To address the workforce needs of the telecommunications industry.

SA 2162. Mr. THUNE (for himself, Mr. Tester, Mr. Moran, Mr. Peters,
and Mr. King) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to
amendment SA 2137 proposed by Mr. Schumer (for Ms. Sinema (for herself,
Mr. Portman, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Cassidy, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Collins, Mr.
Tester, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Warner, and Mr. Romney)) to the bill H.R.
3684, to authorize funds for Federal-aid highways, highway safety
programs, and transit programs, and for other purposes; as follows:

At the end of division F, insert the following:

TITLE VI--TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY WORKFORCE

SEC. 60601. SHORT TITLE.

This title may be cited as the ``Telecommunications Skilled
Workforce Act''.

SEC. 60602. TELECOMMUNICATIONS INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP.

(a) In General.--Part I of title III of the Communications
Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 301 et seq.) is amended by adding at
the end the following:

``SEC. 344. TELECOMMUNICATIONS INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP.

``(a) Definition.--In this section, the term
`telecommunications interagency working

[[Page S5581]]

group' means the interagency working group established under
subsection (b)(1).
``(b) Establishment.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of
enactment of this section, the Chairman of the Commission, in
partnership with the Secretary of Labor, shall establish
within the Commission an interagency working group to develop
recommendations to address the workforce needs of the
telecommunications industry, including the safety of that
workforce.
``(2) Date of establishment.--The telecommunications
interagency working group shall be considered established on
the date on which a majority of the members of the working
group have been appointed, consistent with subsection (d).
``(c) Duties.--In developing recommendations under
subsection (b), the telecommunications interagency working
group shall--
``(1) determine whether, and if so how, any Federal laws,
regulations, guidance, policies, or practices, or any
budgetary constraints, may be amended to strengthen the
ability of institutions of higher education (as defined in
section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1001)) or for-profit businesses to establish, adopt, or
expand programs intended to address the workforce needs of
the telecommunications industry, including the workforce
needed to build and maintain the 5G wireless infrastructure
necessary to support 5G wireless technology;
``(2) identify potential policies and programs that could
encourage and improve coordination among Federal agencies,
between Federal agencies and States, and among States, on
telecommunications workforce needs;
``(3) identify ways in which existing Federal programs,
including programs that help facilitate the employment of
veterans and military personnel transitioning into civilian
life, could be leveraged to help address the workforce needs
of the telecommunications industry;
``(4) identify ways to improve recruitment in workforce
development programs in the telecommunications industry;
``(5) identify Federal incentives that could be provided to
institutions of higher education, for-profit businesses,
State workforce development boards established under section
101 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29
U.S.C. 3111), or other relevant stakeholders to establish or
adopt new programs, expand current programs, or partner with
registered apprenticeship programs, to address the workforce
needs of the telecommunications industry, including such
needs in rural areas;
``(6) identify ways to improve the safety of
telecommunications workers, including tower climbers; and
``(7) identify ways that trends in wages, benefits, and
working conditions in the telecommunications industry impact
recruitment of employees in the sector.
``(d) Members.--The telecommunications interagency working
group shall be composed of the following representatives of
Federal agencies and relevant non-Federal industry and labor
stakeholder organizations:
``(1) A representative of the Department of Education,
appointed by the Secretary of Education.
``(2) A representative of the National Telecommunications
and Information Administration, appointed by the Assistant
Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information.
``(3) A representative of the Commission, appointed by the
Chairman of the Commission.
``(4) A representative of a registered apprenticeship
program in construction or maintenance, appointed by the
Secretary of Labor.
``(5) A representative of a telecommunications industry
association, appointed by the Chairman of the Commission.
``(6) A representative of an Indian Tribe or Tribal
organization, appointed by the Chairman of the Commission.
``(7) A representative of a rural telecommunications
carrier, appointed by the Chairman of the Commission.
``(8) A representative of a telecommunications contractor
firm, appointed by the Chairman of the Commission.
``(9) A representative of an institution of higher
education described in section 371(a) of the Higher Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)), appointed by the Secretary
of Education.
``(10) A public interest advocate for tower climber safety,
appointed by the Secretary of Labor.
``(11) A representative of the Directorate of Construction
of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration,
appointed by the Secretary of Labor.
``(12) A representative of a labor organization
representing the telecommunications workforce, appointed by
the Secretary of Labor.
``(e) No Compensation.--A member of the telecommunications
interagency working group shall serve without compensation.
``(f) Other Matters.--
``(1) Chair and vice chair.--The telecommunications
interagency working group shall name a chair and a vice
chair, who shall be responsible for organizing the business
of the working group.
``(2) Subgroups.--The chair and vice chair of the
telecommunications interagency working group, in consultation
with the other members of the telecommunications interagency
working group, may establish such subgroups as necessary to
help conduct the work of the telecommunications interagency
working group.
``(3) Support.--The Commission and the Secretary of Labor
may detail employees of the Commission and the Department of
Labor, respectively, to assist and support the work of the
telecommunications interagency working group, though such a
detailee shall not be considered to be a member of the
working group.
``(g) Report to Congress.--
``(1) Report to congress.--Not later than 1 year after the
date on which the telecommunications interagency working
group is established, the working group shall submit a report
containing its recommendations to address the workforce needs
of the telecommunications industry to--
``(A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate;
``(B) the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions of the Senate;
``(C) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives;
``(D) the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of
Representatives;
``(E) the Department of Labor; and
``(F) the Commission.
``(2) Majority support.--The telecommunications interagency
working group may not submit the report under paragraph (1)
unless the report has the support of not less than the
majority of the members of the working group.
``(3) Views.--The telecommunications interagency working
group shall--
``(A) include with the report submitted under paragraph (1)
any concurring or dissenting view offered by a member of the
working group; and
``(B) identify each member to whom each concurring or
dissenting view described in subparagraph (A) should be
attributed.
``(4) Public posting.--The Commission and the Secretary of
Labor shall make a copy of the report submitted under
paragraph (1) available to the public on the websites of the
Commission and the Department of Labor, respectively.
``(h) Nonapplicability of FACA.--The Federal Advisory
Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the
telecommunications interagency working group.''.
(b) Sunset.--Section 344 of the Communications Act of 1934,
as added by subsection (a), shall be repealed on the day
after the date on which the interagency working group
established under subsection (b)(1) of that section submits
the report to Congress under subsection (g) of that section.

