[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 92 (Wednesday, May 26, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3539-S3540]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2086. Mr. MORAN (for himself and Mr. Sanders) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 1502 proposed by Mr. 
Schumer to the bill S. 1260, to establish a new Directorate for 
Technology and Innovation in the National Science Foundation, to 
establish a regional technology hub program, to require a strategy and 
report on economic security, science, research, innovation, 
manufacturing, and job creation, to establish a critical supply chain 
resiliency program, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on 
the table; as follows:

       At the end of title III of division F, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. __. WORKER OWNERSHIP, READINESS, AND KNOWLEDGE.

       (a) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Existing program.--The term ``existing program'' means 
     a program, designed to promote employee ownership and 
     employee participation in business decisionmaking, that 
     exists on the date on which the Secretary is carrying out a 
     responsibility authorized under this section.
       (2) Initiative.--The term ``Initiative'' means the Employee 
     Ownership and Participation Initiative established under 
     subsection (b).
       (3) New program.--The term ``new program'' means a program, 
     designed to promote employee ownership and employee 
     participation in business decisionmaking, that does not exist 
     on the date on which the Secretary is carrying out a 
     responsibility authorized under this section.
       (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Commerce.
       (5) State.--The term ``State'' has the meaning given the 
     term under section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and 
     Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
       (b) Employee Ownership and Participation Initiative.--
       (1) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish within 
     the Department of Commerce an Employee Ownership and 
     Participation Initiative to promote employee ownership and 
     employee participation in business decisionmaking.
       (2) Functions.--In carrying out the Initiative, the 
     Secretary shall--
       (A) support within the States existing programs designed to 
     promote employee ownership and employee participation in 
     business decisionmaking; and
       (B) facilitate within the States the formation of new 
     programs designed to promote employee ownership and employee 
     participation in business decisionmaking.
       (3) Duties.--To carry out the functions enumerated in 
     paragraph (2), the Secretary shall--
       (A) support new programs and existing programs by--
       (i) making Federal grants authorized under subsection (d); 
     and
       (ii)(I) acting as a clearinghouse on techniques employed by 
     new programs and existing programs within the States, and 
     disseminating information relating to those techniques to the 
     programs; or
       (II) funding projects for information gathering on those 
     techniques, and dissemination of that information to the 
     programs, by groups outside the Department of Commerce; and
       (B) facilitate the formation of new programs, in ways that 
     include holding or funding an annual conference of 
     representatives from States with existing programs, 
     representatives from States developing new programs, and 
     representatives from States without existing programs.
       (c) Programs Regarding Employee Ownership and 
     Participation.--
       (1) Establishment of program.--Not later than 180 days 
     after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
     establish a program to encourage new programs and existing 
     programs within the States to foster employee ownership and 
     employee participation in business decisionmaking throughout 
     the United States.
       (2) Purpose of program.--The purpose of the program 
     established under paragraph (1) is to encourage new and 
     existing programs within the States that focus on--
       (A) providing education and outreach to inform employees 
     and employers about the possibilities and benefits of 
     employee ownership, business ownership succession planning, 
     and employee participation in business decisionmaking, 
     including providing information about financial education, 
     employee teams, open-book management, and other tools that 
     enable employees to share ideas and information about how 
     their businesses can succeed;
       (B) providing technical assistance to assist employee 
     efforts to become business owners, to enable employers and 
     employees to explore and assess the feasibility of 
     transferring full or partial ownership to employees, and to 
     encourage employees and employers to start new employee-owned 
     businesses;
       (C) training employees and employers with respect to 
     methods of employee participation in open-book management, 
     work teams, committees, and other approaches for seeking 
     greater employee input; and
       (D) training other entities to apply for funding under this 
     subsection, to establish new programs, and to carry out 
     program activities.
       (3) Program details.--The Secretary may include, in the 
     program established under paragraph (1), provisions that--
       (A) in the case of activities described in paragraph 
     (2)(A)--
       (i) target key groups, such as retiring business owners, 
     senior managers, unions, trade associations, community 
     organizations, and economic development organizations;
       (ii) encourage cooperation in the organization of workshops 
     and conferences; and
       (iii) prepare and distribute materials concerning employee 
     ownership and participation, and business ownership 
     succession planning;
       (B) in the case of activities described in paragraph 
     (2)(B)--
       (i) provide preliminary technical assistance to employee 
     groups, managers, and retiring owners exploring the 
     possibility of employee ownership;
       (ii) provide for the performance of preliminary feasibility 
     assessments;
       (iii) assist in the funding of objective third-party 
     feasibility studies and preliminary business valuations, and 
     in selecting and monitoring professionals qualified to 
     conduct such studies; and
       (iv) provide a data bank to help employees find legal, 
     financial, and technical advice in connection with business 
     ownership;
       (C) in the case of activities described in paragraph 
     (2)(C)--
       (i) provide for courses on employee participation; and
       (ii) provide for the development and fostering of networks 
     of employee-owned companies to spread the use of successful 
     participation techniques; and
       (D) in the case of training described in paragraph (2)(D)--
       (i) provide for visits to existing programs by staff from 
     new programs receiving funding under this section; and
       (ii) provide materials to be used for such training.
       (4) Guidance.--The Secretary shall issue formal guidance, 
     for recipients of grants awarded under subsection (d) and 
     one-stop partners (as defined in section 3 of the Workforce 
     Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102)) affiliated 
     with the workforce development systems (as so defined) of the 
     States, proposing that programs and other activities funded 
     under this section be--
       (A) proactive in encouraging actions and activities that 
     promote employee ownership of, and participation in, 
     businesses; and
       (B) comprehensive in emphasizing both employee ownership 
     of, and participation in, businesses so as to increase 
     productivity and broaden capital ownership.
       (d) Grants.--
       (1) In general.--In carrying out the program established 
     under subsection (c), the Secretary may make grants for use 
     in connection with new programs and existing programs within 
     a State for any of the following activities:

