[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3972 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3972

  To provide effective training and education programs for displaced 
  homemakers, single parents, and individuals entering nontraditional 
                              employment.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 6, 2005

   Ms. Hart (for herself and Ms. Millender-McDonald) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
                             the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide effective training and education programs for displaced 
  homemakers, single parents, and individuals entering nontraditional 
                              employment.

    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 ``Pathways Advancing Career Training 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE AND FINDINGS.

    (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to provide assistance to 
States for preparatory services, education and training programs, 
supportive service assistance, and referral services to displaced 
homemakers, single parents, and individuals pursuing high-skill, high-
wage nontraditional occupations. Such assistance will create workforce 
pathways for individuals in transition and help meet the employment 
needs of high-skilled, high-wage industries, including those facing 
significant skilled labor shortages.
    (b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) A high quality, productive, and diverse workforce is 
        necessary to compete in the global economy.
            (2) There are approximately 21,000,000 displaced homemakers 
        and single parents in the United States for whom the pathway to 
        employment and economic independence requires education and 
        training services.
            (3) The education and training needs of displaced 
        homemakers, and single parents, and individuals pursuing 
        nontraditional occupations are not sufficiently met through 
        existing systems.
            (4) Displaced homemakers and single parents represent an 
        untapped resource to enter unfilled positions in the 
        information technology sector, and these individuals represent 
        an untapped resource to address the growing skilled labor 
        shortage in the construction sector.
            (5) Employment in information technology and high skill, 
        high wage nontraditional careers offers wages and advancement 
        opportunities to help families achieve economic independence.
            (6) Vocational education programs continue to be highly 
        sex-segregated resulting in a dearth of female students filling 
        the pipeline for jobs in the growing high-skill high-wage labor 
        market, especially in the areas of technology and the skilled 
        trades.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    Except as otherwise specified in this Act, as used in this Act:
            (1) Community-based organization.--The term ``community-
        based organization'' means a public or private nonprofit 
        organization of demonstrated effectiveness that--
                    (A) is representative of a community or significant 
                segments of a community; and
                    (B) provides educational, preparatory or related 
                services to individuals in the community.
            (2) Displaced homemaker.--The term ``displaced homemaker'' 
        means an individual who has been providing unpaid services to 
        family members in the home and who--
                    (A) has been dependent on the income of another 
                family member but is no longer supported by that 
                income; and
                    (B) is unemployed or underemployed and is 
                experiencing difficulty in obtaining or upgrading 
                employment.
            (3) Eligible state agency.--The term ``eligible State 
        agency'' means a State board designated or created as the State 
        agency responsible for the administration of vocational 
        education in the State.
            (4) Eligible recipient.--The term ``eligible recipient'' 
        means a community-based organization, an area vocational 
        school, a local educational agency, a postsecondary vocational 
        institution, or other entities that have demonstrated ability 
        to meet the education and training needs of displaced 
        homemakers, single parents and students in secondary and 
        postsecondary programs preparing for high-skill, high-wage 
        nontraditional training and employment.
            (5) Local educational agency.--The term ``local educational 
        agency'' has the meaning given such term in section 14101 of 
        the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        8801).
            (6) Nontraditional employment.--The term ``nontraditional 
        employment,'' refers to occupations or fields of work for which 
        individuals from one gender comprise less than 25 percent of 
        the individuals employed in each such occupation or field of 
        work.
            (7) Preparatory services.--The term ``preparatory 
        services'' means services, programs, or activities designed to 
        assist individuals who are not enrolled in education or 
        training programs in the selection of, or preparation for 
        participation in, an appropriate education or training program, 
        such as--
                    (A) services, programs, or activities related to 
                outreach in the recruitment of potential students;
                    (B) career and personal counseling and life skills 
                development;
                    (C) vocational assessment and testing;
                    (D) pre-vocational services, including remediation, 
                pre-apprenticeship assistance and other services to 
                prepare individuals to succeed in vocational studies in 
                high-skill, high-wage nontraditional fields; and
                    (E) other appropriate services, programs, or 
                activities.
            (8) Postsecondary vocational institution.--The term 
        ``postsecondary vocation institution'' has the same meaning 
        given such term in section 102(c) of the Higher Education Act 
        of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002(C)).
            (9) Secondary school.--The term ``secondary school'' has 
        the meaning given the term in section 14101 of the Elementary 
        and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801).
            (10) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Education.
            (11) Self-sufficiency standard.--The term ``self-
        sufficiency standard'' is a measure of how much income families 
        need to cover their basic costs without subsidies. It uses a 
        consistent methodology that calculates the costs of living and 
        working (including taxes) based upon sub-state geographic 
        location, family size, and composition.
            (12) Single parent.--The term ``single parent'' means an 
        individual who is unmarried and--
                    (A) has a minor child or children for which the 
                parent has either custody or joint custody; or
                    (B) is pregnant.
            (13) Supportive services.--The term ``supportive services'' 
        means services such as transportation, child care, dependent 
        care, and needs based payment, that are necessary to enable an 
        individual to participate in education and training activities.

