[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 78 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 H. R. 78

To authorize the Secretary of Labor to make grants to States, units of 
 local government, and Indian tribes to carry out employment training 
 programs to assist long-term unemployed job hunters obtain the skills 
  and training to reenter the workforce and fill jobs in high-growth 
                        sectors of the economy.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 6, 2015

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the Secretary of Labor to make grants to States, units of 
 local government, and Indian tribes to carry out employment training 
 programs to assist long-term unemployed job hunters obtain the skills 
  and training to reenter the workforce and fill jobs in high-growth 
                        sectors of the economy.

    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 ``New Chance for a New Start in Life 
Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 
        December 2013, the number of long-term unemployed job hunters, 
        persons jobless for 27 weeks or more, exceeded 3.9 million, 
        which constitutes approximately 37.7 percent of the unemployed, 
        among the highest rates in recent history;
            (2) the Bureau of Labor Statistics also estimates that the 
        health care and social assistance sectors will account for 
        almost a third of the projected job growth from 2014 to 2024 
        and that employment in the construction sector is expected to 
        see a large increase, while still not reaching levels of the 
        Great Recession of 2007, and that manufacturing is projected to 
        experience a slight decline in employment over the projection 
        period; and
            (3) reducing the number of persons in long-term unemployed 
        status by providing training opportunities to obtain the skills 
        needed to fill the jobs in the employment sectors predicted to 
        experience the greatest rates of growth is an important 
        national goal.

SEC. 3. COMPENSATED EMPLOYMENT TRAINING GRANTS.

    (a) Authorization.--Subject to the availability of appropriations 
for such funds, the Secretary of Labor shall make grants to States, 
units of local government, and Indian tribes to carry out the 
activities described in subsection (b). Grants under this section may 
be made on such terms and conditions as the Secretary may determine.
    (b) Use of Funds.--A recipient of a grant under this Act shall use 
the grant for the following purposes:
            (1) To create compensated training programs that offer 
        training to assist long-term unemployed persons obtain the 
        skills and training to reenter the workforce and fill jobs in 
        sectors of the economy projected by the Bureau of Labor 
        Statistics to have the highest rates of demand during the 
        period 2014 to 2024.
            (2) To provide compensation to participants in training 
        programs to temporarily aid in their financial distress.
            (3) To partner with cities and non-profit organizations to 
        provide apprenticeships and internships.
            (4) To provide training and employment opportunities for 
        veterans.
            (5) To partner with historically Black colleges and 
        universities and Hispanic serving colleges and universities 
        along with local community college systems to create innovative 
        retraining programs for minorities focused on retooling workers 
        for jobs in the growth sectors of healthcare, biotech, and 
        information technology.
            (6) To provide access to public healthcare programs for 
        participants.
            (7) To create training programs for ex-offenders in an 
        effort to reduce recidivism.
            (8) To aid newly trained participants in securing 
        employment within the field of their newly acquired expertise.
    (c) Conditions.--As a condition of receiving a grant under this 
Act, a grant recipient shall--
            (1) comply with nondiscrimination standards of the Civil 
        Rights Act of 1964;
            (2) allocate not less than 80 percent of the funding 
        allocated under the grant to wages, benefits, and support 
        activities, including child care services to individuals 
        receiving compensated training under such a grant; and
            (3) institute a program to aid newly trained participants 
        in securing employment in their new area of expertise.
    (d) Ineligibility of For-Profit Educational Institutions.--A State, 
unit of local government, or Indian tribe receiving a grant under this 
Act may not partner with nor provide any grant funds to a for-profit 
educational institution for the provision of any of the programs or 
services described in subsection (b).
    (e) No Effect on Receipt of Unemployment Compensation.--An 
individual may participate in any program or receive any services 
funded by a grant under this Act, including the receipt of compensation 
described in subsection (b)(2) notwithstanding the fact that such 
individual is receiving unemployment compensation. An individual's 
participation or receipt of services or compensation funded by a grant 
under this Act shall not be a cause for any reduction of the amount of 
unemployment compensation that such individual is otherwise entitled 
to.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act.
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