SEC. 60603. TELECOMMUNICATIONS WORKFORCE GUIDANCE.

Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this
Act, the Secretary of Labor, in partnership with the Chairman
of the Federal Communications Commission, shall establish and
issue guidance on how States can address the workforce needs
and safety of the telecommunications industry, including
guidance on how a State workforce development board
established under section 101 of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3111) can--
(1) utilize Federal resources available to States to meet
the workforce needs of the telecommunications industry;
(2) promote and improve recruitment in workforce
development programs in the telecommunications industry; and
(3) ensure the safety of the telecommunications workforce,
including tower climbers.

SEC. 60604. GAO ASSESSMENT OF WORKFORCE NEEDS OF THE
TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY.

(a) Definitions.--In this section, the term ``appropriate
congressional committees'' means--
(1) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
of the Senate;
(2) the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
of the Senate;
(3) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives; and
(4) the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of
Representatives.
(b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United
States shall submit to the appropriate congressional
committees a report that estimates the number of skilled
telecommunications workers that will be required to build and
maintain--
(1) broadband infrastructure in rural areas, including
estimates based on--
(A) current need; and
(B) projected need, if Congress enacts legislation that
accelerates broadband infrastructure construction in the
United States; and
(2) the wireless infrastructure needed to support 5G
wireless technology.
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