H.R. 3234

Community-Based Health Care Retraining Act

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I

111th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 3234

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 16, 2009

Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

A BILL

To establish a demonstration project to train unemployed workers for employment as health care professionals, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Community-Based Health Care Retraining Act.

2.

Health professions training demonstration project

Section 171 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2916) is amended by adding at the end the following:

(f)

Health Professions Training Demonstration Project

(1)

Definitions

In this subsection the following definitions apply:

(A)

Covered community

The term covered community means a community or region—

(i)

that has experienced a significant percentage decline in rates of employment; and

(ii)
(I)

that is determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (in consultation with the medical community) to be an area with a shortage of health care professionals described in subparagraph (C)(i); or

(II)

that is underserved by the health care structure, such as a rural community, a community with a significant minority population, or a community for which an applicant can otherwise demonstrate need for increased training for health care professionals.

(B)

Covered worker

The term covered worker means an individual who—

(i)
(I)

has been terminated or laid off, or who has received a notice of termination or layoff;

(II)
(aa)

is eligible for or has exhausted entitlement to unemployment compensation; or

(bb)

has been employed for a duration sufficient to demonstrate, to the appropriate entity at a one-stop center referred to in section 134(c), attachment to the workforce, but is not eligible for unemployment compensation due to insufficient earnings or having performed services for an employer that were not covered under a State unemployment compensation law; and

(III)

is unlikely to return to a previous industry or occupation;

(ii)
(I)

has been terminated or laid off, or has received a notice of termination or layoff, as a result of any permanent closure of, or any substantial layoff at, a plant, facility, or enterprise; or

(II)

is employed at a facility at which the employer has made a general announcement that such facility will close within 180 days; or

(iii)

is an incumbent worker employed in a health care profession, and whose training will provide an opportunity for employment of other individuals by increasing—

(I)

the number of instructors serving the covered community; or

(II)

the number of vacant positions in the covered community.

(C)

Health care professional

The term health care professional—

(i)

means an individual who is involved with—

(I)

the delivery of health care services, or related services, pertaining to—

(aa)

the identification, eval­u­a­tion, management, and prevention of diseases, disorders, or injuries; or

(bb)

home-based or community-based long-term care;

(II)

the delivery of dietary and nutrition services;

(III)

the delivery of dental services; or

(IV)

rehabilitation and health systems management; and

(ii)

includes individuals in health care professions for which there is a shortage in the community involved, as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (in consultation with the medical community) or as otherwise demonstrated by the applicant.

(D)

Tribal college or university

The term tribal college or university means a Tribal College or University, as defined in section 316(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)).

(2)

Establishment of project

In accordance with subsection (b), the Secretary shall establish and carry out a health professions training demonstration project.

(3)

Grants

In carrying out the project, the Secretary, after consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall make grants to eligible entities to pay for the Federal share of the cost of enabling the entities to carry out programs in covered communities to train covered workers for employment as health care professionals (referred to in this subsection as training programs). The Secretary shall make each grant in an amount of not less than $100,000 and not more than $500,000, and each such grant shall be for a period of 5 years.

(4)

Eligible entities

Notwithstanding subsection (b)(2)(B), to be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection to carry out a training program in a covered community, an entity shall be a partnership that consists of—

(A)

a local workforce investment board established under section 117 that is serving the covered community; and

(B)

an institution of higher education, as defined in sections 101 and 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001, 1002), in partnership with at least 1 of the following:

(i)

A health clinic or hospital.

(ii)

A home-based or community-based long-term care facility or program.

(iii)

A health care facility administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

(iv)

A tribal college or university.

(v)

A labor organization, or an industry or industry group.

(vi)

A local economic development entity serving the covered community.

(vii)

A joint labor-management partnership.

(5)

Applications

To be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection, an entity shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including, at a minimum—

(A)

a proposal to use the grant funds to establish or expand a training program in order to train covered workers for employment as health care professionals, including information that demonstrates the long-term viability of the training program beyond the period of the grant;

(B)

information demonstrating the need for the training and support services to be provided through the training program;

(C)

information describing the manner in which the entity will expend the grant funds, and the activities to be carried out with the funds;

(D)

information demonstrating that the entity meets the requirements of paragraph (4);

(E)

with respect to training programs carried out by the applicant, information—

(i)

on the graduation rates of the training programs involved;

(ii)

on the retention measures carried out by the applicant;

(iii)

on the length of time necessary to complete the training programs of the applicant; and

(iv)

on the number of qualified covered workers that are refused admittance into the training programs because of lack of capacity; and

(F)

a description of how the applicant has engaged all relevant stakeholders, including the health care industry to be served by the training program, local labor organizations and other workforce groups, and local industry, in the design of the training program to be served with grant funds.

