[Pages S5580-S5581]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 5050. Mr. BOOKER submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 4979 proposed by Mr. McConnell (for Mr. Inhofe (for 
himself and Mrs. Boxer)) to the bill S. 2848, to provide for the 
conservation and development of water and related resources, to 
authorize the Secretary of the Army to construct various projects for 
improvements to rivers and harbors of the United States, and for other 
purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of title VIII, add the following:

     SEC. 8___. WATER INFRASTRUCTURE AND WORKFORCE INVESTMENT.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
       (1) utilities and local governments invest significant 
     resources in planning, designing, constructing, operating, 
     and maintaining water, wastewater, and stormwater systems--
       (A) to ensure a safe and reliable water supply for 
     customers; and
       (B) to maintain public health, safety, and environmental 
     quality;
       (2) during the 10-year period beginning on the date of 
     enactment of this Act, 30 of the largest water and wastewater 
     utilities in the United States will--
       (A) invest $233,000,000,000 in operating and capital 
     spending; and
       (B) support 290,000 jobs annually;
       (3) every $1,000,000,000 in Federal investment in water and 
     wastewater infrastructure creates an estimated 26,000 jobs;
       (4) jobs in the water and wastewater sector, including 
     apprenticeship positions, typically pay more than 3 times the 
     minimum wage;
       (5) the median age of water sector workers is 48 years old, 
     which is 6 years older than the national median age of 
     workers;
       (6) water and wastewater utilities anticipate unprecedented 
     workforce replacement needs over the 10-year period described 
     in paragraph (2) because 37 percent of water utility workers 
     and 31 percent of wastewater utility workers will retire 
     during that period;
       (7) during the period described in paragraph (6), workforce 
     replacement needs in the water sector will exceed the 23-
     percent nationwide replacement need of the total workforce; 
     and
       (8) water infrastructure projects and permanent water 
     utility jobs can offer access to stable, high-quality jobs 
     with competitive wages and benefits.
       (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) water and wastewater utilities provide a unique 
     opportunity for access to stable, high-quality careers;
       (2) as water and wastewater utilities make critical 
     investments in infrastructure, water and wastewater utilities 
     can invest in the development of local workers and local 
     small businesses to strengthen communities and ensure a 
     strong pipeline of skilled and diverse workers for today and 
     tomorrow; and
       (3) to further the goal of ensuring a strong pipeline of 
     skilled and diverse workers in the water and wastewater 
     utilities sector, Congress urges--
       (A) increased collaboration among Federal, State, and local 
     governments; and
       (B) institutions of higher education, apprentice programs, 
     high schools, and other community-based organizations to 
     align workforce training programs and community resources 
     with water and wastewater utilities to accelerate career 
     pipelines and provide access to workforce opportunities.
       (c) Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development 
     Program.--
       (1) Grants authorized.--The Administrator of the 
     Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretary shall 
     establish a competitive grant program to assist the 
     development of innovative activities relating to workforce 
     development in the water utility sector.
       (2) Selection of grant recipients.--In awarding grants 
     under paragraph (1), the Administrator or the Secretary, as 
     applicable, shall, to the maximum extent practicable, select 
     water utilities that--
       (A) are geographically diverse;
       (B) address the workforce and human resources needs of 
     large and small public water and wastewater utilities;
       (C) address the workforce and human resources needs of 
     urban and rural public water and wastewater utilities;
       (D) advance training relating to construction, utility 
     operations, treatment and distribution, green infrastructure, 
     customer service, maintenance, and engineering; and
       (E)(i) have a high retiring workforce rate; or
       (ii) are located in areas with a high unemployment rate.
       (3) Use of funds.--Grants awarded under paragraph (1) may 
     be used for activities such as--
       (A) targeted internship, apprenticeship, preapprenticeship, 
     and post-secondary bridge programs for mission-critical 
     skilled trades, in collaboration with labor organizations, 
     community colleges, and other training and education 
     institutions that provide--
       (i) on-the-job training;
       (ii) soft and hard skills development;
       (iii) test preparation for skilled trade apprenticeships; 
     or
       (iv) other support services to facilitate post-secondary 
     success;
       (B) kindergarten through 12th grade and young adult 
     education programs that--
       (i) educate young people about the role of water and 
     wastewater utilities in the communities of the young people;
       (ii) increase the career awareness and exposure of the 
     young people to water utility careers through various work-
     based learning opportunities inside and outside the 
     classroom; and
       (iii) connect young people to post-secondary career 
     pathways related to water utilities;
       (C) regional industry and workforce development 
     collaborations to identify water utility employment needs, 
     map existing career pathways, support the development of 
     curricula, facilitate the sharing of resources, and 
     coordinate candidate development, staff preparedness efforts, 
     and activities that engage and support--
       (i) water utilities employers;
       (ii) educational and training institutions;
       (iii) local community-based organizations;
       (iv) public workforce agencies; and
       (v) other related stakeholders;
       (D) integrated learning laboratories embedded in high 
     schools or other secondary

[[Page S5581]]

     educational institutions that provide students with--
       (i) hands-on, contextualized learning opportunities;
       (ii) dual enrollment credit for post-secondary education 
     and training programs; and
       (iii) direct connection to industry employers; and
       (E) leadership development, occupational training, 
     mentoring, or cross-training programs that ensure that 
     incumbent water and wastewater utilities workers are prepared 
     for higher-level supervisory or management-level positions.
                                 ______