[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2306 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2306
To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to create a new
national program to support mid-career workers in reentering the STEM
workforce, by providing funding to small- and medium-sized STEM
businesses so the businesses can offer paid internships or other
returnships that lead to positions above entry level.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 16, 2025
Ms. Rosen (for herself, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, and Mr. Kelly) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to create a new
national program to support mid-career workers in reentering the STEM
workforce, by providing funding to small- and medium-sized STEM
businesses so the businesses can offer paid internships or other
returnships that lead to positions above entry level.
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 ``STEM Restoring Employment Skills
through Targeted Assistance, Re-entry, and Training Act'' or the ``STEM
RESTART Act''.
SEC. 2. RETURNING SKILLED WORKERS TO THE STEM WORKFORCE.
(a) In General.--Subtitle D of title I of the Workforce Innovation
and Opportunity Act is amended--
(1) by redesignating section 172 (29 U.S.C. 3227) as
section 173; and
(2) by inserting after section 171 the following:
``SEC. 172. GRANTS TO SUPPORT SKILLED WORKERS IN RETURNING OR
TRANSITIONING TO THE STEM WORKFORCE.
``(a) Purposes.--The purposes of this section are to--
``(1) prioritize expanding opportunities, through high-
quality internships or other returnships in STEM fields for
unemployed or underemployed workers, particularly workers from
rural areas, who are mid-career skilled workers seeking to
return or transition to in-demand industry sectors or
occupations within the STEM workforce, at positions and
compensation above entry level; and
``(2) establish grant funding and other incentives for
small-sized and medium-sized companies in in-demand industry
sectors or occupations to establish programs that provide on-
the-job evaluation, education, and training for mid-career
skilled workers described in paragraph (1).
``(b) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Medium-sized enterprise.--The term `medium-sized',
used with respect to an enterprise, means an entity that
employs more than 499 and fewer than 10,000 employees.
``(2) RESTART grant.--The term `RESTART grant' means a
grant made under subsection (c).
``(3) Returnship.--The term `returnship' shall mean any
internship, apprenticeship, re-entry opportunity, direct hiring
opportunity with support, or other similar opportunity designed
to provide workers seeking to return or transition to the STEM
workforce with positions that--
``(A) are above entry level;
``(B) provide salaries, stipends, or other
payments, and benefits, that are above entry level; and
``(C) provide training that leads workers toward
full-time careers and provides pathways toward
advancement and leadership.
``(4) Rural area.--The term `rural area' means an area that
is not an urban area (within the meaning of the notice of final
program criteria entitled `Urban Area Criteria for the 2010
Census' (76 Fed. Reg. 53030 (August 24, 2011))).
``(5) Small-sized enterprise.--The term `small-sized', used
with respect to an enterprise, means an entity that employs
more than 49 and fewer than 500 individuals.
``(6) STEM.--The term `STEM' has the meaning given the term
in section 2 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of
2010 (42 U.S.C. 6621 note).
``(7) Unemployed or underemployed individual.--The term
`unemployed or underemployed individual' means--
``(A) an unemployed or underemployed individual as
defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics; and
``(B) a displaced or furloughed worker.
``(c) Grant.--
``(1) In general.--From the amounts made available to carry
out this section, the Secretary shall award grants, on a
competitive basis, to eligible entities, to carry out
returnship programs that provide opportunities above entry
level in STEM fields for mid-career skilled workers, and
achieve the purposes described in subsection (a).
``(2) Periods.--The Secretary shall award the grants for an
initial period of not less than 3 years and not more than 5
years.
``(3) Amounts.--In awarding grants under this subsection,
the Secretary shall award a grant--
``(A) for a small-sized enterprise, in an amount so
that each annual payment for the grant is not less than
$100,000 or more than $1,000,000; and
``(B) for a medium-sized enterprise or consortium,
in an amount so that each annual payment for the grant
is not less than $500,000 or more than $5,000,000.
``(d) Eligibility.--
``(1) Eligible entities.--To be eligible to receive a
RESTART grant under this section, an entity shall--
``(A)(i) be located in the United States and have
significant operations and employees within the United
States;
``(ii) not be a debtor in a bankruptcy proceeding,
within the meaning of section 4003(c)(3)(D)(i)(V) of
the CARES Act (15 U.S.C. 9042(c)(3)(D)(i)(V)) or under
a State bankruptcy law; and
``(iii) be within an in-demand industry sector or
occupation in a STEM field; and
``(B) be--
``(i) a small-sized enterprise;
``(ii) a medium-sized enterprise; or
``(iii) a consortium of small-sized or
medium-sized enterprises.
``(2) Eligible providers.--
``(A) In general.--An eligible entity that desires
to partner with a provider in order to carry out a
returnship program under this section shall enter into
an arrangement with an eligible provider.
