H.R. 803: SKILLS Act

Introduced:
Feb 25, 2013 (113th Congress, 2013–2015)
Sponsor:
Rep. Virginia Foxx [R-NC5]
Status:
Passed House

The bill’s title was written by the bill’s sponsor. H.R. stands for House of Representatives bill.

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Status

This bill passed in the House on March 15, 2013 and goes to the Senate next for consideration.

Progress
Introduced Feb 25, 2013
Referred to Committee Feb 25, 2013
Reported by Committee Mar 06, 2013
Passed House Mar 15, 2013
Passed Senate ...
Signed by the President ...
Votes

H.Amdt. 31 (Tierney) to H.R. 803: Amendment in the nature of a substitute sought to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act ...
Mar 15, 2013 11:53 a.m.
Failed 192/227

On Motion to Recommit with Instructions: H.R. 803: SKILLS Act
Mar 15, 2013 12:16 p.m.
Failed 184/233

House Vote on Passage
Mar 15, 2013 12:24 p.m.
Passed 215/202

Prognosis

15% chance of being enacted.

Only 28% of House bills that made it past committee in 2011–2013 were enacted. [show factors | methodology]

Cosponsors
23 cosponsors (23R) (show)
Committees

House Agriculture

House Education and the Workforce

House Energy and Commerce

↪ Environment and the Economy

House Judiciary

House Transportation and Infrastructure

↪ Water Resources and Environment

House Veterans' Affairs

↪ Economic Opportunity

Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

The committee chair determines whether a bill will move past the committee stage.

Full Title

To reform and strengthen the workforce investment system of the Nation to put Americans back to work and make the United States more competitive in the 21st century.

Summary

No summaries available.

Text

Read Bill Text »

Last updated Mar 18, 2013.
268 pages

Primary Source

View on THOMAS (The Library of Congress)

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Citation

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GovTrack’s Bill Summary

We don’t have a summary available yet.

Library of Congress Summary

The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.

2/25/2013--Introduced.
Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills Act or SKILLS Act - Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) to revise requirements and reauthorize appropriations for:
(1) WIA title I, workforce investment systems for job training and employment services; and
(2) WIA title II, adult education and family literacy education programs.
Revises requirements to:
(1) eliminate representatives of labor organizations from state workforce investment boards, and
(2) specify that representatives of business on a board represent large and small businesses with immediate and long-term employment opportunities in in-demand industries and other occupations important to the state economy.
Requires a state board to assist the state governor by developing:
(1) policies and programs that support a comprehensive statewide workforce development system, and
(2) a statewide workforce and labor market information system.
Revises requirements for:
(1) a state workforce development plan;
(2) local workforce investment areas, boards, and plans;
(3) one-stop delivery systems; and
(4) the allotment of federal funds among states for employment and training activities.
Eliminates specific funding for adult and dislocated worker employment and training.
Specifies state use of federal funds to set up a Workforce Investment Fund. Revises requirements for:
(1) within state allocations of funds; and
(2) the use of funds for state and local employment and training activities, including statewide rapid response, individuals with barriers to employment grants, and adults with barriers to employment grants.
Converts the national emergency grants program into a national dislocated worker grants program.
Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to award national dislocated worker grants to spouses of active duty members of the Armed Forces or full-time duty members of the National Guard (or members who recently separated from such duties) and are in need of employment and training assistance to obtain or retain employment.
Requires the Employment and Training Administration of the Department of Labor to be the principal agency to administer WIA title I workforce investment systems for job training and employment services and title III (Job Corps). Revises requirements for the state unified plan for adult education and literacy programs.
Amends the Wagner-Peyser Act to eliminate the U.S. Employment Service. Replaces the nationwide employment statistics system, which the Secretary is required to oversee, with a nationwide workforce and labor market information system.
Repeals the Youth Conservation Corps Act of 1970 and specified other laws.
Amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to require employment and training services to eligible members of households participating in the supplemental nutrition assistance program be provided through the statewide workforce development system, including the One-Stop delivery system.
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) with respect to employment and training services for refugees, and the Second Chance Act of 2007 and well as the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 with respect to such services through the statewide workforce investment system for federal, state, and local prisoner reentry programs.
Amends INA also to require that 15% of importing employer fees deposited into the H-1B Nonimmigrant Petitioner Account be transferred to the Department of Education for gifted and talented grant programs (instead of 50% to job training programs).
Amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (RA73) to:
(1) redesignate the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration the Director, and
(2) require an eligible state to use a certain percentage of the federal share of the cost of vocational rehabilitation services to award grants to create practical job and career readiness and training programs and provide job placements and career advancement.
Repeals the authority of the Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration in the Department of Education to make grants and contracts for:
(1) vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities who are migrant or seasonal farmworkers;
(2) recreational programs for such individuals; and
(3) in-service training of vocational rehabilitation personnel.
Repeals title VI (Employment Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities) of the RA73. Revises requirements and reauthorizes appropriations for vocational rehabilitation services under the RA73.

