Manufacturing Skills Act of 2015
This bill requires the Department of Commerce, Department of Labor, Department of Education, Department of Defense and the Director of the National Science Foundation to jointly establish a Manufacturing Skills Partnership to administer and carry out a program to award competitive, three-year grants to enable up to five states and five metropolitan areas to carry out proposals to promote reforms in workforce education and skill training for manufacturing.
The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology shall:
[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4174 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4174
To establish a program that promotes reforms in workforce education and
skill training for manufacturing in States and metropolitan areas, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 3, 2015
Mr. Cardenas (for himself and Mr. Ashford) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the
Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Science, Space, and
Technology and Appropriations, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a program that promotes reforms in workforce education and
skill training for manufacturing in States and metropolitan areas, and
for other purposes.
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 ``Manufacturing Skills Act of 2015''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a
State or a metropolitan area.
(2) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' means each of the
following:
(A) An institution of higher education, as defined
in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).
(B) A postsecondary vocational institution, as
defined in section 102(c) of such Act (20 U.S.C.
1002(c)).
(3) Manufacturing sector.--The term ``manufacturing
sector'' means a manufacturing sector classified in code 31,
32, or 33 of the most recent version of the North America
Industry Classification System developed under the direction
the Office of Management and Budget.
(4) Metropolitan area.--The term ``metropolitan area''
means a standard metropolitan statistical area, as designated
by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
(5) Partnership.--The term ``Partnership'' means the
Manufacturing Skills Partnership established in section 101(a).
(6) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several
States of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,
the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, the United
States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands.
TITLE I--MANUFACTURING SKILLS PROGRAM
SEC. 101. MANUFACTURING SKILLS PROGRAM.
(a) Manufacturing Skills Partnership.--The Secretary of Commerce,
Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Education, Secretary of the Department
of Defense, and Director of the National Science Foundation shall
jointly establish a Manufacturing Skills Partnership consisting of the
Secretaries and the Director, or their representatives. The Partnership
shall--
(1) administer and carry out the program established under
this title;
(2) establish and publish guidelines for the review of
applications, and the criteria for selection, for grants under
this title; and
(3) submit an annual report to Congress on--
(A) the eligible entities that receive grants under
this title; and
(B) the progress such eligible entities have made
in achieving the milestones identified in accordance
with section 102(b)(2)(H).
(b) Program Authorized.--
(1) In general.--From amounts appropriated to carry out
this title, the Partnership shall award grants, on a
competitive basis, to eligible entities to enable the eligible
entities to carry out their proposals submitted in the
application under section 102(b)(2), in order to promote
reforms in workforce education and skill training for
manufacturing in the eligible entities.
(2) Grant duration.--A grant awarded under paragraph (1)
shall be for a 3-year period, with grant funds under such grant
distributed annually in accordance with subsection (c)(2).
(3) Second grants.--If amounts are made available to award
grants under this title for subsequent grant periods, the
Partnership may award a grant to an eligible entity that
previously received a grant under this title after such first
grant period expires. The Partnership shall evaluate the
performance of the eligible entity under the first grant in
determining whether to award the eligible entity a second grant
under this title.
SEC. 102. APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS.
(a) In General.--An eligible entity that desires to receive a grant
under this title shall--
(1) establish a task force, consisting of leaders from the
public, nonprofit, and manufacturing sectors, representatives
of labor organizations, representatives of elementary schools
and secondary schools, and representatives of institutions of
higher education, to apply for and carry out a grant under this
title; and
(2) submit an application at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Partnership may require.
(b) Application Contents.--The application described in subsection
(a)(2) shall include--
(1) a description of the task force that the eligible
entity has assembled to design the proposal described in
paragraph (2);
(2) a proposal that--
(A) identifies, as of the date of the application--
(i) the current strengths of the State or
metropolitan area represented by the eligible
entity in manufacturing; and
(ii) areas for new growth opportunities in
manufacturing;
(B) identifies, as of the date of the application,
manufacturing workforce and skills challenges
preventing the eligible entity from expanding in the
areas identified under subparagraph (A)(ii), such as--
(i) a lack of availability of--
(I) strong career and technical
education;
(II) educational programs in
science, technology, engineering, or
mathematics; or
(III) a skills training system; or
(ii) an absence of customized training for
existing industrial businesses and sectors;
(C) identifies challenges faced within the
manufacturing sector by underrepresented and
disadvantaged workers, including veterans, in the State
or metropolitan area represented by the eligible
entity;
(D) provides strategies, designed by the eligible
entity, to address challenges identified in
subparagraphs (B) and (C) through tangible projects and
investments, with the deep and sustainable involvement
of manufacturing businesses;
(E) identifies and leverages innovative and
effective career and technical education or skills
training programs in the field of manufacturing that
are available in the eligible entity;
(F) leverages other Federal funds in support of
such strategies;
(G) reforms State or local policies and governance,
as applicable, in support of such strategies; and
(H) holds the eligible entity accountable, on a
regular basis, through a set of transparent performance
measures, including a timeline for the grant period
describing when specific milestones and reforms will be
achieved; and
(3) a description of the source of the matching funds
required under subsection (d) that the eligible entity will use
if selected for a grant under this title.
