Reengage the Workforce Act
This bill requires the Department of Labor, in consultation with the Department of Education, to make competitive grants to eligible entities for carrying out in-person or virtual programs to provide specified services to eligible secondary school dropouts.
Eligible entity refers to a partnership between or among (1) a local educational agency, a unit of general local government, a nonprofit intermediary, or a consortium of any of these entities; and (2) a community-based organization, an institution of higher education, or a local or state board (or a combination of these entities).
Eligible secondary school dropout refers to an individual who is not younger than 16 years of age and who is not enrolled in a secondary school or high school equivalency program.
A program funded with a grant must provide specified services to eligible secondary school dropouts. These services include assistance in reentering a secondary school or entering an in-person or virtual high school equivalency program, flexible secondary school credit recovery to accelerate the time to receive a high school diploma, life and career workshops, and supportive services (e.g., transportation, child care, and housing).
Labor must give preference to eligible entities that will use the grant to carry out programs in low-income communities or that will implement evidence-based practices in providing these services.
Labor must annually report to Congress about this grant program.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6786 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6786
To authorize the Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the Secretary
of Education, to make grants to eligible entities to assist certain
individuals in reentering a secondary school or a high school
equivalency program, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 14, 2023
Mr. Lynch introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the Secretary
of Education, to make grants to eligible entities to assist certain
individuals in reentering a secondary school or a high school
equivalency program, 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 ``Reengage the Workforce Act''.
SEC. 2. SECONDARY SCHOOL DROPOUT REENGAGEMENT GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Grants Authorized.--From the amounts made available to carry
out this section, the Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the
Secretary of Education, shall make grants, on a competitive basis, to
eligible entities to carry out in-person or virtual programs to provide
eligible secondary school dropouts each of the services described in
subsection (b).
(b) Uses of Funds.--A program funded with a grant under this
section shall provide each of the following services to eligible
secondary school dropouts:
(1) Assistance in reentering a secondary school or entering
an in-person or virtual high school equivalency program.
(2) Flexible secondary school credit recovery to accelerate
the time to receipt of a high school diploma, which may include
waiving seat time barriers, allowing virtual credit recovery
programming, providing prior learning assessments, accepting
alternative credits from internships, community service, or
independent study, or providing assessment tests (or pre-
employment tests) or GED ready tests (or high school
equivalency program tests).
(3) Life and career workshops, including--
(A) career planning and career exploration;
(B) assistance in enrolling in a program of
training or education at an institution of higher
education that leads to a recognized postsecondary
credential;
(C) resume support services;
(D) interview assistance; and
(E) work-based learning such as registered
apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships, practicums,
internships, and on-the-job training.
(4) Supportive services, such as transportation, child
care, dependent care, housing, and needs-related payments, that
are necessary to enable an individual to participate in
activities described in paragraphs (1) through (3).
(c) Application.--
(1) In general.--To receive a grant under this section, an
eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an application at
such time, in such manner, and containing such information as
the Secretary may require.
(2) Contents.--An application under paragraph (1) shall
include--
(A) a description of the program that will be
funded under the grant; and
(B) in the case of an application that supports an
existing program (as of the date of application), the
number of individuals who are enrolled in the program
as of such date, in the aggregate and disaggregated by
race, gender, age, and disability status.
(d) Preference.--In awarding grants under subsection (a), the
Secretary shall give preference to eligible entities that will use the
grant to carry out programs described in subsection (b)--
(1) in low-income communities; or
(2) that will implement evidence-based practices, as
determined by the Secretary, in providing the services offered
through the programs.
(e) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date on which the
first grant is awarded under subsection (a) and annually thereafter for
10 years, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the
implementation of this section, which shall include the following:
(1) The percentage of the grant funds awarded during the
most recent fiscal year, which are used to improve the
education of eligible secondary school dropouts and prepare
such individuals for the workforce.
(2) The percentage of the grant funds awarded during the
most recent fiscal year, which are used to provide the
supportive services described in subsection (b)(4) to eligible
secondary school dropouts.
(3) The number and types of programs funded under this
section in the most recent academic year.
(4) (A) For each milestone described in subparagraph (B),
the number of individuals who, during the period beginning on
the date on which such first grant is awarded and ending on the
last day of the most recent full academic year, met the
milestone, in the aggregate and disaggregated by program and by
race, gender, age, and disability status of the individuals.
(B) The milestones described in this subparagraph are the
following:
(i) Enrolled in a program funded under this
section.
(ii) Enrolled in, and completed, a program funded
under this section.
(iii) After enrollment in a program funded under
this section, enrolled in a program of training or
education at an institution of higher education that
leads to a recognized postsecondary credential.
(iv) After completion of a program funded under
this section, obtained employment in a relevant field.
(5) Any additional data needed to determine the impact of
programs funded under this section on workforce readiness, as
determined by the Secretary.
(f) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) ESEA terms.--The terms ``high school'', ``local
educational agency'', and ``secondary school'' have the
meanings given such terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
(2) WIOA terms.--The terms ``career planning'',
``community-based organization'', ``local board'', ``poverty
line'', ``recognized postsecondary credential'', ``State
board'', and ``unit of general local government'' have the
meanings given the terms in section 3 of the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
(3) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a
partnership between or among--
(A)(i) a local educational agency;
(ii) a unit of general local government;
(iii) a nonprofit intermediary (such as a local
educational agency or other educational organization);
or
(iv) a consortium of any of the entities described
in clauses (i) through (iii); and
(B) one or more of the following:
(i) A community-based organization.
(ii) An institution of higher education.
(iii) A local board or State board.
(4) Eligible secondary school dropout.--The term ``eligible
secondary school dropout'' means an individual who is--
(A) not younger than 16 years of age; and
(B) not enrolled in a secondary school or high
school equivalency program.
(5) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the
term in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1002).
(6) Low-income community.--The term ``low-income
community'' means any census block group in which 30 percent or
more of the population are individuals with an annual household
equal to, or less than, the greater of--
(A) an amount equal to 80 percent of the median
income of the area in which the household is located,
as reported by the Department of Housing and Urban
Development; and
(B) an amount equal to 200 percent of the poverty
line.
(7) Registered apprenticeship.--The term ``registered
apprenticeship'' means an apprenticeship registered under the
Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly known as the ``National
Apprenticeship Act'') (50 Stat. 664, chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50
et seq.).
(8) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Labor.
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there is authorized to be appropriated $5,520,000 for each of fiscal
years 2024 through 2034.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
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