H.R. 7585

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7585 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7585

To address the needs of workers in industries likely to be impacted by 
rapidly evolving technologies.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 13, 2026

Mr. Schneider introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To address the needs of workers in industries likely to be impacted by 
rapidly evolving technologies.

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 ``Investing in Tomorrow's Workforce 
Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings:
(1) A 2019 Government Accountability Office report found 
that while there are many Federal employment and training 
programs, their total funding levels remain at nearly 
$20,000,000,000, or less than 0.1 percent of the gross domestic 
product of the United States.
(2) The number of workers receiving federally supported 
training has declined in the past 3 decades as advances in 
technology have simultaneously shifted labor market demand over 
time.
(3) Job losses from automation are more likely to impact 
women, people of color, and workers making less than $40,000 
annually.
(4) The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 
found that robots and automation are forecast to displace 
nearly 5,000,000 more jobs than they create between 2025 and 
2030.
(5) Strong Federal investment in expanding training 
services for workers whose jobs may be lost due to automation 
could prepare the United States workforce to better adapt to 
changes in the labor market and enter into skilled positions in 
technologically oriented occupations and industries.
(6) A focus on preparing the workforce of the United States 
for jobs that utilize advanced technologies and require digital 
literacy could grow wages, increase economic productivity, and 
boost the competitiveness of the United States.
(7) Studies show that the United States would need to 
invest $72,000,000,000 more annually just to reach the average 
investment in workforce policies of other industrial countries. 
For training alone, the United States would need to invest 
nearly $8,500,000,000 just to reach the average amount invested 
by member countries of the Organisation on Economic Co-
operation and Development.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:
(1) Automation.--The term ``automation'' means a device, 
process, or system that functions without continuous input from 
an operator, including--
(A) advanced technologies, such as--
(i) data collection, classification 
processing, and analytics; and
(ii) 3-D printing, digital design and 
simulation, and digital manufacturing;
(B) robotics, including collaborative robotics, and 
worker augmentation technology;
(C) autonomous vehicle technology; or
(D) autonomous machinery technology.
(2) Covered population.--The term ``covered population'' 
means a population of individuals with a barrier to employment 
described in subparagraphs (A) through (N) of section 3(24) of 
the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
3102(24)).
(3) Digital literacy.--The term ``digital literacy'' has 
the meaning given the term in section 60302 of the 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (47 U.S.C. 1721).
(4) Dislocated worker.--The term ``dislocated worker'' has 
the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Workforce 
Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
(5) Eligible partnership.--The term ``eligible 
partnership'' means an industry or sector partnership, as 
defined in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and 
Opportunity Act, except that--
(A) for purposes of applying paragraph (26)(A)(iii) 
of that section, the term ``institution of higher 
education'' has the meaning given the term in section 
101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1001); and
(B) the partnership shall include, in addition to 
the representatives described in clauses (i) through 
(iii) of section 3(26)(A) of the Workforce Innovation 
and Opportunity Act, representatives of--
(i) a State workforce development board or 
a local workforce development board; and
(ii) an economic development organization.
(6) In-demand industry sector or occupation.--The term 
``in-demand industry sector or occupation'' has the meaning 
given the term in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and 
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
(7) Integrated education and training.--The term 
``integrated education and training'' has the meaning given the 
term in section 203 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 
Act (29 U.S.C. 3272).
(8) Local and state workforce development boards.--The 
terms ``local workforce development board'' and ``State 
workforce development board'' have the meanings given the terms 
``local board'' and ``State board'', respectively, in section 3 
of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
3102).
(9) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
of Labor.
(10) Training services.--The term ``training services'' 
means training services described in section 134(c)(3)(D) of 
the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
3174(c)(3)(D)) and may include digital literacy skills.

SEC. 4. GRANTS TO IMPROVE TRAINING FOR WORKERS IMPACTED BY AUTOMATION.

