“A bill 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—including institutions of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965)—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) related to forestry operations and forestry products industries in eligible areas. Eligible areas are nonmetropolitan low-income communities (as defined in section 45D(e) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) with populations of 20,000 or fewer that have or plan for specified broadband access. Grant applications must demonstrate program capacity, regional need, intended reach, sustainability, and implementation; the Secretary must prioritize applicants addressing aging workforces and youth migration, partnering with secondary schools, vocational/technical schools, or junior/community colleges, or aiding workforce placement. The section authorizes $10 million for each of FY2025 through FY2029.