S.Amdt. 1396

SA 1396. Mr. COONS (for himself and Ms. Ayotte) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 1221 proposed by Mr.
Hatch to the bill H.R. 1314, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986
to provide for a right to an administrative appeal relating to adverse
determinations of tax-exempt status of certain organizations; which was
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of the bill, add the following:

TITLE III--MANUFACTURING SKILLS ACT OF 2015

SEC. 301. SHORT TITLE.

This title may be cited as the ``Manufacturing Skills Act
of 2015''.

SEC. 302. DEFINITIONS.

In this title:
(1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a
State or a metropolitan area.
(2) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' means each of the
following:
(A) An institution of higher education, as defined in
section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1001(a)).
(B) A postsecondary vocational institution, as defined in
section 102(c) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1002(c)).
(3) Manufacturing sector.--The term ``manufacturing
sector'' means a manufacturing sector classified in code 31,
32, or 33 of the most recent version of the North American
Industry Classification System developed under the direction
of the Office of Management and Budget.

[[Page S3085]]

(4) Metropolitan area.--The term ``metropolitan area''
means a standard metropolitan statistical area, as designated
by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
(5) Partnership.--The term ``Partnership'' means the
Manufacturing Skills Partnership established in section
311(a).
(6) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several
States of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,
the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, the United
States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands.

Subtitle A--Manufacturing Skills Program

SEC. 311. MANUFACTURING SKILLS PROGRAM.

(a) Manufacturing Skills Partnership.--The Secretary of
Commerce, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Education,
Secretary of the Department of Defense, and Director of the
National Science Foundation shall jointly establish a
Manufacturing Skills Partnership consisting of the
Secretaries and the Director, or their representatives. The
Partnership shall--
(1) administer and carry out the program established under
this subtitle;
(2) establish and publish guidelines for the review of
applications, and the criteria for selection, for grants
under this subtitle; and
(3) submit an annual report to Congress on--
(A) the eligible entities that receive grants under this
subtitle; and
(B) the progress such eligible entities have made in
achieving the milestones identified in accordance with
section 312(b)(2)(H).
(b) Program Authorized.--
(1) In general.--From amounts appropriated to carry out
this subtitle, the Partnership shall award grants, on a
competitive basis, to eligible entities to enable the
eligible entities to carry out their proposals submitted in
the application under section 312(b)(2), in order to promote
reforms in workforce education and skill training for
manufacturing in the eligible entities.
(2) Grant duration.--A grant awarded under paragraph (1)
shall be for a 3-year period, with grant funds under such
grant distributed annually in accordance with subsection
(c)(2).
(3) Second grants.--If amounts are made available to award
grants under this subtitle for subsequent grant periods, the
Partnership may award a grant to an eligible entity that
previously received a grant under this subtitle after such
first grant period expires. The Partnership shall evaluate
the performance of the eligible entity under the first grant
in determining whether to award the eligible entity a second
grant under this subtitle.

SEC. 312. APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS.

(a) In General.--An eligible entity that desires to receive
a grant under this subtitle shall--
(1) establish a task force, consisting of leaders from the
public, nonprofit, and manufacturing sectors, representatives
of labor organizations, representatives of elementary schools
and secondary schools, and representatives of institutions of
higher education, to apply for and carry out a grant under
this subtitle; and
(2) submit an application at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Partnership may require.
(b) Application Contents.--The application described in
subsection (a)(2) shall include--
(1) a description of the task force that the eligible
entity has assembled to design the proposal described in
paragraph (2);
(2) a proposal that--
(A) identifies, as of the date of the application--
(i) the current strengths of the State or metropolitan area
represented by the eligible entity in manufacturing; and
(ii) areas for new growth opportunities in manufacturing;
(B) identifies, as of the date of the application,
manufacturing workforce and skills challenges preventing the
eligible entity from expanding in the areas identified under
subparagraph (A)(ii), such as--
(i) a lack of availability of--

(I) strong career and technical education;
(II) educational programs in science, technology,
engineering, or mathematics; or
(III) a skills training system; or

