[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8183 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8183
To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to provide for
the establishment of talent marketplaces.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 2, 2026
Mr. Owens introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to provide for
the establishment of talent marketplaces.
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 ``Modernizing Access to Talents,
Credentials, and Hiring Act of 2026'' or ``MATCH Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. TALENT MARKETPLACE.
(a) Definitions.--Section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(72) Talent marketplace.--
``(A) Talent marketplace.--The term `talent
marketplace' means an array of publicly- and privately-
owned platforms supported by interconnected and, where
relevant, interoperable and based on open standards,
technologies (which may include artificial
intelligence) that--
``(i) is made available to the public;
``(ii) is used to match individuals with
employment and learning opportunities in a
State (or a consortium of States) using
information provided by users, including--
``(I) education and training
providers;
``(II) employers;
``(III) jobseekers;
``(IV) students; and
``(V) any other individual; and
``(iii) incorporates and allows users
access to--
``(I) the learning and employment
records of users of such marketplace;
``(II) a credential registry; and
``(III) a skills profile generator.
``(B) Credential registry.--The term `credential
registry' means a process through which a digital
portal or repository may be used by education and
training providers to make publicly available, and,
where relevant, interoperable and based on open
standards, a description, using standardized
terminology, of the skills, competencies and learning
outcomes associated with credentials, including
recognized postsecondary credentials.
``(C) Learning and employment record.--The term
`learning and employment record' means a digital,
machine-readable record of an individual's educational
and employment history that--
``(i) contains information that may be self
attested and is verified by the employers,
persons for whom the individual performed
services, and education and training providers
of such individual;
``(ii) allows the individual to control
such information and use any such information
for the purpose of matching such individual
with employment and learning opportunities as
described in subparagraph (A)(ii); and
``(iii) uses standardized terminology.
``(D) Skills profile generator.--The term `skills
profile generator' means a digital tool that can be
used to create a skill profile that, using standardized
terminology, describes skills gained through, or
necessary for--
``(i) employment;
``(ii) hiring; or
``(iii) education.
``(E) Standardized terminology.--The term
`standardized terminology' means, in relation to a
learning employment record, credential registry, or
skills profile generator made available through a
talent marketplace, a limited set of terms that is
provided through a publicly available, and, where
relevant, interoperable and based on open standards,
skills framework and used to describe skills,
competencies, or learning outcomes in a manner that--
``(i) provides a definition of such skill,
competency, or outcome, and identifies the
skills framework used for such definition;
``(ii) ensures that identical terms are
used to describe substantially similar skills,
competencies, or outcomes across such records,
registries, and generators in such marketplace;
and
``(iii) permits such terms to be
effectively used for the purpose of matching
individuals with employment and learning
opportunities as described in subparagraph
(A)(ii).''.
(b) Workforce Data Quality Initiative.--
(1) In general.--Section 169 of the Workforce Innovation
and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3224) is further amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(d) Workforce Data Quality Initiative.--
``(1) Grant program.--Of the amount made available pursuant
to section 132(a)(2)(A) for any program year, the Secretary
shall use not less than 5 percent and not more than 10 percent
of such amount, and may also use funds authorized for purposes
of carrying out this section, to award grants to eligible
entities to create workforce longitudinal data systems, talent
marketplaces, and associated resources for the purposes of
assisting States to--
``(A) improve program quality;
``(B) produce evidence for decision making;
``(C) meet performance reporting requirements;
``(D) protect the privacy of users; and
``(E) improve transparency in relation to labor
market trends and changes in job skills needed to
obtain employment.
``(2) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
this subsection, an eligible entity shall submit an application
to the Secretary, at such time and in such manner as the
Secretary may require, which shall include--
``(A) a description of the activities the eligible
entity is proposing, including a description of the
need for such activities and a detailed budget;
``(B) a description of the expected outcomes and
outputs (such as systems or products) that will result
from the proposed activities and the proposed uses of
such outputs;
``(C) a description of how the proposed activities
will support the reporting of performance data for the
performance accountability requirements under section
116, including outcomes for eligible training
providers;
``(D) a description of the methods and procedures
the eligible entity will use to ensure the security and
privacy of the collection, storage, and use of all data
involved in the systems and resources supported through
the grant, including compliance with State and Federal
privacy and confidentiality law;
``(E) a plan for how the eligible entity will
continue the activities or sustain the use of the
outputs created with the grant funds after the grant
period ends; and
``(F) a description of how the eligible entity will
ensure interoperability and portability between the
talent marketplace maintained by the eligible entity
and other talent marketplaces through the use of open
standards.
