,,ii #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #bdab ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #b1 #bjad ,mr4 ,sanders 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,leahy1 and ,mr4 ,brown7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to establish an ,employee ,ownership and ,participation ,initiative1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,worker ,ownership1 ,readiness1 and ,knowledge ,act or the ,,work ,act4 #b4 ,worker ownership1 readiness1 and knowledge 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,existing program ,the term existing program means a program1 designed to promote employee ownership and employee participation in business decisionmaking1 that exists on the date the ,secretary is carrying out a responsibility authorized by this section4 7#b7 ,initiative ,the term ,initiative means the ,employee ,ownership and ,participation ,initiative established under subsection 7b74 7#c7 ,new program ,the term new program means a program1 designed to promote employee ownership and employee participation in business decisionmaking1 that does not exist on the date the ,secretary is carrying out a responsibility authorized by this section4 7#d7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,labor1 acting through the ,assistant ,secretary for ,employment and ,training4 7#e7 ,state ,the term ,state means any of the #ej ,states within the ,united ,states of ,america4 7b7 ,employee ,ownership and ,participation ,initiative 7#a7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary of ,labor shall establish within the ,employment and ,training ,administration of the ,department of ,labor an ,employee ,ownership and ,participation ,initiative to promote employee ownership and employee participation in business decisionmaking4 7#b7 ,functions ,in carrying out the ,initiative1 the ,secretary shall-- 7,a7 support within the ,states existing programs designed to promote employee ownership and employee participation in business decisionmaking2 and 7,b7 facilitate within the ,states the formation of new programs designed to promote employee ownership and employee participation in business decisionmaking4 7#c7 ,duties ,to carry out the functions enumerated in paragraph 7#b71 the ,secretary shall-- 7,a7 support new programs and existing programs by-- 7i7 making ,federal grants authorized under subsection 7d72 and 7ii7 7,i7 acting as a clearinghouse on techniques employed by new programs and existing programs within the ,states1 and disseminating information relating to those techniques to the programs2 or 7,,ii7 funding projects for information gathering on those techniques1 and dissemination of that information to the programs1 by groups outside the ,employment and ,training ,administration2 and 7,b7 facilitate the formation of new programs1 in ways that include holding or funding an annual conference of representatives from ,states with existing programs1 representatives from ,states developing new programs1 and representatives from ,states without existing programs4 7c7 ,programs regarding employee ownership and participation 7#a7 ,establishment of program ,not later than #ahj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall establish a program to encourage new and existing programs within the ,states1 designed to foster employee ownership and employee participation in business decisionmaking throughout the ,united ,states4 7#b7 ,purpose of program ,the purpose of the program established under paragraph 7#a7 is to encourage new and existing programs within the ,states that focus on-- 7,a7 providing education and outreach to inform employees and employers about the possibilities and benefits of employee ownership1 business ownership succession planning1 and employee participation in business decisionmaking1 including providing information about financial education1 employee teams1 open-book management1 and other tools that enable employees to share ideas and information about how their businesses can succeed2 7,b7 providing technical assistance to assist employee efforts to become business owners1 to enable employers and employees to explore and assess the feasibility of transferring full or partial ownership to employees1 and to encourage employees and employers to start new employee-owned businesses2 7,c7 training employees and employers with respect to methods of employee participation in open-book management1 work teams1 committees1 and other approaches for seeking greater employee input2 and 7,d7 training other entities to apply for funding under this subsection1 to establish new programs1 and to carry out program activities4 7#c7 ,program details ,the ,secretary may include1 in the program established under paragraph 7#a71 provisions that-- 7,a7 in the case of activities under paragraph 7#b77;,a7-- 7i7 target key groups such as retiring business owners1 senior managers1 unions1 trade associations1 community organizations1 and economic development organizations2 7ii7 encourage cooperation in the organization of workshops and conferences2 and 7iii7 prepare and distribute materials concerning employee ownership and participation1 and business ownership succession planning2 7,b7 in the case of activities under paragraph 7#b77;,b7-- 7i7 provide preliminary technical assistance to employee groups1 managers1 and retiring owners exploring the possibility of employee ownership2 7ii7 provide for the performance of preliminary feasibility assessments2 7iii7 assist in the funding of objective third-party feasibility studies and preliminary business valuations1 and in selecting and monitoring professionals qualified to conduct such