[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 132 (Tuesday, September 28, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H7088-H7090]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AMERICAN MANUFACTURING EFFICIENCY AND RETRAINING INVESTMENT
COLLABORATION ACHIEVEMENT WORKS ACT
Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 4072) to require that certain Federal job training and
career education programs give priority to programs that provide a
national industry-recognized and portable credential, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4072
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 ``American Manufacturing
Efficiency and Retraining Investment Collaboration
Achievement Works Act'' or the ``AMERICA Works Act''.
SEC. 2. INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED AND NATIONALLY PORTABLE
CREDENTIALS FOR JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS.
(a) Workforce Investment Act of 1998.--
(1) General employment and training activities.--Section
134(d)(4)(F) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29
U.S.C. 2864(d)(4)(F)) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(iv) Priority for programs that provide an industry-
recognized and nationally portable credential.--In selecting
and approving training services, or programs of training
services, under this section, a one-stop operator and
employees of a one-stop center referred to in subsection (c)
shall give priority consideration to services and programs
(approved by the appropriate State agency and local board in
conjunction with section 122) that lead to a credential that
is in high demand in the local area served and listed in the
registry described in section 3(b) of the AMERICA Works
Act.''.
(2) Youth activities.--Section 129(c)(1)(C) of the
Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2854(c)(1)(C)) is
amended--
(A) by redesignating clauses (ii) through (iv) as clauses
(iii) through (v), respectively; and
(B) inserting after clause (i) the following:
``(ii) training (with priority consideration given to
programs that lead to a credential that is in high demand in
the local area served and listed in the registry described in
section 3(b) of the AMERICA Works Act, if the local board
determines that such programs are available and
appropriate);''.
(b) Career and Technical Education.--
(1) State plan.--Section 122(c)(1)(B) of the Carl D.
Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C.
2342(c)(1)(B)) is amended by striking the semicolon at the
end and inserting the following: ``and, with respect to
programs of study leading to an industry-recognized
credential or certificate, will give priority consideration
to programs of study that--
``(i) lead to an appropriate (as determined by the eligible
agency) skills credential (which may be a certificate) that
is in high demand in the area served and listed in the
registry described in section 3(b) of the AMERICA Works Act;
and
``(ii) may provide a basis for additional credentials,
certificates, or degrees;''.
(2) Use of local funds.--Section 134(b) of the Carl D.
Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C.
2354(b)) is amended--
(A) in paragraph (11), by striking ``; and'' and inserting
a semicolon;
(B) in paragraph (12)(B), by striking the period and
inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(13) describe the career and technical education
activities supporting the attainment of industry-recognized
credentials or certificates, and how the eligible recipient,
in selecting such activities, gave priority consideration to
activities supporting high-demand registry skill credentials
described in section 122(c)(1)(B)(i).''.
(3) Tech-prep programs.--Section 203(c)(2)(E) of the Carl
D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20
U.S.C. 2373(c)(2)(E)) is amended by striking ``industry-
recognized credential, a certificate,'' and inserting
``industry-recognized credential or certificate (such as a
high-demand registry skill credential described in section
122(c)(1)(B)(i)),''.
SEC. 3. SKILL CREDENTIAL REGISTRY.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Covered provision.--The term ``covered provision''
means any of sections 129 and 134 of the Workforce Investment
Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2854, 2864) and section 122(c)(1)(B)
of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of
2006 (20 U.S.C. 2342(c)(1)(B)).
(2) Industry-recognized.--The term ``industry-recognized'',
used with respect to a credential, means a credential that--
(A) is sought or accepted by companies within the industry
sector involved as recognized, preferred, or required for
recruitment, screening, or hiring; and
(B) is endorsed by a nationally recognized trade
association or organization representing a significant part
of the industry sector.
(3) Nationally portable.--The term ``nationally portable'',
used with respect to a credential, means a credential that is
sought
[[Page H7089]]
or accepted by companies within the industry sector involved,
across multiple States, as recognized, preferred, or required
for recruitment, screening, or hiring.
(4) Workforce investment activities.--The term ``workforce
investment activities'' has the meaning given the term in
section 101 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29
U.S.C. 2801).
(b) Registry.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor (referred to in
this section as the ``Secretary'') shall create a registry of
skill credentials (which may be certificates), for purposes
of enabling programs that lead to such a credential to
receive priority under a covered provision.
(2) Registry.--The Secretary shall--
(A) list the credential in the registry if the credential
is required by Federal or State law for an occupation (such
as a credential required by a State law regarding
qualifications for a health care occupation);
(B) list the credential in the registry if the credential
is a credential from the Manufacturing Institute-Endorsed
Manufacturing Skills Certification System; and
(C) list the credential, and list an updated credential, in
the registry if the credential involved is an industry-
recognized, nationally portable credential that is consistent
with the Secretary's established industry competency models
and is consistently updated through third party validation to
reflect changing industry competencies.
