zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Federal Employee Tax Accountability Act of 2012 - Makes any person who has a seriously delinquent tax debt ineligible for federal employment or to continue serving as a federal employee. Defines "seriously delinquent tax debt" as an outstanding tax debt for which a notice of lien has been filed in public records. Exempts a tax debt: (1) that is being paid in a timely manner under an approved installment payment agreement or an offer-in-compromise, (2) for which a collection due process hearing has been requested or pending, (3) for which a levy has been issued or agreed to by an applicant for employment, or (4) that is determined to be an economic hardship to the taxpayer. Requires each federal agency to: (1) ensure that applicants for employment certify that they do not have a seriously delinquent tax debt, (2) review public records to determine if a notice of lien has been filed against an employee or applicant, and (3) restrict access to and use of information obtained under this Act. Authorizes an agency, if a tax lien against a federal employee or applicant is discovered in any public record, to: (1) request such employee or applicant to execute and submit a form authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to disclose to an agency head information describing whether the employee or applicant has a seriously delinquent tax debt, and (2) contact the Secretary to request tax information about a seriously delinquent tax debt of an employee or applicant. Requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to promulgate regulations to carry out this Act that provide taxpayers with all due process rights and to report to Congress annually on the number of exemptions granted for financial hardship. Grants federal employees or applicants 180 days to demonstrate that their tax debts are exempt from classification as a seriously delinquent tax debt under this Act. Makes this Act effective nine months after its enactment.

Date: 2011-02-28
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make permanent the tax credit for increasing research activities, and (2) increase the amount of such credit for taxpayers who earn more than 50% of their gross receipts from domestic production activities.

Date: 2011-03-02
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Taxation
Mobile Mammography Promotion Act of 2011- Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt from the motor fuel excise tax fuel used in any highway vehicle designed exclusively to provide mobile mammography services.

Date: 2011-03-02
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Taxation
Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success Act of 2011 or SECTORS Act of 2011 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to require the Secretary of Labor to award renewable three-year competitive industry or sector partnership grants to eligible entities to develop strategies that: (1) encourage growth and competitiveness through work with employers within a targeted industry cluster; (2) help workers move toward economic self-sufficiency and ensure that they have access to supportive services; (3) address the needs of firms with limited human resources or in-house training capacity, including small- and medium-sized firms; and (4) coordinate with entities that carry out state and local workforce investment, economic development, and education activities.

Date: 2011-03-29
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
American Manufacturing Efficiency and Retraining Investment Collaboration Achievement Works Act or AMERICA Works Act - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, with respect to statewide and local adult and youth workforce investment employment and training programs, to require a one-stop delivery system, in selecting and approving training services, or programs of training services, to give priority consideration to state- and local board-approved services and programs that lead to an industry-recognized and nationally portable credential that is in high demand in the local area served and listed in the skill credential registry created under this Act. Amends the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 and the Trade Act of 1974 to require the same priority consideration in the state and local plans for career and technical education programs as well as in tech prep programs and trade adjustment assistance (TAA) programs. Requires that funds allocated for local area youth activities be used, in part, for training programs, giving priority consideration to those that lead to a registry-listed credential in high demand in the local area served. Requires the Secretary of Labor to: (1) create a registry of skill credentials; and (2) list in the registry credentials that are required by federal or state law for an occupation, are from the Manufacturing Institute-Endorsed Manufacturing Skills Certification System, and are industry-recognized and nationally portable credentials consistent with established industry competency models as well as consistently updated through third party validation to reflect changing industry competencies.

Date: 2011-04-01
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Marcellus Shale On-the-Job Training Act of 2011 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to require the Secretary of Labor to make discretionary grants to local areas for adult on-the-job training or dislocated worker on-the-job training at worksites directly related to the exploration for, production of, and transportation of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation.

