1.This Act may be cited as
the Assistance for Workforce Recovery
Program Act
.
2.
(a)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)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.
3.Workforce
recovery programSection 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)In this subsection:
(A)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)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)The
term Program means the Unemployment Tuition Assistance Program
established under paragraph (2).
(D)The
term Secretary means the Secretary of Labor.
(2)Unemployment
Tuition Assistance
(A)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)
(i)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)The Secretary shall maintain a public Internet website
that contains information about the Program, including a list of participating
community colleges.
(iii)Participating
community collegesNothing 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)
(i)Eligibility of
individuals
(I)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 collegeAn 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)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)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)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)
(i)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)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)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)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 educationThe 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)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)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)The Program shall terminate on December 31,
2011.
.