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S 4382

Workforce Data Enhancement Act

119th Congress Introduced by John Hickenlooper and 1 co-sponsor

The bill creates a grant program to build and align statewide longitudinal data systems that integrate education, workforce, and labor market data for better decision-making and pl

Introduced in Senate
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Bill Summary · S 4382

Summary of S.4382 – Workforce Data Enhancement Act (119th Congress)

Proposed by Senators Hickenlooper and Marshall, with co-sponsorship from John Hickenlooper and Roger Marshall, this bill seeks to amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to create a dedicated grant program for a statewide workforce data quality initiative. The central aim is to improve the quality, interoperability, and usability of workforce and education data to support evidence-based decision making, performance reporting, and workforce planning.

1) Purpose and Intent

  • Establish a grant program to support a statewide longitudinal data system (SLDS) that integrates education data, workforce development data, labor market outcomes, and other relevant data sources.
  • Promote better program quality, state capacity for evidence-based decision making, enhanced performance reporting, privacy and data security, transparency, and standardized workforce data.
  • Help identify and address skill needs by improving access to timely, integrated data on earnings and employment, including for workers who work across state lines or in emerging skill areas.

2) Key Provisions and Changes

  • Section added: New subsection (d) to Section 169 of WIOA, creating the “Workforce Data Quality Initiative.”

  • Grant Program ( subsection (d)(1) ):

    • The Secretary must allocate at least 5% and up to 10% of the total amount made available under Section 132(a)(2)(A) for each program year to competitively award grants.
    • Grants are for eligible entities to design, develop, implement, improve, or align a statewide longitudinal data system (SLDS) that integrates data from education and workforce development, labor market outcomes, and other sources.
    • Purposes include strengthening program quality, enhancing decision-making evidence, meeting performance reporting requirements, protecting privacy and data security, improving transparency, standardizing data, and helping identify/address skill needs for workers and employers.

  • Eligible Entities ( subsection (d)(2) ):

    • State agencies or consortia of state agencies, including multistate data collaboratives, that include the state agency responsible for:
    • State employer wage records used for unemployment insurance, labor market reporting/analysis, and meeting WIOA reporting requirements;
    • Production of labor market information; and
    • Direct administration of a core program.

  • Application Requirements ( subsection (d)(3) ):

    • Applicants must describe proposed activities, need, and a detailed budget.
    • Outline expected outcomes and outputs, and how activities will:
    • Support performance data reporting (including outcomes for eligible training providers),
    • Improve data standardization,
    • Leverage public-private partnerships,
    • Improve collection/usability of real-time, economy-wide data on new/emerging skills and in-demand roles.
    • Include privacy and security measures compliant with federal/state laws.
    • Present a sustainability plan for continued use of outputs after grant funds end.

  • Priority Considerations ( subsection (d)(4) ):

    • Preference for:
    • Multistate consortia that include at least one state agency new to grants under this subsection and demonstrate strong need/incentive to improve cross-state data infrastructure; or
    • Proposals to establish/participate in cross-state data exchanges with standards-based jobs/skills data (e.g., occupation codes).
    • Also, priority to entities that will:
    • Expand adoption of interoperable data on skills/credentials (e.g., credential registries),
    • Strengthen private sector data partnerships,
    • Improve real-time data collection and reporting for workforce planning and AI/ML-enabled insights,
    • Use non-Federal contributions to bolster data infrastructure (staffing, admin costs),
    • Expand SLDS capabilities in line with the Educational Technology Act or similar statewide systems.

  • Use of Funds ( subsection (d)(5) ):

    • Grants may support:
    • Data linkages across education/workforce systems, labor market outcomes, etc. (including integration with SLDS),
    • Replication/adoption of data standards and practices in other states,
    • Research and data improvement activities (timeliness, relevance, accessibility),
    • End-user tools for career exploration,
    • Establishing/interconnecting with interoperable learning and employment records (ownership of credentials, shareable with employers/educators),
    • Policies and guidelines for data collection/sharing/storage/destruction and privacy protection,
    • Increasing local board access to the SLDS,
    • Building state/local staff capacity to analyze data for better decision making and workforce adaptation to changes (including AI/ML considerations).

  • Administration and Reporting ( subsection (d)(6) ):

    • Grant duration: up to 3 years.
    • Supplements, not supplanting, existing funds for state data system development.
    • Recipients must report to the Secretary within 180 days after grant conclusion, detailing activities and improvements in workforce/labor market information use.

  • Definition Alignment ( subsection (d)(7) ):

    • The term “statewide longitudinal data systems” retains its meaning as used in the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002.

3) Who/What Is Affected

  • Affected Entities:
    • State agencies or consortia (including multistate collaboratives) responsible for wage data, labor market information, and core program administration.
  • Beneficiaries:
    • States and local workforce system participants (workers, job seekers, students, employers) who gain access to more timely, standardized, and interoperable workforce data.
  • Data Ecosystem:
    • Education data, workforce development data, employer/earnings data, and other sources integrated into SLDS for better decision making.

4) Procedural/Timeline Aspects

  • Funding Source:
    • Seeks to draw from Section 132(a)(2)(A) of WIOA.
  • Implementation Timeline:
    • Grants awarded for up to 3 years; ongoing use and potential expansion in subsequent years depending on funding and outcomes.
  • Reporting:
    • Mandatory project completion report within 180 days after grant end, detailing activities and improvements in data use.

Overall, the bill would institutionalize a federal grant program to bolster state-level data infrastructure, enabling integrated, privacy-conscious, and standardized workforce and education data to inform policy, improve program outcomes, and better match worker skills with labor market needs.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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