Digital Skills for Today’s Workforce Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 6416
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Labor and Employment
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-12-03: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
- Last Updated
- 2026-02-05T09:06:13Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The Digital Skills for Today's Workforce Act aims to update the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to promote digital equity—ensuring people and communities have the tech skills needed to fully participate in society and the economy. It focuses on building digital skills for current and future workers in high-demand industries, helping them access better jobs and adapt to 21st-century work demands. The bill also seeks to create digitally resilient individuals and systems, meaning people and programs that can adapt to tech changes and support economic mobility without relying on any single technology.
Key Provisions
- Definitions: Introduces terms like:
- Digital workplace skills: Basic to advanced tech skills for job effectiveness, including industry-specific and transferable ones.
- Digital and information literacy skills: Abilities to use tech for finding, evaluating, and sharing information safely and responsibly.
- Individuals with barriers to employment: Includes those with low education, low earnings, or limited English proficiency.
- Eligible entities: Non-profits, community colleges, libraries, workforce boards, or industry partnerships.
- Formula Grants to States:
- The Secretary of Labor awards grants to states based on population, working-age residents (ages 16–64), and people with low digital literacy indicators.
- States must apply, detailing how funds will expand digital skills training efficiently, build resilience, and align with other funding.
- If a state doesn't apply, funds go to eligible entities to serve the state or through smaller grants.
- States award subgrants to eligible entities, prioritizing those helping people with employment barriers and ensuring geographic diversity.
- Subgrant recipients report activities to states after one year; states report to Labor after two years, with public availability.
- Competitive Grants:
- Awarded directly to eligible entities to develop digital skills programs, including training, apprenticeships, curriculum, and professional development for instructors.
- Applications must cover activities like engaging small businesses, aligning with state digital plans, protecting data privacy, and targeting underrepresented groups.
- Grantees report performance (e.g., skill gains, credentials earned) after one year, disaggregated by demographics, and share findings publicly.
- Fund Reservations and Oversight:
- Up to 5% of funds for technical assistance and administration; 2–4% for program evaluation.
- Emphasizes privacy protections, like not withholding earned credentials for non-payment and limiting data sharing to evaluation needs.
- Training Integration: Adds digital and information literacy as an allowable service under WIOA's adult training programs.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Inserts a new Section 172 into WIOA's Subtitle D (National Programs) for the Digital Skills at Work Grant Program, redesignating the old Section 172 as 173.
- Authorizes appropriations for the new program starting in fiscal year 2026 for five years ("such sums as may be necessary").
- Expands WIOA's list of allowable training services to explicitly include digital literacy skills.
- Makes conforming updates to reference the redesignated sections in other laws, like the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: The Department of Labor leads administration, consulting with Education and Commerce departments; increases workload for grant management, reporting, and evaluation. States gain resources but must comply with federal rules.
- Citizens: Workers, especially those with low skills or barriers (e.g., low-income, limited education), benefit from accessible training for in-demand jobs, potentially leading to higher earnings and career advancement. Promotes broader digital access, reducing tech-related inequalities.
- Employers and Economy: Small and medium businesses get support for employee training; helps fill tech-related job gaps in growing industries.
- International Relations: No direct impact; focuses on domestic workforce development.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Workers and Job Seekers: Particularly working-age adults (16–64) with low digital literacy, barriers to employment, or in underrepresented groups, who gain skills and credentials.
- States and Local Entities: Receive formula grants; must manage subgrants and reporting.
- Eligible Entities: Community colleges, non-profits, libraries, workforce boards, and industry partnerships that apply for subgrants or competitive awards to deliver training.
- Employers: Especially small/medium-sized ones, through business engagement and customized skills programs.
- Federal Agencies: Department of Labor (primary), with input from Education and Commerce; oversees grants and evaluations.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Strengthens WIOA's focus on modern workforce needs without altering core structures; includes privacy safeguards aligned with federal data laws (e.g., protecting personally identifiable information). Requires compliance with existing federal, state, and local laws in grant applications.
- Constitutional: No apparent challenges; supports equal protection by targeting underserved groups, promoting economic opportunity under Congress's commerce clause authority over workforce and education.
- Political: Bipartisan sponsorship (Democrat and Republican) suggests broad appeal for addressing digital divides; could influence future funding debates on workforce equity amid tech-driven job shifts, but lacks specified funding levels beyond authorization.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7]
Cosponsors (3)
Rep. Valadao, David G. [R-CA-22], Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1], Rep. Deluzio, Christopher R. [D-PA-17]
Recent Actions
- 2025-12-03: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
- 2025-12-03: Introduced in House
- 2025-12-03: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Digital Skills for Today’s Workforce Act — issued 2025-12-03 — PDF (20 pages)