[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 63 (Tuesday, April 13, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1896-S1898]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. KAINE (for himself and Mr. Portman):
S. 1078. A bill to require the Secretary of Labor to award grants for
promoting industry or sector partnerships to encourage industry growth
and competitiveness and to improve worker training, retention, and
advancement as part of an infrastructure investment; to the Committee
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, The U.S. Infrastructure system is in
critical need of an upgrade. In February 2021, the American Society of
Civil Engineers (ASCE) graded 11 of 17 infrastructure categories a D+
or worse. Systems across the Nation are in dire need of repair,
including our bridges, public transit, roads, and schools.
A recent study by the Center of Education and the Workforce at
Georgetown University estimated that a $1.5 trillion infrastructure
investment would create 15 million new jobs. Nearly half of these would
require training past the high school level. Even without a significant
investment, though, infrastructure industries are already struggling to
meet workforce demands. Though the need to invest in infrastructure
goes back decades, there's renewed momentum today, especially as more
than 10 million people remain unemployed across the country as a result
of COVID-19, exacerbating the already historic inequities that have
limited women and people of color from accessing these jobs.
Investments in infrastructure skills training must serve people of
color, women, and other communities who have historically been excluded
from good careers in infrastructure.
Industry and sector partnerships are a proven strategy for helping
workers prepare for jobs that lead to strong career pathways and
helping businesses find skilled workers. Congress requires states and
local areas to support the development of these partnerships under the
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), but no dedicated
funding has been provided for these activities.
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For workers, especially those underrepresented in infrastructure
industries, support services like career counseling, child care, and
transportation can often be the key to succeed in work-based learning
programs. Providing these services may be outside the capacity of a
business. Industry partnerships bring business together with community
and human service organizations that can make these connections for
workers and drastically improve their ability to succeed in training
and meet business demand for skilled workers.
This is why I am pleased to introduce with my colleague, Senator
Portman, the Building U.S. Infrastructure by Leveraging Demands for
Skills Act, or BUILDS Act. The BUILDS Act creates a grant program that
would support industry and sector partnerships working with local
businesses, industry associations and organizations, labor
organizations, state and local workforce boards, economic development
agencies and other partners engaged in their communities to encourage
industry growth, competitiveness and collaboration to improve worker
training, retention and advancement in targeted infrastructure
clusters. Additionally, businesses and education providers would be
connected to develop classroom curriculum to complement on-the-job
learning and workers would receive support services such as mentoring
and career counseling to ensure that they are successful from the pre-
employment to placement in a full-time position.
As we prepare to tackle critical infrastructure needs nationwide,
it's vital we also support a skilled workforce that can take on this
task. This bill will help foster strong industry partnerships and
career pathways in infrastructure fields to ensure we can train and
upskill workers for millions of good-paying jobs and also strengthen
our economy as we begin to recover from COVID-19. I hope that my
colleagues on both sides of the aisle consider the BUILDS Act as a
necessary component to any investment in our nation's infrastructure.
______
By Mr. McCONNELL:
S. 1091. A bill to designate certain future interstates and high
priority corridors in Kentucky, and for other purposes; to the
Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text
of the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 1091
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. LOUIE B. NUNN CUMBERLAND EXPRESSWAY.
(a) Designation as High Priority Corridor.--Section 1105(c)
of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of
1991 (Public Law 102-240; 105 Stat. 2032; 133 Stat. 3018) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``(92) The Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Expressway from the
interchange with Interstate 65 in Barren County, Kentucky,
east to the interchange with U.S. Highway 27 in Somerset,
Kentucky.''.
(b) Designation as Future Interstate.--Section
1105(e)(5)(A) of the Intermodal Surface Transportation
Efficiency Act of 1991 (Public Law 102-240; 109 Stat. 597;
133 Stat. 3018) is amended in the first sentence by striking
``and subsection (c)(91)'' and inserting ``subsection
(c)(91), and subsection (c)(92)''.
(c) Numbering of Parkway.--Section 1105(e)(5)(C)(i) of the
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991
(Public Law 102-240; 109 Stat. 598; 133 Stat. 3018) is
amended by adding at the end the following: ``The route
referred to in subsection (c)(92) is designated as Interstate
Route I-365.''.
(d) Operation of Vehicles.--Section 127(l)(3)(A) of title
23, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in the matter preceding clause (i), in the first
sentence, by striking ``clauses (i) through (iv) of this
subparagraph'' and inserting ``clauses (i) through (v)''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(v) The Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Expressway (to be
designated as a spur of Interstate Route 65) from the
interchange with Interstate 65 in Barren County, Kentucky,
east to the interchange with U.S. Highway 27 in Somerset,
Kentucky.''.
______
By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Sanders, Mr.
