Title: HIRED Act
Policy area: Labor and Employment

Summary:
Helping Individuals with Reemployment and Entrepreneurial Development Act or the HIRED Act
This bill amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to include assistance to dislocated workers through increased outreach about small business opportunities and consultation about starting a small business among the rapid response activities to assist such workers in obtaining reemployment which a state or a state-designated entity provides in the event of a permanent closure or mass layoff at a plant, facility, or enterprise or a natural or other disaster resulting in mass job dislocation.
A state may in such an event allocate up to 10% of funds reserved by the state governor for statewide rapid response activities to provide outreach about small business opportunities and consultation about starting a small business.
This bill amends the definition of "rapid response activities" under such Act to include among state activities to assist dislocated workers the provision of information on and access to training and activities related to entrepreneurship.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 280 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 280

    To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to ensure 
dislocated workers are provided consultation and advice for starting a 
  small business as part the rapid response activities for dislocated 
                                workers.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 4, 2017

 Ms. Stefanik introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to ensure 
dislocated workers are provided consultation and advice for starting a 
  small business as part the rapid response activities for dislocated 
                                workers.

    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 ``Helping Individuals with 
Reemployment and Entrepreneurial Development Act'' or the ``HIRED 
Act''.

SEC. 2. SMALL BUSINESS STARTUP CONSULTATION AND OUTREACH FOR DISLOCATED 
              WORKERS.

    Section 3(51) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 
U.S.C. 3102(51)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ``, which may include 
        training and activities related to entrepreneurship'' before 
        the semicolon;
            (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``and'';
            (3) in subparagraph (E), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting ``; and''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(F) assistance to dislocated workers through 
                increased outreach about small business opportunities 
                and consultation about starting a small business.''.

SEC. 3. FUNDING FOR SMALL BUSINESS CONSULTATION AFTER A PLANT CLOSING 
              OR MASS LAYOFF.

    Section 134(a)(2)(A) of such Act is amended by adding at the end 
the following:
                            ``(iii) Permissible funding after a plant 
                        closure or mass layoff.--In the case of a 
                        permanent closure of or mass layoff at a plant, 
                        facility, or enterprise, or a natural or other 
                        disaster, that results in mass job dislocation, 
                        in order to assist dislocated workers in 
                        obtaining reemployment, a State may allocate up 
                        to 10 percent of the funds reserved under 
                        section 133(a)(2) to provide outreach about 
                        small business opportunities and consultation 
                        about starting a small business.''.
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