[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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