I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 998 
To establish an offshore wind career training grant program, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 11, 2021 
Mr. KEATING (for himself, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. PAPPAS, Mr. TONKO, Mr. 
CARBAJAL, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. NORCROSS, Mr. HUFFMAN, 
Ms. BARRAGA´N, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. LYNCH, 
Mr. MCEACHIN, Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. NEAL, 
Ms. KUSTER, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mrs. TRAHAN, Mr. SIRES, and Mr. KIM 
of New Jersey) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on 
Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish an offshore wind career training grant program, 
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 ‘‘Offshore Wind Jobs 
and Opportunity Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. OFFSHORE WIND CAREER TRAINING GRANT PRO-
GRAM. 
The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 
1331 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘SEC. 33. OFFSHORE WIND CAREER TRAINING GRANT PRO-
GRAM. 
‘‘(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—Beginning 360 days 
after the date of the enactment of this section, the Sec-
retary may award offshore wind career training grants to 
eligible entities for the purpose of developing, offering, or 
improving educational or career training programs that 
provide individuals in such programs skills necessary for 
employment in the offshore wind industry. 
‘‘(b) ALLOCATION OF GRANTS.— 
‘‘(1) LIMITATION
ON
GRANT
QUANTITY
AND 
SIZE.—An eligible entity may not be awarded— 
‘‘(A) more than one grant under this sec-
tion for which the eligible entity is the lead ap-
plicant; or 
‘‘(B) a grant under this section in excess 
of $2,500,000. 
‘‘(2) ALLOCATION TO COMMUNITY COLLEGES.— 
Not less than 25 percent of the total amount award-
ed under this section for a fiscal year shall be 
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‘‘(5) Internship programs in a field related to 
offshore wind energy. 
‘‘(6) Customized training in conjunction with 
an existing registered apprenticeship program or 
labor-management partnership. 
‘‘(7) Incumbent worker and career ladder train-
ing and skill upgrading and retraining. 
‘‘(8) The implementation of transitional jobs 
strategies. 
‘‘(9) Curriculum development at the under-
graduate and postgraduate levels. 
‘‘(10) Development and support of offshore 
wind energy major, minor, or certificate programs. 
‘‘(11) Such other activities, as determined by 
the Secretary, to meet the purposes of this section. 
‘‘(e) GRANT PROPOSALS.— 
‘‘(1) SUBMISSION PROCEDURE FOR GRANT PRO-
POSALS.—An eligible entity seeking to receive a 
grant under this section shall submit a grant pro-
posal to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, 
and containing such information as the Secretary 
may require. 
‘‘(2) CONTENT
OF
GRANT
PROPOSALS.—A 
grant proposal submitted to the Secretary under this 
section shall include a detailed description of— 
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‘‘(A) the specific project for which the 
grant proposal is submitted, including the man-
ner in which the grant will be used to develop, 
offer, or improve an educational or career train-
ing program that will provide individuals in 
such program skills necessary for employment 
in the offshore wind industry; 
‘‘(B) any previous experience of the eligible 
entity in providing such educational or career 
training programs; and 
‘‘(C) the extent to which such project will 
meet the educational or career training needs 
identified under subsection (i). 
‘‘(f) CRITERIA FOR AWARD OF GRANTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to appropriations, 
the Secretary shall award grants under this section 
based on an evaluation of— 
‘‘(A) the merits of the grant proposal; 
‘‘(B) the likely employment opportunities 
available to individuals who complete the edu-
cational or career training program that the eli-
gible entity proposes to develop, offer, or im-
prove; 
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‘‘(C) prior demand for such educational or 
career training programs in the community 
served by the eligible entity; and 
‘‘(D) the availability and capacity of exist-
ing educational or career training programs in 
the community to meet future demand for such 
programs. 
‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—Priority in awarding grants 
under this section shall be given to an eligible entity 
that— 
‘‘(A) is— 
‘‘(i) an institute of higher education 
that has formed a partnership with a labor 
organization; or 
‘‘(ii) a labor organization that has 
formed a partnership with an institute of 
higher education; 
‘‘(B) has entered into a memorandum of 
understanding with an employer in the offshore 
wind industry to foster workforce development; 
‘‘(C) is located in an economically dis-
tressed area; 
‘‘(D) focuses on individuals who are— 
‘‘(i) displaced workers (particularly 
workers displaced from the offshore oil and 
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gas, onshore fossil fuel, nuclear energy, or 
fishing industries); 
‘‘(ii) veterans, members of the reserve 
components of the Armed Forces, or 
former members of such reserve compo-
nents; 
‘‘(iii) unemployed; 
‘‘(iv) seeking employment pathways 
out of poverty and into economic self-suffi-
ciency; 
‘‘(v) at-risk youth; or 
‘‘(vi) 
formerly 
incarcerated, 
adju-
dicated, nonviolent offenders; or 
‘‘(E) with respect to an eligible entity that 
is an institution of higher education, has a high 
percentage or number of low-income or minority 
students. 
