[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6704 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6704

  To require the Secretary of Labor to establish a grant program for 
 States to improve or establish a credential repository, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 11, 2023

 Mrs. McBath introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Secretary of Labor to establish a grant program for 
 States to improve or establish a credential repository, 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 ``Credential Repository and 
Transparency in States Act'' or the ``CReatES Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to provide assistance to States for the 
collection, development, analysis, and sharing of information on--
            (1) all of the credentials offered in each State;
            (2) the quality of such credentials, including their use by 
        employers for making employment-related decisions;
            (3) education and career pathways that lead to such 
        credentials and occupations in a State; and
            (4) the sharing of such information with individuals in 
        each State, enabling them to make informed education and career 
        choices.

SEC. 3. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

    (a) Authorization and Limitations.--
            (1) In general.--From amounts made available under section 
        4, the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of 
        Education, shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to 
        States to establish, expand, or improve a State credential 
        repository that contains information on each covered program, 
        credential, and training provider in the State.
            (2) Duration.--A grant awarded under this Act shall be 
        awarded for a period of 3 years.
            (3) Amount.--In awarding a grant under this Act, the 
        Secretary--
                    (A) may not award a grant in excess of $10,000,000; 
                and
                    (B) in deciding the amount of a grant, shall take 
                into consideration--
                            (i) the number of credentials offered in 
                        the State; and
                            (ii) the number of training providers in 
                        the State.
            (4) Timing.--Not later than 90 days after the Secretary 
        receives an application submitted under subsection (b), the 
        Secretary shall make a determination as to whether the State 
        that submitted such application will receive a grant under this 
        Act.
            (5) Limit.--The Secretary may only award one grant to a 
        State.
    (b) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant, a State shall 
submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, 
and containing such information as the Secretary shall require, 
including--
            (1) information on how the State will establish, expand, or 
        improve a credential repository that satisfies requirements 
        under subsection (d);
            (2) information on the data policy a State will establish 
        under subsection (c)(1)(B);
            (3) a description of any products, tools, services, or 
        resources that a State develops pursuant to subsection 
        (c)(1)(E);
            (4) an assurance that the credential repository will be 
        interoperable with other State credential repositories; and
            (5) an assurance that the State will establish and maintain 
        the credential repository in accordance with the requirements 
        under subsection (d).
    (c) Uses of Funds.--
            (1) Mandatory use.--A State awarded a grant under this Act 
        shall--
                    (A) establish a credential repository, as described 
                in subsection (d), through a process that includes 
                input from the public;
                    (B) establish a data policy for such repository 
                that addresses how the State will ensure that the 
                repository meets the requirements described in 
                subsection (d);
                    (C) assist training providers in the State in the 
                collection of information on the primary indicators of 
                performance described in section 116(b)(2)(A) of the 
                Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
                3141(b)(2)(A)) for each covered program;
                    (D) provide guidance to education, job, and career 
                counselors in the State on how to use the credential 
                repository; and
                    (E) develop or facilitate access to products, 
                tools, services, and other resources, using the 
                information and linked, open, and interoperable data 
                contained in the credential repository, that benefit 
                workers, employers, educators, counselors, 
                policymakers, and others.
            (2) Authorized use.--If a State carries out all of the 
        activities under paragraph (1), the State may use any excess 
        grant funds to publicize the repository of the State to 
        individuals in the State.
    (d) Credential Repository.--A State that receives a grant under 
this Act shall establish a publicly accessible credential repository 
that--
            (1) identifies--
                    (A) each credential offered in the State; and
                    (B) each training provider in the State;
            (2) includes information on--
                    (A) with respect to each training provider in the 
                State--
                            (i) process and outcome quality indicators 
                        of such training provider for each covered 
                        program offered by such training provider; and
                            (ii) each credential for which such 
                        training provider offers a covered program;
                    (B) with respect to each covered program offered in 
                the State--
                            (i) the competencies and skills an 
                        individual develops by completing such covered 
                        program; and
