I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8583 
To amend the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act to require 
employers who are ordering a plant closing or mass layoff to cover 
the cost of an economic impact study in each impacted unit of local 
government, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 13, 2020 
Mr. DESAULNIER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees 
on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Financial Services, for a pe-
riod to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for con-
sideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifica-
tion Act to require employers who are ordering a plant 
closing or mass layoff to cover the cost of an economic 
impact study in each impacted unit of local government, 
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 ‘‘Justice for Dislocated 
Workers Act’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Oct 31, 2020
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H8583.IH
H8583
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 2(a) of the Worker Adjustment and Retrain-
ing Notification Act (29 U.S.C. 2101(a)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting be-
fore the semicolon at the end the following: ‘‘, 
without regard to the number employees em-
ployed within a single site of employment’’; and 
(B) in subparagraph (B), by inserting be-
fore the semicolon at the end the following: ‘‘, 
without regard to the number employees em-
ployed within a single site of employment’’; 
(2) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘means the permanent’’ 
and inserting the following: ‘‘means—’’ 
‘‘(A) the permanent’’; 
(B) in subparagraph (A), as so designated 
by this paragraph, by striking ‘‘50 or employees 
excluding any part-time employees’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘25 or more full-time employees or 75 or 
more full-time or part-time employees; or’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) a permanent or temporary shutdown 
of a single site of employment of multiple em-
ployers, if such employers contract with a com-
mon employer of the affected employees and if 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Oct 31, 2020
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H8583.IH
H8583
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
such shutdown results in a combined employ-
ment loss during any 30-day period for 50 or 
more employees, excluding any part-time em-
ployees.’’; and 
(3) in paragraph (3)(B), by striking clauses (i) 
and (ii) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(i) at least 33 percent of the employ-
ees (excluding any part-time employees); 
and 
‘‘(ii) 25 or more full-time employees 
or 75 or more full-time or part-time em-
ployees.’’. 
SEC. 3. NOTIFICATION. 
Section 3(a) of the Worker Adjustment and Retrain-
ing Notification Act (29 U.S.C. 2102) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘the State representatives 
for such State,’’ before ‘‘and the chief’’; and 
(B) by striking the period at the end and 
inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:46 Nov 04, 2020
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H8583.IH
H8583
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
‘‘(3) to each Member of Congress representing 
such State or the Congressional district in which 
such unit is located.’’. 
SEC. 4. ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY. 
Section 3 of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining 
Notification Act (29 U.S.C. 2102) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(e) ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A notice served by an em-
ployer under subsection (a) before ordering a plant 
closing or mass layoff shall not be considered valid 
unless, not less than 30 days prior to serving such 
notice, the employer covers the cost of, and ensures 
that each unit of local government within which such 
closing or layoff is to occur completes (directly or 
through a contract), an economic impact study to 
assess the economic impact of such order during the 
1-year period beginning on the first day of such clo-
sure or layoff on such unit, which shall include— 
‘‘(A) a review of the finances of the em-
ployer to determine if the employer is finan-
cially viable (as such term is defined by the 
Secretary of the Treasury) to make the pay-
ments described in paragraph (2), which deter-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Oct 31, 2020
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H8583.IH
H8583
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
mination shall include whether the employer is 
experiencing economic hardship; and 
‘‘(B) in a case in which an employer is not 
experiencing economic hardship, an assessment 
of direct and indirect financial losses (including 
impact on local businesses (such as downstream 
job and supply chain loss and decreases in cus-
tomer base), and impact on tax revenue) that 
will be experienced by such unit. 
‘‘(2) PAYMENT BY EMPLOYER.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In the case of an em-
ployer that is not experiencing an economic 
hardship and that orders a plant closing or 
mass layoff, the employer not later than 30 
days prior to such closure or mass layoff, 
shall— 
‘‘(i) pay to the Impacted Workers 
Fund established under section 505 of the 
Public Works and Economic Development 
Act of 1965 (if such a Fund has been es-
tablished) of the State in which each coun-
ty is located that, in accordance with para-
graph (1)(B), will experience financial 
losses as a result of such order, an amount 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Oct 31, 2020
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H8583.IH
H8583
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
equal to such financial losses to be dis-
persed in accordance with such section; or 
‘‘(ii) in a case in which the Fund de-
scribed in clause (i) has not been estab-
lished, pay to the workforce development 
system (as defined in section 3 of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 
(29 U.S.C. 3102)) of the State in which 
each county is located that, in accordance 
with paragraph (1)(B), will experience fi-
nancial losses as a result of such order, an 
amount equal to such financial losses to be 
dispersed in accordance with such section. 
‘‘(B) PRIVATE RIGHT OF ACTION.—A unit 
of local government aggrieved by an employer 
that violates subparagraph (A), may sue in any 
district court of the United States for any dis-
trict in which the violation is alleged to have oc-
curred, or in which the employer transacts busi-
ness. 
‘‘(3) GUIDANCE
BY
THE
SECRETARY.—Not 
later than 6 months after the date of enactment of 
the Justice for Dislocated Workers Act, the Sec-
retary of Labor shall issue guidance on conducting 
the economic impact studies. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Oct 31, 2020
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H8583.IH
H8583
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
‘‘(4) GRANTS TO COVER THE COST OF ECO-
NOMIC IMPACT STUDIES.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of 
Labor shall award grants to employers subject 
to the requirements of paragraph (1) the cost 
an economic impact study required under such 
paragraph. 
‘‘(B) APPLICATION.—To receive a grant 
under this paragraph, an employer shall submit 
to the Secretary of Labor an application at 
such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may require.’’. 
SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATION AND ENFORCEMENT OF RE-
QUIREMENTS. 
Section 5 of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining 
Notification Act (29 U.S.C. 2104) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1)(A)(i), by inserting 
‘‘twice’’ before ‘‘the average regular’’; and 
(2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘The rem-
edies’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as otherwise provided 
in section 3(e)(2)(B), the remedies’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:12 Oct 31, 2020
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H8583.IH
H8583
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
SEC. 6. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS TO ESTABLISH IM-
PACTED WORKERS FUNDS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Public Works and Economic 
Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3121 et seq.) is 
amended by inserting after section 504 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 505. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS TO ESTABLISH IM-
PACTED WORKERS FUNDS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive funds 
described in section 3(e)(2) of the Worker Adjustment and 
Retraining Notification Act (29 U.S.C. 2102(e)(2)) a 
State shall enter into a cooperative agreement with the 
Secretary under this section. 
‘‘(b) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT CONTENTS.—A co-
operative agreement entered into under subsection (a) 
shall require a participating State to— 
‘‘(1) establish and administer an Impacted 
Workers Fund (in this Act referred to as a ‘Fund’) 
to receive amounts pursuant to section 3(e)(2) of the 
Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act 
(29 U.S.C. 2102(e)(2)); and 
‘‘(2) ensure that amounts deposited into the 
fund are used to support only the jurisdiction of the 
unit of local government for which such amounts are 
deposited (as determined by an economic impact 
study under section 3(e) of the Worker Adjustment 
and 
Retraining 
Notification 
Act 
(29 
U.S.C. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
19:11 Nov 06, 2020
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H8583.IH
H8583
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
2102(e))), including for workforce training, income 
assistance, and wage insurance.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con-
tents in section 1(b) of the Public Works and Economic 
Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3121 note) is 
amended by inserting after the item related to section 504 
the following: 
‘‘Sec. 505. Cooperative agreements to establish Impacted Workers Funds.’’. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
19:11 Nov 06, 2020
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H8583.IH
H8583
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS