[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 32 (Monday, February 29, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H1008-H1010]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             ENERGY AND MANUFACTURING WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

  Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4583) to promote a 21st century energy and manufacturing 
workforce, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4583

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. ENERGY AND MANUFACTURING WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Energy (in this Act 
     referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall prioritize education 
     and training for energy and manufacturing-related jobs in 
     order to increase the number of skilled workers trained to 
     work in energy and manufacturing-related fields when 
     considering awards for existing grant programs, including 
     by--
       (1) encouraging State education agencies and local 
     educational agencies to equip students with the skills, 
     mentorships, training, and technical expertise necessary to 
     fill the employment opportunities vital to managing and 
     operating the Nation's energy and manufacturing industries, 
     in collaboration with representatives from the energy and 
     manufacturing industries (including the oil, gas, coal, 
     nuclear, utility, pipeline, renewable, petrochemical, 
     manufacturing, and electrical construction sectors) to 
     identify the areas of highest need in each sector and the 
     skills necessary for a high quality workforce in the 
     following sectors of energy and manufacturing:
       (A) Energy efficiency industry, including work in energy 
     efficiency, conservation, weatherization, or retrofitting, or 
     as inspectors or auditors.
       (B) Pipeline industry, including work in pipeline 
     construction and maintenance or work as engineers or 
     technical advisors.
       (C) Utility industry, including work in the generation, 
     transmission, and distribution of electricity and natural 
     gas, such as utility technicians, operators, lineworkers, 
     engineers, scientists, and information technology 
     specialists.
       (D) Nuclear industry, including work as scientists, 
     engineers, technicians, mathematicians, or security 
     personnel.
       (E) Oil and gas industry, including work as scientists, 
     engineers, technicians, mathematicians, petrochemical 
     engineers, or geologists.
       (F) Renewable industry, including work in the development, 
     manufacturing, and production of renewable energy sources 
     (such as solar, hydropower, wind, or geothermal energy).
       (G) Coal industry, including work as coal miners, 
     engineers, developers and manufacturers of state-of-the-art 
     coal facilities, technology vendors, coal transportation 
     workers and operators, or mining equipment vendors.
       (H) Manufacturing industry, including work as operations 
     technicians, operations and design in additive manufacturing, 
     3-D printing, advanced composites, and advanced aluminum and 
     other metal alloys, industrial energy efficiency management 
     systems, including power electronics, and other innovative 
     technologies.
       (I) Chemical manufacturing industry, including work in 
     construction (such as welders, pipefitters, and tool and die 
     makers) or as instrument and electrical technicians, 
     machinists, chemical process operators, chemical engineers, 
     quality and safety professionals, and reliability engineers; 
     and
       (2) strengthening and more fully engaging Department of 
     Energy programs and labs in carrying out the Department's 
     workforce development initiatives including the Minorities in 
     Energy Initiative.
       (b) Prohibition.--Nothing in this section shall be 
     construed to authorize the Secretary or any other officer or 
     employee of the Federal Government to incentivize, require, 
     or coerce a State, school district, or school to adopt 
     curricula aligned to the skills described in subsection (a).
       (c) Priority.--The Secretary shall prioritize the education 
     and training of underrepresented groups in energy and 
     manufacturing-related jobs.
       (d) Clearinghouse.--In carrying out this section, the 
     Secretary shall establish a clearinghouse to--
       (1) maintain and update information and resources on 
     training and workforce development programs for energy and 
     manufacturing-related jobs, including job training and 
     workforce development programs available to assist displaced 
     and unemployed energy and manufacturing workers transitioning 
     to new employment; and
       (2) provide technical assistance for States, local 
     educational agencies, schools, community colleges, 
     universities (including minority serving institutions), 
     workforce development programs, labor-management 
     organizations, and industry organizations that would like to 
     develop and implement energy and manufacturing-related 
     training programs.
       (e) Collaboration.--In carrying out this section, the 
     Secretary--
       (1) shall collaborate with States, local educational 
     agencies, schools, community colleges, universities 
     (including minority serving institutions), workforce-training 
     organizations, national laboratories, State energy offices, 
     workforce investment boards, and the energy and manufacturing 
     industries;
       (2) shall encourage and foster collaboration, mentorships, 
     and partnerships among organizations (including industry, 
     States, local educational agencies, schools, community 
     colleges, workforce-development organizations, and colleges 
     and universities) that currently provide effective job 
     training programs in the energy and manufacturing fields and 
     entities (including States, local educational agencies, 
     schools, community colleges, workforce development programs, 
     and colleges and universities) that seek to establish these 
     types of programs in order to share best practices; and
       (3) shall collaborate with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 
     the Department of Commerce, the Bureau of the Census, States, 
     and the energy and manufacturing industries to develop a 
     comprehensive and detailed understanding of the energy and 
     manufacturing workforce needs and opportunities by State and 
     by region.
       (f) Outreach to Minority Serving Institutions.--In carrying 
     out this section, the Secretary shall--
       (1) give special consideration to increasing outreach to 
     minority serving institutions and Historically Black Colleges 
     and Universities;
       (2) make existing resources available through program 
     cross-cutting to minority

