zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Directs the Secretary of Labor to award capitalization grants to eligible applicants (nonprofit local workforce investment boards, states, political subdivisions of a state, and Indian tribes, or a single national organization) for projects to create jobs and the delivery of self-sustainable social services (i.e., education, training, and career services) to people with barriers to employment. Authorizes the Secretary to evaluate the effectiveness of capitalization in providing workforce development opportunities and training to people with barriers to employment after the grantee has had three years to capitalize and build or expand its programs.

Date: 2009-12-11
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
New Jobs for America Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Labor, subject to the availability of appropriations, to make grants to state and local governments and Indian tribes to carry out employment training programs to aid unemployed individuals in securing employment in a new area of expertise, particularly in emerging markets and industries (such as green technologies).

Date: 2009-12-16
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Affordable Tutoring of Our Children Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the tax exclusion for employer-provided dependent care assistance to allow employees an additional exclusion for payments of supplemental instructional services assistance to their dependents between the ages of 5 and 19 who have not obtained a high school diploma or who have been awarded a general education degree. Defines "supplemental instructional services assistance" to include instructional or other academic enrichment services that are: (1) in addition to instruction provided during the school day; (2) specifically designed to increase academic achievement; (3) in the core academic studies of English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, social studies, and geography; and (4) provided by a state certified instructor or accredited organization.

Date: 2009-12-16
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Taxation
Older Worker Opportunity Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers who provide health and retirement benefits to their employees a tax credit for 25% of the first $6,000 of wages paid to individuals age 62 or older participating in a flexible work program. Terminates such credit after 2012. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish a Federal Task Force on Older Workers to promote the hiring and retention of older workers. Requires the Task Force to organize a Conference on the Aging Workforce, which shall include the participation of senior, business, labor, and other interested organizations.

Date: 2010-02-03
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Taxation
Community Reintegration and Crime Prevention Act of 2010 - Amends the Second Chance Act of 2007 to reauthorize appropriations for FY2011 and FY2012 to the Secretary of Labor to carry out the reintegration of offenders grants program through the award of grants to nonprofit organizations to provide mentoring, job training and job placement services, and other comprehensive transitional services to assist eligible offenders in obtaining and retaining employment. Directs the Attorney General, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor, to prepare a report identifying the best practices of nonprofit organizations receiving grants under the Act. Directs the Attorney General to make such report available to the public. Requires nonprofit organization grantees, for grants awarded on or after January 1, 2012, to comply with the best practices identified in the report.

Date: 2010-02-24
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Jobs for Urban Sustainability in America Act - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to make additional grants from unobligated Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA) to: (1) cities with high unemployment (with a population of at least 600,000 and an unemployment rate of 10% or more) for public works, training, and economic development projects; and (2) firms adversely affected by import competition which are assisted under the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms Program. Directs the Secretary of Labor to make grants from such funds to carry out adult and dislocated worker employment and training activities under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 in cities with high unemployment.

Date: 2010-03-03
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) exempt for-profit and nonprofit employers, including public institutions of higher education, from social security taxes in 2010 for new employees who are hired after February 3, 2010, and before January 1, 2011, and who certify that they have not worked more than 40 hours during the last 60 days; and (2) allow an increase in the general business tax credit for the retention of such employees for at least one year at specified wage levels. Prohibits any carryback of unused business tax credit amounts. Appropriates to the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund under title II of the Social Security Act amounts necessary to cover any reduction in revenues resulting from the tax exemptions provided by this Act.

Date: 2010-03-04
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Taxation
Coastal Jobs Creation Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to implement a Coastal Jobs Creation Grant Program which shall include: (1) cooperative research to collect and compile economic and social data related to recreational and commercial fisheries management: (2) establishment and implementation of state recreational fishing registry programs; (3) training and deploying observers authorized or required under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act; (4) preservation or restoration of coastal resources identified for their conservation, recreational, ecological, historic, or aesthetic values; (5) redevelopment of deteriorating and underutilized working waterfronts and ports; (6) research to develop, test, and deploy innovations and improvements in coastal and ocean observation technologies; (7) cooperative research to collect data to improve, supplement, or enhance fishery and marine mammal stock assessments; and (8) other specified activities. Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to require the Secretary of Commerce to enter into contracts with, or provide grants to, states for the purpose of establishing and implementing a registry program to meet the requirements for the exemption from registration of a regional standardized fishing vessel registration and information management system program for state licensed recreational fishermen and charter fishing vessels when the Secretary determines that information from the state program is suitable for the Secretary's use in completing marine recreational fisheries statistical surveys or evaluating the effects of proposed conservation and management measures for marine recreational fisheries.

