WILL Act

Bill: 113-s-882
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI]
Introduced: 2013-05-07
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Adult education and literacy

Computers and information technology

Employment and training programs

Libraries and archives

State and local government operations

Unemployment
Latest action: action_date: 2013-05-07
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Summaries:
action_date: 2013-05-07
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p>Workforce Investments through Local Libraries Act or WILL Act - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to define &quot;digital literacy skills&quot; to mean the skills associated with using technology to enable users to find, evaluate, organize, create, and communicate information. </p> <p>Revises requirements for member composition of state and local workforce investment boards to include heads of public libraries.</p> <p>Requires state workforce investment plans to include a description of the procedures states will take to assure coordination of and avoid duplication among employment and training activities, and adult education and literacy activities, provided by public libraries. Requires local workforce investment plans similarly to describe how local boards will coordinate investment activities carried out in the local area with such activities provided by public libraries.</p> <p>Allows a human resource program operated by a one-stop partner to include programs of employment and training activities, and adult education and literacy activities, provided by public libraries. Revises state allotment eligibility requirements to allow public libraries located in local areas to operate as one-stop centers to provide such activities.</p> <p>Allows public libraries, among other appropriate entities, to contract with the one-stop delivery system to deliver intensive services for employment and training for adults and dislocated workers supported by workforce investment funds.</p> <p>Includes development of digital literacy skills among the intensive short-term prevocational services of a one-stop delivery system.</p> <p>Allows demonstration and pilot, multiservice, research, and multistate projects of the Department of Labor for providing employment opportunities and training services to individuals to include the establishment of employment resource centers in public libraries to provide unemployed and underemployed individuals access to workforce investment services related to such opportunities and services.</p> <p>Directs the Secretary of Labor to collaborate on initiatives, materials, or technology to support workforce development activities with the heads of relevant federal departments and agencies, including the Secretary of Education, the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA), the Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), or their designees.</p> <p>Amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act to require an eligible provider receiving a grant or contract to develop, implement, and improve adult education and literacy activities to use the grant or contract to establish or operate one or more programs to promote digital literacy skills.</p>

tv_txt: II 113th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 882 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 7, 2013 Mr. Reed (for himself and Mr. Cochran ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to integrate public libraries into State and local workforce investment boards, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Workforce Investments through Local Libraries Act or the WILL Act . 2. Definitions Section 101 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 ( 29 U.S.C. 2801 ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (54) Digital literacy skills The term digital literacy skills has the meaning given the term in section 202 of the Museum and Library Services Act (20 U.S.C. 9101). . 3. State workforce investment boards Section 111(b)(1)(C)(v) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2821(b)(1)(C)(v)) is amended by inserting , and heads of public libraries, after organizations . 4. State plan Section 112(b)(8)(A) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 ( 29 U.S.C. 2822(b)(8)(A) ) is amended— (1) in clause (ix), by striking and at the end; and (2) by adding at the end the following: (xi) employment and training activities, and adult education and literacy activities (as defined in section 203), provided by public libraries; and . 5. Local workforce investment board Section 117(b)(2)(A)(iv) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2832(b)(2)(A)(iv)) is amended by striking individuals with disabilities and and inserting public libraries, individuals with disabilities, and . 6. Local plan Section 118(b) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 ( 29 U.S.C. 2833(b) ) is amended— (1) by redesignating paragraphs (6) through (10) as paragraphs (7) through (11), respectively; and (2) by inserting after paragraph (5) the following: (6) a description of how the local board will coordinate workforce investment activities carried out in the local area with employment and training activities, and adult education and literacy activities (as defined in section 203), provided by public libraries; . 7. Workforce investment activities providers Section 121 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2841) is amended— (1) in subsection (b)(2)(B)— (A) in clause (iv), by striking and at the end; (B) by redesignating clause (v) as clause (vi); and (C) by inserting after clause (iv) the following: (v) programs of employment and training activities, and adult education and literacy activities (as defined in section 203), provided by public libraries; and ; and (2) in subsection (d)(2)(B)— (A) in clause (v), by striking and at the end; (B) by redesignating clause (vi) as clause (vii); and (C) by inserting after clause (v) the following: (vi) a public library; and . 8. Use of funds for employment and training activities Section 134(d)(3) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 ( 29 U.S.C. 2864(d)(3) ) is amended— (1) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by striking public, private for-profit, and inserting public service providers, which may include public libraries, private for-profit service providers, ; and (2) in subparagraph (C)(vi), by inserting digital literacy skills, after learning skills, . 9. Demonstration, pilot, multiservice, research, and multistate projects Section 171(b)(1) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 ( 29 U.S.C. 2916(b)(1) ) is amended— (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) through (H) as subparagraphs (C) through (I), respectively; and (2) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following: (B) the establishment of employment resource centers in public libraries to provide unemployed and underemployed individuals access to workforce investment activities and information related to training services (as defined in section 134(d)(4)) and employment opportunities, which activities may include— (i) resume development activities, job bank internet searches, and workshops on career information; (ii) adult education and literacy activities (as defined in section 203); and (iii) acquisition of database licenses to improve access to career certification activities and licensing practice tests, and to improve workforce skills; . 10. Evaluations Section 172(a) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 ( 29 U.S.C. 2917(a) ) is amended— (1) in paragraph (6), by striking and at the end; (2) by redesignating paragraph (7) as paragraph (8); and (3) by inserting after paragraph (6) the following: (7) the effectiveness of interagency collaborations and agreements as described in section 196 in expanding access to and improving the quality of such programs and activities; and . 11. Interagency collaboration and agreements Subtitle E of title I of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 ( 29 U.S.C. 2931 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following: 196. Interagency collaboration and agreements (a) Interagency collaboration The Secretary shall collaborate with the heads of relevant Federal departments and agencies, including the Secretary of Education, the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, or the designees of such heads, on initiatives, materials, or technology to support workforce development activities. (b) Interagency agreements The Secretary may— (1) enter into interagency agreements to promote or assist with carrying out the workforce investment activities of Federal agencies other than the Department of Labor, on either a reimbursable or nonreimbursable basis; and (2) use funds appropriated under this title for the costs of such promotion and assistance. . 12. Adult Education Section 231(b) of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act ( 20 U.S.C. 9241(b) ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (4) Programs to promote digital literacy skills, as defined in section 101. .