Sec. 201 In general
The Secretary shall establish an appropriate administrative structure within the Department of Labor to administer the Program.
Title II — Program Administration
II Program Administration
Sec. 202 Grant management
In general— The Secretary shall establish and administer an evaluation, approval, and monitoring process for Employment Opportunity Grants that is transparent, apolitical, and free of outside influence.
Project timing— The evaluation and approval process shall invite proposals not only for projects that are suitable for immediate implementation, but also for projects that can be rapidly implemented or expanded in the future when unemployment increases precipitously due to a recession or other causes. Projects approved for future implementation may receive immediate funding to undertake preparatory work necessary for the rapid implementation of the project when it is needed.
Monitoring and technical assistance— The performance of grant recipients shall be monitored during as well as at the conclusion of a grant-funded project, and technical assistance shall be offered to grant recipients, as needed, to help insure the success of their grant-funded projects.
Post-Project review— A post-project review of the performance of every grant-funded projects shall be conducted and documented.
Sec. 203 Office of Technical Assistance
The Secretary shall establish and administer an Office of Technical Assistance to advise and assist grant recipients and potential grant recipients in the identification and adoption of best practices in the design and administration of job creation projects, the preparation of grant proposals, the satisfaction of Program requirements, and the fulfillment of the Program’s purposes.
Sec. 204 Office of Educational Support
The Secretary shall establish and administer an Office of Educational Support to encourage and affirmatively assist Program employees who have not yet earned a high school diploma or its equivalent to complete his or her secondary education; and to counsel Program employees concerning post-secondary vocational and academic educational opportunities.
Sec. 205 Office of Assisted Placement
The Secretary shall establish and administer an Office of Assisted Placement to coordinate the creation and operation of Assisted Placement Offices in all one-stop centers for the purpose of providing placement services to individuals eligible for such services under section 308.
Sec. 206 Office of Dispute Resolution
In general— The Secretary shall establish and administer an Office of Dispute Resolution to perform the dispute resolution functions described in section 313.
Whistleblower hotline— The Secretary shall establish and administer both an online and telephone whistleblower hotline for the informal reportage of alleged violations of this Act. Provided enough information is furnished via the hotline to initiate an investigation, the matter shall be referred for appropriate follow up.
South African CCMA commended as model— The rules and procedures adopted by the Secretary for the resolution of disputes within the scope of section 313(b) shall be designed to insure a prompt and fair resolution of employment disputes in a process that is free of cost to the participants and easily navigated by all parties. To that end, the Congress commends the administrative practices and rules of the South African Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) as a model for the dispute resolution system established under this section.
Sec. 207 Office of Statistics and Research
The Secretary shall establish and administer an Office of Statistics and Research to provide the public with useful information concerning the operations of the Program, to provide Program administrators with evidence-based guidance to aid them in their work, and to assist the Congress in its oversight of the Program. Employing rigorous social science methodologies, and with the advice and assistance of the Bureau of Labor Statistics where appropriate, the Office of Statistics and Research shall—
collect, tabulate, analyze, and report statistical data on labor market conditions that are relevant to Program operations;
undertake basic and applied research to guide Program administrators in the performance of their duties and to track the Program’s success or lack thereof in combating various aspects of the problem of unemployment and the harmful effects associated with the problem of unemployment;
identify and disseminate information regarding best practices in Program design and implementation;
catalogue basic information about each and every job creation project or job-training program funded by an Employment Opportunity Grant and create a permanent and easily accessible archive of this information on the Program’s website;
develop methodologies to estimate and report the revenues and savings generated by the Program for various levels of government either directly through increased tax revenues or indirectly through reductions in other government expenditures; and
carry out other research tasks in support of the Program’s goals.
Sec. 208 National Employment Conference
In general— The Secretary shall convene a national employment conference not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter.
Purpose of conference— The purpose of the conference shall be to report on research concerning the operations of the Program and its role in addressing various aspects of the problems of unemployment, to share best practices in addressing such problems, and to address challenges in the administration of this Act.
Sec. 209 Program website
The Secretary shall establish and administer an internet website to provide the public with information concerning the Program and to archive information concerning its operations.
Sec. 210 Staffing administrative functions
To the extent reasonably possible, the Secretary shall fill positions within the Program’s administrative offices with individuals who are eligible for Program employment.
Sec. 211 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
In general— The Secretary shall make adjustments in the activities and programs administered by the Department of Labor under the WIOA as necessary or useful to serve the needs of this Act.
Expansion of workforce development boards— To facilitate the implementation of the adjustments described in subsection (a) at the State and local level:
Section 101(b)(1)(C) of the WIOA (29 U.S.C. 3111(b)(1)(C)) is amended—
by striking “and” at the end of subclause (II);
by inserting “and” at the end of subclause (III); and
by adding at the end the following:
“(IV) are not less than 25 percent of the chief executive officers of minority-serving, community-based organizations;”
Section 107(b)(2)(C) of the WIOA (29 U.S.C. 3122(b)(2)(A)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(iv) shall include not less than 25 percent of the chief executive officers of minority-serving, community-based organizations;”
Effective date— The amendments to the WIOA set forth in this subsection shall take effect as if enacted as part of the WIOA (29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.).