Date: 2010-03-23
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
America Recruits Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, to establish a program to award grants to eligible intermediaries to make loans to eligible entities to assist them, when deciding whether to locate eligible jobs in foreign countries or in the United States, in locating information technology and manufacturing jobs in economic development districts or targeted labor surplus areas (whose unemployment rate is at least 140% of the U.S. unemployment rate).

Date: 2010-04-20
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Business Incubator Promotion Act - Amends the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to include among the Act's goals encouraging distressed communities to support the formation of business incubators to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in economically distressed areas. Defines "business incubator" as an entity established to foster the startup of businesses or accelerate the growth of fledgling companies by providing entrepreneurs with resources and services to produce viable businesses that can help create jobs and restore vitality to distressed areas, excluding an entity organized primarily as for-profit venture.Modifies criteria for the eligibility of an area for grants under such Act for public works and economic development or economic adjustment projects to require an area to have had an unemployment rate of at least 1% greater than the national average for the most recent 12-month (currently, 24-month) period for which data are available. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) increase the federal share for public works and economic development project grants based upon an area's unemployment rate or per capita income compared to the national average; and (2) reduce or waive the non-federal or local share required for participation in such grant assistance for a special need area in cases of severe economic distress.Authorizes the Secretary to provide competitive grants for: (1) the development and implementation of feasibility studies and plans for the creation or expansion of business incubators; and (2) the temporary support of operations of business incubators that is essential to self-sustainability.

Date: 2010-04-21
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), and any other federal program that provides job training and placement services for older adults, should: (1) work with nonprofit organizations that have a record of success in developing and implementing research-based technology curriculum designed specifically for older adults; and (2) partner with such organizations to provide training, student materials, and support for a broad range of workforce technology skills, including basic and intermediate computer skills, Internet, email, word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and other appropriate key skills for assisting older workers to enter or reenter the workforce.

Date: 2010-05-11
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Incentives for Successful Companies Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow through 2014: (1) certain businesses designated as successful companies a business-related tax credit for job training expenses; and (2) an increase to $250,000 in the expensing allowance for depreciable business assets placed in service by such companies. Defines a "successful company" as a U.S. company or enterprise that maintains a long-term U.S. growth plan, meets certain financial and creditworthiness criteria, and had an average of not fewer than 5 or more than 500 employees in the most recent calendar year.

Date: 2010-05-26
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Taxation
Older Americans' Job Opportunities Blueprint Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) include as a member of a targeted group, for purposes of the work opportunity tax credit, a qualified older worker; and (2) extend such credit through 2012. Defines "qualified older worker" as an individual who is age 55 or older and whose income, excluding unemployment compensation and certain veterans and social security payments, is not more than 400% of the federal poverty line. Directs the Secretary of Labor to award a grant to establish and operate a National Resource Center on Aging and the Workforce to address issues on age and the workforce and to collect, organize, and disseminate information on older workers.

Date: 2010-06-17
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Taxation
Urban Jobs Act of 2010 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to authorize the Secretary of Labor to make grants to the National Urban League to operate, through local affiliates, an Urban Jobs Program to provide job training, education, and support services and activities for eligible young adults to prepare them for entry into the workforce. Defines "eligible young adults" 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 National Urban League affiliates should establish local jobs council advisory committees to aid in establishing local community support for local implementation of the program.

Date: 2010-07-01
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow students who are pursuing a postbaccalaureate professional certification or licensing credential required for employment as a teacher to receive a Pell grant even if their institution of higher education (IHE) offers a baccalaureate degree in education, provided they do not live within 45 miles of an IHE that offers such a postbaccalaureate program but not a baccalaureate degree in education. (Currently, students are not eligible for Pell grants for such postbaccalaureate studies if their IHE offers a baccalaureate degree in education.)

