To establish a grant program for domestic maritime workforce training and education, and for other purposes.
Bill: H.R.987 | Sponsor: Rep. Garcia, Sylvia R. (D-TX)
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
This bill authorizes the Department of Transportation (DOT) to award maritime career training grants to institutions of higher education and postsecondary vocational institutions for the purpose of developing, offering, or improving educational or career training programs for American workers related to the maritime workforce.
Each awarded grant may not exceed $20 million.
DOT must award grants based on

To establish a grant program for domestic maritime workforce training 
                 and education, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE FOR DOMESTIC MARITIME WORKFORCE 
              TRAINING AND EDUCATION.

    Section 54102 of title 46, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``of Transportation'';
            (2) in subsection (b), in the subsection heading, by 
        striking ``Assistance'' and inserting ``Cooperative 
        Agreements'';
            (3) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d);
            (4) in subsection (d), as redesignated by paragraph (2), by 
        adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the Secretary 
        of Transportation.''; and
            (5) by inserting after subsection (b) the following:
    ``(c) Grant Program.--
            ``(1) Definition of eligible institution.--In this 
        subsection, the term `eligible institution' means an 
        institution of higher education (as defined in section 102 of 
        the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002)) that offers 
        a 2-year program of study, a 1-year program of training, or is 
        a postsecondary vocational institution.
            ``(2) Grant authorization.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the 
                date of enactment of the Maritime Administration 
                Authorization and Improvement Act, the Secretary may 
                award maritime career training grants to eligible 
                institutions for the purpose of developing, offering, 
                or improving educational or career training programs 
                for American workers related to the maritime workforce.
                    ``(B) Guidelines.--Not later than 1 year after the 
                date of enactment of the Maritime Administration 
                Authorization and Improvement Act, the Secretary 
                shall--
                            ``(i) promulgate guidelines for the 
                        submission of grant proposals under this 
                        subsection; and
                            ``(ii) publish and maintain such guidelines 
                        on the website of the Department of 
                        Transportation.
            ``(3) Limitations.--The Secretary may not award a grant 
        under this subsection in an amount that is more than 
        $20,000,000.
            ``(4) Required information.--
                    ``(A) In general.--An eligible institution that 
                desires to receive a grant under this subsection shall 
                submit to the Secretary a grant proposal that includes 
                a detailed description of--
                            ``(i) the specific project for which the 
                        grant proposal is submitted, including the 
                        manner in which the grant will be used to 
                        develop, offer, or improve an educational or 
                        career training program that is suited to 
                        maritime industry workers;
                            ``(ii) the extent to which the project for 
                        which the grant proposal is submitted will meet 
                        the educational or career training needs of 
                        maritime workers in the community served by the 
                        eligible institution;
                            ``(iii) the extent to which the project for 
                        which the grant proposal is submitted fits 
                        within any overall strategic plan developed by 
                        an eligible community; and
                            ``(iv) any previous experience of the 
                        eligible institution in providing maritime 
                        educational or career training programs.
                    ``(B) Community outreach required.--In order to be 
                considered by the Secretary, a grant proposal submitted 
                by an eligible institution under this subsection 
                shall--
                            ``(i) demonstrate that the eligible 
                        institution--
                                    ``(I) reached out to employers to 
                                identify--
                                            ``(aa) any shortcomings in 
                                        existing maritime educational 
                                        and career training 
                                        opportunities available to 
                                        workers in the community; and
                                            ``(bb) any future 
                                        employment opportunities within 
                                        the community and the 
                                        educational and career training 
                                        skills required for workers to 
                                        meet the future maritime 
                                        employment demand; and
                                    ``(II) reached out to other 
                                similarly situated institutions in an 
                                effort to benefit from any best 
                                practices that may be shared with 
                                respect to providing maritime 
                                educational or career training programs 
                                to workers eligible for training; and
                            ``(ii) include a detailed description of--
                                    ``(I) the extent and outcome of the 
                                outreach conducted under clause (i);
                                    ``(II) the extent to which the 
                                project for which the grant proposal is 
                                submitted will contribute to meeting 
                                any shortcomings identified under 
                                clause (i)(I)(aa) or any maritime 
                                educational or career training needs 
                                identified under clause (i)(I)(bb); and
                                    ``(III) the extent to which 
                                employers, including small- and medium-
                                sized firms within the community, have 
                                demonstrated a commitment to employing 
                                workers who would benefit from the 
                                project for which the grant proposal is 
                                submitted.
            ``(5) Criteria for award of grants.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to the appropriation of 
                funds, the Secretary shall award a grant under this 
                subsection based on--
                            ``(i) a determination of the merits of the 
                        grant proposal submitted by the eligible 
                        institution to develop, offer, or improve 
                        maritime educational or career training 
                        programs to be made available to workers;
                            ``(ii) an evaluation of the likely 
                        employment opportunities available to workers 
                        who complete a maritime educational or career 
                        training program that the eligible institution 
                        proposes to develop, offer, or improve;
                            ``(iii) an evaluation of prior demand for 
                        training programs by workers in the community 
                        served by the eligible institution, as well as 
                        the availability and capacity of existing 
                        maritime training programs to meet future 
                        demand for training programs; and
                            ``(iv) any prior designation of an 
                        institution as a Center of Excellence for 
                        Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and 
                        Education.
                    ``(B) Matching requirements.--A grant awarded under 
                this subsection may not be used to satisfy any private 
                matching requirement under any other provision of law.
            ``(6) Public report.--Not later than December 15 in each of 
        the calendar years 2021 through 2023, the Secretary shall make 
        available on a publically available website a report and 
        provide a briefing to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
        Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on 
        Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
        Representatives--
                    ``(A) describing each grant awarded under this 
                subsection during the preceding fiscal year; and
                    ``(B) assessing the impact of each award of a grant 
                under this subsection in a fiscal year preceding the 
                fiscal year referred to in subparagraph (A) on workers 
                receiving training.
            ``(7) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this subsection 
        $200,000,000.''.
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