Community-Based Workforce Development Act
Bill: S.5308 | Sponsor: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. (D-PA)
Policy area: Labor and Employment

Summary:
Community-Based Workforce Development Act
This bill provides grants to expand workforce training programs for high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry sectors.

To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to award grants 
to States to develop, convene, expand, or implement industry or sector 
                 partnerships, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Community-Based Workforce 
Development Act''.

SEC. 2. SECTORAL EMPLOYMENT THROUGH CAREER TRAINING FOR OCCUPATIONAL 
              READINESS PROGRAM, OR SECTOR PROGRAM.

    Subtitle D of title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 
Act (29 U.S.C. 3221 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:

``SEC. 173. SECTORAL EMPLOYMENT THROUGH CAREER TRAINING FOR 
              OCCUPATIONAL READINESS PROGRAM, OR SECTOR PROGRAM.

    ``(a) In General.--From amounts appropriated under subsection 
(e)(1), and not reserved under subsection (e)(2), the Secretary shall--
            ``(1) use 80 percent of such amounts to award grants under 
        subsection (b) to each State to develop, convene, expand, or 
        implement industry or sector partnerships; and
            ``(2) use 20 percent of such amounts to award grants under 
        subsection (c), on a competitive basis, to eligible industry or 
        sector partnerships for the purposes of expanding workforce 
        development and employment opportunities for high-skill, high-
        wage, or in-demand industry sectors or occupations, as 
        determined by the Secretary.
    ``(b) Formula Grants.--
            ``(1) Distribution of funds.--
                    ``(A) State allotment.--From the amount determined 
                by the Secretary under subsection (a)(1), the Secretary 
                shall allot funds to each State on the basis of the 
                relative allotment the State received under section 
                132(b) for such fiscal year, compared to the total 
                amount allotted to all States under section 132(b) for 
                such fiscal year.
                    ``(B) Local area allocations.--The Governor of the 
                State shall use an amount allotted under subparagraph 
                (A) to provide for the activities described in 
                paragraph (2) by--
                            ``(i) reserving funds for the State board; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) distributing the remainder by--
                                    ``(I) allocating funds to each 
                                local area of the State on the basis of 
                                the relative allocation the local area 
                                received under section 133(b) for such 
                                fiscal year, compared to the total 
                                amount allocated to all local areas in 
                                the State under section 133(b) for such 
                                fiscal year; or
                                    ``(II) allocating funds to local 
                                areas of the State that have the 
                                highest rates of unemployment or low-
                                income individuals, the highest numbers 
                                of dislocated workers, or the highest 
                                numbers of individuals with barriers to 
                                employment, in the State.
            ``(2) Use of funds.--The funds awarded under paragraph (1) 
        may be used by the State board or a local area to--
                    ``(A) develop, convene, or implement eligible 
                industry or sector partnerships, as authorized under 
                section 134(c)(1)(A)(v) or to expand the partnerships;
                    ``(B) regularly convene such industry or sector 
                partnerships in a collaborative structure to identify, 
                develop, improve, expand, or implement training, 
                employment, and growth opportunities for high-skill, 
                high-wage, or in-demand industry sectors or 
                occupations, including directly providing, or arranging 
                for the provision of, the training or services 
                described in subparagraph (B) or (C) of subsection 
                (c)(3), in connection with those opportunities; and
                    ``(C) strengthen the coordination between eligible 
                industry or sector partnerships and the one-stop 
                partners described in section 121, regarding activities 
                carried out under this subsection and programs 
                administered under subtitle B.
    ``(c) Competitive Grants.--
            ``(1) Grants authorized.--From the amount determined by the 
        Secretary under subsection (a)(2), the Secretary shall award 
        grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible industry or sector 
        partnerships to carry out programs for the purposes described 
        in subsection (a)(2).
            ``(2) Application.--
                    ``(A) Form and procedure.--To receive a grant under 
                this subsection, the lead applicant on behalf of an 
                eligible industry or sector partnership shall submit to 
                the Secretary an application at such time, in such 
                manner, and containing such information as specified by 
                the Secretary, including a description of the training 
                leading to the credentials described in paragraph 
                (3)(B).
                    ``(B) Contents.--An application submitted under 
                paragraph (1) shall contain at a minimum each of the 
                following:
                            ``(i) An identification of the high-skill, 
                        high-wage, or in-demand industry sector or 
                        occupation on which such partnership is 
                        focused.
                            ``(ii) A description of the activities to 
                        be carried out under the grant.
                            ``(iii) A description of the workers that 
                        will be targeted for recruitment as program 
                        participants, how priority of service will be 
