[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 444 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 444

 To establish a demonstration project to train unemployed workers for 
    employment as health care professionals, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 17, 2005

 Mr. Feingold introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish a demonstration project to train unemployed workers for 
    employment as health care professionals, 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 ``Community-Based Health Care 
Retraining Act''.

SEC. 2. HEALTH PROFESSIONS TRAINING DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.

    Section 171 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 
2916) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) Health Professions Training Demonstration Project.--
            ``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Covered community.--The term `covered 
                community' means a community or region that--
                            ``(i) has experienced a significant 
                        percentage decline in positions in the 
                        manufacturing or service sectors; and
                            ``(ii)(I) is eligible for designation under 
                        section 332 of the Public Health Service Act 
                        (42 U.S.C. 254e) as a health professional 
                        shortage area;
                            ``(II) is eligible to be served by a health 
                        center under section 330 or a grantee under 
                        section 330(h) (relating to homeless 
                        individuals) of the Public Health Service Act 
                        (42 U.S.C. 254b, 254b(h));
                            ``(III) has a shortage of personal health 
                        services, as determined under criteria issued 
                        by the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
                        under section 1861(aa)(2) of the Social 
                        Security Act (relating to rural health clinics) 
                        (42 U.S.C. 1395x(aa)(2)); or
                            ``(IV) is designated by a Governor (in 
                        consultation with the medical community) as a 
                        shortage area or medically underserved 
                        community.
                    ``(B) Covered worker.--The term `covered worker' 
                means an individual who--
                            ``(i)(I) has been terminated or laid off, 
                        or who has received a notice of termination or 
                        layoff, from employment in a manufacturing or 
                        service sector;
                            ``(II)(aa) is eligible for or has exhausted 
                        entitlement to unemployment compensation; or
                            ``(bb) has been employed for a duration 
                        sufficient to demonstrate, to the appropriate 
                        entity at a one-stop center referred to in 
                        section 134(c), attachment to the workforce, 
                        but is not eligible for unemployment 
                        compensation due to insufficient earnings or 
                        having performed services for an employer that 
                        were not covered under a State unemployment 
                        compensation law; and
                            ``(III) is unlikely to return to a previous 
                        industry or occupation; or
                            ``(ii)(I) has been terminated or laid off, 
                        or has received a notice of termination or 
                        layoff, from employment in a manufacturing or 
                        service sector as a result of any permanent 
                        closure of, or any substantial layoff at, a 
                        plant, facility, or enterprise; or
                            ``(II) is employed in a manufacturing or 
                        service sector at a facility at which the 
                        employer has made a general announcement that 
                        such facility will close within 180 days.
                    ``(C) Health care professional.--The term `health 
                care professional'--
                            ``(i) means an individual who is involved 
                        with--
                                    ``(I) the delivery of health care 
                                services, or related services, 
                                pertaining to--
                                            ``(aa) the identification, 
                                        evaluation, and prevention of 
                                        diseases, disorders, or 
                                        injuries; or
                                            ``(bb) home-based or 
                                        community-based long-term care;
                                    ``(II) the delivery of dietary and 
                                nutrition services; or
                                    ``(III) rehabilitation and health 
                                systems management; and
                            ``(ii) includes nurses, home health aides, 
                        nursing assistants, physician assistants, 
                        dental hygienists, diagnostic medical 
                        sonographers, dietitians, medical 
                        technologists, occupational therapists, 
                        physical therapists, radiographers, respiratory 
                        therapists, emergency medical service 
                        technicians, speech-language pathologists, and 
                        specific occupational needs of the community 
                        served by the eligible entities as defined in 
                        section (e)(4) of this Act..
            ``(2) Establishment of project.--In accordance with 
        subsection (b), the Secretary shall establish and carry out a 
        health professions training demonstration project.
            ``(3) Grants.--In carrying out the project, the Secretary, 
        after consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services, shall make grants to eligible entities to enable the 
        entities to carry out programs in covered communities to train 
        covered workers for employment as health care professionals. 
        The Secretary shall make each grant in an amount of not less 