Date: 2010-07-15
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Education
Johnson Space Center Workforce Stability Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of Labor to create a two-year job training program (including a one-stop career center) to assist the transition to new jobs of workers and employees of contractors in the Johnson Space Center region whose job stability is impacted by programmatic changes to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) space exploration program. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the Department of Commerce, to enter into cooperative agreements with eligible recipients in the Johnson Space Center region for activities to help stabilize the workforce and to promote economic growth.

Date: 2010-07-26
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Cooking Helps Elevate Futures Act or the CHEF Act - Directs the Attorney General to establish a pilot program providing federal inmates with training and certification in the culinary arts, and the customary job placement assistance after their release from custody. Directs the Attorney General to select ten different federal correctional facilities in different regions of the continental United States to participate in the program.

Date: 2010-07-30
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Education
Manufacturing Reinvestment Account Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish tax-exempt manufacturing reinvestment accounts (MRAs) for taxpayers engaged in a manufacturing business. Allows such manufacturers to make tax deductible cash payments into an MRA of the lesser of their domestic manufacturing gross receipts for the taxable year or $250,000. Permits expenditures from an MRA for expenses for property to be used in the manufacturing business and expenses for employee job training and workforce development. Terminates the tax deduction for payments to an MRA seven years after the enactment of this Act.

Date: 2010-07-30
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Taxation
Marcellus Shale On-the-Job Training Act of 2010 - 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: 2010-09-15
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Green Workforce Development Through Community Colleges Act - Directs the Secretaries of Labor, Energy, and Education to establish and convene an advisory commission to: (1) review and analyze the skill needs of the alternative energy and energy efficiency fields; (2) identify and define career pathways, including coursework, certification, and other training needed for career development in areas related to wind power, solar power, geothermal energy, training of energy auditors for residential and commercial structures, and energy efficient retrofit and renovation of residential and commercial structures; (3) recommend a curriculum framework and best practices for educational and workforce training programs related to such areas; and (4) report its findings and recommendations to the Secretaries. Directs such Secretaries to: (1) post such report on their department websites; and (2) jointly award grants to community colleges for the purposes of providing education and workforce training in the alternative energy and energy efficiency fields. Requires community college recipients to use grant funds to: (1) establish educational and training programs in such fields; (2) assist students and graduates of such programs in apprenticeship and employment placement in such fields; (3) coordinate with and assist area secondary and vocational schools in providing educational services in such fields; and (4) coordinate with local workforce investment boards to ensure program access to individuals participating in workforce investment activities in the local area, dislocated workers, workers who are transitioning into careers in such fields, underrepresented minorities, and low-income individuals. Directs the Secretaries to jointly award grants to up to 10 community colleges identified as leaders in education and workforce training in the alternative energy and energy efficiency fields to develop best practices regarding such education and training.

Date: 2010-09-15
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Amends the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act to repeal certain grant requirements under the Alaska pipeline construction job training grant program, including a request for the grant by the governor of Alaska, with concurrence by the Secretary of Energy (DOE).

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Amends the Federal Reserve Act to repeal the joint mandate on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Open Market Committee to make maximum employment one of the goals of their duty to maintain long run growth of the monetary and credit aggregates commensurate with the U.S. economy's long run potential to increase production.

Date: 2010-11-16
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Economics and public finance
21st Century Civilian Conservation Corps Act - Authorizes the President, in order to relieve widespread unemployment, restore depleted natural resources in the United States, and advance public works programs, to establish a Civilian Conservation Corps to employ unemployed or underemployed U.S. citizens in the construction, maintenance, and carrying on of works of a public nature, such as forestation of U.S. and state lands, prevention of forest fires, floods, and soil erosion, and construction and repair of National Park System paths and trails. Authorizes the President to extend Corps activities to state- and private- owned lands to prevent and control forest fires and floods and attacks of forest tree pests and diseases. Requires the President, based on certain criteria, to give preference to the employment of additional persons in the Corps in the following order: (1) unemployed Armed Forces veterans (including Reserve members); (2) unemployed U.S. citizens who have exhausted their unemployment compensation; (3) unemployed U.S. citizens who are eligible for unemployment compensation immediately before employment in the Corps, including any additional compensation or extended compensation; and (4) other unemployed or underemployed U.S. citizens. Authorizes the President to provide housing and transportation for Corps employees. Prohibits discrimination in the hiring of Corps employees.

