SenateS. 5506119th Congress
National Talent Strategy Act of 2026
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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5506 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 5506
To authorize the Secretary of Labor to develop a comprehensive Federal
Talent Strategy.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 24, 2026
Ms. Blunt Rochester (for herself and Mr. Budd) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of Labor to develop a comprehensive Federal
Talent Strategy.
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 ``National Talent Strategy Act of
2026''.
SEC. 2. TALENT WORKING GROUP.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 120 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor shall establish a working
group to be known as the ``American Talent Working Group'' (in this Act
referred to as the ``Working Group'')--
(1) to serve as a standing forum for aligning Federal
policy, funding, and data infrastructure related to education,
workforce, and talent; and
(2) to support coordination of State and local efforts to
meet the needs of the labor market.
(b) Composition.--The Working Group shall be composed of the
following:
(1) The Secretary of Labor.
(2) The Secretary of Agriculture.
(3) The Secretary of Commerce.
(4) The Secretary of Defense.
(5) The Secretary of Education.
(6) The Secretary of Energy.
(7) The Secretary of Health and Human Services.
(8) The Secretary of Homeland Security.
(9) The Secretary of Transportation.
(10) The Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for
National and Community Service.
(11) A representative from the Council of Economic
Advisers.
(12) A representative from the Domestic Policy Council.
(13) The Chief Executive Officer of the Internal Revenue
Service.
(14) The Commissioner of Labor Statistics.
(15) The Director of the National Science Foundation.
(16) The Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
(17) The Director of the Office of Personnel Management.
(18) The Director of the Office of Science and Technology
Policy.
(c) Activities.--The Working Group shall--
(1) drive the development of the Federal strategic talent
plan outlined in section 3;
(2) meet not less often than once a year to report on
workforce development activities to improve communication and
alignment of programs, to discuss progress made on the
recommendations outlined in the Federal strategic talent plan,
and to identify barriers to the adoption of recommendations;
(3) identify challenges and barriers to the reach,
utilization, and successful outcomes of workforce development
programs that may inform updates to the Federal strategic
talent plan;
(4) submit a report, not later than 30 days after the date
of a meeting, to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and
Workforce of the House of Representatives summarizing--
(A) key points from the meeting;
(B) progress on enactment of the Federal strategic
talent plan, including specific goals that have been
met, specific actions taken by each member of the
Working Group to implement the Federal strategic talent
plan, and a description of the metrics used to evaluate
success;
(C) common barriers identified and common projected
trends that may impact the Federal strategic talent
plan; and
(D) any legislative recommendations;
(5) engage not less often than annually with State and
local government leaders, business owners and industry leaders,
labor union representatives, local chambers of commerce, local
boards and State boards (as such terms are defined in section 3
of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C.
3102)), education officials from secondary schools (as defined
in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)), postsecondary schools, and area
career and technical education schools (as defined in section 3
of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of
2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302)), institutions of higher education, and
Tribal leaders, which shall include direct conversations and
the collection and consideration of recommendations;
(6) host regional meetings to better understand varied
needs for job development across the Nation; and
(7) ensure that workforce programs are aligned with updates
to the President's List of Critical and Emerging Technologies
(CET) and consider related skills needs and talent development
strategies.
(d) Sunset.--The Working Group shall cease to exist effective on
the date that is 8 years after the date of enactment of this Act,
unless reauthorized by an Act of Congress.
SEC. 3. COMPREHENSIVE FEDERAL STRATEGIC PLAN.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Secretary of Labor, in coordination with the Working
Group and with representatives from industries and labor organizations
(as defined in section 2 of the National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C.
152)) that are connected with Federal workforce development programs,
shall develop a comprehensive Federal strategic talent plan covering a
4-year period that shall serve as a strategic planning document for all
Federal agencies engaged in workforce development activities.
