“A bill to address the needs of workers in industries likely to be impacted by rapidly evolving technologies.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section states congressional findings concerning federal employment and training programs, including that such programs are funded at nearly $20 billion annually (less than 0.1% of GDP); automation-related job losses disproportionately affect women, people of color, and workers earning less than $40,000 annually; robots and automation are forecast to displace nearly 5 million more jobs than they create from 2025 to 2030; and the U.S. would need to invest an additional $72 billion annually in workforce policies ($8.5 billion for training) to reach the average of other industrial countries and OECD members.
This section defines 10 terms used in the Act, including "(1) automation," as a device, process, or system functioning without continuous operator input (e.g., advanced data technologies, 3-D printing, robotics, autonomous vehicles, or machinery); "(2) covered population," as individuals with barriers to employment under WIOA §3(24)(A)-(N) (29 U.S.C. 3102(24)(A)-(N)); "(3) eligible partnership," as an industry or sector partnership under WIOA §3(26) that, for purposes of WIOA §3(26)(A)(iii), uses the definition of "institution of higher education" in the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001) and includes representatives from a State or local workforce development board and an economic development organization; "(4) digital literacy," as defined in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (47 U.S.C. 1721); "(5) training services," as those described in WIOA §134(c)(3)(D) (29 U.S.C. 3174(c)(3)(D)) and including digital literacy skills; and "(6) other terms by cross-reference to WIOA (e.g., dislocated worker, in-demand industry sector or occupation, integrated education and training, workforce development boards). "(7) Secretary" means the Secretary of Labor.
This section authorizes the Secretary of Labor to award competitive grants to eligible partnerships, beginning in FY2026 from appropriated funds, for demonstration and pilot projects (up to 4 years) addressing training needs of workers dislocated or likely to be dislocated by automation. Grant applications must describe the partnership's roles, training services (including plans to transition dislocated workers to in-demand sectors, retrain within industries to avert layoffs, and provide technology skills such as coding or IT security), goals, and support for covered populations. In awarding grants, the Secretary must prioritize (1) partnerships in areas with high percentages of covered populations and (2) secondarily, those in areas with high concentrations of automation-impacted or in-demand industries; providing incumbent worker training to retain employment, avert layoffs, or enable promotions (with employer backfilling); offering stipends, leave, child care, or other benefits; or developing shared training curricula. Grant funds may be used to (1) provide training for in-demand sectors; (2) support staff for training coordination; (3) purchase training equipment; (4) offer job search assistance; (5) provide training stipends; or (6) deliver integrated education and training. Grant recipients must submit a report to the Secretary one year after project completion detailing workers trained, transitions to new positions or in-demand sectors, earnings, employment rates in the second and fourth quarters post-training, and best practices—provided in aggregate and disaggregated form.
This section amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) as follows: (1) adds to the list of required statewide employment and training activities under WIOA section 134(d)(1)(A) (29 U.S.C. 3174(d)(1)(A)) training programs for individuals who are or are likely to become dislocated workers due to automation, including activities preparing such individuals for technology sector occupations; and (2) for national dislocated worker grants under WIOA section 170 (29 U.S.C. 3225)—(A) expands covered events in subsection (b)(1)(A) to include advances in automation technology (in addition to plant closures, mass layoffs, and other dislocations); and (B) authorizes $40 million for each of FY2026 through FY2030, in addition to amounts reserved under WIOA section 132(a)(2)(A). (Thus, states may use governor-reserved WIOA funds for automation-related training, and more dislocations qualify for supplemental national grants to support rapid response and reemployment services.)