[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 865 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
103d CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 865
To establish a Mobility for Work Demonstration Program, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 30 (legislative day, April 19), 1993
Mr. Bradley (for himself, Mr. Biden, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Bryan, Mrs.
Feinstein, Mr. Hollings, Mr. Kerrey, Ms. Mikulski, Ms. Moseley-Braun,
Mr. Reid, Mr. Robb, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Simon, Mr. Wellstone, Mr.
Hatch, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Danforth, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Kohl, and Mr. Wofford)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a Mobility for Work Demonstration Program, and for other
purposes.
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 ``Mobility for Work Act of 1993''.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is to--
(1) improve the employment rates and earnings of residents
of central cities by improving the access of the residents to
areas of high job growth;
(2) meet the labor needs of employers in suburban locations
during periods of economic growth and build permanent
attachments between workers and jobs; and
(3) test differing approaches to achieving the purposes
described in paragraphs (1) and (2) and determine the effects
of the approaches.
SEC. 3. MOBILITY FOR WORK DEMONSTRATION GRANTS.
(a) Definitions.--As used in this section:
(1) Area of high job growth.--The term ``area of high job
growth'' means an area, within a Primary Metropolitan
Statistical Area, that has averaged, during the 3 years
preceding the date on which the determination regarding the
area is made, a higher percentage increase in the number of
jobs, as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics or a
comparable State agency, than the Primary Metropolitan
Statistical Area as a whole.
(2) Central city.--The term ``central city'' means a
central city, as defined by the Bureau of the Census as of the
date of enactment of this Act.
(3) Community-based organization.--The term ``community-
based organization'' means an entity described in section 4(5)
of the Job Training Partnership Act (29 U.S.C. 1503(5)).
(4) Eligible metropolitan area.--The term ``eligible
metropolitan area'' means an area--
(A) that is a Primary Metropolitan Statistical
Area; and
(B) in which the job growth outside of central
cities accounted for 75 percent or more of total job
growth in the Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area
over the most recent 10-year period for which data are
available.
(5) Primary metropolitan statistical area.--The term
``Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area'' means a Primary
Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the Bureau of the
Census as of the date of enactment of this Act.
(6) Suburban job location.--The term ``suburban job
location'' means a job location that--
(A) is in an area of high job growth; and
(B) is not in a central city.
(b) Establishment of Program.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Labor, in consultation
with the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development, shall establish a Mobility for
Work Demonstration Program to evaluate the effects of assisting
residents of a central city within an eligible metropolitan
area to commute to job locations, especially suburban job
locations, within the metropolitan area.
(2) Grants authorized.--The Secretary of Labor, in
consultation with the Secretary of Transportation and the
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, shall make grants
through the Mobility for Work Demonstration Program to not more
than six entities to carry out demonstration projects in
eligible metropolitan areas, utilizing the program models
described in subsection (d).
(3) Peer review panel.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary of Labor, in
consultation with the Secretary of Transportation and
the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, shall
establish a peer review panel.
(B) Experience.--The panel shall be comprised of
individuals with experience in designing or
implementing successful programs to improve mobility
for work.
(C) Composition.--The panel shall include at least
one representative from each of the following:
(i) A local or regional transportation
authority.
(ii) A community-based organization that
has organized such a program.
(iii) A local or regional government.
(iv) A nonprofit organization that has
helped design or evaluate such a program.
(D) Duties.--The panel shall conduct an initial
review of, and make recommendations to the Secretary of
Labor regarding, applications submitted under
subsection (c). The panel shall recommend to the
Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Transportation
a design for the evaluation described in subsection
(e).
(c) Application and Approval Criteria.--To be eligible to receive a
grant under this section to carry out a demonstration project, an
entity shall submit an application to the Secretary of Labor at such
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary
of Labor, in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation and the
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, may require, including
information demonstrating that--
(1) the applicant will use one of the three program models
described in subsection (d) to carry out the project;
(2) the applicant will establish data collection procedures
that will be sufficient to enable the Secretary of Labor, in
consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, to conduct
an evaluation in accordance with subsection (e); and
(3) the applicant has the capability to carry out the
project adequately and to meet such other criteria as the
Secretary of Labor may prescribe.