(a) Grants Authorized.--
(1) In general.--From the amounts appropriated under 
subsection (g) and beginning in fiscal year 2027, the Secretary 
shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible 
partnerships to support demonstration and pilot projects 
relating to the training needs of workers who are, or are 
likely to become, dislocated workers as a result of automation.
(2) Duration.--A grant awarded under this section shall be 
for a period not to exceed 4 years.
(b) Applications.--
(1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
this section, an eligible partnership shall submit an 
application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information as the Secretary shall reasonably 
require.
(2) Contents.--Each application submitted under paragraph 
(1) shall include a description of the demonstration or pilot 
project to be completed with the grant funds, which description 
shall include--
(A) a description of the members of the eligible 
partnership who will be involved in the demonstration 
or pilot project and the services each member will 
provide;
(B) a description of the training services that 
will be available to individuals participating in the 
demonstration or pilot project, which may include--
(i) a plan to train dislocated workers from 
industries likely to be impacted by automation 
and transition the workers into regionally in-
demand industry sectors or occupations; and
(ii) a plan to partner with local 
businesses to retrain, upskill, and re-deploy 
workers within an industry as an alternative to 
layoffs;
(C) a plan to provide workers with technology-based 
skills training, which may include training to provide 
skills related to coding, systems engineering, or 
information technology security, in addition to other 
skills;
(D) a description of the goals that the eligible 
partnership intends to achieve to upskill workers and 
prepare them for in-demand industry sectors or 
occupations; and
(E) a description of how and which covered 
populations within the area will be supported through 
this grant, including a plan for stakeholder 
engagement.
(c) Priorities.--In awarding grants under this section, the 
Secretary shall--
(1) first give priority to eligible partnerships that are 
located in areas with a high percentage of individuals from 
covered populations; and
(2) to the extent amounts remain available for additional 
grants after carrying out paragraph (1), give priority to--
(A) eligible partnerships that are located in an 
area with a high concentration of--
(i) industries with a higher likelihood of 
being impacted by automation; or
(ii) industries included in in-demand 
industry sectors, as determined under 
subparagraphs (A)(i) and (B) of section 3(23) 
of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 
(29 U.S.C. 3102(23));
(B) eligible partnerships--
(i) with a plan to provide incumbent worker 
training--
(I) to assist workers in obtaining 
the skills necessary to retain 
employment or avert layoffs; or
(II) that allows a worker working 
for an employer to acquire new skills 
that allow the worker to obtain a 
higher-skilled or higher-paid position 
with such employer; and
(ii) that partner with local employers that 
intend to backfill the pre-training positions 
of the incumbent workers by hiring new workers 
to fill those positions;
(C) eligible partnerships that will provide workers 
with a transportation stipend, paid sick leave, paid 
family and medical leave, access to child care 
services, or other employment benefits; or
(D) eligible partnerships with a plan to develop a 
shared training curriculum that can be used across 
local and regional networks of employers and training 
providers.
(d) Use of Funds.--An eligible partnership that receives a grant 
under this section shall use the grant funds for 1 or more of the 
following:
(1) Providing training services under the demonstration or 
pilot project, which may include training services that prepare 
workers for in-demand industry sectors or occupations.
(2) Providing assistance for employers in developing a 
staff position for an individual who will be responsible for 
supporting training services provided under the grant.
(3) Purchasing equipment or technology necessary for 
training services provided under paragraph (1).
(4) Providing job search and other transitional assistance 
to workers in industries with high rates of job loss.
(5) Providing a training stipend to workers for training 
services.
(6) Providing integrated education and training.
(e) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after an eligible 
partnership's completion of a demonstration or pilot project 
supported under this section, the eligible partnership shall 
prepare and submit to the Secretary a report regarding--
(A) the number of workers who received training 
services through the demonstration or pilot project;
(B) the number of such workers who successfully 
transitioned into a new position following completion 
of the training services;
(C) the number of individuals who successfully 
transitioned into an in-demand industry sector or 
occupation following completion of the training 
services;
(D) annual earnings data for individuals who have 
completed training services through the demonstration 
or pilot project;
(E) the percentage of individuals described in 
subparagraph (D) who are in education or training 
activities, or in employment, during the second quarter 
after exit from the training services;
(F) the percentage of individuals described in 
subparagraph (D) who are in education or training 
activities, or in employment, during the fourth quarter 
after exit from the training services; and
(G) any practices used by the partnership that 
should be considered best practices with respect to 
training workers in industries that have, or are 
expected to have, high rates of job loss as a result of 
automation.
(2) Disaggregation.--Each eligible partnership shall 
provide the information required under subparagraphs (A) 
through (G) of paragraph (1) in the aggregate and disaggregated 
by type of training service and by age, gender, and race of the 
workers.
(f) General Requirements.--An eligible partnership that receives a 
grant under this section shall use the grant funds in a manner that is 
consistent with the labor standards and protections described in 
section 181 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
3241) and nondiscrimination provisions described in section 188 of such 
Act (29 U.S.C. 3248).
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary 
for fiscal years 2027 through 2031.

SEC. 5. EXPANSION OF WORKER TRAINING SERVICES.

(a) Adult and Dislocated Worker Employment and Training.--Section 
134(d)(1)(A) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
3174(d)(1)(A)) is amended--
(1) in clause (xi), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in clause (xii), by striking the period and inserting 
``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(xiii) training programs for individuals 
who are, or are likely to become, dislocated 
workers as a result of automation, including 
activities that prepare the individuals for 
occupations in the technology sector.''.
(b) National Dislocated Worker Grants.--Section 170 of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3225) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)(1)(A), by inserting ``advances in 
automation technology,'' before ``plant closures,''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--In addition to any funds 
reserved under section 132(a)(2)(A) to carry out this section, there 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $40,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.''.
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