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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6704 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6704
To require the Secretary of Labor to establish a grant program for
States to improve or establish a credential repository, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 11, 2023
Mrs. McBath introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Labor to establish a grant program for
States to improve or establish a credential repository, 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 ``Credential Repository and
Transparency in States Act'' or the ``CReatES Act''.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is to provide assistance to States for the
collection, development, analysis, and sharing of information on--
(1) all of the credentials offered in each State;
(2) the quality of such credentials, including their use by
employers for making employment-related decisions;
(3) education and career pathways that lead to such
credentials and occupations in a State; and
(4) the sharing of such information with individuals in
each State, enabling them to make informed education and career
choices.
SEC. 3. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.
(a) Authorization and Limitations.--
(1) In general.--From amounts made available under section
4, the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of
Education, shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to
States to establish, expand, or improve a State credential
repository that contains information on each covered program,
credential, and training provider in the State.
(2) Duration.--A grant awarded under this Act shall be
awarded for a period of 3 years.
(3) Amount.--In awarding a grant under this Act, the
Secretary--
(A) may not award a grant in excess of $10,000,000;
and
(B) in deciding the amount of a grant, shall take
into consideration--
(i) the number of credentials offered in
the State; and
(ii) the number of training providers in
the State.
(4) Timing.--Not later than 90 days after the Secretary
receives an application submitted under subsection (b), the
Secretary shall make a determination as to whether the State
that submitted such application will receive a grant under this
Act.
(5) Limit.--The Secretary may only award one grant to a
State.
(b) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant, a State shall
submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner,
and containing such information as the Secretary shall require,
including--
(1) information on how the State will establish, expand, or
improve a credential repository that satisfies requirements
under subsection (d);
(2) information on the data policy a State will establish
under subsection (c)(1)(B);
(3) a description of any products, tools, services, or
resources that a State develops pursuant to subsection
(c)(1)(E);
(4) an assurance that the credential repository will be
interoperable with other State credential repositories; and
(5) an assurance that the State will establish and maintain
the credential repository in accordance with the requirements
under subsection (d).
(c) Uses of Funds.--
(1) Mandatory use.--A State awarded a grant under this Act
shall--
(A) establish a credential repository, as described
in subsection (d), through a process that includes
input from the public;
(B) establish a data policy for such repository
that addresses how the State will ensure that the
repository meets the requirements described in
subsection (d);
(C) assist training providers in the State in the
collection of information on the primary indicators of
performance described in section 116(b)(2)(A) of the
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C.
3141(b)(2)(A)) for each covered program;
(D) provide guidance to education, job, and career
counselors in the State on how to use the credential
repository; and
(E) develop or facilitate access to products,
tools, services, and other resources, using the
information and linked, open, and interoperable data
contained in the credential repository, that benefit
workers, employers, educators, counselors,
policymakers, and others.
(2) Authorized use.--If a State carries out all of the
activities under paragraph (1), the State may use any excess
grant funds to publicize the repository of the State to
individuals in the State.
(d) Credential Repository.--A State that receives a grant under
this Act shall establish a publicly accessible credential repository
that--
(1) identifies--
(A) each credential offered in the State; and
(B) each training provider in the State;
(2) includes information on--
(A) with respect to each training provider in the
State--
(i) process and outcome quality indicators
of such training provider for each covered
program offered by such training provider; and
(ii) each credential for which such
training provider offers a covered program;
(B) with respect to each covered program offered in
the State--
(i) the competencies and skills an
individual develops by completing such covered
program; and
(ii) the cost of enrollment for an
individual to enroll in such program;
(C) with respect to each credential offered in the
State--
(i) the training providers that offer such
credential;
(ii) any assessment that an individual is
required to take to earn such credential;
(iii) the cost to an individual of each
such assessment;
(iv) any postsecondary credit or equivalent
transfer value recommendations of such
credential, such as the recommendations
provided by the American Council on Education's
National Guide, guidance from a statewide
education coordinating entity, or
recommendations or guidance from a comparably
similar entity, as available and appropriate;
(v) the career pathway or program of study
that such credential is a part, as applicable;
(vi) the outcomes associated with such
credential, including--
(I) the earning and employment
status of individuals after earning
such credential;
(II) the completion and pass rates
of individuals in each career pathway
or program of study for which the
individual earned such credential; and
(III) other calculations, including
the return on investment, as determined
by the State, for an individual after
earning such credential;
(vii) the job skills an individual develops
in earning such credential; and
(viii) the industries and occupations for
which such credential prepares an individual;
(3) aligns with, complements, and enhances eligibility
lists or criteria for training providers, such as the
eligibility criteria established under section 122(a) of the
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3152(b)),
or a program or pathway approval process required by the Carl
D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (U.S.C.)
or chapter 33 of title 38, United States Code (otherwise known
as the Post 9/11 Education Assistance Program);
(4) is updated on a continuous basis to ensure the accuracy
and recency of the information and data in the repository;
(5) uses data formats that--
(A) are transparent, linked, open, and
interoperable with other State credential repositories;
(B) are aligned with widely recognized and adopted
standards, which may include the use of credential
transparency description language specifications; and
(C) allow for open access to the data in the
repository across State and national borders and
industry sectors for guidance counseling, career
navigation, and other comparably similar activities;
(6) has functions to search, discover, compare, and analyze
each credential, covered program, and training provider in the
State; and
(7) includes any other information as determined by the
Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Education.
(e) Privacy Protections.--In carrying out the activities under this
Act, a State shall not collect or include in the repository any
personally identifiable information.
(f) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, and on an annual basis thereafter, a
State that receives a grant under this Act shall submit to the
Secretary a report at such time, in such manner, and containing
such information as the Secretary may require, including
information on the improvement or development and
implementation of the credential repository in such State.
(2) Reduced burden.--The Secretary, in coordination with
the Secretary of Education, and in consultation with the States
receiving a grant under this Act, shall implement processes to
reduce the burden of reporting information required to be
reported under this Act.
(g) Definitions.--In this Act:
(1) Covered program.--The term ``covered program'' means a
program that is offered to individuals to earn a credential.
(2) Credential.--The term ``credential'' means an education
or occupational qualification or achievement used to indicate
suitability for a future educational opportunity or career
opportunity, including diplomas, digital badges, certificates,
certifications, a recognized postsecondary credential,
occupational or professional licenses, microcredentials, and
degrees of all types and levels.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'', unless otherwise
specified in this Act, means the Secretary of Labor.
(4) Training provider.--The term ``training provider''
means an entity that offers a covered program.
(5) WIOA terms.--The terms ``career pathway'', ``recognized
postsecondary credential'', and ``State'' have the meanings
given such terms in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3113).
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated such sums
as may be necessary to carry out this Act for fiscal year 2025.
(b) Remain Available.--The funds appropriated under this section
shall remain available until September 30, 2027.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
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