[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 940 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 940
To amend title 49, United States Code, to establish a National Transit
Frontline Workforce Training Center, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 24, 2021
Mr. Van Hollen (for himself and Mr. Cardin) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking,
Housing, and Urban Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 49, United States Code, to establish a National Transit
Frontline Workforce Training Center, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``National Transit Frontline Workforce
Training Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL TRANSIT FRONTLINE WORKFORCE TRAINING CENTER.
(a) In General.--Section 5314(b) of title 49, United States Code,
is amended--
(1) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following:
``(2) National transit frontline workforce training
center.--
``(A) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
``(i) Administrator.--The term
`Administrator' means the Administrator of the
Federal Transit Administration.
``(ii) Center.--The term `Center' means the
National Transit Frontline Workforce Training
Center established under subparagraph (B).
``(iii) Human capital.--The term `human
capital' means any knowledge, talent, skill,
ability, experience, intelligence, training,
judgment, or wisdom possessed, individually or
collectively, by the transit frontline
workforce (including operations, maintenance,
and administrative personnel).
``(B) Establishment.--The Secretary shall--
``(i) establish a center, to be known as
the `National Transit Frontline Workforce
Training Center', to meet the needs of the
rural and urban transit system frontline
workforce through standards-based training
relating to relevant maintenance and operations
occupations; and
``(ii) evaluate, and provide a grant to, a
nonprofit organization with demonstrated
capacity to develop and provide transit career
ladder programs through labor-management
partnerships and apprenticeships, on a
nationwide basis, to carry out the duties of
the Center described in subparagraph (C).
``(C) Duties.--
``(i) In general.--The Center, in
cooperation with the Administrator, transit
authorities, and other appropriate individuals
and entities, shall develop and carry out
training and educational programs for public
transportation employees serving in the
frontline workforce.
``(ii) Training and educational program
inclusions.--The training and educational
programs developed under clause (i) may include
courses in recent developments, techniques, and
procedures relating to--
``(I) developing consensus national
training standards, in partnership with
industry stakeholders, for key
frontline occupations with demonstrated
skill gaps;
``(II) developing national systems
of qualification and apprenticeship for
transit maintenance and operations
occupations;
``(III) establishing local,
regional, and statewide transit
training partnerships--
``(aa) to identify and
address workforce skill gaps;
and
``(bb) to develop skills
needed for--
``(AA) delivering
quality transit
service; and
``(BB) supporting
employee career
advancement;
``(IV) developing programs for the
training of the frontline workforce,
instructors, mentors, and labor-
management partnership representatives,
in the form of classroom, hands-on, on-
the-job, and internet web-based
training, to be delivered--
``(aa) at a national
center;
``(bb) regionally; or
``(cc) at an individual
transit agency;
``(V) developing training programs
for skills relating to existing and
emerging transit technologies, such as
zero-emission buses;
``(VI) developing improved capacity
for safety, security, and emergency
preparedness in local transit systems
and the industry as a whole through--
``(aa) developing the role
of the frontline workforce in
establishing and sustaining
safety culture and safety
systems in--
``(AA) the
industry; and
``(BB) individual
public transportation
systems; and
``(bb) training to address
frontline workforce roles in
promoting health and safety for
transit workers and the riding
public;
``(VII) developing local transit
capacity for career pathway
partnerships with schools and other
community organizations for recruiting
and training underrepresented
populations as successful transit
employees who can develop careers in
the transit industry; and
``(VIII) in collaboration with the
Administrator, conducting and
disseminating research--
``(aa) to provide transit
workforce job projections and
identify training needs and
gaps;
``(bb) to determine the
most cost-effective methods for
transit workforce training and
development, including return-
on-investment analysis;
``(cc) to identify the most
effective methods for
implementing successful safety
systems and a positive safety
culture;
``(dd) to promote transit
workforce best practices for
achieving cost-effective,
quality, safe, and reliable
public transportation services;
and
``(ee) to provide
culturally competent training
and education programs to all
participants, regardless of
gender, sexual orientation, or
gender identity, including
participants with limited
English proficiency, diverse
cultural and ethnic
backgrounds, and disabilities.
``(D) Coordination.--The Secretary shall coordinate
the activities of the Center under this paragraph, to
the maximum extent practicable, with--
``(i) the Office of Career, Technical, and
Adult Education of the Department of Education;
and
``(ii) the Office of Apprenticeship of the
Department of Labor.
``(E) National transit database.--For the purposes
of carrying out this section, the Secretary shall
require the collection, through the National Transit
Database, on an annual basis, of additional data
relating to human capital, in accordance with such
requirements relating to the collection and definition
of those data as the Secretary may establish, in
coordination with relevant transportation sector
individuals and entities.
``(F) Use of other grant amounts for center-related
activities.--
``(i) In general.--Of the amounts made
available to the recipient of a grant under
section 5307, 5337, or 5339, the recipient may
use not more than 0.5 percent, with the
approval of the Secretary, to pay an amount
equal to not more than 80 percent of the cost
of an activity described in subparagraph (C).
``(ii) Existing programs.--A recipient
referred to in clause (i) may use the amounts
described in that clause to carry out an
existing local education or training program
for public transportation employees supported
by--
``(I) the Secretary;
``(II) the Department of Labor; or
``(III) the Department of
Education.'';
(2) in paragraph (3), by striking ``or (2)''; and
(3) by striking paragraph (4).
(b) Data Required To Be Reported in National Transit Database.--
Section 5335(c) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by
inserting ``relating to human capital (as defined in section
5314(b)(2)(A)) or physical capital'' before the period at the end.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 5338(c) of title 49,
United States Code, is amended--
(1) by striking ``There are'' and inserting the following:
``(1) In general.--There is''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) National transit frontline workforce training
center.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out
section 5314(b)(2) $12,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021
through 2025.''.
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