[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2726 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2726

     To provide for the establishment of a pilot program to train 
     individuals for employment in the renewable energy and energy 
                         efficiency industries.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 25, 2017

  Mr. Ruiz (for himself, Mr. Loebsack, and Mr. Evans) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
                             the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To provide for the establishment of a pilot program to train 
     individuals for employment in the renewable energy and energy 
                         efficiency industries.

    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 ``Renewable Energy Jobs Act''.

SEC. 2. ALTERNATIVE ENERGY TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM.

    (a) Pilot Program.--The Secretary of Labor shall carry out a pilot 
program to award competitive grants to States to train individuals for 
careers in the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries.
    (b) Grant Awards.--The Secretary shall award grants under the pilot 
program to the five States with the highest installed alternative 
energy power capacity.
    (c) Application.--
            (1) In general.--A State that desires a grant under the 
        pilot program shall submit an application to the Secretary at 
        such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information 
        as the Secretary may reasonably require.
            (2) Contents.--A grant application under the pilot program 
        shall include the following:
                    (A) Evidence of the installed alternative energy 
                power capacity for wind, solar, and geothermal 
                facilities in that State.
                    (B) A description of how the funds will be used to 
                establish and administer a program designed to provide 
                skills training or on-the-job training for a 
                significant number of individuals and ensure lasting 
                and sustainable employment in the renewable energy and 
                energy efficiency industries.
                    (C) A description of the State's option to 
                coordinate with its State and local workforce 
                investment boards and Energy Efficiency Industry 
                Councils in carrying out a program funded by a grant 
                under this Act, including through partnerships of local 
                boards with renewable energy and energy efficiency 
                employers and other appropriate providers of training 
                services.
                    (D) A description of the skills training, on-the-
                job training, or both that may be offered to 
                individuals by grant recipients, and how this training 
                will lead to an industry-recognized certificate or 
                similar credential.
                    (E) A description of how the State plans to 
                prioritize grants among grant recipients.
                    (F) A description of how the grant may be used to 
                support existing programs focused on renewable energy 
                job creation.
    (d) Grant Amount.--The Secretary shall ensure that grants are of 
sufficient size to enable States to carry out all required activities.
    (e) Duration of Grant.--A grant under this section shall be for a 
period of 3 years.
    (f) Use of Funds.--A State receiving a grant under this section 
shall use the grant funds to--
            (1) reimburse a renewable energy and energy efficiency 
        employer for the cost of providing on-the-job training;
            (2) reimburse any of the following entities for the cost of 
        providing skills training (or on-the-job training if in 
        partnership with an energy efficient employer)--
                    (A) a labor organization;
                    (B) a postsecondary educational institution; or
                    (C) nonprofit organizations; and
            (3) conduct outreach to inform renewable energy and energy 
        efficiency employers, labor organizations, postsecondary 
        educational institutions, non-profit organizations, and the 
        general public, including individuals in rural areas and Indian 
        tribes, of their eligibility or potential eligibility for 
        participation in the program.
    (g) Conditions.--Under the pilot program, a grant to a State shall 
be subject to the following conditions:
            (1) The State shall repay to the Secretary, on such date as 
        shall be determined by the Secretary, any amount received under 
        the pilot program that is not used for the purposes described 
        in subsection (f).
            (2) The State shall submit to the Secretary, at such times 
        and containing such information as the Secretary shall require, 
        reports on the use of grant funds.
            (3) The State shall ensure that any employer or other 
        entity receiving a grant under this Act shall pay each 
        individual receiving on-the-job training provided by such 
        employer or entity not less than the applicable minimum wage 
        for the State or locality in which such training is provided.
    (h) Requirements of Grant Recipients.--In order to receive a grant 
made by a State under the pilot program, an entity described in 
subsection (f) shall--
            (1) submit an application to the State that includes such 
        other information and assurances as the State may require; and
            (2) agree to submit to the State, for each quarter, a 
        report containing such information as the Secretary may 
        specify.
    (i) Limitation on Administrative Costs.--
            (1) Federal administration.--Of the amounts appropriated 
        pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under 
        subsection (l), 2 percent shall be made available to the 
        Secretary for administrative costs associated with implementing 
        and evaluating the pilot program under this section and for 
        preparing and submitting the report required under subsection 
        (j).
            (2) State administration.--The Secretary shall determine 
        the appropriate maximum amount of each grant awarded under this 
        section that may be used by the recipient for administrative 
        and reporting costs.
    (j) Report to Congress.--The Secretary shall submit to Congress an 
annual report on the pilot program for each year of the grant period. 
The report on the pilot program shall include a detailed description of 
activities carried out under this section and an evaluation of the 
program, and how many participants were employed by renewable energy 
and energy efficiency employers within 6 months of completing the 
training.
    (k) Appropriations.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the 
Secretary $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2015 through 2017, for 
the purpose of carrying out the pilot program.
    (l) Definitions.--For purposes of this section:
            (1) The term ``Indian tribe'' has the meaning given that 
        term in section 102 of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe 
        List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 479a).
            (2) The term ``installed alternative energy power 
        capacity'' means the amount of wind, solar, and geothermal 
        power generation, expressed in megawatts, installed in a State.
            (3) The term ``labor organization'' has the meaning given 
        such term in section 2 of the National Labor Relations Act.
            (4) The term ``on-the-job training'' means training by 
        renewable energy and energy efficiency employers, a labor 
        organization, a postsecondary educational institution, or a 
        nonprofit organization that is provided to a paid participant 
        while engaged in productive work that--
                    (A) provides knowledge or skills essential to the 
                full and adequate performance of the job;
                    (B) provides reimbursement to the employer for the 
                costs of providing the training and additional 
                supervision related to the training; and
                    (C) is limited in duration as appropriate to the 
                occupation for which the participant is being trained, 
                taking into account the content of the training, the 
                prior work experience of the participant, and the 
                service strategy of the participant, as appropriate.
            (5) The term ``postsecondary educational institution'' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 101 of the Workforce 
        Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801).
            (6) The term ``renewable energy and energy efficiency 
        employer'' means an entity that employs individuals in a trade 
        or business in the renewable energy and energy efficiency 
        industries.
            (7) The term ``renewable energy and energy efficiency 
        industries'' means any of the following industries:
                    (A) The energy-efficient building, construction, or 
                retrofits industry.
                    (B) The renewable electric power industry, 
                including the wind, solar, and geothermal energy 
                industries.
                    (C) The energy efficiency assessment industry that 
                serves the residential, commercial, or industrial 
                sectors.
            (8) The term ``skills training'' means training by a labor 
        organization, a postsecondary educational institution, or a 
        nonprofit organization that provides the knowledge and skills 
        essential to specific jobs in the renewable energy and energy 
        efficiency industries.
            (9) The term ``State'' includes each of the several States, 
        the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the 
        Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
        Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of 
        the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, and the 
        territories and possessions of the United States.
            (10) The term ``workforce investment board'' refers to a 
        State or local workforce investment board established pursuant 
        to the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (20 U.S.C. 2801 et 
        seq.) or its successor statute, the Workforce Innovation and 
        Opportunity Act, that coordinates job training programs for 
        that State or local area under that Act.
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