(c) Award Basis.--
(1) Selection basis and maximum number of grants.--
(A) In general.--The Partnership shall award grants
under this title, by not earlier than January 1, 2016,
and not later than March 31, 2016, to the eligible
entities that submit the strongest and most
comprehensive proposals under subsection (b)(2).
(B) Maximum number of grants.--For any grant
period, the Partnership shall award not more than 5
grants under this title to eligible entities
representing States and not more than 5 grants to
eligible entities representing metropolitan areas.
(2) Amount of grants.--
(A) In general.--The Partnership shall award grants
under this title in an amount that averages, for all
grants issued for a 3-year grant period, $10,000,000
for each year, subject to subparagraph (C) and
paragraph (3).
(B) Amount.--In determining the amount of each
grant for an eligible entity, the Partnership shall
take into consideration the size of the industrial base
of the eligible entity.
(C) Insufficient appropriations.--For any grant
period for which the amounts available to carry out
this title are insufficient to award grants in the
amount described in subparagraph (A), the Partnership
shall award grants in amounts determined appropriate by
the Partnership.
(3) Funding contingent on performance.--In order for an
eligible entity to receive funds under a grant under this title
for the second or third year of the grant period, the eligible
entity shall demonstrate to the Partnership that the eligible
entity has achieved the specific reforms and milestones
required under the timeline included in the eligible entity's
proposal under subsection (b)(2)(H).
(4) Consultation with policy experts.--The Partnership
shall assemble a panel of manufacturing policy experts and
manufacturing leaders from the private sector to serve in an
advisory capacity in helping to oversee the competition and
review the competition's effectiveness.
(d) Matching Funds.--An eligible entity receiving a grant under
this title shall provide matching funds toward the grant in an amount
of not less than 50 percent of the costs of the activities carried out
under the grant. Matching funds under this subsection shall be from
non-Federal sources and shall be in cash or in-kind.
SEC. 103. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this title such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2016.
(b) Availability.--Funds appropriated under this section shall
remain available until expended.
TITLE II--AUDIT OF FEDERAL EDUCATION AND SKILLS TRAINING
SEC. 201. AUDIT OF FEDERAL EDUCATION AND SKILLS TRAINING.
(a) Audit.--By not later than March 31, 2016, the Director of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology, acting through the
Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office, shall conduct an audit
of all Federal education and skills training programs related to
manufacturing to ensure that States and metropolitan areas are able to
align Federal resources to the greatest extent possible with the labor
demands of their primary manufacturing industries. In carrying out the
audit, the Director shall work with States and metropolitan areas to
determine how Federal funds can be more tailored to meet their
different needs.
(b) Report and Recommendations.--By not later than March 31, 2017,
the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology
shall prepare and submit a report to Congress that includes--
(1) a summary of the findings from the audit conducted
under subsection (a); and
(2) recommendations for such legislative and administrative
actions to reform the existing funding for Federal education
and skills training programs related to manufacturing as the
Director determines appropriate.
TITLE III--OFFSET
SEC. 301. RESCISSION OF DEPARTMENT OF LABOR FUNDS.
(a) Rescission of Funds.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, an amount equal to the amount of funds made available to carry out
title I for a fiscal year shall be rescinded, in accordance with
subsection (b), from the unobligated discretionary funds available to
the Secretary from prior fiscal years.
(b) Return of Funds.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
by not later than 15 days after funds are appropriated or made
available to carry out title I, the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget shall--
(1) identify from which appropriations accounts available
to the Secretary of Labor the rescission described in
subsection (a) shall apply; and
(2) determine the amount of the rescission that shall apply
to each account.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology, and Appropriations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology, and Appropriations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology, and Appropriations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology, and Appropriations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Research and Technology.
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