[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4461 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4461

 To provide grants to partnerships to encourage workforce diversity in 
   order to improve the working conditions of all individuals in the 
 United States and to help organizations compete more effectively both 
       domestically and internationally, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 19, 1994

Mr. Owens (for himself, Mr. Williams, and Mr. Martinez) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
                                 Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide grants to partnerships to encourage workforce diversity in 
   order to improve the working conditions of all individuals in the 
 United States and to help organizations compete more effectively both 
       domestically and internationally, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Workforce Diversity Partnership Act 
of 1994''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
            (1) the workplace in the United States is becoming the most 
        diverse workplace in the world at a time of growing economic 
        dissatisfaction and intense global competition;
            (2) people of color, caucasian women, and immigrants will 
        account for 85 percent of the net growth in our Nation's labor 
        force during the 1990s;
            (3) the expectations, characteristics, demands, beliefs, 
        work values, motivating factors, and educational backgrounds of 
        individuals in the workforce are becoming increasingly diverse;
            (4) employees, managers, administrators, and government 
        officials are inadequately prepared to deal effectively with 
        increased diversity in the workforce;
            (5) increased domestic and international competition 
        requires that business, industry, and government leaders 
        effectively motivate and manage this diverse workforce;
            (6) as more parents join the workforce, it has become 
        increasingly difficult for employees to balance the demands of 
        the workplace with the needs of families; and
            (7) by understanding and valuing diversity which respects 
        differences, employers emphasize creativity, self initiative, 
        leadership, innovation, and team-work, and thereby improve the 
        working conditions of all individuals in the United States and 
        the chances for economic success.
    (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to establish a grant 
program within the Department of Labor to--
            (1) study and address issues relating to workforce and 
        cultural diversity and their impact on economic 
        competitiveness, employment opportunities, advancement and 
        retention; and
            (2) develop collaborative public and private sector 
        education and training materials that address the issues of 
        workforce and cultural diversity.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF WORKFORCE DIVERSITY GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Authorization.--The Secretary of Labor (hereafter in this Act 
referred to as the ``Secretary'') is authorized to provide grants to 
eligible entities described in subsection (b) for the purposes of--
            (1) targeting and developing issues relating to workforce 
        and cultural diversity;
            (2) developing public and private sector education and 
        training materials that focus on the issues of workforce and 
        cultural diversity;
            (3) fostering research, scholarship, innovative curriculum 
        development, development of teaching materials, and other 
        practicable supportive academic activities relating to 
        workforce and cultural diversity;
            (4) assisting in the dissemination and transfer of such 
        materials for use in private sector training efforts; and
            (5) developing and establishing cooperative higher 
        education-business training programs to assist public and 
        private industry leaders and workers in addressing the issues 
        of workforce and cultural diversity.
    (b) Eligible Entities.--
            (1) In general.--An institution of higher education in 
        partnership with 1 or more of the organizations described in 
        paragraph (2) shall be eligible to receive a grant under 
        subsection (a).
            (2) Organizations.--An organization described in this 
        paragraph is--
                    (A) a corporation, business, or partnership, 
                whether, for profit or nonprofit;
                    (B) a labor organization; or
                    (C) an organization that has a demonstrated 
                interest or expertise in workforce diversity issues.
            (3) Institution of higher education defined.--For purposes 
        of this subsection, the term ``institution of higher 
        education'' has the meaning given such term by section 1201(a) 
        of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1141(a)).
    (c) Period of Grant.--The provision of payments under a grant under 
subsection (a) shall not exceed 3 fiscal years and shall be subject to 
the annual approval of the Secretary and subject to the availability of 
appropriations for the fiscal year involved to make the payments.

SEC. 4. APPLICATION.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary may not provide a grant under 
section 3 to an eligible entity unless the entity submits to the 
Secretary an application in such form and containing such information 
as the Secretary may reasonably require.
    (b) Faculty Participation.--The Secretary shall encourage eligible 
entities desiring to receive a grant under section 3 to submit 
applications that are written by teams of faculty from multiple 
disciplines, student and academic affairs professionals, or student 
organizations concerned with multicultural education, or any 
combination thereof.

SEC. 5. USE OF AMOUNTS.

