I
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H.R. 2884
To establish a national framework for the development of School-to-Work
Opportunities systems in all States, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AUGUST 5, 1993
Mr. FORD of Michigan (for himself, Mr. GEPHARDT, Mr. MILLER of Califor-
nia, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. WILLIAMS, Mr. MARTINEZ, Mr.
OWENS, Mr. SAWYER, Mr. PAYNE of New Jersey, Mrs. UNSOELD, Mrs.
MINK, Mr. ANDREWS of New Jersey, Mr. REED, Mr. ROEMER, Mr.
ENGEL, Mr. BECERRA, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr.
ROMERO-BARCELO´, Mr. KLINK, Mr. STRICKLAND, Mr. DE LUGO, Mr.
GOODLING, Mr. GUNDERSON, Ms. MOLINARI, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. MCCUR-
DY, Ms. PELOSI, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. CLAY,
Mr. BAESLER, and Mr. ROUKEMA) introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor
OCTOBER 7, 1993
Additional sponsors: Mr. HOYER, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr. FROST, Mr. MAZ-
ZOLI, Mr. CASTLE, Mr. HOUGHTON, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. BONIOR, Mr.
MENENDEZ, Mr. SCOTT, Mr. GIBBONS, Ms. ENGLISH of Arizona, Mr.
OLVER, and Mr. RUSH
A BILL
To establish a national framework for the development of
School-to-Work Opportunities systems in all States, and
for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the
‘‘School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1993’’.
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents is
as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Purposes and congressional intent.
Sec. 4. Definitions.
Sec. 5. Federal administration.
TITLE I—SCHOOL-TO-WORK OPPORTUNITIES BASIC PROGRAM
COMPONENTS
Sec. 101. General program requirements.
Sec. 102. Work-based learning component.
Sec. 103. School-based learning component.
Sec. 104. Connecting activities component.
TITLE II—SCHOOL-TO-WORK OPPORTUNITIES SYSTEM
DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS TO STATES
Subtitle A—State Development Grants
Sec. 201. Purpose.
Sec. 202. State development grants.
Subtitle B—State Implementation Grants
Sec. 211. Purpose.
Sec. 212. State implementation grants.
TITLE III—FEDERAL IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS TO
PARTNERSHIPS
Sec. 301. Purpose.
Sec. 302. Federal implementation grants to partnerships.
Sec. 303. School-to-Work Opportunities program grants in high poverty areas.
TITLE IV—NATIONAL PROGRAMS
Sec. 401. Research, demonstration, and other projects.
Sec. 402. Performance outcomes and evaluation.
Sec. 403. Training and technical assistance.
TITLE V—GENERAL PROVISIONS
Sec. 501. State request and responsibilities for a waiver of statutory and regu-
latory requirements.
Sec. 502. Waivers of statutory and regulatory requirements by the Secretary of
Education.
Sec. 503. Waivers of statutory and regulatory requirements by the Secretary of
Labor.
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Sec. 504. Safeguards.
Sec. 505. Authorization of appropriations.
Sec. 506. Acceptance of gifts, and other matters.
Sec. 507. Effective date.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that—
(1) three-fourths of America’s high school stu-
dents enter the workforce without baccalaureate de-
grees, and many do not possess the academic and
entry-level occupational skills necessary to succeed in
the changing workplace;
(2) unemployment among American youth is in-
tolerably high, and earnings of high school graduates
have been falling relative to those with more edu-
cation;
(3) the American workplace is changing in re-
sponse to heightened international competition and
new technologies, and these forces, which are ulti-
mately beneficial to the Nation, are shrinking the
demand for and undermining the earning power of
unskilled labor;
(4) the United States is the only industrialized
Nation that lacks a comprehensive and coherent sys-
tem to help its youth acquire knowledge, skills, abili-
ties, and information about and access to the labor
market necessary to make an effective transition
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from school to career-oriented work or to further
education and training;
(5) American students can achieve to high
standards, and many learn better and retain more
when they learn in context, rather than in the ab-
stract;
(6) work-based learning, which is modeled after
the time-honored apprenticeship concept, integrates
theoretical instruction with structured on-the-job
training, and this approach, combined with school-
based learning, can be very effective in engaging stu-
dent interest, enhancing skill acquisition, and pre-
paring youth for high-skill, high-wage careers; and
(7) Federal resources currently fund a series of
categorical, work-related education and training pro-
grams that are not administered as a coherent
whole.
SEC. 3. PURPOSES AND CONGRESSIONAL INTENT.
