I 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5975 
To amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to provide for the 
establishment of the Small Business Liaison Pilot Program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 20, 2012 
Ms. BONAMICI introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to provide 
for the establishment of the Small Business Liaison Pilot 
Program. 
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 ‘‘Workforce Infrastruc-
ture for Skilled Employees Investment Act’’ or the ‘‘WISE 
Investment Act’’. 
SEC. 2. SMALL BUSINESS LIAISON PILOT PROGRAM. 
Section 171 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 
(29 U.S.C. 2916) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
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‘‘(f) SMALL BUSINESS LIAISON PILOT PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT OF SMALL BUSINESS LI-
AISON PILOT PROGRAM.—The Secretary may award 
competitive grants to local boards, community col-
leges, and postsecondary vocational institutions in 
States and outlying areas to promote local economic 
growth and eliminate gaps between the workforce 
skills available and the workforce skills needed in 
local areas or regions. 
‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—To receive a grant under 
this subsection a local board, community college, or 
postsecondary vocational institution in a State or 
outlying area shall submit to the Secretary an appli-
cation in such manner, at such time, and containing 
such information as the Secretary may require. 
‘‘(3) SPECIFICATIONS OF GRANTS.— 
‘‘(A) TIME PERIOD.—A grant shall be used 
over a 36-month period. 
‘‘(B) AMOUNT OF GRANT.—In determining 
the amount of a grant made under this sub-
section, the Secretary may consider— 
‘‘(i) the ability of the grant applicant 
to conduct outreach activities; 
‘‘(ii) the ability of the grant applicant 
to conduct skills gap assessments; 
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‘‘(iii) the extent to which the grant 
applicant works with or, after imple-
menting a strategic skills gap action plan, 
plans to work with small businesses within 
its local area or region; and 
‘‘(iv) any other factor that the Sec-
retary deems appropriate. 
‘‘(C) LIMITATIONS.— 
‘‘(i) A recipient may not receive more 
than one grant under this subsection. 
‘‘(ii) No grant under this subsection 
may be for an amount more than 
$500,000. 
‘‘(iii) The Secretary shall, in deter-
mining whether to award a grant, consider 
the geographic diversity of grant recipi-
ents. 
‘‘(D) USE OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—A local board, 
community college, or postsecondary voca-
tional institution that receives a grant 
under this subsection shall use the grant 
funds to pay for a new or current employee 
to serve as liaison to conduct activities de-
scribed in clause (ii). 
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‘‘(ii) SMALL & LOCAL BUSINESS LIAI-
SON.—The liaison— 
‘‘(I) shall— 
‘‘(aa) prepare a strategic ac-
tion skills gap assessment; 
‘‘(bb) develop a strategic 
skills gap action plan; and 
‘‘(cc) conduct any other ac-
tivity that the Secretary deems 
appropriate for the purposes of 
this subsection; and 
‘‘(II) may— 
‘‘(aa) engage in outreach in 
the local area or region; 
‘‘(bb) conduct business site 
visits, interviews, and assess-
ments; 
‘‘(cc) consult in the imple-
mentation of the skills action 
plan; 
‘‘(dd) complete more than 1 
skills gap action plan; and 
‘‘(ee) consult with the local 
offices of the Small Business Ad-
ministration. 
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‘‘(iii) PROHIBITION.—A grant received 
under this subsection may not be used to 
supplant existing funding or efforts. 
‘‘(E) 
CONFIDENTIALITY
OF
INFORMA-
TION.—The grant recipient may not disclose 
the name, address, or contact information of a 
business, employer, or other person that pro-
vided information to the grant recipient to com-
pile information in the strategic skills gap as-
sessment or strategic skills gap action plan 
without consent of such business, employer, or 
other person. 
‘‘(4) REPORTING.—Each year, the Secretary 
shall report to the Congress— 
‘‘(A) the number of grants awarded under 
this subsection; 
‘‘(B) the recipients of grants awarded 
under this subsection; 
‘‘(C) the activities carried out by each re-
cipient under paragraph (3)(D); and 
‘‘(D) an assessment describing— 
‘‘(i) the success of the program to 
promote local economic growth and elimi-
nate gaps between the workforce skills 
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available and the workforce skills needed in 
local areas or regions; and 
‘‘(ii) any recommendations for reau-
thorization and expansion of the program 
that the Secretary may have. 
‘‘(5) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) COMMUNITY
COLLEGE.—The term 
‘community college’ has the meaning given the 
term in section 312(f) of the Higher Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058(f)). 
‘‘(B) LOCAL AREA.—The term ‘local area’ 
means the labor market immediately sur-
rounding or affected by a local board, commu-
nity college, or postsecondary vocational institu-
tion. 
‘‘(C) POSTSECONDARY VOCATIONAL INSTI-
TUTION.—The term ‘postsecondary vocational 
institution’ has the meaning given the term in 
section 102(c) of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002(c)). 
‘‘(D) REGION.—The term ‘region’ means 2 
or more local areas that comprise a common 
labor market for an industry sector of related 
occupations. 
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‘‘(E) STRATEGIC
SKILLS
GAP
ASSESS-
MENT.—The term ‘strategic skills gap assess-
ment’ means an assessment that— 
‘‘(i) identifies areas of current and ex-
pected demand for labor and skills in a 
specific industry sector of related occupa-
tions that is— 
‘‘(I) producing jobs in the local 
area or region involved; 
‘‘(II) developing emerging jobs in 
the local area or region involved; or 
‘‘(III) suffering chronic worker 
shortages; 
‘‘(ii) identifies the current and ex-
pected supply of labor and skills in that 
sector or group in the local area or region; 
‘‘(iii) identifies gaps between the cur-
rent and expected demand and supply of 
labor and skills in that section or group in 
the local area or region; 
‘‘(iv) contains the results of a survey 
or focus group interviews of employers, 
labor organizations, and other relevant in-
dividuals and organizations in the local 
area or region; and 
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‘‘(v) contains data regarding— 
‘‘(I) specific employment oppor-
tunities offered by industries in the 
local area or region; 
‘‘(II) specific skills desired for 
employment opportunities offered by 
industries in the local area or region; 
‘‘(III) occupations and positions 
in the local area or region that are 
difficult to fill; 
‘‘(IV) specific skills desired for 
occupations and positions in the local 
area or region that are difficult to fill; 
‘‘(V) areas of growth and decline 
among industries and occupations in 
the local area or region; 
‘‘(VI) specific skills desired for 
areas of growth among industries and 
occupations in the local area or re-
gion; and 
‘‘(VII) specific inventories of 
skills 
of 
unemployed 
or 
under-
employed individuals in the local area 
or region. 
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‘‘(F) STRATEGIC
SKILLS
GAP
ACTION 
PLAN.—The term ‘strategic skills gap action 
plan’ means a plan based on the strategic skills 
gap assessment that— 
‘‘(i) identifies— 
‘‘(I) specific barriers to adequate 
supply of labor and skills in demand 
in a specific industry sector of related 
occupations that is producing jobs in 
the local area or region; and 
‘‘(II) activities that will remove 
or alleviate the barriers described in 
subclause (I) that could be under-
taken by the local board, community 
college, or postsecondary vocational 
institution; 
‘‘(ii) specifies how the local board, 
community college, or postsecondary voca-
tional institution may integrate the activi-
ties described in clause (i) within the local 
area or region; and 
‘‘(iii) identifies resources and strate-
gies that may be used in the local area or 
region to address the skills gaps for both 
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unemployed and employed workers in that 
industry sector. 
‘‘(6) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec-
retary such sums as may be necessary to carry out 
this subsection.’’. 
Æ 
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