STEM RESTART Act
- Bill Number
- S. 2306
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Labor and Employment
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-07-16: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Last Updated
- 2026-01-10T07:08:44Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose This legislation amends the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to establish a new national grant program. Its goals are to help mid-career skilled workers, especially those from rural areas who are unemployed or underemployed, return or transition to STEM jobs at levels above entry level, and to provide funding to small- and medium-sized STEM businesses for paid internships or returnships that lead to full-time positions with benefits.
Key Provisions
- Creates "RESTART grants" awarded competitively by the Secretary of Labor to eligible small-sized (50–499 employees) or medium-sized (500–9,999 employees) STEM businesses or consortia.
- Grant amounts range from $100,000–$1,000,000 annually for small businesses and $500,000–$5,000,000 for medium-sized businesses or consortia, for initial periods of 3–5 years.
- Defines "returnship" as opportunities providing above-entry-level pay, benefits, training, and pathways to full-time careers.
- Requires programs to last at least 10 weeks and prohibits displacing existing full-time employees.
- Allows partnerships with eligible providers such as higher education institutions, approved service providers, joint labor-management organizations, or adult education providers.
- Mandates annual reporting on participant numbers and outcomes, disaggregated by sex, race, and ethnicity, with the Secretary evaluating best practices.
- Authorizes $50,000,000 annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
- Gives priority to programs targeting in-demand STEM sectors or rural workers.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Adds a new Section 172 to Subtitle D of Title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, redesignating the existing Section 172 as Section 173.
- Introduces specific grant funding and requirements for STEM returnships not previously present in the Act.
- Includes conforming amendments to related statutes to update cross-references.
Potential Impacts
- On government agencies: Increases administrative responsibilities for the Department of Labor in grant administration, oversight, and reporting.
- On citizens: Provides new paid training and employment pathways for mid-career workers in STEM fields, with emphasis on rural areas.
- On international relations: No direct provisions or impacts are outlined in the legislation.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Mid-career unemployed or underemployed workers, particularly those in rural areas seeking STEM reentry.
- Small- and medium-sized STEM businesses eligible for grants.
- Workforce development providers, including colleges, training organizations, and labor-management groups.
- State workforce boards, which must coordinate with grant recipients.
- The Department of Labor and congressional committees receiving evaluation reports.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- The bill operates within existing federal workforce authority under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and raises no apparent constitutional concerns.
- It includes standard competitive grant mechanisms, nondiscrimination reporting requirements, and anti-supplanting rules for employee compensation.
- Political focus centers on domestic workforce development in STEM without international components.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (2)
Sen. Hyde-Smith, Cindy [R-MS], Sen. Kelly, Mark [D-AZ]
Recent Actions
- 2025-07-16: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- 2025-07-16: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- STEM Restoring Employment Skills through Targeted Assistance, Re-entry, and Training Act — issued 2025-07-16 — PDF (14 pages)