CREATES Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 8304
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Labor and Employment
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-04-15: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-25T08:08:23Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The CREATES Act (Credential Repository and Transparency in States Act) aims to help states collect, analyze, and share information on all credentials (like certificates, degrees, licenses) offered in the state, their quality (including employer use), related education/career pathways, and outcomes. This enables individuals to make better-informed choices about education and careers.
Key Provisions
- Grant Program: The Secretary of Labor, consulting the Secretary of Education, awards competitive grants to states (one per state, up to $10 million, 3-year duration) to create, expand, or improve a state credential repository—a public online database.
- Grants consider the number of credentials and training providers in the state.
- Decisions on applications within 90 days.
- State Applications: Must include plans for repository setup, data policies, tools/services, interoperability with other states, and compliance assurances.
- Required Uses of Funds:
- Build repository with public input.
- Create data policy for accuracy and compliance.
- Help training providers report performance data (e.g., from Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act).
- Guide counselors on using the repository.
- Develop tools/resources (e.g., search/compare functions) for workers, employers, educators using open, interoperable data.
- Excess funds for publicity.
- Repository Requirements:
- Lists all credentials, training providers (entities offering programs leading to credentials), and covered programs.
- Includes details like: provider quality/performance, program skills/costs, credential providers/assessments/costs/credit value/outcomes (e.g., earnings, employment, completion rates), career pathways, job skills/industries.
- Aligns with existing federal programs (e.g., Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act eligibility lists).
- Continuously updated, searchable/analyzable, uses open data standards for cross-state/national access.
- No personally identifiable information (PII) collected.
- Reporting: States submit annual reports on repository progress; Secretary minimizes reporting burden.
- Funding: Authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 2028, funds available until September 30, 2029.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Introduces a new federal grant program not previously existing, building on but not altering laws like the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) or Perkins Career and Technical Education Act.
- Mandates state repositories with standardized, interoperable data, enhancing transparency beyond current voluntary or fragmented systems.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Dept. of Labor/Education gain tools for workforce data; states get funding/tech support for centralized databases.
- Citizens: Individuals (workers, students) access free, comparable info on credentials/programs to choose high-value training, potentially improving job outcomes and reducing mismatched education.
- Others: Employers see credential quality/employer use data; no direct international effects.
- Overall: Promotes better alignment between education, training, and jobs at state level.
Main Stakeholders
- States: Primary recipients; must build/maintain repositories.
- Federal Agencies: Dept. of Labor (leads), Dept. of Education (consults).
- Training Providers/Educators: Report data, benefit from guidance/tools.
- Workers/Students, Employers, Counselors: Users of repository for decisions.
- Policymakers: Access outcomes data for planning.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Privacy: Strict ban on PII protects individual rights under privacy laws.
- Federalism: Competitive grants respect state autonomy while incentivizing standardization/interoperability.
- No Major Constitutional Issues: Aligns with Congress's spending power for workforce development; politically, supports bipartisan goals of skills transparency and economic mobility without mandates on non-grantees.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (3)
Rep. Owens, Burgess [R-UT-4], Rep. Allen, Rick W. [R-GA-12], Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5]
Recent Actions
- 2026-04-15: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
- 2026-04-15: Introduced in House
- 2026-04-15: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Credential Repository and Transparency in States Act — issued 2026-04-15 — PDF (11 pages)