(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are to—
(1) establish a national framework within which
all States can create statewide School-to-Work Op-
portunities systems that are integrated with the sys-
tems developed under the Goals 2000: Educate
America Act and that offer young Americans access
to a performance-based education and training pro-
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gram that will enable them to earn portable creden-
tials, prepare them for a first job in a high-skill,
high-wage career, and increase their opportunities
for further education;
(2) transform workplaces into active learning
components by making employers full partners in
providing high-quality, work-based learning experi-
ences to students;
(3) use Federal funds under this Act as venture
capital, to underwrite the initial costs of planning
and establishing statewide School-to-Work Opportu-
nities systems that will be maintained with other
Federal, State, and local resources;
(4) promote the formation, among secondary
and postsecondary educational institutions, private
and public employers, labor organizations, govern-
ment, community groups, parents, and students, of
local education and training systems that are dedi-
cated to linking the worlds of school and work;
(5) help students attain high academic and oc-
cupational standards;
(6) build on and advance a range of promising
programs, such as tech-prep education, career acad-
emies, school-to-apprenticeship programs, coopera-
tive education, youth apprenticeship, and business-
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(4) the term ‘‘career major’’ means a coherent
sequence of courses or field of study that prepares
a student for a first job and that—
(A) integrates occupational and academic
learning, integrates work-based and school-
based learning, and establishes linkages be-
tween secondary and postsecondary education;
(B) prepares the student for employment
in broad occupational clusters or industry sec-
tors;
(C) typically includes at least two years of
secondary school and one or two years of post-
secondary education;
(D) results in the award of a high school
diploma, a certificate or diploma recognizing
successful completion of one or two years of
postsecondary education (if appropriate), and a
skill certificate; and
(E) may lead to further training, such as
entry into a registered apprenticeship program;
(5) the term ‘‘employer’’ includes both public
and private employers;
(6) the term ‘‘Governor’’ means the chief execu-
tive of a State;
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(7) the term ‘‘local educational agency’’ shall
have the same meaning as provided in paragraph 12
of section 1471 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 2891(12));
(8) the term ‘‘partnership’’ means a local entity
that is responsible for local School-to-Work Opportu-
nities programs and that consists of employers, pub-
lic secondary and postsecondary educational institu-
tions or agencies, and labor organizations or em-
ployee 
representatives 
as 
defined 
in 
section
403(c)(1)(B) of the Goals 2000: Educate America
Act, and may include other entities, such as non-
profit or community-based organizations, rehabilita-
tion agencies and organizations, registered appren-
ticeship agencies, local vocational education entities,
local government agencies, parent organizations and
teacher organizations, private industry councils es-
tablished under the Job Training Partnership Act,
and federally recognized Indian tribes and Alaska
Native villages;
(9) the term ‘‘postsecondary education institu-
tion’’ means a public or private nonprofit institution
that is authorized within a State to provide a pro-
gram of education beyond secondary education, and
includes a community college, a technical college, a
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postsecondary vocational institution, or a tribally
controlled community college;
(10) the term ‘‘registered apprenticeship agen-
cy’’ means either the Bureau of Apprenticeship and
Training in the United States Department of Labor
or a State apprenticeship agency recognized and ap-
proved by the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Train-
ing as the appropriate body for State registration or
approval of local apprenticeship programs and agree-
ments for Federal purposes;
(11) the term ‘‘registered apprenticeship pro-
gram’’ means a program registered by a registered
apprenticeship agency;
(12) the term ‘‘Secretaries’’ means the Sec-
retary of Education and the Secretary of Labor;
(13) the term ‘‘skill certificate’’ means a port-
able, industry-recognized credential issued by a
School-to-Work Opportunities program under an ap-
proved plan, that certifies that a student has mas-
tered skills at levels that are at least as challenging
as skill standards endorsed by the National Skill
Standards Board established under the Goals 2000:
Educate America Act, except that until such skill
standards are developed, the term ‘‘skill certificate’’
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means a credential issued under a process described
in a State’s approved plan;
(14) the term ‘‘State’’ means each of the sev-
eral States, the District of Columbia and the Com-
monwealth of Puerto Rico;
(15) the term ‘‘workplace mentor’’ means an
employee at the workplace who possesses the skills
to be mastered by a student, and who instructs the
student, critiques the student’s performance, chal-
lenges the student to perform well, and works in
consultation with classroom teachers and the em-
ployer.
SEC. 5. FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION.