Date: 2011-04-06
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Workforce Investments through Local Libraries Act or WILL Act - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to revise requirements for member composition of state and local workforce investment boards to include individuals and organizations representing public libraries. Requires state workforce investment plans to include a description of the procedures states will take to assure coordination of and avoid duplication among employment, training, and literacy services carried out 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 services carried out by public libraries. Allows a human resource program operated by a one-stop partner to include employment, training, and literacy services carried out by public libraries. 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. 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 such opportunities and services.

Date: 2011-04-15
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Job Opportunities Between our Shores Act or JOBS Act - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to direct the Secretary of Labor to make grants to or enter into contracts with eligible entities to carry out demonstration and pilot projects that provide education and training programs for jobs in advanced manufacturing. Prescribes requirements for project activities and performance goals and measures.

Date: 2011-05-04
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Community College Energy Training Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE), in coordination with the Secretary of Labor, to create a program awarding grants to community colleges to provide workforce training and education in sustainable energy industries and practices, such as: (1) alternative energy; (2) high-performance green building construction, design, and redevelopment; (3) sustainable energy technologies; (4) water, energy, and resource conservation; (5) recycling and waste reduction; and (6) sustainable agriculture and farming. Requires at least one-half of the grant funds to be awarded to community colleges with existing sustainability programs leading to certificates, credentials, or degrees in one or more of these industries or practices.

Date: 2011-05-12
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Energy
Work Opportunity Credit Improvements Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend through 2014 the work opportunity tax credit, (2) allow employers to certify certain employees as members of a targeted group for purposes of such credit in lieu of obtaining certification from a state employment security agency, (3) expand the definition of "qualified veteran" for purposes of such credit to include any recently discharged veteran and any veteran receiving specified benefits, and (4) allow such credit for the hiring of high-risk youth who begin work during the period of 2009 through 2014. Directs the Department of Defense (DOD) or the National Guard, as applicable, to provide individuals discharged or released from the Armed Forces or the National Guard with information and documentation necessary for qualifying for the work opportunity tax credit as a recently discharged veteran.

Date: 2011-06-01
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Taxation
Employment Impact Act of 2011 - Requires federal agencies to: (1) assess the impact of federal actions on jobs and job opportunities, (2) include in every recommentation or report on legislative proposals and regulartory actions a jobs impact statement, and (3) review their statutory authority, regulations, and policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the purposes and provisions of this Act.  Exempts implementation of this Act, including such job impact statements, from judicial review.

Date: 2011-06-16
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2011 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) to revise requirements and reauthorize appropriations for: (1) WIA title I, workforce investment systems for job training and employment services; and (2) WIA title II, adult education and family literacy education programs. Revises and reauthorizes workforce investment systems with respect to: (1) state and local planning, allocation, work force investment board membership, and performance accountability; (2) one-stop centers; (3) consolidated funding for adult program activities, including job training, dislocated worker retraining, the employment service system, and reemployment grants; (4) training programs for both out-of-school and in-school youth, including challenge grants; and (5) national job training programs, including the Job Corps and programs for Native Americans, migrant and seasonal farmworkers, and veterans. Requires the Employment and Training Administration of the Department of Labor to be the principal agency to administer WIA title I workforce investment systems for job training and employment services and title III (Job Corps). Exempts religious organizations, with respect to their employment of individuals of a particular religion, from WIA nondiscrimination requirements. Prescribes requirements for the approval of state Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) plans for the carrying out of certain workforce development activities. Repeals Wagner-Peyser Act provisions relating to the U.S. Employment Service. Directs the Secretary of Labor to oversee the development, maintenance, and continuous improvement of a nationwide workforce and labor market information system. Revises requirements and reauthorizes appropriations for: (1) vocational rehabilitation services under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; and (2) the Helen Keller National Center Act.

