SenateS. 4611119th Congress
Job Corps Shipbuilding-Defense Industrial Base Pipeline Act of 2026
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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4611 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4611
To provide for alignment of the Job Corps with the defense industrial
base, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 20, 2026
Mr. Reed (for himself and Ms. Collins) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for alignment of the Job Corps with the defense industrial
base, 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 ``Job Corps Shipbuilding-Defense
Industrial Base Pipeline Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. ALIGNMENT OF JOB CORPS WITH THE DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE.
(a) In General.--The National Imperative for Industrial Skills
program of the Department of Defense (or a successor program) shall
maximize the use of and expand on the activities of Job Corps centers
and registered apprenticeship programs to train the skilled industrial
workers that are needed in the defense industrial base.
(b) Referral of Military Recruits to Job Corps.--Military
recruiters shall make each military recruit who is ineligible to enlist
in the military as a result of the requirements of section 520 of title
10, United States Code, aware of the opportunity to enroll in Job Corps
and registered apprenticeship programs in order to meet the standards
for enlistment or learn skills that can contribute to the defense
industrial base.
(c) Job Corps Trade Realignment.--In order to address shortages of
skilled industrial workers in the defense industrial base, the
Secretary of Defense may, through the National Imperative for
Industrial Skills program (or a successor program) and grants to Job
Corps center operators as provided in accordance with section 158(f) of
the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3208(f)),
support the change of trades offered at a Job Corps center, including
at a Job Corps transition hub at an existing center or at a new site in
close proximity to a shipyard or other defense industrial base
suppliers, to align with the needs of the defense industrial base,
including through investments in curricula development, equipment, and
facilities.
(d) Definitions.--For purposes of this section:
(1) Enrollee; job corps; job corps center.--The terms
``enrollee'', ``Job Corps'', and ``Job Corps center'' have the
meanings given such terms in section 142 of the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3192).
(2) Job corps center operator.--The term ``Job Corps center
operator'' has the meaning given the term ``operator'' in such
section of such Act.
(3) Job corps transition hub.--The term ``Job Corps
transition hub'' means an advanced career training program
under section 148 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity
Act (29 U.S.C. 3198) that facilitates the onboarding and
retention of enrollees into the defense industrial base.
(4) Registered apprenticeship program.--The term
``registered apprenticeship program'' means an apprenticeship
program that is registered under 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.).
SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF SHIPBUILDING SPECIAL INCENTIVE TO THE JOB CORPS.
Section 8696(b)(2) of title 10, United States Code, is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(G) The Job Corps program established under
section 143 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity
Act (29 U.S.C. 3193) or an individual Job Corps center
operator as defined in section 142 of the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3192).''.
SEC. 4. JOB CORPS CONFORMING REFORMS.
(a) Success in Military Recruitment as a Graduate of Job Corps.--
Section 142(5) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29
U.S.C. 3192(5)) is amended by inserting ``enlisted in the military with
a score on the Armed Forces Qualification Test that is above the
thirty-first percentile,'' before ``or completed''.
(b) Grants to Job Corps Centers.--Section 158(f) of the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3208(f)) is amended--
(1) by striking the heading and inserting ``External
Funding'';
(2) by striking ``The Secretary may accept on behalf of the
Job Corps or individual Job Corps centers charitable donations
of cash'' and inserting the following:
``(1) In general.--The Secretary (or the Secretary of
Agriculture, as appropriate), on behalf of the Job Corps, or a
Job Corps center operator, on behalf of such center, may accept
grants and charitable donations of cash'';
(3) by inserting ``grants and'' before ``donations are'';
(4) by striking ``available for appropriate use'' and
inserting ``used exclusively''; and
(5) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) Transfer of property.--Notwithstanding sections
501(b) and 522 of title 40, United States Code, any property
acquired by a Job Corps center shall be directly transferred,
on a nonreimbursable basis, to the Secretary.
``(3) Prohibition of offset using external funding.--An
operator that accepts a grant or charitable donation under
paragraph (1) may not use the grant or charitable donation to
fulfill the cost of any obligation imposed on the operator
under an agreement under section 147.
``(4) Prohibition on restrictions for job corps
placement.--A grant or charitable donation under paragraph (1)
may not include terms that restrict the placement or employment
options of an enrollee or graduate.
``(5) Public reporting.-- The Secretary shall publicly
disclose on annual basis a list of grants and charitable
donations received under paragraph (1), which shall include the
amount and source of each grant or charitable donation and the
Job Corps center that was designated as the beneficiary of each
grant or charitable donation.''.
(c) Local Authority To Realign Trades.--Section 151 of the
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3201) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(d) Local Authority.--Subject to the limitations of the budget
approved by the Secretary for a Job Corps center, the operator of a Job
Corps center shall have the authority, without prior approval from the
Secretary, to--
``(1) hire staff and provide staff professional
development;
``(2) set terms and enter into agreements with Federal,
State, or local educational partners, such as secondary
schools, institutions of higher education, child development
centers, units of Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
programs established under section 2031 of title 10, United
States Code, or employers; and
``(3) engage with and educate stakeholders (including
eligible applicants for the Job Corps) about Job Corps
operations, selection procedures, and activities.''.
(d) Streamlined Enrollment of Veterans and Military Recruits Into
the Defense Industrial Base.--
(1) In general.--Subsection (b) of section 144 of the
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3194) is
amended--
(A) in the heading, by inserting ``and Certain
Other Armed Forces Members'' after ``Veterans''; and
(B) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by
inserting ``or a member of the Armed Forces eligible
for pre-separation counseling of the Transition
Assistance Program under section 1142 of title 10,
United States Code,'' after ``a veteran''.
(2) Background check exemption.--Section 145(b) of the
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3195(b)) is
amended--
(A) in paragraph (1)(C), by inserting ``except with
respect to an individual described in paragraph (4),''
before ``the individual''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(4) Individuals exempted from background check.--An
individual described in this paragraph is--
``(A) an individual who is--
``(i)(I) a member of the Armed Forces
eligible for pre-separation counseling of the
Transition Assistance Program under section
1142 of title 10, United States Code; or
``(II) a veteran who left the Armed Forces
not more than 90 days before the date on which
the veteran applies to enroll in the Job Corps;
and
``(ii) not ineligible for retired pay as
provided by section 12740 of title 10, United
States Code; or
``(B) a military recruit who--
``(i) is ineligible to enlist in the
military as a result of the requirements of
section 520 of title 10, United States Code;
and
``(ii) not more than 90 days before the
date on which the recruit applies to enroll in
the Job Corps, passed a background check as
part of the enlistment process.''.
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