[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 142 (Tuesday, September 5, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3897-S3898]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Warnock, Ms. Cortez Masto, and
Mrs. Feinstein):
S. 2722. A bill to address the needs of workers in industries likely
to be impacted by rapidly evolving technologies; to the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of
the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 2722
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 ``Investing in Tomorrow's
Workforce Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) A 2019 Government Accountability Office report found
that while there are many Federal employment and training
programs, their total funding levels remain at nearly
$20,000,000,000, or less than 0.1 percent of the gross
domestic product of the United States.
(2) The number of workers receiving federally supported
training has declined in the past 3 decades as advances in
technology have simultaneously shifted labor market demand
over time.
(3) Job losses from automation are more likely to impact
women, people of color, and workers making less than $40,000
annually.
(4) The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated trends in automation,
with 43 percent of businesses in the World Economic Forum's
Future of Jobs survey indicating they plan to reduce their
workforce as a result of technology integration.
(5) Strong Federal investment in expanding training
services for workers whose jobs may be lost due to automation
could prepare the United States workforce to better adapt to
changes in the labor market and enter into skilled positions
in technologically oriented occupations and industries.
(6) A focus on preparing the workforce of the United States
for jobs that utilize advanced technologies and require
digital literacy could grow wages, increase economic
productivity, and boost the competitiveness of the United
States.
(7) Studies show that the United States would need to
invest $72,000,000,000 more annually just to reach the
average investment in workforce policies of other industrial
countries. For training alone, the United States would need
to invest nearly $8,500,000,000 just to reach the average
amount invested by member countries of the Organisation on
Economic Co-operation and Development.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Automation.--The term ``automation'' means a device,
process, or system that functions without continuous input
from an operator, including--
(A) advanced technologies, such as--
(i) data collection, classification processing, and
analytics; and
(ii) 3-D printing, digital design and simulation, and
digital manufacturing;
(B) robotics, including collaborative robotics, and worker
augmentation technology;
(C) autonomous vehicle technology; or
(D) autonomous machinery technology.
(2) Covered population.--The term ``covered population''
means a population of individuals with a barrier to
employment described in subparagraphs (A) through (N) of
section 3(24) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
(29 U.S.C. 3102(24)).
(3) Digital literacy.--The term ``digital literacy'' has
the meaning given the term in section 60301 of the
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (47 U.S.C. 1721).
(4) Dislocated worker.--The term ``dislocated worker'' has
the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
(5) Eligible partnership.--The term eligible partnership
means an industry or sector partnership, as defined in
section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act,
except that--
(A) for purposes of applying paragraph (26)(A)(iii) of that
section, the term ``institution of higher education'' has the
meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001); and
(B) the partnership shall include, in addition to the
representatives described in clauses (i) through (iii) of
section 3(26)(A) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity
Act, representatives of--
(i) a State workforce development board or a local
workforce development board; and
(ii) an economic development organization.
(6) In-demand industry sector or occupation.--The term
``in-demand industry sector or occupation'' has the meaning
given the term in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
(7) Integrated education and training.--The term
``integrated education and training'' has the meaning given
the term in section 203 of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3272).
(8) Local and state workforce development boards.--The
terms ``local workforce development board'' and ``State
workforce development board'' have the meanings given the
terms ``local board'' and ``State board'', respectively, in
section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29
U.S.C. 3102).
(9) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Labor.
(10) Training services.--The term ``training services''
means training services described in section 134(c)(3)(D) of
the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C.
3174(c)(3)(D)) and may include digital literacy skills.
SEC. 4. GRANTS TO IMPROVE TRAINING FOR WORKERS IMPACTED BY
AUTOMATION.
(a) Grants Authorized.--
(1) In general.--From the amounts appropriated under
subsection (g) and beginning in fiscal year 2024, the
Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to
eligible partnerships to support demonstration and pilot
projects relating to the training needs of workers who are,
or are likely to become, dislocated workers as a result of
automation.
[[Page S3898]]
(2) Duration.--A grant awarded under this section shall be
for a period not to exceed 4 years.
(b) Applications.--
(1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
this section, an eligible partnership shall submit an
application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner,
and containing such information as the Secretary shall
reasonably require.
