“To require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a grant program to address forestry workforce development needs, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes a competitive grant program, to be administered by the Secretary of Agriculture not later than one year after enactment, under which eligible entities (i.e., nonprofits, states, Indian Tribes, local governments, or institutions of higher education) may receive grants of $500,000 to $2,000,000 for up to four years to carry out career pathway training programs (as defined in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) for forestry operations and forestry products industries in eligible areas (i.e., nonmetropolitan low-income communities with broadband access or plans and populations of 50,000 or fewer). In awarding grants, the Secretary must prioritize applicants addressing aging workforces and youth migration, partnering with secondary schools, vocational or technical schools, or junior or community colleges, and demonstrating workforce placement capabilities; applications must demonstrate program capacity, regional need, intended reach, sustainability, and implementation plans. The section authorizes $10 million for each of FY2026 through FY2030.