[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5077 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 5077
To authorize workforce development innovation grants for the
implementation, expansion, and evaluation of evidence-based workforce
programs, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 22, 2026
Mr. Bennet (for himself and Ms. Blunt Rochester) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize workforce development innovation grants for the
implementation, expansion, and evaluation of evidence-based workforce
programs, 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 ``Better Jobs through Evidence and
Innovation Act''.
SEC. 2. EVALUATIONS AND RESEARCH.
(a) In General.--Section 169 of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3224) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (b) the following:
``(c) Workforce Development Innovation Fund.--
``(1) Program authorized.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary may, on a
competitive basis and in accordance with subparagraph
(B), award workforce development innovation grants
described in subparagraph (C) to eligible entities to
enable such entities to--
``(i) establish, implement, replicate, or
take to scale evidence-based, field-initiated
innovation programs or services for improving
the design and delivery of employment and
training services--
``(I) that generate demonstrated
sustained improvements in earnings and
employment outcomes for participants
(including participants who are
individuals with barriers to
employment); and
``(II) that may demonstrate
improvements in--
``(aa) the performance or
impact of the workforce
development system with respect
to the purposes of this Act
described in section 2 (29
U.S.C. 3101), such as
increasing access to and
opportunities for employment,
education, training, and
support services for
individuals with barriers to
employment;
``(bb) addressing employer
and labor market needs; or
``(cc) the cost-
effectiveness of such
innovation programs or
services, particularly for
participants and communities
not sufficiently served by
existing models such as
participants and communities in
rural areas; and
``(ii) except with respect to an expansion
grant described in subparagraph (C)(iii) for
which the Secretary waives an evaluation
because the Secretary determines there are
multiple compelling examples of high-level
evidence, perform--
``(I) a well-designed, well-
implemented, and rigorous impact
evaluation, through a partnership with
a third-party research organization or
a third-party researcher, of such
innovation programs or services that--
``(aa) assesses for
effectiveness in achieving any
demonstrated long-term
improvements in earnings and
employment outcomes for
participants and for
improvements in other relevant
outcomes, such as the outcomes
described in item (aa), (bb),
and (cc) of clause (i)(II); and
``(bb) is accompanied by a
process or implementation
evaluation for the purpose of
programmatic improvement and
supporting scale-up; or
``(II) in the case of an early-
phase grant described in subparagraph
(C)(i), an early-stage evaluation (such
as a feasibility study, pilot, or
rapid-cycle evaluation) that prepares
the innovation program or service for
an evaluation described in subclause
(I) for a potential subsequent grant.
``(B) Grant awards.--
``(i) In general.--The Secretary--
``(I) shall award grants under
subparagraph (A) on the primary basis
of--
``(aa) reliable evidence
presented with respect to
potential achievements of the
innovation program or service
proposed by the eligible entity
with respect to demonstrated,
long-term improvements in an
outcome described in subclause
(I) or (II) of subparagraph
(A)(i);
``(bb) the anticipated cost
of the program or service
relative to anticipated
earnings and employment
outcomes for participants;
``(cc) the anticipated
contribution of the evaluation
of the program or service to
the overall evidence base,
including evidence on cost-
effectiveness; and
``(dd) the existence of
supporting projects in
geographically diverse sites,
including rural areas, or that
serve populations with diverse
needs; and
``(II) may award, under
subparagraph (A), different types of
grants described under subparagraph (C)
to an eligible entity for separate
innovation programs or services that
meet the relevant criteria for such
different types of grants.
``(ii) Duration of award.--A grant awarded
under subparagraph (A) shall be awarded for a
period determined appropriate by the Secretary.
``(iii) Amount of award.--The Secretary
shall ensure that any grants awarded under
subparagraph (A) shall include sufficient
funding for the cost of the evaluation and
program implementation.
``(iv) Use of award.--An eligible entity
that receives a grant awarded under
subparagraph (A) shall use not less than 60
percent of such award for direct program
implementation.
``(C) Description of grants.--The grants described
in subparagraph (A) shall, to the extent feasible,
include--
``(i) early-phase grants for an innovation
program or service supported by any level of
evidence described in clause (i), (ii), or
(iii) of subparagraph (D), for the purposes of
funding the development, implementation, and
evaluation of such program or service;
``(ii) mid-phase grants for an innovation
program or service supported by a moderate
level of evidence or a high level of evidence
(as described in clause (ii) or (iii) of
subparagraph (D), respectively) for the
purposes of funding the operation, refinement,
expansion, and continued evaluation (as
described in subparagraph (A)(ii)(I)) of such
innovation program or service at a single site
that would, if successful, prepare the program
or service for a subsequent expansion grant;
and
``(iii) expansion grants for an innovation
program or service supported by a high level of
evidence, as described in subparagraph
(D)(iii), for the purposes of--
``(I) funding the operation of such
innovation program or service at an
existing site;
``(II) expansion or such innovation
program or service to another site;
``(III) implementation of a multi-
site experimental rigorous impact
evaluation of such innovation program
or service; and
``(IV) if necessary, continued
refinement and adaption of the program
or service model to address new
contexts or needs.
