[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7583 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7583
To provide for the establishment of a pilot program to encourage the
employment of veterans in manufacturing positions, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 7, 2024
Ms. DelBene (for herself, Ms. Bonamici, Ms. Norton, Ms. Kelly of
Illinois, Mr. Peters, Ms. Kuster, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. Ross, Mr.
Cohen, and Mr. McGovern) 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 encourage the
employment of veterans in manufacturing positions, 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 referred to as the ``Manufacturing Jobs for
Veterans Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. VETERANS MANUFACTURING EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment of Pilot Program.--To encourage the employment of
eligible veterans in manufacturing, the Secretary of Labor, as part of
the Veteran's Workforce Investment Program, shall carry out a pilot
program to be known as the ``Veterans Manufacturing Employment
Program''. Under the pilot program, the Secretary shall award
competitive grants to three States for the establishment and
administration of a State program to make grants to manufacturing
employers and joint labor-management organizations that provide to
eligible veterans covered training, on-the-job training,
apprenticeships, and training that leads to a recognized postsecondary
credential. Such a program shall be known as a ``State Manufacturing
Employment Program''.
(b) Eligibility for Grants.--To be eligible to receive a grant
under the pilot program, a State shall submit to the Secretary an
application that includes each of the following:
(1) A proposal for the expenditure of grant funds to
establish and administer a public-private partnership program
designed to--
(A) provide to eligible veterans covered training,
on-the-job training, apprenticeships, and training that
leads to a recognized postsecondary credential; and
(B) ensure sustainable employment in high-wage,
high-skill jobs in manufacturing.
(2) Evidence that the State has--
(A) a population of eligible veterans of an
appropriate size to carry out the State program;
(B) a robust and diverse manufacturing industry, as
determined by the Secretary; and
(C) the ability to carry out the State program
described in the proposal under paragraph (1).
(3) Such other information and assurances as the Secretary
may require.
(c) Use of Funds.--A State that is the recipient of a grant under
this section shall use the grant for the following purposes:
(1) Making grants to manufacturing employers and joint
labor-management organizations to reimburse such employers and
organizations for the cost of providing to eligible veterans
covered training, on-the-job training, apprenticeships, and
training that leads to a recognized postsecondary credential.
(2) Conducting outreach to inform manufacturing employers,
joint labor-management organizations, and veterans, including
veterans in rural areas, of their eligibility or potential
eligibility for participation in the State program.
(d) Conditions.--Under the pilot program, each 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 (c).
(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.
(e) Employer Requirements.--In order to receive a grant made by a
State under the pilot program, a manufacturing employer shall--
(1) submit to the administrator of the State Manufacturing
Employment Program an application that includes--
(A) the rate of pay for each eligible veteran
proposed to be trained using grant funds;
(B) the average rate of pay for an individual
employed by the manufacturing employer in a similar
position who is not an eligible veteran; and
(C) such other information and assurances as the
administrator may require; and
(2) agree to submit to the administrator, for each quarter,
a report containing such information as the Secretary may
specify.
(f) Limitation.--None of the funds made available to a
manufacturing employer through a grant under the pilot program may be
used to provide training of any kind to a person who is not an eligible
veteran.
(g) Report to Congress.--Together with the report required to be
submitted annually under section 4107(c) of title 38, United States
Code, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the pilot
program for the year covered by such report. The report on the pilot
program shall include--
(1) a detailed description of activities carried out under
this section;
(2) the cost per participant;
(3) an evaluation of the program; and
(4) recommendations for serving more eligible veterans.
(h) Administrative and Reporting Costs.--Of the amounts
appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under
subsection (j), 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 (f). 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.
(i) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``covered training, on-the-job training,
apprenticeships, and training that leads to a recognized
postsecondary credential'' means training, on-the-job training,
apprenticeships, and training that leads to a recognized
postsecondary credential that are--
(A) designed to provide the veteran with in-demand
skills that are particular to manufacturing and not
directly transferable to employment in another
industry; and
(B) approved as provided in paragraph (1) or (2),
as appropriate, of subsection (a) of section 3687 of
title 38, United States Code.
(2) The term ``eligible veteran'' means a veteran, as that
term is defined in section 101(3) of title 38, United States
Code, who is employed by a manufacturing employer and enrolled
or participating in a covered training, on-the-job training,
apprenticeship, or certification class.
(3) Except as otherwise provided, any term that is defined
in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
(29 U.S.C. 3102) shall have the meaning given that term in such
section.
(4) The term ``manufacturing employer'' means a business
concern--
(A) that employs individuals in a trade or business
in manufacturing;
(B) the production facilities of which are located
in the United States; and
(C) the primary business of which is classified in
sector 31, 32, or 33 of the North American Industrial
Classification System.
(j) Appropriations.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the
Secretary $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, for
the purpose of carrying out the pilot program.
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