Date: 2011-06-22
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Put America to Work Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Labor to make grants to states, local government units, and Indian tribes to create employment opportunities for unemployed and underemployed residents of distressed communities. Specifies grant uses, including funding of fast-track jobs for: (1) painting and repair of schools, community centers, and libraries; (2) restoration of abandoned and vacant properties; (3) expansion of emergency food programs to reduce hunger; (4) augmentation of staffing in Head Start and other early childhood education programs; and (5) renovation and maintenance of parks, playgrounds, and other public spaces. Requires grant recipients to use remaining grant funds to make grants to public entities, nonprofit organizations, public-private partnerships, or small businesses to create employment opportunities in: (1) construction, rehabilitation, and improvements in energy efficiency of residences or public facilities; (2) the provision of human services; (3) remediation and demolition of vacant and abandoned properties; and (4) programs that provide opportunities for employment, education, and training for disadvantaged youth.

Date: 2011-06-24
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Jobs for Urban Sustainability and Training in America Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to make additional grants to: (1) cities with high unemployment (with a population of at least 600,000 and an unemployment rate greater than the national unemployment rate) for public works, training, and economic development projects, as well as for economic adjustment; and (2) firms adversely affected by import competition which are assisted under the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms (TAAF) Program. Directs the Secretary of Labor to make grants to carry out adult and dislocated worker employment and training activities under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 in cities with high unemployment. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny a tax deduction for income attributable to the domestic production, refining, processing, transportation, or distribution of oil, gas, or any primary products thereof by a major integrated oil company (an oil company which has an average daily worldwide production of crude oil of at least 500,000 barrels for the taxable year, and which had gross receipts in excess of $1 billion for its last taxable year ending during calendar year 2005).

Date: 2011-07-14
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Jobs Now Act of 2011 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to direct the Secretary of Labor to carry out a two-year pilot program to award competitive grants to general local government units or community-based organizations to retain, employ, or train employees who provide them a public service. Prescribes program requirements, including that: (1) each unit or organization grantee give priority to the retention, employment, and training of veterans, individuals with disabilities, individuals who receive unemployment benefits, or dislocated workers; and (2) the Secretary give priority to the award of grants to units and organizations with high unemployment, foreclosure, and poverty rates.

Date: 2011-07-18
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Promoting Partnerships to Transform Opportunities Act - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to direct the Secretary of Labor to make competitive grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with, nonprofit organizations in partnership with one or more minority-serving institutions to provide support services, job training, and education to individuals with multiple barriers to employment, especially underrepresented minorities, to help prepare them to enter the workforce. Requires such nonprofit organizations to submit a program plan to the Secretary in order to receive a grant or enter into such a contract or cooperative agreement.

Date: 2011-07-21
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Helping Innovation of Re-Employment Services in States Act or HIRES Act - Amends title III (Grants to States for Unemployment Compensation Administration) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to authorize the Secretary of Labor to enter into agreements with states to allow them to conduct demonstration projects to test and evaluate measures designed to: (1) expedite the reemployment of individuals who establish initial eligibility for unemployment compensation under state law, or (2) improve the effectiveness of a state in carrying out its state law with respect to reemployment.

Date: 2011-08-01
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Hire, Train, Retain Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow non-governmental employers an exemption from, or reduction in, employment taxes during the period beginning on the enactment of this Act and ending on December 31, 2015, for hiring certain unemployed individuals who are trained by such employers in a qualified job training program (an in-house program providing specific training for available jobs offered by such employers), and (2) allow an employer an increase in the business-related tax credit for each worker retained by such employer who was employed on any date during the taxable year for a period of not less than 52 consecutive weeks.

Date: 2011-08-01
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to require the Secretary of Labor to award competitive grants to states to provide funds to local boards for provision of technical school training subsidies in local areas through one-stop delivery systems to pay tuition costs for the career and technical education of unemployed individuals enrolled or accepted at a technical school. Limits the aggregate amount of subsidies to an individual to $2,000.