(c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this Act shall be
construed to require an entity with responsibility for
selecting or approving an education, training, or workforce
investment activities program with regard to a covered
provision, to select a program with a credential listed in
the registry described in subsection (b).
SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.
This Act, and the amendments made by this Act, take effect
120 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Hawaii (Ms. Hirono) and the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Hawaii.
General Leave
Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which
Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H.R.
4072 into the Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Hawaii?
There was no objection.
Ms. HIRONO. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4072, the American
Manufacturing Efficiency and Retraining Investment Collaboration Act,
or AMERICA Works Act. This bill would direct the use of the Workforce
Investment Act funds for programs that provide a national industry-
recognized and portable credential certificate or degree.
It would also encourage industry-recognized credentials that are
nationally recognized and portable under the Carl D. Perkins Career and
Technical Education Act.
Since May, the jobless rate has stayed about the same and economists
predict unemployment will remain high for months to come. Despite
current unemployment, employers continue to report a skills gap.
Manufacturing, healthcare, and energy sectors in particular are finding
it difficult to match workers with skills and industry-recognized
credentials with employers that have job openings. As the economic
outlook continues to stabilize, we must continue to take measures to
bring about a full recovery, including investments in strengthening our
Nation's workforce.
One of the best ways to prepare today's workforce for today's fast-
paced changing global economy is to offer training in industry
recognized skills. This bill invests in training towards industry-
recognized portable credentials, to help students build the skill sets
needed to fill specialized in-demand jobs.
Industry-recognized credentials exist in many sectors of our economy.
In manufacturing, industry leaders all across this sector have endorsed
a system of skills certification for entry level workers. According to
the president of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank, addressing the
current skills mismatch could reduce national unemployment from 9.6
percent to as low as 6.5 percent. This bill complements current sector
approaches that modernize our workforce system, aligning job training
strategies that help individuals improve their skills to find good jobs
and employers hire skilled workers.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Representative Minnick and the
cosponsors of H.R. 4072 for bringing this bill forward. I urge my
colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4072, the American
Manufacturing Efficiency and Retraining Investment Collaboration Act,
or the AMERICA Works Act.
H.R. 4072 amends provisions in the Workforce Investment Act, or WIA,
and in the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act to highlight
industry-recognized credentialing, especially those in high-demand
professions.
This bill would require One-Stop Career Centers to give priority to
training programs that result in participants receiving an industry-
recognized credential for a high-demand profession in the locality
these centers serve. This bill also requires schools to include in
their career and technical education plans a description of how the
Career and Technical Education Program will assist students in earning
an industry-recognized credential or certification.
This bill makes some positive steps towards encouraging students and
job seekers to pursue training that leads to industry-recognized
credentials which could increase participants' chances of obtaining a
job in a given profession.
However, H.R. 4072 amends only a very small portion of the Workforce
Investment Act, which is 8 years overdue for reauthorization. This bill
would amend a provision without reauthorizing other important aspects
of the law. Considering these changes within the context of a larger
reauthorization discussion is important to ensuring the future of the
American workforce. We need to take a comprehensive approach to
workforce development and not approach these problems in a piecemeal
fashion.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Minnick).
Mr. MINNICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4072, the AMERICA
Works Act. This is a bill that would direct the use of already-
appropriated funds within the Carl Perkins Vocational Technical
Education Act to prepare American workers with the skills necessary to
qualify for the increasingly high-tech jobs available in the 21st
century. It would do so by making available Federal funds from these
programs to obtain nationally recognized industry credentials
acceptable anywhere in the country.
Under this bill, training would continue to be done by technical
schools, universities, and union-sponsored journeyman programs in
coordination with companies and business groups. A welder trained in a
junior college in Maryland would have a certificate qualifying him to
work in a machine shop in Idaho. An AmeriCorps trained diesel mechanic
in my State could get an auto mechanic's job in yours.
American workers are the best in the world. They are resilient,
innovative and hardworking, but they must be properly trained and have
widely accepted and understood credentials making them employable
anywhere. This bill will ensure that Federal job training is used to
provide hardworking Americans desiring training with the certificates,
degrees, and credentials American industry needs to fill the
sophisticated technical jobs available in today's business world.
I thank my colleague from Louisiana for his support and the
gentlewoman from Hawaii for her leadership, and urge my colleagues to
support this bipartisan commonsense legislation.
Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would once again urge my
colleagues to support the AMERICA Works Act. At a time when
unemployment is high, we need to do everything we can to enable our
workers not only to be trained, but to be able to utilize that training
anywhere in our country.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Hirono) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 4072, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
[[Page H7090]]
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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