(a) Short title.—This Act may be cited as the “Jobs and Justice Act of 2018”.

(b) Table of contents.—The table of contents for this Act is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents; findings.

(c) Findings.—Congress finds the following:

(1) Nearly 70 years have passed since the post-World War II economic recovery initiative known as the Marshall Plan spurred the fastest period of growth in European history. Industrial and agricultural production skyrocketed. The poverty and starvation of the immediate postwar years disappeared, and Western Europe embarked upon an unprecedented two decades of growth that saw standards of living increase dramatically.

(2) Whitney M. Young, who served as executive director of the National Urban League from 1961 to 1971, first proposed a domestic Marshall Plan in 1964. Many elements of his plan, which called for $145 billion in spending over 10 years, were incorporated into President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty legislation.

(3) In the 1990 edition of the State of Black America, National Urban League President John Jacob again called for an urban Marshall Plan.

(4) In 2017, the National Urban League again called for an investment in America by introducing “The Main Street Marshall Plan: From Poverty to Shared Prosperity.” The plan calls for investment in physical infrastructure such as roads, bridges and buildings, and for human development, such as education, job training and health insurance.

(5) African Americans were disproportionately battered by the Great Recession and have benefited least from the fragile economic recovery that has followed and continue to lag behind in employment, entrepreneurship, education and homeownership, across all educational levels.

(6) While the United States economy has emerged from the depths of the Great Recession, employment outcomes remain challenging for African Americans.

(7) The African American unemployment rate, at 6.9 percent, remains nearly twice the White unemployment rate of 3.6 percent, a situation which has been true for nearly as long as unemployment statistics have been recorded (since around the time of the Great Depression).

(8) Unemployment remains particularly acute among African American youth between the ages of 16 and 19. As of March 2018, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Black youth unemployment rate of those ages is 27.9 percent compared with 10.7 percent for White youth of this age. This dramatizes the tremendous employment challenges faced by African American youth who live in urban communities.

(9) Although Census Data shows that Black-owned businesses are growing in number at a faster rate than for any other group, they have failed to realize their full economic potential.

(10) According to the Kauffman Foundation’s calculations from the U.S. Census Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs, while the average size of mature, non-minority-owned businesses is $2,300,000 in annual revenue when they have been in business 11 to 15 years, the average size of minority-owned businesses is only $1,600,000 at the same age. Minorities own half as many businesses as non-minorities. The conclusion Kauffman draws: minority-owned businesses start smaller and stay smaller.

(11) Studies show that lifetime earnings go up for American adults with each level of educational attainment.

(12) According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in 2014 the median earnings of young adults with a bachelor’s degree ($49,900) were 66 percent higher than the median earnings of young adult high school completers ($30,000). The median earnings of young adult high school completers were 20 percent higher than the median earnings of those without a high school credential ($25,000). Today, median lifetime earnings for those with a bachelor’s degree are $2,300,000 or 74 percent more than those with just a high school diploma.

(13) Despite overall gains nationally, gaps in college enrollment and completion by race persist. In 2016, college enrollment for White students was 71 percent, which was a six percent increase from 2000. From 2000 to 2015, enrollment of Black students went from 30.5 percent to 34.9 percent, and enrollment of Latino students went from 21.7 percent to 36.6 percent. Nationally, over two-thirds of all Asian and White students complete college within six years compared to less than half of all Black and Latino students.

(14) America’s public school population is majority minority and in 2044, the United States is expected to be a majority-minority nation where Whites will make up less than half of the population. Given this seismic shift in demographics, we must be more intentional about improving college readiness in our nation’s elementary and secondary schools and promoting access and success to post-secondary education for historically underrepresented students.

(15) Homeownership is the primary means of building equity and passing on wealth from one generation to the next. This is especially true for African Americans, where over 90 percent of wealth is in their homes, according to the Center for Global Policy Solutions.

(16) Yet, African-American homeowners were three times more likely to be steered into subprime products, even when they qualified for conventional mortgages, in the years leading up to the financial crisis. The foreclosure rate for these loans was 10 times greater than conventional mortgages. Consequently, while the African-American homeownership rate peaked in 2004 at 50 percent, it is currently only 41.2 percent and is projected to decrease to 40 percent by 2030. Reversing this trend is vital to American families, to communities, and to our national economy.

(17) The United States needs a domestic Mainstream Marshall plan that will combat poverty, promote equality and eliminate racial disparities.

(a) In general.—Chapter 47 of subtitle I of title 41, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

(b) Clerical amendment.—The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 47 of such title is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 4712 the following new item:

“4713. Submission of data relating to diversity by certain contractors.”.

(a) In general.—Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78m) is amended by adding at the end the following:

“(s) Submission of data relating to diversity.—

“(1) SUBMISSION OF DATA.—Each issuer required to file an annual report under subsection (a) shall disclose in that report, the following:

“(A) Data on the racial, ethnic, and gender composition of the board of directors and the C-level executives of the issuer.

“(B) Data on the affiliation of any member of the board of directors or any C-level executive of the issuer to a historically underrepresented group, including veterans of the Armed Forces and individuals with disabilities.

“(C) Any plan or strategy that exists on the date of the submission of data under this paragraph to improve the diversity of the board of directors or the C-level executives of the issuer.

“(2) C-LEVEL EXECUTIVE DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘C-level executive’ means the most senior executive officer, information officer, technology officer, financial officer, compliance officer, or security officer of an issuer.”.

(b) Corporate governance regulations.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Securities and Exchange Commission shall revise paragraph (v) of section 229.407(c)(2) of title 17, Code of Federal Regulations, to require that when the description described in such paragraph is presented in a proxy or information statement relating to the election of directors, the qualities and skills described in such paragraph, along with the nominee’s gender, race, ethnicity, and affiliation with a historically underrepresented group should be presented in a chart or matrix form.

Congress finds the following:

(1) Our nation’s infrastructure serves as the arteries that move people, goods, and information across our country. A strong infrastructure network is critically important to the growth of our economy and the overall health of each and every American. This is especially true for Americans in low-income and otherwise vulnerable communities struggling to access the rest of the world.

(2) In the traditional sense, the term “infrastructure” has been largely understood to include our transportation infrastructure (roads, bridges, rails, airports, ports/waterways), electrical grid, telecommunications (landline phone, cable, satellite), and public buildings. A 21st Century economy demands a broader, more inclusive definition to ensure that we are fully considering all of our infrastructure needs. A newer definition should be expanded to include the following: energy-efficient housing; broadband; educational facilities, including access to traditional universities and community colleges, as well as Historically Black Colleges and Universities; forest roads and sidewalks/bike trails; parks; waste removal and treatment facilities; and programs connecting seniors to their communities.

(3) Any effort to rebuild our nation’s crumbling infrastructure must include robust federal funding. Privatizing our nation’s infrastructure revitalization would shift the burden to cash-strapped states and cities while leaving out communities with the greatest need: rural and low-income populations. Additionally, states and cities are less likely to take a regional approach to investment, which is critical to ensuring national connectivity. Public-private partnerships (P3s) have limited success funding infrastructure projects. They are more expensive than conventional funding, often limiting competition and creating potential conflicts of interest. P3s would likely only consider projects that can provide a return on investment, as opposed to the broad infrastructure modernization this country desperately needs. Ultimately, private infrastructure investment would only fund a narrow scope of projects and the limited projects fortunate enough to attract private funding would tax the very people they are intended to benefit through tolls and user fees.

(4) Ensuring long-term investment is equally important to ensuring that investment is backed by robust public funding. Delivering reliable infrastructure requires the certainty and confidence that can only come with long-term funding. Congress needs to do away with short-term extensions and provide long-term authorization and spending measures that will authorize and fund our nation’s highway, public transit, aviation, and water infrastructure programs and projects at levels that are meaningful over the long-term.

(5) Minority contractors should have the opportunity to rebuild their communities and employ hardworking Americans along the way. Infrastructure investments should be disseminated through a transparent procurement process with aggressive contracting goals for Disadvantaged Business Entities and effective enforcement to root out fraudulent firms. Contractors and subcontractors should have the ability to employ local hiring preferences and subcontractors should receive prompt payment when services are rendered.

(6) Infrastructure development should be inclusive of underserved segments of the population, such as poor, rural, and elderly communities. Often times, infrastructure planning does not benefit the poorest communities and the infrastructure workforce traditionally lacks gender and racial diversity. A 21st Century economy should not exclude individuals from participation on the basis of demographics, geography, or financial means. Any infrastructure package must include innovative job training and workforce development initiatives to promote a diverse and inclusive labor pool. By ensuring participation from all individuals, we can provide equal opportunity for each and every American to contribute in meaningful ways to both the economy and the communities they call home.

(7) Climate change and the volatility that is associated with extreme weather events are only expected to worsen over time. More intense storms, rising sea levels, storm surges, and other unusual weather conditions are placing an immense strain on our nation’s infrastructure and the limited resources that we have to build and maintain it. As we plan for the future and conceptualize how we will build up our infrastructure, we need to consider the long-term viability of these projects to ensure that they are resilient to extreme weather.

(8) A robust transportation network must consider the changing demographics of its users and the subsequent changes in demand. Conventional transportation planning relies heavily on motor vehicle traffic. However, many communities—particularly in urban areas—must now consider pedestrians, cyclists, public transit riders, ridesharing, and other users when evaluating the effectiveness of the transportation ecosystem.

(9) The development and adoption of autonomous vehicles, positive train control, NextGen, Smart City planning, and other technologies and transportation models is vastly altering the way we conceptualize, plan, and execute transportation policy. The unique challenges that we face as a nation will only grow increasingly more complex as the population grows and the nature of our infrastructure becomes more interconnected. Any infrastructure package must not only address the immediate needs of our crumbling system, but also anticipate the needs of a generation to come.

(10) Infrastructure impacts every American—regardless of background, economic status, or political affiliation.

(a) Findings.—Congress finds the following:

(1) America would need to spend approximately $1.44 trillion over the next 10 years to close the infrastructure gap.

(2) The infrastructure workforce is aging at a rate where approximately 3,000,000 workers will need to be replaced over the next 10 years, compounding America’s infrastructure crisis.

(3) Infrastructure jobs include a wide range of employment opportunities in both the public and private sectors, including design, construction, operation, governance, and maintenance of America’s assets.

(4) Infrastructure jobs provide competitive wages with low barriers to entry, many of which require on-the-job training in lieu of formal higher education.

(5) In spite of rising income inequality, infrastructure jobs paid approximately 30 percent more to low-income individuals than other occupations between the years of 2005 and 2015.