(a) Notwithstanding the Department of Education
Organization Act (20 U.S.C. 3401 et seq.), the General
Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1221 et seq.), the
statutory provisions regarding the establishment of the
Department of Labor (29 U.S.C. 551 et seq.), and section
166 of the Job Training Partnership Act (29 U.S.C.
1576), the Secretaries shall jointly provide for the admin-
istration of the programs established by this Act, and may
issue whatever procedures, guidelines, and regulations, in
accordance with section 553 of title 5, United States Code,
they deem necessary and appropriate to administer and
enforce the provisions of this Act.
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(b) Section 431 of the General Education Provisions
Act (20 U.S.C. 1232), shall not apply to any programs
under this Act.
TITLE I—SCHOOL-TO-WORK OPPORTUNI-
TIES BASIC PROGRAM COMPONENTS
SEC. 101. GENERAL PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.
A School-to-Work Opportunities program under this
Act shall—
(1) integrate work-based learning and school-
based learning, as provided for in sections 102 and
103;
(2) provide a student with the opportunity to
complete a career major as defined in section 4 of
this Act; and
(3) incorporate the basis program components
provided in sections 102 through 104.
SEC. 102. WORK-BASED LEARNING COMPONENT.
The work-based learning component of a School-to-
Work Opportunities program shall include—
(1) a planned program of job training and expe-
riences, including skills to be mastered at progres-
sively higher levels, that are relevant to a student’s
career major and lead to the award of a skill certifi-
cate;
(2) paid work experience;
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(3) workplace mentoring;
(4) instruction in general workplace com-
petencies; and
(5) broad instruction in a variety of elements of
an industry.
SEC. 103. SCHOOL-BASED LEARNING COMPONENT.
The school-based learning component of a School-to-
Work Opportunities program shall include—
(1) career exploration and counseling in order
to help students who may be interested to identify,
and select or reconsider, their interests, goals, and
career majors;
(2) initial selection by interested students of a
career major not later than the beginning of the
eleventh grade;
(3) a program of study designed to meet the
same challenging academic standards established by
States for all students under the Goals 2000: Edu-
cate America Act, and to meet the requirements nec-
essary for a student to earn a skill certificate; and
(4) regularly scheduled evaluations to identify
academic strengths and weaknesses of students and
the need for additional learning opportunities to
master core academic skills.
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SEC. 104. CONNECTING ACTIVITIES COMPONENT.
The connecting activities component of a School-to-
Work Opportunities program shall include—
(1) matching students with employers’ work-
based learning opportunities;
(2) serving as a liaison among the employer,
school, teacher, parent, and student;
(3) providing technical assistance and services
to employers and others in designing work-based
learning components and counseling and case man-
agement services, and in training teachers, work-
place mentors, and counselors;
(4) providing assistance to students who have
completed the program in finding an appropriate
job, continuing their education, or entering into an
additional training program;
(5) collecting and analyzing information regard-
ing post-program outcomes of students who partici-
pate in the School-to-Work Opportunities program;
and
(6) linking youth development activities under
this Act with employer strategies or upgrading the
skills of their workers.
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TITLE II—SCHOOL-TO-WORK OPPORTUNI-
TIES SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT AND IM-
PLEMENTATION GRANTS TO STATES
Subtitle A—State Development Grants
SEC. 201. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this subtitle is to assist States in
planning and developing comprehensive, statewide systems
for school-to-work opportunities.
SEC. 202. STATE DEVELOPMENT GRANTS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Upon the application of a State,
the Secretaries may award a development grant to a State
in such amount as the Secretaries determine is necessary
to enable the State to complete development (that may
have begun with funds awarded under the Job Training
Partnership Act (29 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.), and the Carl
D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education
Act (20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.), of a comprehensive, state-
wide School-to-Work Opportunities system, except that a
development grant under this subtitle may not exceed
$1,000,000 in any fiscal year.
(b) APPLICATION CONTENTS.—The application for a
development grant shall—
(1) include a timetable and an estimate of the
amount of funding needed to complete the planning
and development necessary to implement a com-
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prehensive, statewide School-to-Work Opportunities
system;
(2) describe how the Governor; the chief State
school officer; the State agency officials responsible
for job training and employment, economic develop-
ment, and postsecondary education; and other ap-
propriate officials will collaborate in the planning
and development of the State School-to-Work Oppor-
tunities system;
(3) describe how the State will enlist the active
and continued participation in the planning and de-
velopment of the statewide School-to-Work Opportu-
nities system of employers and other interested par-
ties such as locally elected officials, secondary and
postsecondary educational institutions or agencies,
business associations, employees, labor organizations
or associations thereof, teachers, students, parents,
community-based organizations, rehabilitation agen-
cies and organizations, registered apprenticeship
agencies, and local vocational educational agencies;
(4) describe how the State will coordinate its
planning activities with any local School-to-Work
Opportunities program that has received a grant
under title III of this Act;
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(5) designate a fiscal agent to receive and be
accountable for funds awarded under this subtitle;
and
(6) include such other information as the Sec-
retaries may require.