(b) Evaluation of Workforce Programs Across the Federal
Government.--
(1) In general.--The Federal strategic talent plan
developed under subsection (a) shall--
(A) evaluate all workforce programs across the
Federal Government;
(B) provide analysis on program participation,
program outcomes for participants, and program
effectiveness in meeting statutory goals;
(C) provide analysis on larger indicators,
including unemployment, earnings growth, and labor
participation;
(D) identify areas of overlap among programs; and
(E) identify areas where programs could have more
efficient strategic alignment.
(2) Insight from report.--The evaluation described in
paragraph (1) shall leverage relevant insights from the
Government Accountability Office report ``Employment and
Training Programs: Department of Labor Should Assess Efforts to
Coordinate Services Across Programs'', GAO-19-200, March 2019,
including from any updates to such report.
(c) Identification and Evaluation of Barriers.--
(1) In general.--The Federal strategic talent plan
developed under subsection (a) shall--
(A) identify and evaluate barriers to national
workforce readiness with a focus on the areas described
in paragraph (2); and
(B) identify the capacity of existing national
workforce development programs to support reducing the
identified barriers.
(2) Focus areas.--The areas described in this paragraph are
the following:
(A) Industries projected to have significant job
growth in the next decade, including those identified
by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as the fastest-
growing occupations.
(B) Industries in sectors critical to national
success facing significant workforce shortages.
(C) Industries of importance to global economic
competitiveness.
(D) Domestic manufacturing and industrial capacity.
(E) Industries that offer consistent, high-wage
career pathways for workers.
(F) Industries of importance to national security,
national defense, and research and development
capacity, including areas listed under the Critical and
Emerging Technologies (CET) List, the Cybersecurity and
Infrastructure Security Agency critical infrastructures
sectors, and the key technology focus areas under
section 10387 of the CHIPS Act of 2022 (42 U.S.C.
19107).
(G) Members of the Armed Forces transitioning to
civilian employment or serving in the National Guard or
Reserves, and veterans reentering the civilian
workforce.
(H) Workers in occupations and industries most
susceptible to disruption from automation, artificial
intelligence, and other emerging technologies.
(3) Interagency strategic plan.--The Federal strategic
talent plan developed under subsection (a) shall create an
interagency strategic plan to--
(A) address barriers identified in paragraph (1)
through existing or new Federal workforce development
initiatives;
(B) improve cross-agency implementation of
programs;
(C) increase labor force participation across
populations;
(D) increase the reach of Federal workforce
programs to populations such programs are intended to
serve;
(E) identify and obtain data that is necessary to
improve Federal workforce development programs and
supports for workers;
(F) increase utilization of apprenticeships
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.); and
(G) support workers affected by automation or other
disruptive impacts of artificial intelligence and
emerging technologies through re-skilling, upskilling,
and educational opportunities.
(4) Recommendations.--The Federal strategic talent plan
developed under subsection (a) shall include recommendations to
Congress to resolve inefficiencies and address barriers in
Federal workforce development programs.
(d) Submission and Update.--
(1) In general.--The Federal strategic talent plan
developed under subsection (a) shall be submitted to the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the
Senate and the Committee on Education and Workforce of the
House of Representatives in unclassified form, but may include
a classified annex.
(2) Updates.--The Federal strategic talent plan developed
under subsection (a) shall be reviewed and updated not less
often than once every 2 years and updated in its entirety not
less often than once every 4 years. Each such update shall be
submitted to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and
Workforce of the House of Representatives in unclassified form,
but may include a classified annex.
(e) Sunset.--The Federal strategic talent plan developed under
subsection (a) shall cease to exist effective on the date that is 8
years after the date of enactment of this Act, unless reauthorized by
an Act of Congress.
SEC. 4. EVALUATIONS.
At the end of the 4-year period described in section 3(a), the
Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct an evaluation of
the effectiveness of the Working Group and the Federal strategic talent
plan developed under section 3(a), including an assessment of the
degree of participation of participants in the Working Group and the
success of the Federal agencies engaged in workforce development
activities in meaningfully executing the Federal strategic talent plan.
The Comptroller General shall conduct an additional evaluation of each
update of the Federal strategic talent plan described in section
3(d)(2).
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