[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2219 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2219

   To ensure that individuals who are in an authorized job training 
program or completing work for a degree or certificate remain eligible 
                 for regular unemployment compensation.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 1, 2015

Mr. Rodney Davis of Illinois (for himself and Mr. Bera) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To ensure that individuals who are in an authorized job training 
program or completing work for a degree or certificate remain eligible 
                 for regular unemployment compensation.

    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 ``Opportunity Kindling New Options for 
Career and Knowledge Seekers Act'' or the ``Opportunity KNOCKS Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to allow people to seek the training 
needed in order to find a full time job that allows them to go off of 
unemployment compensation.

SEC. 3. APPROVED TRAINING.

    (a) In General.--Section 3304 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
(26 U.S.C. 3304) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection:
    ``(g) Approved Training.--
            ``(1) In general.--For purposes of subsection (a)(8)--
                    ``(A) the term `training' includes any of the 
                educational or job training programs described in 
                paragraph (2), and
                    ``(B) such programs shall be treated as approved by 
                the State agency.
            ``(2) Educational or job training programs.--The programs 
        described in this paragraph are--
                    ``(A) any program on the State's eligible training 
                provider list developed under section 122 of the 
                Workforce Investment Act of 1998; or
                    ``(B) for purposes of an individual who has been 
                identified as likely to exhaust regular compensation, 
                any coursework necessary to attain a recognized 
                postsecondary credential.
            ``(3) Recognized postsecondary credential.--For purposes of 
        this subsection, the term `recognized postsecondary credential' 
        means a credential consisting of an industry-recognized 
        certificate, a certificate of completion of an apprenticeship, 
        or an associate or baccalaureate degree.''.
    (b) Extended Compensation.--Section 202(a) of the Federal-State 
Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 (26 U.S.C. 3304 note) is 
amended by inserting at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(8) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (2), a 
        State agency may elect to approve programs described in 
        subsection (g)(2) of section 3304 of the Internal Revenue Code 
        of 1986 for purposes of training included under subsection 
        (a)(8) of such section.''.
    (c) Emergency Unemployment Compensation.--Section 4001(d)(2) of the 
Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (Public Law 110-252; 26 U.S.C. 
3304 note) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``and'' at the end; 
        and
            (2) by inserting at the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(C) that a State agency may elect to approve 
                programs described in subsection (g)(2) of section 3304 
                of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 for purposes of 
                training included under subsection (a)(8) of such 
                section; and''.
    (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. NOTIFICATION TO UNEMPLOYED INDIVIDUALS.

    (a) In General.--To the extent feasible and practicable, the State 
agency shall provide that applications for regular compensation include 
information regarding the availability of such compensation during 
periods in which an individual is engaged in training that has been 
approved by the State agency, as described in section 3304(a)(8) of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 3304(a)(8)).
    (b) Definitions.--For purposes of this section, the terms ``regular 
compensation'' and ``State agency'' have the same meanings as in 
section 205 of the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act 
of 1970.
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