(d) Program Models.--In making grants to entities to carry out
demonstration projects under this section, the Secretary of Labor, in
consultation with the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development shall make grants to entities that agree
to use one of the program models described in paragraphs (1), (2), and
(3), and shall make at least one grant to an entity that agrees to use
each of the following program models:
(1) Adding transportation services to existing job training
and placement programs.--Under this model an entity shall
supplement job training and placement programs that are in
existence on the date of the submission of the applicable
application by increasing the access of residents of a central
city in an eligible metropolitan area to job locations in areas
of high job growth in the metropolitan area. The entity shall
increase such access through the establishment of new
transportation services that are designed to--
(A) transport the residents to the locations, such
as van service provided between--
(i) the central city; and
(ii) business parks or major employers in
such locations,
by a public agency, a private entity, or a community-
based organization;
(B) provide transportation counseling and
assistance (such as services to promote the creation of
carpools or provide education on public transit routes)
to the residents to supplement counseling on job search
and workplace conduct provided through the job training
and placement programs; or
(C) provide a direct subsidy of public transit
fares or private automobile expenses for low-income
residents of central cities.
(2) Improving public transit systems to facilitate access
to areas of high job growth.--
(A) In general.--Under this model an entity shall--
(i) work with the relevant public transit
operator or agency to modify public transit
routes and schedules, in order to increase the
access of residents described in paragraph (1)
to job locations described in paragraph (1),
through public transit services such as--
(I) express bus service to business
parks in such locations at times
coinciding with shift changes; or
(II) new connecting services to
fill gaps in transportation service
that impede commuting from central
cities to such job locations; or
(ii) reimburse public transit operators for
the costs of providing reduced fare programs to
increase such access.
(B) Employer contributions.--An entity carrying out
a demonstration project in accordance with subparagraph
(A)(i) may request that employers of the residents
described in such subparagraph contribute to the costs
of implementing the transit services described in such
subparagraph.
(3) Establishing regional coalitions to improve central
city access to jobs.--
(A) Coalition.--Under this model an entity shall
establish a regional coalition, which may include
neighborhood organizations, employers, employer
associations, transportation providers, and similar
entities, to implement comprehensive strategies to
improve the access of low-income residents of a central
city in an eligible metropolitan area to job locations
within the metropolitan area.
(B) Services.--The entity shall identify
transportation barriers between central cities and such
job locations and shall address the barriers through--
(i) modifications in job training and
placement services;
(ii) the provision of support services such
as child care; and
(iii) the provision of transportation
services.
(C) Area.--The entity shall attempt to link job
training and placement program participants with job
opportunities throughout as much of the eligible
metropolitan area as is practicable.
(e) Evaluation.--The Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the
Secretary of Transportation, shall conduct a thorough evaluation of the
demonstration projects established under this section, which evaluation
shall include an assessment--
(1) with respect to entities establishing transportation
services to supplement job training and placement programs in
accordance with subsection (d)(1), the effect of the addition
of such transportation services on employment rates, job
retention, and earnings among residents of the area in which
the demonstration project is conducted;
(2) with respect to entities improving public transit
systems in accordance with subsection (d)(2), the effect of the
improvements on such employment rates, job retention, and
earnings; and
(3) with respect to entities establishing regional
coalitions and implementing comprehensive strategies in
accordance with subsection (d)(3), the effects of such
strategies on such employment rates, job retention, and
earnings.
(f) Other Funding Sources.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to prevent an entity that receives a grant under this section
to carry out a demonstration project from receiving funds to carry out
the project from other sources to supplement the funds made available
through the grant.
(g) Authorization of Funds.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $15,000,000 for fiscal year
1994, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years
1995 through 1998.
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