[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5975 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5975

   To amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to provide for the 
       establishment of the Small Business Liaison Pilot Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 20, 2012

 Ms. Bonamici introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to provide for the 
       establishment of the Small Business Liaison Pilot Program.

    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 ``Workforce Infrastructure for Skilled 
Employees Investment Act'' or the ``WISE Investment Act''.

SEC. 2. SMALL BUSINESS LIAISON PILOT PROGRAM.

    Section 171 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 
2916) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(f) Small Business Liaison Pilot Program.--
            ``(1) Establishment of small business liaison pilot 
        program.--The Secretary may award competitive grants to local 
        boards, community colleges, and postsecondary vocational 
        institutions in States and outlying areas to promote local 
        economic growth and eliminate gaps between the workforce skills 
        available and the workforce skills needed in local areas or 
        regions.
            ``(2) Application.--To receive a grant under this 
        subsection a local board, community college, or postsecondary 
        vocational institution in a State or outlying area shall submit 
        to the Secretary an application in such manner, at such time, 
        and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
            ``(3) Specifications of grants.--
                    ``(A) Time period.--A grant shall be used over a 
                36-month period.
                    ``(B) Amount of grant.--In determining the amount 
                of a grant made under this subsection, the Secretary 
                may consider--
                            ``(i) the ability of the grant applicant to 
                        conduct outreach activities;
                            ``(ii) the ability of the grant applicant 
                        to conduct skills gap assessments;
                            ``(iii) the extent to which the grant 
                        applicant works with or, after implementing a 
                        strategic skills gap action plan, plans to work 
                        with small businesses within its local area or 
                        region; and
                            ``(iv) any other factor that the Secretary 
                        deems appropriate.
                    ``(C) Limitations.--
                            ``(i) A recipient may not receive more than 
                        one grant under this subsection.
                            ``(ii) No grant under this subsection may 
                        be for an amount more than $500,000.
                            ``(iii) The Secretary shall, in determining 
                        whether to award a grant, consider the 
                        geographic diversity of grant recipients.
                    ``(D) Use of funds.--
                            ``(i) In general.--A local board, community 
                        college, or postsecondary vocational 
                        institution that receives a grant under this 
                        subsection shall use the grant funds to pay for 
                        a new or current employee to serve as liaison 
                        to conduct activities described in clause (ii).
                            ``(ii) Small & local business liaison.--The 
                        liaison--
                                    ``(I) shall--
                                            ``(aa) prepare a strategic 
                                        action skills gap assessment;
                                            ``(bb) develop a strategic 
                                        skills gap action plan; and
                                            ``(cc) conduct any other 
                                        activity that the Secretary 
                                        deems appropriate for the 
                                        purposes of this subsection; 
                                        and
                                    ``(II) may--
                                            ``(aa) engage in outreach 
                                        in the local area or region;
                                            ``(bb) conduct business 
                                        site visits, interviews, and 
                                        assessments;
                                            ``(cc) consult in the 
                                        implementation of the skills 
                                        action plan;
                                            ``(dd) complete more than 1 
                                        skills gap action plan; and
                                            ``(ee) consult with the 
                                        local offices of the Small 
                                        Business Administration.
                            ``(iii) Prohibition.--A grant received 
                        under this subsection may not be used to 
                        supplant existing funding or efforts.
                    ``(E) Confidentiality of information.--The grant 
                recipient may not disclose the name, address, or 
                contact information of a business, employer, or other 
                person that provided information to the grant recipient 
                to compile information in the strategic skills gap 
                assessment or strategic skills gap action plan without 
                consent of such business, employer, or other person.
            ``(4) Reporting.--Each year, the Secretary shall report to 
        the Congress--
                    ``(A) the number of grants awarded under this 
                subsection;
                    ``(B) the recipients of grants awarded under this 
                subsection;
                    ``(C) the activities carried out by each recipient 
                under paragraph (3)(D); and
                    ``(D) an assessment describing--
                            ``(i) the success of the program to promote 
                        local economic growth and eliminate gaps 
                        between the workforce skills available and the 
                        workforce skills needed in local areas or 
                        regions; and
                            ``(ii) any recommendations for 
                        reauthorization and expansion of the program 
                        that the Secretary may have.
            ``(5) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Community college.--The term `community 
                college' has the meaning given the term in section 
                312(f) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
                1058(f)).
                    ``(B) Local area.--The term `local area' means the 
                labor market immediately surrounding or affected by a 
                local board, community college, or postsecondary 
                vocational institution.
                    ``(C) Postsecondary vocational institution.--The 
                term `postsecondary vocational institution' has the 
                meaning given the term in section 102(c) of the Higher 
                Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002(c)).
                    ``(D) Region.--The term `region' means 2 or more 
                local areas that comprise a common labor market for an 
                industry sector of related occupations.
                    ``(E) Strategic skills gap assessment.--The term 
                `strategic skills gap assessment' means an assessment 
                that--
                            ``(i) identifies areas of current and 
                        expected demand for labor and skills in a 
                        specific industry sector of related occupations 
                        that is--
                                    ``(I) producing jobs in the local 
                                area or region involved;
                                    ``(II) developing emerging jobs in 
                                the local area or region involved; or
                                    ``(III) suffering chronic worker 
                                shortages;
                            ``(ii) identifies the current and expected 
                        supply of labor and skills in that sector or 
                        group in the local area or region;
                            ``(iii) identifies gaps between the current 
                        and expected demand and supply of labor and 
                        skills in that section or group in the local 
                        area or region;
                            ``(iv) contains the results of a survey or 
                        focus group interviews of employers, labor 
                        organizations, and other relevant individuals 
                        and organizations in the local area or region; 
                        and
                            ``(v) contains data regarding--
                                    ``(I) specific employment 
                                opportunities offered by industries in 
                                the local area or region;
                                    ``(II) specific skills desired for 
                                employment opportunities offered by 
                                industries in the local area or region;
                                    ``(III) occupations and positions 
                                in the local area or region that are 
                                difficult to fill;
                                    ``(IV) specific skills desired for 
                                occupations and positions in the local 
                                area or region that are difficult to 
                                fill;
                                    ``(V) areas of growth and decline 
                                among industries and occupations in the 
                                local area or region;
                                    ``(VI) specific skills desired for 
                                areas of growth among industries and 
                                occupations in the local area or 
                                region; and
                                    ``(VII) specific inventories of 
                                skills of unemployed or underemployed 
                                individuals in the local area or 
                                region.
                    ``(F) Strategic skills gap action plan.--The term 
                `strategic skills gap action plan' means a plan based 
                on the strategic skills gap assessment that--
                            ``(i) identifies--
                                    ``(I) specific barriers to adequate 
                                supply of labor and skills in demand in 
                                a specific industry sector of related 
                                occupations that is producing jobs in 
                                the local area or region; and
                                    ``(II) activities that will remove 
                                or alleviate the barriers described in 
                                subclause (I) that could be undertaken 
                                by the local board, community college, 
                                or postsecondary vocational 
                                institution;
                            ``(ii) specifies how the local board, 
                        community college, or postsecondary vocational 
                        institution may integrate the activities 
                        described in clause (i) within the local area 
                        or region; and
                            ``(iii) identifies resources and strategies 
                        that may be used in the local area or region to 
                        address the skills gaps for both unemployed and 
                        employed workers in that industry sector.
            ``(6) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to the Secretary such sums as may be 
        necessary to carry out this subsection.''.
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