[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 809 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 809

To establish a program to provide tuition assistance to individuals who 
       have lost their jobs as a result of the economic downturn.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 2, 2009

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish a program to provide tuition assistance to individuals who 
       have lost their jobs as a result of the economic downturn.

    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 ``Assistance for Workforce Recovery 
Program Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) In today's global economy, employees must possess the 
        education and training necessary to adapt to change and learn 
        new skills.
            (2) Community colleges provide high quality education to 
        students and support to businesses and employers.
            (3) Community colleges collaborate with local and regional 
        businesses, industry, workforce investment boards, and economic 
        development organizations to tailor their educational programs 
        to deliver employers a workforce with the skills employers 
        need. Workers receiving customized training have increased job 
        performance productivity and the workforce is stronger and more 
        competitive as a result.
            (4) Community-based job training grants were created as 
        part of the fiscal year 2005 budget of the President.
            (5) The purpose of community-based job training grants is 
        to assist community colleges in training workers to develop the 
        skills required by employers in high-growth industries and 
        occupations where demand for qualified workers outstrips the 
        supply.
            (6) Given the high level of unemployment as a result of the 
        economic downturn, the supply of labor now greatly outpaces 
        demand in many industries.
            (7) According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, 
        the current economic recession began in December of 2007.
    (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to establish a tuition 
assistance program for qualifying workers who become unemployed as a 
result of the recent economic recession to enable those workers to 
obtain education and training to contribute to the economic recovery.

SEC. 3. WORKFORCE RECOVERY PROGRAM.