(6)

Selection

In making grants under paragraph (3), the Secretary, after consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall—

(A)

consider the information submitted by the eligible entities under paragraph (5)(E);

(B)

select—

(i)

eligible entities submitting applications that meet such criteria as the Secretary of Labor determines to be appropriate; and

(ii)

among such entities, the eligible entities serving the covered communities with the greatest need for the grants and the greatest potential to benefit from the grants; and

(C)

give preference to eligible entities—

(i)

submitting applications to serve covered workers who have been terminated or laid off or have received a notice of termination or layoff from a manufacturing, service, or construction industry, or another industry with significant decline in employment as determined by the Secretary; and

(ii)

with a demonstrated history of similar and successful partnerships with State boards or local boards, institutions of higher education (as defined in paragraph (4)(B)), industry groups, and labor organizations.

(7)

Use of funds

(A)

In general

An entity that receives a grant under this subsection shall use the funds made available through the grant for training and support services that meet the needs described in the application submitted under paragraph (5), which may include—

(i)

implementing training programs for covered workers;

(ii)

providing support services for covered workers participating in the training programs, such as—

(I)

providing tuition assistance;

(II)

establishing or expanding distance education programs;

(III)

providing transportation assistance; or

(IV)

providing child care; or

(iii)

increasing capacity, subject to subparagraph (B), at an educational institution or training center to train individuals for employment as health professionals, such as by—

(I)

expanding a facility, subject to subparagraph (B);

(II)

expanding course offerings;

(III)

hiring faculty;

(IV)

providing a student loan repayment program for the faculty;

(V)

establishing or expanding clinical education opportunities;

(VI)

purchasing equipment, such as computers, books, clinical supplies, or a patient simulator; or

(VII)

conducting recruitment.

(B)

Limitation

Any such grant funds that are used to expand facilities may only be used to rent or modernize existing facilities, not to build additional facilities. The entity shall use not less than 50 percent of the grant funds to carry out activities described in clause (i) or (ii) of subparagraph (A), unless the entity demonstrates, in the application submitted under paragraph (5), a need to spend more than 50 percent of the grant funds on activities described in subparagraph (A)(iii).

(8)

Federal share

(A)

In general

The Federal share of the cost described in paragraph (3) shall be—

(i)

for the first year of the grant period, 95 percent;

(ii)

for the second such year, 85 percent;

(iii)

for the third such year, 75 percent;

(iv)

for the fourth such year, 65 percent; and

(v)

for the fifth such year, 55 percent.

(B)

Non-federal share

The eligible entity shall provide the non-Federal share of the cost in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, including plant, equipment, or services.

(9)

Evaluation

(A)

In general

Under the Secretary’s existing authority under section 172, not more than 1 percent of the funds provided under this subsection shall be used for evaluation of the training programs described in paragraph (3). Eligible entities receiving grants under this section shall use not more than 1 percent of the grant funds for purposes of evaluation or documentation of the training programs.

(B)

Contents

In conducting an evaluation under subparagraph (A), an eligible entity shall provide data detailing the success of the training program carried out by the entity under paragraph (3), including—

(i)

information on the number and percentage of participating covered workers who complete a training program, including those who earn a degree or certificate through such training programs;

(ii)

information on the rate of employment of covered workers who have completed the training program;

(iii)

an assessment of how well the needs of the health care community were addressed by the training program; and

(iv)

any other data determined to be relevant by the entity to demonstrate the success of the training program.

(C)

Report

The Secretary shall compile the information resulting from the evaluation or documentation conducted under subparagraph (A), and shall submit a report to Congress containing the information.

(10)

Funding

Of the amounts appropriated to, and available at the discretion of, the Secretary or the Secretary of Health and Human Services for programmatic and administrative expenditures, a total of $25,000,000 shall be used to establish and carry out the demonstration project described in paragraph (2) in accordance with this subsection.

.