AI Workforce PREPARE Act

Bill Number

S. 3339

Origin Chamber

Senate

Congress

119th Congress, Session 1

Policy Area

Labor and Employment

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2025-12-03: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Last Updated

2026-03-11T11:03:19Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose of the Legislation

The AI Workforce PREPARE Act (S. 3339) aims to help the United States anticipate and prepare for how artificial intelligence (AI) will affect jobs and the workforce. It focuses on gathering better data, creating forecasts, and improving training programs to reduce job losses, address worker shortages, and boost economic competitiveness and national security. AI is defined here as systems that perform tasks like humans, based on an existing federal law.

Key Provisions

The bill establishes tools and processes across four main areas to track AI's effects on work:

• Data Collection and Expert Input (Title I):
• Requires the Department of Labor (DOL) to seek public comments and hold workshops (at least one initially, then annually for four years) to gather ideas on implementing the act, including data needs and forecasting methods.
• Allows DOL to hire up to 20 temporary experts in AI, data science, or related fields (up to 4 years, extendable) with flexible pay and benefits to build technical skills for workforce analysis.
• Creates an AI Workforce Research Hub within DOL to study AI's job impacts, collaborate with agencies like the Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and produce reports on scenarios and policy recommendations (lasts 4 years).
• Launches a pilot project by the Census Bureau to track worker movements between AI-affected jobs (covering at least 15 occupations, updated every 2 years) using surveys, partnerships, and records; also assesses ways to securely share detailed data with researchers.

• Measuring AI's Spread and Effects (Title II):
• Directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to run prize competitions (with grants) to develop benchmarks measuring how well AI can automate or enhance job tasks, focusing on forecast accuracy for job changes.
• Sets up a voluntary program for AI companies and users to share anonymized data on AI adoption in workplaces, with public recognition for participants and regular aggregated reports (data protected for statistical use only, not enforcement).
• Adds AI-related questions to key federal surveys (e.g., Census's Annual Business Survey and BLS's Occupational Requirements Survey) to capture details on AI use, affected tasks, skill needs, and work outcomes.
• Amends the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act to require employers to disclose if AI is a major factor in mass layoffs (e.g., type of AI, estimated job loss percentage, retraining efforts), with DOL guidance on compliance (applies to notices after 1 year).

• Improving Job Forecasts (Title III):
• Mandates DOL to list at least 15 AI-sensitive occupations (updated every 2 years) and produce annual forecasts of job growth/decline over 2, 4, and 8 years, including uncertainty ranges (e.g., 20th-80th percentile) and benchmarks for evaluation; includes public archives and performance reviews (phases out after 5 years, evaluations last 10 years).
• Authorizes the National Science Foundation to run ongoing prize competitions for accurate short-term predictions on AI's labor effects (e.g., model performance, adoption rates), scored every 6 months, with annual summaries (ends after 5 years).

• Connecting Data to Training and Support (Title IV):
• Requires a DOL report on integrating new AI data/forecasts into grant decisions and performance for workforce programs (e.g., under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act).
• Funds a study on designing a "Rapid AI Adjustment Assistance Program" for AI-displaced workers, drawing from trade adjustment models, covering eligibility, benefits, costs, and barriers.
• Directs states and local boards to use AI forecasts when updating lists of high-demand jobs/sectors for training funding (for 5 years), with DOL providing guidance.
• Promotes standardized data collection on workforce elements (e.g., skills, earnings) and federal standards for AI-related data production/sharing.

The bill authorizes about $52.5 million total from fiscal years 2026-2030 for most activities, with some using existing funds. Many provisions sunset after 4-5 years to allow evaluation.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• WARN Act Amendment: Adds mandatory disclosures for AI-driven mass layoffs (over 50 jobs at a site), including AI specifics and retraining attempts; allows good-faith estimates to avoid penalties.
• Hiring Flexibility: Creates a new excepted service authority for DOL to bypass standard civil service rules for AI experts, with high pay caps (up to Vice Presidential level) but limits and reporting.
• Survey and Data Enhancements: Expands federal surveys (e.g., Current Population Survey) with AI-specific questions and pilots new job-flow tracking, building on tools like the Census's J2J Explorer.
• New Programs: Establishes temporary entities (e.g., Research Hub, prize competitions) and voluntary reporting, without creating permanent new agencies.

Potential Impacts

• Government Agencies: Boosts DOL, BLS, Census Bureau, NIST, and National Science Foundation's capacity for AI analysis through hiring, data sharing, and collaborations; may increase workload for surveys and forecasts but uses existing budgets where possible. States gain technical assistance for training grants.
• Citizens (Workers and Job Seekers): Provides better job forecasts and training data to help individuals plan careers, access retraining, and avoid AI-related displacements; potential future assistance program could offer faster support for affected workers, reducing unemployment risks.
• International Relations: Indirectly supports U.S. economic edge in AI by preparing the workforce, but focuses domestically with no direct foreign policy elements.

Main Stakeholders Affected

• Workers and Job Seekers: Directly benefit from improved forecasts, training alignment, and potential layoff disclosures/retraining.
• Employers and AI Companies: Must report AI's role in layoffs (if applicable) and can voluntarily share adoption data for public recognition; face incentives to upskill employees.
• Educators and Training Providers: Use new data to design programs for in-demand skills, influencing grant funding under laws like the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.
• Government Entities: DOL leads implementation; states/local boards update job lists; federal agencies (e.g., Commerce, NSF) collaborate on data/tools.
• Researchers and Experts: Gain secure access to detailed data for studies on AI's job effects.
• Labor Organizations: Involved in workshops and program design to represent workers.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Privacy and Data Protection: Emphasizes anonymization, statistical-only use, and Privacy Act compliance for shared data, reducing risks of misuse while enabling research; voluntary reporting avoids mandates on private entities.
• Federalism: Encourages state/local adoption of federal data without forcing changes, providing guidance to align with national standards.
• Temporary Nature: Sunsets promote evaluation and cost control, avoiding long-term commitments; annual reports to Congress ensure oversight.
• No Major Constitutional Issues: Aligns with Congress's commerce and spending powers; flexible hiring respects merit system principles with limits. Politically, it fosters bipartisan preparation for AI disruptions without regulating AI directly, focusing on workforce adaptation.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Sen. Banks, Jim [R-IN]

Cosponsors (4)

Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH], Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO], Sen. Husted, Jon [R-OH], Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS]

Recent Actions

• 2025-12-03: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
• 2025-12-03: Introduced in Senate

Bill Versions

• AI Workforce Projections, Research, and Evaluations to Promote AI Readiness and Employment Act — issued 2025-12-03 — PDF (59 pages)