[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4583 Introduced in House (IH)]
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114th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4583
To promote a 21st century energy and manufacturing workforce.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 23, 2016
Mr. Rush (for himself and Mr. Hudson) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and
in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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 promote a 21st century energy and manufacturing workforce.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. ENERGY AND MANUFACTURING WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Energy (in this Act referred to
as the ``Secretary'') shall prioritize education and training for
energy and manufacturing-related jobs in order to increase the number
of skilled workers trained to work in energy and manufacturing-related
fields, including by--
(1) encouraging the Nation's education system to equip
students with the skills, mentorships, training, and technical
expertise necessary to fill the employment opportunities vital
to managing and operating the Nation's energy and manufacturing
industries, in collaboration with representatives from the
energy and manufacturing industries (including the oil, gas,
coal, nuclear, utility, pipeline, renewable, petrochemical,
manufacturing, and electrical construction sectors) to identify
the areas of highest need in each sector and to develop
guidelines for the skills necessary to develop a workforce
trained to go into the following sectors of the energy and
manufacturing sectors:
(A) Energy efficiency industry, including work in
energy efficiency, conservation, weatherization, or
retrofitting, or as inspectors or auditors.
(B) Pipeline industry, including work in pipeline
construction and maintenance or work as engineers or
technical advisors.
(C) Utility industry, including work in the
generation, transmission, and distribution of
electricity and natural gas, such as utility
technicians, operators, lineworkers, engineers,
scientists, and information technology specialists.
(D) Nuclear industry, including work as scientists,
engineers, technicians, mathematicians, or security
personnel.
(E) Oil and gas industry, including work as
scientists, engineers, technicians, mathematicians,
petrochemical engineers, or geologists.
(F) Renewable industry, including work in the
development, manufacturing, and production of renewable
energy sources (such as solar, hydropower, wind, or
geothermal energy).
(G) Coal industry, including work as coal miners,
engineers, developers and manufacturers of state-of-
the-art coal facilities, technology vendors, coal
transportation workers and operators, or mining
equipment vendors.
(H) Manufacturing industry, including work as
operations technicians, operations and design in
additive manufacturing, 3-D printing, advanced
composites, and advanced aluminum and other metal
alloys, industrial energy efficiency management
systems, including power electronics, and other
innovative technologies.
(I) Chemical manufacturing industry, including work
in construction (such as welders, pipefitters, and tool
and die makers) or as instrument and electrical
technicians, machinists, chemical process operators,
chemical engineers, quality and safety professionals,
and reliability engineers;
(2) encouraging the Nation's education system to equip
students with the skills, mentorships, training, and technical
expertise necessary to fill the employment opportunities vital
to managing and operating the Nation's energy and manufacturing
industries; and
(3) strengthening and more fully engaging Department of
Energy programs and labs in carrying out the Department's
workforce development initiatives including the Minorities in
Energy Initiative.
(b) Priority.--The Secretary shall make educating and training
underrepresented groups for energy and manufacturing-related jobs a
national priority.
(c) Clearinghouse.--In carrying out this section, the Secretary
shall establish a clearinghouse to--
(1) maintain and update information and resources on
training and workforce development programs for energy and
manufacturing-related jobs, including job training and
workforce development programs available to assist displaced
and unemployed energy and manufacturing workers transitioning
to new employment; and
(2) act as a resource, and provide guidance, for schools,
community colleges, universities (including minority serving
institutions), workforce development programs, labor-management
organizations, and industry organizations that would like to
develop and implement energy and manufacturing-related training
programs.
(d) Collaboration.--In carrying out this section, the Secretary--
(1) shall collaborate with schools, community colleges,
universities (including minority serving institutions),
workforce-training organizations, national laboratories, State
energy offices, workforce investment boards, and the energy and
manufacturing industries;
(2) shall encourage and foster collaboration, mentorships,
and partnerships among organizations (including industry,
schools, community colleges, workforce-development
organizations, and colleges and universities) that currently
provide effective job training programs in the energy and
manufacturing fields and institutions (including schools,
community colleges, workforce development programs, and
colleges and universities) that seek to establish these types
of programs in order to share best practices and approaches
that best suit local, State, and national needs; and
(3) shall collaborate with the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
the Department of Commerce, the Bureau of the Census, and the
energy and manufacturing industries to develop a comprehensive
and detailed understanding of the energy and manufacturing
workforce needs and opportunities by State and by region.
(e) Outreach to Minority Serving Institutions.--In carrying out
this section, the Secretary shall--
(1) give special consideration to increasing outreach to
minority serving institutions (including historically Black
colleges and universities, predominantly Black institutions,
Hispanic serving institutions, Native American serving
Nontribal Institutions, and tribal institutions);
(2) make existing resources available through program
cross-cutting to minority serving institutions with the
objective of increasing the number of skilled minorities and
women trained to go into the energy and manufacturing sectors;
(3) encourage industry to improve the opportunities for
students of minority serving institutions to participate in
industry internships and cooperative work/study programs; and
(4) partner with the Department of Energy laboratories to
increase underrepresented groups' participation in internships,
fellowships, traineeships, and employment at all Department of
Energy laboratories.
(f) Outreach to Displaced and Unemployed Energy and Manufacturing
Workers.--In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall--
(1) give special consideration to increasing outreach to
employers and job trainers preparing displaced and unemployed
energy and manufacturing workers for emerging energy and
manufacturing jobs;
(2) make existing resources available through program
cross-cutting to institutions serving displaced and unemployed
energy and manufacturing workers with the objective of training
individuals to re-enter the energy and manufacturing workforce;
(3) encourage the energy and manufacturing industries to
improve opportunities for displaced and unemployed energy and
manufacturing workers to participate in internships and
cooperative work/study programs; and
(4) work closely with the energy and manufacturing
industries to identify energy and manufacturing operations,
such as coal-fired power plants and coal mines, scheduled for
closure and to provide early intervention assistance to workers
employed at such energy and manufacturing operations by--
(A) giving special consideration to employers and
job trainers preparing such workers for emerging energy
and manufacturing jobs;
(B) making existing resources available through
program cross-cutting to institutions serving such
workers with the objective of training them to re-enter
the energy and manufacturing workforce; and
(C) encouraging the energy and manufacturing
industries to improve opportunities for such workers to
participate in internships and cooperative work/study
programs.
(g) Enrollment in Training and Apprenticeship Programs.--In
carrying out this section, the Secretary shall work with industry and
community-based workforce organizations to help identify students and
other candidates, including from underrepresented communities such as
minorities, women, and veterans, to enroll into training and
apprenticeship programs for energy and manufacturing-related jobs.
SEC. 2. REPORT.
Five years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary
shall publish a comprehensive report to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Senate Energy and
Natural Resources Committee on the outlook for energy and manufacturing
sectors nationally. The report shall also include a comprehensive
summary of energy and manufacturing job creation as a result of the
enactment of this Act.
SEC. 3. USE OF EXISTING FUNDS.
Amounts required for carrying out this Act shall be derived from
amounts appropriated under authority provided by previously enacted
law.
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