Trade Adjustment Assistance for Self-Employment Act of 2003 - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to direct the Secretary of Labor to establish an alternative trade adjustment assistance program for workers that provides for self-employment training and funds to pay, in whole or in part, the start up costs attributable to the individual's business enterprise.
Requires the Secretary to provide the opportunity for one or more workers in a group of workers on whose behalf a petition is filed for a trade adjustment assistance application eligibility to request that the individual workers be certified for the alternative trade adjustment assistance program.
Requires a worker covered by an group trade adjustment assistance eligibility certification who elects to receive alternative trade adjustment assistance program benefits to: (1) submit a self-employment business plan to the appropriate State agency for approval; (2) be likely to obtain self-employment in accordance with such plan within 26 weeks after separation from the adversely affected employment; (3) be likely to engage in self-employment on a full-time basis; and (4) be likely not to return to the employment from which the worker was separated.
Limits the total amount of payments made on behalf of a worker during the two-year eligibility period to: (1) $2,500 per worker for training costs; and (2) $10,000 per worker for start-up costs. Prohibits any other trade adjustment assistance benefits for a worker accepting alternative benefits under this Act.
[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1807 Introduced in House (IH)]
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1807
To amend the trade adjustment assistance program under the Trade Act of
1974 to establish a demonstration project to provide self-employment
training and assistance to eligible adversely affected workers.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 11, 2003
Mr. Reynolds introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Ways and Means
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the trade adjustment assistance program under the Trade Act of
1974 to establish a demonstration project to provide self-employment
training and assistance to eligible adversely affected workers.
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 ``Trade Adjustment Assistance for
Self-Employment Act of 2003''.
SEC. 2. DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR SELF-EMPLOYMENT TRAINING AND
ASSISTANCE UNDER THE TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment of Project.--Subchapter C of chapter 2 of title
II of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2311 et seq.) is amended by
inserting after section 246 the following new section:
``SEC. 246A. DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR SELF-EMPLOYMENT TRAINING AND
ASSISTANCE.
``(a) In General.--
``(1) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date
of enactment of the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Self-
Employment Act of 2003, the Secretary shall establish an
alternative trade adjustment assistance program for workers
that provides the benefits described in paragraph (2).
``(2) Benefits.--
``(A) Training.--A State shall use the funds
provided to the State under section 241 to provide, for
a period not to exceed 2 years, to a worker described
in paragraph (3)(B), self-employment training.
``(B) Payment for start-up costs.--A State shall
use the funds provided to the State under section 241
to provide to a worker described in paragraph (3)(B)
who successfully completes the self-employment training
described in subparagraph (A), and for which a self-
employment business plan described in paragraph
(3)(B)(ii) is approved, an amount to pay, in whole or
in part, the start up costs attributable to the
business enterprise of the individual.
``(3) Eligibility.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall provide the
opportunity for 1 or more workers in a group of workers
on whose behalf a petition is filed under section 221
to request that the individual workers be certified for
the alternative trade adjustment assistance program
under this section at the time the petition is filed.
The Secretary shall determine whether the individual
workers in the group are eligible for the alternative
trade adjustment assistance program by the date
specified in section 223(a).
``(B) Individual eligibility.--A worker that the
Secretary has certified as eligible for the alternative
trade adjustment assistance program under subparagraph
(A) may elect to receive benefits under the alternative
trade adjustment assistance program if the worker--
``(i) is covered by a certification under
subchapter A of this chapter;
``(ii) agrees to submit to the appropriate
State agency for approval a self-employment
business plan;
``(iii) is likely to obtain self-employment
in accordance with such plan not later than 26
weeks after the date of separation from the
adversely affected employment;
``(iv) is likely to be engaged in self-
employment on a full-time basis; and
``(v) is likely not to return to the
employment from which the worker was separated.
``(4) Total amount of payments.--
``(A) Training.--The amount of payments described
in paragraph (2)(A) made on behalf of a worker may not
exceed $2,500 per worker during the 2-year eligibility
period.
``(B) Start-up costs.--The amount of payments
described in paragraph (2)(B) made to a worker may not
exceed $10,000 per worker during the 2-year eligibility
period.
``(5) Limitation on other benefits.--Except as provided in
section 238(a)(2)(B), if a worker is receiving payments
pursuant to the program established under paragraph (1), the
worker shall not be eligible to receive any other benefits
under this title.
``(b) Termination.--
``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), no
payments may be made by a State under the program established
under subsection (a)(1) after the date that is 5 years after
the date on which such program is implemented by the State.
``(2) Exception.--Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a worker
receiving payments under the program established under
subsection (a)(1) on the termination date described in
paragraph (1) shall continue to receive such payments provided
that the worker meets the criteria described in subsection
(a)(3)(B).
``(c) Definition.--In this section, the term `self-employment
training' means entrepreneurial training, business counseling,
technical assistance, and related activities, including training and
services provided by federally-funded resource partners of the Small
Business Administration, that are engaged in for the purpose of
establishing a business and becoming self-employed, as approved by the
appropriate State agency, or the Secretary, in consultation with the
Administrator of the Small Business Administration.''.
(b) Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents of the Trade Act
of 1974 is amended by striking the second item relating to section 246
and inserting the following:
``Sec. 246. Demonstration project for self-employment training and
assistance.''.
SEC. 3. BENEFIT INFORMATION TO WORKERS.
Section 225(a) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2275(a)) is
amended by adding at the end the following new sentence: ``In providing
full information to workers about benefit allowances, training, and
other employment services available under this chapter in accordance
with this subsection, the Secretary shall include information on the
demonstration project for self-employment training and assistance under
section 246A.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.
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