Date: 2010-11-29
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Skills Standards Certification Evaluation Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Secretary of Education to: (1) evaluate skills certification programs for employees; (2) rank such programs or determine best practices models for them; and (3) make recommendations on the merits of a unified national approach to such programs, and ways to streamline duplicative and similar programs into a single, widely recognized certification. Requires the Secretaries to post evaluation results on the Internet and make them available to Congress and to interested parties.

Date: 2009-01-08
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Job Access and Reverse Commute Program Improvements Act of 2009 - Revises the job access and reverse commute (JARC) program to authorize a state to accept a single combined application for a project funded from at least two of the following programs that provide individuals with transportation to and from a job: (1) the JARC program; (2) the elderly and disabled specialized transit program; (3) the new freedom program (for disabled workers); and (4) any other program the Secretary deems appropriate. Makes eligible for JARC formula grant funding the subsidizing of costs associated with the transportation of low income high school students and young adults to career or technical education, job training, or apprenticeship programs. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation, at state request, to waive or streamline JARC program reporting and certification requirements, provided program goals are met. Directs the Secretary to study the feasibility of eliminating, revising, or reducing frequency of collection for any reporting or certification requirements relating to the JARC formula grant program, particularly examining the burden on and needs of nonprofit organizations that receive funding and are unaccustomed to Federal Transit Administration (FTA) regulations. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a grant pilot program to: (1) improve education and employment related transportation activities for eligible teens and young adults; (2) evaluate streamlined reporting and certification requirements; and (3) support more comprehensive projects integrated with other federal, state, and local transportation and human service programs, while ensuring the paperwork burden is minimized. Requires the Secretary to continue and expand JARC technical assistance activities so that the Department of Transportation supports various specified efforts, including those that act as an information clearinghouse and information network.

Date: 2009-01-08
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Retooling America's Workers for a Green Economy Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to reserve specified portions of certain appropriations to: (1) award national emergency grants and provide additional assistance to eligible entities for employment and training activities in green-collar industries for dislocated workers affected by major economic dislocations or a major disaster, as well as assistance for statewide rapid response activities for permanent closures or mass layoffs; (2) make allotments to states and outlaying areas to provide employment and training activities in green-collar industries for adults with multiple barriers to employment; and (3) carry out the energy efficiency and renewable energy worker training program.

Date: 2009-01-15
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
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.

Date: 2009-01-16
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Health
Older Worker Opportunity Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers who provide health and retirement benefits to their employees a tax credit for 25% of the first $6,000 of wages paid to individuals age 62 or older participating in a flexible work program. Terminates such credit after 2012.

Date: 2009-02-27
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Taxation
Part-Time Reemployment of Annuitants Act of 2009 - Allows a federal agency head (other than for the Government Accountability Office [GAO]) to waive the application of civil service retirement system and federal employee retirement system provisions restricting annuities and pay upon reemployment with respect to an annuitant employed as a limited time appointee (an annuitant appointed under a temporary appointment limited to one year or less) if the annuitant's employment is necessary to: (1) fulfill functions critical to the mission of the agency or any component thereof; (2) assist in the implementation or oversight of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 or the Troubled Asset Relief Program; (3) assist in the development, management, or oversight of agency procurement actions; (4) assist the Inspector General for that agency in the performance of that Inspector General's mission; (5) promote appropriate training or mentoring programs of employees; (6) assist in the recruitment or retention of employees; or (7) respond to an emergency involving a direct threat to life or property or other unusual circumstances. Prohibits waiving such provisions with respect to an annuitant for more than: (1) 520 hours of service performed during the six months following the individual's annuity commencing date; (2) 1040 hours of service performed during any 12-month period; or (3) a total of 3120 hours of service performed by that annuitant. Limits the total number of annuitants to whom such a waiver may apply to not more than 2.5% of the total number of full-time agency employees. Requires an agency head to submit a justification if the number of annuitants to whom a waiver applies exceeds 1% of the number of employees. Terminates such waiver authority five years after this Act's enactment. Sets forth reporting requirements by agency heads and by the Comptroller General.