``(D) Level of evidence standards.--The levels of
evidence described in this subparagraph are the
following:
``(i) Low level of evidence.--An innovation
program or service is supported by a low level
of evidence if such program or service has
demonstrated, through a reasonable hypothesis
and credible research findings (such as a
correlational study with statistical controls
for selection bias), a descriptive study (such
as a case study), or evidence review and needs
assessment, the--
``(I) ability to achieve positive
effects on earnings and employment
outcomes for participants (including
participants who are individuals with
barriers to employment) and earnings
for employers; or
``(II) potential to achieve such
effect on such outcomes.
``(ii) Moderate level of evidence.--An
innovation program or service is supported by a
moderate level of evidence if such program or
service has demonstrated the ability to achieve
sizable, but not yet conclusive, positive
effects on earnings and employment outcomes for
participants (including participants who are
individuals with barriers to employment) and
earnings for employers, through--
``(I) a well-designed and well-
implemented experimental study of such
program or service, such as a
randomized controlled trial; or
``(II) a rigorous quasi-
experimental study of such program or
service capable of drawing causal
conclusions about the effectiveness of
such program or service.
``(iii) High level of evidence.--An
innovation program or service is supported by a
high level of evidence if such program or
service has demonstrated, through replication
of studies, the ability to achieve a
substantial and statistically significant,
positive impact on earnings and employment
outcomes for participants (including
participants who are individuals with barriers
to employment) and earnings for employers,
through--
``(I) 2 or more well-designed and
well-implemented experimental studies
of such program or service conducted at
different implementation sites; or
``(II) through a well-designed and
well-implemented large, multi-site,
experimental study.
``(E) Funding allocation.--Of the funds made
available to carry out this subsection for a fiscal
year, the Secretary shall, except when determined that
there is not a sufficient number of qualifying
applications to do so, use--
``(i) not less than 50 percent of such
funds to award expansion grants described in
subparagraph (C)(iii); and
``(ii) not more than 25 percent of such
funds to award early-phase grants described in
subparagraph (C)(i).
``(2) Technical assistance and evaluation research.--Of the
funds made available to carry out this subsection for a fiscal
year, the Secretary shall reserve not more than 10 percent of
the funds to--
``(A) provide technical assistance to eligible
entities, which may include preapplication workshops,
web-based seminars, support for conducting feasibility
studies and other planning activities, assistance with
methods and requirements for purposes of evaluation
research under subparagraph (D), and support for
improving grant implementation and the quality and
effectiveness of activities and services funded by
grants awarded under paragraph (1)(A), including the
use of administrative data and information to improve
outcomes for participants;
``(B) disseminate information on low-, moderate-,
and high-evidence-based practices;
``(C) fund staffing and other costs related to such
activities; and
``(D) conduct evaluation research regarding
activities or services funded by grants awarded under
subparagraph (A).
``(3) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity'
means an entity that is any of the following:
``(i) A State workforce development board
established under section 101 (29 U.S.C. 3111).
``(ii) A local workforce development board
established under section 107 (29 U.S.C. 3122).
``(iii) An Indian tribe, tribal
organization, Alaska Native entity, Indian-
controlled organization serving Indians, or
Native Hawaiian organization that is eligible
to receive an award under section 166 (29
U.S.C. 3221).
``(iv) An institution of higher education
(as defined in section 101 of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)).
``(v) A State workforce agency.
``(vi) An organization--
``(I) that--
``(aa) is a community-based
organization, a nonprofit
organization, or a
nongovernment organization,
including a labor organization
(as defined in section 2 of the
National Labor Relations Act
(29 U.S.C. 152)); and
``(bb) serves an
underserved population; or
``(II) that is a national or
regional organization that intends to
use funds awarded under this Act to
make direct grants to an organization
described in subclause (I).
``(vii) A consortium of any entities
described in clause (i) through (vi).
``(B) Field-initiated.--The term `field-initiated',
with respect to a program or service, means a program
or service in which the elements of the program or
service have been developed by practitioners or
researchers in the policy area, including such a
program or service model that is--
``(i) a sectoral employment program;
``(ii) an employment social enterprise or
other revenue-generating workforce program
serving people overcoming barriers to
employment;
``(iii) a registered apprenticeship;
``(iv) a re-entry initiative;
``(v) a career pathway model;
``(vi) an industry and sector partnership;
or
``(vii) on-the-job or incumbent worker
training.
``(C) Innovation program or service.--The term
`innovation program or service' means a program or
service designed to demonstrate innovative and cost-
effective ways to augment and improve employment,
licensure, or training services.
``(D) Well-designed and well-implemented
experimental study.--The term `well-designed and well-
implemented experimental study' means a study that--
``(i) is replicable;
``(ii) uses programmatic and control groups
that are representative of the type of
population served by the program or service
that is subject to the study, including by
avoiding over-selection of participants who are
highly skilled prior to participation for such
programmatic group;
``(iii) uses controls for aggregate shifts
that might affect baseline numbers;
``(iv) does not have problems with
attrition of participants from the study;
``(v) is conducted in a manner that is
consistent with applicable evaluation, data,
and privacy standards and practices described
in the Foundations for Evidence-Based
Policymaking Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-435;
132 Stat. 5529) and the amendments made by that
Act; and
``(vi) to the extent feasible, is aligned
with the standards for experimental studies
conducted pursuant to the education innovation
and research program under section 4611 of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 7261).
``(4) Authorization of appropriations.--There are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection,
such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2027
through 2031.''.
(b) 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
striking ``169(c)'' and inserting ``169(d)''.
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