Title: Renewable Energy Jobs Act
Policy area: Labor and Employment

Summary:
Renewable Energy Jobs Act
This bill directs the Department of Labor to establish a pilot program to award competitive grants to certain eligible entities (i.e., renewable energy and energy efficiency employers and workforce development boards as primary entities and institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, and labor organizations as secondary entities) to train individuals for careers in the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7849 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7849

To require the Secretary of Labor to carry out a pilot program to award 
   competitive grants to eligible entities to train individuals for 
 careers in the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 29, 2020

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of Labor to carry out a pilot program to award 
   competitive grants to eligible entities to train individuals for 
 careers in the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries, 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 to as the ``Renewable Energy Jobs Act''.

SEC. 2. ALTERNATIVE ENERGY TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT PILOT PROGRAM.

    (a) Pilot Program.--The Secretary of Labor shall carry out a pilot 
program (in this section referred to as the ``pilot program'') to award 
competitive grants to eligible entities to train individuals for 
careers in the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries.
    (b) Application.--
            (1) In general.--To apply for a grant under the pilot 
        program, an eligible entity shall submit an application to the 
        Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
        information as the Secretary may require.
            (2) Contents.--A grant application under this section shall 
        include the following:
                    (A) A proposal for a program to train individuals 
                for careers in the renewable energy and energy 
                efficiency industries.
                    (B) A description of the presence of such 
                industries, and the availability of jobs in such 
                industries, in the State in which the eligible entity 
                will carry out the program.
                    (C) A description of the sustainability of long-
                term careers in such industries in such State, 
                including a description of the growth of such 
                industries over the 10-year period preceding the date 
                of the application and the production output of such 
                industries as of the date of such application.
                    (D) A plan to coordinate the efforts of the 
                eligible entity under the program with relevant efforts 
                of workforce development boards.
                    (E) A description of how the program aligns with 
                the workforce plan of such State.
                    (F) A description of how the program will aid 
                participants to attain recognized postsecondary 
                credentials.
    (c) Duration of Grant.--Each grant under this section shall be for 
a period of 3 years.
    (d) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity that receives a grant under 
this section may use the grant funds--
            (1) to carry out the proposal submitted by the recipient 
        under subsection (b)(2)(A);
            (2) to reimburse a primary entity for the cost of providing 
        on-the-job training;
            (3) to reimburse a secondary entity for the cost of 
        providing skills training (or on-the-job training if in 
        partnership with an energy efficient employer);
            (4) to reimburse an employer for wages associated with 
        registered apprenticeship;
            (5) to conduct outreach to inform primary entities, 
        secondary entities, and the public, including individuals in 
        rural areas and Indian tribes, of eligibility or potential 
        eligibility for participation in the program; and
            (6) to conduct any other activities that the Secretary 
        determines appropriate.
    (e) Priority.--In awarding grants under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall prioritize grants to eligible entities that submit a 
proposal to carry out a program in a State that is among the 5 States 
with the highest installed alternative energy power capacity.
    (f) Conditions.--As a condition of receipt of funds under this 
section, the Secretary shall require an eligible entity to agree--
            (1) to repay to the Secretary any amount received under the 
        pilot program that is not used for the purposes described in 
        subsection (d) by the date that is 3 years after the date on 
        which the recipient received such funds;
            (2) to submit to the Secretary, at such times and 
        containing such information as the Secretary shall require, 
        reports on the use of grant funds; and
            (3) to ensure that any employer or other entity receiving 
        funds through a program under this section pays each individual 
        receiving on-the-job training provided by such employer or 
        entity not less than the applicable minimum wage for the State 
        or locality in which such training is provided.
    (g) Limitation on Administrative Costs.--
            (1) Federal administration.--Of the amounts appropriated 
        pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under 
        subsection (i), 2 percent shall be made available to the 
        Secretary for administrative costs associated with implementing 
        and evaluating the pilot program under this section and for 
        preparing and submitting the report required under subsection 
        (h).
            (2) Program administration.--The Secretary shall determine 
        the appropriate maximum amount of each grant awarded under this 
        section that may be used by the recipient for administrative 
        and reporting costs.
    (h) Report to Congress.--The Secretary shall submit to Congress an 
annual report on the pilot program for each year of the grant period 
containing--
            (1) a description of activities carried out under this 
        section;
            (2) an evaluation of the pilot program; and
            (3) a description of how many participants were employed by 
        renewable energy and energy efficiency employers within 6 
        months of completing the training.
    (i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 
through 2023, for the purpose of carrying out the pilot program.
    (j) Definitions.--For purposes of this section:
            (1) The term ``eligible entity'' means--
                    (A) a primary entity; or
                    (B) a consortium of entities that--
                            (i) consists of one or more primary 
                        entities; and
                            (ii) may include one or more secondary 
                        entities.
            (2) The term ``Indian tribe'' has the meaning given that 
        term in section 102 of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe 
        List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 479a).
            (3) The term ``installed alternative energy power 
        capacity'' means the amount of wind, solar, and geothermal 
        power generation, expressed in megawatts, installed in a State.
            (4) The term ``institution of higher education'' has the 
        meaning given such term in section 3 of the Workforce 
        Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
            (5) The term ``labor organization'' has the meaning given 
        such term in section 2 of the National Labor Relations Act (29 
        U.S.C. 152).
            (6) The term ``on-the-job training'' means training by 
        renewable energy and energy efficiency employers, a labor 
        organization, a institution of higher education, or a nonprofit 
        organization that is provided to a paid participant while 
        engaged in productive work that--
                    (A) provides knowledge or skills essential to the 
                full and adequate performance of the job;
                    (B) provides reimbursement to the employer for the 
                costs of providing the training and additional 
                supervision related to the training; and
                    (C) is limited in duration as appropriate to the 
                occupation for which the participant is being trained, 
                taking into account the content of the training, the 
                prior work experience of the participant, and the 
                service strategy of the participant, as appropriate.
            (7) The term ``primary entity'' means--
                    (A) a renewable energy and energy efficiency 
                employer; or
                    (B) a workforce development board.
            (8) The term ``recognized postsecondary credential'' has 
        the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Workforce 
        Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
            (9) The term ``renewable energy and energy efficiency 
        employer'' means an employer that employs individuals in a 
        trade or business in the renewable energy and energy efficiency 
        industries.
            (10) The term ``renewable energy and energy efficiency 
        industries'' means any of the following industries:
                    (A) The energy-efficient building, construction, or 
                retrofits industry.
                    (B) The renewable electric power industry, 
                including the wind, solar, and geothermal energy 
                industries.
                    (C) The energy efficiency assessment industry that 
                serves the residential, commercial, or industrial 
                sectors.
                    (D) The industries that manufacture solar panels, 
                wind turbines, geothermal generators, and similar 
                products.
            (11) The term ``secondary entity'' means--
                    (A) a institution of higher education;
                    (B) a nonprofit organization; or
                    (C) a labor organization.
            (12) The term ``skills training'' means training by 
        secondary entity that provides the knowledge and skills 
        essential to specific jobs in the renewable energy and energy 
        efficiency industries.
            (13) The term ``State'' includes each of the several 
        States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto 
        Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern 
        Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the 
        Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, and 
        the territories and possessions of the United States.
            (14) The term ``workforce development board'' means a State 
        or local workforce development board established under title I 
        of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3111 
        et seq.).
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