(2) Contents.--Each application submitted under paragraph
(1) shall include a description of the demonstration or pilot
project to be completed with the grant funds, which
description shall include--
(A) a description of the members of the eligible
partnership who will be involved in the demonstration or
pilot project and the services each member will provide;
(B) a description of the training services that will be
available to individuals participating in the demonstration
or pilot project, which may include--
(i) a plan to train dislocated workers from industries
likely to be impacted by automation and transition the
workers into regionally in-demand industry sectors or
occupations; and
(ii) a plan to partner with local businesses to retrain,
upskill, and re-deploy workers within an industry as an
alternative to layoffs;
(C) a plan to provide workers with technology-based skills
training, which may include training to provide skills
related to coding, systems engineering, or information
technology security, in addition to other skills;
(D) a description of the goals that the eligible
partnership intends to achieve to upskill workers and prepare
them for in-demand industry sectors or occupations; and
(E) a description of how and which covered populations
within the area will be supported through this grant,
including a plan for stakeholder engagement.
(c) Priorities.--In awarding grants under this section, the
Secretary shall--
(1) first give priority to eligible partnerships that are
located in areas with a high percentage of individuals from
covered populations; and
(2) to the extent amounts remain available for additional
grants after carrying out paragraph (1), give priority to--
(A) eligible partnerships that are located in an area with
a high concentration of--
(i) industries with a higher likelihood of being impacted
by automation; or
(ii) industries included in in-demand industry sectors, as
determined under subparagraphs (A)(i) and (B) of section
3(23) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29
U.S.C. 3102(23));
(B) eligible partnerships--
(i) with a plan to provide incumbent worker training--
(I) to assist workers in obtaining the skills necessary to
retain employment or avert layoffs; or
(II) that allows a worker working for an employer to
acquire new skills that allow the worker to obtain a higher-
skilled or higher-paid position with such employer; and
(ii) that partner with local employers that intend to
backfill the pre-training positions of the incumbent workers
by hiring new workers to fill those positions;
(C) eligible partnerships that will provide workers with a
transportation stipend, paid sick leave, paid family and
medical leave, access to child care services, or other
employment benefits; or
(D) eligible partnerships with a plan to develop a shared
training curriculum that can be used across local and
regional networks of employers and training providers.
(d) Use of Funds.--An eligible partnership that receives a
grant under this section shall use the grant funds for 1 or
more of the following:
(1) Providing training services under the demonstration or
pilot project, which may include training services that
prepare workers for in-demand industry sectors or
occupations.
(2) Providing assistance for employers in developing a
staff position for an individual who will be responsible for
supporting training services provided under the grant.
(3) Purchasing equipment or technology necessary for
training services provided under paragraph (1).
(4) Providing job search and other transitional assistance
to workers in industries with high rates of job loss.
(5) Providing a training stipend to workers for training
services.
(6) Providing integrated education and training.
(e) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after an eligible
partnership's completion of a demonstration or pilot project
supported under this section, the eligible partnership shall
prepare and submit to the Secretary a report regarding--
(A) the number of workers who received training services
through the demonstration or pilot project;
(B) the number of such workers who successfully
transitioned into a new position following completion of the
training services;
(C) the number of individuals who successfully transitioned
into an in-demand industry sector or occupation following
completion of the training services;
(D) annual earnings data for individuals who have completed
training services through the demonstration or pilot project;
(E) the percentage of individuals described in subparagraph
(D) who are in education or training activities, or in
employment, during the second quarter after exit from the
training services;
(F) the percentage of individuals described in subparagraph
(D) who are in education or training activities, or in
employment, during the fourth quarter after exit from the
training services; and
(G) any practices used by the partnership that should be
considered best practices with respect to training workers in
industries that have, or are expected to have, high rates of
job loss as a result of automation.
(2) Disaggregation.--Each eligible partnership shall
provide the information required under subparagraphs (A)
through (F) of paragraph (1) in the aggregate and
disaggregated by type of training service and by age, gender,
and race of the workers.
(f) General Requirements.--An eligible partnership that
receives a grant under this section shall use the grant funds
in a manner that is consistent with the labor standards and
protections described in section 181 of the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3241) and
nondiscrimination provisions described in section 188 of such
Act (29 U.S.C. 3248).
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may
be necessary for fiscal years 2024 through 2028.
SEC. 5. EXPANSION OF WORKER TRAINING SERVICES.
(a) Adult and Dislocated Worker Employment and Training.--
Section 134(d)(1)(A) of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3174(d)(1)(A)) is amended--
(1) in clause (xi), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in clause (xii), by striking the period and inserting
``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(xiii) training programs for individuals who are, or are
likely to become, dislocated workers as a result of
automation, including activities that prepare the individuals
for occupations in the technology sector.''.
(b) National Dislocated Worker Grants.--Section 170 of the
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3225) is
amended--
(1) in subsection (b)(1)(A), by inserting ``advances in
automation technology,'' before ``plant closures,''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``Authorization of Appropriations.--In addition to any
funds reserved under section 132(a)(2)(A) to carry out this
section, there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out
this section $40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024
through 2028.''.
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