(6) In the fourth quarter of 2016, African-Americans and Hispanics between the ages of 25 and 34 had the highest unemployment levels at 8.6 percent and 5.3 percent, respectively.

(7) The unemployment rate for military veterans serving in conflicts since September 11th, 2001, has remained above the national unemployment rate, with the Federal Reserve of Chicago highlighting how wartime deployment can limit the types of training veterans receive that are transferable to the civilian labor market.

(8) The Federal government should make concerted efforts, by coordination with State and local governments, workforce development agencies, educational institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions, to recruit, train, and retain America’s next generation of infrastructure workers to close the workforce gap.

(b) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that—

(1) any infrastructure spending bill enacted during the 115th Congress should include robust investments in workforce development programs that take meaningful actions to recruit and train individuals from communities with high unemployment rates, including African-American communities, Hispanic communities, and American Indian tribal areas;

(2) any infrastructure spending bill enacted during the 115th Congress should include robust investments in workforce development programs that take meaningful actions to recruit and train unemployed veterans that have served in a conflict since September 11th, 2001; and

(3) any infrastructure spending bill enacted during the 115th Congress should include meaningful outreach efforts geared toward under-represented contractors, including minority- and women-owned businesses, veteran owned small businesses, service-disabled veteran owned small businesses, and offerors that employ veterans on a full-time basis.

(a) In general.—Section 47(c)(2)(B)(v) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new subclause:

“(III) CLAUSE NOT TO APPLY TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS.—This clause shall not apply in the case of any building which is a qualified public educational facility (as defined in section 142(k)(1), determined without regard to subparagraph (B) thereof) and used as such during some period before such expenditure and used as such immediately after such expenditure.”.

(b) Report.—Not later than the date which is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with the heads of appropriate Federal agencies, shall report to Congress on the effects resulting from the amendment made by subsection (a).

(c) Effective date.—The amendment made by this section shall apply to property placed in service after the date of the enactment of this Act.

(a) In general.—There is appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for fiscal year 2018 for “Environmental Protection Agency—State and Tribal Assistance Grants” for an additional amount for capitalization grants under section 1452 of the Safe Drinking Water Act in accordance with the provisions under this account in title VII of division A of Public Law 111–5, $7,500,000,000, to remain available through September 30, 2022.

(b) Budgetary treatment.—The amount appropriated under subsection (a)—

(1) is designated by the Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, except that such amount shall be available only if the President subsequently so designates such amount and transmits such designation to the Congress; and

(2) shall be exempt from sequestration under such Act.

Section 112 of title 23, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

“(h) Local hiring.—

“(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a State may establish local hiring bid specifications or consider the hiring of local workers in the evaluation of bids and proposals for a project under this title.

“(2) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘local’ means the geographic boundaries of a local area, as defined by the contracting agency, in which the project is located.”.

Section 5325 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

“(l) Local hiring.—

“(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a recipient of assistance under this chapter may establish local hiring bid specifications or consider local hiring in the evaluation of bids and proposals for a project under this chapter.

“(2) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘local’ means the geographic boundaries of a local area, as defined by the contracting agency, in which the project is located.”.

(a) Connectivity and accessibility performance measures.—Section 150 of title 23, United States Code, is amended—

(1) in subsection (c) by adding at the end the following:

“(7) MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION CONNECTIVITY AND ACCESSIBILITY.—

“(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 years after the date of enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary shall issue such regulations as are necessary to establish performance measures relating to transportation connectivity and accessibility for States and metropolitan planning organizations to use to assess the connectivity and accessibility of roadways, public transit infrastructure, pedestrian and bikeway infrastructure, and other transportation infrastructure.

“(B) CONTENT.—The performance measures required under subparagraph (A) shall include measures to assess—

“(i) with respect to the general population serviced by a transportation system—

“(I) the change in cumulative access to employment opportunities;

“(II) multi-modal choice and enhanced interconnections among modes to—

“(aa) offer variety of choice between and among modes;

“(bb) provide accessible and reliable transportation for all users; and

“(cc) encourage travel demand management; and

“(III) such other areas the Secretary considers appropriate; and

“(ii) with respect to disadvantaged populations serviced by a transportation system—

“(I) transportation accessibility for disadvantaged populations;

“(II) change in cumulative job accessibility for disadvantaged populations; and

“(III) such other areas the Secretary considers appropriate.

“(C) DISADVANTAGED POPULATION DEFINED.—In this paragraph, the term ‘disadvantaged population’ means a low-income or minority population, or people with disabilities, as determined by the Secretary.”; and

(2) in subsection (d) by striking “and (6)” and inserting “(6), and (7)”.

(b) Title 23 metropolitan planning coordination.—Section 134(h)(2)(B) of title 23, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

“(iii) MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION ACCESSIBILITY PERFORMANCE TARGETS.—Selection of performance targets by a metropolitan planning organization shall be coordinated, to the maximum extent practicable, with the relevant State and providers of public transportation to ensure consistency with section 150(c)(7).”.

(c) Title 49 metropolitan planning coordination.—Section 5303(h)(2)(B) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

“(iii) MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION ACCESSIBILITY PERFORMANCE TARGETS.—Selection of performance targets by a metropolitan planning organization shall be coordinated, to the maximum extent practicable, with the relevant State and providers of public transportation to ensure consistency with section 150(c)(7) of title 23.”.

(a) In general.—There is appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for fiscal year 2018 for “Department of Transportation—Office of the Secretary—National Infrastructure Investments” for an additional amount in accordance with the provisions under this account in title I of division K of Public Law 115–31, $7,500,000,000, to remain available through September 30, 2022.

(b) Budgetary treatment.—The amount appropriated under subsection (a)—

(1) is designated by the Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, except that such amount shall be available only if the President subsequently so designates such amount and transmits such designation to the Congress; and

(2) shall be exempt from sequestration under such Act.

In this Act:

(1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.—The term “appropriate congressional committees” means the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate.

(2) BUREAU-FUNDED SCHOOL.—The term “Bureau-funded school” has the meaning given to the term in section 1141 of the Education Amendments of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 2021).

(3) COVERED FUNDS.—The term “covered funds” means funds received—

(A) under title I of this Act; or

(B) from a school infrastructure bond.

(4) ESEA TERMS.—The terms “elementary school”, “local educational agency”, “outlying area”, and “secondary school” have the meanings given to the terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).

(5) PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES.—The term “public school facilities” means the facilities of a public elementary school or a public secondary school.

(6) QUALIFIED LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term “qualified local educational agency” means a local educational agency that receives funds under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311 et seq.).

(7) SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE BOND.—The term “school infrastructure bond” means a bond designated by the issuer as a school infrastructure bond under section 54BB of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (as added by section 201).

(8) SECRETARY.—The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Education.

(9) STATE.—The term “State” means each of the 50 States and the District of Columbia.

(a) Purpose.—Funds made available under this title shall be for the purpose of supporting long-term improvements to public school facilities in accordance with this Act.

(b) Reservation for outlying areas, Puerto Rico, and bureau-Funded schools.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—For each of fiscal years 2018 through 2020, the Secretary shall reserve, from the amount appropriated to carry out this title—

(A) one-half of 1 percent, to provide assistance to the outlying areas;

(B) one-half of 1 percent, to provide assistance to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and

(C) one-half of 1 percent, for payments to the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance to Bureau-funded schools.

(2) USE OF RESERVED FUNDS.—Sections 301 through 304 shall apply to the use of funds reserved under paragraph (1).

(a) Allocation to states.—

(1) STATE-BY-STATE ALLOCATION.—Of the amount appropriated to carry out this title for each fiscal year and not reserved under section 101(b), each State that has a plan approved by the Secretary under subsection (b) shall be allocated an amount in proportion to the amount received by all local educational agencies in the State under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311 et seq.) for the previous fiscal year relative to the total such amount received by all local educational agencies in every State that has a plan approved by the Secretary under subsection (b).

(2) STATE RESERVATION.—A State may reserve not more than 1 percent of its allocation under paragraph (1) to carry out its responsibilities under this Act, which shall include—

(A) providing technical assistance to local educational agencies, including by—

(i) identifying which State agencies have programs, resources, and expertise relevant to the activities supported by the allocation under this section; and

(ii) coordinating the provision of technical assistance across such agencies;

(B) in accordance with the guidance issued by the Secretary under section 307, developing an online, publicly searchable database that contains an inventory of all public school facilities infrastructure in the State (including the facilities of Bureau-funded schools, as appropriate), including, with respect to each such facility, an identification of—

(i) the information described in clauses (i) through (vi) of subparagraph (F);

(ii) the age (including an identification of the date of any retrofits or recent renovations) of—

(I) the facility;

(II) its roof;

(III) its lighting system;

(IV) its windows;

(V) its ceilings;

(VI) its plumbing; and

(VII) its heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system;

(iii) fire safety inspection results; and

(iv) the proximity of the facilities to toxic sites or the vulnerability of the facilities to natural disasters, including the extent to which facilities that are vulnerable to natural disasters are seismically retrofitted;

(C) updating the database developed under subparagraph (B) not less frequently than once every 2 years;

(D) ensuring that the information in the database developed under subparagraph (B)—

(i) is posted on a publicly accessible website of the State; and

(ii) is regularly distributed to local educational agencies and Tribal governments in the State;

(E) issuing or reviewing regulations to ensure the health and safety of students and staff during construction or renovation projects; and

(F) issuing or reviewing regulations to ensure safe, healthy, and high-performing school buildings, including regulations governing—

(i) indoor air quality and ventilation, including exposure to carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide;

(ii) mold, mildew, and moisture control;

(iii) the safety of drinking water at the tap and water used for meal preparation, including regulations that—

(I) address presence of lead and other contaminants in such water; and

(II) require the regular testing of the potability of water at the tap;

(iv) energy and water efficiency;

(v) excessive classroom noise; and

(vi) the levels of maintenance work, operational spending, and capital investment needed to maintain the quality of public school facilities; and

(G) creating a plan to reduce or eliminate exposure to toxins and chemicals, including mercury, radon, PCBs, lead, vapor intrusions, and asbestos.

(b) State plan.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive an allocation under this section, a State shall submit to the Secretary a plan that—

(A) describes how the State will use the allocation to make long-term improvements to public school facilities;

(B) explains how the State will carry out each of its responsibilities under subsection (a)(2);

(C) explains how the State will make the determinations under subsections (b) and (c) of section 103;

(D) identifies how long, and at what levels, the State will maintain fiscal effort for the activities supported by the allocation after the State no longer receives the allocation; and

(E) includes such other information as the Secretary may require.

