To amend and reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and the Older Americans Act of 1965, Sec. 174., Subsection (a).

SEC. 174. EVALUATIONS AND RESEARCH. (a) In General.--Section 169 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3224) is amended-- (1) in subsection (a)-- (A) in paragraph (2)-- (i) by redesignating subparagraph (G) as subparagraph (H); (ii) in subparagraph (F)-- (I) by striking ``; and'' at the end; and (II) by inserting ``, including individuals with barriers to employment'' after ``demographic groups''; and (iii) by inserting the following after subparagraph (F): ``(G) the extent to which such programs or activities are using emerging technology to-- ``(i) collect, analyze, use, and disseminate accurate and transparent local and State level labor market information; ``(ii) integrate administrative data, in accordance with Federal and State privacy laws, to more comprehensively understand and improve education and workforce outcomes; and ``(iii) identify and address deficiencies in existing Federal, State, and local workforce data infrastructure and related source systems; and''; (B) in paragraph (3)-- (i) by striking ``The Secretary'' and inserting the following: ``(A) In general.--The Secretary''; and (ii) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: ``(B) Limitation.--The Secretary may not use the authority described in subparagraph (A) if the evaluations required under paragraph (1) have not been initiated or completed in the time period required.''; and (C) in paragraph (4), in the second sentence-- (i) by striking ``The Secretary'' and inserting ``Beginning after the date of enactment of the A Stronger Workforce for America Act, the Secretary''; and (ii) by striking ``2019'' and inserting ``2028''; and (2) in subsection (b)-- (A) by amending paragraph (4) to read as follows: ``(4) Studies and reports.-- ``(A) Study on employment conditions.--The Secretary, in coordination with other heads of Federal agencies, as appropriate, may conduct a study examining the nature of participants' unsubsidized employment after exit from programs carried out under this Act-- ``(i) including with respect to factors such as the availability of paid time off in the employment, health and retirement benefits provided through the employment, workplace safety standards at the place of employment, the predictability and stability of the work schedule for the employment, the ability to obtain through the employment credentials that may permit articulation into a higher level or other degree or credential program, and advancement opportunities in the employment; and ``(ii) that includes a description of the feasibility of Congress establishing, through future legislation, an indicator of performance under section 116 related to such factors. ``(B) Study on improving workforce services for individuals with disabilities.--The Secretary of Labor, in coordination with the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, may conduct studies that analyze the access to services by individuals with disabilities, including whether an individual who is unable to receive services under title IV due to a wait list for such services is able to receive services under titles I through III. ``(C) Study on the effectiveness of pay for performance.--The Secretary shall, not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of the A Stronger Workforce for America Act, conduct a study that-- ``(i) compares the effectiveness of the pay-for-performance strategies used under sections 129, 134, and 172 after such date of enactment to the awarding of grants and contracts under such sections as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of such Act; and ``(ii) examines, with respect to grants under sections 129, 134, and 172 after such date of enactment-- ``(I) the competition structure of pay-for-performance grants and contracts under such sections; ``(II) the quality of applications received for grants and contracts under such sections; and ``(III) whether individuals with barriers to employment were effectively served under the pay-for-performance strategies for grants and contracts under such sections. ``(D) Study on individual training accounts for dislocated workers.--The Secretary shall, not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of the A Stronger Workforce for America Act, conduct a study that compares the usage of individual training accounts for dislocated workers after such date of enactment to the usage of such accounts prior to such date of enactment, including a comparison of-- ``(i) the types of training services and occupations targeted by dislocated workers when using their individual training accounts; and ``(ii) the effectiveness of the skills development funded through individual training accounts in helping such individuals attain credentials and secure unsubsidized employment. ``(E) Study on statewide critical industry skills funds.--The Secretary shall, not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of the A Stronger Workforce for America Act, conduct a study that will review the usage of statewide critical industry skills funds established by States under section 134(a)(4) and identify, for purposes of measuring the overall effectiveness of the program-- ``(i) the industries targeted by the funds under section 134(a)(4); ``(ii) the occupations for which workers are being upskilled; ``(iii) how frequently skills development is provided to prospective workers and incumbent workers, and ``(iv) the reported performance outcomes. ``(F) Study on industry or sector partnership and career pathways development funds.--The Secretary shall, not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of the A Stronger Workforce for America Act, conduct a study that will review the usage of industry or sector partnership and career pathways development funds established by States under section 134(a)(5) and identify, for purposes of measuring the overall effectiveness of the program-- ``(i) the industries targeted by the funds under section 134(a)(5) and the growth in employment opportunities in such industries over the period of the study; ``(ii) the occupations workers are receiving skills development for and how frequently such skills development is occurring through the funds under section 134(a)(5); ``(iii) the States where such funds were used to establish new industry or sector partnerships, the States where such funds were used to expand existing industry or sector partnerships, and an overview of the types of partners participating in such partnerships; and ``(iv) the reported performance outcomes. ``(G) Study on the effectiveness of employer-based training.--The Secretary shall, not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of the A Stronger Workforce for America Act, conduct a study that measures the effectiveness of on-the-job training, employer-directed skills training, apprenticeship, and incumbent worker training under this title in preparing jobseekers and workers, including those with barriers to employment, for unsubsidized employment. Such study shall include the cost per participant and wage and employment outcomes, as compared to other methods of training. ``(H) Study on the effectiveness and use of emerging technology in the workforce development system.--The Secretary shall, not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of the A Stronger Workforce for America Act, conduct a study that-- ``(i) measures the effectiveness of emerging technology (including artificial intelligence and machine learning) and other advanced computational methods, in improving State workforce development system service delivery, labor market data system performance, data collection and integration to understand participant and program outcomes, and end-user tools for facilitating career exploration or related data insights; ``(ii) measures the extent to which States have adopted and implemented such technology and methods in their workforce development systems, including by describing how the technology or method is being used, analyzing the accuracy of such technology or method, and identifying any exhibited bias by any such technology or method; and ``(iii) includes an analysis of the consequences of advances in automation technology on employment opportunities, skills development, including digital literacy skills development, and worker dislocation. ``(I) Study on the alignment between education and workforce development systems.--The Secretary of Labor, in coordination with the Secretary of Education, shall, not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of the A Stronger Workforce for America Act, conduct a study on the alignment of workforce development programs under this Act with elementary and secondary education and postsecondary education. The study shall examine-- ``(i) State efforts to integrate data related to career and technical education programs, dual enrollment programs, pre- apprenticeships and apprenticeships, and other work-based learning programs to inform decisionmaking and improve educational opportunities and outcomes; ``(ii) challenges related to and strategies that promote such alignment to facilitate student participation in high-quality college and career pathways; and ``(iii) governance structures and funding sources to promote such alignment. ``(J) Study on job corps.--The Secretary of Labor shall, not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of the A Stronger Workforce for America Act, conduct an evaluation that-- ``(i) uses the most rigorous available methods that are appropriate and feasible to evaluate program effectiveness; ``(ii) measures the effect of the Job Corps program on participating individuals on outcomes related to the purposes described in section 141(1), including educational attainment, employment, earnings, and other related outcomes, compared with the non- participant peers of those individuals, to determine if the program has a statistically significant effect (including long-term effects) on such outcomes; and ``(iii) evaluates the cost-effectiveness of the program. ``(K) Reports.--The Secretary shall prepare and disseminate to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives, and on the publicly available website of the Department, reports containing the results of the studies conducted under this paragraph.''; and (B) in paragraph (5), by adding at the end the following: ``(C) Evaluation of grants.-- ``(i) In general.--For each grant or contract awarded under this paragraph, the Secretary shall conduct a rigorous evaluation of the multistate project to determine the impact of the activities supported by the project, including the impact on the employment and earnings of program participants. ``(ii) Report.--The Secretary shall prepare and disseminate to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives, and to the public, including through electronic means, reports containing the results of evaluations conducted under this subparagraph.''.