[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1825 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1825

   To improve the management of the Job Corps program, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

            December 13 (legislative day, December 11), 2013

 Ms. Collins (for herself, Mrs. McCaskill, and Mr. Manchin) introduced 
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 
               on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To improve the management of the Job Corps program, and for other 
                               purposes.

    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 ``Securing Job Corps Centers Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Department of Labor's management of the Job Corps 
        program has recently suffered from poor budgeting and financial 
        management. The Office of Inspector General of the Department 
        of Labor found that the Department had projected costs 
        erroneously and managerial factors exacerbated the resulting 
        budget shortfalls.
            (2) For nearly 50 years, the Job Corps program was overseen 
        by a single individual appointed to a position in the Senior 
        Executive Service. The management structure for the program has 
        expanded to include 3 positions in the Senior Executive 
        Service. This expansion has not contributed to better 
        management of the program but has created uncertainty about 
        roles and responsibilities, according to the May 31, 2013, 
        report by the Office of Inspector General.
            (3) The Department of Labor has not been sufficiently 
        transparent with Congress regarding policies that significantly 
        affect constituents, particularly decisions to suspend 
        enrollments or reduce the number of enrollees the Job Corps 
        program serves.
            (4) An advisory board of Job Corps operational experts can 
        assist the new leadership of the Department of Labor as the 
        Department--
                    (A) addresses the structural challenges the Job 
                Corps program faces in its administration; and
                    (B) returns the program to the administrative and 
                operational efficiency that characterized the program's 
                first 50 years.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) local Job Corps center operational experts should play 
        an important role in ensuring the effective management by the 
        Secretary of the Job Corps program, by informing the Office of 
        Job Corps on the impact Federal decisions may have on Job Corps 
        campuses;
            (2) the Job Corps program continues to produce results as 
        the economy of the United States recovers and unemployment 
        remains high, as more than 85 percent of Job Corps graduates 
        obtain a job, enroll in higher education, or enlist in the 
        military upon completion; and
            (3) the 125 Job Corps center campuses, which includes 
        locations in nearly every State, have compiled an impressive 
        record of preparing at-risk youth for the workforce or higher 
        education, and in nearly 50 years, more than 3,000,000 youth 
        have obtained, through the Job Corps program, the job and 
        social skills needed to start a career or obtain further 
        educational credentials.

SEC. 3. JOB CORPS PROGRAM ADVISORY BOARD.

    (a) Establishment.--
            (1) In general.--There is established in the Department of 
        Labor the Job Corps Program Advisory Board (referred to in this 
        section as the ``Advisory Board'').
            (2) Recommendations.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training, shall solicit 
        and receive recommendations relating to the administration and 
        management structure of the Job Corps program from the Advisory 
        Board.
    (b) Membership.--The Advisory Board shall be composed of 5 members 
appointed by the Secretary, of whom--
            (1) 1 shall be selected from recommendations submitted by 
        the Board of Directors of the National Job Corps Association; 
        and
            (2) 4 shall be selected from recommendations submitted by 
        the chairpersons, in consultation with the ranking members, of 
        the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 
        Senate and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the 
        House of Representatives.
    (c) Qualifications.--A majority of the individuals appointed to the 
Board under subsection (b) shall have--
            (1) backgrounds containing significant involvement in Job 
        Corps managing operations; or
            (2) relevant management experience, in areas such as 
        financial management, procurement and contract administration, 
        and performance management, at a Job Corps center or at the 
        regional or national level of the Job Corps program.
    (d) Period of Appointment; Vacancies.--Members of the Advisory 
Board shall serve for the life of the Advisory Board. Any vacancy in 
the Advisory Board shall not affect its powers, but shall be filled in 
the same manner as the original appointment.
    (e) Chairperson.--The Advisory Board shall select a Chairperson 
from among its members.
    (f) Duties of the Advisory Board.--
            (1) Administration and management structure study and 
        report.--
                    (A) Study.--The Advisory Board shall conduct a 
                thorough study of all matters relating to the 
                administration of and management structure for the Job 
                Corps program.
                    (B) Recommendations.--The Advisory Board shall 
                develop recommendations on ways of improving the 
                administration and management structure of the Job 
                Corps program, including reducing to 1 the number of 
                positions in the Senior Executive Service within the 
                program.
                    (C) Report.--Not later than 6 months after the date 
                of enactment of this Act, the Advisory Board shall 
                prepare and submit to the Secretary and the appropriate 
                committees of Congress--
                            (i) a report that contains a detailed 
                        statement of the findings and conclusions of 
                        the Advisory Board; and
                            (ii) recommendations for such legislation 
                        and administrative actions as the Advisory 
                        Board considers appropriate.
            (2) Recommendations.--The Advisory Board shall receive each 
        report submitted under section 5(a)(2) and make recommendations 
        to the Assistant Secretary relating to the administration and 
        management structure for the Job Corps program in response to 
        the report or to requests by the Secretary.
    (g) No Additional Compensation.--
            (1) Voluntary service.--Each member of the Advisory Board 
        shall serve without compensation in addition to any such 
        compensation received for the member's service as an officer or 
        employee of the United States, if applicable.
            (2) No travel expenses.--A member of the Advisory Board 
        shall not be allowed travel expenses while away from the 
        member's home or regular place of business in the performance 
        of services for the Advisory Board.
    (h) Termination.--The Advisory Board shall terminate at the end of 
the 2-year period during which the Secretary is not required to submit 
any notification reports under section 5, unless the Secretary elects 
to extend the life of the Advisory Board for any additional period of 
time.