‘‘(3) GEOGRAPHIC
DISTRIBUTION.—The Sec-
retary shall, to the extent practicable, award grants 
under this section in a manner that provides for a 
reasonable geographic distribution, except that the 
Secretary shall not be required to award grants 
equally among different regions of the United 
States. 
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‘‘(g) MATCHING REQUIREMENTS.—A grant awarded 
under this section may not be used to satisfy any non- 
Federal funds matching requirement under any other pro-
vision of law. 
‘‘(h) GRANTEE DATA COLLECTION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A grantee, with respect to 
the educational or career training program for which 
the grantee received a grant under this section, shall 
collect and report to the Secretary on an annual 
basis the following: 
‘‘(A) The number of participants enrolled 
in the educational or career training program. 
‘‘(B) The number of participants that have 
completed the educational or career training 
program. 
‘‘(C) The services received by such partici-
pants, including a description of training, edu-
cation, and supportive services. 
‘‘(D) The amount spent by the grantee per 
participant. 
‘‘(E) The rate of job placement of partici-
pants in the offshore wind industry or related 
fields. 
‘‘(F) The rate of employment retention— 
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‘‘(i) if the eligible entity is not an in-
stitution of higher education, 1 year after 
completion of the educational or career 
training program; or 
‘‘(ii) if the eligible entity is an institu-
tion of higher education, 1 year after com-
pletion of the educational or career train-
ing program or 1 year after the participant 
is no longer enrolled in such institution of 
higher education, whichever is later. 
‘‘(2) DISAGGREGATION
OF
DATA.—The data 
collected and reported under this subsection shall be 
disaggregated by— 
‘‘(A) race; 
‘‘(B) low-income status; 
‘‘(C) disability; and 
‘‘(D) English language proficiency. 
‘‘(3) ASSISTANCE FROM SECRETARY.—The Sec-
retary shall assist grantees in the collection of data 
under this subsection by making available, where 
practicable, low-cost means of tracking the labor 
market outcomes of participants and by providing 
standardized reporting forms, where appropriate. 
‘‘(i) IDENTIFICATION OF EDUCATIONAL AND CAREER 
TRAINING NEEDS.—Not later than 120 days after the 
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date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary, in 
consultation with the offshore wind industry, eligible enti-
ties, including eligible entities that are community col-
leges, State and local governments, labor organizations, 
and nonprofit organizations, shall identify the educational 
and career training needs of such industry, including 
needs related to construction and installation, engineering, 
manufacturing, operation, and maintenance activities rel-
evant to the offshore wind industry. 
‘‘(j) GUIDELINES.—Not later than 240 days after the 
date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(1) promulgate guidelines for the submission 
of grant proposals under this section, including a list 
of the educational and career training needs identi-
fied under subsection (i); and 
‘‘(2) publish and maintain such guidelines on a 
public website of the Secretary. 
‘‘(k) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 18 
months after the date of the enactment of this section, 
and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit 
a report to the Committee on Natural Resources of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources of the Senate, the Committee on Edu-
cation and Labor of the House of Representatives, and 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pen-
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sions of the Senate on the grant program established by 
this section. The report shall include a description of the 
grantees and the activities for which grantees used a grant 
awarded under this section. 
‘‘(l) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated for purposes of this sec-
tion $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 
2026. 
‘‘(m) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) COMMUNITY COLLEGE.—The term ‘com-
munity college’ has the meaning given the term ‘jun-
ior or community college’ in section 312(f) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058(f)). 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en-
tity’ means an entity that is— 
‘‘(A) an institution of higher education, as 
such term is defined in section 101 of the High-
er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001); or 
‘‘(B) a labor organization. 
‘‘(3) GRANTEE.—The term ‘grantee’ means an 
eligible entity that has received a grant under this 
section. 
‘‘(4) LEAD APPLICANT.—The term ‘lead appli-
cant’ means the eligible entity that is primarily re-
sponsible for the preparation, conduct, and adminis-
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tration of the project for which the grant was award-
ed. 
‘‘(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with 
the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Education, 
and the Secretary of Labor.’’. 
Æ 
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