SEC. 4. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

    The Secretary of Education is authorized to provide grants to 
States to enable such States to develop or enhance programs described 
in section 8.

SEC. 5. ALLOCATION.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall allot funds to the States 
under this Act based on the ratio of the population between the ages of 
16 and 64 of each State to the total population between the ages of 16 
and 64 in all of the States.
    (b) Supplement not Supplant.--Funds provided under this Act shall 
be used to supplement not supplant other Federal, State, and local 
public funds expended to provide services to displaced homemakers, 
single parents, and students pursuing high-skill, high-wage 
nontraditional occupations.

SEC. 6. STATE PLAN.

    (a) In General.--Each eligible State agency shall prepare and 
submit to the Secretary a plan for a 5-year period, together with such 
annual revisions as the eligible State agency determines to be 
necessary.
    (b) Revisions and Review.--Each eligible State agency shall--
            (1) submit such annual revisions of the plan to the 
        Secretary as the eligible State agency determines to be 
        necessary; and
            (2) after the second year of the 5-year State plan, conduct 
        a review of activities assisted under this Act and submit any 
        revisions of the State plan that the eligible State agency 
        determines necessary to the Secretary.
    (c) Plan Development.--The eligible State agency shall develop the 
State plan in consultation with experts, students in displaced 
homemaker, single parent, and nontraditional training programs, and any 
other individual the State considers necessary.
    (d) Plan Contents.--The State plan shall include information that--
            (1) describes the preparatory services and vocational 
        education activities to be assisted that are designed to assist 
        single parents, displaced homemakers, and students pursuing 
        high-skill, high-wage nontraditional training and employment;
            (2) describes the process for soliciting competitive 
        applications and the criteria that will be used by the eligible 
        State agency in awarding eligible recipients funds under this 
        Act;
            (3) describes how comprehensive professional development 
        will be provided;
            (4) describes how the eligible State agency will--
                    (A) annually evaluate the effectiveness of such 
                programs; and
                    (B) coordinate such programs to ensure non-
                duplication with other existing Federal programs;
            (5) provides assurances that the eligible State agency will 
        comply with the requirements of this Act and the provisions of 
        the State plan, including the provision of a financial audit of 
        funds received under this Act which may be included as part of 
        an audit of other Federal or State programs;
            (6) provides assurances that none of the funds expended 
        under this Act will be used to acquire equipment (including 
        computer software) in any instance in which such acquisition 
        results in a direct financial benefit to any organization 
        representing the interests of the purchasing entity, the 
        employees of the purchasing entity, or any affiliate of such an 
        organization;
            (7) describes how the eligible State agency will measure 
        and report the progress of the students who are served pursuant 
        to this Act, including--
                    (A) single parent and displaced homemaker's 
                participation in and completion of a vocational 
                education program;
                    (B) students' participation in and completion of 
                vocational education programs that lead to high-skill, 
                high-wage nontraditional training and employment;
                    (C) single parent and displaced homemaker's 
                attainment of a secondary school diploma or its 
                recognized equivalent;
                    (D) single parent and displaced homemaker's 
                placement in postsecondary education or advanced 
                training, placement in military service, or placement 
                in employment;
                    (E) student placement in high-skill, high-wage 
                nontraditional employment; and
                    (F) single parent and displaced homemaker's 
                participation in and completion of vocational education 
                programs that will prepare them to earn wages equal to 
                or greater than that determined by the self sufficiency 
                standard;
            (8) describes how the eligible State agency will provide 
        eligible recipients with technical assistance, and conduct 
        other technical assistance activities described in section 9; 
        and
            (9) describes the methods proposed for the joint planning 
        and coordination of programs carried out under this Act with 
        other Federal programs.
    (e) Plan Option.--The eligible State agency may fulfill the 
requirements of subsection (d) by submitting a plan under section 123 
of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998 
(20 U.S.C. 2343).
    (f) Plan Approval.--The Secretary shall consider a plan or revision 
of a State plan approved, unless the Secretary determines, within 120 
days of submission, that the State plan, or revision, respectively, 
does not meet the requirements of this section.

SEC. 7. ACCOUNTABILITY.

