Sponsor
Virginia Ann Foxx
Representative · R-NC
Representative · R-NC
Official title: To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to enhance the performance accountability system and dedicate funding to skills development.
Introduced March 26, 2026 by Virginia Ann Foxx · Last progress March 26, 2026
The bill shifts funding and accountability toward measurable training outcomes—improving transparency and direct training for workers—but does so by imposing reporting requirements, stricter sanctions, and mandatory training spending that reduce local flexibility and could limit supportive services and privacy protections.
Unemployed adults and dislocated workers will get more direct training because local areas must spend at least 50% of specified funds on eligible training services, increasing access to skill-building that can lead to employment.
Jobseekers and employers will benefit from standardized, comparable performance data across States and local areas, making it easier to compare program outcomes and make informed choices.
States and local governments will have clearer, more data-driven performance targets through an objective statistical adjustment model and clearer negotiation processes, improving transparency and accountability.
Local areas (and some participants) will face reduced flexibility because the 50% training spending requirement can force cuts to supportive services (transportation, childcare, job search help) and may overwhelm small programs with limited training capacity.
States and local areas will incur increased reporting and data-collection burdens (standardized performance metrics, quarterly wage records, program-level reporting), which could divert staff time and funding away from direct services.
Stronger sanctions for repeated underperformance (reductions in Governor reserves, reorganization requirements) may reduce local flexibility and available funding for services and could penalize areas facing structural challenges.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Revises WIOA performance indicators and State plan timing and requires local areas to spend at least 50% of specified adult/dislocated-worker funds on defined training services.
Makes targeted changes to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to adjust how performance is measured and negotiated and to require local workforce areas to dedicate at least half of certain adult/dislocated-worker funds to specific training services. It tightens timing for State plan performance-level actions and adds or revises performance indicators and follow-up windows to better track training, work experience, and placement outcomes. Also adds a new local-area spending requirement that directs local workforce boards to spend no less than 50% of specified adult/dislocated-worker funds on defined training activities such as OJT, employer-directed skills development, incumbent worker training, apprenticeship-related training, and certain work experiences.