[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4382 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4382
To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to establish a
grant program for a workforce data quality initiative, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 23 (legislative day, April 22), 2026
Mr. Hickenlooper (for himself and Mr. Marshall) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to establish a
grant program for a workforce data quality initiative, 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 ``Workforce Data Enhancement Act''.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE WORKFORCE INNOVATION AND OPPORTUNITY ACT.
(a) In General.--Section 169 of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3224) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(d) Workforce Data Quality Initiative.--
``(1) Grant program.--The Secretary shall use not less than
5 percent and not more than 10 percent of the total amount made
available pursuant to section 132(a)(2)(A) for any program
year, and may use amounts otherwise made available for purposes
of carrying out this section, to competitively award grants to
eligible entities to design, develop, implement, improve, or
align a statewide longitudinal data system for the purposes of
integrating data from education and workforce development
systems, labor market outcomes, and other data sources toward
strengthening program quality, building State capacity to
produce evidence for decision making, meeting performance
reporting requirements, promoting individual privacy and data
security, improving transparency, moving toward improved
workforce data standardization, and improving worker and
employer capacity to identify and address skill needs.
``(2) Eligible entity.--In this subsection, the term
`eligible entity' means a State agency or consortium of State
agencies, including a multistate data collaborative, that is or
includes the State agency responsible for--
``(A) 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 of this Act;
``(B) the production of labor market information;
and
``(C) the direct administration of a core program.
``(3) 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 proposed activities that
will be conducted by the eligible entity, including a
description of the need for such activities and a
detailed budget for such activities;
``(B) a description of the expected outcomes and
outputs that will result from the proposed activities
and the proposed uses of such outputs;
``(C) a description of how the proposed activities
will--
``(i) support the reporting of performance
data, including employment and earnings
outcomes, for the performance accountability
requirements under section 116, including
outcomes for eligible training providers;
``(ii) improve workforce data
standardization;
``(iii) leverage public-private
partnerships to achieve intended goals of the
activities; and
``(iv) improve the collection, accuracy,
timeliness, and usability of real-time,
economy-wide data on new and emerging skills
and in-demand occupational roles;
``(D) a description of the methods and procedures
the eligible entity will use to promote individual
privacy and data security in the collection, storage,
and use of all data involved in the systems and
resources supported through the grant, in accordance
with Federal and State privacy laws; and
``(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.
``(4) Priority.--In awarding grants under this subsection,
the Secretary shall give priority to--
``(A) any eligible entity that is a consortium
comprised of State agencies from multiple States
(including at least one State agency that has not
previously received a grant from the Secretary for the
purposes of this subsection and demonstrates a
substantial need to improve its data infrastructure)
and--
``(i) has the capacity to make significant
contributions toward building interoperable,
cross-State data infrastructure and leveraging
public-private partnerships to provide
participating States the ability to better
understand--
``(I) earnings and employment
outcomes of individuals who work out-
of-State; and
``(II) cross-State earnings and
employment trends, including new and
emerging skills and in-demand
occupational roles; or
``(ii) proposes to use such grant funds to
establish or participate in a cross-State data
exchange for collecting and using standards-
based jobs, skills, and employment data
including, at a minimum, job titles or
occupation codes; and
``(B) any eligible entity that will use grant funds
to--
``(i) expand the adoption and use of
structured, linked, open, and interoperable
data on skills and credentials, including
through the development of a credential
registry or other tools and services designed
to help learners and workers make informed
decisions;
``(ii) enhance collaboration and
partnerships 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;
``(iii) improve real-time workforce data
collection and reporting toward equipping
employers, workers, and training providers with
accurate information to better predict
workforce demands, including related to the
expanding role of emerging technology
(including artificial intelligence and machine
learning) in the workplace;
``(iv) leverage the use of non-Federal
contributions or other amounts made available
to the eligible entity under the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3101
et seq.) to improve workforce data
infrastructure, including staff capacity
building and ongoing administrative costs; or
``(v) expand existing statewide
longitudinal data systems, including such
systems receiving assistance under section 208
of the Educational Technical Assistance Act of
2002 (20 U.S.C. 9607).
``(5) Use of funds.--In addition to the activities
described in clauses (i) through (v) of paragraph (4)(B), an
eligible entity awarded a grant under this subsection may use
funds to carry out any of the following:
``(A) Supporting data linkages, including on skills
and emerging skills and in-demand occupational roles,
for data from education and workforce development
systems, labor market outcomes, and other data sources,
which may include integrating such data with statewide
longitudinal data systems.
``(B) Accelerating the replication and adoption of
data standards, systems, projects, products, or
practices already in use in a State to other States.
``(C) Research and labor market data improvement
activities to improve the timeliness, relevance, and
accessibility of such data, which may include--
``(i) pilot projects that are developed
locally but designed to scale to other regions
or States; or
``(ii) end-user tools, which may facilitate
career exploration or related data insights.
``(D) Establishing, enhancing, or connecting to a
system of interoperable learning and employment records
that provides individuals who choose to participate in
such system ownership of a verified and secure record
of the credentials earned and skills gained by such
individuals and the ability to share such record with
employers and education providers.
``(E) Defining policies, guidelines, standards, or
protocols, as appropriate for data collection, storage,
data sharing, use, data destruction, and disclosure
avoidance to secure any personally identifiable
information, in accordance with Federal and State
privacy laws.
``(F) Increasing local board access to and
integration with the State's statewide longitudinal
data system in a secure manner.
``(G) Improving State and local staff capacity to
understand, use, and analyze data to improve decision
making, improve participant outcomes, and improve the
ability of workers to adapt to changes in the
workplace, including regarding emerging technologies
(including artificial intelligence and machine learning
tools).
``(6) Administration.--
``(A) Duration.--A grant awarded under this
subsection may be for a period of not more than 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 any improvements in the
use of workforce and labor market information that have
resulted from such activities.
``(7) Statewide longitudinal data systems.--In this
subsection, the term `statewide longitudinal data systems' has
the same meaning as such term used in section 153(a)(5) of the
Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C.
9543(a)(5)).''.
(b) Source of Funding.--Section 132(a)(2)(A) of the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3172(a)(2)(A)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``under sections'' and inserting ``under
section'';
(2) by striking ``169(c) (relating to dislocated worker
projects)'' and inserting ``subsections (c) (relating to
dislocated worker projects) and (d) (relating to a workforce
data quality initiative) of section 169''; and
(3) by striking ``and 170'' and inserting ``and section
170''.
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