Bill > HR1633

This bill amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to establish a grant program designed to help ex-offenders reenter the workforce through innovative and evidence-based approaches. The bill creates a new section authorizing the Secretary of Labor to award two types of funding: pay-for-performance contracts and competitive grants to eligible entities such as nonprofit organizations, local boards, governments, employers, educational institutions, and industry partnerships. These grants will support ex-offenders who have been released from prison within the past two years, providing services like job placement, skills development, mentoring, and workforce training. Prioritized will be entities that partner with businesses to provide job training leading to credentials in high-demand occupations or offer on-the-job training with a commitment to employment. Grant recipients must match a portion of the federal funding (starting at 25% and increasing to 50% in subsequent years) and can use funds for activities like job placement, mentoring, outreach to correctional facilities, and coordination with employers. The bill requires rigorous performance tracking, including annual reporting on participant outcomes like employment rates, credentials earned, and recidivism reduction, with an independent evaluation to be conducted after five years to assess the program's effectiveness.

Education

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1633/all-info