(c) 
STATE
DEVELOPMENT
ACTIVITIES.—Funds
awarded under this section shall be expended by a State
only for activities undertaken to develop a statewide
School-to-Work Opportunities system, which may in-
clude—
(1) identifying or establishing an appropriate
State structure to administer the School-to-Work
Opportunities system;
(2) identifying or establishing broad-based part-
nerships among employers, labor, education, govern-
ment, and other community organizations to partici-
pate in the design, development, and administration
of School-to-Work Opportunities programs;
(3) developing a marketing plan to build con-
sensus and support for School-to-Work Opportuni-
ties programs;
(4) promoting the active involvement of busi-
ness in planning and developing local School-to-
Work Opportunities programs;
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(5) supporting local School-to-Work Opportuni-
ties planning and development activities to provide
guidance in the development of School-to-Work Op-
portunities programs;
(6) initiating pilot programs for testing key
components of State program design;
(7) developing a State process for issuing skill
certificates that takes into account the work of the
National Skill Standards Board and the criteria es-
tablished under Goals 2000: Educate America Act;
(8) designing challenging curricula;
(9) developing a system for labor market analy-
sis and strategic planning for local targeting of in-
dustry sectors or broad occupational clusters;
(10) analyzing the post high school employment
experiences of recent high school graduates and
dropouts; and
(11) preparing the plan required for submission
of an application for an Implementation Grant
under subtitle B.
Subtitle B—State Implementation Grants
SEC. 211. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this subtitle is to assist States
in the implementation of comprehensive, statewide
School-to-Work Opportunities systems.
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SEC. 212. STATE IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS.
(a) ELIGIBILITY AND APPLICATION.—A State may
apply to the Secretaries for a competitive implementation
grant by submitting an application that contains—
(1) a plan for a comprehensive, statewide
School-to-Work Opportunities system that meets the
content requirements provided in subsection (b);
(2) a description of how the State will allocate
funds under this Act to local School-to-Work Oppor-
tunities partnerships;
(3) a request, if the State decides to submit
such a request, for one or more waivers of certain
statutory or regulatory requirements, as provided for
under title V of this Act; and
(4) such other information as the Secretaries
may require.
(b) CONTENTS
OF STATE PLAN.—A State plan
shall—
(1) designate the geographical areas to be
served by partnerships, which shall, to the extent
feasible, reflect local labor market areas;
(2) describe how the State will stimulate and
support local School-to-Work Opportunities pro-
grams that meet the requirements of this Act, and
how the State’s system will be expanded over time
to cover all geographic areas in the State;
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(3) describe the procedure by which the Gov-
ernor; the chief State school officer; the State agen-
cy officials responsible for job training and employ-
ment, economic development, and postsecondary
education; and other appropriate officials will col-
laborate in the implementation of the School-to-
Work Opportunities system:
(4) describe the procedure for obtaining the ac-
tive and continued involvement in the statewide
School-to-Work Opportunities system of employers
and other interested parties such as locally elected
officials, secondary and postsecondary educational
institutions or agencies, business associations, em-
ployees, labor organizations or associations thereof,
teachers, students, parents, community-based orga-
nizations, rehabilitation agencies and organizations,
registered apprenticeship agencies, and local voca-
tional educational agencies;
(5) describe how the School-to-Work Opportuni-
ties system will coordinate the use of education and
training funds from State and private sources with
funds available from such related Federal programs
as the Adult Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1201 et
seq.), the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied
Technology Education Act (20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.),
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the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.), the Family Support
Act of 1988 (42 U.S.C. 602 note, 606 note), the
Goals 2000: Educate America Act, the Individuals
With Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et
seq.), the Job Training Partnership Act (29 U.S.C.