Menendez, Mr. Markey, Mrs. Murray, and Ms. Klobuchar):
S. 1102. A bill to direct the Federal Communications Commission to
establish a program to make grants to States to inform Medicaid
enrollees, SNAP participants, and low-income residents of potential
eligibility for the Lifeline program of the Commission; to the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of
the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 1102
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 ``Promoting Access to
Broadband Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. LIFELINE ENROLLMENT OUTREACH GRANTS.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal
Communications Commission.
(2) Covered individuals.--The term ``covered individuals''
means--
(A) Medicaid enrollees;
(B) SNAP participants; and
(C) low-income residents.
(3) Eligible-but-not-enrolled.--The term ``eligible-but-
not-enrolled'' means, with respect to an individual, that the
individual is eligible for the Lifeline program but is not
enrolled in the Lifeline program.
(4) Lifeline program.--The term ``Lifeline program'' means
the Lifeline program of the Commission.
(5) Low-income.--The term ``low-income'' means a gross
annual income at or below 135 percent of the Federal poverty
level.
(6) Medicaid enrollee.--The term ``Medicaid enrollee''
means, with respect to a State, an individual enrolled in the
State plan under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) or a waiver of that plan.
(7) Reach.--The term ``reach'' means, with respect to an
individual, to inform the individual of potential eligibility
for the Lifeline program and to provide the individual with
information about the Lifeline program, as described in
subsection (e).
(8) SNAP participant.--The term ``SNAP participant'' means
an individual who is a member of a household that
participates in the supplemental nutrition assistance program
under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et
seq.).
(9) State.--The term ``State'' means each State of the
United States, the District of Columbia, each commonwealth,
territory, or possession of the United States, and each
federally recognized Indian Tribe.
(b) Establishment.--The Commission shall establish a
competitive program to make grants to States to inform
covered individuals of potential eligibility for the Lifeline
program.
(c) Application.--
(1) In general.--The Commission may only award a grant
under this section to a State that submits an application at
such time, in such form, and with such information and
assurances as the Commission may require.
(2) Matters required to be included.--An application
submitted by a State under paragraph (1) shall include--
(A) the number of covered individuals in the State;
(B) a plan for the activities that the State will conduct
using grant funds, including a list of each agency within the
State that will assist in carrying out those activities; and
(C) an estimate of the percentage of eligible-but-not-
enrolled individuals in the State who will be reached by
those activities.
(d) Selection.--
(1) Minimum of 5 states.--The Commission shall award grants
under this section to not fewer than 5 States.
(2) Factors for consideration.--In awarding grants under
this section, the Commission shall give favorable
consideration--
(A) to States that have higher numbers of covered
individuals; and
(B) to States proposing, in the plans submitted under
subsection (c)(2)(B), to conduct activities that have the
potential to reach higher percentages of eligible-but-not-
enrolled individuals in those States, as determined by the
Commission, taking into consideration the estimates submitted
under subsection (c)(2)(C).
(3) Geographic diversity.--In awarding grants under this
section, the Commission shall, to the maximum extent
practicable, select States from different geographic regions
of the United States.
(e) Use of Funds.--
(1) In general.--A State that receives a grant under this
section shall use grant funds, in accordance with the plan
included in the application of the State under subsection
(c)(2)(B), to--
(A) inform covered individuals and organizations or
agencies that serve those individuals, as the case may be
under the terms of the grant awarded to the State, of
potential eligibility for the Lifeline program;
(B) provide those covered individuals with information
about the Lifeline program, including--
(i) how to apply for the Lifeline program; and
(ii) a description of the prohibition on more than 1
subscriber in each household receiving a service provided
under the Lifeline program; and
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(C) partner with nonprofit and community-based
organizations to provide those covered individuals with
assistance applying for the Lifeline program and information
about product and technology choices.
(2) Multiple state agencies.--A State that receives a grant
under this section may provide grant funds to 1 or more
agencies located within the State to carry out the activities
under the grant.
(f) Outreach to States Regarding Grant Program.--Before
accepting applications for the grant program established
under this section, the Commission shall conduct outreach to
States to ensure that States are aware of the grant program
and how to apply for a grant under the grant program.
(g) Report to Congress.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 3 years after establishing
the grant program under this section, the Commission shall
submit to Congress a report evaluating the effectiveness of
the grant program.
(2) Contents.--The report submitted under paragraph (1)
shall include--
(A) the number of individuals notified of Lifeline program
eligibility by States receiving grants under this section;
(B) the number of new applicants to the Lifeline program
from States receiving grants under this section, including
the number of those applicants whose Lifeline program
applications were approved and the number of those applicants
whose Lifeline program applications were denied; and
(C) the cost-effectiveness of the grant program established
under this section.
(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to the Commission such sums as may be
necessary to carry out this section for the first 5 full
fiscal years beginning after the establishment of the grant
program under this section.
____________________