[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6815 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6815

  To establish grant programs to encourage energy-efficient economic 
 development and green job training and creation, and to establish the 
  Metro Area Green Institute to produce and disseminate best practice 
     information to economic and workforce development initiatives 
           undertaken by metropolitan communities nationally.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 1, 2008

   Ms. Lee introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish grant programs to encourage energy-efficient economic 
 development and green job training and creation, and to establish the 
  Metro Area Green Institute to produce and disseminate best practice 
     information to economic and workforce development initiatives 
           undertaken by metropolitan communities nationally.

    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 ``Metro Economies Green Act'' or 
``MEGA''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Green jobs.--The term ``green jobs'' means well-paying, 
        high-skill, career-track jobs that contribute directly to 
        preserving or enhancing environmental quality and promote 
        energy efficiency and energy technology deployment, including 
        jobs involving--
                    (A) energy-efficient construction;
                    (B) retrofitting public and private buildings;
                    (C) installing solar panels, wind turbines, and 
                other low-carbon or carbon-neutral power sources;
                    (D) constructing transit lines;
                    (E) environmental remediation activities;
                    (F) installation of low-carbon infrastructure;
                    (G) landscaping; and
                    (H) developing or deploying--
                            (i) sustainable energy technologies;
                            (ii) low-carbon electricity technologies;
                            (iii) advanced bio-fuels;
                            (iv) carbon dioxide capture and storage 
                        systems;
                            (v) electric and plug-in hybrid electric 
                        vehicles; and
                            (vi) high-efficiency consumer products.
            (2) Green industry.--The term ``green industry'' means 
        existing or emerging industry sectors, small businesses, and 
        micro-enterprise initiatives that create or involve green jobs.
            (3) High needs.--The term ``high needs'' means, with 
        respect to an individual, an individual who is--
                    (A) unemployed, with a high school degree or lesser 
                educational attainment;
                    (B) working full-time, but living in poverty, as 
                determined by national poverty indicators; or
                    (C) marginally employed, as defined by the Bureau 
                of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Housing and Urban Development.
            (5) Unit of general local government.--The term ``unit of 
        general local government'' has the meaning given such term in 
        section 102 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 
        1974 (42 U.S.C. 5302).

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

    The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Workforce trends.--
                    (A) The U.S. Conference of Mayors in its report 
                ``U.S. Metro Economies: Engines of America's Growth'' 
                states that the metropolitan areas of the United States 
                generated 85.9 percent of jobs in the United States, 
                90.1 percent of labor income, and 89.9 percent of gross 
                domestic product in 2007. Since 2000, United States 
                metropolitan economies contributed 90.5 percent, or 
                more than $4 trillion, of the growth in the national 
                economy. In 2007, such communities accounted for 92 
                percent of national economic growth. In sum, the gross 
                metropolitan product of the 10 largest metropolitan 
                areas in 2007 ($4.72 trillion) exceeded the combined 
                output of 36 States.
                    (B) Similarly, in its report ``MetroNation: How 
                U.S. Metropolitan Areas Fuel American Prosperity'', the 
                Brookings Institution states that the 100 largest 
                metropolitan economies gather significant shares of 
                innovative activity (78 percent of patent activity in 
                the United States), educated workers (75 percent of 
                graduate degree holders), and critical infrastructure 
                (79 percent of air cargo in the United States).
                    (C) The American workforce is diversifying at a 
                time when many minority and urban communities continue 
                to encounter barriers to gainful employment. 
                Projections from the Census Bureau show that non-
                Hispanic Whites will represent less than half of the 
                Nation's prime working-age (25 to 64) population by 
                2050. Between 2008 and 2050, Blacks and Hispanics will 
                grow from about 25 percent to nearly 40 percent of the 
                working-age population, and will account for more than 
                90 percent of total growth in that age range. 
                Individuals from minority communities are largely 
                concentrated in metropolitan areas. Furthermore, such 
                communities remain disproportionately affected by 
                numerous challenges related to education, employment, 
                and incarceration.
                    (D) In its report ``Renewable Energy and Energy 
                Efficiency: Economic Drivers for the 21st Century 
                American'' the American Solar Energy Society estimates 
                that, in 2006, more than 8 million Americans worked in 
                green industries, generating $933 billion of revenue. 
                By 2030, the Society further estimates that green 
                industries will account for more than 40 million 
                American jobs, generating over $4.5 trillion in annual 
                revenue.
                    (E) As indicated in ``Green-Collar Jobs in American 
                Cities'', issued jointly by Green for All and the 
                Apollo Alliance, green industries promote employment 
                opportunities that are necessarily local. Therefore, 
                jobs in emerging green industries will offer 
                sustainable employment opportunities to Americans for 
                decades to come.
            (2) Challenges and opportunities in the nation's metro 
        communities.--
                    (A) According to the report ``Cities in Crisis: A 
                Special Analytic Report on High School Graduation'', of 
                the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, 
                nearly 40 percent of the Nation's 50 largest 
                metropolitan areas suffer high school graduation rates 
                below 50 percent. Metropolitan communities with 
                historical ties to traditional manufacturing industries 
                are among those demonstrating particularly discouraging 
                high school graduation rates. The dual challenges 
                associated with contracting labor markets and fledgling 
                academic capacities have left these, and many other 
                metropolitan communities, with compounding barriers to 
                job creation and economic development.
                    (B) According to the Department of Justice, Office 
                of Justice Programs, nearly 650,000 people are released 
                from Federal and State incarceration into communities 
                nationwide each year, about 1,600 a day, with the 
                majority of these individuals returning to the Nation's 
                metropolitan communities.
                    (C) Transitional jobs programs have been proven to 
                help people with criminal records to successfully 
                return to the workplace and to the community, and 
                therefore can reduce recidivism. Such programs, along 
                with traditional technical training programs provide 
                at-risk individuals in our Nation's metropolitan 
                communities with concrete opportunities for long-term 
                economic self-sufficiency.

SEC. 4. METRO AREA GREEN ZONES.

    (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to empower communities 
to provide stable employment in green industries, so such communities 
may become self-sufficient and gain long-term economic stability.
    (b) Metro Area Green Zone Grant Program.--The Secretary may 
establish a competitive program to make grants to units of general 
local government to support and establish green job programs that--
            (1) target low-income, difficult-to-employ, and formerly 
        incarcerated persons residing in the area or community served 
        by such unit of general local government; and
            (2) involve local business, academia, trade associations, 
        nonprofits, and other stakeholders in energy-efficient economic 
        development and green job training and creation.
    (c) Eligibility.--Grants may be made only to units of general local 
government that--
            (1) have a population in excess of 300,000; and
            (2) submit to the Secretary a multi-year implementation 
        plan that provides assurances to the Secretary that such unit 
        of general local government will use such grant amounts to 
        carry out the activities under subsection (e).
    (d) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary 
may give priority to any applicant unit of general local government 
that provides assurances to the Secretary, or demonstrates to the 
Secretary, as applicable, that such unit of general local government--
            (1) has entered, or will enter into partnership agreements 
        with local nonprofit organizations, community and technical 
        colleges, organized labor organizations, and local economic 
        development boards to develop and implement a coordinated, 
        systemic, and sustainable strategy to promote economic 
        development through efforts to increase green jobs and 
        technologies in low-income communities;
            (2) has engaged and consulted, or will engage and consult 
        with relevant county and State agencies to help develop and 
        implement a strategy to promote economic development through 
        efforts to increase green jobs and technologies in low-income 
        communities;
            (3) has the ability to complement and contribute to 
        national, regional, and State goals related to green jobs and 
        green industries;
            (4) has a demonstrable commitment to green economic and 
        workforce development;
            (5) has the ability to coordinate with activities 
        identified in the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 
        2801 et seq.) and other federally sponsored programs;
            (6) has a plan to engage local industry and small business 
        in creating green jobs both locally and regionally;
            (7) is located within a 50 mile radius of a Department of 
        Energy National Energy Laboratory and technology centers or a 
        research-intensive institution of higher education engaged in 
        energy research or green job creation;
            (8) has a local unemployment rate at least 1.5 times 
        greater than the national rate;
            (9) has at least 20 percent of the local workforce employed 
        in the lowest-paying economic sectors;
            (10) has not less than 35 percent of households that have 
        female head-of-households;
            (11) has more than 20 parolees, probationers, or parolees 
        and probationers per 1,000 residents;
            (12) serves individuals in families that meet the lower 
        living standard income level, as defined by the Department of 
        Labor, Employment and Training Administration;
            (13) has a local population of which at least 8 percent are 
        classified as high-need with regard to employment 
        opportunities; and
            (14) meets any other criteria the Secretary determines 
        appropriate.
    (e) Eligible Activities.--A unit of general local government 
receiving a grant under this section may use grant funds to--
            (1) create model curricula, education, and training 
        opportunities to provide low-income, underserved, or otherwise 
        displaced program participants with skills necessary to acquire 
        long-term green jobs;
            (2) provide job placement services, in partnership with 
        local green industries;
            (3) support program partners, subdivisions of municipal 
        government, small business, and nonprofits for further 
        coordination with national, State, and regional efforts, local 
        industry, local small business, and nationally sponsored 
        activities in the Metro Area Green Zone to support overall 
        program enhancement and expand local and regional green 
        employment opportunities, including providing--
                    (A) stipends;
                    (B) tax credits;
                    (C) financing mechanisms; and
                    (D) technical and other assistance;
            (4) provide green job creation incentives through support 
        of local businesses and industry sectors to create green jobs;
            (5) provide services such as childcare, alcohol and drug 
        dependence treatment, and mental health services, as necessary, 
        to underserved, low-income, displaced, hard-to-employ, and 
        formerly incarcerated individuals to facilitate the use of the 
        training and job placement services provided by paragraphs (1) 
        and (2);
            (6) provide underserved, low-income, displaced, hard-to-
        employ, and formerly incarcerated individuals with green jobs 
        and business opportunities; and
            (7) carry out any other activity the Secretary considers 
        appropriate.
    (f) Number and Amount of Grants.--
            (1) Number.--The Secretary may make grants under this 
        section to not more than 10 units of general local government.
            (2) Amount.--Subject to the availability of appropriations, 
        the Secretary shall make a grant to each unit of general local 
        government selected of not more than $15,000,000 each fiscal 
        year for 5 years.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated for grants under this section $150,000,000 for each of the 
fiscal years 2009 through 2014.

SEC. 5. MINI-METRO GREEN GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to ensure the 
participation of smaller, developing municipalities that are ineligible 
by population to receive grants under section 4 in activities such as 
the activities authorized under such section.
    (b) Establishment.--The Secretary may establish a competitive 
program to make grants to units of general local government eligible 
under subsection (c) to support and establish programs that engage 
smaller communities in green economic and workforce development.
    (c) Eligibility.--Grants may be made only to units of general local 
government that--
            (1) have a population of not less than 50,000 and not more 
        than 125,000; and
            (2) submit to the Secretary a multi-year implementation 
        plan that provides assurances to the Secretary that such unit 
        of general local government will use such grant amounts to 
        carry out the activities under subsection (e).
    (d) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary 
may give priority to any applicant unit of general local government 
that provides assurances to the Secretary, or demonstrates to the 
Secretary, as applicable, that such unit of general local government--
            (1) has a commitment to promoting green jobs and green 
        technologies;
            (2) has a plan to engage local industry and small business 
        in creating green jobs both locally and regionally;
            (3) has a local unemployment rate at least 25 percent 
        greater than the national rate, or for the 10-year period 
        ending upon application for a grant under this section has a 
        local unemployment rate at least 10 percent greater than the 
        national rate;
            (4) serves individuals in families that meet the lower 
        living standard income level, as defined by the Department of 
        Labor, Employment and Training Administration;
            (5) has a population of which more than 20 percent are 
        involved in gang activity;
            (6) has a population of which more than 0.5 percent are 
        current parolees;
            (7) has a high school drop-out rate at least 10 percent 
        greater than the national average;
            (8) has at least one local publicly funded workforce 
        investment system;
            (9) has been identified pursuant to State or Federal law as 
        an enterprise zone;
            (10) has an existing partnership with a local publicly 
        funded workforce investment system;
            (11) is a designated Environmental Protection Agency 
        Nonattainment area; and
            (12) meets any other criteria the Secretary determines 
        appropriate.
    (e) Eligible Activities.--A unit of general local government 
receiving a grant under this section may use grant funds to--
            (1) participate in programs and activities provided by the 
        Metro Area Green Institute established under section 6;
            (2) provide job placement services, in partnership with 
        local green industries;
            (3) provide higher level job skills, and higher paying 
        employment opportunities (including micro-enterprise business 
        in underserved communities) to low-income and formerly 
        incarcerated individuals;
            (4) provide incentives for further coordination with local 
        industry and small business to expand local and regional green 
        jobs;
            (5) provide services such as childcare, alcohol and drug 
        dependence treatment, and mental health services, as necessary, 
        to underserved, low-income, displaced, hard-to-employ, and 
        formerly incarcerated individuals to facilitate the use of the 
        training, job placement, and employment services provided by 
        paragraphs (3) and (4); and
            (6) carry out any other activity the Secretary considers 
        appropriate.
    (f) Number and Amount of Grants.--
            (1) Number.--The Secretary may make grants under this 
        section to not more than 10 units of general local government.
            (2) Amount.--Subject to the availability of appropriations, 
        the Secretary shall make a grant to each unit of general local 
        government selected of not more than $1,000,000 each fiscal 
        year for 5 years.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated for grants under this section $10,000,000 for each of the 
fiscal years 2009 through 2014.

SEC. 6. METRO AREA GREEN INSTITUTE.

    (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to establish the Metro 
Area Green Institute to serve as a national center for technical 
assistance, training, research, information dissemination, and resource 
center to support municipally based, green economic and workforce 
development efforts.
    (b) Grant or Contract Award.--The Secretary shall select one unit 
of general local government or nonprofit organization designated by a 
unit of general local government to establish and operate a Metro Area 
Green Institute in accordance with this section and may make a grant or 
enter into a contract under this section to provide assistance for such 
Institute.
    (c) Grant or Contract Amount.--The amount provided for a grant or 
contract under this section shall not exceed $5,000,000 each fiscal 
year for 5 years.
    (d) Eligibility.--The Secretary may not make a grant or enter into 
a contract under this section to an applicant unit of general local 
government or an applicant nonprofit organization designated by a unit 
of general local government unless the applicant provides assurances to 
the Secretary, or demonstrates to the Secretary, as applicable, that 
such unit or designated nonprofit organization--
            (1) is within a 20-mile radius of at least one Department 
        of Energy National Energy Laboratory and at least one research-
        intensive institution of higher education;
            (2) has demonstrable experience with green workforce 
        development and job creation;
            (3) has an existing green jobs collaborative involving 
        regional, local, county, State, and public and private 
        stakeholders that targets low-income underserved populations 
        residing in metropolitan areas;
            (4) has entered into or is prepared to enter into a 
        partnership agreement with a Department of Energy National 
        Energy Laboratory and a research-intensive institution of 
        higher education that are within a 20-mile radius of such unit 
        of general local government or the area served by such 
        nonprofit organization designated by a unit of general local 
        government; and
            (5) is in a community meeting the criteria under paragraphs 
        (8) to (14) of section 4(d) of this Act.
    (e) Activities.--To carry out the purposes of this section, the 
Metro Area Green Institute shall--
            (1) evaluate the efficacy of programs funded under sections 
        4, 5, and 7;
            (2) sponsor workshops and conferences on green jobs, 
        technology transfer, business development, green economic 
        development strategies for metropolitan economies seeking to 
        engage low-income under-served and other displaced populations, 
        and any other topics relevant to green industries;
            (3) compile for dissemination to green workforce 
        development and job creation programs nationally, and so 
        disseminate, information and data related to the programs under 
        sections 4, 5, and 7, and other related national, regional, and 
        local activities related to green workforce development and 
        economic development, including best practice data and green 
        worker training techniques;
            (4) monitor and investigate green workforce development and 
        job creation programs nationally with a focus on initiatives 
        targeting high-poverty communities and high-need communities;
            (5) assess the efficacy of green economic and workforce 
        development programs;
            (6) create and maintain a certification program to train 
        workers in green jobs;
            (7) encourage local and municipal governments to engage in 
        workforce development and job creation activities in green 
        industry;
            (8) provide capacity-building and related technical 
        assistance to green workforce development initiatives 
        nationally, with emphasis on communities receiving funding 
        under sections 4 and 5 of this Act; and
            (9) produce and make available to local governments, 
        nonprofits, academic institutions, and the Department of 
        Housing and Urban Development literature and media tools 
        codifying best practice techniques and supplemental metadata 
        analysis.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated for the grant or contract under this section $5,000,000 
for each of the fiscal years 2009 through 2014.

SEC. 7. ALTERNATIVE GREEN ACADEMIES PROGRAM.

    (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to enable 
municipalities to partner with nonprofit organizations, local education 
agencies, community and technical colleges, trade associations, and 
local businesses to provide green job training, employment 
opportunities, and other life skills to high school drop-outs, formerly 
incarcerated youth, and individuals unable to attend traditional 
institutions of higher education.
    (b) Establishment of Grant Program.--The Secretary may establish a 
competitive program to make grants to units of general local government 
to support and establish programs that--
            (1) provide green job training, employment opportunities, 
        and other life skills to high school drop-outs, formerly 
        incarcerated youth, and individuals unable to attend 
        traditional institutions of higher education; and
            (2) involve collaboration between local or municipal 
        governments, community or technical colleges, local businesses, 
        trade associations and others.
    (c) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary 
may give priority to any applicant unit of general local government 
that provides assurances to the Secretary, or demonstrates to the 
Secretary, as applicable, that such unit of general local government--
            (1) has a plan to engage at least one community or 
        technical college in green job training;
            (2) has a plan to engage local industry, trade 
        associations, and small business in creating green jobs in 
        underserved communities;
            (3) has projected growth, over the next five years, in net 
        new jobs requiring at minimum a high school diploma;
            (4) has an estimated high school drop-out rate of greater 
        than 35 percent based upon 2007 statistical data, or 10 percent 
        greater than the national rate;
            (5) has a local unemployment rate at least 1.5 times 
        greater than the national rate;
            (6) has at least 20 percent of the local workforce employed 
        in the lowest-paying economic sectors;
            (7) has not less than 35 percent of households that have 
        female head-of-households;
            (8) has more than 20 parolees, probationers, or parolees 
        and probationers per 1,000 residents;
            (9) has a local population of which at least 8 percent are 
        classified as high-need with regard to employment 
        opportunities; and
            (10) meets any other criteria the Secretary determines 
        appropriate.
    (d) Eligible Activities.--A unit of general local government 
receiving a grant under this section may use grant funds to collaborate 
with local community and technical colleges and local businesses, trade 
associations, and other entities to--
            (1) establish an inclusive education and training center or 
        centers to serve as an alternative academy for high school 
        drop-outs, formerly incarcerated, and other difficult-to-employ 
        individuals;
            (2) develop curricula to provide program participants with 
        skills necessary to achieve sustainable employment in green 
        industries;
            (3) establish mentorship programs with local green 
        industries and small businesses to provide program participants 
        with access to on-the-job training;
            (4) provide job placement services, in partnership with 
        local green industries and small businesses;
            (5) provide wage stipends to program participants receiving 
        green job training; and
            (6) provide services such as childcare, alcohol and drug 
        dependence treatment, and mental health services, as necessary, 
        to underserved, low-income, displaced, hard-to-employ, and 
        formerly incarcerated individuals to facilitate the use of the 
        training, job placement, and employment provided by paragraphs 
        (1) to (5).
    (e) Number and Amount of Grants.--
            (1) Number.--The Secretary may make grants under this 
        section to not more than 10 units of general local government.
            (2) Amount.--Subject to the availability of appropriations, 
        the Secretary shall make a grant to each unit of general local 
        government selected of $2,000,000 each fiscal year for 5 years.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated for grants under this section $20,000,000 for each of the 
fiscal years 2009 through 2014.
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