(2) APPROVAL AND DISAPPROVAL.—The Secretary shall have the authority to approve or disapprove a State plan submitted under paragraph (1).

(c) Conditions.—As a condition of receiving an allocation under this section, a State shall agree to the following:

(1) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—The State shall contribute, from non-Federal sources, an amount equal to 10 percent of the amount of the allocation received under this section to carry out the activities supported by the allocation.

(2) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—The State shall provide an assurance to the Secretary that the combined fiscal effort per student or the aggregate expenditures of the State with respect to the activities supported by the allocation under this section for fiscal years beginning with the fiscal year for which the allocation is received will be not less than 90 percent of the combined fiscal effort or aggregate expenditures by the State for such purposes for the year preceding the fiscal year for which the allocation is received.

(3) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—The State shall use an allocation under this section only to supplement the level of Federal, State, and local public funds that would, in absence of such allocation, be made available for the activities supported by the allocation, and not to supplant such funds.

(a) Grants to local educational agencies.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), from the amounts allocated to a State under section 102(a) and contributed by the State under section 102(c)(1), the State shall award grants to qualified local educational agencies, on a competitive basis, to carry out the activities described in section 301(a).

(2) ALLOWANCE FOR DIGITAL LEARNING.—A State may use up to 10 percent of the amount described in paragraph (1) to make grants to qualified local educational agencies carry out activities to improve digital learning in accordance with section 301(b).

(b) Eligibility.—To be eligible to receive a grant under this section a qualified local educational agency—

(1) shall be among the local educational agencies in the State—

(A) with the greatest need to improve public school facilities, as determined by the State, which may include consideration of threats posed by the proximity of the facilities to toxic sites or the vulnerability of the facilities to natural disasters;

(B) with the highest numbers or percentages of students counted under section 1124(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6333(c)); and

(C) with the most limited capacity to raise funds for the long-term improvement of public school facilities, as determined by an assessment of—

(i) the current and historic ability of the agency to raise funds for construction, renovation, modernization, and major repair projects for schools;

(ii) whether the agency has been able to issue bonds or receive other funds to support construction projects, including—

(I) qualified school construction bonds under section 54F of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;

(II) qualified zone academy bonds under section 1397E of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;

(III) school infrastructure bonds under section 54BB of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (as added by section 201); and

(IV) funds made available under 7007 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7707); and

(iii) the bond rating of the agency; and

(2) shall agree to prioritize the improvement of the facilities of public schools that serve the highest percentages of students who are eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) (which, in the case of a high school, may be calculated using comparable data from the schools that feed into the high school), as compared to other public schools in the jurisdiction of the agency.

(c) Priority of grants.—In awarding grants under this section, the State shall give priority to local educational agencies that—

(1) demonstrate the greatest need for such a grant, as determined by a comparison of the factors described in subsection (b);

(2) will use the grant to improve the facilities of—

(A) elementary schools or middle schools that have an enrollment of students who are eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) that constitutes not less than 40 percent of the total student enrollment at such schools; or

(B) high schools that have an enrollment of students who are eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under such Act that constitutes not less than 30 percent of the total student enrollment at such schools (which may be calculated using comparable data from the schools that feed into the high school);

(3) operate public school facilities that pose a severe health and safety threat to students and staff, which may include a threat posed by the proximity of the facilities to toxic sites or the vulnerability of the facilities to natural disasters; and

(4) serve elementary schools or secondary schools that lack access to high-speed broadband sufficient to support digital learning (only in the case of an agency that will use the grant improve such access in accordance with section 301(b)).

(d) Application.—To be considered for a grant under this section, a qualified local educational agency shall submit an application to the State at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the State may require. Such application shall include, at minimum—

(1) the information necessary for the State to make the determinations under subsections (b) and (c);

(2) a description of the projects that the agency plans to carry out with the grant; and

(3) an explanation of how such projects will reduce risks to the health and safety of staff and students at schools served by the agency.

(e) Facilities master plan.—

(1) PLAN REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 days after receiving a grant under this section, a qualified local educational agency shall submit to the State a comprehensive 10-year facilities master plan.

(2) ELEMENTS.—The facilities master plan required under paragraph (1) shall include, with respect to all public school facilities of the agency, a description of—

(A) the extent to which public school facilities meet students’ educational needs and support the agency’s educational mission and vision;

(B) the physical condition of the public school facilities;

(C) the current health, safety, and environmental conditions of the public school facilities, including—

(i) indoor air quality;

(ii) the presence of hazardous and toxic substances and chemicals;

(iii) the safety of drinking water at the tap and water used for meal preparation, including the level of lead and other contaminants in such water;

(iv) energy and water efficiency;

(v) excessive classroom noise; and

(vi) other health, safety, and environmental conditions that would impact the health, safety, and learning ability of students;

(D) how the local educational agency will address any conditions identified under subparagraph (C);

(E) the impact of current and future student enrollment levels on the design of current and future public school facilities, as well as the financial implications of such enrollment levels; and

(F) the dollar amount and percentage of funds the local educational agency will dedicate to capital construction projects as well as maintenance and operations related to maintaining public school facilities.

(3) CONSULTATION.—In developing the facilities master plan required under paragraph (1), the qualified local educational agency shall consult with teachers, principals and other school leaders, custodial and maintenance staff, emergency first responders, school facilities directors, students and families, community residents, and Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations (as applicable).

(f) Supplement not supplant.—A qualified local educational agency shall use an allocation received under this section only to supplement the level of Federal, State, and local public funds that would, in the absence of such allocation, be made available for the activities supported by the allocation, and not to supplant such funds.

(a) In general.—Not later than September 30 of each fiscal year beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the projects carried out with funds made available under this title.

(b) Elements.—The report under paragraph (1) shall include, with respect to the fiscal year preceding the year in which the report is submitted, the following:

(1) An identification of each local educational agency that received a grant under this title.

(2) With respect to each such agency, a description of—

(A) the demographic composition of the student population served by the agency, disaggregated by—

(i) race;

(ii) the number and percentage of students counted under section 1124(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6333(c)); and

(iii) the number and percentage of students who are eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.);

(B) the population density of the geographic area served by the agency;

(C) the projects for which the agency used the grant received under this title;

(D) the demonstrable or expected benefits of the projects; and

(E) the estimated number of jobs created by the projects.

(3) The total dollar amount of all grants received by local educational agencies under this title.

(c) LEA information collection.—A local educational agency that receives a grant under this title shall—

(1) annually compile the information described in subsection (b)(2);

(2) make the information available to the public, including by posting the information on a publicly accessible website of the Agency; and

(3) submit the information to the State.

(d) State information distribution.—A State that receives information from a local educational agency under subsection (c) shall—

(1) compile the information and report it annually to the Secretary at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may require;

(2) make the information available to the public, including by posting the information on a publicly accessible website of the State; and

(3) regularly distribute the information to local educational agencies and Tribal governments in the State.

There are authorized to be appropriated $7,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2027 to carry out this title.

(a) In general.—The Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding after section 54AA the following new section:

(b) Clerical amendments.—

(1) The table of subparts for part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of such Code is amended by amending the item related to subpart J to read as follows:

(2) The table of chapters for subpart J of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of such Code is amended by adding at the end the following new item:

“Sec. 54BB. School infrastructure bonds.”.

(c) Transitional Coordination With State Law.—Except as otherwise provided by a State after the date of the enactment of this Act, the interest on any school infrastructure bond (as defined in section 54BB of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as added by this section) and the amount of any credit determined under such section with respect to such bond shall be treated for purposes of the income tax laws of such State as being exempt from Federal income tax.

(d) Credit for qualified bonds allowed to issuer.—Paragraph (3) of section 6431(f) of such Code is amended by inserting “any school infrastructure bond (as defined in section 54BB) or” before “any qualified tax credit bond”.

(e) Sequestration.—Subparagraph (A) of section 255(g)(1) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 is amended by adding before “Postal Service Fund” the following: “Payments under section 54BB of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.”

(f) Effective Date.—The amendments made by this section shall apply to obligations issued after December 31, 2017.

(a) Construction of a public school facility.—Subparagraph (A) of section 54E(d)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking “rehabilitating or repairing” and inserting “constructing, rehabilitating, retrofitting, or repairing”.

(b) Removal of private business contribution requirement.—Section 54E of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended—

(1) in subsection (a)(3)—

(A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting “and” at the end; and

(B) by striking subparagraph (B);

(2) by striking subsection (b); and

(3) in paragraph (1) of subsection (c)—

(A) by striking “and $400,000,0000” and inserting “$400,000,000”; and

(B) by striking “and, except as provided” and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting “, and $1,400,000,000 for 2018 and each year thereafter.”.

(c) Effective date.—The amendments made by this section shall apply to obligations issued after December 31, 2017.

(a) In general.—Not later than September 30 of each fiscal year beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the school infrastructure bond program.

(b) Elements.—The report under paragraph (1) shall include, with respect to the fiscal year preceding the year in which the report is submitted, the following:

(1) An identification of—

(A) each local educational agency that received funds from a school infrastructure bond; and

(B) each local educational agency that was eligible to receive such funds—

(i) but did not receive such funds; or

(ii) received less than the maximum amount of funds for which the agency was eligible.

(2) With respect to each local educational agency described in paragraph (1)—

(A) an assessment of the capacity of the agency to raise funds for the long-term improvement of public school facilities, as determined by an assessment of—

(i) the current and historic ability of the agency to raise funds for construction, renovation, modernization, and major repair projects for schools, including the ability of the agency to raise funds through imposition of property taxes;

(ii) whether the agency has been able to issue bonds to fund construction projects, including such bonds as—

(I) qualified school construction bonds under section 54F of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;

(II) qualified zone academy bonds under section 1397E of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and

(III) school infrastructure bonds; and

(iii) the bond rating of the agency;

(B) the demographic composition of the student population served by the agency, disaggregated by—

(i) race;

(ii) the number and percentage of students counted under section 1124(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6333(c)); and

(iii) the number and percentage of students who are eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.);

(C) the population density of the geographic area served by the agency;

(D) a description of the projects carried out with funds received from school infrastructure bonds;

(E) a description of the demonstrable or expected benefits of the projects; and

(F) the estimated number of jobs created by the projects.

(3) The total dollar amount of all funds received by local educational agencies from school infrastructure bonds.

(4) Any other factors that the Secretary determines to be appropriate.