Date: 2009-03-18
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Affordable Tutoring of Our Children Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the tax exclusion for employer-provided dependent care assistance to allow employees an additional exclusion for payments of supplemental instructional services assistance to their dependents between the ages of 5 and 19 who have not obtained a high school diploma or who have been awarded a general education degree. Defines "supplemental instructional services assistance" to include instructional or other academic enrichment services that are: (1) in addition to instruction provided during the school day; (2) specifically designed to increase academic achievement; (3) in the core academic studies of English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, social studies, and geography; and (4) provided by a state certified instructor or accredited organization.

Date: 2009-03-31
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Taxation
Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success Act of 2009 or the SECTORS Act of 2009 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to require the Secretary of Labor to award 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, education, and economic development activities. Requires federal agency coordination with the Secretary in carrying out such program.

Date: 2009-04-01
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Jobs Coordinator for Sustainable American Recovery Act of 2009 or the Jobs CSAR Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a Jobs Creation Coordinator to: (1) develop a plan to improve the ability of Department of Commerce programs to maintain or create private sector jobs in the United States; and (2) coordinate with Congress to enhance the Department's ability to do so.

Date: 2009-04-02
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Providing Our Workforce with Education and Re-training Act of 2009 or POWER Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a general business tax credit for up to 25% of the cost of technical training for employees performing services in a trade or business of the taxpayer. Limits the amount of the credit to $1,000 for each employee, reduced by credit amounts for all prior taxable years.

Date: 2009-05-14
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Taxation
Community College Energy Training Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Energy, 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) energy efficient construction, retrofitting, and design; (3) sustainable energy technologies; (4) water and energy 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 or degrees in one or more of the industries or practices listed above.

Date: 2009-05-20
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Energy
Green Jobs Improvement Act - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to make nonunion training programs eligible for federal funding under the energy efficiency and renewable energy worker training program (Green Jobs program). Applies certain worker protections and nondiscrimination requirements to such programs.

Date: 2009-06-11
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require that a nonimmigrant foreign student seeking to enter the United States to study at a language training program enroll at a language program that is accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the Secretary of Education. Provides for a specified three-year exception to such requirement.

Date: 2009-06-24
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Immigration
Keep Americans Working Act - Declares that the purpose of this Act is to keep Americans working by strengthening and expanding short-time compensation programs that provide employers with an alternative to layoffs. Requires the Secretary of Labor to: (1) provide guidance to states in enacting short-term compensation programs; and (2) award start-up grants to state agencies in states that have enacted programs and meet certain requirements. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to define "short-time compensation program" as one in which: (1) participation of an employer is voluntary; (2) an employer reduces the number of hours worked by employees through certifying that such reductions are in lieu of temporary layoffs; (3) an employee whose workweek that has been reduced by at least 10% is eligible for unemployment compensation; (4) an eligible employee may participate in an employer-sponsored job skills training program; and (5) an employer is required to certify that continuation of employee health and retirement benefits will not be affected by participation in the program. Directs the Secretary to make payments to a state's unemployment compensation trust fund for the payment of unemployment compensation if the Secretary approves a state's application for certification to operate a short-time compensation program that requires the maintenance of health and retirement employee benefits.

Date: 2009-08-07
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Post-9/11 Veterans' Job Training Act of 2009 - Amends requirements for the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Program to entitle an eligible veteran of the Armed Forces (including eligible dependents) pursuing a full-time educational program of apprenticeship or other on-job training to a monthly benefit payment equal to: (1) 75% of the monthly benefit payment otherwise payable to such individual for each of the first six months of the program; (2) 55% of such payment for each of the second six months of the program; and (3) 35% of such payment for each of the months following the first 12 months of the program. Reduces the payment an individual receives in any month in which the individual fails to complete 120 hours of training under the program of education. Entitles an eligible veteran of the Armed Forces receiving such monthly benefit to receive also a monthly housing stipend equal to the basic allowance for housing payable for an Armed Forces member with dependents in pay grade E-5 residing in the military housing area that encompasses the ZIP code area in which the individual resides. Requires an individual's entitlement for each monthly benefit payment to be charged at the rate of: (1) 75% of a month for each of the first six months of the program; (2) 55% of a month for each of the second six months of the program; and (3) 35% of a month for each of the months following the first 12 months of the program.

