One Door to Work Act

Summary

Creates a new 5-year demonstration option that lets a State (on behalf of the whole State), a local workforce area, or a consortium of local areas combine their WIOA youth, adult, and dislocated worker formula funds into a single grant to test alternative service models. Approved demonstrations can receive waivers of many statutory and regulatory WIOA requirements, must meet performance and reporting safeguards, are limited in number and duration, must be independently evaluated, and face sanction and renewal rules tied to performance.

• Creates a voluntary 5-year demonstration allowing consolidation of WIOA youth, adult, and dislocated worker funds into one grant.
• Allows many statutory and regulatory waivers for approved demonstrations, but retains performance, reporting, certain board, and priority-of-service safeguards.
• Limits approvals: no more than 8 statewide and 8 local/consortium demos per 5-year period and no more than one demo per State.
• Requires a third-party evaluation to cover each 5-year demonstration and a final report to congressional committees within two years after the demo ends.
• Demonstrations may be renewed for an additional 5 years only if performance thresholds are met (including a 5% average improvement test).
• Sanctions based on negotiated demonstration performance levels apply beginning year three; sanctioned demos cannot renew.
• Applicants must cap administrative costs at 10%, prioritize veterans/public-assistance/low-income/basic-skills-deficient individuals, and serve at least pre-demo participant levels.
• Secretary must act on applications within 60 days or the application is deemed approved unless subject to limits.
• Local demonstration areas are excluded from Statewide accountability calculations for the years they participate, requiring adjusted performance negotiations for remaining areas.