Title: COVID–19 Workforce Emergency Response Act
Policy area: Labor and Employment

Summary:
COVID-19 Workforce Emergency Response Act
This bill increases flexibility for state and local agencies to provide continuity of services during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) national emergency.
In particular, the bill allows certain state and local unobligated funds to be used for administrative purposes to carry out local workforce investment activities under one-stop delivery systems if the funds are used to respond to such emergency. (A one-stop delivery system is a system under which entities responsible for administering separate workforce investment, educational, and other human resource programs and funding streams (referred to as one-stop partners) collaborate to create a seamless system of service delivery that will enhance access to the programs' services and improve long-term employment outcomes for individuals receiving assistance.)
The bill also allows the use of certain state reserved unobligated funds for (1) responding to the national emergency, and (2) distributing by the governor of such state to local boards most impacted by the coronavirus for activities related to responding to such emergency.
The Department of Labor must award national dislocated worker grants, with emphasis on state or local areas most impacted by the emergency for activities directly supporting the response to the emergency and related-recovery efforts (e.g., training and temporary employment and certain layoff response activities).

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6402 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6402

To provide State and local workforce systems flexibility and financial 
         support to respond to the COVID-19 national emergency.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 26, 2020

Mr. Levin of Michigan introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                to the Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide State and local workforce systems flexibility and financial 
         support to respond to the COVID-19 national emergency.

    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 ``COVID-19 Workforce Emergency 
Response Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Coronavirus.--The term ``coronavirus'' means 
        coronavirus as defined in section 506 of the Coronavirus 
        Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 
        (Public Law 116-123).
            (2) COVID-19 national emergency.--The term ``COVID-19 
        national emergency'' means the national emergency declared by 
        the President under the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 
        1601 et seq.) on March 13, 2020, with respect to the 
        coronavirus.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Labor.
            (4) WIOA terms.--Except as otherwise provided, the terms in 
        this Act have the meanings given the terms in section 3 of the 
        Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).

SEC. 3. WORKFORCE RESPONSE ACTIVITIES.

    (a) In General.--The purpose of this section is to provide the 
increased flexibility needed for State and local areas to provide 
continuity of services during the COVID-19 national emergency.
    (b) Administrative Costs.--Notwithstanding section 128(b)(4) of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3163(b)(4)), of the 
funds allocated to a local area, including a single State local area, 
under subtitle B of title I of such Act (29 U.S.C. 3151 et seq.) that 
remain unobligated for program year 2019, an amount up to 20 percent 
may be used for the administrative costs of carrying out local 
workforce investment activities under chapter 2 or chapter 3 of 
subtitle B of title I of such Act (29 U.S.C. 3151 et seq.), as long as 
any amount used under this subsection that exceeds the amount 
authorized for administrative costs under section 128(b)(4)(A) of such 
Act (29 U.S.C. 3163(b)(4)) is used to respond to the COVID-19 national 
emergency.
    (c) Rapid Response Activities.--
            (1) Statewide rapid response.--Of the reserved by a 
        Governor under section 128(a) of the Workforce Innovation and 
        Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3163(a)) for statewide activities 
        that remain unobligated for program year 2019, such funds may 
        be used for the statewide rapid response activities described 
        in section 134(a)(2)(A) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 3174(a)(2)(A)) 
        for responding to the COVID-19 national emergency.
            (2) Local boards.--Of the funds reserved by a Governor 
        under section 133(a)(2) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 3173(a)(2)) that 
        remain unobligated for program year 2019, such funds may be 
        distributed by the Governor not later than 30 days after the 
        date of enactment of this Act to local boards most impacted by 
        the coronavirus, at the determination of the Governor, for 
        rapid response activities related to responding to the COVID-19 
        national emergency.

SEC. 4. NATIONAL DISLOCATED WORKER GRANTS.

    (a) COVID-19 National Emergency Response.--
            (1) In general.--From the funds made available under this 
        section, the Secretary shall award national dislocated worker 
        grants in accordance with section 170 of the Workforce 
        Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3225) to respond to 
        the COVID-19 national emergency.
            (2) Uses of funds.--Any grant awarded under this section 
        shall used for activities directly supporting the response to 
        the COVID-19 national emergency, and recovery efforts related 
        to such emergency, which shall include the following:
                    (A) Training and temporary employment.--Training 
                and temporary employment to respond to the COVID-19 
                national emergency, such as positions or assignments--
                            (i) delivering medicine, food, or other 
                        supplies to older individuals, individuals with 
                        disabilities, and other individuals with 
                        respiratory conditions and other chronic 
                        medical disorders;
                            (ii) helping set up quarantine areas and 
                        providing assistance to quarantined 
                        individuals, including transportation;
                            (iii) organizing and coordinating recovery, 
                        quarantine, or other related activities;
                            (iv) cleaning public buildings, public 
                        transportation facilities or equipment, or 
                        sanitizing quarantine or treatment areas after 
                        their use, or other related cleanup or 
                        sanitizing activities; and
                            (v) in the sector directly responding to 
                        the COVID-19 national emergency such as 
                        childcare, health care, public service, and 
                        transportation.
                    (B) Layoff response.--Activities responding to 
                layoffs of 50 or more individuals laid off by one 
                employer, or areas where there are significant layoffs 
                that significantly increase unemployment in a given 
                community, such as in the hospitality, transportation, 
                manufacturing, and retail industry sectors or 
                occupations.
    (b) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary 
shall give priority to State or local areas most impacted by the COVID-
19 national emergency as determined by the Secretary.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry this section $345,000,000 to remain available 
until expended through fiscal year 2022.

SEC. 5. GENERAL PROVISIONS.

    (a) Supplement and Not Supplant.--Any funds made available under 
this Act shall supplement and not supplant State or local public funds 
that would, in the absence of the funds under this Act, be made 
available for employment and training programs or other activities 
funded under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
3101 et seq.).
    (b) Evaluations.--Each activity carried out under this Act shall be 
subject to--
            (1) performance accountability as described in section 116 
        of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
        3141); and
            (2) rigorous evaluation using research approaches 
        appropriate to the level of development and maturity of the 
        activity, including random assignment or quasi-experimental 
        impact evaluations, implementation evaluations, pre-
        experimental studies, and feasibility studies.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as may be necessary for the Secretary for the 
administration of this Act.
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