Investing in Tomorrow's Workforce Act of 2021
Bill: S.1212 | Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. (D-IL)
Policy area: Labor and Employment

Summary:
Investing in Tomorrow's Workforce Act of 2021
This bill (1) directs the Department of Labor, beginning after the earlier of submission of the Government Accountability Office's study on automation or October 1, 2022, to award grants to eligible partnerships to support demonstration and pilot projects relating to the training needs of workers who are, or are likely to become, dislocated workers as a result of automation; (2) expands training programs for such workers, including activities that prepare the individuals for occupations in the technology sector; (3) authorizes the award of national dislocated worker grants to provide employment and training assistance to workers affected by advances in automation technology; and (4) expands funding for national dislocated worker grants.

To address the needs of workers in industries likely to be impacted by 
                     rapidly evolving technologies.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Investing in Tomorrow's Workforce 
Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) In 2014, the United States spent just 0.1 percent of 
        the Nation's Gross Domestic Product on labor market policies, 
        less than half of what the United States spent on labor market 
        policies 30 years ago.
            (2) The number of workers receiving federally supported 
        training has declined in the past 3 decades as advances in 
        technology have simultaneously shifted labor market demand over 
        time.
            (3) Job losses from automation are more likely to impact 
        women, people of color, and workers making less than $40,000 
        annually.
            (4) The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated trends in 
        automation, with 43 percent of businesses in the World Economic 
        Forum's Future of Jobs survey indicating they plan to reduce 
        their workforce as a result of technology integration.
            (5) Strong Federal investment in expanding training 
        services for workers whose jobs may be lost due to automation 
        could prepare the United States workforce to better adapt to 
        changes in the labor market and enter into skilled positions in 
        technologically oriented occupations and industries.
            (6) A focus on preparing the workforce of the United States 
        for jobs that utilize advanced technologies could grow wages, 
        increase economic productivity, and boost the competitiveness 
        of the United States.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Automation.--The term ``automation'' means a device, 
        process, or system that functions without continuous input from 
        an operator, including--
                    (A) advanced technologies, such as--
                            (i) data collection, classification 
                        processing, and analytics; and
                            (ii) 3-D printing, digital design and 
                        simulation, and digital manufacturing;
                    (B) robotics, including collaborative robotics, and 
                worker augmentation technology;
                    (C) autonomous vehicle technology; or
                    (D) autonomous machinery technology.
            (2) Dislocated worker.--The term ``dislocated worker'' has 
        the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Workforce 
        Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
            (3) In-demand industry sector or occupation.--The term 
        ``in-demand industry sector or occupation'' has the meaning 
        given the term in section 3 of that Act.
            (4) Integrated education and training.--The term 
        ``integrated education and training'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 203 of that Act (29 U.S.C. 3272).
            (5) Eligible partnership.--The term ``eligible 
        partnership'' means an industry or sector partnership, as 
        defined in section 3 of that Act, except that--
                    (A) for purposes of applying paragraph (26)(A)(iii) 
                of that section, the term ``institution of higher 
                education'' has the meaning given the term in section 
                101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
                1001); and
                    (B) the partnership shall include, in addition to 
                the representatives described in clauses (i) through 
                (iii) of paragraph (26)(A) of that section, 
                representatives of--
                            (i) a State workforce development board or 
                        a local workforce development board; and
                            (ii) an economic development organization.
            (6) GAO study on automation.--The term ``GAO study on 
        automation'' means the study on automation conducted by the 
        Comptroller General of the United States, as directed in House 
        Report 116-450 (incorporated in the explanatory statement 
        regarding the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 
        116-260) in accordance with section 4 of such Act).
            (7) Local and state workforce development boards.--The 
        terms ``local workforce development board'' and ``State 
        workforce development board'' have the meanings given the terms 
        ``local board'' and ``State board'', respectively, in section 3 
        of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
        3102).
            (8) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Labor.
            (9) Training services.--The term ``training services'' 
        means training services described in section 134(c)(3)(D) of 
        that Act (29 U.S.C. 3174(c)(3)(D)).

SEC. 4. GRANTS TO IMPROVE TRAINING FOR WORKERS IMPACTED BY AUTOMATION.

