1.This Act may be cited as the
Helping Innovation of Re-Employment
Services in States Act
or the HIRES Act
.
2.State flexibility to
promote the reemployment of unemployed workers
(a)Title III of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 501 and following) is amended by adding at the
end the following:
305.(a)The Secretary of Labor
may enter into agreements, with States submitting an application described in
subsection (b), for the purpose of allowing such States to conduct
demonstration projects to test and evaluate measures designed—
(1)to expedite the reemployment of individuals
who establish initial eligibility for unemployment compensation under the State
law of such State; or
(2)to improve the
effectiveness of a State in carrying out its State law with respect to
reemployment.
(b)The Governor of
any State desiring to conduct a demonstration project under this section shall
submit an application to the Secretary of Labor. Any such application shall, at
a minimum, include—
(1)a general description of the proposed
demonstration project, including the authority (under the laws of the State)
for the measures to be tested, as well as the period of time during which such
demonstration project would be conducted;
(2)if a waiver under
subsection (c) is requested, the specific aspects of the project to which the
waiver would apply and the reasons why such waiver is needed;
(3)a description of
the goals and the expected programmatic outcomes of the demonstration project,
including how the project would contribute to the objective described in
subsection (a)(1), subsection (a)(2), or both;
(4)assurances
(accompanied by supporting analysis) that the demonstration project would not
result in any increased net costs to the State’s account in the Unemployment
Trust Fund;
(5)a description of
the manner in which the State—
(A)will conduct an
impact evaluation, using a control or comparison group or other valid
methodology, of the demonstration project; and
(B)will determine the
extent to which the goals and outcomes described in paragraph (3) were
achieved; and
(6)assurances that
the State will provide any reports relating to the demonstration project, after
its approval, as the Secretary of Labor may require.
(c)The Secretary of
Labor may waive any of the requirements of section 3304(a)(4) of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986 or of paragraph (1) or (5) of section 303(a), to the
extent and for the period the Secretary of Labor considers necessary to enable
the State to carry out a demonstration project under this section.
(d)A demonstration
project under this section—
(1)may be commenced
any time after the date of the enactment of this section; and
(2)may not be
approved for a period of time greater than 3 years, subject to extension upon
request of the Governor of the State involved for such additional period as the
Secretary of Labor may agree to, except that in no event may a demonstration
project under this section be conducted after the end of the 5-year period
beginning on the date of the enactment of this section.
(e)The Secretary of
Labor shall, in the case of any State for which an application is submitted
under subsection (b)—
(1)notify the State as to whether such
application has been approved or denied within 30 days after receipt of a
complete application; and
(2)provide public
notice of the decision within 10 days after providing notification to the State
in accordance with paragraph (1).
Public
notice under paragraph (2) may be provided through the Internet or other
appropriate means. Any application under this section that has not been denied
within such 30 days shall be deemed approved.(f)The Secretary of
Labor may terminate a demonstration project under this section if the Secretary
makes a final determination that the State has violated the substantive terms
or conditions of the
project.
.
(b)The amendment made by this section shall apply to weeks
beginning after September 30, 2011.