To promote a 21st century energy and manufacturing workforce.

Bill: 114-hr-4583
Sponsor: Rep. Rush, Bobby L. [D-IL-1]
Introduced: 2016-02-23 in the House
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Alternative and renewable resources
Chemistry
Coal
Electric power generation and transmission
Employment and training programs
Energy efficiency and conservation
Government information and archives
Manufacturing
Minority education
Minority employment
Nuclear power
Oil and gas
Pipelines
Student aid and college costs
Unemployment

Summary:
action_date: 2016-02-23
text: 
This bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to prioritize education and training for energy and manufacturing-related jobs in order to increase the number of skilled workers trained to work in those fields, including by: (1) encouraging the nation's education system to equip students with the skills, mentorships, training, and technical expertise necessary to fill the employment opportunities vital to managing and operating the nation's energy and manufacturing industries and, in collaboration with representatives from such industries, to identify the areas of highest need and to develop guidelines for the skills necessary to develop a workforce trained to go into specified energy and manufacturing sectors; and (2) strengthening and more fully engaging DOE programs and labs in carrying out its workforce development initiatives, including the Minorities in Energy Initiative.
 
DOE shall:
 
 
 make educating and training underrepresented groups for energy and manufacturing-related jobs a national priority;
 
 establish a clearinghouse to provide information and resources on training and workforce development programs for energy and manufacturing-related jobs and to act as a resource for educational institutions, workforce development organizations, and industry organizations that would like to develop and implement training programs;
 
 foster collaboration, mentorships, and partnerships among organizations that currently provide effective job training programs in such fields and institutions that seek to establish these types of programs in order to share best practices;
 
collaborate with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Department of Commerce, the Bureau of the Census, and the energy and manufacturing industries to develop a comprehensive understanding of the energy and manufacturing workforce needs and opportunities by state and by region;
 
 give special consideration to increasing outreach to minority serving institutions and to employers and job trainers preparing displaced and unemployed energy and manufacturing workers for emerging energy and manufacturing jobs;
 
make existing resources available through program cross-cutting to institutions serving minorities and displaced and unemployed energy and manufacturing workers to train such individuals to enter or re-enter the energy and manufacturing workforce;
 
 work with industry and community-based workforce organizations to help identify students and other candidates to enroll into training and apprenticeship programs for such jobs; and
 
 publish a comprehensive report on the outlook for energy and manufacturing sectors nationally, including a comprehensive summary of job creation as a result of this Act's enactment.
 

action_date: 2016-02-29
text: 
(Sec. 1) This bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE), in awarding grants, to prioritize education and training for energy and manufacturing jobs, including by encouraging state and local education agencies to equip students for those jobs and strengthening DOE programs and labs carrying out workforce development initiatives. DOE must prioritize educating and training workers from underrepresented groups such as minorities, women, and veterans. DOE may encourage, but not incentivize or require, any state or school district to adopt a curriculum to equip students with the skills and training necessary to fill employment opportunities in the energy and manufacturing industries.
 
In addition, DOE is directed to:
 
 
 establish a clearinghouse for information and guidance on job training and other workforce development programs for energy and manufacturing jobs; and
 
work with the energy and manufacturing industries, educational institutions, and other government agencies to identify areas of workforce need and develop guidelines to implement the best practices for effective job training programs.
 
 
The bill requires DOE to consider increasing outreach to institutions that serve minority populations. The Minorities in Energy Initiative provides for DOE to:
 
 
make existing resources available to minority serving institutions with the objective of increasing the number of minorities and women trained to work in the energy and manufacturing industries;
 
encourage the energy and manufacturing industries to improve the amount of internships and cooperative work study programs available for minority students; and
 
increase underrepresented groups' participation in internships, fellowships, and employment at DOE laboratories.
 
 
DOE must give special consideration to dislocated energy and manufacturing workers by:
 
 
increasing outreach to employers and job trainers who train unemployed energy and manufacturing workers for re-entry into the job market,
 
making existing resources available to institutions that provide job training to unemployed energy and manufacturing workers,
 
encouraging the energy and manufacturing industries to improve opportunities for energy and manufacturing workers to participate in career pathway programs, and
 
working with the energy and manufacturing industries to identify energy and manufacturing operations scheduled for closure and provide early intervention assistance to affected workers through partnerships with state and local workforce boards.
 
 
This bill does not authorize the creation of a new workforce development program.
 
(Sec. 2) DOE is required to submit a report to Congress, within five years, on the national outlook for the energy and manufacturing industries. The report must include a summary of energy and manufacturing jobs that have been created by this bill. In addition, the report must contain the:
 
 
number of workforce training program participants served,
 
percentage of workforce training program participants in competitive employment,
 
median income of workforce training program participants, and
 
percentage of workforce training program participants receiving industry-recognized credentials.
 
 
(Sec. 3) This bill does not authorize additional funding to carry out its requirements.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-09-19
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training.
action_date: 2016-03-01
text: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2016-02-29
text: Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
action_date: 2016-02-29
text: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H1008-1009)
action_date: 2016-02-29
text: Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H1008-1009)
action_date: 2016-02-29
text: DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4583.
action_date: 2016-02-29
text: Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H1008-1010)
action_date: 2016-02-29
text: Mr. Whitfield moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
action_date: 2016-02-25
text: Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
action_date: 2016-02-25
text: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2016-02-24
text: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2016-02-23
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2016-02-23
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2016-02-23
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2016-02-23
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2016-02-23
text: Introduced in House