Sec. 402. Water sector career grant programs
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The Secretary shall develop a grant program to improve job placement and retention in the water and wastewater utilities sector, to be administered in coordination with the Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Program. Section 4304(b) of Public Law 115–270 ( 42 U.S.C. 300j–19e ) is amended by inserting and the Secretary of the Interior after Agriculture . There is authorized to be appropriated for purposes of this section $10,000,000 for each fiscal year through fiscal year 2026, to remain available until expended.
Beginning 360 days after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary may award grants to eligible entities for the purpose of developing, offering, or improving programs that increase the job placement and retention of skilled and diverse workers in the water and wastewater sector. An eligible entity may not be awarded— more than 1 grant under this section for which the eligible entity is the lead applicant; or a grant under this section in excess of $2,500,000. Not less than 20 percent of the total amount awarded under this section for a fiscal year shall be awarded to eligible entities that are community colleges.
An eligible entity seeking to receive a grant under this section may partner with 1 or more of the following: Another eligible entity (including an eligible entity that is a community college). A water district or other organization with water delivery authority. A State or local government. A nonprofit organization. An eligible entity may use a grant awarded under this section for the following activities: Assessment of water workforce needs and priorities. Development of a water workforce plan.
Design and implementation of formalized mentorship or registered apprenticeship programs. Design and implementation of bridge programs, work-study opportunities, or other strategies to connect jobseekers with employment opportunities. Development of outreach strategies to recruit a more diverse workforce. Incumbent worker and career ladder training and skill upgrading and retraining. Identification and removal of barriers preventing qualified individuals from securing and retaining a job.
Curriculum development at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Development and support of water resource management major, minor, or certificate programs. Outreach, recruitment, career guidance, and case management services. Such other activities, as determined by the Secretary, to meet the purposes of this section. An eligible entity seeking to receive a grant under this section shall submit a grant proposal to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
A grant proposal submitted to the Secretary under this section shall include a detailed description of— the specific project for which the grant proposal is submitted, including the manner in which the grant will be used to develop, offer, or improve a program to improve recruitment and retention in the water or wastewater utility sector; any previous experience of the eligible entity in providing such programs; and the extent to which such project will meet the needs identified under subsection (i).
Subject to appropriations, the Secretary shall award grants under this section based on an evaluation of— the merits of the grant proposal; the likely improvement to job recruitment and retention as a result of the grant proposal; and the availability and capacity of existing educational programs in the community to meet future demand for such programs. Priority in awarding grants under this section shall be given to an eligible entity that— includes the equal participation of industry and labor organizations, including joint labor-management training programs and workforce investment boards; has entered into a memorandum of understanding with an employer that is a water district or organization with water delivery authority to foster workforce development, recruitment, and retention, and can leverage additional public and private resources to fund activities that further the purposes of the grant; focuses on individuals who are— veterans, members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces, or former members of such reserve components; unemployed; seeking employment pathways out of poverty and into economic self-sufficiency; at-risk youth; formerly incarcerated, adjudicated, nonviolent offenders; or from populations that are traditionally underrepresented in the infrastructure workforce; or with respect to an eligible entity that is an institution of higher education, has a high percentage or number of minority or low-income students.
The Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, award grants under this section in a manner that provides for a reasonable geographic distribution, except that the Secretary shall prioritize grants to institutions focused on the water management challenges of the Reclamation States. A grantee under this section shall collect and report to the Secretary on an annual basis the following: The number of participants enrolled in the program. The number of participants that have completed the program.
The services received by such participants, including a description of training, education, and supportive services. The amount spent by the grantee per participant. The rate of job placement of participants with a water district or other entity in the water and wastewater utilities sector. The rate of employment retention 1 year after completion of the program or 1 year after the participant is no longer enrolled in such institution of higher education, whichever is later. The average wage at placement, including any benefits, and the rate of average wage increase after 1 year.
Any factors determined as significantly interfering with recruitment and retention. The data collected and reported under this subsection shall be disaggregated by— race; gender; low-income status; disability; and English language proficiency. The Secretary shall assist grantees in the collection of data under this subsection by making available, where practicable, low-cost means of tracking the labor market outcomes of participants and by providing standardized reporting forms, where appropriate.
Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on a program to— collect and analyze labor market data in the water and wastewater utilities sector, including the data collected in subsection (h); track workforce trends, including those affecting recruitment and retention; and identify the educational and career training needs for current and future jobs in the water and wastewater utilities sector, including those related to construction and installation, engineering, operation, and maintenance.
Activities carried out under this paragraph shall include collaboration with State and local governments, workforce investment boards, industry, labor organizations, water districts, and nonprofit organizations. Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to facilitate coordination and collaboration between the career training program established by this section and the Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Program, including the improvement of such career training programs over time to reflect the needs identified by the interagency research program established in paragraph (1).
Not later than 240 days after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall— promulgate guidelines for the submission of grant proposals under this section, including a list of the needs identified under subsection (i); and publish and maintain such guidelines on a public website of the Secretary. Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this section, and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit a report to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate on the grant programs established by this section and the Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Program.
The report shall include a description of the grantees and the activities for which grantees used a grant awarded under this section. In this section: The term community college has the meaning given the term junior or community college in section 312(f) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1058(f) ). The term eligible entity means a nonprofit entity or partnership that demonstrates experience in implementing and operating worker skills training and education programs such as a labor organization or an institution of higher education, as such term is defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1001 ).
The term grantee means an eligible entity that has received a grant under this section. The term Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Program means the program authorized by section 4304(b) of Public Law 115–270 . The term lead applicant means the eligible entity that is primarily responsible for the preparation, conduct, and administration of the project for which the grant was awarded. The term low-income student means a student whose income (adjusted for family size) does not exceed— for metropolitan areas, 80 percent of the area median income; and for nonmetropolitan areas, the greater of— 80 percent of the area median income; or 80 percent of the statewide nonmetropolitan area median income.
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- 42 USC 300j–19e
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Sec. 402
Water sector career grant programs
Cite42 USC 300j–19e
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