``(3) Priority.--In awarding grants under the subsection,
the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that--
``(A) are--
``(i) State agencies of States that have
not previously received a grant from the
Secretary for the purposes of this subsection
and demonstrate a substantial need to improve
its data infrastructure, including for the
development of a talent marketplace; or
``(ii) consortia of State agencies that are
comprised of State agencies from multiple
States and include at least one State agency
described in clause (i) and have the capacity
to make significant contributions toward
building interoperable and portable interstate
data infrastructure; and
``(B) will use grant funds to--
``(i) expand the adoption and use of
linked, publicly available, and interoperable
data on knowledge, skills, and abilities
represented through credentials, occupational
job descriptions, and learning assertions,
including through the development of a talent
marketplace or other tools and services
designed to help learners and workers make
informed decisions;
``(ii) participate in and contribute data
to a multistate data collaborative, including
data that provides participating States the
ability to better understand--
``(I) earnings and employment
outcomes of individuals who work out-
of-State; and
``(II) interstate earnings and
employment trends;
``(iii) enhance collaboration with private
sector workforce and labor market data entities
and the end-users of workforce and labor market
data, including individuals, employers,
economic development agencies, and workforce
development providers; or
``(iv) leverage the use of non-Federal
contributions to improve workforce data
infrastructure, including staff capacity
building.
``(4) Use of funds.--In addition to the activities
described in paragraph (3)(B), an eligible entity awarded a
grant under this subsection may use funds to carry out any of
the following activities:
``(A) Developing or enhancing a State's workforce
longitudinal data system, including by participating
and contributing data to the State's data system, if
applicable, that links with elementary and secondary
school and postsecondary data.
``(B) Accelerating the replication and adoption of
data systems, projects, products, or practices already
in use in one or more States to other States.
``(C) Research and labor market data improvement
activities to improve the timeliness, relevance, and
accessibility of such data through pilot projects that
are developed locally but designed to scale to other
regions or States.
``(D) Establishing or enhancing a talent
marketplace.
``(E) Developing policies, guidelines, and security
measures for data collection, storing, and sharing to
ensure compliance with relevant Federal and State
privacy laws and regulations.
``(F) Increasing local board access to and
integration with the State's workforce longitudinal
data system in a secure manner.
``(G) Creating or participating in a data exchange
for collecting and using standards-based jobs and
employment data including, at a minimum, job titles or
occupation codes.
``(H) Improving State and local staff capacity to
understand, use, and analyze data to improve decision-
making and improve participant outcomes.
``(5) Administration.--
``(A) Duration.--A grant awarded under this
subsection may be for a period of up to 3 years.
``(B) Supplement, not supplant.--Funds made
available under this subsection shall be used to
supplement, and not supplant, other Federal, State, or
local funds used for development of State data systems.
``(C) Report.--Each eligible entity that receives a
grant under this subsection shall submit a report to
the Secretary not later than 180 days after the
conclusion of the grant period on the activities
supported through the grant and improvements in the use
of workforce and labor market information that have
resulted from such activities.
``(6) Definition.--In this subsection--
``(A) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity'
means a State agency, including a State workforce
agency or a consortium of State agencies, including a
multistate data collaborative, that is or includes the
State agency responsible for--
``(i) State employer wage records used by
the State's unemployment insurance programs in
labor market information reporting and analysis
and for fulfilling the reporting requirements
under section 116(d);
``(ii) the production of labor market
information; and
``(iii) the direct administration of one or
more of the core programs.
``(B) Multistate data collaborative.--The term
`multistate data collaborative' means a partnership
among two or more States to coordinate the governance
and standards for workforce related data maintained by
such States in order to facilitate interoperability and
the secure exchange of such data between such
States.''.
(2) Conforming amendment.--Section 132(a)(2)(A) of the
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C.
3172(a)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting after ``projects),'' the
following: ``169(d) (relating to workforce data quality
initiatives),''.
(c) List and Information To Assist Participants in Choosing
Providers.--Section 122(d) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity
Act (29 U.S.C. 12 3152(d)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (2), (3), and (4) as
paragraphs (3), (4), and (6), respectively;
(2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
``(2) Talent marketplace.--The Governor may establish (or
develop in partnership with other States) a talent
marketplace.'';
(3) by amending paragraph (4) (as so redesignated) to read
as follows:
``(4) Availability.--The list (including the talent
marketplace if one has been established by the State), and the
accompanying information shall be made available to such
participants and to members of the public through the one-stop
delivery system in the State--
``(A) on a publicly accessible website that--
``(i) is consumer-tested; and
``(ii) is searchable, easily
understandable, and navigable, and allows for
the comparison of eligible programs through the
use of common, linked, open-data descriptive
language, including interoperable skills and
competency data; and
``(B) in a manner that does not reveal personally
identifiable information about an individual
participant.''; and
(4) by inserting before paragraph (6) (as so redesignated),
the following:
``(5) Website technical assistance.--The Secretary shall--
``(A) upon request, provide technical assistance to
a State on establishing a website that meets the
requirements of paragraph (4); and
``(B) disseminate to each State effective practices
or resources from States and private sector entities
related to establishing a website that is consumer-
tested to ensure that the website is easily understood,
searchable, and navigable.''.
(d) Assistance in Developing Talent Marketplaces.--Section 7(a)(3)
of the Wagner-Peyser Act (29 U.S.C. 49f(a)(3)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (F), by striking the ``and'' at the
end;
(2) by moving subparagraph (G) four ems to the right;
(3) in subparagraph (G), by striking the period at the end
and inserting ``; and''; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
``(H) establishing a talent marketplace (as defined
in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102)).''.
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