[[Page H1009]]

     serving institutions with the objective of increasing the 
     number of skilled minorities and women trained to go into the 
     energy and manufacturing sectors;
       (3) encourage industry to improve the opportunities for 
     students of minority serving institutions to participate in 
     industry internships and cooperative work/study programs; and
       (4) partner with the Department of Energy laboratories to 
     increase underrepresented groups' participation in 
     internships, fellowships, traineeships, and employment at all 
     Department of Energy laboratories.
       (g) Outreach to Dislocated Energy and Manufacturing 
     Workers.--In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall--
       (1) give special consideration to increasing outreach to 
     employers and job trainers preparing dislocated energy and 
     manufacturing workers for in-demand sectors or occupations;
       (2) make existing resources available through program 
     cross-cutting to institutions serving dislocated energy and 
     manufacturing workers with the objective of training 
     individuals to re-enter in-demand sectors or occupations;
       (3) encourage the energy and manufacturing industries to 
     improve opportunities for dislocated energy and manufacturing 
     workers to participate in career pathways; and
       (4) work closely with the energy and manufacturing 
     industries to identify energy and manufacturing operations, 
     such as coal-fired power plants and coal mines, scheduled for 
     closure and to provide early intervention assistance to 
     workers employed at such energy and manufacturing operations 
     by--
       (A) partnering with State and local workforce development 
     boards;
       (B) giving special consideration to employers and job 
     trainers preparing such workers for in-demand sectors or 
     occupations;
       (C) making existing resources available through program 
     cross-cutting to institutions serving such workers with the 
     objective of training them to re-enter in-demand sectors or 
     occupations; and
       (D) encouraging the energy and manufacturing industries to 
     improve opportunities for such workers to participate in 
     career pathways.
       (h) Enrollment in Workforce Development Programs.--In 
     carrying out this section, the Secretary shall work with 
     industry and community-based workforce organizations to help 
     identify candidates, including from underrepresented 
     communities such as minorities, women, and veterans, to 
     enroll in workforce development programs for energy and 
     manufacturing-related jobs.
       (i) Prohibition.--Nothing in this section shall be 
     construed as authorizing the creation of a new workforce 
     development program.
       (j) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Career pathways; dislocated worker; in-demand sectors 
     or occupations; local workforce development board; state 
     workforce development board.--The terms ``career pathways'', 
     ``dislocated worker'', ``in-demand sectors or occupations'', 
     ``local workforce development board'', and ``State workforce 
     development board'' have the meanings given the terms 
     ``career pathways'', ``dislocated worker'', ``in-demand 
     sectors or occupations'', ``local board'', and ``State 
     board'', respectively, in section 3 of the Workforce 
     Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
       (2) Minority-serving institution.--The term ``minority-
     serving institution'' means an institution of higher 
     education with a designation of one of the following:
       (A) Hispanic-serving institution (as defined in 20 
     U.S.C.1101a(a)(5)).
       (B) Tribal College or University (as defined in 20 
     U.S.C.1059c(b)).
       (C) Alaska Native-serving institution or a Native Hawaiian-
     serving institution (as defined in 20 U.S.C.1059d(b)).
       (D) Predominantly Black Institution (as defined in 20 
     U.S.C.1059e(b)).
       (E) Native American-serving nontribal institution (as 
     defined in 20 U.S.C.1059f(b)).
       (F) Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-
     serving institution (as defined in 20 U.S.C.1059g(b)).