Date: 2009-11-10
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act of 2009 - 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.

Date: 2009-12-17
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Strengthening Our Economy Through Employment and Development Act - Makes available to carry out the Private Sector Wage Subsidy Fund and the Public Sector Energy Efficiency Promotion Fund, established by this Act, any amounts under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA) which remain unobligated or which have been repaid. Establishes in the Treasury the Private Sector Wage Subsidy Fund to enable small- and medium-sized businesses and nonprofit organizations to hire eligible workers who will receive wage subsidies. Requires the Secretary of Labor to make allocations from the Fund to local workforce investment areas to provide further allocations for one-year wage subsidies to businesses and nonprofit organizations employing fewer than 500 individuals. Sets the regular wage subsidy at 50% of total wages or $12 per hour, whichever amount is less. Prescribes a special wage subsidy for a veteran of military service in Iraq or Afghanistan after September 11, 2001, at 60% percent of total wages or $14.40 per hour, whichever is less. Requires a participating business or nonprofit organization that contributes to the cost of health insurance coverage for its employees to receive an additional $1 per hour for each eligible worker hired under this Act to help defray the cost of making such contributions. Requires any job for which a wage subsidy is allocated under this Act to: (1) pay not less than $10 per hour; or (2) start at $9 per hour with a certification from the business or nonprofit organization that the wage will be increased to at least $10 per hour by the end of the subsidy period. Requires a job in a locality with a higher minimum wage to pay no less than that higher minimum. Limits worker eligibility under this Act to individuals who have: (1) exhausted their state-funded unemployment insurance benefits; or (2) been unemployed for at least six months. Establishes in the Treasury of the United States the Public Sector Energy Efficiency Promotion Fund for Department of Energy (DOE) grants to states and Indian tribes to provide funds to retrofit public housing, public buildings, libraries, schools, and vacant or foreclosed homes to increase energy efficiency. Directs the DOE Secretary to create standards for measuring and verifying energy efficiency in residential buildings, commercial buildings, and federally funded housing facilities.

Date: 2010-01-26
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Economics and public finance
America Recruits Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, to establish a program to award grants to eligible intermediaries to make loans to eligible entities to assist them, when deciding whether to locate eligible jobs in foreign countries or in the United States, in locating information technology and manufacturing jobs in economic development districts or targeted labor surplus areas (whose unemployment rate is at least 140% of the U.S. unemployment rate).

Date: 2010-02-04
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
On-the-Job Training Act of 2010 - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to authorize the Secretary of Labor to: (1) make discretionary grants to local areas for adult on-the-job training or dislocated worker on-the-job training; and (2) use up to 10% of funds authorized under this Act to make grants to states, local boards, and federally recognized tribal organizations for developing on-the-job training programs.

Date: 2010-06-07
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Coastal Jobs Creation Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to implement a Coastal Jobs Creation Grant Program which shall include research and programs regarding: (1) recreational and commercial fisheries management: (2) essential fish habitats; (3) fishery and marine mammal stock assessments; (4) training and deployment of observers under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act; (5) conservation of ocean and coastal resources; (6) waterfront and port redevelopment; (7) coral reef ecosystem conservation; (8) improvement of coastal and ocean observation technologies; (9) bycatch reduction; and (10) preventing the occurrence and adverse impacts of marine debris on the marine environment and navigation safety.

Date: 2010-06-24
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
HIRE Now Tax Cut Extension Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend until June 30, 2011, the exemption from payment of employment taxes for individuals who begin employment after July 22, 2010.

Date: 2010-07-21
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Taxation
International Professional Exchange Act of 2010 - Authorizes the Secretary of State to establish a three-year international professional exchange pilot program for: (1) young professionals in the United States to live and work in a Muslim-majority country; and (2) young professionals in Muslim-majority countries to live and work in the United States. Provides for fellowships of between three and six months, during which: (1) time should be allocated for professional training, community service, and cultural immersion activities, including site visits and domestic travel; and (2) the majority of time should be spent in a professional job setting that complements the fellow's professional background and builds relevant professional skill sets. States that the selection of inbound and outbound fellows shall reflect geographic diversity from the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Requires each fellow to complete at least 40 hours of community service in the local community in which the fellow is placed. Encourages the Secretary to defray program costs through public-private partnerships. Requires three reports from the Secretary describing the administration and outcomes of the program. Authorizes appropriations.

