H.R. 4452

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4452 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4452

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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 16, 2025

Ms. Houlahan (for herself and Mr. Baird) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

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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