    (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to establish 
activities, in coordination with the State performance accountability 
system, to assess the effectiveness of the State in achieving progress 
of vocational education in serving single parents, displaced homemakers 
and individuals pursuing nontraditional training and employment, and to 
maximize the return on investment of Federal funds.
    (b) Core Indicators of Performance.--Each eligible State agency 
shall identify in the State plan the process used to collect data on 
the core indicators of performance from eligible recipients that 
include, at a minimum, measures of each of the following:
            (1) Participation and completion in a preparatory services 
        program.
            (2) Participation in and completion of vocational education 
        programs that lead to high-skill, high-wage nontraditional 
        training and employment.
            (3) Attainment of a secondary school diploma or its 
        recognized equivalent, a proficiency credential in conjunction 
        with a secondary school diploma, or a postsecondary degree or 
        credential.
            (4) Placement in, retention in, and completion of, 
        postsecondary education or advanced training, placement in 
        military service, or placement or retention in employment.
            (5) Placement and retention in high-skill, high-wage 
        nontraditional employment.
An eligible agency, with input from eligible recipients, may identify 
in the State plan additional indicators of performance for vocational 
education activities authorized under this Act, such as attainment of 
self-sufficiency.
    (c) Annual Report by State Agency.--Each eligible State agency 
shall transmit to the Secretary an annual report of data compiled in 
accordance with section 7(b) disaggregated by gender, race, age, 
disability, national origin, ethnicity, and English proficiency status. 
Each eligible State agency shall also report on technical assistance 
delivered under section 9. The eligible State agency may fulfill the 
requirements of reporting for core indications in paragraphs (2) 
through (5) of subsection (b) by submitting a report under section 
113(c)(2) of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act 
of 1998 (20 U.S.C. 2324).
    (d) Annual Report of the Secretary.--The Secretary shall transmit 
to Congress annually a national report that describes the extent to 
which the purposes of the Act are being achieved. The Secretary's 
report shall include individual state annual reports and a compilation 
of those state reports with national data disaggregated by gender, 
race, age, disability, national origin, ethnicity, and English 
proficiency status.

SEC. 8. PROGRAMS FOR SINGLE PARENTS, DISPLACED HOMEMAKERS, AND 
              NONTRADITIONAL EMPLOYMENT.

    Except as provided in section 8(a), each State may use funds 
provided under section 9 only to--
            (1) provide programs for single parents and displaced 
        homemakers, including--
                    (A) subsidies, reimbursement, tuition assistance, 
                or payment for preparatory services, necessary 
                educational materials (including books and supplies), 
                career guidance and counseling services, and supportive 
                services;
                    (B) information to inform individuals of vocational 
                education and training programs, related supportive 
                services, and counseling; and
                    (C) program services, counseling, and activities to 
                prepare individuals to attain marketable skills for 
                employment that will lead to economic self-sufficiency;
            (2) provide programs for individuals pursuing high-skill, 
        high-wage nontraditional training and employment, including--
                    (A) programs, preparatory services, counseling, 
                mentoring, tuition assistance and activities that will 
                provide individuals with the skills to pursue education 
                and training in high-skill, high-wage nontraditional 
                careers, including information technology and other 
                high skill and high wage careers;
                    (B) programs services, counseling, professional 
                development, and activities to--
                            (i) increase awareness of nontraditional 
                        occupations; and
                            (ii) to ensure a fair and respectful 
                        learning environment for all vocational 
                        education students, particularly those 
                        preparing for nontraditional employment; and
                    (C) replicable model programs and materials that 
                increase participation, completion, and placement rates 
                of individuals in high-skill, high-wage nontraditional 
                employment.

SEC. 9. WITHIN STATE ALLOCATION AND ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) Reservation for State Activities.--From the amounts allocated 
under section 5, not more than 5 percent shall be reserved for State 
administration.
    (b) Matching Requirement.--Each eligible State agency receiving 
funds made available under section 5(a), shall match, from non-Federal 
sources and on a dollar-for-dollar basis, the funds received under 
section 9.
    (c) Administration.--Any State desiring to participate in a program 
authorized by this Act shall assign not less than one individual within 
the appropriate agency established to administer vocational education 
programs within the State to assist in fulfilling the purposes of this 
Act by--
            (1) administering the program of vocational education 
        described in section 8;
            (2) gathering, analyzing, and disseminating data on the 
        adequacy and effectiveness of vocational education programs in 
        the State as described in section 7;
            (3) developing the State plan described in section 6;
            (4) providing technical assistance and professional 
        development in expanding vocational opportunities for single 
        parents and displaced homemakers, and building institutional 
        capacity to increase individual's access to and success in 
        high-skill, high-wage nontraditional occupations, including--
                    (A) training of staff, including guidance 
                counselors, academic advisors, training coordinators, 
                teachers and instructors;
                    (B) public education and marketing materials;
                    (C) development of institutional and cross-agency 
                protocols and policies;
                    (D) tracking of utilization and impact of policies 
                and activities;
                    (E) participation in statewide coordination 
                activities with other agencies; and
                    (F) development of curriculum;
            (5) managing the distribution of funds pursuant to section 
        6;
            (6) monitoring the use of funds distributed to recipients 
        under such programs; and
            (7) evaluating the effectiveness of programs and activities 
        supported by such funds.
    (d) Competitive Awards.--The Administrators assigned under 
subsection (c) shall--
            (1) on a competitive basis, provide grants to eligible 
        recipients; and
            (2) ensure that each grant is for a program that is of 
        sufficient size, scope, and quality to be effective.

SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act, 
$200,000,000 for fiscal year 2006 and such sums as may be necessary for 
each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.
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