SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Generating Real Op-
portunities for Workforce Training and Hiring Act’’ or the 
‘‘GROWTH Act’’. 
SEC. 2. SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ON 
CAREER 
AND 
TECHNICAL 
EDUCATION 
SCHOOLS. 
It is the sense of the House of Representatives that— 
(1) consistent communication between institu-
tions providing career and technical education, as 
defined in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career 
and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 
2302), and employment entities regarding cur-
riculum and industry need is paramount to pro-
ducing a truly skilled and viable domestic workforce; 
(2) employment opportunities provided through 
recognized postsecondary credentials, as defined in 
section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor-
tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102), are as important to the 
advancement of the economy of the United States as 
any other domestic business sector; and 
(3) elementary schools and secondary schools 
(as such terms are defined in section 8101 of the El-
ementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 7801)) should highlight enrollment in career 
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and technical professions as desirable and often 
high-skill, high-wage occupations. 
SEC. 3. INCLUSION OF TRANSPORTATION AND STUDENT 
LOAN EXPENSES OF CAREER AND TECH-
NICAL EDUCATION STUDENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (3) of section 529(e) 
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by add-
ing at the end the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(C) CERTAIN
COSTS
OF
CAREER
AND 
TECHNICAL EDUCATION STUDENTS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In the case of an 
individual who is enrolled in (or, for pur-
poses of subclause (II), who is enrolled in 
or has graduated from) career and tech-
nical education, such term shall also in-
clude— 
‘‘(I) costs for transportation in 
the course of attendance of such pro-
gram, and 
‘‘(II) amounts paid by the indi-
vidual in repayment of a student loan 
incurred to finance the individual’s 
enrollment in such program. 
‘‘(ii) CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDU-
CATION.—For purposes of this subpara-
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graph, the term ‘career and technical edu-
cation’ means a program of organized edu-
cational activities which offers a sequence 
of courses which— 
‘‘(I) provides individuals with co-
herent and rigorous content aligned 
with challenging academic standards 
and relevant technical knowledge and 
skills needed to prepare for further 
education and careers in current or 
emerging professions, 
‘‘(II) provides technical skill pro-
ficiency, an industry-recognized cre-
dential, a certificate, or an associate 
degree, and 
‘‘(III) includes competency-based 
applied learning which contributes to 
the academic knowledge, higher-order 
reasoning and problem-solving skills, 
work attitudes, general employability 
skills, technical skills, occupation-spe-
cific skills, and knowledge of all as-
pects of an industry, including entre-
preneurship, of an individual. 
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Such program may include prerequisite 
courses (other than a remedial course) 
which meet the requirements of this 
clause.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply to distributions made after the 
date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 4. HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION WORKFORCE DEVELOP-
MENT INITIATIVES. 
Section 504 of title 23, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(i) HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION WORKFORCE DEVEL-
OPMENT INITIATIVES.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall 
provide grants under this subsection to eligible enti-
ties described in paragraph (3) to establish highway 
construction workforce development initiatives (re-
ferred to in this subsection as the ‘initiatives’) to at-
tract, train, and place workers into highway con-
struction careers. 
‘‘(2) COOPERATIVE EFFORTS.—The initiatives 
established with a grant under this subsection shall 
encourage cooperative efforts between— 
‘‘(A) the highway construction industry; 
‘‘(B) the Federal Highway Administration; 
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‘‘(C) State departments of transportation; 
‘‘(D) State and local workforce develop-
ment boards; 
‘‘(E) community colleges and technical 
schools; and 
‘‘(F) labor organizations. 
‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The Secretary may 
award a grant under this subsection to a public or 
private entity for use in accordance with this sub-
section. 
‘‘(4) AUTHORIZED USES.—An eligible entity de-
scribed in paragraph (3) shall use a grant provided 
under this subsection to carry out an initiative— 
‘‘(A) to promote highway construction 
worker career opportunities; 
‘‘(B) to support relevant outreach and 
awareness efforts; 
‘‘(C) to develop relevant education and 
training materials; 
‘‘(D) to provide life skills training, includ-
ing rudimentary math and other basis skills; 
and 
‘‘(E) for related support services.’’. 
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SEC. 5. MILITARY SPOUSE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 
INITIATIVES. 
(a) EXTENSION AND EXPANSION OF REIMBURSE-
MENT OF MEMBERS OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES UN-
DERGOING A PERMANENT CHANGE OF STATION FOR PRO-
FESSIONAL
RELICENSING
COSTS
OF
ACCOMPANYING 
SPOUSES.— 
(1) EXTENSION.—Paragraph (4) of section 
476(p) of title 37, United States Code, is amended 
by striking ‘‘December 31, 2022’’ and inserting 
‘‘December 31, 2024’’. 
(2) EXPANSION OF QUALIFYING RELICENSING 
COSTS.—Paragraph (5)(A) of that section is amend-
ed by striking ‘‘the original duty station’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘a previous duty station or home of record’’. 
(b) EXPANSION AND IMPROVEMENT OF MYCAREER 
ADVANCEMENT ACCOUNT PROGRAM.— 
(1) EXPANSION
OF
GRADES
OF
MEMBERS 
WHOSE
SPOUSES
ARE
ELIGIBLE.—The grades of 
members of the Armed Forces whose spouses are eli-
gible for the MyCareer Advancement Account 
(MyCAA) Program of the Department of Defense 
shall include members in the additional grades as 
follows: 
(A) O–3. 
(B) E–6. 
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(2) 
ADDITIONAL
BENEFITS.—The 
benefits 
available under the MyCareer Advancement Account 
Program shall include scholarships usable by mili-
tary spouses to attend or participate in any of the 
following: 
(A) Vocational school. 
(B) Professional licensure classes or tests. 
(C) Clinical supervision hours in connec-
tion with pursuit of a medical or health care de-
gree. 
SEC. 6. LOAN GUARANTEE PROGRAM. 
Section 501(d)(3) of the Small Business Investment 
Act of 1958 (15 U.S.C. 695(d)(3)) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through 
(L) as subparagraphs (B) through (M), respectively; 
(2) by inserting before subparagraph (B), as re-
designated by paragraph (1), the following: 
‘‘(A) workforce development through work- 
based or work-integrated training, which shall 
be satisfied by demonstrating that a small busi-
ness concern that is a subject of the project 
has— 
‘‘(i) a documented in-house training 
program, the duration of which is not 
shorter than 12 weeks; or 
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‘‘(ii) entered into a contract with an 
entity— 
‘‘(I) to provide trained applicants 
for any open position of employment 
at the small business concern; and 
‘‘(II) that ensures that any appli-
cant provided to the small business 
concern under subclause (I) has un-
dergone not fewer than 12 weeks of 
training that is relevant to the open 
position described in that subclause,’’; 
and 
(3) in the flush text following subparagraph 
(M), as redesignated by paragraph (1), in the second 
sentence, by striking ‘‘subparagraphs (J) and (K)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘subparagraphs (K) and (L)’’. 
Æ 
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