110th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 620
To establish a demonstration project to train unemployed workers
for employment as health care professionals, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 15, 2007
Mr. FEINGOLD (for himself and Ms. MIKULSKI) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions
A BILL
To establish a demonstration project to train unemployed workers
for employment as health care professionals, 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 `Community-Based Health Care Retraining Act'.
SEC. 2. HEALTH PROFESSIONS TRAINING DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.
Section 171 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2916) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
`(e) Health Professions Training Demonstration Project-
`(1) DEFINITIONS- In this subsection:
`(A) COVERED COMMUNITY- The term `covered community' means a community
or region that--
`(i) has experienced a significant percentage decline in positions
in the manufacturing or service sectors; and
`(ii) is determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services
(in consultation with the medical community) to be an area with a
shortage of health care professionals described in clause (i) or (ii)
of subparagraph (C).
`(B) COVERED WORKER- The term `covered worker' means an individual who--
`(i)(I) has been terminated or laid off, or who has received a notice
of termination or layoff, from employment in a manufacturing or service
sector;
`(II)(aa) is eligible for or has exhausted entitlement to unemployment
compensation; or
`(bb) has been employed for a duration sufficient to demonstrate,
to the appropriate entity at a one-stop center referred to in section
134(c), attachment to the workforce, but is not eligible for unemployment
compensation due to insufficient earnings or having performed services
for an employer that were not covered under a State unemployment compensation
law; and
`(III) is unlikely to return to a previous industry or occupation;
or
`(ii)(I) has been terminated or laid off, or has received a notice
of termination or layoff, from employment in a manufacturing or service
sector as a result of any permanent closure of, or any substantial
layoff at, a plant, facility, or enterprise; or
`(II) is employed in a manufacturing or service sector at a facility
at which the employer has made a general announcement that such facility
will close within 180 days.
`(C) HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL- The term `health care professional'--
`(i) means an individual who is involved with--
`(I) the delivery of health care services, or related services,
pertaining to--
`(aa) the identification, evaluation, and prevention of diseases,
disorders, or injuries; or
`(bb) home-based or community-based long-term care;
`(II) the delivery of dietary and nutrition services; or
`(III) rehabilitation and health systems management; and
`(ii) with respect to a covered community to be served through a grant
made under paragraph (3), includes individuals in health care professions
and jobs for which there is a shortage in the community, as determined
by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (in consultation with
the medical community), giving consideration to the amount of training
time required to retrain the covered workers for the health care professions
and jobs.
`(D) TRIBAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY- The term `tribal college or university'
means--
`(i) a tribally controlled college or university, as defined in section
2 of the Tribally Controlled College or University Assistance Act
of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1801);
`(ii) Dine College, authorized in the Navajo Community College Act
(25 U.S.C. 640a et seq.); and
`(iii) any of the 1994 Institutions, as defined in section 532 of
the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C.
301 note).
`(2) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROJECT- In accordance with subsection (b), the
Secretary shall establish and carry out a health professions training
demonstration project.
`(3) GRANTS- In carrying out the project, the Secretary, after consultation
with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall make grants to
eligible entities to enable the entities to carry out programs in covered
communities to train covered workers for employment as health care professionals.
The Secretary shall make each grant in an amount of not less than $100,000
and not more than $500,000.
`(4) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES- Notwithstanding subsection (b)(2)(B), to be eligible
to receive a grant under this subsection to carry out a program in a covered
community, an entity shall be a partnership that is--
`(A) under the direction of a local workforce investment board established
under section 117 that is serving the covered community; and
`(B) composed of members serving the covered community, such as--
`(i) an institution of higher education that provides a 4-year program
of instruction;
`(ii) an accredited community college;
`(iii) an accredited vocational or technical school;
`(iv) a tribal college or university;
`(v) a health clinic or hospital;
`(vi) a home-based or community-based long-term care facility or program;
or
`(vii) a health care facility administered by the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs.
`(5) APPLICATIONS- To be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection,
an entity shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in
such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require,
including, at a minimum--
`(A) a proposal to use the grant funds to establish or expand a training
program in order to train covered workers for employment as health care
professionals (including paraprofessionals);
`(B) information demonstrating the need for the training and support
services to be provided through the program;
`(C) information describing the manner in which the entity will expend
the grant funds, and the activities to be carried out with the funds;
`(D) information demonstrating that the entity meets the requirements
of paragraph (4); and
`(E) with respect to training programs carried out by the applicant,
information--
`(i) on the graduation rates of the programs involved;
`(ii) on the retention measures carried out by the applicant;
`(iii) on the length of time necessary to complete the training programs
of the applicant; and
`(iv) on the number of qualified covered workers that are refused
admittance into the training programs because of lack of capacity.
`(6) SELECTION- In making grants under paragraph (3), the Secretary, after
consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall--
`(A) consider the information submitted by the eligible entities under
paragraph (5)(E); and
`(i) eligible entities submitting applications that meet such criteria
as the Secretary of Labor determines to be appropriate; and
`(ii) among such entities, the eligible entities serving the covered
communities with the greatest need for the grants and the greatest
potential to benefit from the grants.
`(A) IN GENERAL- An entity that receives a grant under this subsection
shall use the funds made available through the grant for training and
support services that meet the needs described in the application submitted
under paragraph (5), which may include--
`(i) increasing capacity, subject to subparagraph (B), at an educational
institution or training center to train individuals for employment
as health professionals, such as by--
`(I) expanding a facility, subject to subparagraph (B);
`(II) expanding course offerings;
`(IV) providing a student loan repayment program for the faculty;
`(V) establishing or expanding clinical education opportunities;
`(VI) purchasing equipment, such as computers, books, clinical supplies,
or a patient simulator; or
`(VII) conducting recruitment; or
`(ii) providing support services for covered workers participating
in the training, such as--
`(I) providing tuition assistance;
`(II) establishing or expanding distance education programs;
`(III) providing transportation assistance; or
`(IV) providing child care.
`(B) LIMITATION- To be eligible to use the funds to expand a facility,
the eligible entity shall demonstrate to the Secretary in an application
submitted under paragraph (5) that the entity can increase the capacity
described in subparagraph (A)(i) of such facility only by expanding
the facility.
`(8) FUNDING- Of the amounts appropriated to, and available at the discretion
of, the Secretary or the Secretary of Health and Human Services for programmatic
and administrative expenditures, a total of $25,000,000 shall be used
to establish and carry out the demonstration project described in paragraph
(2) in accordance with this subsection.'.
END