     SEC. 2. REPORT.

       Five years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
     Secretary shall publish a comprehensive report to the 
     Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on 
     Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives 
     and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on the 
     outlook for energy and manufacturing sectors nationally. The 
     report shall also include a comprehensive summary of energy 
     and manufacturing job creation as a result of the enactment 
     of this Act. The report shall include performance data 
     regarding the number of program participants served, the 
     percentage of participants in competitive integrated 
     employment two quarters and four quarters after program 
     completion, the median income of program participants two 
     quarters and four quarters after program completion, and the 
     percentage of program participants receiving industry-
     recognized credentials.

     SEC. 3. USE OF EXISTING FUNDS.

       No additional funds are authorized to carry out the 
     requirements of this Act. Such requirements shall be carried 
     out using amounts otherwise authorized.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Kentucky (Mr. Whitfield) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rush) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky.


                             General Leave

  Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and insert extraneous material in the Record on the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Kentucky?
  There was no objection.

                              {time}  1615

  Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am also pleased that we are considering today H.R. 
4583, a bill to promote a 21st century energy and manufacturing 
workforce, introduced by my colleagues, Mr. Rush of Illinois and Mr. 
Hudson of North Carolina.
  This bill takes important steps to help make training for energy and 
manufacturing jobs available to women and minorities as well as 
veterans and out-of-work coal miners.
  I want to give a special word of thanks to Mr. Rush because he and 
Mr. Hudson were working on this legislation. They tried to get it 
included in the energy act that we passed a few weeks ago, and it 
didn't quite work out; but I am delighted that we are able to move this 
bill by itself.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, let me begin by commending Chairman Upton, Chairman 
Whitfield, Ranking Member Pallone, and the committee staff for working 
with my office to bring the 21st century workforce legislation to the 
House floor today. I would also publicly acknowledge the leadership of 
my colleague, Mr. Hudson of North Carolina, and his staff who played an 
instrumental role in helping us to get to this very point.
  The good faith talks held between my office, the majority and the 
minority committee staff, and Mr. Hudson's office have resulted in this 
bipartisan jobs bill that will go a long way in helping to get our 
Nation's economy back on track and working for everyone.
  Mr. Speaker, this workforce bill before us provides an example of how 
Congress should function and how Congress should work on behalf of the 
American people. Here we have bipartisan members of the Energy and 
Commerce Committee who represent various constituencies from diverse 
regions of the country and who come from different political 
persuasions. However, Mr. Speaker, it must be well noted that we were 
able to put aside our differences and focus our efforts on bringing 
forth a jobs bill that will benefit all of our Nation's communities and 
help lift up the entire American economy.
  And exactly what does this bill do, Mr. Speaker?
  This bill directs the Secretary of Energy to prioritize the training 
of underrepresented groups, including minorities, women, veterans, as 
well as displaced and unemployed energy and manufacturing workers, in 
order to increase the number of skilled candidates trained to work in 
these same related fields.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill will strengthen and more fully engage DOE 
programs and national laboratories in order to carry out the 
Department's workforce development initiatives. That includes the 
Minorities in Energy Initiative that was established 2 years ago, with 
my encouragement, under Secretary Moniz's leadership.
  There will be a clearinghouse of information and resources on 
training and workforce development programs for energy and 
manufacturing-related jobs, State by State and region by region all 
across our Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill will help increase outreach to minority-
serving institutions to ensure that the wealth of existing resources at 
DOE are made available to these worthy establishments. It will also 
provide additional outreach to displaced and unemployed energy and 
manufacturing workers with the objective of improving the opportunities 
for these candidates to find employment.