                            (ii) the cost of enrollment for an 
                        individual to enroll in such program;
                    (C) with respect to each credential offered in the 
                State--
                            (i) the training providers that offer such 
                        credential;
                            (ii) any assessment that an individual is 
                        required to take to earn such credential;
                            (iii) the cost to an individual of each 
                        such assessment;
                            (iv) any postsecondary credit or equivalent 
                        transfer value recommendations of such 
                        credential, such as the recommendations 
                        provided by the American Council on Education's 
                        National Guide, guidance from a statewide 
                        education coordinating entity, or 
                        recommendations or guidance from a comparably 
                        similar entity, as available and appropriate;
                            (v) the career pathway or program of study 
                        that such credential is a part, as applicable;
                            (vi) the outcomes associated with such 
                        credential, including--
                                    (I) the earning and employment 
                                status of individuals after earning 
                                such credential;
                                    (II) the completion and pass rates 
                                of individuals in each career pathway 
                                or program of study for which the 
                                individual earned such credential; and
                                    (III) other calculations, including 
                                the return on investment, as determined 
                                by the State, for an individual after 
                                earning such credential;
                            (vii) the job skills an individual develops 
                        in earning such credential; and
                            (viii) the industries and occupations for 
                        which such credential prepares an individual;
            (3) aligns with, complements, and enhances eligibility 
        lists or criteria for training providers, such as the 
        eligibility criteria established under section 122(a) of the 
        Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3152(b)), 
        or a program or pathway approval process required by the Carl 
        D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (U.S.C.) 
        or chapter 33 of title 38, United States Code (otherwise known 
        as the Post 9/11 Education Assistance Program);
            (4) is updated on a continuous basis to ensure the accuracy 
        and recency of the information and data in the repository;
            (5) uses data formats that--
                    (A) are transparent, linked, open, and 
                interoperable with other State credential repositories;
                    (B) are aligned with widely recognized and adopted 
                standards, which may include the use of credential 
                transparency description language specifications; and
                    (C) allow for open access to the data in the 
                repository across State and national borders and 
                industry sectors for guidance counseling, career 
                navigation, and other comparably similar activities;
            (6) has functions to search, discover, compare, and analyze 
        each credential, covered program, and training provider in the 
        State; and
            (7) includes any other information as determined by the 
        Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Education.
    (e) Privacy Protections.--In carrying out the activities under this 
Act, a State shall not collect or include in the repository any 
personally identifiable information.
    (f) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, and on an annual basis thereafter, a 
        State that receives a grant under this Act shall submit to the 
        Secretary a report at such time, in such manner, and containing 
        such information as the Secretary may require, including 
        information on the improvement or development and 
        implementation of the credential repository in such State.
            (2) Reduced burden.--The Secretary, in coordination with 
        the Secretary of Education, and in consultation with the States 
        receiving a grant under this Act, shall implement processes to 
        reduce the burden of reporting information required to be 
        reported under this Act.
    (g) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Covered program.--The term ``covered program'' means a 
        program that is offered to individuals to earn a credential.
            (2) Credential.--The term ``credential'' means an education 
        or occupational qualification or achievement used to indicate 
        suitability for a future educational opportunity or career 
        opportunity, including diplomas, digital badges, certificates, 
        certifications, a recognized postsecondary credential, 
        occupational or professional licenses, microcredentials, and 
        degrees of all types and levels.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'', unless otherwise 
        specified in this Act, means the Secretary of Labor.
            (4) Training provider.--The term ``training provider'' 
        means an entity that offers a covered program.
            (5) WIOA terms.--The terms ``career pathway'', ``recognized 
        postsecondary credential'', and ``State'' have the meanings 
        given such terms in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and 
        Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3113).

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 
as may be necessary to carry out this Act for fiscal year 2025.
    (b) Remain Available.--The funds appropriated under this section 
shall remain available until September 30, 2027.
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