    The Secretary may not provide a grant under section 3 to an 
eligible entity unless the entity agrees that it will use all amounts 
received from such grant to establish and carry out a program in 
accordance with 1 or more of the following guidelines:
            (1) The development of instructional material concerning 
        efforts designed to address cultural and workforce diversity 
        issues within the workplace setting.
            (2) The development of public and private sector education 
        and training materials that will address the issues of 
        workforce and cultural diversity.
            (3) The development of new approaches to workforce 
        diversity issues and scholarship efforts to be integrated 
        within the curriculum of business schools, ethnic and women's 
        studies, engineering schools, social science disciplines, 
        humanities and the arts and sciences. In using grant funds 
        under this paragraph, a grantee may employ approaches to be 
        carried out in conjunction with corporate education and 
        training programs.
            (4) The conduct of research concerning multicultural 
        workplace interactions and team management and business in 
        multicultural and multi-lingual marketplace settings.
            (5) The implementation of faculty development programs that 
        focus on research, appropriate learning environments, and 
        pedagogical approaches to teaching multicultural management and 
        work diversity issues.
            (6) The development and dissemination of information 
        concerning models for summer precollege business internship 
        programs that aid in integrating the workplace and in giving 
        students a better understanding of the private sector and of 
        workforce diversity issues.
            (7) The conduct of forums, workshops, and conferences in 
        which representatives from academic, corporate, government, or 
        other institutions with a demonstrated interest or expertise in 
        workforce diversity will focus on issues, attitudes, and 
        strategies that sensitize managers, employees, faculty, 
        corporate, government, and other leaders and workers to 
        workplace diversity issues.
            (8) Any other activities that the Secretary determines to 
        be appropriate to meet the purposes of this Act.

SEC. 6. SELECTION.

    (a) Criteria for Selection.--In determining whether to provide a 
grant under section 3, the Secretary shall take into account--
            (1) the extent to which the eligible entity demonstrates 
        the potential to achieve 1 or more of the guidelines described 
        in section 5;
            (2) the level of participation and financial commitment of 
        the eligible entity;
            (3) the likelihood that the program to be established under 
        section 5 by the eligible entity will foster the creation of 
        increased workforce and cultural diversity awareness programs 
        in other institutional environments;
            (4) the likelihood that the program will result in the 
        development and dissemination of national or regional best 
        practices;
            (5) the extent to which the program will impact on the 
        international competitiveness of the United States economy; and
            (6) such other criteria as the Secretary may prescribe.
    (b) Priority.--In providing grants under section 3, the Secretary 
shall give priority to those eligible entities that demonstrate the 
availability of sufficient amounts of non-Federal contributions or 
resources from non-governmental entities.

SEC. 7. PEER REVIEW.

    The Secretary shall establish peer review panels to review the 
merits of applications submitted under section 4. In establishing such 
panels, the Secretary shall seek the widest participation of qualified 
individuals from eligible entities. Each peer review panel shall report 
the findings and recommendations of the panel to the Secretary with 
respect to applications submitted under section 4.

SEC. 8. FEDERAL AND NON-FEDERAL SHARE.

    (a) Federal Share.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the 
        Federal share under a grant provided under section 3 may not 
        exceed 50 percent of the total cost of the program established 
        and carried out under section 5 for any fiscal year.
            (2) Exception.--If the Secretary, after consultation with 
        the peer review panel, determines that to do so will further 
        the purposes of this Act, the Secretary may increase the amount 
        of the Federal share with respect to the program.
    (b) Non-Federal Share.--The non-Federal share shall be provided 
from non-Federal sources and may be in cash or in-kind, fairly 
evaluated.

SEC. 9. REPORTS.

    (a) Reports to the Secretary.--The Secretary may not provide a 
grant under section 3 to an eligible entity unless the entity agrees 
that it will prepare and submit an annual report to the Secretary which 
shall include--
            (1) a summary of the progress of the activities established 
        and carried out under the grant to achieve the purposes of this 
        Act;
            (2) a summary of the expenditures involved in establishing 
        and carrying out such activities;
            (3) a plan that describes the proposed use of funds for the 
        subsequent fiscal year;
            (4) a description of the success or failure of the 
        implementation of the program in accordance with 1 or more of 
        the guidelines described in section 5, where appropriate; and
            (5) any other information that the Secretary determines to 
        be appropriate.
    (b) Reports to the Congress.--The Secretary shall annually prepare 
and submit to the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the 
Senate a report that shall include an evaluation of the progress made 
in achieving the purposes of this Act.

SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$10,000,000 for fiscal year 1995 and such sums as may be necessary for 
each of the fiscal years 1996 through 1999.

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