1501 et seq.), the National Apprenticeship Act (29
U.S.C. 50 et seq.), and the Rehabilitation Act of
1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 et seq.);
(6) describe the resources, including private sec-
tor resources, the State intends to employ in main-
taining the School-to-Work Opportunities system
when funds under this Act are no longer available;
(7) describe how the State will ensure opportu-
nities for all students to participate in School-to-
Work Opportunities programs;
(8) describe how the State will ensure opportu-
nities for young women to participate in School-to-
Work Opportunities programs in a manner that
leads to employment in high-performance, high-pay-
ing jobs, including jobs in which women traditionally
have been underrepresented;
(9) describe how the State will ensure opportu-
nities for low achieving students, students with dis-
abilities, and former students who have dropped out
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of school to participate in School-to-Work Opportu-
nities programs;
(10) describe the State’s process for assessing
the skills and knowledge required in career majors,
and awarding skill certificates that take into account
the work of the National Skill Standards Board and
the criteria established under Goals 2000: Educate
America Act;
(11) describe the manner in which the State
will, to the extent feasible, continue and incorporate
programs funded under section 302 of this Act in
the State School-to-Work Opportunities system;
(12) describe the performance standards that
the State intends to meet; and
(13) designate a fiscal agent to receive and be
accountable for School-to-Work Opportunities funds
awarded under this subtitle.
(c) REVIEW
OF APPLICATIONS.—The Secretaries
shall submit each application to a peer review process, de-
termine whether to approve the State’s School-to-Work
Opportunities plan, and, if such determination is affirma-
tive, further determine whether to take one or a combina-
tion of the following actions—
(1) award an implementation grant;
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(2) approve the State’s request, if any, for a
waiver in accordance with the procedures in title V
of this Act; and
(3) inform the State of the opportunity to apply
for further development funds, except that further
development funds may not be awarded to a State
that receives an implementation grant.
(d) AMOUNT OF GRANT.—The Secretaries shall es-
tablish the minimum and maximum amounts available for
an implementation grant, and shall determine the actual
amount granted to any State based on such criteria as
the scope and quality of the plan and the number of pro-
jected program participants.
(e) STATE IMPLEMENTATION ACTIVITIES.—Funds
awarded under this section shall be expended by a State
only for activities undertaken to implement the State’s
School-to-Work Opportunities system, which may in-
clude—
(1) recruiting and providing assistance to em-
ployers to provide work-based learning for students;
(2) conducting outreach activities to promote
and support collaboration in School-to-Work Oppor-
tunities programs by businesses, labor organizations,
and other organizations;
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(3) providing training for teachers, employers,
workplace mentors, counselors, and others;
(4) providing labor market information to local
partnerships that is useful in determining which
high-skill, high-wage occupations are in demand;
(5) designing or adapting model curricula that
can be used to integrate academic and vocational
learning, school-based and work-based learning, and
secondary and postsecondary education;
(6) designing or adapting model work-based
learning programs and identifying best practices;
and
(7) conducting outreach activities and providing
technical assistance to other States that are develop-
ing or implementing School-to-Work Opportunities
systems.
(f) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS TO PARTNERSHIPS.—A
State shall award subgrants to partnerships, according to
criteria established by the State, that total no less than
65 per centum of the sums awarded to it under this sec-
tion in the first year, 75 per centum of such sums in the
second year, and 85 per centum of such sums in each year
thereafter.
(g) STATE SUBGRANTS TO PARTNERSHIPS.—
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(1) APPLICATION.—A partnership that seeks a
subgrant to carry out a local School-to-Work Oppor-
tunities program shall submit an application to the
State that—
(A) describes how the program would in-
clude the basic program components and other-
wise meet the requirements of title I of this
Act;
(B) sets forth measurable program goals
and outcomes;
(C) describes the local strategies and time-
tables to provide School-to-Work Opportunities
program opportunities for all students; and
(D) provides such other information as the
State may require.
(2) ALLOWABLE
ACTIVITIES.—A partnership
shall expend funds awarded under this section only
for activities undertaken to carry out School-to-Work
Opportunities programs as defined in this Act, and
such activities may include—
(A) recruiting and providing assistance to
employers to provide the work-based learning
components in the School-to-Work Opportuni-
ties program;
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(B) establishing consortia of employers to
support the School-to-Work Opportunities pro-
gram and provide access to jobs related to stu-
dents’ career majors;
(C) 
supporting 
or 
establishing
intermediaries to perform the activities de-
scribed in section 104 and to provide assistance
to students in obtaining jobs and further edu-
cation and training;
(D) designing or adapting school curricula
that can be used to integrate academic and vo-
cational learning, school-based and work-based
learning, and secondary and postsecondary edu-
cation;
(E) providing training to work-based and
school-based staff on new curricula, student as-
sessments, student guidance, and feedback to
the school regarding student performance;
(F) establishing in schools participating in
a School-to-Work Opportunities program a
graduation assistance program to assist at-risk
and low-achieving students in graduating from
high school, enrolling in postsecondary edu-
cation or training, and finding or advancing in
jobs;
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(G) conducting or obtaining an indepth
analysis of the local labor market and the ge-
neric and specific skill needs of employers to
identify high-demand, high-wage careers to
target;
(H) integrating work-based and school-
based learning into existing job training pro-
grams for youth who have dropped out of
school;
(I) establishing or expanding school-to-ap-
prenticeship programs in cooperation with reg-
istered apprenticeship agencies and apprentice-
ship sponsors; and
(J) assisting participating employers, in-
cluding small- and medium-size businesses, to
identify and train workplace mentors and to de-
velop work-based learning components.
