I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2129 
To amend title 49, United States Code, to establish a National Transit 
Frontline Workforce Training Center, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 23, 2021 
Mr. BROWN (for himself, Mr. TRONE, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, 
Mr. BACON, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. ESPAILLAT, and Mr. BOST) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Trans-
portation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To amend title 49, United States Code, to establish a Na-
tional Transit Frontline Workforce Training Center, 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 ‘‘National Transit 
Frontline Workforce Training Act of 2021’’. 
SEC. 2. NATIONAL TRANSIT FRONTLINE WORKFORCE 
TRAINING CENTER. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 5314(b) of title 49, 
United States Code, is amended— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:00 May 20, 2021
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2129.IH
H2129
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
(1) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(2) NATIONAL
TRANSIT
FRONTLINE
WORK-
FORCE TRAINING CENTER.— 
‘‘(A) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph: 
‘‘(i) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘Ad-
ministrator’ means the Administrator of 
the Federal Transit Administration. 
‘‘(ii) CENTER.—The term ‘Center’ 
means the National Transit Frontline 
Workforce Training Center established 
under subparagraph (B). 
‘‘(iii) HUMAN
CAPITAL.—The term 
‘human capital’ means any knowledge, tal-
ent, skill, ability, experience, intelligence, 
training, judgment, or wisdom possessed, 
individually or collectively, by the transit 
frontline workforce (including operations, 
maintenance, 
and 
administrative 
per-
sonnel). 
‘‘(B) 
ESTABLISHMENT.—The 
Secretary 
shall— 
‘‘(i) establish a center, to be known as 
the ‘National Transit Frontline Workforce 
Training Center’, to meet the needs of the 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:00 May 20, 2021
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2129.IH
H2129
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
rural and urban transit system frontline 
workforce through standards-based train-
ing relating to relevant maintenance and 
operations occupations; and 
‘‘(ii) evaluate, and provide a grant to, 
a nonprofit organization with demonstrated 
capacity to develop and provide transit ca-
reer ladder programs through labor-man-
agement partnerships and apprenticeships, 
on a nationwide basis, to carry out the du-
ties of the Center described in subpara-
graph (C). 
‘‘(C) DUTIES.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Center, in co-
operation with the Administrator, transit 
authorities, and other appropriate individ-
uals and entities, shall develop and carry 
out training and educational programs for 
public transportation employees serving in 
the frontline workforce. 
‘‘(ii) TRAINING
AND
EDUCATIONAL 
PROGRAM INCLUSIONS.—The training and 
educational programs developed under 
clause (i) may include courses in recent de-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:00 May 20, 2021
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2129.IH
H2129
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
velopments, techniques, and procedures re-
lating to— 
‘‘(I) developing consensus na-
tional training standards, in partner-
ship with industry stakeholders, for 
key frontline occupations with dem-
onstrated skill gaps; 
‘‘(II) developing national systems 
of qualification and apprenticeship for 
transit maintenance and operations 
occupations; 
‘‘(III) establishing local, regional, 
and statewide transit training part-
nerships— 
‘‘(aa) to identify and ad-
dress workforce skill gaps; and 
‘‘(bb) to develop skills need-
ed for— 
‘‘(AA) delivering quality 
transit service; and 
‘‘(BB) supporting em-
ployee career advancement; 
‘‘(IV) developing programs for 
the training of the frontline work-
force, instructors, mentors, and labor- 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:00 May 20, 2021
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2129.IH
H2129
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
management partnership representa-
tives, in the form of classroom, hands- 
on, on-the-job, and internet web-based 
training, to be delivered— 
‘‘(aa) at a national center; 
‘‘(bb) regionally; or 
‘‘(cc) at an individual transit 
agency; 
‘‘(V) developing training pro-
grams for skills relating to existing 
and emerging transit technologies, 
such as zero-emission buses; 
‘‘(VI) developing improved capac-
ity for safety, security, and emergency 
preparedness in local transit systems 
and 
the 
industry 
as 
a 
whole 
through— 
‘‘(aa) developing the role of 
the frontline workforce in estab-
lishing and sustaining safety cul-
ture and safety systems in— 
‘‘(AA) the industry; and 
‘‘(BB) individual public 
transportation systems; and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:00 May 20, 2021
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2129.IH
H2129
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
‘‘(bb) training to address 
frontline workforce roles in pro-
moting health and safety for 
transit workers and the riding 
public; 
‘‘(VII) developing local transit 
capacity for career pathway partner-
ships with schools and other commu-
nity organizations for recruiting and 
training underrepresented populations 
as successful transit employees who 
can develop careers in the transit in-
dustry; and 
‘‘(VIII) in collaboration with the 
Administrator, conducting and dis-
seminating research— 
‘‘(aa) 
to 
provide 
transit 
workforce job projections and 
identify training needs and gaps; 
‘‘(bb) to determine the most 
cost-effective methods for transit 
workforce training and develop-
ment, including return-on-invest-
ment analysis; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:00 May 20, 2021
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2129.IH
H2129
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
‘‘(cc) to identify the most ef-
fective methods for implementing 
successful safety systems and a 
positive safety culture; 
‘‘(dd) to promote transit 
workforce 
best 
practices 
for 
achieving cost-effective, quality, 
safe, and reliable public transpor-
tation services; and 
‘‘(ee) to provide culturally 
competent training and education 
programs to all participants, re-
gardless of gender, sexual ori-
entation, or gender identity, in-
cluding participants with limited 
English proficiency, diverse cul-
tural and ethnic backgrounds, 
and disabilities. 
‘‘(D) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall 
coordinate the activities of the Center under 
this paragraph, to the maximum extent prac-
ticable, with— 
‘‘(i) the Office of Career, Technical, 
and Adult Education of the Department of 
Education; and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:00 May 20, 2021
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2129.IH
H2129
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
‘‘(ii) the Office of Apprenticeship of 
the Department of Labor. 
‘‘(E) NATIONAL TRANSIT DATABASE.—For 
the purposes of carrying out this section, the 
Secretary shall require the collection, through 
the National Transit Database, on an annual 
basis, of additional data relating to human cap-
ital, in accordance with such requirements re-
lating to the collection and definition of those 
data as the Secretary may establish, in coordi-
nation with relevant transportation sector indi-
viduals and entities. 
‘‘(F) USE OF OTHER GRANT AMOUNTS FOR 
CENTER-RELATED ACTIVITIES.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—Of the amounts 
made available to the recipient of a grant 
under section 5307, 5337, or 5339, the re-
cipient may use not more than 0.5 percent, 
with the approval of the Secretary, to pay 
an amount equal to not more than 80 per-
cent of the cost of an activity described in 
subparagraph (C). 
‘‘(ii) EXISTING PROGRAMS.—A recipi-
ent referred to in clause (i) may use the 
amounts described in that clause to carry 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:00 May 20, 2021
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2129.IH
H2129
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS