[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4072 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4072

   To require that certain Federal job training and career education 
  programs give priority to programs that provide a national industry-
                  recognized and portable credential.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 16, 2009

Mr. Minnick (for himself, Mr. Kratovil, Mr. Bright, and Mrs. Halvorson) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
   Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and 
 Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
   each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require that certain Federal job training and career education 
  programs give priority to programs that provide a national industry-
                  recognized and portable credential.

    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 ``American Manufacturing Efficiency 
and Retraining Investment Collaboration Act'' or the ``AMERICA Works 
Act''.

SEC. 2. NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AND PORTABLE CREDENTIALS FOR JOB TRAINING 
              PROGRAMS.

    (a) Workforce Investment Act.--
            (1) General employment and training activities.--Section 
        134 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2864) is 
        amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(f) Priority for Programs That Provide a National Industry-
Recognized Credential.--In selecting and approving training programs or 
services under this section, a State, a local board, and a one-stop 
delivery system shall give priority approval to programs that provide a 
national industry-recognized and portable credential, certificate, or 
degree.''.
            (2) Youth activities.--Section 129(c)(1)(C) of the 
        Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2854(c)(1)(C)) is 
        amended by redesignating clauses (ii) through (iv) as clauses 
        (iii) through (v), respectively, and inserting after clause (i) 
        the following:
                            ``(ii) to the extent available and 
                        appropriate, a national industry-recognized 
                        credential, certificate, or degree;''.
    (b) Career and Technical Education.--Section 3(5)(A)(ii) of the 
Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 
2302) is amended by inserting ``that is nationally recognized and 
portable and which may provide a basis for additional credentials, 
certificates, or degrees'' after ``an industry-recognized credential''.
    (c) Training Programs Under TAA.--Section 236(a)(5) of the Trade 
Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2296(a)(5)) is amended by inserting after the 
sentence that follows subparagraph (H)(ii) the following: ``In 
approving training programs under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 
seek to approve programs that provide a national industry-recognized 
and portable credential, certificate, or degree.''.
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