TITLE III—FEDERAL IMPLEMENTATION
GRANTS TO PARTNERSHIPS
SEC. 301. PURPOSE.
The purposes of this title are—
(1) to authorize the Secretaries to award com-
petitive grants to partnerships in States that have
not received an implementation grant under section
212, in order to provide funding for communities
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that have built a sound planning and development
base for School-to-Work Opportunities programs and
are ready to begin implementing a local School-to-
Work Opportunities program; and
(2) to authorize the Secretaries to award com-
petitive grants to implement School-to-Work Oppor-
tunities programs in high poverty areas of urban
and rural communities to provide support for a com-
prehensive range of education, training, and support
services for youth residing in designated high pov-
erty areas.
SEC. 302. FEDERAL IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS TO PART-
NERSHIPS.
(a) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretaries may award
School-to-Work Opportunities implementation grants to
partnerships in States that have not received an imple-
mentation grant under section 212, according to competi-
tive criteria established by the Secretaries.
(b) APPLICATION PROCEDURE.—A partnership that
desires to receive a direct Federal grant under this section
shall submit an application to the Secretaries in accord
with procedures specified by the Secretaries, but before
the partnership submits the application to the Secretaries
it shall first submit the application to the State for review
and comment.
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SEC. 303. SCHOOL-TO-WORK OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM
GRANTS IN HIGH POVERTY AREAS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—From the funds reserved under
section 505(b), the Secretaries are authorized to award
grants to implement School-to-Work Opportunities pro-
grams, that include the basic program components and
otherwise meet the requirements of title I of this Act, in
high poverty areas, as provided in this section, of urban
and rural communities, in order to provide support for a
comprehensive range of education, training, and support
services for youth residing in such areas. The Secretaries
are authorized to award such grants according to criteria
established by the Secretaries, except that the Secretaries
shall not award a grant under this section to a School-
to-Work Opportunities program unless the Secretaries de-
termine after consultation with the State and partnership
that it is in accord with approved State and local plans,
if any.
(b) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the
term ‘‘high poverty area’’ means an urban census tract,
a nonmetropolitan county, a Native American Indian res-
ervation, or an Alaska Native village, with a poverty rate
of 30 per centum or more, as determined by the Bureau
of the Census.
(c) ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES.—Funds awarded under
this section may be expended for activities such as those
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that support school-based job specialists to assist students
in obtaining employment, and that recruit employers and
assist them to develop work-based learning opportunities
for students.
(d) USE OF FUNDS.—Funds available under this sec-
tion may be awarded in combination with funds appro-
priated for the Youth Fair Chance Program.
TITLE IV—NATIONAL PROGRAMS
SEC. 
401. 
RESEARCH, 
DEMONSTRATION, 
AND 
OTHER
PROJECTS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—With funds reserved under section
505(c), the Secretaries shall conduct research and develop-
ment and establish a program of experimental and dem-
onstration projects, to further the purposes of this Act.
(b) ADDITIONAL USE OF FUNDS.—Funds reserved
under section 505(c) may also be used for programs or
services authorized under any other provision of this Act
that are most appropriately administered at the national
level and that will operate in, or benefit more than, one
State.
SEC. 402. PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES AND EVALUATION.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries, in collaboration
with the States, shall by grants, contracts, or otherwise,
establish a system of performance measures for assessing
State and local programs regarding—
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(1) progress in the development and implemen-
tation of State plans that include the basic program
components and otherwise meet the requirements of
title I;
(2) participation in School-to-Work Opportuni-
ties programs by employers, schools, and students;
(3) progress in developing and implementing
strategies for addressing the needs of in-school and
out-of-school, at-risk youth;
(4) student outcomes, including—
(A) academic learning gains;
(B) staying in school and attaining a high
school diploma, skill certificate, and college
degree;
(C) placement and retention in further
education or training, particularly in the stu-
dent’s career major; and
(D) job placement, retention, and earnings,
particularly in the student’s career major; and
(5) the extent to which the program has met
the needs of employers.