    (a) Grants Authorized.--
            (1) In general.--From the amounts appropriated under 
        subsection (g) and beginning after the earlier of the date of 
        submission of the GAO study on automation or October 1, 2022, 
        the Secretary of Labor shall award grants, on a competitive 
        basis, to eligible partnerships to support demonstration and 
        pilot projects relating to the training needs of workers who 
        are, or are likely to become, dislocated workers as a result of 
        automation.
            (2) Duration.--A grant awarded under this section shall be 
        for a period not to exceed 4 years.
            (3) Use of report.--The Secretary shall use the GAO study 
        on automation to inform the grant program carried out under 
        this section.
    (b) Applications.--
            (1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
        this section, an eligible partnership shall submit an 
        application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
        containing such information as the Secretary shall reasonably 
        require.
            (2) Contents.--Each application submitted under paragraph 
        (1) shall include a description of the demonstration or pilot 
        project to be completed with the grant funds, which description 
        shall include--
                    (A) a description of the members of the eligible 
                partnership who will be involved in the demonstration 
                or pilot program and the services each member will 
                provide;
                    (B) a description of the training services that 
                will be available to individuals participating in the 
                demonstration or pilot project, which may include--
                            (i) a plan to train dislocated workers from 
                        industries likely to be impacted by automation 
                        and transition the workers into regionally in-
                        demand industry sectors or occupations; and
                            (ii) a plan to partner with local 
                        businesses to retrain, upskill, and re-deploy 
                        workers within an industry as an alternative to 
                        layoffs;
                    (C) a plan to provide workers with technology-based 
                skills training, which may include training to provide 
                skills related to coding, systems engineering, or 
                information technology security, in addition to other 
                skills; and
                    (D) a description of the goals that the eligible 
                partnership intends to achieve to upskill workers and 
                prepare them for in-demand industry sectors or 
                occupations.
    (c) Priorities.--In awarding grants under this section, the 
Secretary shall give priority to--
            (1) eligible partnerships that are located in an area with 
        a high concentration of--
                    (A) industries with a higher likelihood of being 
                impacted by automation; or
                    (B) industries included in in-demand industry 
                sectors, as determined under subparagraphs (A)(i) and 
                (B) of section 3(23) of the Workforce Innovation and 
                Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102(23));
            (2) eligible partnerships--
                    (A) with a plan to provide incumbent worker 
                training--
                            (i) to assist workers in obtaining the 
                        skills necessary to retain employment or avert 
                        layoffs; or
                            (ii) that allows a worker working for an 
                        employer to acquire new skills that allow the 
                        worker to obtain a higher-skilled or higher-
                        paid position with such employer; and
                    (B) that partner with local employers that intend 
                to backfill the pre-training positions of the incumbent 
                workers by hiring new workers to fill those positions;
            (3) eligible partnerships that will provide workers with a 
        transportation stipend, paid sick leave, paid family and 
        medical leave, access to child care services, or other 
        employment benefits; or
            (4) eligible partnerships with a plan to develop a shared 
        training curriculum that can be used across local and regional 
        networks of employers and training providers.
    (d) Use of Funds.--An eligible partnership that receives a grant 
under this section shall use the grant funds for 1 or more of the 
following:
            (1) Providing training services under the demonstration or 
        pilot project, which may include training services that prepare 
        workers for in-demand industry sectors or occupations.
            (2) Providing assistance for employers in developing a 
        staff position for an individual who will be responsible for 
        supporting training services provided under the grant.
            (3) Purchasing equipment or technology necessary for 
        training services provided under paragraph (1).
            (4) Providing job search and other transitional assistance 
        to workers in industries with high rates of job loss.
            (5) Providing a training stipend to workers for training 
        services.
            (6) Providing integrated education and training.
    (e) Report.--Not later than 1 year after an eligible partnership's 
completion of a demonstration or pilot project supported under this 
section, the eligible partnership shall prepare and submit to the 
Secretary a report regarding--
            (1) the number of workers who received training services 
        through the demonstration or pilot project, disaggregated by 
        type of training service and the age, gender, and race of the 
        workers;
            (2) the number of such workers who successfully 
        transitioned into a new position following completion of the 
        training services;
            (3) the number of individuals who successfully transitioned 
        into an in-demand industry sector or occupation following 
        completion of the training services;
            (4) annual earnings data for individuals who have completed 
        training services through the demonstration or pilot project;
            (5) the percentage of individuals described in paragraph 
        (4) who are in education or training activities, or in 
        employment, during the second quarter after exit from the 
        training services;
            (6) the percentage of individuals described in paragraph 
        (4) who are in education or training activities, or in 
        employment, during the fourth quarter after exit from the 
        training services; and
            (7) any practices used by the partnership that should be 
        considered best practices with respect to training workers in 
        industries that have, or are expected to have, high rates of 
        job loss as a result of automation.
    (f) General Requirements.--An eligible partnership that receives a 
grant under this section shall use the grant funds in a manner that is 
consistent with the labor standards and protections described in 
section 181 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
3241) and nondiscrimination provisions described in section 188 of such 
Act (29 U.S.C. 3248).
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary 
for the first 5 full fiscal years beginning after the earlier of the 
date of submission of the GAO study on automation or October 1, 2022.

SEC. 5. EXPANSION OF WORKER TRAINING SERVICES.

    (a) Adult and Dislocated Worker Employment and Training.--Section 
134(d)(1)(A) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
3174(d)(1)(A)) is amended--
            (1) in clause (xi), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in clause (xii), by striking the period and inserting 
        ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(xiii) training programs for individuals 
                        who are, or are likely to become, dislocated 
                        workers as a result of automation, including 
                        activities that prepare the individuals for 
                        occupations in the technology sector.''.
    (b) National Dislocated Worker Grants.--Section 170 of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3225) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)(1)(A), by inserting ``advances in 
        automation technology,'' before ``plant closures,''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--In addition to any funds 
reserved under section 132(a)(2)(A) to carry out this section, there 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $40,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.''.
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