Date: 2011-09-07
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to require that, if for FY2012-FY2021 appropriations for discretionary accounts are enacted that Congress and the President designate as being for emergency job creation, the adjustment to discretionary spending limits for a fiscal year shall be the total of such appropriations for the fiscal year in discretionary accounts designated for emergency job creation.

Date: 2011-09-07
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Unemployed Workers Hiring Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt employers and employees from employment taxes for up to one year for wages paid to new employees who had exhausted all unemployment benefits prior to the start of their employment and who are working on average at least 30 hours a week.

Date: 2011-09-08
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Taxation
Reducing the Size of the Federal Government Through Attrition Act of 2011 - Requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to take appropriate measures to ensure that: (1) the total number of federal employees, beginning in FY2015, does not exceed 90% of the total number of such employees as of September 30, 2011; (2) agencies do not appoint, until the end of FY 2014, more than one employee for every three employees retiring or otherwise separating from government service; and (3) there is a reduction in the amount expended for service contracts in each fiscal year equal to the reduction for the amount expended for the reduced federal workforce. Requires OMB to continuously monitor all agencies and make a determination whether the total number of federal employees exceeds the limitation imposed by this Act. Prohibits a federal agency from filling any vacancy unless OMB provides written notice to the President and Congress that the number of federal employees does not exceed the limitation established by this Act. Allows the President to waive the workforce limitations imposed by this Act if the President determines that the existence of a state of war or other national security concern or the existence of an extraordinary emergency threatening life, health, public safety, property, or the environment so requires. Allows the President additional discretion to waive such workforce limitations if the President determines that the efficiency of a federal agency or the performance of its critical mission so requires. Requires OMB to report annually to Congress on the effect of the reductions in the federal workforce required by this Act on programs, activities, and services, paying special attention to any reductions that will harm national security or endanger life, public health or safety, property, or the environment.

Date: 2011-09-22
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Government operations and politics
National Commission on Employment and Economic Security Act - Establishes the National Commission on Employment and Economic Security to: (1) examine the effects of economic and psychological insecurity caused by employment displacement and the decreasing number of well-paid jobs on U.S. workers and their families; and (2) recommend to the President and Congress potential solutions, including legislative and administrative action, to alleviate such problems.

Date: 2011-11-18
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Project Rebuild Act of 2011 - Appropriates funds for assistance to eligible entities including state and local governments, and qualified nonprofit organizations, businesses or eligible consortia for the redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed-upon properties and for stabilization of affected neighborhoods (Project Rebuild). Allows the use of funds to: (1) establish financing mechanisms for the purchase and redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed-upon properties; (2) purchase and rehabilitate such properties; (3) establish and operate land banks for them; (4) demolish blighted structures (except public housing); and (5) redevelop abandoned, foreclosed, demolished, or vacant properties. Requires each state to receive at least $20 million of formula funds, all of which shall be used with respect to low and moderate-income individuals and families. Requires each state and local government grantee to establish procedures to create preferences for development of affordable rental housing. Allows a grantee to use up to 10% to create jobs by establishing and operating a program to maintain eligible neighborhood properties. Sets forth Buy American requirements. Requires all laborers and mechanics employed by contractors and subcontractors on federally-assisted projects to be paid wages at the locally prevailing rates (Davis-Bacon Act).