(b) EVALUATION.—The Secretaries shall conduct a
national evaluation of School-to-Work Opportunities pro-
grams funded under this Act that will track and assess
the progress of implementation of State and local pro-
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grams and their effectiveness based on measures such as
those described in subsection (a).
(c) REPORTS.—Each State shall provide periodic re-
ports, at such intervals as the Secretaries determine, con-
taining information described in paragraphs (1) through
(4) of subsection (a).
SEC. 403. TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.
(a) PURPOSE.—The Secretaries shall work in co-
operation with the States, employers and their associa-
tions, schools, labor organizations, and community organi-
zations to increase their capacity to develop and imple-
ment effective School-to-Work Opportunities programs.
(b) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—The Secretaries shall
provide, through grants, contracts, or other arrange-
ments—
(1) training, technical assistance, and other ac-
tivities that will:
(A) enhance the skills, knowledge, and ex-
pertise of the personnel involved in planning
and implementing State and local School-to-
Work Opportunities programs; and
(B) improve the quality of services pro-
vided to individuals served under this Act;
(2) assistance to States and partnerships in
order to integrate resources available under this Act
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with resources available under other Federal, State,
and local authorities;
(3) assistance to States and partnerships to re-
cruit employers to provide the work-based learning
component of School-to-Work Opportunities pro-
grams.
(c) PEER REVIEW.—The Secretaries may use funds
under section 505(c) for the peer review of State applica-
tions and plans under section 212 and applications under
title III of this Act.
TITLE V—GENERAL PROVISIONS
SEC. 501. STATE REQUEST AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR A
WAIVER OF STATUTORY AND REGULATORY
REQUIREMENTS.
(a) STATE REQUEST FOR WAIVER.—A State with an
approved plan may, at any point during the development
or implementation of a School-to-Work Opportunities pro-
gram, request a waiver of one or more statutory or regu-
latory provisions from the Secretaries in order to carry
out the purposes of the Act.
(b) PARTNERSHIP REQUEST FOR WAIVER.—A part-
nership that seeks a waiver of any of the laws specified
in sections 502 and 503 shall submit an application for
such waiver to the State, and the State shall determine
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whether to submit the application for a waiver to the Sec-
retaries.
(c) WAIVER CRITERIA.—The request by the State
shall meet the criteria contained in section 502 or section
503 and shall specify the laws or regulations referred to
in those sections that the State wants waived.
SEC. 502. WAIVERS OF STATUTORY AND REGULATORY RE-
QUIREMENTS BY THE SECRETARY OF EDU-
CATION.
(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) Except as provided in sub-
section (c), the Secretary of Education may waive any re-
quirement of any statute listed in subsection (b) or of the
regulations issued under such statute for a State that re-
quests such a waiver—
(A) if, and only to the extent that, the Sec-
retary of Education determines that such require-
ment impedes the ability of the State or a partner-
ship to carry out the purposes of this Act;
(B) if the State waives, or agrees to waive,
similar requirements of State law; and
(C) if the State—
(i) has provided all partnerships, and local
educational agencies participating in a partner-
ship, in the State with notice and an oppor-
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(4) the Emergency Immigrant Education Act of
1984 (title IV, part D of the Elementary and Sec-
ondary Education Act of 1965);
(5) the Drug-Free Schools and Communities
Act of 1986 (title V of the Elementary and Second-
ary Education Act of 1965); and
(6) the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied
Technology Education Act.
(c) WAIVERS NOT AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of
Education may not waive any statutory or regulatory re-
quirement of the programs listed in subsection (b) relating
to—
(1) the basic purposes or goals of the affected
programs;
(2) maintenance of effort;
(3) comparability of services;
(4) the equitable participation of students at-
tending private schools;
(5) parental participation and involvement;
(6) the distribution of funds to State or to local
educational agencies;
(7) the eligibility of an individual for participa-
tion in the affected programs;
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(8) public health or safety, labor standards,
civil rights, occupational safety and health, or envi-
ronmental protection; or
(9) prohibitions or restrictions relating to the
construction of buildings or facilities.
