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 skills necessary for employment in the offshore wind industry.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2501 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2501

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

                             July 28, 2021

 Mr. Markey (for himself, Mr. Carper, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Cardin, and 
Mr. Van Hollen) 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) Qualified intermediary.--The term ``qualified 
        intermediary'' has the meaning given the term in section 3 of 
        the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 
        (20 U.S.C. 2302).
            (11) Recognized postsecondary credential.--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).
            (12) Registered apprenticeship program.--The term 
        ``registered apprenticeship program'' means an apprenticeship 
        program registered under the Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly 
        known as the ``National Apprenticeship Act'') (50 Stat. 664, 
        chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.).
            (13) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Energy.
            (14) 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 and labor organizations, State and local 
governments, ports, and nonprofit organizations, shall identify 
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.
    (c) Guidelines.--Not later than 180 days 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 entities with registered apprenticeship 
        programs.--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 sponsor registered apprenticeship programs.
            (3) Allocation of construction and maintenance grants.--To 
        the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary shall ensure that 
        grants relating to construction and maintenance career training 
        are reserved for--
                    (A) eligible entities that sponsor a registered 
                apprenticeship program or offer a pre-apprenticeship 
                program that facilitates entry into a registered 
                apprenticeship program; and
                    (B) eligible entities that are participating in a 
                joint labor-management partnership.
    (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) a community college; or
                    (B) participating in a joint labor-management 
                partnership.
            (2) A State or local government agency responsible for 
        education, workforce development, or offshore wind energy 
        activities.
            (3) A nonprofit organization.
            (4) A qualified intermediary.
    (g) Use of Grant.--An eligible entity may use a grant awarded under 
this section to carry out--
            (1) occupational skills training, including curriculum and 
        career pathway 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 through which an individual may attain a 
        recognized postsecondary credential;
            (4) customized training in conjunction with an existing 
        registered apprenticeship program or pre-apprenticeship 
        program, paid internship, or joint 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 employment opportunities or projected 
                employment opportunities, including the projected wages 
                and benefits, 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) the availability and capacity of existing 
                educational or career training programs in the 
                community served by the eligible entity applying for 
                the grant to meet future demand for the educational or 
                career training programs; and
                    (D) the employment opportunities or projected 
                employment opportunities for members of groups that 
                have been historically underserved in the engineering 
                and construction of energy facilities or the 
                engineering and manufacture of energy facility 
                components.
            (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 1 or more employers in the offshore wind industry 
                to partner on the establishment or expansion of the 
                educational or career training program that the 
                eligible entity applying for the grant proposes to 
                develop, offer, or improve; 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 enrolled in the 
                educational or career training program (referred to in 
                this subsection as ``participants'').
                    (B) The number of participants that completed the 
                educational or career training program during the 
                previous 1-year period.
                    (C) The services received in the educational or 
                career training program by the participants, including 
                a description of training, educational, and supportive 
                services.
                    (D) The amount of grant funds expended by the 
                grantee per participant.
                    (E) The rate of job placement of participants in 
                the offshore wind industry or related fields that have 
                completed the educational or career training program.
                    (F) The rate at which participants are retained in 
                positions of employment 1 year after the date on which 
                the participant has completed the program.
                    (G) The percentage of participants enrolled in the 
                educational or career training program who obtain a 
                recognized postsecondary credential or a secondary 
                school diploma or its recognized equivalent not later 
                than 1 year after exiting the program.
            (2) Disaggregation of data.--The data collected and 
        reported under this subsection shall be disaggregated by--
                    (A) each population specified in subparagraphs (A) 
                through (M) of section 3(24) of the Workforce 
                Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102(24));
                    (B) race;
                    (C) ethnicity;
                    (D) sex; and
                    (E) age.
            (3) Data collection assistance.--The Secretary shall assist 
        grantees in the collection of data under this subsection--
                    (A) by making available, in coordination with the 
                Secretary of Labor and where practicable, low-cost 
                means of tracking the labor market outcomes of 
                participants; and
                    (B) by providing standardized reporting forms, 
                where appropriate.
    (l) Technical and Oversight Assistance.--The Secretary shall 
provide technical assistance and oversight--
            (1) to assist eligible entities in applying for grants 
        under this section; and
            (2) to assist grantees in administering grants received 
        under this section.
    (m) 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.
    (n) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
        carry out this section $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
        2022 through 2026.
            (2) Administrative expenses.--The Secretary may use not 
        more than 2 percent of the amount appropriated under paragraph 
        (1) for each fiscal year for administrative expenses, including 
        expenses relating to providing technical assistance and 
        oversight activities under subsection (l).
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