Sponsor
Adam Smith
Representative · D-WA
Representative · D-WA
Official title: To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to establish a fund to provide support services for individuals participating in certain training activities under such Act.
Introduced October 21, 2025 by Adam Smith · Last progress October 21, 2025
The bill funds temporary supports (groceries, after-hours childcare) via competitive federal grants to help low-income WIOA participants complete training and improve employment chances, at the cost of higher federal spending and risks of unequal access and inconsistent implementation.
Low-income WIOA participants, students, and parents can receive groceries and after-hours childcare to help them complete job training, improving training completion rates and near-term job prospects.
Local workforce boards and consortia gain access to competitive grants (up to $2M/year) to fund supports and build targeted partnerships with TANF and SNAP agencies, strengthening local coordination of employment services.
Federal taxpayers face higher federal spending obligations to fund the new competitive grants.
A competitive grant structure may leave some local areas without awards, producing uneven access to groceries, childcare, and other supports for trainees in certain communities.
Grant-funded supports could be used inconsistently across grantees and risk misuse without strong oversight, reducing program reliability and effectiveness for participants.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a competitive grant fund under WIOA to pay supportive services (including groceries and after‑hours childcare) for people in WIOA Title I and II training, with awards capped at $2M/year.
Creates a new competitive Support Services Training Fund under WIOA to help people enrolled in workforce or adult education training pay for basic supports that help them complete programs and get jobs. The Department of Labor will award grants to local workforce boards, consortia, or State boards to provide services like groceries and after-hours childcare, with individual grants capped at $2 million per year and applicants required to describe partnerships with TANF, SNAP, and other providers. The grant program covers supportive services defined in WIOA (and allows other services identified by grantees), requires an application process set by the Secretary, and targets individuals enrolled in WIOA Title I training or Title II adult education programs.