    Section 171 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1988 (29 U.S.C. 
2916) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(f) Unemployment Tuition Assistance Program.--
            ``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Community college.--The term `community 
                college' means a 2-year institution of higher education 
                as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act 
                of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001).
                    ``(B) Economic downturn.--The term `economic 
                downturn' means the recession that the National Bureau 
                of Economic Research determined began on December 1, 
                2007 in the United States.
                    ``(C) Program.--The term `Program' means the 
                Unemployment Tuition Assistance Program established 
                under paragraph (2).
                    ``(D) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the 
                Secretary of Labor.
            ``(2) Unemployment tuition assistance.--
                    ``(A) Establishment.--Not later than 60 days after 
                the date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary 
                shall establish a voluntary pilot program under this 
                section to be known as the `Unemployment Tuition 
                Assistance Program' to provide tuition assistance to 
                eligible individuals to enable such individuals to 
                obtain education and job training assistance.
                    ``(B) Notification.--
                            ``(i) In general.--The Secretary shall 
                        ensure that each State agency responsible for 
                        the administration of the State unemployment 
                        compensation program distribute to any 
                        individual in the State who submits an 
                        application for unemployment insurance a 
                        notification that such individual may be 
                        eligible for participation in the Program and 
                        information on how to apply for such 
                        participation.
                            ``(ii) Internet website.--The Secretary 
                        shall maintain a public Internet website that 
                        contains information about the Program, 
                        including a list of participating community 
                        colleges.
                            ``(iii) Participating community colleges.--
                        Nothing in clause (i) shall be construed to 
                        prevent a participating community college from 
                        advertising the existence of the Program or 
                        otherwise informing individuals of such 
                        Program.
                    ``(C) Eligibility.--
                            ``(i) Eligibility of individuals.--
                                    ``(I) General eligibility.--To be 
                                eligible to receive a certification of 
                                eligibility from a participating 
                                community college for tuition 
                                assistance under the Program, an 
                                individual shall--
                                            ``(aa) submit to the 
                                        participating community college 
                                        an application, in a manner 
                                        prescribed by the Secretary;
                                            ``(bb) be an individual and 
                                        who became unemployed (as 
                                        described in subclause 
                                        (II)(aa)) on or after December 
                                        1, 2007, and whose employment 
                                        loss resulted from the economic 
                                        downturn;
                                            ``(cc) be determined to be 
                                        eligible by a participating 
                                        community college as provided 
                                        for in subclause (II); and
                                            ``(dd) comply with any 
                                        guidelines issued by the 
                                        Secretary (in consultation with 
                                        the Secretary of Education) or 
                                        the participating community 
                                        college involved, so long as 
                                        such guidelines are not 
                                        inconsistent with the 
                                        requirements of subclause (II).
                                    ``(II) Determinations by college.--
                                An individual shall not be certified as 
                                an eligible individual under subclause 
                                (I)(cc) unless the participating 
                                community college involved determines 
                                that--
                                            ``(aa) the individual has 
                                        been involuntarily terminated, 
                                        laid off, or has had his or her 
                                        work hours reduced to zero;
                                            ``(bb) the termination, 
                                        layoff or reduction in hours 
                                        described in item (aa) occurred 
                                        on or after December 1, 2007; 
                                        and
                                            ``(cc) the termination, 
                                        layoff or reduction in hours 
                                        described in item (aa) is the 
                                        result of job loss related to 
                                        the economic downturn.
                            ``(ii) Eligibility of entities.--To be 
                        eligible to be a participating community 
                        college under the program, an entity shall--
                                    ``(I) be a community college; and
                                    ``(II) submit to the Secretary an 
                                application for a certification of 
                                participation at such time, in such 
                                manner, and containing such information 
                                as the Secretary may require.
                            ``(iii) Additional assistance.--The 
                        Secretary may provide additional assistance to 
                        a community college submitting an application 
                        under clause (ii) if the Secretary determines, 
                        as soon as practicable after receipt of the 
                        application, that the college--
                                    ``(I) is located in a high need 
                                area (as determined by the Secretary); 
                                and
                                    ``(II) is located in an underserved 
                                area (as determined by the Secretary).
                    ``(D) Use of assistance.--Assistance received under 
                the Program shall be used to pay the costs for 
                enrollment in classes or job training programs offered 
                at a participating community college.
                    ``(E) Amount of assistance.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Subject to clause (ii), 
                        an individual participating in the Program 
                        shall receive tuition assistance in an amount 
                        that does not exceed--
                                    ``(I) the tuition costs for 
                                enrollment in one semester of classes 
                                offered by a participating community 
                                college; or
                                    ``(II) the cost of participation in 
                                a job training program offered by a 
                                participating community college.
                            ``(ii) Limitation.--The amount of 
                        assistance provided under clause (i) (whether 
                        for enrollment in classes or a job training 
                        program) shall not exceed an amount equal to 
                        the cost of enrollment in 12 credits worth of 
                        classes at the participating community college 
                        but in no event to exceed $1,000.
                            ``(iii) Additional benefits.--The Secretary 
                        may provide for the awarding of additional 
                        assistance to individuals or participating 
                        community colleges under the Program for use in 
                        areas of high unemployment or in underserved 
                        rural populations, as determined by the 
                        Secretary.
                    ``(F) Payment.--The Secretary shall establish 
                guidelines for making assistance payments under the 
                Program. Such guidelines shall provide that payments 
                shall be made directly to the participating community 
                college involved based on the number of eligible 
                individuals certified by such college for the period 
                involved.
                    ``(G) Provision for quality education.--The 
                Secretary shall issue guidelines to participating 
                community colleges that are designed to ensure the 
                quality of education and job training for which 
                eligible individuals will be awarded credit under the 
                program under this Act.
                    ``(H) Reporting requirements.--Not later than 
                February 1, and July 1, of each year in which this 
                subsection is in effect, the Secretary shall submit to 
                Congress a report concerning the program under this 
                subsection that includes--
                            ``(i) the names and locations of 
                        participating community colleges;
                            ``(ii) the number of students participating 
                        at each such college;
                            ``(iii) the number of credits awarded by 
                        each such college under the program; and
                            ``(iv) the amount of expenditures by the 
                        Secretary under such program.
            ``(3) Funding.--The Secretary shall use amounts available 
        under section 414(c) of the American Competitiveness and 
        Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2916a) to carry 
        out this subsection.
            ``(4) Sunset.--The Program shall terminate on December 31, 
        2011.''.
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