[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1173 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1173

 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

                              June 3, 2009

 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:
    ``(f) Health Professions Training Demonstration Project.--
            ``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Covered community.--The term `covered 
                community' means a community or region--
                            ``(i) that has experienced a significant 
                        percentage decline in rates of employment; and
                            ``(ii)(I) that is determined by the 
                        Secretary of Health and Human Services (in 
                        consultation with the medical community) to be 
                        an area with a shortage of health care 
                        professionals described in subparagraph (C)(i); 
                        or
                            ``(II) that is underserved by the health 
                        care structure, such as a rural community, a 
                        community with a significant minority 
                        population, or a community for which an 
                        applicant can otherwise demonstrate need for 
                        increased training for health care 
                        professionals.
                    ``(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;
                            ``(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;
                            ``(ii)(I) has been terminated or laid off, 
                        or has received a notice of termination or 
                        layoff, as a result of any permanent closure 
                        of, or any substantial layoff at, a plant, 
                        facility, or enterprise; or
                            ``(II) is employed at a facility at which 
                        the employer has made a general announcement 
                        that such facility will close within 180 days; 
                        or
                            ``(iii) is an incumbent worker employed in 
                        a health care profession, and whose training 
                        will provide an opportunity for employment of 
                        other individuals by increasing--
                                    ``(I) the number of instructors 
                                serving the covered community; or
                                    ``(II) the number of vacant 
                                positions in the covered community.
                    ``(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, management, 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;
                                    ``(III) the delivery of dental 
                                services; or
                                    ``(IV) rehabilitation and health 
                                systems management; and
                            ``(ii) includes individuals in health care 
                        professions for which there is a shortage in 
                        the community involved, as determined by the 
                        Secretary of Health and Human Services (in 
                        consultation with the medical community) or as 
                        otherwise demonstrated by the applicant.
                    ``(D) Tribal college or university.--The term 
                `tribal college or university' means a Tribal College 
                or University, as defined in section 316(b) of the 
                Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)).
            ``(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 pay for the 
        Federal share of the cost of enabling the entities to carry out 
        programs in covered communities to train covered workers for 
        employment as health care professionals (referred to in this 
        subsection as `training programs'). The Secretary shall make 
        each grant in an amount of not less than $100,000 and not more 
        than $500,000, and each such grant shall be for a period of 5 
        years.
            ``(4) Eligible entities.--Notwithstanding subsection 
        (b)(2)(B), to be eligible to receive a grant under this 
        subsection to carry out a training program in a covered 
        community, an entity shall be a partnership that consists of--
                    ``(A) a local workforce investment board 
                established under section 117 that is serving the 
                covered community; and
                    ``(B) an institution of higher education, as 
                defined in sections 101 and 102 of the Higher Education 
                Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001, 1002), in partnership with 
                at least 1 of the following:
                            ``(i) A health clinic or hospital.
                            ``(ii) A home-based or community-based 
                        long-term care facility or program.
                            ``(iii) A health care facility administered 
                        by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
                            ``(iv) A tribal college or university.
                            ``(v) A labor organization, or an industry 
                        or industry group.
                            ``(vi) A local economic development entity 
                        serving the covered community.
                            ``(vii) A joint labor-management 
                        partnership.
            ``(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, including information that demonstrates 
                the long-term viability of the training program beyond 
                the period of the grant;
                    ``(B) information demonstrating the need for the 
                training and support services to be provided through 
                the training 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);
                    ``(E) with respect to training programs carried out 
                by the applicant, information--
                            ``(i) on the graduation rates of the 
                        training 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 covered 
                        workers that are refused admittance into the 
                        training programs because of lack of capacity; 
                        and
                    ``(F) a description of how the applicant has 
                engaged all relevant stakeholders, including the health 
                care industry to be served by the training program, 
                local labor organizations and other workforce groups, 
                and local industry, in the design of the training 
                program to be served with grant funds.
            ``(6) Selection.--In making grants under paragraph (3), the 
        Secretary, after consultation with the Secretary of Health and 
        Human Services, shall--
                    ``(A) consider the information submitted by the 
                eligible entities under paragraph (5)(E);
                    ``(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; 
                        and
                    ``(C) give preference to eligible entities--
                            ``(i) submitting applications to serve 
                        covered workers who have been terminated or 
                        laid off or have received a notice of 
                        termination or layoff from a manufacturing, 
                        service, or construction industry, or another 
                        industry with significant decline in employment 
                        as determined by the Secretary; and
                            ``(ii) with a demonstrated history of 
                        similar and successful partnerships with State 
                        boards or local boards, institutions of higher 
                        education (as defined in paragraph (4)(B)), 
                        industry groups, and labor organizations.
            ``(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) implementing training programs for 
                        covered workers;
                            ``(ii) providing support services for 
                        covered workers participating in the training 
                        programs, such as--
                                    ``(I) providing tuition assistance;
                                    ``(II) establishing or expanding 
                                distance education programs;
                                    ``(III) providing transportation 
                                assistance; or
                                    ``(IV) providing child care; or
                            ``(iii) increasing capacity, subject to 
                        subparagraph (B), 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) 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.
                    ``(B) Limitation.--Any such grant funds that are 
                used to expand facilities may only be used to rent or 
                modernize existing facilities, not to build additional 
                facilities. The entity shall use not less than 50 
                percent of the grant funds to carry out activities 
                described in clause (i) or (ii) of subparagraph (A), 
                unless the entity demonstrates, in the application 
                submitted under paragraph (5), a need to spend more 
                than 50 percent of the grant funds on activities 
                described in subparagraph (A)(iii).
            ``(8) Federal share.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Federal share of the cost 
                described in paragraph (3) shall be--
                            ``(i) for the first year of the grant 
                        period, 95 percent;
                            ``(ii) for the second such year, 85 
                        percent;
                            ``(iii) for the third such year, 75 
                        percent;
                            ``(iv) for the fourth such year, 65 
                        percent; and
                            ``(v) for the fifth such year, 55 percent.
                    ``(B) Non-federal share.--The eligible entity shall 
                provide the non-Federal share of the cost in cash or in 
                kind, fairly evaluated, including plant, equipment, or 
                services.
            ``(9) Evaluation.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Under the Secretary's existing 
                authority under section 172, not more than 1 percent of 
                the funds provided under this subsection shall be used 
                for evaluation of the training programs described in 
                paragraph (3). Eligible entities receiving grants under 
                this section shall use not more than 1 percent of the 
                grant funds for purposes of evaluation or documentation 
                of the training programs.
                    ``(B) Contents.--In conducting an evaluation under 
                subparagraph (A), an eligible entity shall provide data 
                detailing the success of the training program carried 
                out by the entity under paragraph (3), including--
                            ``(i) information on the number and 
                        percentage of participating covered workers who 
                        complete a training program, including those 
                        who earn a degree or certificate through such 
                        training programs;
                            ``(ii) information on the rate of 
                        employment of covered workers who have 
                        completed the training program;
                            ``(iii) an assessment of how well the needs 
                        of the health care community were addressed by 
                        the training program; and
                            ``(iv) any other data determined to be 
                        relevant by the entity to demonstrate the 
                        success of the training program.
                    ``(C) Report.--The Secretary shall compile the 
                information resulting from the evaluation or 
                documentation conducted under subparagraph (A), and 
                shall submit a report to Congress containing the 
                information.
            ``(10) 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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