Date: 2011-11-18
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Housing and community development
Streamlining Workforce Development Programs Act of 2011 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to: (1) eliminate members of the state legislature and representatives of labor organizations from state workforce investment boards, and (2) specify that representatives of business on a board represent large and small businesses with immediate and long-term employment opportunities in in-demand industries and other occupations important to the state economy. Requires a state board to assist the state governor by developing: (1) policies and programs that support a comprehensive statewide workforce development system, and (2) a statewide employment statistics system. Revises requirements for: (1) a state workforce development plan; (2) local workforce investment areas, boards, and plans; (3) one-stop delivery systems; and (4) the allotment of federal funds among states for employment and training activities. Eliminates specific funding for adult and dislocated worker employment and training. Specifies state use of federal funds to set up a Workforce Investment Fund, a Youth Workforce Investment Fund, a Veterans Workforce Investment Fund, and a Targeted Populations Workforce Investment Fund. Revises requirements for: (1) within state allocations of funds; (2) the use of funds for state and local employment and training activities, including the hiring of local veterans' employment representatives; and (3) state performances measures Requires state governors to use funds to award competitive grants for programs and activities to assist eligible youth in acquiring the education and skills, credentials, and employment experience necessary to succeed in the labor market. Revises requirements for the state unified plan for adult education and literacy programs. Repeals the Youth Conservation Corps Act of 1970, the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993, the Snyder Act of 1921, the Indian Adult Vocational Training Act of 1956, and the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, as well as the Job Corps, the YouthBuild program, and other job programs under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and other specified Acts, including the National Guard Youth Challenge Program of opportunities for civilian youth. Amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (RA73) to require an eligible state to use a certain percentage of the federal share of the cost of vocational rehabilitation services to award grants to create practical job and career readiness and training programs and provide job placements and career advancement. Repeals the authority of the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration in the Department of Education to make grants and contracts for: (1) vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities who are migrant or seasonal farmworkers; (2) recreational programs for such individuals; and (3) in-service training of vocational rehabilitation personnel. Repeals title VI (Employment Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities) of the RA73.

Date: 2011-12-08
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Local Job Opportunities and Business Success Act of 2011 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to limit the required composition of local workforce investment boards (local boards) to business representatives. Requires two-thirds of the members of a local board to be business owners or officers. Requires local boards to conduct and regularly update analyses of: (1) local economic conditions, (2) immediate and long-term skilled workforce needs in the area, (3) the knowledge and skills of the local workforce, and (4) local workforce development activities. Requires local boards to lead efforts to engage employers in the area to ensure that workforce investment activities meet their needs and support local economic growth. Includes as part of those efforts the development or implementation of industry or sector partnerships that lead to collaborative planning, resource alignment, and training efforts across multiple firms to address the immediate and long-term skilled workforce needs of the local economy. Requires local boards to develop strategies for using technological improvements to facilitate access to workforce development services. Eliminates the requirement that each local board appoint a youth council as a subgroup of the board and select providers of youth activities on the basis of its recommendations.

Date: 2011-12-08
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Back to Basics Job Creation Act of 2011 - Amends title XX (Block Grants to State for Social Services) of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to eligible entities to assist low-income individuals and individuals who have been unemployed for at least three months in developing self-employment opportunities.

Date: 2011-12-16
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Social welfare
Online Job Training Act of 2011 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to require the Secretary of Labor to award National Online Workforce Training Grants for workforce training programs using distance-learning technologies, such as the Internet. Requires such grants to be awarded on a competitive basis to educational institutions, community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, state or local boards, or units of general local government that provide online workforce training. Directs the Secretary to award one grant to an eligible postsecondary educational institution to: (1) provide technical assistance to entities that receive grants, (2) collect and nationally disseminate the data gathered by entities that receive grants, and (3) disseminate best practices.

Date: 2011-12-16
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Expanding Opportunities for Older Americans Act of 2011 - Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to expand the Senior Community Service Employment (SCSE) Program. Lowers the age of eligibility from 55 to 52. Repeals the requirement that the eligible individual be unemployed. Increases from 125% to 200% of the poverty line the maximum income for eligibility. Excludes from the counting of an eligible individual's income any income received by another member of the eligible individual's household. Prohibits any limit of fewer than 40 hours per week on the number of hours per week a grant recipient may permit a participant to work in a job assisted under the grant. Declares the sense of Congress that necessary sums should be appropriated to carry out the SCSE Program in each of FY2012-FY2017.