                        provided under the grant to unemployed 
                        individuals, low-income individuals, dislocated 
                        workers, or individuals with barriers to 
                        employment (with the 4 types of individuals 
                        referred to in this clause as `covered 
                        individuals'), and how the activities will be 
                        designed to maximize access and eliminate 
                        barriers to entry to training and other related 
                        activities for such covered individuals.
                            ``(iv) A description of other Federal or 
                        non-Federal resources that will be leveraged in 
                        support of the eligible industry or sector 
                        partnership (including through cash or in-kind 
                        contributions from private sector partners).
            ``(3) Uses of funds.--An eligible industry or sector 
        partnership awarded a grant under this subsection shall use 
        such grant funds--
                    ``(A) to engage and regularly convene stakeholders 
                in a collaborative structure to identify, develop, 
                improve, expand, or implement training, employment, and 
                growth opportunities for the high-skill, high-wage, or 
                in-demand industry sector or occupation on which such 
                partnership is focused;
                    ``(B) to directly provide, or arrange for the 
                provision of, high-quality, evidence-based training for 
                the high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry sector 
                or occupation on which such partnership is focused, 
                which shall include training that leads to the 
                attainment of nationally or regionally portable and 
                stackable recognized postsecondary credentials for the 
                industry sector or occupation described in subparagraph 
                (A) and which shall include--
                            ``(i) training services authorized under 
                        section 134(c)(3)(D);
                            ``(ii) apprenticeship programs or pre-
                        apprenticeship programs; or
                            ``(iii) training provided through labor 
                        organizations or joint labor-management 
                        partnerships; and
                    ``(C) to directly provide, or arrange for the 
                provision of, services to help individuals with 
                barriers to employment and other participants complete 
                and successfully transition out of training described 
                in subparagraph (B), which services shall include 
                career services, supportive services, and the provision 
                of needs-related payments authorized under subsections 
                (c)(2), (d)(2), and (d)(3) of section 134.
            ``(4) Priority in selection of grants.--The Secretary shall 
        give priority consideration to applications that demonstrate 
        the ability of the partnership involved to serve eligible 
        individuals in targeted economic regions that--
                    ``(A) are experiencing high poverty;
                    ``(B) have traditionally been underserved by 
                regional economic development and sector partnership 
                activities (including rural areas);
                    ``(C) are facing or at risk of facing significant 
                worker dislocation due to a disruption or change in the 
                regional or State economy or labor market; or
                    ``(D) have high numbers of--
                            ``(i) disadvantaged youth (as defined in 
                        section 127(b)(2)(C)) and disadvantaged adults 
                        (as defined in section 132(b)(1)(B)(v)(IV)); 
                        and
                            ``(ii) unemployed individuals, within the 
                        meaning of section 6(b)(1)(B) of the Wagner-
                        Peyser Act (29 U.S.C. 49e(b)(1)(B)) and 
                        unemployed individuals in areas of substantial 
                        unemployment, within the meaning of section 
                        127(b)(1)(C)(ii)(I).
            ``(5) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Area of substantial unemployment.--The term 
                `area of substantial unemployment' has the meaning 
                given the term in section 127(b)(2)(B).
                    ``(B) Evidence-based.--The term `evidence-based', 
                used with respect to an activity, means an activity 
                that meets the requirements of clause (i) or (ii) of 
                section 8101(21)(A) of the Elementary and Secondary 
                Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801(21)(A)).
                    ``(C) Preapprenticeship program.--The term 
                `preapprenticeship program' means a program that 
                prepares participants for, and articulates to, an 
                apprenticeship program.
                    ``(D) Supportive services.--The term `supportive 
                services' includes--
                            ``(i) the provision of direct support 
                        services (such as child care, transportation, 
                        and mental health and substance use disorder 
                        treatment);
                            ``(ii) assistance in obtaining health 
                        insurance coverage; and
                            ``(iii) assistance in accessing benefits 
                        through the supplemental nutrition assistance 
                        program established under the Food and 
                        Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), 
                        benefits through the special supplemental 
                        nutrition program for women, infants, and 
                        children established by section 17 of the Child 
                        Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786), 
                        housing, and other benefits, as appropriate.
    ``(d) Program Accountability and Evaluation.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall annually measure the 
        performance of grant recipients carrying out activities under 
