,i #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dgeh ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,may #bi1 #bjad ,mr4 ,carney introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and the ,workforce ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,secretary of ,labor to create a searchable database containing a credentials registry1 a skills database1 and a jobs bank4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,skills ,connection ,act4 #b4 ,creation of searchable database 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #abj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,labor shall create a publicly available1 easily navigable1 and searchable database containing the following3 7#a7 ,a registry of credentials 7which may be certificates71 for purposes of enabling programs that lead to such a credential to receive priority under a covered provision4 7#b7 ,a skills database1 for purposes of enabling programs that lead to such a credential to receive priority under a covered provision4 7#c7 ,a jobs bank4 7b7 ,credentials registry ,in creating a registry of credentials1 the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 list the credential in the registry if the credential is required by ,federal or ,state law for an occupation 7such as a credential required by a ,state law regarding qualifications for a health care occupation72 7#b7 list the credential1 and list an updated credential1 in the registry if the credential involved is an industry-recognized1 nationally portable credential that is consistent with the ,secretary's established industry competency models and is consistently updated through third party validation to reflect changing industry competencies2 and 7#c7 for each credential listed in the registry1 provide an assessment of which skills listed in the skills database created under subsection 7c7 align with or are related to the requirements of the credential4 7c7 ,skills database ,in creating a skills database1 the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 list identifiable skills that are required for employment in the manufacturing sector1 as determined by the ,secretary-- 7,a7 by using ,manufacturing ,institute-,endorsed ,manufacturing ,skills ,certification ,system or similar resource2 or 7,b7 by consulting with an organization similar to the ,manufacturing ,institute2 7#b7 after consultation with the ,manufacturing ,institute or similar organization and representatives of the ,armed ,forces list identifiable skills developed through service in the ,armed ,forces2 and 7#c7 for each skill listed under paragraphs 7#a7 and 7#b71 include information about how that skill aligns with or is related to the requirements for the credentials listed under the credentials registry created under subsection 7b74 7d7 ,jobs bank ,in creating a jobs bank1 the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 enable job seekers to-- 7,a7 enter basic information through the statewide employment statistics system established under section #ae of the ,wagner-,peyser ,act 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #dil-#b7 for their ,state of residence about their skills1 experience1 credentials1 and preferred area of employment2 and 7,b7 browse job listings submitted by employers to such jobs bank that match the credentials1 experience1 or other qualifications entered under subparagraph 7,a72 7#b7 automatically match available jobs with job seekers who have matching qualifications2 and 7#c7 enable information relating to shortages in certain skills or credentials available to be utilized by ,state workforce investment board established under section #aaa of the ,workforce ,investment ,board of #aiih 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #di;j7 and others to inform decisions about how to allocate workforce development resources4 7e7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in this ,act shall be construed-- 7#a7 to require an entity with responsibility for selecting or approving an education1 training1 or workforce investment activities program with regard to a covered provision1 to select a program with a credential listed in the registry described in subsection 7b72 or 7#b7 to be an endorsement of a skill listed under the skills database described in subsection 7c7 by the ,secretary of ,labor or the ,federal ,government4 7f7 ,availability of funds ,for each fiscal year1 funds shall be available from the amount appropriated for each such fiscal year for the ,workforce ,innovation ,fund established under section #ahja7;a77#c7 of title ,,viii of division ,b of ,public ,law #aab-aj for the costs of carrying out the provisions of this ,act4 7g7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,armed ,forces ,the term ,armed ,forces means the ,army1 ,navy1 ,air ,force1 and ,marine ,corps4 7#b7 ,covered provision ,the term covered provision means any of sections #abi and #acd of the ,workforce ,investment ,act of #aiih 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #bhed1 #bhfd71 section #abb7;c77#a77;,b7 of the ,carl ,d4 ,perkins ,career and ,technical ,education ,act of #bjjf 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #bcdb7;c77#a77;,b771 and section #bcf of the ,trade ,act of #aigd 7#ai ,u4,s4,c4 #bbif74 7#c7 ,industry recognized credential ,the term industry-recognized1 used with respect to a credential1 means a credential that-- 7,a7 is sought or accepted by companies within the industry sector involved as recognized1 preferred1 or required for recruitment1 screening1 or hiring2 and 7,b7 is endorsed by a nationally recognized trade association or organization representing a significant part of the industry sector4 7#d7 ,nationally portable ,the term nationally portable1 used with respect to a credential1 means a credential that is sought or accepted by companies within the industry sector involved1 across multiple ,states1 as recognized1 preferred1 or required for recruitment1 screening1 or hiring4 7#e7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,labor4 7#f7 ,workforce investment activities ,the term workforce investment activities has the meaning given the term in section #aja of the ,workforce ,investment ,act of #aiih 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #bhja74