Labor Shortage Reduction Act of 1989

Labor Shortage Reduction Act of 1989 - Amends the Job Training Partnership Act to direct the Secretary of Labor to: (1) develop a methodology to use available data bases to annually identify national labor shortages; (2) as part of such identification, develop information on specified topics; (3) within 18 months and annually thereafter, publish a list of national labor shortages; (4) distribute such list and related information to specified parties and agencies, through various means such as the Interstate Job Bank; (5) conduct research and develop data bases to improve the accuracy of the methodology and make recommendations to identify regional, State, and local labor shortages; (6) report annually to the Congress on such research and development; and (7) submit an annual plan to the Congress, specifying actions to be taken by the Secretary and recommending action for other parties.

Authorizes appropriations.

 
HR 2760 IH
101st CONGRESS
1st Session
 H. R. 2760
To amend the Job Training Partnership Act to require the Secretary of Labor
to identify labor shortages and develop a plan to reduce such shortages,
and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 27, 1989
Mr. MARTINEZ (for himself, Mr. FLORIO, and Mr. GUARINI) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor
A BILL
To amend the Job Training Partnership Act to require the Secretary of Labor
to identify labor shortages and develop a plan to reduce such shortages,
and for other purposes.
  Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
  States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  This Act may be cited as the `Labor Shortage Reduction Act of 1989'.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENT.
  Title IV of the Job Training Partnership Act is amended by inserting after
  section 465 the following new section:
IDENTIFICATION, PUBLICATION, AND REDUCTION OF LABOR SHORTAGES
  `SEC. 466. (a) IDENTIFICATION OF LABOR SHORTAGES-
  `(1) METHODOLOGY- The Secretary shall develop a methodology to utilize
  available data bases to annually identify national labor shortages.
  `(2) LABOR SHORTAGE DESCRIPTION- As part of the identification of national
  labor shortages under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall, to the extent
  feasible, develop information on--
  `(A) the intensity of each labor shortage;
  `(B) the supply and demand of workers in occupations affected by the
  shortage;
  `(C) industrial and geographic concentration of the shortage;
  `(D) wages for occupations affected by the shortage;
  `(E) entry requirements for occupations affected by the shortage; and
  `(F) job content for occupations affected by the shortage.
  `(b) Publication of National Labor Shortages-
  `(1) IN GENERAL- Not later than the date that is 18 months after the date of
  enactment of this Act, and each year thereafter, the Secretary shall publish
  a list of national labor shortages as determined under subsection (a).
  `(2) DISTRIBUTION OF PUBLICATION- The Secretary shall provide the list
  referred to in paragraph (1) and related information to--
  `(A) students and job applicants;
  `(B) vocational educators;
  `(C) employers;
  `(D) labor unions;
  `(E) guidance counselors;
  `(F) administrators of programs established under this Act;
  `(G) job placement agencies;
  `(H) appropriate Federal and State agencies; and
  `(I) other interested parties and agencies.
  `(3) MEANS OF DISTRIBUTION- In making the distribution referred to in
  paragraph (2), the Secretary shall use various means of distribution methods,
  including appropriate electronic means such as the Interstate Job Bank.
  `(c) DEVELOPMENT OF DATA BASES-
  `(1) RESEARCH- The Secretary shall conduct research and develop data
  bases to--
  `(A) improve the accuracy of the methodology referred to in subsection
  (a); and
  `(B) make recommendations to identify labor shortages by region, State,
  and local areas.
  `(2) Report to congress-
  `(A) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall report the progress of the research
  and development conducted under paragraph (1) to Congress at the same time
  the Secretary issues the annual publication under subsection (b).
  `(B) CONTENT OF REPORT- The report referred to in subparagraph (A) shall
  specify steps taken under this Act and by government employment services to
  reduce national labor shortages that have been identified under subsection
  (a).
  `(d) Annual Plan-
  `(1) IN GENERAL- After the Secretary identifies labor shortages under
  subsection (a), the Secretary shall prepare and submit to Congress an
  annual plan that specifies actions to be taken by the Secretary to reduce
  labor shortages and recommends action for--
  `(A) Congress;
  `(B) Federal agencies;
  `(C) States;
  `(D) employers;
  `(E) labor unions;
  `(F) job applicants;
  `(G) students;
  `(H) career counselors; and
  `(I) other appropriate parties.
  `(2) ACTIONS SPECIFIED IN REPORT- The actions referred to in paragraph
  (1) may include--
  `(A) assisting recruitment efforts of job placement agencies for occupations
  experiencing a labor shortage;
  `(B) providing career counseling and testing to guide potential employees
  into occupations experiencing a labor shortage;
  `(C) accelerating education and training in occupations experiencing a
  labor shortage;
  `(D) offering incentives to increase federally funded training in occupations
  experiencing a labor shortage;
  `(E) enhancing education and training curriculums for occupations
  experiencing a labor shortage;
  `(F) offering monetary incentives, such as tuition scholarships, to attract
  employees to occupations experiencing a labor shortage;
  `(G) intensifying equal opportunity employment activities;
  `(H) providing housing and transportation to attract employees to occupations
  experiencing a labor shortage;
  `(I) restructuring jobs to reduce labor requirements or to attract employees
  to occupations experiencing a labor shortage, or both;
  `(J) increasing automation to provide needed services to employers; and
  `(K) targeting immigration to provide more employees for occupations
  suffering from a labor shortage.
  `(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There are authorized to be appropriated
  to carry out this section, $2,500,000 for the first fiscal year beginning
  after the date of enactment of this section and $500,000 for each fiscal
  year thereafter.
  `(f) DEFINITION OF LABOR SHORTAGE- For purposes of this section, the term
  `labor shortage' means a situation in which, in a particular occupation,
  the amount of labor supplied is less than the amount of labor demanded
  by employers.'.