S.Amdt. 4439

1. Adds TITLE _--WORKER OWNERSHIP, READINESS, AND KNOWLEDGE wherever appropriate

   Adds a title

   Inserted: TITLE _--WORKER OWNERSHIP, READINESS, AND KNOWLEDGE

   Inserted: SEC. _01. SHORT TITLE.

   Inserted: This title may be cited as the "Worker Ownership, Readiness and Knowledge Act" or the "WORK Act".

   Inserted: SEC. _02. DEFINITIONS.

   Inserted: In this title:

   Inserted: (1) Existing program.--The term "existing program" means a program, designed to promote employee ownership and employee participation in business decisionmaking, that exists on the date the Secretary is carrying out a responsibility authorized by this title.

   Inserted: (2) Initiative.--The term "Initiative" means the Employee Ownership and Participation Initiative established under section _03.

   Inserted: (3) New program.--The term "new program" means a program, designed to promote employee ownership and employee participation in business decisionmaking, that does not exist on the date the Secretary is carrying out a responsibility authorized by this title.

   Inserted: (4) Secretary.--The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Labor.

   Inserted: (5) State.--The term "State" means any of the 50 States within the United States of America.

   Inserted: SEC. _03. EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP AND PARTICIPATION INITIATIVE.

   Inserted: (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Labor shall establish an Employee Ownership and Participation Initiative to promote employee ownership and employee participation in business decisionmaking.

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   Inserted: (b) Functions.--In carrying out the Initiative, the Secretary shall--

   Inserted: (1) support within the States existing programs designed to promote employee ownership and employee participation in business decisionmaking; and

   Inserted: (2) facilitate within the States the formation of new programs designed to promote employee ownership and employee participation in business decisionmaking.

   Inserted: (c) Duties.--To carry out the functions enumerated in subsection (b), the Secretary shall--

   Inserted: (1) support new programs and existing programs by--

   Inserted: (A) making Federal grants authorized under section _5; and

   Inserted: (B)(i) acting as a clearinghouse on techniques employed by new programs and existing programs within the States, and disseminating information relating to those techniques to the programs; or

   Inserted: (ii) funding projects for information gathering on those techniques, and dissemination of that information to the programs, by groups outside the Department of Labor; and

   Inserted: (2) facilitate the formation of new programs, in ways that include holding or funding an annual conference of representatives from States with existing programs, representatives from States developing new programs, and representatives from States without existing programs.

   Inserted: SEC. _04. PROGRAMS REGARDING EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP AND PARTICIPATION.

   Inserted: (a) Establishment of Program.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a program to encourage new and existing programs within the States, designed to foster employee ownership and employee participation in business decisionmaking throughout the United States.

   Inserted: (b) Purpose of Program.--The purpose of the program established under subsection (a) is to encourage new and existing programs within the States that focus on--

   Inserted: (1) providing education and outreach to inform employees and employers about the possibilities and benefits of employee ownership, business ownership succession planning, and employee participation in business decisionmaking, including providing information about financial education, employee teams, open-book management, and other tools that enable employees to share ideas and information about how their businesses can succeed;

   Inserted: (2) providing technical assistance to assist employee efforts to become business owners, to enable employers and employees to explore and assess the feasibility of transferring full or partial ownership to employees, and to encourage employees and employers to start new employee-owned businesses;

   Inserted: (3) training employees and employers with respect to methods of employee participation in open-book management, work teams, committees, and other approaches for seeking greater employee input; and

   Inserted: (4) training other entities to apply for funding under this section, to establish new programs, and to carry out program activities.

   Inserted: (c) Program Details.--The Secretary may include, in the program established under subsection (a), provisions that--

   Inserted: (1) in the case of activities under subsection (b)(1)--

   Inserted: (A) target key groups such as retiring business owners, senior managers, unions, trade associations, community organizations, and economic development organizations;

   Inserted: (B) encourage cooperation in the organization of workshops and conferences; and

   Inserted: (C) prepare and distribute materials concerning employee ownership and participation, and business ownership succession planning;

   Inserted: (2) in the case of activities under subsection (b)(2)--

   Inserted: (A) provide preliminary technical assistance to employee groups, managers, and retiring owners exploring the possibility of employee ownership;

   Inserted: (B) provide for the performance of preliminary feasibility assessments;

   Inserted: (C) assist in the funding of objective third-party feasibility studies and preliminary business valuations, and in selecting and monitoring professionals qualified to conduct such studies; and

   Inserted: (D) provide a data bank to help employees find legal, financial, and technical advice in connection with business ownership;

   Inserted: (3) in the case of activities under subsection (b)(3)--

   Inserted: (A) provide for courses on employee participation; and

   Inserted: (B) provide for the development and fostering of networks of employee-owned companies to spread the use of successful participation techniques; and

   Inserted: (4) in the case of training under subsection (b)(4)--

   Inserted: (A) provide for visits to existing programs by staff from new programs receiving funding under this title; and

   Inserted: (B) provide materials to be used for such training.

