[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1325 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1325

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 1, 2011

   Mr. Donnelly of Indiana (for himself, Mr. Platts, and Mr. Boren) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
 Education and the Workforce, 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 a priority to programs that provide an industry 
             recognized and nationally 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 Achievement Works Act'' or the 
``AMERICA Works Act''.

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

    (a) Workforce Investment Act of 1998.--
            (1) General employment and training activities.--Section 
        134(d)(4)(F) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 
        2864(d)(4)(F)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(iv) Priority for programs that provide 
                        an industry-recognized and nationally portable 
                        credential.--In selecting and approving 
                        training services, or programs of training 
                        services, under this section, a one-stop 
                        operator and employees of a one-stop center 
                        referred to in subsection (c) shall give 
                        priority consideration to services and programs 
                        (approved by the appropriate State agency and 
                        local board in conjunction with section 122) 
                        that lead to a credential that is in high 
                        demand in the local area served and listed in 
                        the registry described in section 3(b) of the 
                        AMERICA Works Act.''.
            (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--
                    (A) by redesignating clauses (ii) through (iv) as 
                clauses (iii) through (v), respectively; and
                    (B) by inserting after clause (i) the following:
                            ``(ii) training (with priority 
                        consideration given to programs that lead to a 
                        credential that is in high demand in the local 
                        area served and listed in the registry 
                        described in section 3(b) of the AMERICA Works 
                        Act, if the local board determines that such 
                        programs are available and appropriate);''.
    (b) Career and Technical Education.--
            (1) State plan.--Section 122(c)(1)(B) of the Carl D. 
        Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 
        2342(c)(1)(B)) is amended by striking the semicolon at the end 
        and inserting the following: ``and, with respect to programs of 
        study leading to an industry-recognized credential or 
        certificate, will give priority consideration to programs of 
        study that--
                            ``(i) lead to an appropriate (as determined 
                        by the eligible agency) skills credential 
                        (which may be a certificate) that is in high 
                        demand in the area served and listed in the 
                        registry described in section 3(b) of the 
                        AMERICA Works Act; and
                            ``(ii) may provide a basis for additional 
                        credentials, certificates, or degrees;''.
            (2) Use of local funds.--Section 134(b) of the Carl D. 
        Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 
        2354(b)) is amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (11), by striking ``; and'' and 
                inserting a semicolon;
                    (B) in paragraph (12)(B), by striking the period 
                and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(13) describe the career and technical education 
        activities supporting the attainment of industry-recognized 
        credentials or certificates, and how the eligible recipient, in 
        selecting such activities, gave priority consideration to 
        activities supporting high-demand registry skill credentials 
        described in section 122(c)(1)(B)(i).''.
            (3) Tech-prep programs.--Section 203(c)(2)(E) of the Carl 
        D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 
        U.S.C. 2373(c)(2)(E)) is amended by striking ``industry-
        recognized credential, a certificate,'' and inserting 
        ``industry-recognized credential or certificate (such as a 
        high-demand registry skill credential described in section 
        122(c)(1)(B)(i)),''.
    (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 
give priority consideration to programs that lead to a credential that 
is in high demand in the local area (defined for purposes of title I of 
the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.)) served 
by the corresponding one-stop delivery system under that title for the 
training programs, and that is listed in the registry described in 
section 3(b) of the AMERICA Works Act.''.

SEC. 3. SKILL CREDENTIAL REGISTRY.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Covered provision.--The term ``covered provision'' 
        means any of sections 129 and 134 of the Workforce Investment 
        Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2854, 2864), section 122(c)(1)(B) of the 
        Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 
        U.S.C. 2342(c)(1)(B)), and section 236 of the Trade Act of 1974 
        (19 U.S.C. 2296).
            (2) Industry-recognized.--The term ``industry-recognized'', 
        used with respect to a credential, means a credential that--
                    (A) is sought or accepted by companies within the 
                industry sector involved as recognized, preferred, or 
                required for recruitment, screening, or hiring; and
                    (B) is endorsed by a nationally recognized trade 
                association or organization representing a significant 
                part of the industry sector.
            (3) Nationally portable.--The term ``nationally portable'', 
        used with respect to a credential, means a credential that is 
        sought or accepted by companies within the industry sector 
        involved, across multiple States, as recognized, preferred, or 
        required for recruitment, screening, or hiring.
            (4) Workforce investment activities.--The term ``workforce 
        investment activities'' has the meaning given the term in 
        section 101 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 
        2801).
    (b) Registry.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor (referred to in 
        this section as the ``Secretary'') shall create a registry of 
        skill credentials (which may be certificates), for purposes of 
        enabling programs that lead to such a credential to receive 
        priority under a covered provision.
            (2) Registry.--The Secretary shall--
                    (A) list the credential in the registry if the 
                credential is required by Federal or State law for an 
                occupation (such as a credential required by a State 
                law regarding qualifications for a health care 
                occupation);
                    (B) list the credential in the registry if the 
                credential is a credential from the Manufacturing 
                Institute-Endorsed Manufacturing Skills Certification 
                System; and
                    (C) list the credential, and list an updated 
                credential, in the registry if the credential involved 
                is an industry-recognized, nationally portable 
                credential that is consistent with the Secretary's 
                established industry competency models and is 
                consistently updated through third party validation to 
                reflect changing industry competencies.
    (c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed 
to require an entity with responsibility for selecting or approving an 
education, training, or workforce investment activities program with 
regard to a covered provision, to select a program with a credential 
listed in the registry described in subsection (b).

SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act, and the amendments made by this Act, take effect 120 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act.
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