(c) Information collection.—A State or local educational agency that receives funds from a school infrastructure bond shall—

(1) annually compile the information necessary for the Secretary to determine the elements described in subsection (b); and

(2) report the information to the Secretary at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may require.

(a) In general.—Except as provided in section 302, a local educational agency that receives covered funds may use such funds to—

(1) develop the facilities master plan required under section 103(e);

(2) construct, modernize, renovate, or retrofit public school facilities, which may include seismic retrofitting for schools vulnerable to natural disasters;

(3) carry out major repairs of public school facilities;

(4) install furniture or fixtures with at least a 10-year life in public school facilities;

(5) construct new public school facilities;

(6) acquire and prepare sites on which new public school facilities will be constructed;

(7) extend the life of basic systems and components of public school facilities;

(8) reduce current or anticipated overcrowding in public school facilities;

(9) ensure the building envelopes of public school facilities are structurally sound, secure, and protects occupants and interiors from the elements;

(10) improve energy and water efficiency to lower the costs of energy and water consumption in public school facilities;

(11) improve indoor air quality in public school facilities;

(12) reduce or eliminate the presence of—

(A) toxins and chemicals, including mercury, radon, PCBs, lead, and asbestos;

(B) mold and mildew; or

(C) rodents and pests;

(13) ensure the safety of drinking water at the tap and water used for meal preparation in public school facilities, which may include testing of the potability of water at the tap for the presence of lead and other contaminants;

(14) bring public school facilities into compliance with applicable fire, health, and safety codes;

(15) make public school facilities accessible to people with disabilities through compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.) and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794);

(16) provide instructional program space improvements for programs relating to early learning (including early learning programs operated by partners of the agency), special education, science, technology, career and technical education, physical education, or the arts;

(17) increase the use of public school facilities for the purpose of community-based partnerships that provide students with academic, health, and social services;

(18) ensure the health of students and staff during the construction or modernization of public school facilities; or

(19) reduce or eliminate excessive classroom noise.

(b) Allowance for digital learning.—A local educational agency may use funds received under section 103(a)(2) or proceeds from a school infrastructure bond limitation allocated under section 54BB(g)(1)(C) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (as added by section 201) to leverage existing public programs or public-private partnerships to expand access to high-speed broadband sufficient for digital learning.

A local educational agency that receives covered funds may not use such funds for—

(1) payment of routine and predictable maintenance costs and minor repairs;

(2) any facility that is primarily used for athletic contests or exhibitions or other events for which admission is charged to the general public;

(3) vehicles;

(4) central offices, operation centers, or other facilities that are not primarily used to educate students; or

(5) digital infrastructure or handheld digital devices.

(a) In general.—In a given fiscal year, a local educational agency that uses covered funds for a new construction project or renovation project shall use not less than the applicable percentage (as described in subsection (b)) of the funds used for such project for construction or renovation that is certified, verified, or consistent with any applicable provisions of—

(1) the United States Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building rating standard (commonly known as the “LEED Green Building Rating System”);

(2) the Living Building Challenge developed by the International Living Future Institute;

(3) a green building rating program developed by the Collaborative for High-Performance Schools (commonly known as “CHPS”) that is CHPS-verified;

(4) a program that—

(A) has standards that are equivalent to or more stringent than the standards of a program described in paragraphs (1) through (3);

(B) is adopted by the State or another jurisdiction with authority over the agency; and

(C) includes a verifiable method to demonstrate compliance with such program.

(b) Applicable percentage.—The applicable percentage described in this subsection is—

(1) for fiscal year 2018, 60 percent;

(2) for fiscal year 2019, 70 percent;

(3) for fiscal year 2020; 80 percent;

(4) for fiscal year 2021, 90 percent; and

(5) for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2027, 100 percent.

(a) In general.—A local educational agency that receives covered funds shall ensure that any iron, steel, and manufactured products used in projects carried out with such funds are produced in the United States.

(b) Waiver authority.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may waive the requirement of subsection (a) if the Secretary determines that—

(A) applying subsection (a) would be inconsistent with the public interest;

(B) iron, steel, and manufactured products produced in the United States are not produced in a sufficient and reasonably available amount or are not of a satisfactory quality; or

(C) using iron, steel, and manufactured products produced in the United States will increase the cost of the overall project by more than 25 percent.

(2) PUBLICATION.—Before issuing a waiver under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register a detailed written explanation of the waiver determination.

(c) Consistency with international agreements.—This section shall be applied in a manner consistent with the obligations of the United States under international agreements.

(d) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) PRODUCED IN THE UNITED STATES.—The term “produced in the United States” means the following:

(A) When used with respect to a manufactured product, the product was manufactured in the United States and the cost of the components of such product that were mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States exceeds 60 percent of the total cost of all components of the product.

(B) When used with respect to iron or steel products, or an individual component of a manufactured product, all manufacturing processes for such iron or steel products or components, from the initial melting stage through the application of coatings, occurred in the United States. Except that the term does not include—

(i) steel or iron material or products manufactured abroad from semi-finished steel or iron from the United States; and

(ii) or iron material or products manufactured in the United States from semi-finished steel or iron of foreign origin.

(2) MANUFACTURED PRODUCT.—The term “manufactured product” means any construction material or end product (as such terms are defined in part 25.003 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation) that is not an iron or steel product, including—

(A) electrical components; and

(B) non-ferrous building materials, including, aluminum and polyvinylchloride (PVC), glass, fiber optics, plastic, wood, masonry, rubber, manufactured stone, any other non-ferrous metals, and any unmanufactured construction material.

(a) In general.—Not later than the date that is 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the projects carried out with covered funds.

(b) Elements.—The report under subsection (a) shall include an assessment of—

(1) the types of projects carried out with covered funds;

(2) the geographic distribution of the projects;

(3) an assessment of the impact of the projects on the health and safety of school staff and students; and

(4) how the Secretary or States could make covered funds more accessible—

(A) to schools with highest numbers and percentages of students counted under section 1124(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6333(c)); and

(B) to schools with fiscal challenges in raising capital for school infrastructure projects.

(c) Updates.—The Comptroller General shall update and resubmit the report to the appropriate congressional committees—

(1) on a date that is between 5 and 6 years after the date of enactment of this Act; and

(2) on a date that is between 10 and 11 years after such date of enactment.

(a) Study and report.—Not less frequently than once in each 5-year period beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, shall—

(1) carry out a comprehensive study of the physical conditions of public schools in the United States, including schools that received covered funds schools that did not receive such funds; and

(2) submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that includes that results of the study.

(b) Elements.—Each study and report under subsection (a) shall include an assessment of—

(1) the effect of school facility conditions on student and staff health and safety;

(2) the effect of school facility conditions on student academic outcomes;

(3) the condition of school facilities, set forth separately by geographic region;

(4) the condition of school facilities for economically disadvantaged students as well as students from major racial and ethnic subgroups; and

(5) the accessibility of school facilities for students and staff with disabilities.

(a) Data standards.—Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the officials described in subsection (b), shall—

(1) identify the data that States should collect and include in the databases developed under section 102(a)(2)(B);

(2) develop standards for the measurement of such data; and

(3) issue guidance to States concerning the collection and measurement of such data.

(b) Officials.—The officials described in this subsection are—

(1) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency;

(2) the Secretary of Energy;

(3) the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and

(4) the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

(a) In general.—Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a clearinghouse to disseminate information on Federal programs and financing mechanisms that may be used to assist schools in initiating, developing, and financing—

(1) energy efficiency projects;

(2) distributed generation projects; and

(3) energy retrofitting projects.

(b) Elements.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary shall—

(1) consult with the officials described in section 307(b) to develop a list of Federal programs and financing mechanisms to be included in the clearinghouse; and

(2) coordinate with such officials to develop a collaborative education and outreach effort to streamline communications and promote the Federal programs and financing mechanisms included in the clearinghouse, which may include the development and maintenance of a single online resource that includes contact information for relevant technical assistance that may be used by States, local education agencies, and schools to effectively access and use such Federal programs and financing mechanisms.

Section 7014(d) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7714(d)) is amended to read as follows:

“(d) Construction.—For the purpose of carrying out section 7007, there are authorized to be appropriated—

“(1) $17,406,000 for fiscal year 2017;

“(2) $50,406,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 and 2019; and

“(3) $52,756,765 for fiscal year 2020.”.

For purposes of this subtitle, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term “eligible entity” means—

(A) a State;

(B) a unit of general local government;

(C) an Indian tribe; or

(D) a regional entity comprised of entities described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C).

(2) NATIONAL CENTER.—The term “National Center” means the National Research Center for Resilience established under section 143.

(3) RESILIENCE.—The term “resilience” means the ability to prepare and plan for, absorb, recover from, and more successfully adapt to disasters, chronic stresses, and acute shocks, including any hurricane, tornado, storm, high water, recurrent flooding, wind-driven water, tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, fire, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm, or drought.

(4) RESILIENCE GRANT.—The term “resilience grant” means a grant awarded under section 142.

(5) SECRETARY.—The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

(6) STATE; UNIT OF GENERAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT; INDIAN TRIBE.—The terms “State”, “unit of general local government”, and “Indian tribe” have the meanings given such terms in section 102 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5302).

(a) Authority.—The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall carry out a Community Resilience Grant Program under this section to provide assistance to communities for increasing resilience to chronic stresses and acute shocks, including improving long-term resilience of infrastructure and housing.

(b) Grantees.—Grant amounts shall be awarded on a competitive basis, as provided under section 102 of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Reform Act of 1989 (42 U.S.C. 3545), only to eligible entities, within whose boundaries or jurisdictions are located any area for which a major disaster was declared pursuant to section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170), during the 5-year period ending upon the date on which the eligible entity submits an application for such a grant.

(c) Eligible activities.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—Amounts from a resilience grant may be used only for activities authorized under either section 105 or 108 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5305, 5308), but not including activities under paragraphs (9) and (10) of such section 105(a).

(2) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall consult with the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Secretary of Transportation before awarding a resilience grant to ensure that there is no duplication of assistance with respect to activities carried out with amounts provided from a resilience grant.

(d) Matching requirement.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall require each recipient of a resilience grant to supplement the amounts of the grant with an amount of funds from non-Federal sources that is not less than 50 percent of the amount of the resilience grant.

(2) FORM OF NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—Supplemental funds provided under paragraph (1) may include any non-monetary, in-kind contributions in connection with activities carried out under the plan approved under subsection (e) for the grant recipient.

(e) Application; selection; selection criteria; plans.—

(1) APPLICATIONS.—

(A) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary shall provide for eligible entities to submit applications for resilience grants.