[[Page S3540]]

       (A) Education and outreach as provided in subsection 
     (c)(2)(A).
       (B) Technical assistance as provided in subsection 
     (c)(2)(B).
       (C) Training activities for employees and employers as 
     provided in subsection (c)(2)(C).
       (D) Activities facilitating cooperation among employee-
     owned firms.
       (E) Training as provided in subsection (c)(2)(D) for new 
     programs provided by participants in existing programs 
     dedicated to the objectives of this section, except that, for 
     each fiscal year, the amount of the grants made for such 
     training shall not exceed 10 percent of the total amount of 
     the grants made under this section.
       (2) Amounts and conditions.--The Secretary shall determine 
     the amount and any conditions for a grant made under this 
     subsection. The amount of the grant shall be subject to 
     paragraph (6), and shall reflect the capacity of the 
     applicant for the grant.
       (3) Applications.--Each entity desiring a grant under this 
     subsection shall submit an application to the Secretary at 
     such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such 
     information as the Secretary may reasonably require.
       (4) State applications.--Each State may sponsor and submit 
     an application under paragraph (3) on behalf of any local 
     entity consisting of a unit of State or local government, 
     State-supported institution of higher education, or nonprofit 
     organization, meeting the requirements of this section.
       (5) Applications by entities.--
       (A) Entity applications.--If a State fails to support or 
     establish a program pursuant to this section during any 
     fiscal year, the Secretary shall, in the subsequent fiscal 
     years, allow local entities described in paragraph (4) from 
     that State to make applications for grants under paragraph 
     (3) on their own initiative.
       (B) Application screening.--Any State failing to support or 
     establish a program pursuant to this section during any 
     fiscal year may submit applications under paragraph (3) in 
     the subsequent fiscal years but may not screen applications 
     by local entities described in paragraph (4) before 
     submitting the applications to the Secretary.
       (6) Limitations.--A recipient of a grant made under this 
     subsection shall not receive, during a fiscal year, in the 
     aggregate, more than the following amounts:
       (A) For fiscal year 2022, $300,000.
       (B) For fiscal year 2023, $330,000.
       (C) For fiscal year 2024, $363,000.
       (D) For fiscal year 2025, $399,300.
       (E) For fiscal year 2026, $439,200.
       (7) Annual report.--For each year, each recipient of a 
     grant under this subsection shall submit to the Secretary a 
     report describing how grant funds allocated pursuant to this 
     subsection were expended during the 12-month period preceding 
     the date of the submission of the report.
       (e) Evaluations.--The Secretary is authorized to reserve 
     not more than 10 percent of the funds appropriated for a 
     fiscal year to carry out this section, for the purposes of 
     conducting evaluations of the grant programs identified in 
     subsection (d) and to provide related technical assistance.
       (f) Reporting.--Not later than the expiration of the 36-
     month period following the date of enactment of this Act, the 
     Secretary shall prepare and submit to Congress a report--
       (1) on progress related to employee ownership and 
     participation in businesses in the United States; and
       (2) containing an analysis of critical costs and benefits 
     of activities carried out under this section.
       (g) Authorizations of Appropriations.--
       (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
     for the purpose of making grants pursuant to subsection (d) 
     the following:
       (A) For fiscal year 2022, $4,000,000.
       (B) For fiscal year 2023, $7,000,000.
       (C) For fiscal year 2024, $10,000,000.
       (D) For fiscal year 2025, $13,000,000.
       (E) For fiscal year 2026, $16,000,000.
       (2) Administrative expenses.--There are authorized to be 
     appropriated for the purpose of funding the administrative 
     expenses related to the Initiative, for each of fiscal years 
     2022 through 2026, an amount not in excess of the lesser of--
       (A) $350,000; or
       (B) 5.0 percent of the maximum amount available under 
     paragraph (1) for that fiscal year.
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