        than $100,000 and not more than $500,000.
            ``(4) Eligible entities.--Notwithstanding subsection 
        (b)(2)(B), to be eligible to receive a grant under this 
        subsection to carry out a program in a covered community, an 
        entity shall be a partnership that is--
                    ``(A) under the direction of a local workforce 
                investment board established under section 117 that is 
                serving the covered community; and
                    ``(B) composed of members serving the covered 
                community, such as--
                            ``(i) a 4-year institution of higher 
                        education;
                            ``(ii) an accredited community college;
                            ``(iii) an accredited vocational or 
                        technical school;
                            ``(iv) a health clinic or hospital;
                            ``(v) a home-based or community-based long-
                        term care facility or program; or
                            ``(vi) a health care facility administered 
                        by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
            ``(5) Applications.--To be eligible to receive a grant 
        under this subsection, an entity shall submit an application to 
        the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
        information as the Secretary may require, including, at a 
        minimum--
                    ``(A) a proposal to use the grant funds to 
                establish or expand a training program in order to 
                train covered workers for employment as health care 
                professionals or paraprofessionals;
                    ``(B) information demonstrating the need for the 
                training and support services to be provided through 
                the program;
                    ``(C) information describing the manner in which 
                the entity will expend the grant funds, and the 
                activities to be carried out with the funds;
                    ``(D) information demonstrating that the entity 
                meets the requirements of paragraph (4); and
                    ``(E) with respect to training programs carried out 
                by the applicant, information--
                            ``(i) on the graduation rates of the 
                        programs involved;
                            ``(ii) on the retention measures carried 
                        out by the applicant;
                            ``(iii) on the length of time necessary to 
                        complete the training programs of the 
                        applicant; and
                            ``(iv) on the number of qualified trainees 
                        that are refused admittance into the training 
                        programs because of lack of capacity.
            ``(6) Selection.--In making grants under paragraph (3), the 
        Secretary, after consultation with the Secretary of Health and 
        Human Services, shall--
                    ``(A) consider the date submitted by the applicant 
                under paragraph (5)(E); and
                    ``(B) select--
                            ``(i) eligible entities submitting 
                        applications that meet such criteria as the 
                        Secretary of Labor determines to be 
                        appropriate; and
                            ``(ii) among such entities, the eligible 
                        entities serving the covered communities with 
                        the greatest need for the grants and the 
                        greatest potential to benefit from the grants.
            ``(7) Use of funds.--
                    ``(A) In general.--An entity that receives a grant 
                under this subsection shall use the funds made 
                available through the grant for training and support 
                services that meet the needs described in the 
                application submitted under paragraph (5), which may 
                include--
                            ``(i) increasing capacity, subject to 
                        subparagraph (B)(i), at an educational 
                        institution or training center to train 
                        individuals for employment as health 
                        professionals, such as by--
                                    ``(I) expanding a facility, subject 
                                to subparagraph (B)(ii);
                                    ``(II) expanding course offerings;
                                    ``(III) hiring faculty;
                                    ``(IV) providing a student loan 
                                repayment program for the faculty;
                                    ``(V) establishing or expanding 
                                clinical education opportunities;
                                    ``(VI) purchasing equipment, such 
                                as computers, books, clinical supplies, 
                                or a patient simulator; or
                                    ``(VII) conducting recruitment; or
                            ``(ii) providing support services for 
                        covered workers participating in the training, 
                        such as--
                                    ``(I) providing tuition assistance;
                                    ``(II) establishing or expanding 
                                distance education programs;
                                    ``(III) providing transportation 
                                assistance; or
                                    ``(IV) providing child care.
                    ``(B) Limitation.--To be eligible to use the funds 
                to expand a facility, the eligible entity shall 
                demonstrate to the Secretary in an application 
                submitted under paragraph (5) that the entity can 
                increase the capacity described in subparagraph (E)(iv) 
                of such facility only by expanding the facility.
            ``(8) Funding.--Of the amounts appropriated to, and 
        available at the discretion of, the Secretary or the Secretary 
        of Health and Human Services for programmatic and 
        administrative expenditures, a total of $25,000,000 shall be 
        used to establish and carry out the demonstration project 
        described in paragraph (2) in accordance with this 
        subsection.''.
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