(B) PLANS FOR USE OF GRANT FUNDS.—The Secretary shall require each application for a resilience grant to include a plan detailing the proposed use of all grant funds, including how the use of such funds will address long-term resilience of infrastructure and housing.

(2) REVIEW AND SELECTION; CRITERIA FOR SELECTION.—

(A) COMPETITION.—Resilience grants shall be awarded on a competitive basis and the Secretary shall establish and utilize a transparent, reliable, and valid system for reviewing and evaluating applications for resilience grants, in accordance with section 102 of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Reform Act of 1989 (42 U.S.C. 3545).

(B) CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall establish, by notice, and utilize criteria for selecting applications to be funded under this section, which shall—

(i) be based primarily on a determination of greatest need, as such term is defined by the Secretary;

(ii) provide due consideration to other enumerated factors, including the ability of the plan for use of grant funds required under paragraph (1)(B) to increase an applicant's resilience, and the capacity of the applicant to successfully implement the activities described in such plan;

(iii) provide that the Secretary shall consider that an application that includes a plan for use of grant funds that consists of a resilience or mitigation plan previously approved by another Federal agency, including a hazard mitigation plan developed under section 322 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5165), shall be sufficient for purposes of paragraph (1)(B) if, together with such plan, the applicant includes a detailed description regarding use of all grant funds provided under this section;

(iv) give consideration to the need for resilience grants to be awarded to eligible entities in each region of the United States; and

(v) give consideration to applicants whose plans submitted under paragraph (1)(B) propose innovative approaches to increasing community resilience to extreme weather, including increasing long-term resilience of infrastructure and housing and economic resilience.

(f) Administration; treatment as CDBG funds.—Except as otherwise provided by this subtitle, amounts appropriated, revenues generated, or amounts otherwise made available to eligible entities under this section shall be treated as though such funds were community development block grant funds under title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.).

(g) Environmental reviews.—

(1) ASSUMPTION OF RESPONSIBILITIES.—

(A) IN GENERAL.—In order to ensure that the policies of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and other provisions of law which further the purposes of such Act (as specified in regulations issued by the Secretary) are most effectively implemented in connection with the expenditure of funds under this section, and to assure to the public undiminished protection of the environment, the Secretary, in lieu of the environmental protection procedures otherwise applicable, may under regulations provide for the release of funds for particular projects to recipients of resilience grants who assume all of the responsibilities for environmental review, decisionmaking, and action pursuant to such Act, and such other provisions of law as the regulations of the Secretary specify, that would apply to the Secretary were the Secretary to undertake such projects as Federal projects.

(B) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall issue regulations to carry out this paragraph only after consultation with the Council on Environmental Quality.

(2) SUBMISSION OF CERTIFICATION.—

(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall approve the release of funds for projects subject to the procedures authorized by this subsection only if, at least 15 days prior to such approval and prior to any commitment of funds to such projects other than for purposes authorized by section 105(a)(12) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5305(a)(12)), or for environmental studies, the recipient of a resilience grant has submitted to the Secretary a request for such release accompanied by a certification which meets the requirements of paragraph (3).

(B) SATISFACTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS.—The Secretary's approval of any such certification shall be deemed to satisfy the Secretary’s responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and such other provisions of law as the regulations of the Secretary specify insofar as those responsibilities relate to the releases of funds for projects to be carried out pursuant thereto which are covered by such certification.

(3) REQUIREMENTS OF CERTIFICATION.—A certification under the procedures authorized by this subsection shall—

(A) be in a form acceptable to the Secretary;

(B) be executed by the chief executive officer or other officer of the recipient of a resilience grant who is qualified under regulations of the Secretary;

(C) specify that the recipient of the resilience grant has fully carried out its responsibilities as described under paragraph (1) of this subsection; and

(D) specify that the certifying officer—

(i) consents to assume the status of a responsible Federal official under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and each provision of law specified in regulations issued by the Secretary insofar as the provisions of such Act or other such provision of law apply pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection; and

(ii) is authorized and consents on behalf of the recipient of the resilience grant and the certifying office to accept the jurisdiction of the Federal courts for the purpose of enforcement of his responsibilities as such an official.

(4) GRANTS TO STATES.—In the case of a resilience grant made to a State—

(A) the State shall perform those actions of the Secretary described in paragraph (2); and

(B) the performance of such actions shall be deemed to satisfy the Secretary's responsibilities referred to in subparagraph (B) of such paragraph.

(5) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary shall implement this subsection in a manner consistent with the implementation of section 104(g) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5304(g)).

(a) Establishment.—The Secretary, acting through the Office of Policy Development and Research, shall—

(1) select, on a competitive basis, a single nonprofit organization having a national reputation for expertise in resilience research and capacity building to develop a National Research Center for Resilience; and

(2) subject only to the availability of amounts provided in appropriation Acts, make annual grants of amounts made available pursuant to section 146(b)(1) for the establishment and operation of the National Center.

(b) Activities.—The National Center shall—

(1) collaborate with institutions of higher education as partners to create a best practices sharing network to support the programs and activities carried out with resilience grants;

(2) coordinate with any other relevant centers and entities throughout the Federal Government on efforts relating to improving community resilience;

(3) collect and disseminate research and other information about evidence-based and promising practices related to resilience to inform the efforts of research partners and to support the programs and activities carried out with resilience grants;

(4) increase the public's knowledge and understanding of effective practices to improve regional and community resilience throughout the United States; and

(5) make grants under subsection (d) for Regional Centers for Resilience.

(c) Dissemination of proven practices.—The Secretary shall collect information from the National Center regarding its activities and research and shall develop, manage, and regularly update an online site to disseminate proven practices for improving community resilience.

(d) Grants for Regional Centers for Resilience.—

(1) GRANT PROGRAM.—The National Center shall carry out a program to make grants to institutions of higher education, or other non-profit organizations, having a national reputation to establish a Regional Center for Resilience in each of the 10 regions of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, as that shall serve as regional research partners with recipients of resilience grants that are located in the same geographic region as such institution, in collaboration with the National Center.

(2) SUPPORT SERVICES.—A Regional Center for Resilience receiving a grant under this section shall use such grant amounts to—

(A) provide research support to recipients of resilience grants, including support services for data collection, general research, and analysis to assess the progress of activities carried out with resilience grants;

(B) provide technical assistance to prospective applicants for, and recipients of, resilience grants; and

(C) collaborate with and share information with the National Center.

The Secretary shall annually submit to the Congress, and make publicly available, a report on the programs carried out under this subtitle, which shall evaluate the performance of such programs using the program performance metrics established under Executive Order 13576 (76 Fed. Reg. 35297), or any subsequent replacement executive order.

(a) Access to Information.—The Comptroller General of the United States shall have access to all information regarding and generated by the programs carried out under this subtitle.

(b) Reports.—Not later than the expiration of the 2-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, and every two years thereafter, the Comptroller General shall submit to the Congress a report analyzing and assessing the performance of the programs carried out under this subtitle.

(a) Authorization of appropriations.—There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subtitle $1,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023.

(b) Allocation.—Of any amounts appropriated for each such fiscal year—

(1) 1.0 percent shall be available for grants under section 143;

(2) 0.1 percent shall be available to the Office of Community Planning and Development for necessary costs, including information technology costs and salaries and expenses, of administering and overseeing funds made available for grants under sections 142 and 143; and

(3) the remainder shall be available for resilience grants under section 142.

(a) In general.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, of the funds made available (if any) in each of fiscal years 2019 through 2028 in any appropriations Act for each of the following accounts or activities, 10 percent of such funds shall be allocated for assistance in persistent poverty counties:

(1) “Department of Agriculture, Rural Development Programs”.

(2) “Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration, Economic Development Assistance Programs”.

(3) “Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Construction of Research Facilities”.

(4) “Department of Education, Fund for the Improvement of Education”.

(5) “Department of Education, Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education”.

(6) “Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Training and Employment Services”.

(7) “Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration”.

(8) “Department of Housing and Urban Development, Economic Development Initiative”.

(9) “Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs”.

(10) “Environmental Protection Agency, State and Tribal Assistance Grants, Water and Wastewater”.

(11) “Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Transportation Community and System Preservation”.

(12) “Department of the Treasury, Community Development Financial Institutions”.

(b) Determination of persistent poverty counties.—For purposes of this section, the term “persistent poverty counties” means any county with a poverty rate of at least 20 percent, as determined in each of the 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses and the Bureau of the Census’s Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (“SAIPE”) for the most recent year for which SAIPE data is available.

(c) Reports.—Not later than six months after the date of the enactment of this Act, each department or agency listed in subsection (a) shall submit to Congress a progress report on the implementation of this section.

It is the sense of the Congress that a qualified entity conducting a demonstration project under the Assets for Independence Act should, to the maximum extent practicable, increase—

(1) the rate at which the entity matches contributions by individuals participating in the project under section 410(a)(1) of such Act; or

(2) the number of individuals participating in the project.

Section 402 of the Assets for Independence Act (42 U.S.C. 604 note) is amended—

(1) in paragraph (2), by striking “Fully ½” and inserting “Almost ¹⁄4 ”; and

(2) in paragraph (4), by striking the first sentence and inserting the following: “Traditional public assistance programs concentrate on income and consumption and have lacked an asset-building component to promote and support the transition to increased economic self-sufficiency.”.

Section 404 of the Assets for Independence Act (42 U.S.C. 604 note) is amended—

(1) by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the following:

“(4) HOUSEHOLD.—The term ‘household’ means an individual or group of individuals who live in a single residence. Multiple households may share a single residence.”;

(2) in paragraph (5)(A)—

(A) by striking clause (iii);

(B) by redesignating clauses (iv) through (vi) as clauses (iii) through (v), respectively; and

(C) in clause (iv), as so redesignated by subparagraph (B), by striking “clause (vi)” and inserting “clause (v)”;

(3) in paragraph (7)(A), by striking clauses (ii) and (iii) and inserting the following:

“(ii) a State or local government agency (or a public housing agency, as defined in section 3(b)(6) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)(6))) or a tribal government (or a tribally designated housing entity, as defined in section 4(22) of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4103(22)));

“(iii) a credit union designated as a low-income credit union by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA); or

“(iv) an organization designated as a community development financial institution by the Secretary of the Treasury (or the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund).”; and

(4) in paragraph (8)—

(A) in subparagraph (A)—

(i) in the first sentence—

(I) by inserting “of an eligible individual or the dependent of an eligible individual (as such term is used in subparagraph (E)(ii))” after “expenses”; and

(II) by inserting “, or to a vendor pursuant to an education purchase plan approved by a qualified entity” before the period;

(ii) in clause (i)—

(I) in subclause (II), by inserting “or for courses described in subclause (III)” after “eligible educational institution”; and

(II) by adding at the end the following:

“(III) PREPARATORY COURSES.—Preparatory courses for an examination required for admission to an eligible educational institution, for successful performance at an eligible educational institution, or for a professional licensing or certification examination.