(ii) an absence of customized training for existing
industrial businesses and sectors;
(C) identifies challenges faced within the manufacturing
sector by underrepresented and disadvantaged workers,
including veterans, in the State or metropolitan area
represented by the eligible entity;
(D) provides strategies, designed by the eligible entity,
to address challenges identified in subparagraphs (B) and (C)
through tangible projects and investments, with the deep and
sustainable involvement of manufacturing businesses;
(E) identifies and leverages innovative and effective
career and technical education or skills training programs in
the field of manufacturing that are available in the eligible
entity;
(F) leverages other Federal funds in support of such
strategies;
(G) reforms State or local policies and governance, as
applicable, in support of such strategies; and
(H) holds the eligible entity accountable, on a regular
basis, through a set of transparent performance measures,
including a timeline for the grant period describing when
specific milestones and reforms will be achieved; and
(3) a description of the source of the matching funds
required under subsection (d) that the eligible entity will
use if selected for a grant under this subtitle.
(c) Award Basis.--
(1) Selection basis and maximum number of grants.--
(A) In general.--The Partnership shall award grants under
this subtitle, by not earlier than January 1, 2015, and not
later than March 31, 2015, to the eligible entities that
submit the strongest and most comprehensive proposals under
subsection (b)(2).
(B) Maximum number of grants.--For any grant period, the
Partnership shall award not more than 5 grants under this
subtitle to eligible entities representing States and not
more than 5 grants to eligible entities representing
metropolitan areas.
(2)  Amount of grants.--
(A) In general.--The Partnership shall award grants under
this subtitle in an amount that averages, for all grants
issued for a 3-year grant period, $10,000,000 for each year,
subject to subparagraph (C) and paragraph (3).
(B) Amount.--In determining the amount of each grant for an
eligible entity, the Partnership shall take into
consideration the size of the industrial base of the eligible
entity.
(C) Insufficient appropriations.--For any grant period for
which the amounts available to carry out this subtitle are
insufficient to award grants in the amount described in
subparagraph (A), the Partnership shall award grants in
amounts determined appropriate by the Partnership.
(3) Funding contingent on performance.--In order for an
eligible entity to receive funds under a grant under this
subtitle for the second or third year of the grant period,
the eligible entity shall demonstrate to the Partnership that
the eligible entity has achieved the specific reforms and
milestones required under the timeline included in the
eligible entity's proposal under subsection (b)(2)(H).
(4) Consultation with policy experts.--The Partnership
shall assemble a panel of manufacturing policy experts and
manufacturing leaders from the private sector to serve in an
advisory capacity in helping to oversee the competition and
review the competition's effectiveness.
(d) Matching Funds.--An eligible entity receiving a grant
under this subtitle shall provide matching funds toward the
grant in an amount of not less than 50 percent of the costs
of the activities carried out under the grant. Matching funds
under this subsection shall be from non-Federal sources and
shall be in cash or in-kind.

SEC. 313. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to
carry out this subtitle such sums as may be necessary for
fiscal year 2016.
(b) Availability.--Funds appropriated under this section
shall remain available until expended.

Subtitle B--Audit of Federal Education and Skills Training

SEC. 321. AUDIT OF FEDERAL EDUCATION AND SKILLS TRAINING.

(a) Audit.--By not later than March 31, 2016, the Director
of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, acting
through the Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office,
shall conduct an audit of all Federal education and skills
training programs related to manufacturing to ensure that
States and metropolitan areas are able to align Federal
resources to the greatest extent possible with the labor
demands of their primary manufacturing industries. In
carrying out the audit, the Director shall work with States
and metropolitan areas to determine how Federal funds can be
more tailored to meet their different needs.
(b) Report and Recommendations.--By not later than March
31, 2016, the Director of the National Institute of Standards
and Technology shall prepare and submit a report to Congress
that includes--
(1) a summary of the findings from the audit conducted
under subsection (a); and
(2) recommendations for such legislative and administrative
actions to reform the existing funding for Federal education
and skills training programs related to manufacturing as the
Director determines appropriate.

Subtitle C--Offset

SEC. 331. RESCISSION OF DEPARTMENT OF LABOR FUNDS.

(a) Rescission of Funds.--Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, an amount equal to the amount of funds made
available to carry out subtitle A for a fiscal year shall be
rescinded, in accordance with subsection (b), from the
unobligated discretionary funds available to the Secretary
from prior fiscal years.
(b) Return of Funds.--Notwithstanding any other provision
of law, by not later than 15 days after funds are
appropriated or made available to carry out subtitle A, the
Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall--
(1) identify from which appropriations accounts available
to the Secretary of Labor the rescission described in
subsection (a) shall apply; and
(2) determine the amount of the rescission that shall apply
to each account.
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