[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6166 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6166

 To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to identify or 
      develop assessments to measure the prior knowledge, skills, 
competencies, and experiences of an individual, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 1, 2023

   Ms. Stefanik (for herself, Mr. Allen, Mrs. Steel, and Ms. Letlow) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                      Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to identify or 
      develop assessments to measure the prior knowledge, skills, 
competencies, and experiences of an individual, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Validate Prior Learning to 
Accelerate Employment Act''.

SEC. 2. ASSESSMENTS TO MEASURE THE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, 
              COMPETENCIES, AND EXPERIENCES OF AN INDIVIDUAL.

    (a) Statewide Employment and Training Activities.--Section 
134(a)(2)(B) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
3174(a)(2)(B)) is amended--
            (1) in clause (v)(VI), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in clause (vi), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting a semicolon; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(vii) coordinating with industry 
                        organizations, employers (including small and 
                        mid-sized employers), training providers, local 
                        boards, and institutions of higher education to 
                        identify or develop competency-based 
                        assessments that are a valid and reliable 
                        method of measuring and collecting information 
                        on the knowledge, skills, and abilities of 
                        individuals who are adults or dislocated 
                        workers for the purpose of--
                                    ``(I) awarding, based on the 
                                knowledge, skills, and abilities of 
                                such an individual--
                                            ``(aa) a recognized 
                                        postsecondary credential that 
                                        is used by employers in the 
                                        State for recruitment, hiring, 
                                        retention, or advancement 
                                        purposes; or
                                            ``(bb) credit toward a 
                                        recognized postsecondary 
                                        credential aligned with an in-
                                        demand industry sector or 
                                        occupation in the State;
                                    ``(II) developing individual 
                                employment plans under subsection 
                                (c)(2)(A)(xii)(II) that identify--
                                            ``(aa) in-demand industry 
                                        sectors or occupations that 
                                        require knowledge, skills, and 
                                        abilities that are similar to 
                                        the knowledge, skills, and 
                                        abilities of such an individual 
                                        to secure employment in such 
                                        sectors or occupations; and
                                            ``(bb) any upskilling 
                                        needed to secure such 
                                        employment; or
                                    ``(III) helping such an individual 
                                communicate the knowledge, skills, and 
                                abilities of the individual to 
                                prospective employers through skills-
                                based resumes, profiles, or portfolios; 
                                and
                            ``(viii) disseminating to local areas and 
                        employers information relating to the 
                        assessments described in clause (vii), 
                        including--
                                    ``(I) any credential or credit 
                                awarded pursuant to items (aa) and (bb) 
                                of clause (vii)(I);
                                    ``(II) the industry organizations, 
                                employers, training providers, and 
                                institutions of higher education 
                                located within the State that recognize 
                                the knowledge, skills, and abilities of 
                                such an individual that are validated 
                                by such assessments;
                                    ``(III) how such assessments may be 
                                provided to, and accessed by, such an 
                                individual through the one-stop 
                                delivery system; and
                                    ``(IV) information on how the 
                                development of the individual 
                                employment plans under subsection 
                                (c)(2)(A)(xii)(II) can include an 
                                identification of the information 
                                described in items (aa) and (bb) of 
                                clause (vii)(III).''.
    (b) Allowable Statewide Employment and Training Activities.--
Section 134(a)(3)(A) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 
(29 U.S.C. 3174(a)(3)(A)) is amended--
            (1) in clause (xiii), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in clause (xiv), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(xv) supporting employers in the State 
                        seeking to implement skills-based hiring 
                        practices to evaluate individuals based on the 
                        demonstrated knowledge, skills, and abilities 
                        of such individuals, as an alternative to 
                        relying on postsecondary degree requirements in 
                        the hiring process, which may include--
                                    ``(I) technical assistance on the 
                                use and validation of employment 
                                assessments, such as the competency-
                                based assessments identified or 
                                developed by the State pursuant to 
                                paragraph (2)(B)(vii); and
                                    ``(II) support in the creation of 
                                skills-based job descriptions.''.
    (c) Authorized Local Employment and Training Activities.--Section 
134(c)(2)(A) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
3174(c)(2)(A)) is amended--
            (1) in clause (iii), by inserting before the semicolon the 
        following: ``, including a determination (which shall consider 
        factors including prior work experience, military service, 
        education, and in-demand industry sectors and occupations in 
        the local area) of whether such an individual would benefit 
        from a competency-based assessment identified or developed by 
        the State pursuant to subsection (a)(2)(B)(vii) to accelerate 
        the time to obtaining employment that leads to economic self-
        sufficiency or career advancement''; and
            (2) in clause (xii)(I)(aa), by inserting before the 
        semicolon the following: ``, including a competency-based 
        assessment identified or developed pursuant to subsection 
        (a)(2)(B)(vii)''.
    (d) Permissible Local Employment and Training Activities.--Section 
134(d)(1)(A) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
3174(d)(1)(A)) is amended--
            (1) in clause (ix)(II)--
                    (A) in item (cc), by striking ``and'' at the end;
                    (B) in item (dd), by inserting ``and'' at the end; 
                and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                                            ``(ee) technical assistance 
                                        or other support to employers 
                                        seeking to implement skills-
                                        based hiring practices, which 
                                        may include technical 
                                        assistance on the use and 
                                        validation of employment 
                                        assessments, including 
                                        competency-based assessments 
                                        developed or identified by the 
                                        State pursuant to subsection 
                                        (a)(2)(B)(vii), and support in 
                                        the creation of skills-based 
                                        job descriptions.'';
            (2) in clause (xi), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (3) in clause (xii), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(xiii) competency-based assessments for 
                        individuals upon the initial assessment of 
                        skill levels pursuant to subsection 
                        (c)(2)(A)(iii), or upon completion of training 
                        services or other learning experiences.''.
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