Date: 2010-08-02
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: International affairs
Marcellus Shale On-the-Job Training Act of 2010 - 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: 2010-08-05
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Creating American Jobs and Ending Offshoring Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) exempt from employment taxes for a 24-month period employers who hire a employee who replaces another employee who is not a citizen or permanent resident of the United States and who performs similar duties overseas; (2) deny any tax deduction, deduction for loss, or tax credit for the cost of an American jobs offshoring transaction (defined as any transaction in which a taxpayer reduces or eliminates the operation of a trade or business in connection with the start-up or expansion of such trade or business outside the United States); and (3) eliminate the deferral of tax on income of a controlled foreign corporation attributable to property imported into the United States by such corporation or a related person, except for property exported before substantial use in the United States and for agricultural commodities not grown in the United States in commercially marketable quantities.

Date: 2010-09-21
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Taxation
New Jobs for America Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Labor, subject to the availability of appropriations, to make grants to state and local governments and Indian tribes to carry out employment training programs to aid unemployed individuals in securing employment in a new area of expertise, particularly in emerging markets and industries (such as green technologies).

Date: 2011-01-05
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
Johnson Space Center Workforce Stability Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Labor to create a two-year job training program (including a one-stop career center) to assist the transition to new jobs of workers and employees of contractors in the Johnson Space Center region whose job stability is impacted by programmatic changes to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) space exploration program. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the Department of Commerce, to enter into cooperative agreements with eligible recipients in the Johnson Space Center region for activities to help stabilize the workforce and to promote economic growth.

Date: 2011-01-12
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
21st Century Civilian Conservation Corps Act - Authorizes the President, in order to relieve widespread unemployment, restore depleted natural resources in the United States, and advance public works programs, to establish a Civilian Conservation Corps to employ unemployed or underemployed U.S. citizens in the construction, maintenance, and carrying on of works of a public nature, such as forestation of U.S. and state lands, prevention of forest fires, floods, and soil erosion, and construction and repair of National Park System paths and trails. Authorizes the President to extend Corps activities to state- and private-owned lands to prevent and control forest fires and floods and attacks of forest tree pests and diseases. Requires the President, based on certain criteria, to give preference to the employment of additional persons in the Corps in the following order: (1) unemployed Armed Forces veterans (including Reserve members); (2) unemployed U.S. citizens who have exhausted their unemployment compensation; (3) unemployed U.S. citizens who are eligible for unemployment compensation immediately before employment in the Corps, including any additional compensation or extended compensation; and (4) other unemployed or underemployed U.S. citizens. Authorizes the President to provide housing and transportation for Corps employees. Prohibits discrimination in the hiring of Corps employees.

Date: 2011-01-26
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Labor and employment
End Veteran Homelessness Act of 2011 - Extends through FY2011, and increases the amount of, the authorization of appropriations for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) comprehensive service programs for homeless veterans. Revises provisions concerning payments for providing services for homeless veterans to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to annually adjust the rate of such payment to reflect anticipated changes in the cost of furnishing services and to take into account the cost of providing services in a particular geographic area. Directs the Secretary to make such payments quarterly, while requiring quarterly statements from recipients on amounts expended. Requires the Secretary to ensure that each VA medical center that provides treatment and services under the supported housing program of the United States Housing Act of 1937 employs or provides one or more specialists to handle program issues and to conduct outreach to landlords to encourage and facilitate program participation. Directs the Secretary to coordinate with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide assistance to homeless veterans in accessing HUD's Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program. Authorizes appropriations for FY2012 and thereafter for VA financial assistance for supportive services for very low-income veteran families occupying permanent housing. Authorizes, in connection with VA authority to advertise in the national media concerning available VA benefits, a special emphasis to be placed on promoting awareness of assistance for homeless women veterans and homeless veterans with children.

Date: 2011-02-18
Topic: Labor (Employment Training)
Subject: Armed forces and national security