studies2 and 7iv7 provide a data bank to help employees find legal1 financial1 and technical advice in connection with business ownership2 7,c7 in the case of activities under paragraph 7#b77;,c7-- 7i7 provide for courses on employee participation2 and 7ii7 provide for the development and fostering of networks of employee-owned companies to spread the use of successful participation techniques2 and 7,d7 in the case of training under paragraph 7#b77;,d7-- 7i7 provide for visits to existing programs by staff from new programs receiving funding under this section2 and 7ii7 provide materials to be used for such training4 7#d7 ,guidance ,the ,secretary shall issue formal guidance1 for recipients of grants awarded under subsection 7d7 and one-stop partners affiliated with the statewide workforce investment systems described in section #ajf of the ,workforce ,investment ,act of #aiih 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #bhha71 proposing that programs and other activities funded under this section be-- 7,a7 proactive in encouraging actions and activities that promote employee ownership of1 and participation in1 businesses2 and 7,b7 comprehensive in emphasizing both employee ownership of1 and participation in1 businesses so as to increase productivity and broaden capital ownership4 7d7 ,grants 7#a7 ,in general ,in carrying out the program established under subsection 7c71 the ,secretary may make grants for use in connection with new programs and existing programs within a ,state for any of the following activities3 7,a7 ,education and outreach as provided in subsection 7c77#b77;,a74 7,b7 ,technical assistance as provided in subsection 7c77#b77;,b74 7,c7 ,training activities for employees and employers as provided in subsection 7c77#b77;,c74 7,d7 ,activities facilitating cooperation among employee-owned firms4 7,e7 ,training as provided in subsection 7c77#b77;,d7 for new programs provided by participants in existing programs dedicated to the objectives of this section1 except that1 for each fiscal year1 the amount of the grants made for such training shall not exceed #aj percent of the total amount of the grants made under this section4 7#b7 ,amounts and conditions ,the ,secretary shall determine the amount and any conditions for a grant made under this subsection4 ,the amount of the grant shall be subject to paragraph 7#f71 and shall reflect the capacity of the applicant for the grant4 7#c7 ,applications ,each entity desiring a grant under this subsection shall submit an application to the ,secretary at such time1 in such manner1 and accompanied by such information as the ,secretary may reasonably require4 7#d7 ,state applications ,each ,state may sponsor and submit an application under paragraph 7#c7 on behalf of any local entity consisting of a unit of ,state or local government1 ,state-supported institution of higher education1 or nonprofit organization1 meeting the requirements of this section4 7#e7 ,applications by entities 7,a7 ,entity applications ,if a ,state fails to support or establish a program pursuant to this section during any fiscal year1 the ,secretary shall1 in the subsequent fiscal years1 allow local entities described in paragraph 7#d7 from that ,state to make applications for grants under paragraph 7#c7 on their own initiative4 7,b7 ,application screening ,any ,state failing to support or establish a program pursuant to this section during any fiscal year may submit applications under paragraph 7#c7 in the subsequent fiscal years but may not screen applications by local entities described in paragraph 7#d7 before submitting the applications to the ,secretary4 7#f7 ,limitations ,a recipient of a grant made under this subsection shall not receive1 during a fiscal year1 in the aggregate1 more than the following amounts3 7,a7 ,for fiscal year #bjae1 #cjj1jjj4 7,b7 ,for fiscal year #bjaf1 #ccj1jjj4 7,c7 ,for fiscal year #bjag1 #cfc1jjj4 7,d7 ,for fiscal year #bjah1 #cii1cjj4 7,e7 ,for fiscal year #bjai1 #dci1bjj4 7#g7 ,annual report ,for each year1 each recipient of a grant under this subsection shall submit to the ,secretary a report describing how grant funds allocated pursuant to this subsection were expended during the #ab-month period preceding the date of the submission of the report4 7e7 ,evaluations ,the ,secretary is authorized to reserve not more than #aj percent of the funds appropriated for a fiscal year to carry out this section1 for the purposes of conducting evaluations of the grant programs identified in subsection 7d7 and to provide related technical assistance4 7f7 ,reporting ,not later than the expiration of the #cf-month period following the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall prepare and submit to ,congress a report-- 7#a7 on progress related to employee ownership and participation in businesses in the ,united ,states2 and 7#b7 containing an analysis of critical costs and benefits of activities carried out under this section4 7g7 ,authorizations of ,appropriations 7#a7 ,in general ,there are authorized to be appropriated for the purpose of making grants pursuant to subsection 7d7 the following3 7,a7 ,for fiscal year #bjae1 #c1hej1jjj4 7,b7 ,for fiscal year #bjaf1 #f1jej1jjj4 7,c7 ,for fiscal year #bjag1 #h1hjj1jjj4 7,d7 ,for fiscal year #bjah1 #aa1eej1jjj4 7,e7 ,for fiscal year #bjai1 #ad1hej1jjj4 7#b7 ,administrative expenses ,there are authorized to be appropriated for the purpose of funding the administrative expenses related to the ,initiative1 for each of fiscal years #bjae through #bjai1 an amount not in excess of-- 7,a7 #cej1jjj2 or 7,b7 #e4j percent of the maximum amount available under paragraph 7#a7 for that fiscal year4