Date: 2011-12-20
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
TAP Modernization Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Labor, during the three-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, to provide the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) to veterans and their spouses at locations other than military installations in at least three and up to five states selected by the Secretary based on the highest rates of veteran unemployment. Requires reports from both the Secretary and the Comptroller General to Congress on such TAP training.

Date: 2012-02-16
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Tax Credits for Jobs Now Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers a refundable tax credit for: (1) 60% of the excess of the aggregate wages paid to employees during 2012 over the aggregate wages paid during 2011, and (2) 40% of the excess of such wages paid during 2013 over the aggregate inflation-adjusted wages paid during 2012. Limits the maximum amount of such credit to $500,000 in any calendar year.

Date: 2012-03-08
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Taxation
Humphrey-Hawkins 21st Century Full Employment and Training Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a Full Employment National Trust Fund with two separate accounts for: (1) Employment Opportunity Grants to states, local governments, and Indian tribes for job-creating activities in communities whose economy is not at a level of full employment; and (2) Workforce Investment programs. Establishes arbitration procedures for resolution of disputes for grant recipients. Requires the Secretary of Labor to post a whistleblower hotline on the Department of Labor's website for the public to report noncompliance with the Act's requirements. Directs the Secretary to convene a national employment conference to bring together leaders of small, medium, and large businesses, labor, government, and other parties to discuss employment, with particular attention to structural unemployment and the plight of disadvantaged youth. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to revise member composition requirements for state and local workforce investment boards to include at least 25% of the chief executive officers of minority-serving, community-based organizations. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a tax on certain covered securities transactions, payable by trading facilities or purchasers that deal in such transactions. Requires a transferor with respect to any outbound securities transaction to deduct and withhold a tax equal to the tax imposed on covered securities transactions.

Date: 2012-03-28
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Bring Jobs Home Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) grant business taxpayers a tax credit for up to 20% of insourcing expenses incurred for eliminating a business located outside the United States and  relocating it within the United States, and (2) deny a tax deduction for outsourcing expenses incurred in relocating a U.S. business outside the United States. Requires an increase in the taxpayer's employment of full-time employees in the United States in order to claim the tax credit for insourcing expenses.

Date: 2012-05-08
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Taxation
Veterans' Job Corps Act - Authorizes the President to establish and operate a Veterans' Job Corps to employ veterans and veterans' widows or widowers who are otherwise unemployed in the construction, maintenance, and carrying on of public works in connection with: (1) the forestation of U.S. or state lands; (2) the prevention of forest fires, floods, and soil erosion; (3) public safety; (4) plant pest and disease control; and (5) the construction, maintenance, or repair of paths, trails, and fire-lanes in National Park System units and other public lands. Directs the President to employ individuals in the Corps in the following order of preference: (1) unemployed veterans, and (2) widows or widowers who are eligible for unemployment compensation immediately before employment in the Corps. Authorizes the President to provide individuals employed in the Corps with housing, necessary subsistence, clothing, medical attendance and hospitalization, a cash allowance, and transportation to and from the places of employment. Prohibits the employment in the Corps of an individual convicted of a felony or a veteran who was discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions.

Date: 2012-05-09
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Entrepreneurial Training Improvement Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) establish alternate guidelines for measuring the progress of state and local performance of entrepreneurial training services to adults and dislocated workers under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, and (2) provide state and local Workforce Investment Boards with specific guidance on successful approaches to collecting performance information on entrepreneurial self-employment. Directs the Secretary to issue a report on the progress of such boards in implementing new entrepreneurial training programs.

Date: 2012-05-17
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Directs the Secretary of Labor to commence a one-year pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of providing veterans seeking employment with access to computing facilities in order to facilitate their access to websites that: (1) match such veterans with available jobs based on skills acquired as members of the Armed Forces, and (2) allow employers to post information about available jobs. Requires the Secretary to provide such veterans with assistance in using such facilities. Repeals a required annual report from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) on the use of authorities for retaining experienced nurses in the Veterans Health Administration.