   Inserted: (d) Guidance.--The Secretary shall issue formal guidance, for recipients of grants awarded under section _5 and one-stop partners affiliated with the statewide workforce investment systems described in section 106 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2881), proposing that programs and other activities funded under this title be--

   Inserted: (1) proactive in encouraging actions and activities that promote employee ownership of, and participation in, businesses; and

   Inserted: (2) comprehensive in emphasizing both employee ownership of, and participation in, businesses so as to increase productivity and broaden capital ownership.

   Inserted: SEC. _05. GRANTS.

   Inserted: (a) In General.--In carrying out the program established under section _4, the Secretary may make grants for use in connection with new programs and existing programs within a State for any of the following activities:

   Inserted: (1) Education and outreach as provided in section _4(b)(1).

   Inserted: (2) Technical assistance as provided in section _4(b)(2).

   Inserted: (3) Training activities for employees and employers as provided in section _4(b)(3).

   Inserted: (4) Activities facilitating cooperation among employee-owned firms.

   Inserted: (5) Training as provided in section _4(b)(4) for new programs provided by participants in existing programs dedicated to the objectives of this title, except that, for each fiscal year, the amount of the grants made for such training shall not exceed 10 percent of the total amount of the grants made under this title.

   Inserted: (b) Amounts and Conditions.--The Secretary shall determine the amount and any conditions for a grant made under this section. The amount of the grant shall be subject to subsection (f), and shall reflect the capacity of the applicant for the grant.

   Inserted: (c) Applications.--Each entity desiring a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may reasonably require.

   Inserted: (d) State Applications.--Each State may sponsor and submit an application under subsection (c) on behalf of any local entity consisting of a unit of State or local government, State-supported institution of higher education, or nonprofit organization, meeting the requirements of this title.

   Inserted: (e) Applications by Entities.--

   Inserted: (1) Entity applications.--If a State fails to support or establish a program pursuant to this title during any fiscal year, the Secretary shall, in the subsequent fiscal years, allow local entities described in subsection (d) from that State to make applications for grants under subsection (c) on their own initiative.

   Inserted: (2) Application screening.--Any State failing to support or establish a program pursuant to this title during any fiscal year may submit applications under subsection (c) in the subsequent fiscal years but may not screen applications by local entities described in subsection (d) before submitting the applications to the Secretary.

   Inserted: (f) Limitations.--A recipient of a grant made under this section shall not receive, during a fiscal year, in the aggregate, more than the following amounts:

   Inserted: (1) For fiscal year 2011, $300,000.

   Inserted: (2) For fiscal year 2012, $330,000.

   Inserted: (3) For fiscal year 2013, $363,000.

   Inserted: (4) For fiscal year 2014, $399,300.

   Inserted: (5) For fiscal year 2015, $439,200.

   Inserted: (g) Annual Report.--For each year, each recipient of a grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary a report describing how grant funds allocated pursuant to this section were expended during the 12-month period preceding the date of the submission of the report.

   Inserted: SEC. _06. EVALUATIONS.

   Inserted: The Secretary is authorized to reserve not more than 10 percent of the funds appropriated for a fiscal year to carry out this title, for the purposes of conducting evaluations of the grant programs identified in section _05 and to provide related technical assistance.

   Inserted: SEC. _07. REPORTING.

   Inserted: Not later than the expiration of the 36-month period following the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to Congress a report--

   Inserted: (1) on progress related to employee ownership and participation in businesses in the United States; and

   Inserted: (2) containing an analysis of critical costs and benefits of activities carried out under this title.

   Inserted: SEC. _08. AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS.

   Inserted: (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated for the purpose of making grants pursuant to section _5 the following:

   Inserted: (1) For fiscal year 2011, $3,850,000.

   Inserted: (2) For fiscal year 2012, $6,050,000.

   Inserted: (3) For fiscal year 2013, $8,800,000.

   Inserted: (4) For fiscal year 2014, $11,550,000.

   Inserted: (5) For fiscal year 2015, $14,850,000.

   Inserted: (b) Administrative Expenses.--There are authorized to be appropriated for the purpose of funding the administrative expenses related to the Initiative, for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2015, an amount not in excess of--

   Inserted: (1) $350,000; or

   Inserted: (2) 5.0 percent of the maximum amount available under subsection (a) for that fiscal year.-

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As printed