,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dgfj ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,october #ah1 #bjai,mr4 ,kevin ,hern of ,oklahoma introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means1 and in addition to the ,committees on ,education and ,labor1 ,transportation and ,infrastructure1 ,armed ,services1 and ,small ,business1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to bolster the domestic workforce by encouraging communication between career and technical education institutions and emphasizing potential employment opportunities1 to amend the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf to treat certain costs relating to career and technical education as qualified higher education expenses for purposes of section #ebi programs1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,generating ,real ,opportunities for ,workforce ,training and ,hiring ,act or the ,,growth ,act4 #b4 ,sense of the ,house of ,representatives on career and technical education schools ,it is the sense of the ,house of ,representatives that-- 7#a7 consistent communication between institutions providing career and technical education1 as defined in section #c of the ,carl ,d4 ,perkins ,career and ,technical ,education ,act of #bjjf 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #bcjb71 and employment entities regarding curriculum and industry need is paramount to producing a truly skilled and viable domestic workforce2 7#b7 employment opportunities provided through recognized postsecondary credentials1 as defined in section #c of the ,workforce ,innovation and ,opportunity ,act 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #cajb71 are as important to the advancement of the economy of the ,united ,states as any other domestic business sector2 and 7#c7 elementary schools and secondary schools 7as such terms are defined in section #haja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja77 should highlight enrollment in career and technical professions as desirable and often high-skill1 high-wage occupations4 #c4 ,inclusion of transportation and student loan expenses of career and technical education students 7a7 ,in general ,paragraph 7#c7 of section #ebi7;e7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph3 7,c7 ,certain costs of career and technical education students 7i7 ,in general ,in the case of an individual who is enrolled in 7or1 for purposes of subclause 7,,ii71 who is enrolled in or has graduated from7 career and technical education1 such term shall also include-- 7,i7 costs for transportation in the course of attendance of such program1 and 7,,ii7 amounts paid by the individual in repayment of a student loan incurred to finance the individual's enrollment in such program4 7ii7 ,career and technical education ,for purposes of this subparagraph1 the term career and technical education means a program of organized educational activities which offers a sequence of courses which-- 7,i7 provides individuals with coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers in current or emerging professions1 7,,ii7 provides technical skill proficiency1 an industry-recognized credential1 a certificate1 or an associate degree1 and 7,,iii7 includes competency-based applied learning which contributes to the academic knowledge1 higher-order reasoning and problem-solving skills1 work attitudes1 general employability skills1 technical skills1 occupation-specific skills1 and knowledge of all aspects of an industry1 including entrepreneurship1 of an individual4 ,such program may include prerequisite courses 7other than a remedial course7 which meet the requirements of this clause4 4 7b7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this section shall apply to distributions made after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 #d4 ,highway construction workforce development initiatives ,section #ejd of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7i7 ,highway construction workforce development initiatives 7#a7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary shall provide grants under this subsection to eligible entities described in paragraph 7#c7 to establish highway construction workforce development initiatives 7referred to in this subsection as the initiatives7 to attract1 train1 and place workers into highway construction careers4 7#b7 ,cooperative efforts ,the initiatives established with a grant under this subsection shall encourage cooperative efforts between-- 7,a7 the highway construction industry2 7,b7 the ,federal ,highway ,administration2 7,c7 ,state departments of transportation2 7,d7 ,state and local workforce development boards2 7,e7 community colleges and technical schools2 and 7,f7 labor organizations4 7#c7 ,eligible entities ,the ,secretary may award a grant under this subsection to a public or private entity for use in accordance with this subsection4 7#d7 ,authorized uses ,an eligible entity described in paragraph 7#c7 shall use a grant provided under this subsection to carry out an initiative-- 7,a7 to promote highway construction worker career opportunities2 7,b7 to support relevant outreach and awareness efforts2 7,c7 to develop relevant education and training materials2 7,d7 to provide life skills training1 including rudimentary math and other basis skills2 and 7,e7 for related support services4 4 #e4 ,military spouse professional development initiatives 7a7 ,extension and expansion of reimbursement of members of the uniformed services undergoing a permanent change of station for professional relicensing costs of accompanying spouses 7#a7 ,extension ,paragraph 7#d7 of section #dgf7p7 of title #cg1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by striking ,december #ca1 #bjbb and inserting ,december #ca1 #bjbd4 7#b7 ,expansion of qualifying relicensing costs ,paragraph 7#e77;,a7 of that section is amended by striking the original duty station and inserting a previous duty station or home of record4 7b7 ,expansion and improvement of ,my,career ,advancement ,account ,program 7#a7 ,expansion of grades of members whose spouses are eligible ,the grades of members of the ,armed ,forces whose spouses are eligible for the ,my,career ,advancement ,account 7,my,c,a,a7 ,program of the ,department of ,defense shall include members in the additional grades as follows3 7,a7 ,o-#c4 7,b7 ,e-#f4 7#b7 ,additional benefits ,the benefits available under the ,my,career ,advancement ,account ,program shall include scholarships usable by military spouses to attend or participate in any of the following3 7,a7 ,vocational school4 7,b7 ,professional licensure classes or tests4 7,c7 ,clinical supervision hours in connection with pursuit of a medical or health care degree4 #f4 ,loan guarantee program ,section #eja7;d77#c7 of the ,small ,business ,investment ,act of #aieh 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #fie7;d77#c77 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating subparagraphs 7,a7 through 7,l7 as subparagraphs 7,b7 through 7,m71 respectively2 7#b7 by inserting before subparagraph 7,b71 as redesignated by paragraph 7#a71 the following3 7,a7 workforce development through work-based or work-integrated training1 which shall be satisfied by demonstrating that a small business concern that is a subject of the project has-- 7i7 a documented in-house training program1 the duration of which is not shorter than #ab weeks2 or 7ii7 entered into a contract with an entity-- 7,i7 to provide trained applicants for any open position of employment at the small business concern2 and 7,,ii7 that ensures that any applicant provided to the small business concern under subclause 7,i7 has undergone not fewer than #ab weeks of training that is relevant to the open position described in that subclause1 2 and 7#c7 in the flush text following subparagraph 7,m71 as redesignated by paragraph 7#a71 in the second sentence1 by striking subparagraphs 7,j7 and 7,k7 and inserting subparagraphs 7,k7 and 7,l74