Date: 2012-09-13
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Back to Work Blueprint Act - Directs the Secretary of Labor to study the feasibility of establishing 10 pilot programs under the Workplace Investment Act of 1988 at one-stop centers in geographically distinct U.S. regions. Prescribes pilot program requirements, including that: (1) participating one-stop centers issue certificates to qualifying unemployed individuals, (2) certificates provide for a reimbursement of $7,000 paid to qualifying employers who agree to hire and provide necessary training to the individual, (3) certificates expire six months after being issued if the individual does not find qualifying employment, and (4) one-stop centers conduct quantitative assessments of the efficacy of the programs.

Date: 2012-10-05
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Job Creation Act of 2011 - Amends the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 to reduce the employment tax rate to 4.2% for employers and to 8.4% for self employed individuals Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal provisions added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) requiring individuals to purchase and maintain minimum essential health care coverage, (2) make permanent the increased expensing allowance for depreciable business and investment property, including computer software, and (3) make permanent the tax credit for increasing research expenditures. Repeals the provision of PPACA that extends to corporations that are not tax-exempt the requirement to report payments of $600 or more. Rescinds $39 billion of appropriated but unobligated discretionary funds. Exempts unobligated funds of the Department of Defense (DOD) or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to determine and identify from which appropriation accounts such rescissions shall apply and report to the Secretary of the Treasury and Congress on such rescissions. Suspends the authority of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate or enforce any regulation for a period of one year, unless a regulation is necessary for immediate health or safety reasons. Sets conditions, including a revised statute of limitations, for lawsuits arising from health care liability claims regarding health care goods or services or any medical product affecting interstate commerce. Allows a court to restrict the payment of attorney contingency fees in health care lawsuits. Limits such fees to a decreasing percentage based on the increasing value of the amount awarded. Authorizes the award of punitive damages in health care lawsuits only where: (1) it is proven by clear and convincing evidence that a person acted with malicious intent to injure the claimant or deliberately failed to avoid unnecessary injury the claimant was substantially certain to suffer, and (2) compensatory damages are awarded. Limits punitive damages to the greater of two times the amount of economic damages or $250,000. Provides for periodic payments of future damages exceeding $50,000.

Date: 2011-01-25
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Older Worker Opportunity Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers who maintain a tax-qualified pension or retirement plan and who provide health insurance coverage a business-related tax credit for 25% of the first $6,000 of the wages of employees who have attained the age of 62 and who are participating in a formal flexible work program. Defines "formal flexible work program" as a work program: (1) that consists of core and flex time; (2) whose core time does not exceed 20 hours per week, three days per week, or 1,000 hours per year; (3) that allows participation for at least one year; and (4) that does not permit a change or reduction in the health care or pension benefits of the participating employee.

Date: 2011-01-25
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Taxation
Health Care and Training for Older Workers Act - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to extend COBRA continuation coverage for certain older workers. Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to revise: (1) statewide employment and training activities, adding developing strategies for serving hard-to-serve populations and coordinating programs among one-stop partners; (2) local employment and training activities, with respect to intensive services and training services, and adding customer support for members of hard-to-serve populations, including individuals with disabilities; and (3) performance measures, data, and reporting. Directs the Secretary of Labor to: (1) identify best practices for hiring and retaining older workers in the private and public sectors; and (2) make such information publicly available through the Internet.

Date: 2011-01-25
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Health
Marcellus Shale On-the-Job Training Act of 2011 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to require the Secretary of Labor to make discretionary grants to local areas for adult on-the-job training or dislocated worker on-the-job training at worksites directly related to the exploration for, production of, and transportation of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale formation.