“(IV) ROOM AND BOARD AND TRANSPORTATION.—Room and board and transportation, including commuting expenses, necessary to enable attendance at courses of instruction at an eligible educational institution or attendance at courses described in subclause (III).”;

(iii) by striking clause (ii) and inserting the following:

“(ii) ELIGIBLE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION.—The term ‘eligible educational institution’ means—

“(I) an institution described in section 101 or 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001, 1002); or

“(II) an area career and technical education school, as defined in section 3(3) of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302(3)).”; and

(iv) by adding at the end the following:

“(iii) EDUCATION PURCHASE PLAN.—The term ‘education purchase plan’ means a plan—

“(I) for the purchase of items or services described in subclauses (II) through (IV) of clause (i) from entities other than eligible educational institutions;

“(II) that includes a description of the items or services to be purchased; and

“(III) that includes such information as a qualified entity may request from the eligible individual involved regarding the necessity of the items or services to a course of study at an eligible educational institution or a course described in clause (i)(III).”;

(B) in subparagraph (B)—

(i) by striking clause (i) and inserting the following:

“(i) PRINCIPAL RESIDENCE.—The term ‘principal residence’ means a main residence the qualified acquisition costs of which do not exceed 120 percent of the median house price in the area, as determined by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for purposes of section 203(b) of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1709(b)) for a residence occupied by a number of families that corresponds to the number of households occupying the residence involved.”; and

(ii) in clause (iii)—

(I) by striking subclause (I) and inserting the following:

“(I) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subclause (II), the term ‘qualified first-time homebuyer’ means an individual participating in the project involved who—

“(aa) has no sole present ownership interest in a principal residence during the 3-year period ending on the date of acquisition of the principal residence to which this subparagraph applies (except for an interest in the principal residence); and

“(bb) has no co-ownership interest in a principal residence on the date of acquisition of the principal residence to which this subparagraph applies (except for an interest in the principal residence).”;

(II) by redesignating subclause (II) as subclause (III); and

(III) by inserting after subclause (I) the following:

“(II) EXCEPTION FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.—An individual participating in the project involved who is a recent or current victim of domestic violence (as defined in section 40002(a)(8) of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 13925(a)(8))) shall not be considered to fail to be a qualified first-time homebuyer by reason of having a co-ownership interest in a principal residence with a person who committed domestic violence against the victim.”;

(C) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) and (D) as subparagraphs (D) and (E), respectively;

(D) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:

“(C) HOME REPLACEMENT, REPAIR, OR IMPROVEMENT.—Qualified replacement costs or qualified repair or improvement costs with respect to a principal residence, if paid from an individual development account directly to the persons to whom the amounts are due. In this subparagraph:

“(i) PRINCIPAL RESIDENCE.—The term ‘principal residence’ means—

“(I) with respect to payment of qualified replacement costs, a main residence the qualified replacement costs of which do not exceed 120 percent of the median house price in the area, as determined by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for purposes of section 203(b) of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1709(b)) for a residence occupied by a number of families that corresponds to the number of households occupying the residence involved; or

“(II) with respect to qualified repair or improvement costs, a main residence the value of which does not exceed, on the day before the commencement of the repairs or improvements, 120 percent of the median house price.

“(ii) QUALIFIED REPLACEMENT COSTS.—The term ‘qualified replacement costs’ means the costs (including any usual or reasonable settlement, financing, or other closing costs) of replacing—

“(I) a manufactured home that was manufactured, assembled, or imported for resale before the initial effectiveness of any Federal manufactured home construction and safety standards established pursuant to section 604 of the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5403); or

“(II) a residence that fails to meet local building codes or is not legally habitable.

“(iii) QUALIFIED REPAIR OR IMPROVEMENT COSTS.—The term ‘qualified repair or improvement costs’ means the costs of making repairs or improvements (including any usual or reasonable financing costs) that will enhance the habitability or long-term value of a residence.”; and

(E) by adding at the end the following:

“(F) QUALIFIED TUITION PROGRAMS.—Contributions paid from an individual development account of an eligible individual directly to a qualified tuition program (as defined in section 529(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986), for the purpose of covering qualified higher education expenses (as defined in section 529(e)(3) of such Code) of a dependent of the individual (as such term is used in subparagraph (E)(ii) of this paragraph).”.

Section 405 of the Assets for Independence Act (42 U.S.C. 604 note) is amended—

(1) in subsection (c)(4), by adding at the end the following: “Such funds include funds received under the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9901 et seq.), the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b et seq.), the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4101 et seq.), or title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.) (including Community Development Block Grant Act funds and Indian Community Development Block Grant Act funds), that are formally committed to the project.”; and

(2) by adding at the end the following:

“(h) Applications for new projects and renewals of existing projects.—For project years beginning on or after the date of the enactment of this subsection, the preceding provisions of this section shall only apply as follows:

“(1) ANNOUNCEMENT OF PROCEDURES.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall publicly announce the procedures by which a qualified entity may submit an application—

“(A) to conduct a demonstration project under this title; or

“(B) for renewal of authority to conduct a demonstration project under this title.

“(2) APPROVAL.—The Secretary shall, on a competitive basis, approve applications submitted pursuant to the procedures announced under paragraph (1) of this subsection, taking into account the assessments required by subsection (c) and giving special consideration to the applications described in paragraph (3) of this subsection.

“(3) SPECIAL CONSIDERATION.—The applications described in this paragraph are the following:

“(A) Applications submitted by qualified entities proposing to conduct demonstration projects under this title that will target the following populations:

“(i) Individuals who are or have been in foster care.

“(ii) Victims of domestic violence (as defined in section 40002(a)(8) of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 13925(a)(8))).

“(iii) Victims of—

“(I) a major disaster declared to exist by the President under section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170) or an emergency declared to exist by the President under section 501 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 5191); or

“(II) a situation similar to a major disaster or emergency described in subclause (I) declared to exist by the Governor of a State.

“(iv) Formerly incarcerated individuals.

“(v) Individuals who are unemployed or underemployed.

“(B) Applications described in subsection (d).

“(4) CONTRACTS WITH NONPROFIT ENTITIES.—Subsection (f) shall continue to apply.

“(5) GRANDFATHERING OF EXISTING STATEWIDE PROGRAMS.—Subsection (g) shall continue to apply, except that any reference in such subsection to the date of enactment of this Act or to $1,000,000 shall be deemed to be a reference to the date of the enactment of this subsection or to $250,000, respectively.”.

Section 406(a) of the Assets for Independence Act (42 U.S.C. 604 note) is amended by inserting “(or, in the case of an application approved under section 405(h)(2), not later than 30 days after the date of the approval of the application)” after “the date of enactment of this title”.

Section 407(c) of the Assets for Independence Act (42 U.S.C. 604 note) is amended—

(1) in paragraph (1)(D), by inserting “or organizations” after “organization”; and

(2) by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the following:

“(3) LIMITATION ON USES.—

“(A) IN GENERAL.—Of the amount provided to a qualified entity under section 406(b)—

“(i) not more than 5.5 percent shall be used for the purpose described in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1);

“(ii) not less than 80 percent shall be used for the purpose described in subparagraph (B) of such paragraph; and

“(iii) not more than 14.5 percent shall be used for the purposes described in subparagraphs (C) and (D) of such paragraph.

“(B) JOINT ADMINISTRATION OF PROJECT.—If 2 or more qualified entities are jointly administering a demonstration project, no such entity shall use more than its proportional share of the percentage indicated in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph for the purposes described in subparagraphs (A) through (D) of paragraph (1).”.

Section 408 of the Assets for Independence Act (42 U.S.C. 604 note) is amended—

(1) in subsection (a)—

(A) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following:

“(1) INCOME TESTS.—The household meets either of the following income tests:

“(A) ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME TEST.—The adjusted gross income of the household for the last taxable year ending in or with the preceding calendar year does not exceed the greater of—

“(i) 200 percent of the Federal poverty line, as defined in section 673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)), including any revision required by such section, for a family composed of the number of persons in the household at the end of the taxable year; or

“(ii) 80 percent of the median income for the area for the taxable year, as determined by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for purposes of section 3(b)(2) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)(2)), taking into account any family-size adjustment by the Secretary under such section that corresponds to the size of the household at the end of the taxable year.

“(B) MODIFIED ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME TEST.—

“(i) IN GENERAL.—The modified adjusted gross income of the household for the last taxable year ending in or with the preceding calendar year does not exceed the amount described in clause (ii) for the individual whose eligibility is being determined under this section.

“(ii) AMOUNT DESCRIBED.—The amount described in this clause for an individual is as follows:

“(I) MARRIED FILING JOINTLY.—$40,000 for an individual described in section 1(a)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

“(II) SURVIVING SPOUSE.—$40,000 for an individual described in section 1(a)(2) of such Code.

“(III) HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD.—$30,000 for an individual described in section 1(b) of such Code.

“(IV) SINGLE OR MARRIED FILING SEPARATELY.—$20,000 for an individual described in section 1(c) or 1(d) of such Code.

“(iii) ADJUSTMENT FOR INFLATION.—

“(I) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a calendar year described in clause (i) that is after 2018, the dollar amounts in clause (ii) shall be the dollar amounts determined under this clause (or clause (ii)) for the previous year increased by the annual percentage increase (if any) in the consumer price index (all items; U.S. city average) as of September of the calendar year described in clause (i).

“(II) ROUNDING.—Any dollar amount determined under subclause (I) that is not a multiple of $100 shall be rounded to the next greatest multiple of $100.”; and

(B) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end the following:

“(D) ADJUSTMENT FOR INFLATION.—

“(i) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a calendar year described in subparagraph (A) that is after 2018, the dollar amount in such subparagraph shall be the dollar amount determined under this clause (or such subparagraph) for the previous year increased by the annual percentage increase (if any) in the consumer price index (all items; U.S. city average) as of September of the calendar year described in such subparagraph.