(d) TERMINATION OF WAIVERS.—The Secretary of
Education shall periodically review the performance of any
State or partnership for which the Secretary of Education
has granted a waiver and shall terminate the waiver under
this section if the Secretary determines that the perform-
ance of the State, partnership, or local educational agency
affected by the waiver has been inadequate to justify a
continuation of the waiver, or the State fails to waive simi-
lar requirements of State law as required or agreed to in
accord with section 502(a)(1)(B).
SEC. 503. WAIVERS OF STATUTORY AND REGULATORY RE-
QUIREMENTS BY THE SECRETARY OF LABOR.
(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) Except as provided in sub-
section (c), the Secretary of Labor may waive any require-
ment of any statutory provisions listed in subsection (b)
or of the regulations issued under such statutory provi-
sions for a State that requests such a waiver—
(A) if, and only to the extent that, the Sec-
retary of Labor determines that such requirement
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impedes the ability of the State or a partnership to
carry out the purposes of this Act;
(B) if the State waives, or agrees to waive,
similar requirements of State law; and
(C) if the State—
(i) has provided all partnerships in the
State with notice and an opportunity to com-
ment on the State’s proposal to seek a waiver;
and
(ii) has submitted the comments of the
partnerships to the Secretary of Labor.
(2) The Secretary of Labor shall act promptly on any
request submitted pursuant to paragraph (1).
(3) Each waiver approved pursuant to this subsection
shall be for a period not to exceed five years, except that
the Secretary of Labor may extend such period if the Sec-
retary of Labor determines that the waiver has been effec-
tive in enabling the State or partnership to carry out the
purposes of this Act.
(b) INCLUDED PROGRAMS.—The statutory provisions
subject to the waiver authority of this section are as fol-
lows—
(1) section 106(b)(4) (performance standards),
section 107 (selection of service providers), section
108 (limitation on certain costs), section 141 (gen-
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eral program requirements), and section 142 (bene-
fits) of the Job Training Partnership Act, except
that section 141(c) and section 141(q) shall not be
waived;
(2) section 123 of the Job Training Partnership
Act (State education coordination and grants);
(3) part B of title II of the Job Training Part-
nership Act (Summer Youth Employment and
Training Programs);
(4) part C, title II of the Job Training Partner-
ship Act (Youth Training Program), except that sec-
tion 263 (eligibility for services) shall not be waived;
and
(5) part A (Employment and Training Pro-
grams for Native Americans and Migrant and Sea-
sonal Farmworkers), part B (Job Corps), and part
H (Youth Fair Chance Program) of title IV of the
Job Training Partnership Act.
(c) WAIVERS NOT AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of
Labor may not waive any statutory or regulatory require-
ment of the programs listed in subsection (b) relating to—
(1) the basic purposes or goals of the affected
programs;
(2) the eligibility of an individual for participa-
tion in the affected programs;
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(3) the allocation of funds under the affected
programs;
(4) public health or safety, labor standards,
civil rights, occupational safety and health, or envi-
ronmental protection;
(5) maintenance of effort; or
(6) prohibitions or restrictions relating to the
construction of buildings or facilities.
(d) TERMINATION OF WAIVERS.—The Secretary of
Labor shall periodically review the performance of any
State or partnership for which the Secretary of Labor has
granted a waiver and shall terminate the waiver under this
section if the Secretary determines that the performance
of the State or partnership affected by the waiver has been
inadequate to justify a continuation of the waiver, or the
State fails to waive similar requirements of State law as
required or agreed to in accord with section 503(a)(1)(B).
SEC. 504. SAFEGUARDS.
The following safeguards shall apply to School-to-
Work Opportunities programs under this Act:
(1) No student shall displace any currently em-
ployed worker (including a partial displacement,
such as a reduction in the hours of non-overtime
work, wages, or employment benefits).
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(2) No School-to-Work Opportunities program
shall impair existing contracts for services or collec-
tive bargaining agreements, except that no program
under this Act that would be inconsistent with the
terms of a collective bargaining agreement shall be
undertaken without the written concurrence of the
labor organization and employer concerned.
(3) No student shall be employed or job open-
ing filled—
(A) when any other individuals is on tem-
porary layoff from the participating employer,
with the clear possibility of recall, from the
same or any substantially equivalent job; or
(B) when the employee has terminated the
employment of any regular employer or other-
wise reduced its workforce with the intention of
filling the vacancy so created with a student.
(4) Students shall be provided with adequate
and safe equipment and a safe and healthful work-
place in conformity with all health and safety stand-
ards of Federal, State, and local law.
(5) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to
modify or affect any Federal or State law prohibit-
ing discrimination on the basis of race, religion,