Date: 2011-03-15
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act of 2011 - Amends the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act to direct the Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) to establish a government-wide acquisition management fellows program for the purpose of investing in the long-term improvement and sustained excellence of the federal acquisition workforce. Lists as the program's objectives to: (1) develop a new generation of acquisition leaders with government-wide perspective, skills, and experience; (2) recruit individuals with the outstanding academic merit, ethical value, business acumen, and leadership skills to meet the government's acquisition needs; and (3) offer opportunities for advancement, competitive compensation, and leadership opportunities. Requires the program to consist of one academic year of full-time, on-campus training followed by two years of on-the-job and part-time training toward a Masters or equivalent graduate degree in related fields. Requires persons selected for the program to commit to employment with the government in the field of acquisition following program completion. Requires executive agencies to give priority to program graduates for purposes of hiring employees in the acquisition field. Establishes in the Treasury the OFPP Acquisition Fellows Development Fund to be used for the establishment and operations of the program. Requires the Administrator to establish a leadership development training program for federal employees to produce high performing individuals in the core acquisition disciplines of contracting, program management, and cost estimating.

Date: 2011-04-07
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Promoting Innovations to 21st Century Careers Act - Authorizes the Director of the National Academic and Career Innovation Center to award certain planning, implementation, transitional, and supplemental grants to state pathways partnerships to carry out activities that will create and enhance educational and career pathways for high school students to postsecondary schools (including registered apprenticeship programs) and to 21st century careers, particularly in high skill, high demand industries. Requires the state partnerships to be appointed by state governors and include representatives from educational, business, labor, workforce, and economic development entities in their respective states. Establishes the National Academic and Career Innovation Center to: (1) support the efforts of the state partnerships and regional partnerships (which are to receive competitive implementation subgrants from state partnerships) to offer career pathways of proven effectiveness; (2) design and conduct performance evaluations of career pathways activities; and (3) administer, oversee, and evaluate all career pathways grants.

Date: 2011-04-14
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Education
Urban Jobs Act of 2011 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to authorize the Secretary of Labor to make competitive grants to national private nonprofit community-based organizations to carry out Urban Jobs Programs to provide job training, education, and support services and activities for eligible urban youth to provide them with a pathway to employment, or education leading to employment. Defines "eligible youth" as individuals ages 18 to 24 who: (1) are not enrolled in secondary or post-secondary school, or (2) are or have been subject to the criminal justice process. Directs the Secretary to establish a National Jobs Council Advisory Committee. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) community-based affiliates should establish local jobs council advisory committees to aid in establishing local community support for local implementation of the program; and (2) at least one-third of the members of the committee should be employers in high-impact, high-growth industries in the locality.

Date: 2011-05-09
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
On-the-Job Training Act of 2011 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to authorize the Secretary of Labor to: (1) make discretionary grants to states, local boards, and federally-recognized tribal organizations for adult on-the-job training or dislocated worker on-the-job training programs; and (2) use up to 10% of funds authorized under this Act to make grants to such entities for developing on-the-job training programs, including providing capacity building activities for local staff.

Date: 2011-06-09
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
American Manufacturing Efficiency and Retraining Investment Collaboration Achievement Works Act or AMERICA Works Act - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, with respect to statewide and local adult and youth workforce investment employment and training programs, to require a one-stop delivery system, in selecting and approving training services, or programs of training services, to give priority consideration to state- and local board-approved services and programs that lead to an industry-recognized and nationally portable credential that is in demand in the local area served and listed in the skill credential registry created under this Act. Amends the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 and the Trade Act of 1974 to require the same priority consideration in the state and local plans for career and technical education programs as well as in tech prep programs and trade adjustment assistance (TAA) programs. Requires that funds allocated for local area youth activities be used, in part, for training programs, giving priority consideration to those that lead to a registry-listed credential in high demand in the local area served. Requires the Secretary of Labor to: (1) create a registry of skill credentials; and (2) list in the registry credentials that are required by federal or state law for an occupation, are from the Manufacturing Institute-Endorsed Manufacturing Skills Certification System, and are industry-recognized and nationally portable credentials consistent with established industry competency models as well as consistently updated to reflect changing industry competencies.

Date: 2011-06-21
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment