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A BILL
To better forecast and plan for the impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce of the United States, to provide data to improve training programs for in-demand industry sectors and occupations, and for other purposes.
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 “AI Workforce Projections, Research, and Evaluations to Promote AI Readiness and Employment Act” or the “AI Workforce PREPARE Act”.
SEC. 2. Findings and purposes.
(a) Findings.—Congress finds the following:
(1) Artificial intelligence could cause significant shifts in demand for workers, with some tasks or occupations becoming automated or augmented and some tasks or occupations seeing increased demand.
(2) Policymakers, training providers and educators, and workers require better data and forecasts to anticipate and mitigate worker dislocation or potential worker shortages due to artificial intelligence.
(3) Closing data and forecasting gaps relating to the impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce (including the impact on jobs) will help the United States prepare its workforce for technology that enhances the Nation's economic competitiveness and national security.
(b) Purposes.—The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to measure the evolving capabilities of artificial intelligence with respect to automating or augmenting tasks or occupations;
(2) to collect information on artificial intelligence adoption and artificial intelligence-related layoffs through existing Federal surveys, voluntary industry reporting, and improved disclosures under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act;
(3) to produce short- and medium-term occupational employment forecasts that include prediction intervals reflecting uncertainty about the trajectory of artificial intelligence;
(4) to build the Federal Government’s technical capacity through temporary hiring authority for qualified technology talent; and
(5) to inform policy concerning reforms of grantmaking for training programs, as well as other potential policy reforms.
SEC. 3. Definitions.
In this Act:
(1) ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.—The term “artificial intelligence” has the meaning given the term in section 5002 of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 9401).
(2) SECRETARY.—Except as otherwise provided, the term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Labor.
(3) TRAINING PROGRAM.—The term “training program” means a program of workforce investment activities as defined in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102) or another training program administered by the Secretary of Labor.
TITLE I—Data access, studies, and government technical talent
SEC. 101. Information collection and discussion.
(a) Request for comment.—
(1) REQUEST.—Not later than 45 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall make available, on a publicly accessible website of the Department of Labor, a request for comment, to allow interested persons to submit views on the best means of implementing this Act.
(2) COMMENT PERIOD.—The comment period during which interested persons may submit such views shall be 60 days.
(3) TOPICS.—In making the request under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall solicit written views on—
(A) the design and implementation of data collection, forecasting, and other tools directed or authorized by this Act (such as new survey questions, prize competitions, statements required under section 3(e) of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (29 U.S.C. 2102(e)), as added by section 204, and data-sharing efforts directed under section 202), including details on—
(i) which data, tools, data-sharing partnerships, or deeper analyses (such as generation of statistical series under section 104 of occupations specified under section 104(a)(3) and prediction intervals under section 301 for occupations listed under section 301(a)(1)) would be highly valuable for improving forecasts or policymaking under this Act; and
(ii) cost-effective methods for collecting valid, timely, and reliable data, developing tools, or otherwise implementing this Act;
(B) cost-effective reforms to increase researchers’ access to data from the Bureau of the Census, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and other Federal agencies, including researcher access to data at the individual unit or record level, in a manner that is secure and protects the privacy of persons with information contained in the data, including requiring researcher compliance with such regulations as the Secretary may require based on section 552a of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as the “Privacy Act of 1974”);
(C) best practices in forecasting the impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce, including ways in which the Department of Labor could improve the accuracy and value of its occupational forecasts and low-cost methods for producing benchmark forecasts such as the forecast required under section 301(b)(4);
(D) how to improve the efficacy of programs of grants for training programs in light of the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce;
(E) methods for qualitatively or quantitatively evaluating the value of information from data collection and forecasting directed or authorized by this Act, to support effective prioritization of efforts;
(F) appropriate data governance policies and methods for maintaining the security of data collected or aggregated during implementation of this Act; and
(G) other topics that are determined to be appropriate by the Secretary.
(4) POSTING.—Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall make available, on a publicly accessible website of the Department of Labor, the comments received in response to the request described in paragraph (1).
(b) Workshops.—
(1) INITIAL WORKSHOP.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall convene an initial workshop, to discuss responses to comments received under subsection (a) and discuss important points of agreement or disagreement among experts on the best means of implementing this Act.
(B) PARTICIPANTS.—The Secretary may limit the workshop to invited participants and shall invite to the workshop—
(i) as economic and technical experts—
(I) economists;
(II) technical experts on artificial intelligence from academia and nonprofit organizations;
(III) such technical experts from industry and labor organizations;
(IV) researchers or practitioners in scored forecasting involving expert elicitation; and
(V) other experts as the Secretary determines appropriate;
(ii) as representatives of entities that will be significantly affected by the implementation of this Act—
(I) a representative of the—
(aa) Census Bureau;
(bb) Office of Science and Technology Policy;
(cc) Council of Economic Advisers;
(dd) Center for AI Standards and Innovation; and
(ee) Bureau of Economic Analysis;
(II) representatives of labor organizations; and
(III) State and Federal entities that award or receive grants, including grants under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.);
(iii) a representative of the Workforce Information Advisory Council;
(iv) a representative of the Government Accountability Office; and
(v) other stakeholders the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
(C) VIEWPOINT REPRESENTATION.—In inviting participants, the Secretary shall include experts who hold materially different perspectives on the important disagreements or uncertainties relevant to implementation of this Act, such as the degree and rate of artificial intelligence’s impact on labor demand, so the workshop participants can better detect important disagreements and uncertainties relevant to that implementation and identify information that could be collected or produced to resolve them. The Secretary shall not limit the invitations to individuals, or representatives of entities, that responded to any prior request for comment.
(D) TOPICS.—The Secretary shall provide presentation time for groups of participants described in subparagraph (B). The topics discussed at the workshop shall include the topics described in subsection (a)(3).
(E) CRITICAL EVALUATION.—The workshop shall feature at least one exercise to critically evaluate the analytical assumptions of the Bureau of Labor Statistics regarding the impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce.
(F) VALUE OF INFORMATION.—The workshop participants shall seek to quantify or rank the expected value of information to be gained through proposals for data collection, tool development, or other policy reforms.
(G) REPORT.—
(i) CONTENTS.—Not later than 45 days after the end of the workshop, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to Congress a report that—
(I) summarizes written comments received under subsection (a) and workshop discussions;
(II) identifies at least 5 datasets, metrics (including model capability benchmarks), or analyses that could be produced pursuant to this Act or similar authorities within 2 years and that, if produced, would provide the highest value of valid and reliable information at a reasonable cost, based on the Secretary’s evaluation of the input gathered under this section; and
(III) lists recommendations made at the workshop about agency actions, timelines, and estimated costs, to implement this Act.
(ii) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—On the same date on which the report is submitted to Congress, the Secretary shall publish the report on a publicly accessible website of the Department of Labor and disseminate such report to each State workforce agency.
(iii) ANONYMIZATION.—In preparing the report, the Secretary may anonymize information as appropriate, to promote full and open involvement of workshop participants.
(2) SUBSEQUENT WORKSHOPS.—Beginning not later than 1 year after the end of the initial workshop held under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall host at least 1 subsequent workshop each fiscal year. The requirements of subparagraphs (B) and (C) of paragraph (1) shall not apply to such subsequent workshop. The Secretary shall determine the participants of such workshops, including choosing participants with diverse viewpoints.
(c) Nonapplication of requirements.—The requirements of subsections (a) and (b) shall not apply beginning on the date that is 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act.
(d) Authorization of appropriations.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $2,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
SEC. 102. Attracting highly qualified experts in artificial intelligence and other fields.
(a) Purpose.—The purpose of this section is to enable the Department of Labor to rapidly recruit highly qualified experts in artificial intelligence, machine learning, advanced data science, or another area of expertise related to supporting the accomplishment of the purposes of this Act.
(b) Appointment.—
(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
(A) COMPETITIVE SERVICE.—The term “competitive service” has the meaning given the term in section 2102 of title 5, United States Code.
(B) COVERED INDIVIDUAL.—The term “covered individual” means an individual with the expertise described in subsection (a).
(C) EXCEPTED SERVICE.—The term “excepted service” has the meaning given the term in section 2103 of title 5, United States Code.
(2) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary may, in accordance with the requirements of this section, appoint a covered individual (without regard to whether the covered individual occupies a position in the competitive service on the day before that appointment) to a position as an employee in the excepted service in the Department of Labor.
(c) Compensation.—
(1) BASIC PAY.—The Secretary may, without regard to any provision of title 5, United States Code, set the rate of basic pay for a covered individual appointed under subsection (b) at any rate that is not greater than the rate of basic pay for step 10 of grade 15 of the General Schedule.
(2) INCENTIVES AND AWARDS.—In addition to the authority of the Secretary under paragraph (1), the Secretary may, without regard to any provision of title 5, United States Code, provide recruitment, relocation, and retention incentives and performance awards in such amounts, at such times, in such manner (including in lump-sum or installment payments), and subject to such conditions as the Secretary considers appropriate to recruit covered individual to positions described in subsection (b) and retain and reward covered individuals who are appointed under that subsection.
(3) AGGREGATE LIMITATION.—Notwithstanding section 5307 of title 5, United States Code, the aggregate amount paid to an employee appointed under subsection (b) in any calendar year for basic pay, locality-based comparability payments under section 5304 or 5304a of that title, and incentives and awards under paragraph (2) of this subsection may not exceed the total annual compensation payable to the Vice President under section 104 of title 3, United States Code, as of the end of that calendar year.
(d) Status.—A covered individual appointed under subsection (b) may, in the discretion of the Secretary, be deemed an employee for purposes of subchapters I, IV, and V of chapter 55 and chapters 73, 81, 83, 84, 87, 89, and 90 of title 5, United States Code.
(e) Exemptions.—Chapter 33, chapter 51, and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, shall not apply with respect to an appointment made under this section or to a position to which a covered individual is appointed under this section.
(f) Terms.—Each appointment shall be for a period of not more than 24 months, except that the Secretary may extend the appointment of an individual under this section for a period not more than 24 additional months if the Secretary submits to Congress and the President a certification that the individual continues to be highly valuable for providing the expertise described in subsection (a).
(g) Duties.—An employee appointed under this section shall primarily carry out duties related to improving—
(1) measurement and forecasting related to the potential impact of artificial intelligence on labor markets and workforce training needs; and
(2) policymaking regarding the preparation for or adjustment to the potential impact of artificial intelligence on labor markets.
(h) Limitation on positions.—The total number of employees simultaneously serving under this section shall not exceed 20.
(i) Reports.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and Workforce of the House of Representatives a brief report stating, for the year involved—
(1) the number of employees employed under this section;
(2) the primary qualifications and duties of the employees; and
(3) an assessment of their impact on making improvements described in subsection (g).
(j) Rule of construction.—Nothing in this section may be construed to waive any requirement with respect to determining the suitability of an individual for Federal employment, including any requirement with respect to a security clearance.
(k) Termination of appointment authority.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The authority to make or extend appointments under subsections (b) and (f) shall terminate effective 4 years after the date of enactment of this Act, unless extended by Federal statutory law.
(2) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to affect the continued service of an individual who was appointed or whose appointment was extended, under subsection (b) or (f), before the termination date described in paragraph (1).
(l) Authorization of appropriations.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $6,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
SEC. 103. Artificial Intelligence Workforce Research Hub.
(a) Establishment.—Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish an Artificial Intelligence Workforce Research Hub in the Department of Labor. The Hub shall carry out its duties in collaboration with the Bureau of the Census, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis, of the Department of Commerce, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
(b) Duties.—The Hub shall conduct research, and help lead the Federal effort, to evaluate the impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce, including the experience of United States workers whose employment is so impacted. The Hub shall produce recurring analyses, conduct scenario planning for a range of potential artificial intelligence impact levels, and generate actionable insights to inform policy for training programs, for mitigating unemployment, and for other employment impacts.
(c) Details.—
(1) FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE.—Any Federal Government employee, including individuals appointed under section 102, may be detailed to the Hub with or without reimbursement, and such detail shall be without interruption or loss of civil service status or privilege.
(2) PRIVATE SECTOR EMPLOYEE.—Pursuant to sections 3701 through 3704 of title 5, United States Code, an employee of a private sector organization may be detailed to the Hub with or without reimbursement.
(3) STATE OR LOCAL EMPLOYEE.—Pursuant to sections 3371 through 3376 of title 5, United States Code, an employee of a State or local government may be detailed to the Hub with or without reimbursement.
(d) Funding.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may use any amount made available to the Secretary for the purpose of providing, or conducting research on, training programs, or for conducting research on employment impacts, including any such amount made available for the Employment and Training Administration or the Bureau of Labor Statistics, to carry out this section.
(2) PROHIBITION ON ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATIONS.—No additional amounts are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section.
(e) Nonapplication of requirements.—The requirements of this section shall not apply beginning on the date that is 4 years after the date of enactment of this Act.
SEC. 104. Modernizing access to artificial intelligence-related labor market data.
(a) Job-to-Job data pilot project.—
(1) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to produce a recurring statistical series on flows of workers between occupations, with a focus on occupations impacted by artificial intelligence, including those occupations that may experience significant increased or decreased demand for workers or changes in the skills required by workers, to inform policymaking such as policymaking related to training programs and adjustment assistance.
(2) STATISTICAL SERIES.—Except as provided in paragraph (6), the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director of the Census Bureau (in this section referred to as the “Director”), in consultation with the Secretary of Labor and the Chief Statistician of the United States, shall carry out a pilot project that produces a statistical series that provides a sample of job-to-job flows for occupations designated under paragraph (3), similar to the flows shown by the J2J Explorer tool of the Bureau of the Census, at a more detailed Standard Occupational Classification code level or according to a similar occupation code scheme as determined under paragraph (3).
(3) DESIGNATION AND SCOPE.—
(A) PUBLICATION OF DESIGNATED OCCUPATIONS.—The Secretary of Labor shall, in consultation with the Director and not later than 240 days after the date of enactment of this Act and not less frequently than once every 2 years thereafter, designate occupations for, and publish in the Federal Register, a list of occupations. The list shall include not fewer than 15 occupations designated at the 6-digit or 4-digit Standard Occupational Classification code level, or according to a similar occupation code scheme if the Secretary of Labor determines that designation in accordance with that scheme would be more feasible or valuable, for which the Secretary of Labor determines that it would be highly valuable to collect and provide occupation transitional data, to better understand the impact of artificial intelligence on occupations, including occupations that may experience demand or changes described in paragraph (1) (including related economic outcomes) for the pilot project.
(B) FACTORS FOR DESIGNATION.—In making the designation under subparagraph (A), the Secretary of Labor shall consider factors such as the potential degree of worker dislocation or shortage driven by artificial intelligence for an occupation, the information value in evaluating analytical assumptions regarding the impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce in the occupation, the feasibility of collecting data on occupational transitions, and the insufficiency of related existing (as of the date of the designation) data or research for the occupation.
(4) METHODS AND SOURCES.—In producing the series, the Director may use any data sources (representing diverse industries and geographic areas) that are lawfully available and appropriate statistical methods, including—
(A) Federal surveys, administrative records, and data from interagency data linkages;
(B) voluntary partnerships with private entities to obtain data, including payroll data; and
(C) small-scale pilot projects with States and localities, including projects that collect data with enhanced wage record elements such as job titles or occupational codes.
(5) TIMELINE AND FREQUENCY.—The Director shall publish the first statistical series described in paragraph (2) for a quarter not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act. The Director shall provide for a subsequent statistical series for at least 1 quarter for each fiscal year thereafter.
(6) EXCEPTION.—If the Director, in consultation with the Chief Statistician of the United States and the Secretary of Labor and after reviewing input gathered under section 101, determines that producing the statistical series is not practicable or that the cost of producing the series would be substantially greater than the value the series is expected to contribute, the Director shall submit a public report in lieu of the series that—
(A) identifies statutory, technological, or logistical barriers to that production;
(B) describes changes (including changes through legislation, funding, or standards) that would enable the production to occur; and
(C) presents a cost-benefit assessment of the cost of production (including data collection and protection) to the expected value of information from the series.
(7) NONAPPLICATION OF REQUIREMENTS.—The requirements of this subsection shall not apply beginning on the date that is 4 years after the date of enactment of this Act.
(b) Assessment of secure remote access proposals.—To promote academic and other research on the impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce, the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, in consultation with the Chief Statistician of the United States and the Director of the Census Bureau, shall request, assess, and report on the relative value, risk, and cost of proposals, including proposals collected through activities under section 101, to facilitate researcher access to related data at the individual unit or record level. Such report shall be published not later than 1 year after the enactment of this Act. Such report may make proposals to facilitate such access through the National Secure Data Service demonstration project carried out by the National Science Foundation under section 10375 of the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 19085) or a secure remote access platform through which that academic and other research could be accomplished.
(c) Prohibition on additional appropriations.—No additional amounts are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section.
TITLE II—Measuring artificial intelligence capabilities, adoption and use, and layoff impacts
SEC. 201. Support for evaluation of artificial intelligence automation.
(a) Prize competition required.—Not later than 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (in this section referred to as the “Director”), shall commence carrying out at least 1 prize competition under section 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719) to develop benchmarks or similar reproducible methods to quantitatively measure the ability of artificial intelligence to automate or augment tasks or occupations, with the primary purpose of improving forecasts of the impacts that artificial intelligence may have on workers and the retraining needs of workers.
(b) Consultation.—In carrying out the prize competition required by subsection (a), the Director shall consult with the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Labor, the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Director of the National Science Foundation.
(c) Structure and evaluation criteria.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall develop the structure and evaluation criteria for a prize competition carried out under subsection (a) and a companion grant or cooperative agreement awarded under subsection (d) in accordance with the primary purpose described in subsection (a).
(2) COMPETITION SCOPING.—The Director may structure a competition under subsection (a) into 1 or more categories, including by the occupation impacted or the capability domain of the artificial intelligence.
(3) CATEGORY SELECTION.—In selecting the categories under paragraph (2), the Director shall consider—
(A) the informativeness of a category in evaluating the direct or indirect impacts on labor markets, which may include factors such as the number of individuals directly or indirectly impacted by the automation or augmentation and the economic security or ability to find new employment opportunities of the individuals impacted;
(B) the quality or efficacy of the submissions for a category;
(C) the potential for a category to result in the development of benchmarks that complement existing benchmarks;
(D) the potential for a category to result in the development of benchmarks that are underfunded by private contributions relative to the public value of the benchmarks; and
(E) other factors determined appropriate by the Director, taking into account input gathered under section 101.
(4) COMPETITION PHASING.—The Director may structure a competition under subsection (a) into 1 or more phases (such as design and prototype stages).
(5) EVALUATION CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing the evaluation criteria for the benchmarks or similar methods submitted for prize competitions under subsection (a), the Director shall, to the extent practicable, seek to avoid or mitigate common problems affecting the value and feasibility of artificial intelligence benchmarks, including—
(A) training data contamination that is difficult to detect;
(B) rapid loss of discriminatory value over time due to a metric having a low ceiling for performance; and
(C) other common problems, including problems identified in the input collected under section 101.
(d) Companion grants and cooperative agreements.—In carrying out this section, the Director may, in addition to carrying out a prize competition under subsection (a), award a grant or enter into a cooperative agreement to support the design, construction, validation, and maintenance of a benchmark or similar reproducible method described in subsection (a), including support for—
(1) data collection and labeling;
(2) evaluator training and rubric development; and
(3) third-party replication and inter rater reliability testing.
(e) Program administration.—The Director may enter into contracts, cooperative agreements, or other agreements with for-profit or nonprofit entities, or State, territorial, local, or Tribal agencies, to design and administer prize competitions under subsection (a) and related grant and cooperative agreement activities under subsection (d).
(f) Authorization of appropriations.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Commerce to carry out this section $7,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
SEC. 202. Voluntary artificial intelligence adoption and use reporting and data-sharing partnerships.
(a) In general.—The Secretary, acting through the Commissioner of Labor Statistics and in coordination with the Secretary of Commerce and the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, shall establish a program to enable and encourage artificial intelligence developers, artificial intelligence deployers, and other private entities, to share, on a voluntary basis, anonymized data on the adoption or use of artificial intelligence in the workforce.
(b) Memoranda of understanding and other agreements.—To carry out this section, the Secretary may enter into memoranda of understanding, data-licensing agreements, or other agreements for data sharing with artificial intelligence developers, artificial intelligence deployers, and other private entities, participating in the program under this section.
(c) Use of data.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Any data on adoption or use of artificial intelligence furnished through the program under this section—
(A) shall be used exclusively for statistical purposes, as defined in section 3561 of title 44, United States Code;
(B) shall be—
(i) treated as confidential in accordance with the requirements under subchapter III of chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code; and
(ii) exempt from disclosure under section 552(b)(3) of title 5, United States Code;
(C) shall include an anonymized description of the data sources, the methodology used, and an assessment of the limitation of the data, including any known gaps in coverage or potential for bias; and
(D) may not be used for regulatory enforcement or any antitrust action.
(2) STATISTICAL METHODOLOGY.—In establishing the program under subsection (a), the Secretary shall—
(A) develop a statistical methodology to ensure that the data collected through such program is, to the extent feasible, statistically valid and representative of all sectors and demographics of the workforce;
(B) establish data quality standards, uniform definitions, and formats for the data to be shared to ensure comparability; and
(C) develop methods to identify and mitigate selection bias in the data received.
(d) Public recognition for participation.—The Secretary shall maintain, on the website of the Department of Labor, a public roster of artificial intelligence developers, artificial intelligence deployers, and other private entities, that participate in the program under this section and that agree to being included in such roster.
(e) Publication of aggregate statistics.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not less frequently than once every 6 months, the Secretary shall publish machine readable statistics on information collected under this section, such as the degree of adoption or use of artificial intelligence for various occupations, unless the Secretary determines that such publications would be more detrimental than beneficial to the goal of collecting and sharing data to inform policymaking and the career decisions of individuals.
(2) AGGREGATION.—The data published under this subsection may be—
(A) aggregated across data contributors; or
(B) otherwise structured as the Secretary, in consultation with the Chief Statistician of the United States and the Workforce Information Advisory Council, determines appropriate.
(f) Report to Congress.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report—
(1) evaluating—
(A) participation rates of artificial intelligence developers, artificial intelligence deployers, and other private entities, in the program under this section;
(B) the quality of data furnished through such program;
(C) the usefulness of the aggregated statistics published pursuant to this section, including under subsection (e), for labor-market analysis; and
(D) barriers to collection or analysis of data pursuant to this section; and
(2) providing recommendations for expanding or modifying the program under this section.
(g) Authorization of appropriations.—There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $7,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
(h) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DEPLOYER.—The term “artificial intelligence deployer” means an entity (including a cloud service provider) that operates artificial intelligence for internal use or for use by a third party.
(2) ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER.—The term “artificial intelligence developer” means—
(A) an entity that builds, designs, codes, produces, trains, or owns artificial intelligence for internal use or for use by a third party; and
(B) does not include an entity that is solely a deployer of the artificial intelligence.
SEC. 203. Artificial intelligence questions in Federal surveys.
(a) In general.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director of the Bureau of the Census, and the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, shall, in consultation with the Chief Statistician of the United States, revise their respective surveys described in subsection (b) to incorporate or improve questions relating to the adoption and use of artificial intelligence in accordance with this section.
(b) Surveys.—The surveys described in this subsection are—
(1) with respect to the Bureau of the Census—
(A) the Annual Business Survey;
(B) the Current Population Survey; and
(C) the Business Trends and Outlook Survey; and
(2) with respect to the Bureau of Labor Statistics—
(A) the Occupational Requirements Survey; and
(B) the American Time Use Survey.
(c) Content.—The questions and improvements required under subsection (a) shall—
(1) to the extent practicable, be informed by the information collected under section 101 with respect to how best to implement this Act (including input or observations quantified or ranked in accordance with such section) and any other sources determined appropriate by the Secretary of Commerce or the Secretary of Labor; and
(2) seek to obtain information on—
(A) the types of artificial intelligence adopted by individuals or entities, to enable important analytical distinctions between such types, such as between language models and simple predictive models;
(B) the occupations or tasks most impacted by artificial intelligence;
(C) changes in skill requirements or training investments attributable to artificial intelligence, including shortages in skills necessary for the development, operation, or integration of artificial intelligence;
(D) the intensity and frequency of artificial intelligence use; and
(E) work outcomes attributable to artificial intelligence, such as changes in time spent or changes in quality or quantity of outputs.
(d) Scope.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 3, for purposes of the questions described in subsection (a), the Secretary of Commerce, or the Secretary of Labor, as either such Secretary determines appropriate for the purposes of this Act, may narrow the scope of artificial intelligence covered by such questions, such as by limiting the scope of such term to language models or by excluding from such term forms of artificial intelligence that do not represent the frontier of development or adoption of artificial intelligence.
(2) CONSULTATION.—In developing the questions and improvements required by subsection (a), the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Labor shall consult with each other regarding the scope of the term “artificial intelligence” used in such questions and, as appropriate and feasible, facilitate consistency.
(e) Prohibition on additional appropriations.—No additional amounts are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section.
SEC. 204. Disclosures under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.
Section 3 of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (29 U.S.C. 2102) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(e) Artificial intelligence contributing to mass layoffs.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—In the event that artificial intelligence was a substantial factor, as determined under the guidance issued under paragraph (3), in contributing to a mass layoff for which a notice is required under subsection (a), the notice required under such subsection shall include a statement—
“(A) specifying that artificial intelligence was a substantial factor in such mass layoff;
“(B) specifying the type and usage of such artificial intelligence;
“(C) providing an estimate of the percentage of the employment loss, with respect to such mass layoff, that is attributable to such artificial intelligence; and
“(D) specifying the actions, if any, that were taken to upskill or retrain employees to meet the needs of the employer prior to implementing such mass layoff.
“(2) GOOD-FAITH COMPLIANCE.—An employer satisfies the requirements under this subsection if the notice required under subsection (a) includes a good-faith statement with respect to the requirements under paragraph (1), including a good-faith estimate of the percentage required under subparagraph (C) of such paragraph.
“(3) GUIDANCE.—The Secretary of Labor shall issue guidance not later than 300 days after the date of enactment of the AI Workforce PREPARE Act on how employers may—
“(A) determine that artificial intelligence is a substantial factor in contributing to a mass layoff as described in paragraph (1); and
“(B) estimate the percentage required under subparagraph (C) of such paragraph.
“(4) APPLICABILITY.—This subsection applies with respect to any notice issued under subsection (a) on or after the date that is 1 year after the date of enactment of the AI Workforce PREPARE Act.
“(5) DEFINITION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.—In this subsection, the term ‘artificial intelligence’ has the meaning given such term in section 3 of such Act.”.
TITLE III—Improving artificial intelligence labor market forecasts
SEC. 301. Detailed employment forecasts for AI-sensitive occupations.
(a) Designation of occupations.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall, not later than 240 days after the date of enactment of this Act and not less frequently than once every 2 years thereafter, publish in the Federal Register a list of not less than 15 occupations, at the 6-digit Standard Occupational Classification code level, for which the Secretary determines, in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3), that a deeper analysis of the impact of artificial intelligence on such occupation would be highly valuable.
(2) FACTORS FOR SELECTION.—In determining the occupations to include on a list published under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consider—
(A) the forecast degree to which artificial intelligence developments are expected to increase or decrease demand for employment in such occupations;
(B) the current size of employment of the occupations;
(C) relevance to policymaking, including determinations of eligibility or priority for Federal grants and other funding for workforce or education initiatives;
(D) the feasibility of producing detailed assessments with respect to the occupations; and
(E) other factors the Secretary determines relevant.
(3) CONSULTATION.—In determining the occupations to include on a list published under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall—
(A) consult with the Workforce Information Advisory Council and the Office of Science and Technology Policy; and
(B) consider input received from respondents or workshop participants under section 101.
(4) OTHER FACTORS.—The Secretary shall include in each list published under paragraph (1) a brief description of any other factor described in paragraph (2)(E) used in determining whether an occupation should be included on such list.
(b) Range forecasts for designated occupations.—
(1) REPORT AND PREDICTION INTERVAL FORECASTS.—Not later than 6 months after publication of the first list under subsection (a)(1) and at least once every year thereafter, the Secretary shall publish a report that contains, for each occupation on the most recently published list under such subsection, a forecast in the form of a prediction interval, made by the assigned entity, for employment in such occupation that reflects the forecast range of uncertainty about the impact of technological and other changes on such occupation for—
(A) the 2-year period beginning on the date of such report;
(B) the 4-year period beginning on the date of such report; and
(C) the 8-year period beginning on the date of such report.
(2) FORECAST BOUND SPECIFICATION.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—For each report under paragraph (1), the prediction interval described in such paragraph shall, with respect to each period described in such paragraph—
(i) form a range from the 20th to 80th percentile of forecast projected employment for the occupation, consistent with paragraph (3); or
(ii) be for another range of forecasts for the projected employment for the occupation, including ranges expressed as percentage growth or decline in employment in the occupation, if the assigned entity requests to use such other range and the Secretary approves such other range, based on considerations including—
(I) the usefulness of the range for research or policymaking;
(II) the added difficulty of comparing new and past forecasts for performance evaluation (if applicable); and
(III) the feasibility of producing reliable or defensible forecasts for the ranges.
(B) PUBLIC REPORT REGARDING OTHER RANGES.—If the assigned entity uses another range of forecasts for purposes of paragraph (1) that is approved by the Secretary under subparagraph (A)(ii), the assigned entity shall publicly release, within 30 days of receiving approval from the Secretary, a brief report stating the nature of the range of forecasts and the reasoning for using such range.
(3) SCOPE OF CONSIDERATION.—To support the objectivity of the evaluations under paragraph (6), the ranges used pursuant to paragraph (2) shall reflect a holistic forecast except that they shall exclude effects from future acute shocks unrelated to the economic impacts of artificial intelligence, including recessions, wars, or pandemics.
(4) BENCHMARK FORECASTS.—For each occupation and period included in the forecasts made in the report under paragraph (1), the assigned entity shall select one or more benchmark forecasts to enable comparative evaluation under paragraph (6), each with an accompanying methodology included in the report required under paragraph (1). Such benchmark forecasts may include—
(A) trend-extrapolation models;
(B) generative artificial intelligence, such as language models; or
(C) other methods the assigned entity determines appropriate, including those that are suggested by respondents or workshop participants under section 101.
(5) METHOD TRANSPARENCY AND GAP IDENTIFICATION.—In each report published under paragraph (1), the assigned entity shall, with respect to each forecast included in such report, provide—
(A) appropriate details on data sources, assumptions, and modeling steps used by the assigned entity for purposes of the forecast to facilitate independent evaluation of the methodology;
(B) an assessment of the most significant and resolvable data gaps, analytical disagreements, or other sources of uncertainty with respect to the forecast;
(C) details regarding the benchmark forecasts selected under paragraph (4), including basic methodological details for external evaluation and replication where possible; and
(D) any supplementary forecasts or additional analyses that the assigned entity determines appropriate for inclusion, such as conditional forecasts.
(6) EVALUATION.—
(A) TIMING.—The Secretary shall publish an evaluation of each forecast made under paragraph (1) for an occupation and period, as included in the report described in such paragraph, not later than 120 days after the official data necessary to evaluate the outcome for the relevant occupation and period are released.
(B) QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT.—Each such evaluation shall include a quantitative assessment using a proper scoring rule that—
(i) reflects accuracy for each forecast made under paragraph (1), with respect to an occupation and period described in such paragraph;
(ii) reflects aggregate calibration across the set of forecasts produced in the report described in paragraph (1); and
(iii) provides comparisons to the benchmark forecast or forecasts produced under paragraph (4).
(C) TREATMENT OF ACUTE SHOCKS.—If the Secretary determines that an acute shock described in paragraph (3) has meaningfully distorted the results of an evaluation under this paragraph, the Secretary shall—
(i) attempt to adjust the results in such evaluation to account for such distortion; and
(ii) include a description of how the Secretary is accounting for such distortion in the publication of the evaluation under this paragraph.
(7) ASSIGNED ENTITY.—For purposes of this subsection, the term “assigned entity” means—
(A) the Commissioner of Labor Statistics; or
(B) another entity determined appropriate by the Secretary for making the prediction interval forecast under paragraph (1), such as the head of the Artificial Intelligence Workforce Research Hub established under section 103.
(c) Public archive.—The Secretary shall maintain an online, public, and machine-readable archive—
(1) containing the forecasts, scores, and other documents published under this section; and
(2) that complies with—
(A) the requirements under section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d); and
(B) the most recent Web Content Accessibility Guidelines of the Web Accessibility Initiative, or successor guidelines, applicable to materials posted on a website.
(d) Implementation report.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall publish a public report on the implementation of this section.
(2) CONTENTS.—The report under this subsection shall include—
(A) an assessment of the usefulness of the forecasts of prediction intervals under this section to policymakers;
(B) a summary of forecasting performance;
(C) identification of ways to improve the accuracy or usefulness of the forecasting, including priority data gaps and methodological issues; and
(D) a plan for implementing the phase out of the requirements of this section pursuant to subsection (e).
(e) Phased sunset.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in paragraph (2), the requirements under this section shall cease to be in effect on the date that is 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act.
(2) EVALUATIONS.—The requirements under subsections (b)(6) and (c) shall remain in effect for 10 years after the date of enactment of this Act to continue evaluation of forecasts produced under subsection (b)(1) before the date described in paragraph (1).
(f) Authorization of appropriations.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $18,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
SEC. 302. Forecasting prize competition.
(a) Establishment.—The Director of the National Science Foundation (referred to in this section as the “Director”) shall establish a recurring prize competition to incentivize accurate forecasts and informative rationales for short-horizon questions that are informative for understanding or addressing labor-market implications of artificial intelligence (as defined in section 3).
(b) Eligibility.—To be eligible to win a cash prize purse under this section, an individual or entity—
(1) shall have registered to participate in the prize competition under any rules promulgated by the Director;
(2) shall have complied with all the requirements under this section;
(3) in the case of a private entity, shall be incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United States, and in the case of an individual, whether participating singly or in a group, shall be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States; and
(4) may not be a Federal entity or Federal employee acting within the scope of their employment.
(c) Scope of forecast questions.—Questions under the prize competition established under subsection (a) may include—
(1) model performance on relevant benchmarks, such as automation or augmentation benchmarks;
(2) AI adoption indicators, such as share of firms deploying generative-AI tools;
(3) occupation-level employment changes and AI-related mass-layoff reports; and
(4) other metrics or topics the Director, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, deems valuable and appropriate.
(d) Competition cadence and structure.—The Director shall release questions under the prize competition established under subsection (a) and score resolved questions or submitted rationales not less frequently than every 6 months after the date of the creation of the competition.
(e) Evaluation criteria.—The Director shall use evaluation criteria in the prize competition established under subsection (a) that include, either jointly or as part of separate prize categories—
(1) forecasting accuracy using a proper scoring rule; and
(2) informativeness or persuasiveness of rationales, models, or other justifications offered in response to questions.
(f) Consultation.—In carrying out the prize competition established under subsection (a), the Director shall—
(1) consult with the Secretary, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and at least 1 organization that has operated scored crowd elicitation forecasting platforms or contests; and
(2) consider relevant input collected under section 101 about best practices for designing and operating scored crowd-sourced forecasting.
(g) Reporting; data retention.—
(1) POSTING.—Each year of the prize competition established under subsection (a), the Director shall post a public summary of the results and discuss whether and how the results will inform Federal labor-market forecasts or policy.
(2) RETENTION.—The Director shall retain program data from the prize competition established under subsection (a) for not less than 5 years after the date on which the program sunsets under subsection (i).
(3) CONSOLIDATED REPORT.—By not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall publish a consolidated report, which shall evaluate the prize competition effectiveness and recommend whether to continue or modify the prize competition program.
(h) Authorization of appropriations.—There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $6,000,000 over the period of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
(i) Sunset.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in paragraph (2), the prize competition authorized under this section shall cease to exist on the date that is 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act.
(2) DISTRIBUTION AFTER SUNSET.—Any prize competition funds that are obligated before the date that is 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act shall be distributed after such date that is 5 years after such date of enactment.