“(ii) ROUNDING.—Any dollar amount determined under clause (i) that is not a multiple of $100 shall be rounded to the next greatest multiple of $100.”;

(2) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c);

(3) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:

“(b) Calculating income of household.—

“(1) ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME.—For purposes of subsection (a)(1)(A), the adjusted gross income of a household for a taxable year is the sum of the adjusted gross incomes of the individuals who are members of the household at the end of the year.

“(2) MODIFIED ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME.—For purposes of subsection (a)(1)(B), the modified adjusted gross income of a household for a taxable year is the sum of the modified adjusted gross incomes of the individuals who are members of the household at the end of the year.”; and

(4) in subsection (c), as so redesignated by paragraph (2) of this subsection—

(A) by striking “, including” and all that follows and inserting a period;

(B) by striking “The Secretary” and inserting the following:

“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary”; and

(C) by adding at the end the following:

“(2) INDIVIDUALS WHO MOVE BECAUSE OF MAJOR DISASTERS OR EMERGENCIES OR TO FIND EMPLOYMENT.—

“(A) IN GENERAL.—The regulations promulgated under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall establish procedures under which an individual described in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph may transfer from one demonstration project under this title to another demonstration project under this title that is being conducted in another community by a qualified entity that agrees to accept the individual into the project. The regulations shall not permit such a transfer unless the qualified entity has sufficient amounts in its Reserve Fund to make the deposits required by section 410 with respect to the individual.

“(B) INDIVIDUAL DESCRIBED.—An individual described in this subparagraph is an individual participating in a demonstration project under this title who moves from the community in which the project is being conducted—

“(i) because of—

“(I) a major disaster declared to exist in the community by the President under section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170) or an emergency declared to exist in the community by the President under section 501 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 5191);

“(II) a situation similar to a major disaster or emergency described in subclause (I) declared to exist in the community by the Governor of a State; or

“(III) a qualifying life event experienced by the individual; or

“(ii) in order to secure employment.

“(C) QUALIFYING LIFE EVENT DEFINED.—For purposes of subparagraph (B)(i)(III), the term ‘qualifying life event’—

“(i) means an event determined by the Secretary to be similar to an event that would permit the individual to make an election change with respect to a cafeteria plan under section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and

“(ii) includes—

“(I) a change in the legal marital status of the individual;

“(II) a change in the number of dependents of the individual (as such term is used in section 404(8)(E)(ii) of this Act);

“(III) the birth or death of a child of the individual;

“(IV) the adoption or placement for adoption of a child by the individual;

“(V) a change in the provider of daycare for a child of the individual, or a significant increase in the cost of the daycare; and

“(VI) a change in employment status of the individual, the spouse of the individual, or a dependent of the individual (as such term is used in section 404(8)(E)(ii)).

“(3) RELOCATION TO COMMUNITY WHERE NO PROJECT IS AVAILABLE.—

“(A) IN GENERAL.—An individual described in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph shall be permitted to withdraw funds from the individual development account of the individual during the 1-year period following the date the individual moves to another community in the same manner that an individual is permitted under section 410(d)(2) to withdraw funds during the 1-year period following the end of a demonstration project.

“(B) INDIVIDUAL DESCRIBED.—An individual described in this subparagraph is an individual who—

“(i) moves to a community where no demonstration project under this title is being conducted; or

“(ii) after moving to another community and making such efforts as the Secretary may require to transfer to another demonstration project under this title, is, for any reason other than a violation of the requirements of this title or regulations promulgated by the Secretary under this title, not accepted into another demonstration project under this title.

“(C) FUNDS REMAINING IN IDA.—Any funds remaining in an individual development account after the end of the 1-year period described in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph shall be treated in the same manner as funds remaining in an individual development account after the end of the 1-year period described in section 410(d)(2)(A) are treated under section 410(f).

“(4) RELOCATION BY OTHER INDIVIDUALS.—The regulations promulgated under paragraph (1) shall prohibit any individual who is unable to continue participating in a demonstration project under this title for any reason, except for an individual described in paragraph (2)(B) or (3)(B), from being eligible to participate in any other demonstration project conducted under this title.”.

Section 410 of the Assets for Independence Act (42 U.S.C. 604 note) is amended—

(1) in subsection (a)(2), by inserting “2 times” after “an amount equal to”;

(2) in subsection (b), by striking “$2,000” and inserting “$5,000”;

(3) in subsection (c), by striking “$4,000” and inserting “$10,000”;

(4) in subsection (d)—

(A) by striking “The Secretary shall” and inserting the following:

“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall”;

(B) in paragraph (1), as amended by subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, by adding at the end the following: “The Secretary may waive the application of the preceding sentence in the case of an individual who has participated in another demonstration project under this title (including successful completion after transferring from one project to another project as described in section 408(c)(2)) or an asset-building project similar to the demonstration projects conducted under this title.”; and

(C) by adding at the end the following:

“(2) ACCESS FOR 1 YEAR AFTER END OF PROJECT.—

“(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ensure that an eligible individual is able to withdraw funds from an individual development account of the individual during the 1-year period following the end of the demonstration project with respect to which deposits were made into the account (whether the project ends by reason of expiration of the authority under section 406(a) of the qualified entity to conduct the demonstration project, termination of the authority under section 413 without transfer to another qualified entity, or otherwise).

“(B) APPROVAL OF WITHDRAWALS.—During the period described in subparagraph (A), an eligible individual may make a withdrawal only if the withdrawal is approved in writing—

“(i) by a responsible official of the qualified entity; or

“(ii) by the Secretary, if the Secretary terminated the authority of the qualified entity to conduct the demonstration project under section 413 or the Secretary determines that the qualified entity is otherwise unable or unwilling to participate in the approval process.”; and

(5) by adding at the end the following:

“(f) Unused funds in IDA.—If funds remain in an individual development account after the end of the 1-year period described in subsection (d)(2)(A) of this section, the funds shall be disposed of as considered appropriate by the Secretary or a nonprofit entity (as such term is used in section 404(7)(A)(i)) designated by the Secretary.”.

Section 411 of the Assets for Independence Act (42 U.S.C. 604 note) is amended—

(1) in the heading, by inserting “; regulations” after “projects”;

(2) by striking “A qualified entity” and inserting the following:

“(a) Local control over demonstration projects.—A qualified entity”; and

(3) by adding at the end the following:

“(b) Regulations.—Subject to subsection (a), not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall promulgate such regulations as the Secretary considers necessary to implement this title. The Secretary may provide that any such regulation takes effect on the date of promulgation, but the Secretary shall accept and consider public comments for 60 days after the date of promulgation.”.

(a) In general.—Section 412(b) of the Assets for Independence Act (42 U.S.C. 604 note) is amended by striking “subsection (a) to” and all that follows and inserting “subsection (a) to the Secretary.”.

(b) Effective date.—The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply to reports submitted on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.

(a) In general.—Section 413 of the Assets for Independence Act (42 U.S.C. 604 note) is amended—

(1) in subsection (b), by striking paragraph (5) and inserting the following:

“(5) if, by the end of the 90-day period beginning on the date of the termination, the Secretary has not found a qualified entity (or entities) described in paragraph (3) of this subsection, shall—

“(A) make every effort to identify, without conducting a competition (unless the Secretary determines that conducting a competition would be feasible and appropriate), another qualified entity (or entities), in the same or a different community, willing and able to conduct one or more demonstration projects under this title that may differ from the project being terminated;

“(B) in identifying a qualified entity (or entities) under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, give priority to qualified entities that—

“(i) are participating in demonstration projects conducted under this title;

“(ii) have waiting lists for participants in the demonstration projects; and

“(iii) can demonstrate the availability of non-Federal funds described in section 405(c)(4), in addition to any such funds committed to any demonstration projects being conducted by the qualified entity at the time the Secretary considers identifying the entity under such subparagraph (A), to be committed to the demonstration project (or projects) described in such subparagraph (A) as matching contributions; and

“(C) if the Secretary identifies a qualified entity (or entities) under such subparagraph (A)—

“(i) transfer to the entity (or entities) control over the Reserve Fund established pursuant to section 407 with respect to the project being terminated; and

“(ii) authorize the entity (or entities) to use the Reserve Fund to conduct a demonstration project (or projects) in accordance with an application approved under subsection (e) or (h)(2) of section 405 and the requirements of this title.”; and

(2) by adding at the end the following:

“(c) Focus on community of terminated project.—In identifying another qualified entity (or entities) under paragraph (3) or (5) of subsection (b), the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, select a qualified entity (or entities) in the community served by the demonstration project being terminated.”.

(b) Effective date.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply to terminations occurring on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.

(2) DISCRETIONARY APPLICATION TO PREVIOUS TERMINATIONS.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services may apply the amendment to terminations occurring within the 1-year period ending on the day before the date of the enactment of this Act. In the case of such an application, any reference in the amendment to the date of the termination is deemed a reference to such date of enactment.

Section 414 of the Assets for Independence Act (42 U.S.C. 604 note) is amended—

(1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following:

“(a) In general.—The Secretary may enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more independent research organizations to evaluate the demonstration projects conducted under this title, individually and as a group, including all qualified entities participating in and sources providing funds for the demonstration projects conducted under this title. Such a contract may also provide for the evaluation of other asset-building programs and policies targeted to low-income individuals.”;

(2) in subsection (b)—

(A) by striking paragraph (3);

(B) in paragraph (4), by striking “, and how such effects vary among different populations or communities”;

(C) by striking paragraphs (5) and (6); and

(D) by redesignating paragraphs (4) and (7) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively; and

(3) in subsections (b) and (c), by inserting “(or organizations)” after “research organization” each place it appears.

The Assets for Independence Act (42 U.S.C. 604 note) is amended—

(1) by redesignating section 416 as section 417; and

(2) by inserting after section 415 the following:

The Assets for Independence Act (42 U.S.C. 604 note) is amended—

(1) by redesignating section 417, as so redesignated by section 214(1) of this Act, as section 418; and

(2) by inserting after section 416 the following:

Section 418 of the Assets for Independence Act (42 U.S.C. 604 note), as so redesignated by section 215(1) of this Act, is amended by inserting after “2003” the following: “and $75,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022”.

(a) In general.—Section 414(e) of the Assets for Independence Act (42 U.S.C. 604 note) is amended by striking “section 416” and inserting “section 418”.

(b) Table of contents.—The table of contents in section 2 of the Community Opportunities, Accountability, and Training and Educational Services Act of 1998 (Public Law 105–285) is amended—

(1) by striking the item relating to section 411 and inserting the following new item:

“Sec. 411. Local control over demonstration projects; regulations.”;

and

(2) by striking the items relating to sections 415 and 416 and inserting the following new items:

“Sec. 415. No reduction in benefits.
“Sec. 416. Costs of training qualified entities.
“Sec. 417. Waiver authority.
“Sec. 418. Authorization of appropriations.”.

