H.R. 8196

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8196 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8196

To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to add the 
Workforce data quality initiative.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

April 6, 2026

Mr. Baumgartner 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 add the 
Workforce data quality initiative.

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 ``Workforce Data Quality Initiative 
Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. WORKFORCE DATA QUALITY INITIATIVE.

(a) Reservations of Funds for Workforce Data Quality Initiative.--
Section 132(a)(2)(A) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 
(29 U.S.C. 3172(a)(2)(A)) is amended by--
(1) striking ``, 169(c) (relating to dislocated worker 
projects),''; and
(2) by inserting ``, and under subsections (c) (relating to 
dislocated worker projects) and (d) (relating to workforce data 
quality initiatives) of section 169'' before ``; and''.
(b) Workforce Data Quality Initiative.--Section 169 of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3224) is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
``(d) Workforce Data Quality Initiative.--
``(1) Grant program.--Of amount made available pursuant to 
section 132(a)(2)(A) for any program year, the Secretary shall 
use not less than 5 percent and not more than 10 percent of 
such amount, and may also use funds appropriated under section 
172(d) for purposes of carrying out this section, to award 
grants to eligible entities to create workforce longitudinal 
data systems and associated resources for the purposes of 
strengthening program quality, building State capacity to 
produce evidence for decision-making, meeting performance 
reporting requirements, protecting privacy, and improving 
transparency.
``(2) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
this subsection, an eligible entity shall submit an application 
to the Secretary at such time and in such manner as the 
Secretary may require, which shall include--
``(A) a description of the proposed activities that 
will be conducted by the eligible entity, including a 
description of the need for such activities and a 
detailed budget for such activities;
``(B) a description of the expected outcomes and 
outputs (such as systems or products) that will result 
from the proposed activities and the proposed uses of 
such outputs;
``(C) a description of how the proposed activities 
will--
``(i) support the reporting of performance 
data, including employment and earnings 
outcomes, for the performance accountability 
requirements under section 116, including 
outcomes for eligible providers of training 
services;
``(ii) improve workforce data 
standardization across programs in the State; 
and
``(iii) improve the collection, accuracy, 
timeliness, and usability of real-time, 
economy-wide data on new and emerging skills 
and in-demand occupational roles;
``(D) a description of the methods and procedures 
the eligible entity will use to ensure the security and 
privacy of the collection, storage, and use of all data 
involved in the systems and resources supported through 
the grant, including compliance with State and Federal 
privacy and confidentiality statutes and regulations; 
and
``(E) a plan for how the eligible entity will 
continue the activities or sustain the use of the 
outputs created with the grant funds after the grant 
period ends.
``(3) Priority.--In awarding grants under the subsection, 
the Secretary shall give priority to--
``(A) eligible entities that are--
``(i) a State agency of a State that has 
not previously received a grant from the 
Secretary for the purposes of this subsection 
and demonstrates a substantial need to improve 
its data infrastructure; or
``(ii) a consortium of State agencies that 
is comprised of State agencies from multiple 
States and includes at least one State agency 
described in clause (i) and has the capacity to 
make significant contributions toward building 
interoperable, cross-State data infrastructure; 
and
``(B) eligible entities that will use grant funds 
to--
``(i) expand the adoption and use of 
linked, open, and interoperable data on 
credentials, including through the development 
of a credential registry or other tools and 
services designed to help learners and workers 
make informed decisions, such as a credential 
navigation feature that allows participants and 
the public to search a list of recognized post-
secondary credentials offered by eligible 
providers of training services under section 
122;
``(ii) participate in and contribute data 
to a multistate data collaborative, including 
data that provide participating States the 
ability to better understand--
``(I) earnings and employment 
outcomes of individuals who work out-
of-State; and
``(II) cross-State earnings and 
employment trends;
``(iii) enhance collaboration with private 
sector workforce and labor market data entities 
and the end-users of workforce and labor market 
data, including individuals, employers, 
economic development agencies, and workforce 
development providers;
``(iv) leverage the use of non-Federal 
contributions to improve workforce data 
infrastructure, including staff capacity 
building; or
``(v) expand existing statewide integrated 
longitudinal data systems, including such 
systems receiving assistance under section 208 
of the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 
2002 (20 U.S.C. 9607).
``(4) Use of funds.--In addition to the activities 
described in paragraph (3)(B), an eligible entity awarded a 
grant under this subsection may use funds to carry out any of 
the following activities:
``(A) Developing or enhancing a State's workforce 
longitudinal data system, including by participating 
and contributing data to the State's data system, if 
applicable, that links with elementary and secondary 
school and post-secondary data.
``(B) Accelerating the replication and adoption of 
data systems, projects, products, or practices already 
in use in one or more States to other States.
``(C) Research and labor market data improvement 
activities to improve the timeliness, relevance, and 
accessibility of such data through pilot projects that 
are developed locally but designed to scale to other 
regions or States.
``(D) Establishing, enhancing, or connecting to a 
system of interoperable learning and employment records 
that provides individuals who choose to participate in 
such system ownership of a verified and secure record 
of their skills and achievements and the ability to 
share such record with employers and education 
providers.
``(E) Developing policies, guidelines, and security 
measures for data collection, storing, and sharing to 
ensure compliance with relevant Federal and State 
privacy laws and regulations.
``(F) Increasing local board access to and 
integration with the State's workforce longitudinal 
data system in a secure manner.
``(G) Creating or participating in a data exchange 
for collecting and using standards-based jobs and 
employment data including, at a minimum, job titles or 
occupation codes.
``(H) Improving State and local staff capacity to 
understand, use, and analyze data to improve decision-
making and improve participant outcomes.
``(5) Administration.--
``(A) Duration.--A grant awarded under this 
subsection may be for a period of up to 3 years.
``(B) Supplement, not supplant.--Funds made 
available under this subsection shall be used to 
supplement, and not supplant, other Federal, State, or 
local funds used for development of State data systems.
``(C) Report.--Each eligible entity that receives a 
grant under this subsection shall submit a report to 
the Secretary not later than 180 days after the 
conclusion of the grant period on the activities 
supported through the grant and improvements in the use 
of workforce and labor market information that have 
resulted from such activities.
``(6) Eligible entity defined.--In this subsection, the 
term `eligible entity' means a State agency or consortium of 
State agencies, including a multistate data collaborative, that 
is or includes the State agencies responsible for--
``(A) State employer wage records used by the 
State's unemployment insurance programs in labor market 
information reporting and analysis and for fulfilling 
the reporting requirements of this Act;
``(B) the production of labor market information; 
and
``(C) the direct administration of one or more of 
the core programs.''.
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