SEC. 4. IMPROVED ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 60 days after receiving a report 
under section 3(f)(1), the Secretary shall take action to improve the 
administration and management structure of the Job Corps program, which 
actions shall include reducing to 1 the number of positions in the 
Senior Executive Service funded through the annual appropriations 
provided for the Job Corps program. The individual appointed to the 
position in the Senior Executive Service for the Job Corps program 
shall be responsible for the fiscal, program, and procurement oversight 
of the Job Corps program.
    (b) Budget Plan.--Not later than 90 days after receiving the report 
submitted under section 6, the Secretary shall prepare and submit a 
plan detailing how the Secretary will address and prevent any current 
or anticipated budget problem concerning the Job Corps program. The 
Secretary shall submit the plan to the appropriate committees of 
Congress.

SEC. 5. NOTIFICATION REPORTS.

    (a) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 120 days prior to 
        implementation of a policy described in subsection (b), the 
        Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary for 
        Employment and Training, shall prepare, and submit to the 
        appropriate committees of Congress, a report that contains a 
        notification regarding the policy.
            (2) Submission to the advisory board.--The Secretary shall 
        submit any report prepared under paragraph (1) to the Job Corps 
        Program Advisory Board established under section 3 at the same 
        time as such report is submitted to Congress, until the date on 
        which the Advisory Board is terminated in accordance with 
        section 3(h).
    (b) Policies Covered.--Subsection (a) applies to any policy 
implemented by the Department of Labor that would--
            (1) suspend the enrollment of applicants to participate in 
        the Job Corps program;
            (2) reduce the number of positions available for enrollees 
        in the program; or
            (3) affect the closure of a Job Corps center.

SEC. 6. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REPORT.

    The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a 
financial audit of the Job Corps program for fiscal years 2012 and 
2013, and prepare and submit a report describing the results of the 
audit. Such audit shall contain a full review of the financial 
shortfalls relating to the program. The Comptroller General shall 
submit the report to the Secretary and the appropriate committees of 
Congress.

SEC. 7. FUNDING.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
Secretary shall reserve funds appropriated for fiscal year 2013 for the 
Employment and Training Administration that have not been obligated as 
of the date of enactment of this Act, and shall use such funds to carry 
out the requirements of this Act.
    (b) Availability.--The funds reserved under this section shall 
remain available until expended.

SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Job corps.--The term ``Job Corps'' means the Job Corps 
        described in section 143 of the Workforce Investment Act of 
        1998 (29 U.S.C. 2882).
            (2) Job corps center.--The term ``Job Corps center'' means 
        a center described in section 147 of the Workforce Investment 
        Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2887).
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Labor.
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