The amendments made by sections 204 through 209 shall apply to project years beginning on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.

Title I of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

(a) Targeted pilot program.—The Secretary of Labor shall establish a pilot program pursuant to section 169(b) of the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3224(b)) to provide grants to entities eligible under such section to provide job skills training to and specific for older individuals, particularly in the areas of computer literacy, advanced computer operations, and resume writing.

(b) Definition.—For purposes of the program established under subsection (a), the term “older individual” means an individual who is older than 45 years of age.

(a) In general.—Subparagraph (B) of section 51(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by inserting “(December 31, 2024, in the case of any member of a targeted group described in subparagraph (B), (C), (E), (F), or (G))” before the period at the end.

(b) Effective date.—The amendment made by this section shall apply to individuals who begin work for the employer after December 31, 2019.

(a) Intern wage credit.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—Subpart D of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—

(A) Section 38(b) of such Code is amended by striking “plus” at the end of paragraph (35), by striking the period at the end of paragraph (36) and inserting “, plus”, and by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

“(37) the intern wage credit under section 45S(a).”.

(B) The table of sections for subpart D of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of such Code is amended by adding at the end the following new item:

“Sec. 45S. Intern wage credit.”.

(3) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by this subsection shall apply to taxable years beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act.

Section 171 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3226) is amended by adding at the end the following:

“(j) Carry-Over authority.—Any amounts granted to an entity under this section for a fiscal year may, at the discretion of the entity, remain available for expenditure during the succeeding fiscal year to carry out programs under this section.”.

(a) In general.—Subpart D of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to business-related credits), as amended by this Act, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

(b) Credit made part of general business credit.—Subsection (b) of section 38 of such Code, as amended by this Act, is amended by striking “plus” at the end of paragraph (36), by striking the period at the end of paragraph (37) and inserting “, plus”, and by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

“(38) the excellence in economic education credit determined under section 45T(a).”.

(c) Clerical amendment.—The table of sections for subpart D of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of such Code is amended by adding at the end the following new item:

“Sec. 45T. Excellence in economic education.”.

(d) Report.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Treasury (or the Secretary’s delegate) shall submit a report on—

(A) whether the credit for excellence in economic education (as enacted by subsection (a) of this section) has resulted in increased investment in financial literacy programs; and

(B) recommendations (if any) for improving such credit to make it more effective.

(2) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Treasury (or the Secretary’s delegate) shall submit the report required by paragraph (1) to the Secretary of Education, the Committee on Education and the Workforce, the Committee on Financial Services, and the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and the Committee on Finance of the Senate.

(e) Effective date.—The amendments made by this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act.

(a) Purpose.—It is the purpose of this section to encourage individuals educated in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to enter and continue in the teaching profession, with the goal of attracting 10,000 of America’s brightest students to the teaching profession over the next 5 years.

(b) Scholarships.—Title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1021 et seq.) is amended—

(1) by redesignating part C as part E;

(2) by redesignating section 261 as section 281; and

(3) by inserting after part B the following new part:

(c) Institutional grants for Integrated Degree Programs.—Title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1021 et seq.) is further amended by inserting after part C, as added by subsection (b) of this section, the following new part:

(a) Establishment.—There is established a working group, which shall consist of representatives of the heads of the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Education. The working group shall identify and analyze practices to reduce recidivism. The Attorney General shall chair the group, which shall meet once each month for the first 3 months after the date of its establishment, and once every 3 months thereafter.

(b) Report.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 5 years thereafter, the working group established under subsection (a) shall submit to Congress and to the President a report which describes the recommendations of the working group for reducing recidivism.

(c) Authorization of appropriations.—There is authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 to the working group for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022 to carry out this subsection.

(a) In general.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, in consultation with the heads of the appropriate agencies, shall establish a program under which an individual who was convicted of a Federal offense which is classified as a felony, and who has successfully completed his or her sentence, may apply to receive benefits under the programs described in subsection (b). Any individual who has been convicted of a felony for which the maximum sentence is ten or more years of imprisonment, any crime of violence (as such term is defined in section 16 of title 18, United States Code), or any crime of reckless driving or of driving while intoxicated or under the influence of alcohol or of prohibited substances if such crime involves personal injury to another.

(b) Programs described.—The programs described in this subsection are the following:

(1) TANF.—Assistance under a State program funded under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act.

(2) SNAP.—The supplemental nutrition assistance program under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.).

(3) HOUSING.—Any program of the Department of Housing and Urban Development or the Department of Agriculture providing housing or assistance for housing, including any program for dwelling units, rental assistance, grants, loans, subsidies, mortgage insurance, guarantees, or other financial assistance.

(a) In general.—Section 51(b)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by inserting “or any individual who is a qualified ex-felon” after “subsection (d)(3)(A)(ii)(I)”.

(b) Effective date.—The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply to individuals who begin work for the employer after the date of the enactment of this Act, in taxable years ending after such date.

The Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly known as the “National Apprenticeship Act”; 50 Stat. 664, chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.), is amended by adding the end the following:

The Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.) is amended—

(1) in section 481(b), by adding at the end the following:

“(5) (A) For purposes of parts D and E, the term ‘eligible program’ includes a program of not less than 250 clock hours of instruction, offered during a minimum of 5 weeks of instruction that leads an industry-recognized credential.

“(B) In this paragraph, the term ‘industry-recognized credential’ means an industry-recognized credential that—

“(i) is demonstrated to be of high quality by the institution offering the program in the program participation agreement under section 487;

“(ii) meets the current, as of the date of the determination, or projected needs of a local or regional workforce for recruitment, screening, hiring, retention, or advancement purposes—

“(I) as determined by the State in which the program is located, in consultation with business entities; or

“(II) as demonstrated by the institution offering the program leading to the credential; and

“(iii) is, where applicable, endorsed by a nationally recognized trade association or organization representing a significant part of the industry or sector.”; and

(2) in section 487(a), by adding at the end the following:

“(30) In the case of an institution that offers a program of not less than 250 clock hours of instruction, offered during a minimum of 5 weeks of instruction that leads an industry-recognized credential, as provided under section 481(b)(5), the institution will demonstrate to the Secretary that the industry-recognized credential is of high quality.”.

(a) In general.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in coordination with appropriate national professional organizations, Federal, State, local, and tribal governmental agencies, and private-sector and nongovernmental entities, shall develop model standards and guidelines for credentialing environmental health workers.

(b) Provision of standards and technical assistance.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall provide to State, local, and tribal governments—

(1) the model standards and guidelines developed under subsection (a); and

(2) technical assistance in credentialing environmental health workers.

(a) In general.—To ensure that activities and programs (including education, training, and payment programs) of the Department of Health and Human Services for developing the environmental health workforce meet national needs, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall develop a comprehensive and coordinated plan for such activities and programs that—

(1) includes performance measures to more clearly determine the extent to which such activities and programs are meeting the Department’s strategic goal of strengthening the environmental health workforce;

(2) identifies and communicates to stakeholders any gaps between existing activities and programs and future environmental health workforce needs identified in workforce projections of the Health Resources and Services Administration;

(3) identifies actions needed to address such identified gaps; and

(4) identifies any additional statutory authority that is needed by the Department to implement such identified actions.

(b) Submission to Congress.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, and to the Committees on Energy and Commerce and Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives, the plan developed under subsection (a).

(a) In general.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall examine and identify best practices in 6 States (as described in subsection (b)) related to training and credentialing requirements for environmental health workers and submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report that includes information concerning—

(1) types of environmental health workers employed at State, local, and city health departments and independent environmental health agencies;

(2) educational backgrounds of environmental health workers;

(3) whether environmental health workers are credentialed or registered, and what type of credential or registration each worker has received;

(4) State requirements for continuing education for environmental health workers;

(5) whether State, local, and city health departments and independent environmental health agencies track continuing education units for their environmental health workers; and

(6) how frequently any exam required to qualify environmental health workers is updated and reviewed to ensure that the exam is consistent with current law.

(b) Selection of States.—The report described in subsection (a) shall be based upon the examination of such best practices with respect to 3 States that have credentialing requirements for environmental health workers and 3 States that do not have such requirements.

Section 455(m) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(m)) is amended in paragraph (3)(B)—

(1) in clause (i), by striking “or” at the end;

(2) in clause (ii), by striking the period at the end and inserting “; or”; and

(3) by adding at the end the following:

“(iii) a full-time job as an environmental health worker (as defined in section 7 of the Environmental Health Workforce Act of 2017) who is accredited, certified, or licensed in accordance with applicable law.”.

In this Act, the terms “environmental health worker” and “environmental health workforce” refer to public health workers who investigate and assess hazardous environmental agents in various environmental settings and develop, promote, and enforce guidelines, policies, and interventions to control such hazardous environmental agents.

Title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

(a) Study required.—Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, and every year thereafter, the Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study of Federal agencies to determine which agencies have the greatest impact on women’s participation in the workforce, and evaluate the impact of these agencies.

(b) Suggested agencies.—Such agencies shall include, at a minimum—

(1) the Department of Labor, specifically the Women’s Bureau at such Department;

(2) the Department of Transportation;

(3) the Small Business Administration, including the Office of Women’s Business Ownership; and

(4) any apprenticeship program that receives funding from a Federal agency.

(a) In general.—The study required by section 2 shall review and evaluate the following factors, for those agencies that the Comptroller General has identified as having the greatest impact on women’s participation in the workforce, including the following:

(1) POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.—The study shall examine—

(A) each agency’s policies and procedures related to improving women’s participation in the workforce, including efforts related to fair compensation, benefits, such as paid leave and workplace supports for pregnancy and families, participation in non-traditional and higher-paying jobs, enforcement of workplace rights, and prevention of sexual and other harassment;

(B) each agency’s compliance with its statutory and regulatory requirements on these matters;

(C) any policy changes in the agency within the study period, and the reasoning for such changes; and

(D) any procedural changes to the agency’s reporting and participation within the agency.

(2) IMPACT.—The study shall also examine—

(A) the number of women who received technical assistance, grants, loans, contracts, and other services from the agency in each fiscal year, and the number of such individuals who received these services in the prior five fiscal years;

(B) the number of organizations who received such outreach, services, and other engagement with the agency;

(C) the extent of the agency’s outreach and public education efforts for women, including the publication of reports and statistics, public announcement of enforcement actions, and regional outreach engaging local stakeholders;