employees with funds under this Act for 
any employment which the grant recipient would 
otherwise hire an employee who has been furloughed. 
(4) An individual whose employment is funded 
under this Act shall be unemployed for not less than 
30 days prior to beginning employment funded by a 
grant, as verified by the State or local department 
of labor, department of welfare, or similar office 
charged with maintaining records of unemployment. 
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(5) Not less than 35 percent of whose employ-
ment is funded under this Act shall be members of 
a targeted group (as described in section 51(d)(1) of 
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) as verified by 
the State or local department of labor, department 
of welfare, or similar office charged with maintain-
ing records of unemployment. 
(g) AWARD OF GRANTS.— 
(1) SELECTION
CRITERIA.—In selecting a 
project to receive funding for employing individuals 
in employment funded under this Act, a grant recipi-
ent shall consider— 
(A) the input of all participants in a pro-
posed project, including labor organizations, 
community organizations, and employers; 
(B) the needs of the community intended 
to benefit from such project; 
(C) the long-term goals and short term ob-
jectives to address such needs; and 
(D) any recommendations for programs 
and activities developed to meet such needs. 
(2) PRIORITY GIVEN TO CERTAIN PROJECTS.— 
A grant recipient under this section shall give pri-
ority to projects that— 
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(A) serve areas with the greatest level of 
economic need, determined for each such area 
by— 
(i) the unemployment rate; 
(ii) the rate of poverty; 
(iii) the number of census tracts with 
concentrated poverty; 
(iv) the lowest median income; 
(v) the percentage of vacant and 
abandoned properties; 
(vi) the percentage of home fore-
closures; and 
(vii) the indicators of poor resident 
health, including high rates of chronic dis-
ease, infant mortality, and life expectancy; 
(B) integrate education and job skills 
training, including basic skills instruction and 
secondary education services; 
(C) coordinate to the maximum extent fea-
sible with pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship 
programs; and 
(D) provide jobs in sectors where job 
growth is most likely, as determined by the Sec-
retary, and in which career advancement oppor-
tunities exist to maximize long-term, sustain-
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able employment for individuals after employ-
ment funded under this Act ends. 
(h) ALLOCATION OF GRANTS.— 
(1) GRANTS FOR INDIAN TRIBES AND DEPOSITS 
INTO DISCRETIONARY FUND.—Not more than 5 per-
cent of the funds appropriated to carry out this Act 
for any fiscal year shall be reserved for grants to In-
dian tribes and for deposit into a discretionary fund 
established by the Secretary for national demonstra-
tion projects and multi-jurisdictional projects. 
(2) GRANTS TO STATES.—Not more than 30 
percent of funds appropriated to carry out this Act 
for any fiscal year shall be allocated to States to dis-
tribute to units of general local government that do 
not qualify for funds under paragraph (3). 
(3) GRANTS
TO
UNITS
OF
GENERAL
LOCAL 
GOVERNMENT.—Grant funds that are not reserved 
under paragraphs (1) and (2) shall be allocated to 
metropolitan cities and urban counties using the for-
mula under section 106(b) of the Housing and Com-
munity Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 
5306(b)). 
(i) RULEMAKING.—The Secretary of Labor may issue 
regulations as the Secretary determines necessary and ap-
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propriate to carry out the grant program authorized by 
this Act. 
(j) REPORTS.— 
(1) REPORTS
BY
GRANT
RECIPIENTS.—Not 
later than 90 days after the last day of each fiscal 
year in which assistance under this section is fur-
nished, a recipient of a grant under this section shall 
submit to the Secretary a report containing the fol-
lowing: 
(A) A description of the progress made in 
accomplishing the objectives of this chapter. 
(B) A summary of the use of the grant 
during the preceding fiscal year. 
(C) For units of general local government, 
a listing of each entity receiving funds and the 
amount of such grants, as well as a brief sum-
mary of the projects funded for each such unit, 
the extent of financial participation by other 
public or private entities, and the impact on 
employment and economic activity of such 
projects during the previous fiscal year. 
(D) For States, a listing of each unit of 
general local government receiving funds and 
the amount of such grants, as well as a brief 
summary of the projects funded for each such 
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unit, the extent of financial participation by 
other public or private entities, and the impact 
on employment and economic activity of such 
projects during the previous fiscal year. 
(E) The amount of money received and ex-
pended during the fiscal year. 
(F) The number of individuals assisted 
under the grant whose household income is low- 
income, very low-income, or extremely low-in-
come (as such terms are used for purposes of 
the Housing Act of 1937 and the regulations 
thereunder (42 U.S.C. 1437 et seq.)). 
(G) The amount expended on administra-
tive costs during the fiscal year. 
(2) REPORT
TO
CONGRESS.—At least once 
every 6 months, the Secretary shall submit to Con-
gress a report on the use of grants awarded under 
this section and any progress in job creation. 
(k) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘State’’ has the meaning given 
such term in section 5302(2) of title 42, United 
States Code. 
(2) The term ‘‘unit of general local govern-
ment’’ has the meaning given such term in section 
5302(1) of title 42, United States Code. 
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(3) The term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 5302(17) of title 42, 
United States Code. 
(4) The term ‘‘small business’’ has the meaning 
given the term ‘‘small business concern’’ under sec-
tion 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632). 
(5) The term ‘‘metropolitan city’’ has the mean-
ing given such term in section 5302(4) of title 42, 
United States Code. 
(6) The term ‘‘urban county’’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 5302(6) of title 42, 
United States Code. 
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There 
is 
authorized 
to 
be 
appropriated 
$200,000,000,000 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2012 
and 
$150,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2013 to carry out this 
Act. Amounts appropriated pursuant to this section shall 
remain available until expended. 
Æ 
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