Title: Offshore Wind Jobs and Opportunity Act
Policy area: Labor and Employment

Summary:
Offshore Wind Jobs and Opportunity Act
This bill authorizes the Department of Energy to award offshore wind career training grants to institutions of higher education or labor organizations to develop, offer, or improve educational or career training programs that provide individuals currently enrolled in those programs with skills necessary for employment in the offshore wind industry.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1769 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1769

To require the Secretary of Energy to establish an offshore wind career 
            training grant program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 10, 2019

 Mr. Markey (for himself, Ms. Collins, and Mr. Carper) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                      Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of Energy to establish an offshore wind career 
            training grant program, 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 ``Offshore Wind Jobs and Opportunity 
Act''.

SEC. 2. OFFSHORE WIND CAREER TRAINING GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
        ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 
                of the Senate;
                    (B) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation of the Senate;
                    (C) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 
                House of Representatives; and
                    (D) the Committee on Natural Resources of the House 
                of Representatives.
            (2) Community college.--The term ``community college'' has 
        the meaning given the term ``junior or community college'' in 
        section 312 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        1058).
            (3) Dislocated worker.--The term ``dislocated worker'' has 
        the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Workforce 
        Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
            (4) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means an 
        entity that is--
                    (A) an institution of higher education; or
                    (B) a labor organization.
            (5) Grant program.--The term ``grant program'' means the 
        grant program established under subsection (d).
            (6) Grantee.--The term ``grantee'' means an eligible entity 
        that has received a grant under this section.
            (7) Individual with a barrier to employment.--The term 
        ``individual with a barrier to employment'' has the meaning 
        given the term in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and 
        Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
            (8) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1001).
            (9) Lead applicant.--The term ``lead applicant'' means the 
        eligible entity that is primarily responsible for the 
        preparation, conduct, and administration of the project for 
        which a grant is awarded under this section.
            (10) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Energy.
            (11) Veteran.--The term ``veteran'' has the meaning given 
        the term in section 101 of title 38, United States Code.
    (b) Identification of Educational and Career Training Needs.--Not 
later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary, in consultation with representatives from the offshore wind 
industry, eligible entities, including eligible entities that are 
community colleges, State and local governments, labor organizations, 
ports, and nonprofit organizations, shall identify the educational and 
career training needs with respect to the offshore wind industry, 
including needs relating to manufacturing, construction, installation, 
operation, engineering training and education, and maintenance 
activities with respect to the offshore wind industry.
    (c) Guidelines.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall--
            (1) issue guidelines for the submission of grant proposals 
        under this section, which shall include a list of the 
        educational and career training needs identified under 
        subsection (b); and
            (2) publish and maintain the guidelines described in 
        paragraph (1) on a public website of the Secretary.
    (d) Establishment of Grant Program.--Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a 
grant program under which the Secretary may award offshore wind career 
training grants to eligible entities for the purpose of developing, 
offering, or improving educational or career training programs that 
provide individuals who are enrolled in those programs with skills that 
are necessary for employment in the offshore wind industry.
    (e) Allocation of Grants.--
            (1) Limitation on grant quantity and size.--In carrying out 
        this section, the Secretary may not award to an eligible 
        entity--
                    (A) more than 1 grant for which the eligible entity 
                is the lead applicant; or
                    (B) a grant that is in an amount that is more than 
                $2,500,000.
            (2) Allocation to community colleges.--The Secretary shall 
        ensure that, in a fiscal year, not less than 25 percent of the 
        total amount that the Secretary awards in grants under this 
        section is awarded to eligible entities that are community 
        colleges.
    (f) Partnerships.--An eligible entity seeking to receive a grant 
under this section may partner with 1 or more of the following:
            (1) Another eligible entity, including an eligible entity 
        that is a community college.
            (2) A State or local government.
            (3) A nonprofit organization.
    (g) Use of Grant.--An eligible entity may use a grant awarded under 
this section to carry out--
            (1) occupational skills training, including curriculum 
        development, on-the-job training, safety and health training, 
        and classroom training;
            (2) incumbent worker and career ladder training and 
        retraining, including skill upgrading and transitional job 
        strategizing;
            (3) individual referral and tuition assistance for a 
        training program offered by a nonprofit organization through 
        which an individual may attain a recognized postsecondary 
        credential (as defined in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation 
        and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102));
            (4) customized training in conjunction with an existing 
        registered apprenticeship program, internship, or labor-
        management partnership; and
            (5) other activities that the Secretary determines meet the 
        purposes of this section.
    (h) Submission Procedure for Grant Proposals.--An eligible entity 
seeking to receive a grant under this section shall submit a grant 
proposal to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and, in 
accordance with the guidelines issued under subsection (c)(1), 
containing such information as the Secretary may require.
    (i) Criteria for Award of Grants.--
            (1) In general.--Subject to the availability of 
        appropriations, the Secretary may award a grant under this 
        section only after an evaluation of--
                    (A) the merits of the grant proposal with respect 
                to the grant;
                    (B) the likely employment opportunities available 
                to individuals who complete the educational or career 
                training program that the eligible entity applying for 
                the grant proposes to develop, offer, or improve;
                    (C) prior demand for educational or career training 
                programs in the community served by the eligible entity 
                applying for the grant; and
                    (D) the availability and capacity of existing 
                educational or career training programs in the 
                community described in subparagraph (C) to meet future 
                demand for the educational or career training programs.
            (2) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the 
        Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that--
                    (A) are--
                            (i) institutions of higher education that 
                        have formed partnerships with labor 
                        organizations; or
                            (ii) labor organizations that have formed 
                        partnerships with institutions of higher 
                        education;
                    (B) have entered into a memorandum of understanding 
                with an employer in the offshore wind industry to 
                foster workforce development; or
                    (C) will use the grant funds to assist individuals 
                who are--
                            (i) dislocated workers, with a focus on 
                        workers displaced from the offshore oil and 
                        gas, onshore fossil fuel, nuclear energy, or 
                        fishing industry;
                            (ii) veterans, members of the reserve 
                        components of the Armed Forces, or former 
                        members of those reserve components; or
                            (iii) individuals with a barrier to 
                        employment.
    (j) Matching Requirements.--A grant awarded under this section may 
not be used to satisfy any non-Federal funds matching requirement under 
any other provision of law.
    (k) Grantee Data Collection.--
            (1) In general.--A grantee shall collect and report to the 
        Secretary on an annual basis the following information 
        regarding the educational or career training program for which 
        the grantee receives a grant under this section:
                    (A) The number of participants in the educational 
                or career training program (referred to in this 
                subsection as ``participants'').
                    (B) The services received in that program by the 
                participants, including a description of training, 
                educational, and supportive services.
                    (C) The rate of job placement of participants in 
                the offshore wind industry or related fields that have 
                completed the educational or career training program.
                    (D) The rate at which participants are retained in 
                positions of employment 1 year after the date on which 
                the participant has completed the program.
    (l) Reporting Requirements.--
            (1) Initial report.--Not later than 18 months after the 
        date on which the grant program is established, the Secretary 
        shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress an 
        initial report describing the results of the grant program, 
        including a description of--
                    (A) the grantees that were awarded a grant under 
                this section; and
                    (B) the activities for which the grantees described 
                in subparagraph (A) used a grant awarded under this 
                section.
            (2) Additional reports.--Not later than 2 years after the 
        date on which the initial report is submitted under paragraph 
        (1), and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit 
        to the appropriate committees of Congress a report describing 
        the results of the grant program for the 2-year period 
        preceding the report.
    (m) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $25,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2020 through 2024.
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