[[Page H1010]]

  This legislation, Mr. Speaker, will help to develop a skilled labor 
force, trained to work in a wide array of sectors, including 
renewables, energy efficiency, oil and gas, coal, nuclear, utility, 
pipelines, alternative fuels, as well as energy-intensive and advanced 
manufacturing industries.
  Mr. Speaker, one of the challenges that I have heard far too many 
times from my constituents is of individuals participating in training 
programs that in many cases do not always lead to actually finding a 
job. With that in mind, Mr. Speaker, this bill will help industry, help 
schools, and help community-based workforce development organizations 
to identify candidates for enrollment into training and apprenticeship 
programs, with the objective of ensuring that the skills learned are 
immediately transferable to good-paying jobs and good-paying careers 
within the energy and manufacturing sectors regionally, nationally, 
and, indeed, all across this globe.
  Mr. Speaker, as you well know, and as all Members in this House know, 
the energy and manufacturing industries are two of the most critical 
and fastest growing sectors both domestically as well as 
internationally. The potential of these two sectors can help bolster 
the American economy and are also vital to the growing number of people 
seeking middle class status all across the developing world.
  It is important, Mr. Speaker, that we equip our citizens, those who 
need jobs and those who are out of work, with the skills needed and 
necessary to meet this growing demand so that we can tap into these 
tremendous opportunities. This very bill before us today will 
accomplish that goal.
  Why is the 21st century workforce bill so very necessary? Mr. 
Speaker, just last week, my office had yet another visiting delegation, 
a meeting this time with an energy company out of the great State of 
North Carolina, whose representatives informed me that right now, 
today, as we stand here in this great Chamber today, they have over 
1,000 job openings that they cannot fill because they cannot find 
enough qualified skilled workers.
  The 21st century workforce bill will address that difficulty and be a 
solution to that and many other similar problems all across our 
country. In fact, Mr. Speaker, my office has been holding many of these 
same types of meetings over the past 4 years with a variety of 
different energy and manufacturing industries that are indeed facing 
this very same predicament.
  At a time when African American and Latino unemployment rates are 
still too high, when coal workers throughout Appalachia and beyond are 
finding themselves without work, when too many female heads of 
household cannot find adequate employment to take care of their 
families, and when veterans returning home from defending our Nation 
still cannot find a job, it is a travesty and a shame that eager 
employers still cannot find the trained workers they need.

  Mr. Speaker, this is a commonsense jobs bill that will help to match 
up trained, qualified candidates with good-paying jobs and careers that 
will fit them and their families, help lift up their community, help 
strengthen the energy and manufacturing industry, and will bolster the 
entire American economy as a whole.
  Whether you are a student pursuing your engineering degree at an HBCU 
or a single mother taking classes at your neighborhood community 
college, this bill seeks to provide additional opportunity to all those 
individuals who are out there looking to better themselves and improve 
the financial situation for their families.
  Mr. Speaker, when this bill becomes law and its provisions are 
implemented, it will help out-of-work coal miners retool and retrain 
for the jobs of the 21st century. This bill will also help returning 
veterans use their skills and use their talents to find employment and 
provide a dignified future for their families.
  So, Mr. Speaker, again, I want to thank my distinguished colleague 
from the great State of Michigan, Chairman Upton; my friend from the 
great State of Kentucky, Chairman Whitfield; Ranking Member Pallone; my 
friend from North Carolina (Mr. Hudson); and all my colleagues on the 
Energy and Commerce Committee, as well as those who are on the 
Education and the Workforce Committee who helped bring us to this point 
today, where we are bringing forward this bill with this focus not only 
on underserved communities, such as minorities, women, and veterans, 
but also displaced and unemployed coal miners and out-of-work energy 
workers in other places.
  I can assure you, Mr. Speaker, when this bill ultimately becomes law, 
it will go a long way in helping not only communities that look like 
the one I represent on the south side of Chicago, but every community 
in every district throughout this Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I would like to reiterate once again that there were a lot of people 
involved in bringing this legislation to the floor. It would not have 
happened except for the persistence and commitment of Mr. Rush of 
Illinois. So I want to thank him again.
  I also want to say that every Member of Congress comes to this floor, 
and we talk about regulations and the impact they have on creating 
jobs. We talk about uncertainty in tax policies, and we talk about the 
ability of America to be competitive in the global workplace. We talk 
about a lot of macro issues. But for men and women out there in the 
country, like coal miners who are losing jobs because of the policies 
of this administration, veterans who have extensive leadership skills 
but can't find good jobs, and minorities who are not trained in the 
right way, this legislation goes a long way in providing the training 
that people need to find a good job.
  I urge all Members to support this legislation. I want to thank 
everyone who worked for it.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1630

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Whitfield) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4583, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________