House Republican Conference Summary

The summary below was written by the House Republican Conference, which is the caucus of Republicans in the House of Representatives.

This summary can be found at http://www.gop.gov/bill/113/1/hr803.

Background

According to the Education and Workforce Committee, approximately 12 million Americans are unemployed and searching for work. At the same time, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there are millions of job openings that remain unfilled.   Despite billions of taxpayer dollars being spent each year in federal job training programs, employers continue to struggle to find workers with the skills necessary to fill in demand jobs.  Moreover, an unwieldy workforce training system is making it more difficult for workers to access critical job skills. H.R. 803 seeks to provide American workers with a more dynamic flexible and effective network of job training services. 

A similar bill was reported out of the Education and Workforce Committee last June. For more information, see H.R. 4297.

Key Policy Points

  1. 1.     It eliminates ineffective and redundant programs
  2. 2.     It empowers job creators and promotes accountability
  3. 3.     It cuts through the bureaucracy 

Summary

H.R. 803 reforms our nation’s workforce development system, including the streamlining of duplicative and ineffective job training programs. In 2011, GAO identified more than 47 programs that were ineffective or duplicative. H.R. 803 streamlines federal workforce development programs, eliminating and consolidating 35 programs, including 26 identified in the GAO report.

Moreover, H.R. 803 creates a workforce investment fund to serve as a single source of federal support for employers; ensures two thirds of state and local workforce investment boards members are employers; eliminates 19 federal mandates regarding state and local workforce board representation, allowing locally elected officials to determine the remaining board members; requires local workforce boards to analyze regularly the area’s workforce needs; requires state and local leaders to adhere to common performance measures for all workforce development services; requires an independent evaluation of training programs every five years; strengthens the ability of governors to designate the location of workforce areas in their respective states; allows states to continue submitting a unified statewide workforce plan for all employment and training services; allows governors to consolidate additional programs into the workforce investment fund for the express purpose of providing greater administrative flexibility; allows states to determine the standards required for eligible training providers; allows local boards to contract with community colleges directly to provide training to large groups; allows individuals to receive the support that best meets their needs; requires local boards to spend a portion of the resources directly on training; requires service providers to contribute a portion of their resources to support the One-Stop-Career Centers’ infrastructure; reforms Job Corps to ensure that career and technical education and training is geared toward in-demand occupations and that disadvantaged youth receive a regular high school diploma or recognized  postsecondary credential; establishes new accountability standards for Job Corps, including requiring all grantees to re-compete for funding; closes low performing centers; and amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to increase the focus on delivery of basic literacy and math skills as well as support individuals with disabilities transitioning into employment. 

Cost

According to CBO, “enacting the bill would affect direct spending, but those costs are already assumed to continue in CBO’s baseline; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.” CBO goes on to state that “implementing the bill would affect discretionary spending. Assuming appropriations of authorized amounts, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 803 would cost $26 billion over the 2014-2018 period.”  For more information, see CBO’s cost estimate on H.R. 803.

House Democratic Caucus Summary

The House Democratic Caucus does not provide summaries of bills.

So, yes, we display the House Republican Conference’s summaries when available even if we do not have a Democratic summary available. That’s because we feel it is better to give you as much information as possible, even if we cannot provide every viewpoint.

We’ll be looking for a source of summaries from the other side in the meanwhile.

The bill contains the following citations to other parts of U.S. law:

Slip Laws

Slip laws refer to enacted bills and joint resolutions in their original form as enacted by Congress, that is, before other laws amend them. Slip laws are cited as “Public Law XXX-YYY”, where XXX is the number of the Congress in which the bill or resolution was introduced.

United States Code

The United States Code is the compilation of permanent laws enacted by Congress. Temporary and other non-permanent laws do not appear in the United States Code. (About half of the United States Code is the law itself, called positive law. The other half is merely a compilation of the laws but has no legal significance.)

Statutes at Large

The United States Statutes at Large is the compilation of all laws enacted by Congress.

  • 50 Stat. 664

Other Citations

  • 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35