Demonstrating that Empowerment Makes Opportunities Act
Bill: H.R.4223 | Sponsor: Rep. Davis, Danny K. (D-IL)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Demonstrating that Empowerment Makes Opportunities Act or the DEMO Act
This bill establishes and provides FY2022 funding for demonstration projects that provide education and training for health care occupations to low-income individuals with criminal records. The Department of Health and Human Services must consult with the Department of Labor and the Department of Justice on these projects.
Entities eligible to administer these projects include state, tribal, territorial, and local governments; institutions of higher education; specified health care providers; and other organizations with a demonstrated history of providing health professional training. As part of the projects, entities must provide legal assistance to project participants to address their criminal records and associated employment barriers.

To provide grants for the conduct of demonstration projects designed to 
provide education and training for eligible individuals with an arrest 
or conviction record to enter and follow a career pathway in the health 
   professions through occupations that pay well and are expected to 
  experience a labor shortage or be in high demand, under the health 
 profession opportunity grant program under section 2008 of the Social 
                             Security Act.

    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 ``Demonstrating that Empowerment Makes 
Opportunities Act'' or the ``DEMO Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS TO PROVIDE CAREER PATHWAYS IN 
              THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS FOR CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS WITH AN 
              ARREST OF CONVICTION RECORD.

    Section 2008 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397g) is 
amended by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (e) and inserting 
after subsection (c) the following:
    ``(d) Demonstration Projects To Provide Career Pathways in the 
Health Professions for Certain Individuals With an Arrest or Conviction 
Record.--
            ``(1) Grant authority.--The Secretary, in consultation with 
        the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Education, and the 
        Attorney General, shall award grants in accordance with this 
        subsection to eligible entities to conduct demonstration 
        projects for the purpose of providing education and training 
        for eligible individuals with arrest or conviction records to 
        enter and follow a career pathway in the health professions 
        through occupations that pay well and are expected to 
        experience a labor shortage or be in high demand.
            ``(2) Duration.--A demonstration project shall be conducted 
        under this subsection for not less than 3 years.
            ``(3) Application requirements.--An applicant seeking a 
        grant under this subsection for a demonstration project shall 
        submit to the Secretary an application for the grant, that 
        includes the following:
                    ``(A) A demonstration that the State in which the 
                project is to be conducted has in effect policies or 
                laws that permit certain allied health and behavioral 
                health care credentials to be awarded to people with 
                certain arrest or conviction records (which policies or 
                laws shall include appeals processes and other 
                opportunities to demonstrate rehabilitation to obtain 
                licensure and approval to work in the proposed health 
                careers), and a plan described in the application which 
                will use a legally permitted career pathway to train 
                people with such a record to be trained and employed in 
                such a career.
                    ``(B) A discussion of how the project or future 
                strategic hiring decisions will demonstrate the 
                experience and expertise of the project in working with 
                job seekers who have arrest or conviction records or 
                employers with experience working with people with 
                arrest or conviction records.
                    ``(C) A demonstration that the applicant has 
                experience working with low-income populations, or a 
                description of the plan of the applicant to work with a 
                partner that has the experience.
                    ``(D) An identification of promising innovations or 
                best practices that can be used to provide the 
                training.
                    ``(E) A proof of concept or demonstration that the 
                applicant has done sufficient research on workforce 
                shortage or in-demand jobs for which people with 
                certain types of criminal records can be hired.
                    ``(F) A plan for recruiting students who are 
                eligible individuals into the project.
                    ``(G) A plan for providing post-employment support 
                and ongoing training as part of a career pathway under 
                the project.
            ``(4) Preferences in considering applications.--In 
        considering applications for a grant under this subsection, the 
        Secretary shall give preference to--
                    ``(A) applications submitted by applicants who have 
                completed a demonstration project funded under this 
                section, if an evaluation of the project, which was 
                funded by the Secretary, found the project to have 
                positive outcomes in the categories of--
                            ``(i) graduation and credential attainment;
                            ``(ii) job placement and retention; and
                            ``(iii) evidence of addressing the worker 
                        shortage or in-demand jobs described in the 
                        original application for funding for the 
                        completed demonstration project; and
                    ``(B) applications which have an emergency cash 
                fund to assist project participants financially in 
                emergency situations.
            ``(5) Support to be provided.--
                    ``(A) Required support.--A project for which a 
                grant is made under this subsection shall include 
                access to legal assistance for project participants for 
                the purpose of addressing arrest or conviction records 
                and associated workforce barriers.
                    ``(B) Allowed support.--The goods and services 
                provided under a project for which a grant is made 
                under this subsection may include the following:
                            ``(i) A reserve fund for financial 
                        assistance to project participants in emergency 
                        situations.
                            ``(ii) Assistance with programs and 
                        activities, including legal assistance, deemed 
                        necessary to address arrest or conviction 
                        records as an employment barrier.
            ``(6) Technical assistance.--The Secretary shall provide 
        technical assistance--
                    ``(A) to assist eligible entities in applying for 
                grants under this subsection;
                    ``(B) that is tailored to meet the needs of 
                grantees at each stage of the administration of 
                projects for which grants are made under this 
                subsection; and
                    ``(C) that is tailored to meet the specific needs 
                of eligible entities in carrying out the projects.
            ``(7) Evaluations.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall, by grant, 
                contract, or interagency agreement, conduct rigorous 
                and well-designed evaluations of the demonstration 
                projects for which a grant is made under this 
                subsection, which shall include identification of 
                successful activities for creating opportunities for 
                developing and sustaining, particularly with respect to 
                low-income individuals with arrest or conviction 
                records, a health professions workforce that has 
                accessible entry points, that meets high standards for 
                education, training, certification, and professional 
                development, and that provides increased wages and 
                affordable benefits, including health care coverage, 
                that are responsive to the needs of the workforce.
                    ``(B) Rule of interpretation.--Evaluations 
                conducted pursuant to this paragraph may include a 
                randomized controlled trial, but this paragraph shall 
                not be interpreted to require an evaluation to include 
                such a trial.
            ``(8) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' 
                means any of the following entities that demonstrates 
                in an application submitted under this subsection that 
                the entity has the capacity to fully develop and 
                administer the demonstration project described in the 
                application:
                            ``(i) A local workforce development board 
                        established under section 107 of the Workforce 
                        Innovation and Opportunity Act.
                            ``(ii) A State or territory, a political 
                        subdivision of a State or territory, or an 
                        agency of a State, territory, or such a 
                        political subdivision.
                            ``(iii) An Indian tribe, a tribal 
                        organization, or a tribal college or 
                        university.
                            ``(iv) An institution of higher education 
                        (as defined in the Higher Education Act of 
                        1965).
                            ``(v) A hospital (as defined in section 
                        1861(e)).
                            ``(vi) A skilled nursing facility (as 
                        defined in section 1819(h)(1)(A)).
                            ``(vii) A Federally qualified health center 
                        (as defined in section 1861(aa)(4)).
                            ``(viii) A nonprofit organization described 
                        in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 
                        Code of 1986, a labor organization, or an 
                        entity with shared labor-management oversight, 
                        that has a demonstrated history of providing 
                        health profession training to eligible 
                        individuals.
                            ``(ix) An opioid treatment program (as 
                        defined in section 1861(iii)(2)).
                    ``(B) Eligible individual.--The term `eligible 
                individual' means an individual whose income does not 
                exceed 138 percent of the Federal poverty level.
            ``(9) Appropriation.--Out of any funds in the Treasury of 
        the United States not otherwise appropriated, there are 
        appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this subsection 
        $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2022.''.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendment made by this Act shall take effect on October 1, 
2021.
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