TITLE IV—Linking better data to employment, training, and adjustment programs
SEC. 401. Report on use of new research and tools in recipient selection and program measurement.
(a) Report.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare a report that—
(1) describes how the data, benchmarks, and forecasts developed or collected pursuant to this Act will be incorporated into the selection or performance measurement criteria of—
(A) programs of formula and competitive grants under title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3111 et seq.);
(B) apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, and training programs involving grants, administered by the Secretary; and
(C) other grant programs administered by and determined to be appropriate by the Secretary;
(2) identifies statutory or regulatory barriers, if any, to using such data, benchmarks, and forecasting tools in selecting grant recipients for and measuring results of the programs described in paragraph (1);
(3) describes how the Secretary will support States, localities, and other applicants for funding for the programs, to utilize the data, benchmarks, and forecasts to improve their funding applications and program performance measures; and
(4) provides recommendations on timelines, responsible offices, and resource needs for incorporation, as described in paragraph (1).
(b) Consultation.—In preparing the report under subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult with the Workforce Information Advisory Council and consider input obtained through the activities required under title I.
(c) Submission.—The Secretary shall submit the report to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and Workforce of the House of Representatives.
(d) Publication.—Not later than 30 days after submitting the report under subsection (c), the Secretary shall make the report available on a publicly accessible website of the Department of Labor, in a machine-readable and accessible format.
(e) Authorization of appropriations.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $500,000 for the period of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
SEC. 402. Study on Rapid Artificial Intelligence Adjustment Assistance Program.
(a) Study.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall, directly or by grant, provide for a study on potential design options and challenges for a Rapid AI Adjustment Assistance Program to help workers dislocated or job-seekers impacted by artificial intelligence (referred to in this section as an “impacted worker”).
(2) COMPONENTS.—The Secretary, directly or indirectly, shall, in carrying out the study—
(A) draw on the data and forecasts developed pursuant to this Act, as well as lessons from the program of trade adjustment assistance under chapter 2 of title II of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2271 et seq.) and other examples of adjustment assistance programs as appropriate; and
(B) examine and propose answers to questions such as—
(i) how to rapidly and reliably determine who should qualify as an impacted worker due to artificial intelligence for purposes of receiving rapid artificial intelligence adjustment assistance, including questions regarding—
(I) which data would be highly valuable for determining eligibility;
(II) what regulatory barriers exist to collecting or analyzing valuable data;
(III) what thresholds of evidence would be appropriate for those determinations;
(IV) how could the Department of Labor use artificial intelligence to support adjudication of approval of petitions described in subclause (VI) or related decisions;
(V) whether a tiered approval process involving preliminary approval would be appropriate; and
(VI) whether the process should be structured as a petition-based system, and if so, should the Department of Labor evaluate petitions at the individual, group, or other levels;
(ii) the anticipated positive and negative effects of different forms of adjustment assistance, including credits for retraining or education, as well as how to support such individuals’ transitions to alternative employment that is unlikely to face similar dislocation in the near future;
(iii) the compatibility of a program described in paragraph (1) with existing laws and regulatory barriers to effective program execution;
(iv) how the program could support evidence collection and incorporate ongoing performance evaluation, including through use of pilot programs with randomized assignment or other experimental methods where appropriate;
(v) how much would the overall program cost under different design choices;
(vi) how the program could support effective collaboration between labor organizations, workforce development agencies, and educational institutions to meet impacted workers’ needs; and
(vii) other questions determined to be appropriate by the Secretary.
(b) Publication.—The Secretary shall ensure that, not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the study shall be completed and the results of the study shall be published on a publicly accessible website of the Department of Labor.
(c) Authorization of appropriations.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $1,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
SEC. 403. Update of State in-demand industry sector and occupation lists.
(a) Requirement.—Beginning not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act and for the subsequent 4 years, each State that, and local board for a local area that, receives funds under subtitle B of title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3151 et seq.) shall, consider the information or forecasts produced under title III when updating its lists of in-demand industry sectors and occupations, as defined in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
(b) Technical assistance.—The Secretary shall provide States with compilations of resources, information on harmonization of data, and other guidance as appropriate to facilitate the incorporation of forecasts as described in subsection (a).
(c) Authorization of appropriations.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $3,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
SEC. 404. Data elements and production.
(a) Data elements.—
(1) CONSULTATION FOR IDENTIFICATION.—The Secretary shall identify data elements for the reporting of data relevant to data collection and reporting under this Act. The Secretary shall consult with States, local workforce development boards, private employers, and other entities selected by the Secretary to identify data elements pertaining to the workforce, job vacancies, hiring, earnings, education, skills, and any other aspects of that implementation that are selected by the Secretary.
(2) REPORTING ON DATA ELEMENTS.—Not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and Workforce of the House of Representatives detailing how the data on data elements described in paragraph (1) could be—
(A) reported in a standardized manner;
(B) collected in a secure repository; and
(C) made accessible to researchers.
(b) Data production.—The Secretary, in coordination with the National Science Foundation and other relevant Federal agencies, shall lead a voluntary and, when feasible, consensus-driven effort—
(1) to develop Federal standards, and facilitate the development of State and local standards, for the production, including collection and reporting, under this Act of trusted data that relates to artificial intelligence; and
(2) to support voluntary, consistent implementation and use of the standards at all appropriate levels of government.
(c) Authorization of appropriations.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $3,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.