``(B) Provider.--To be eligible to enter into such
an arrangement, a provider--
``(i) may or may not directly employ
skilled workers in STEM fields but--
``(I) shall have expertise in human
resources-related activities, such as
identifying or carrying out staffing
with skilled workers; and
``(II) shall be capable of
providing high-quality education and
training services; and
``(ii) may be--
``(I)(aa) an institution of higher
education (as defined in section 101 of
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001)); or
``(bb) a non-degree-granting
institution that is governed by the
same body that governs an institution
of higher education described in item
(aa);
``(II) a public, private for-
profit, or private nonprofit service
provider, approved by the local board;
``(III) a joint labor-management
organization;
``(IV) an eligible provider of
adult education and literacy activities
under title II; or
``(V) an established nonprofit
organization that conducts research or
provides training on technical and
employability skills and knowledge
aligned to the needs of adult learners
and workers.
``(e) Applications.--
``(1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a RESTART
grant to carry out a returnship program, an entity shall submit
an application to the Secretary at such time and in such manner
as the Secretary may reasonably require.
``(2) Contents.--Such an application shall include--
``(A) a description of the demand for skilled
workers in STEM fields and how the RESTART grant will
be used to help meet that demand;
``(B) a description of how the program will lead to
employment of unemployed or underemployed individuals,
particularly workers from rural areas, who seek to
return or transition to the STEM workforce;
``(C) if the entity has entered into or plans to
enter into an arrangement with an eligible provider as
described in subsection (d)(2) to carry out a
returnship program, information identifying the
eligible provider, and a description of how the
arrangement will help the entity build the knowledge
and skills of skilled workers participating in the
program;
``(D) a description of how the eligible entity will
develop and establish, or expand, a returnship program
that adds to the number of full-time employees employed
by the entity, but does not displace full-time
employees currently (as of the date of submission of
the application) employed by the entity;
``(E) an assurance that any new or existing
returnship program developed and established, or
expanded, with the grant funds will last for at least
10 weeks and provide compensation to participants in
the form of a salary, stipend, or other payment, and
benefits, that are offered to full-time employees with
equivalent experience and expertise, such as health
care or child care benefits; and
``(F) if the returnship program leads to a
recognized postsecondary credential, information on the
quality of the program that leads to the credential.
``(3) Priority.--In making grants under this section, the
Secretary shall give priority to entities who are proposing
programs that prioritize returnships for workers in in-demand
industry sectors or occupations, according to the State board
or from rural areas.
``(f) Use of Funds.--
``(1) In general.--An entity that receives a grant under
this section shall use the grant funds to carry out a
returnship program, of not less than 10 weeks, through which
the entity provides for--
``(A) the education and training of returnship
participants; and
``(B) the services of existing employees (as of the
date the program begins) of the entity who are working
with returnship participants in an educational,
training, or managerial role, to maximize the retention
rate and effectiveness of the returnship program.
``(2) Specific uses.--The grant funds may be used--
``(A) to pay for the evaluation, and entry into the
program, and education and training of returnship
participants, including payment for the duration of the
program for the participants for--
``(i) equipment, travel, and (as necessary)
housing;
``(ii) mentorship and career counseling;
and
``(iii) salaries, stipends, or payments,
and benefits, described in subsection
(e)(2)(E);
``(B) to supplement, and not supplant, the
compensation of those existing employees of the entity
who are directly supporting a returnship program
through the work described in paragraph (1)(B); and
``(C) to enter into an arrangement with an eligible
provider to carry out a returnship program.
``(3) Existing employees.--Not more than 20 percent of the
grant funds may be used to provide compensation for the
existing employees performing the work described in paragraph
(1)(B).
``(4) Coordination with state boards.--An entity that
receives a grant under this section shall coordinate activities
with the State board established under section 101, to ensure
collaboration and alignment of workforce programs.
``(g) Reporting and Evaluation Requirements.--
``(1) Report to the secretary.--An entity that receives a
grant under this section for a returnship program shall
prepare, certify the contents of, and submit to the Secretary
an annual report containing data regarding--
``(A) the total number of the participants, and the
number of such participants disaggregated by sex, race,
and ethnicity;
``(B) the total number of the participants
transitioned into full-time employment, and the number
of such transitioned participants disaggregated by sex,
race, and ethnicity; and
``(C) if the returnship program includes
participants in an internship, the conversion rate of
the internship participants to employees, for the total
number of those participants and the conversion rate of
those participants disaggregated by sex, race, and
ethnicity.
``(2) Evaluation and report by the secretary.--Not later
than 180 days after receiving the annual reports from grant
recipients under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall--
``(A)(i) prepare a report that presents the data
collected through the reports, including data
disaggregated by sex, race, and ethnicity, and an
evaluation based on that data of the best practices for
effectively implementing returnship (including
internship) programs; and
``(ii) submit the report to the Committee on
Education and Workforce of the House of
Representatives, and the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; and
``(B) post information on a website on best
practices described in subparagraph (A)(i).
``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $50,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of
the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act is amended--
(1) by redesignating the item relating to section 172 as
the item relating to section 173; and
(2) by inserting after the item relating to section 171 the
following:
``Sec. 172. Grants to support skilled workers in returning or
transitioning to the STEM workforce.''.
(c) Conforming Amendment.--Section 8041(g)(2) of the Substance Use-
Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for
Patients and Communities Act (29 U.S.C. 3225a(g)(2)) is amended in
subparagraph (C), by striking ``172(f)'' and inserting ``173(f)''.
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