WORKPLACE LITERACY PARTNERSHIPS GRANTS

SEC. 6011. WORKPLACE LITERACY PARTNERSHIPS GRANTS (a) Establishment of Grant Program.— The Adult Education Act is amended by inserting after section 315 the following new section: “business, industry, labor, and education partnerships for workplace literacy “Sec. 316. (a) Grants for Exemplary Demonstration Partnerships for Workplace Literacy.— (1) Subject to subsection (b), the Secretary may make demonstration grants to exemplary education partnerships for workplace literacy to pay the Federal share of the cost of adult education programs which teach literacy skills needed in the workplace through partnerships between— “(A) business, industry, or labor organizations, or private industry councils; and “(B) State educational agencies, local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, or schools (including employment and training agencies or community-based organizations). “(2) Grants under paragraph (1) may be used— 102 STAT. 1472 “(A) to fund 70 percent of the cost of programs which meet the requirements of paragraph (3); and “(B) for administrative costs incurred by State educational agencies and local educational agencies in establishing programs funded under subparagraph (A). “(3) Programs funded under paragraph (2)(A) shall be designed to improve the productivity of the workforce through improvement of literacy skills needed in the workplace by— “(A) providing adult literacy and other basic skills services and activities; “(B) providing adult secondary education services and activities which may lead to the completion of a high school diploma or its equivalent; “(C) meeting the literacy needs of adults with limited English proficiency; “(D) upgrading or updating basic skills of adult workers in accordance with changes in workplace requirements, technology, products, or processes; “(E) improving the competency of adult workers in speaking, listening, reasoning, and problem solving; or “(F) providing education counseling, transportation, and nonworking hours child care services to adult workers while they participate in a program funded under paragraph (2)(A). “(4) An application to receive funding for a program out of a grant made to a partnership under this subsection shall— “(A) be submitted jointly by— “(i) a business, industry, or labor organization, or private industry council, and “(ii) a State educational agency, local educational agency, institution of higher education, or school (including an area vocational school, an employment and training agency, or community-based organization); “(B) set forth the respective roles of each member of the partnership; “(C) contain such additional information as the Secretary may require, including evidence of the applicant’s experience in providing literacy services to working adults; “(D) describe the plan for carrying out the requirements of paragraph (3); and “(E) provide assurances that the applicant will use the funds to supplement and not supplant funds otherwise available for the purpose of this section. “(b) Grants to States.— (1) Whenever in any fiscal year, appropriations under subsection (c) are equal to or exceed $50,000,000, the Secretary shall make grants to States which have State plans approved by the Secretary under section 306 to pay the Federal share of the cost of adult education programs which teach literacy skills needed in the workplace through partnerships between— “(A) business, industry, or labor organizations, or private industry councils; and “(B) State educational agencies, local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, or schools (including employment and training agencies or community-based organizations). “(2) Grants under paragraph (1) may be used— “(A) to fund 70 percent of the cost of programs which meet the requirements of paragraph (4); 102 STAT. 1473 “(B) for administrative costs incurred by State educational agencies and local educational agencies in establishing programs funded under subparagraph (A); and “(C) for costs incurred by State educational agencies in obtaining evaluations described in paragraph (3)(A)(iii). “(3) A State shall be eligible to receive its allotment under subsection (e) if it— “(A) includes in a State plan submitted to the Secretary under section 306 a description of— “(i) the requirements for State approval of funding of a program; “(ii) the procedures under which applications for such funding may be submitted; and “(iii) the method by which the State shall obtain annual third-party evaluation of student achievement in, and overall effectiveness of services provided by, all programs which receive funding out of a grant made to the State under this section; and “(B) satisfies the requirements of section 306(a). “(4) The program requirements set forth in subsection (a)(3), shall apply to the program authorized by this subsection. “(5) An application to receive funding for a program from a grant made to a State under paragraph (1) shall contain the same information required in subparagraphs (A) through (E) of subsection (a)(4). “(6) If a State is not eligible for a grant under paragraph (1) of this subsection, the Secretary shall use the State’s allotment under paragraph (7) to make direct grants to applicants in that State who are qualified to teach literacy skills needed in the workplace. “(7) (A) The Federal share of expenditures for programs in a State funded under this subsection shall be paid from a State’s allotment under this paragraph. “(B) From the sum appropriated for each fiscal year under subsection (c) for any fiscal year in which appropriations equal or exceed $50,000,000, the Secretary shall allot— “(i) $25,000 to each of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and the Virgin Islands; and “(ii) to each remaining State an amount which bears the same ratio to the remainder of such sum as— “(I) the number of adults in the State who do not have a certificate of graduation from a school providing secondary education (or its equivalent) and who are not currently required to be enrolled in schools in the State, bears to “(II) the number of such adults in all States; except that no State shall receive less than $125,000 in any fiscal year. “(C) At the end of each fiscal year, the portion of any State’s allotment for that fiscal year which— “(i) exceeds 10 percent of the total allotment for the State under paragraph (2) for the fiscal year; and “(ii) remains unobligated; shall be reallocated among the other States in the same proportion as each State’s allocation for such fiscal year under paragraph (2). “(c) Authorization of Appropriations.— (1) There are authorized to be appropriated $30,000,000 for the fiscal year 1988, $31,500,000 for the fiscal year 1989. and such sums as may be necessary for the102 STAT. 1474 fiscal year 1990 and each succeeding fiscal year ending prior to October 1, 1993, to carry out the provisions of this section. “(2) Amounts appropriated under this subsection shall remain available until expended.”. (b) Definitions.— Section 303 of the Adult Education Act is amended by adding at the end the following new subsections: “(k) The term ‘community-based organization’ has the meaning given such term in section 445) of the Job Training Partnership Act (21 U.S.C.. 1501 et seq). “(l) The term ‘private industry council’ means the private industry council established under section 102 of the Job Training Partnership Act (21 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.).”.