        grants awarded under this section on--
                    ``(A) the primary indicators of performance covered 
                by clauses (i) through (iv) of section 116(b)(2)(A) and 
                expected levels of performance relating to such 
                indicators; and
                    ``(B) such additional measures as the Secretary 
                determines to be appropriate, which may include 
                measures of skills attainment, wage or career 
                progression, and training-related employment, and 
                additional job quality measures.
            ``(2) Evaluation.--Not later than 2 years after the first 
        award of funds under this section is made the Secretary (acting 
        through the Chief Evaluation Officer) shall design and conduct 
        an evaluation to evaluate the effectiveness of the program 
        carried out under this section.
            ``(3) Publication.--The Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) publish on a publicly accessible website the 
                outcomes for grant recipients on the measurements 
                conducted under paragraph (1) and the evaluation 
                conducted under paragraph (2); and
                    ``(B) submit a report containing the outcomes on 
                the measurements and evaluation to the Committee on 
                Education and Labor of the House of Representatives and 
                the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 
                of the Senate.
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations; Reservations.--
            ``(1) Authorization of appropriations.--There are 
        authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section--
                    ``(A) such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 
                2023;
                    ``(B) such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 
                2024;
                    ``(C) such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 
                2025;
                    ``(D) such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 
                2026;
                    ``(E) such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 
                2027; and
                    ``(F) such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 
                2028.
            ``(2) Reservation of funds.--Of the funds appropriated 
        under paragraph (1) for a fiscal year, the Secretary may 
        reserve not more than 5 percent, which--
                    ``(A) may be used for administration of the program 
                described in this section, in addition to any other 
                funds available for such administration, including 
                providing comprehensive technical assistance, targeted 
                outreach to eligible industry or sector partnerships 
                serving local areas with high unemployment rates or 
                high percentages of low-income individuals, dislocated 
                workers, or individuals with barriers to employment, 
                and oversight to support eligible industry or sector 
                partnerships; and
                    ``(B) shall be used for the measurement, 
                evaluation, publication, and reporting described in 
                subsection (d).
    ``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Apprenticeship.--The term `apprenticeship' means a 
        position in an apprenticeship program.
            ``(2) Apprenticeship program.--The term `apprenticeship 
        program' means an apprenticeship program registered with the 
        Office of Apprenticeship of the Employment and Training 
        Administration of the Department of Labor or a State 
        apprenticeship agency recognized by the Office of 
        Apprenticeship pursuant to the Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly 
        known as the `National Apprenticeship Act'; 50 Stat. 664, 
        chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.).
            ``(3) Eligible industry or sector partnership.--The term 
        `eligible industry or sector partnership' means--
                    ``(A) an industry or sector partnership, which 
                shall, at a minimum, include multiple representatives 
                described in each of clauses (i) through (iii) of 
                paragraph (26)(A) of section 3; or
                    ``(B) a partnership, of multiple entities described 
                in section 3(26) and a State board or local board, that 
                is in the process of establishing an industry or sector 
                partnership described in subparagraph (A) for the 
                purposes of carrying out activities under a grant 
                awarded under this section.
            ``(4) Lead applicant.--The term `lead applicant' means a 
        nonprofit applicant for a grant under this section that is--
                    ``(A) a State board, local board, institution of 
                higher education (as defined in section 101 or 102(c) 
                of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001, 
                1002(c))), joint labor-management partnership, labor 
                organization, industry association, intermediary, or 
                community-based organization; or
                    ``(B) another State or regional nonprofit 
                organization with experience in developing, convening, 
                expanding, and implementing an industry or sector 
                partnership.
    ``(g) Special Rule.--Any funds made available under this section 
that are used to fund an apprenticeship or apprenticeship program shall 
only be used for, or provided to, an apprenticeship or apprenticeship 
program that meets the definition of such term in this section, 
including any funds awarded through grants, or the development, 
implementation, or administration, of an apprenticeship or an 
apprenticeship program.''.

SEC. 3. TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    The table of contents in section 1(b) of the Workforce Innovation 
and Opportunity Act is amended by inserting after the item relating to 
section 172, the following:

``Sec. 173. Sectoral employment through career training for 
                            occupational readiness program, or sector 
                            program.''.
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