Title: Wind Workforce Modernization and Training Act of 2019
Policy area: Energy

Summary:
Wind Workforce Modernization and Training Act of 2019
This bill provides incentives for programs that prepare students for careers in the wind energy industry.
The Department of Energy (DOE) must establish a program to award grants to community colleges or technical schools that offer wind training programs. Such colleges and schools must use the grants for large pieces of wind component equipment (e.g., towers or blades) for use in training wind technician students.
DOE must also establish a program to prepare veterans for careers in the wind energy industry that shall be modeled off of the Solar Ready Vets pilot program.
In addition, DOE must convene a task force to study the wind technician workforce.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2415 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2415

To amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to establish a grant program for 
           training wind technicians, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 1, 2019

  Ms. Ernst (for herself and Mr. King) introduced the following bill; 
   which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to establish a grant program for 
           training wind technicians, 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 ``Wind Workforce Modernization and 
Training Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. WIND TECHNICIAN TRAINING GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Title XI of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 
U.S.C. 16411 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 1107. WIND TECHNICIAN TRAINING GRANT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Definition of Eligible Entity.--In this section, the term 
`eligible entity' means a community college or technical school that 
offers a wind training program.
    ``(b) Grant Program.--The Secretary shall establish a program under 
which the Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to 
eligible entities to purchase large pieces of wind component equipment 
(such as nacelles, towers, and blades) for use in training wind 
technician students.
    ``(c) Funding.--Of the amounts made available to the Secretary for 
administrative expenses to carry out other programs under the authority 
of the Secretary, the Secretary shall use to carry out this section 
$2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2024.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents for the Energy 
Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-58; 119 Stat. 601) is amended by 
inserting after the item relating to section 1106 the following:

``Sec. 1107. Wind technician training grant program.''.

SEC. 3. VETERANS IN WIND ENERGY.

    (a) In General.--Title XI of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 
U.S.C. 16411 et seq.) (as amended by section 2(a)) is amended by adding 
at the end the following:

``SEC. 1108. VETERANS IN WIND ENERGY.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish a program to 
prepare veterans for careers in the wind energy industry that shall be 
modeled off of the Solar Ready Vets pilot program formerly administered 
by the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense.
    ``(b) Funding.--Of the amounts made available to the Secretary for 
administrative expenses to carry out other programs under the authority 
of the Secretary, the Secretary shall use to carry out this section 
$2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2024.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents for the Energy 
Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-58; 119 Stat. 601) (as amended by 
section 2(b)) is amended by inserting after the item relating to 
section 1107 the following:

``Sec. 1108. Veterans in wind energy.''.

SEC. 4. STUDY AND REPORT ON WIND TECHNICIAN WORKFORCE.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Energy (referred to in this 
section as the ``Secretary'') shall convene a task force comprised of 1 
or more representatives of each of the stakeholders described in 
subsection (b) that shall--
            (1) conduct a study to assess the needs of wind technicians 
        in the workforce;
            (2) create a comprehensive list that--
                    (A) lists each type of wind technician position 
                available in the United States; and
                    (B) describes the skill sets required for each type 
                of position listed under subparagraph (A); and
            (3) not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
        this Act, make publicly available and submit to Congress a 
        report that--
                    (A) describes the results of that study;
                    (B) includes the comprehensive list described in 
                paragraph (2); and
                    (C) provides recommendations--
                            (i) for creating a credentialing program 
                        that may be administered by community colleges, 
                        technical schools, and other training 
                        institutions; and
                            (ii) that reflect best practices for wind 
                        technician training programs, as identified by 
                        representatives of the wind industry.
    (b) Stakeholders Described.--The stakeholders referred to in 
subsection (a) are--
            (1) the Department of Defense;
            (2) the Department of Education;
            (3) the Department of Energy;
            (4) the Department of Labor;
            (5) the Department of Veterans Affairs;
            (6) technical schools and community colleges that have wind 
        technician training programs; and
            (7) the wind industry.
    (c) Funding.--Of the amounts made available to the Secretary for 
administrative expenses to carry out other programs under the authority 
of the Secretary, the Secretary shall use to carry out this section 
$500,000.
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