# 119-hr-5779: American Workforce Act

119-hr-5779, American Workforce Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Miller, Max L. [R-OH-7] (R-OH); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5779
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-5779
- Congress: 119
- Title: American Workforce Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-10-17
- Sponsor: Rep. Miller, Max L. [R-OH-7] (R-OH)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Labor and Employment
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Employer-based paid workforce training** through a new American Workforce Division pays employers to run full-time on-the-job training for people without bachelor’s degrees, sets wage floors, caps subsidies, and demands public disclosures and reporting. - Workers and households: Eligible trainees must be U.S. citizens with a high school diploma or equivalent and no bachelor’s degree. Trainees work full time, earn at least the higher of the federal or state minimum wage, and qualifying positions must pay at least 80% of the county median household income. Completing a project can lead to a $1,000 hiring bonus for the employer and possible permanent hire. - Employers: Employers can receive a workforce education subsidy up to $1,500 per month and up to $9,000 per trainee, plus a $1,000 hiring bonus paid after hire. Employers must use E‑Verify, keep current employees’ wages steady during training, and guarantee a wage increase on completion equal to at least 25% of the subsidy value. - Training partners and transparency: Employers may partner with community colleges, nonprofits, unions, credentialing bodies, and others. The Division must publish a standard contract template, maintain a public website, collect annual metrics, and provide 5 and 10 year reports to Congress.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Complaint rights and employer penalties: benefit, medium. Trainees could file complaints if an employer breaks program rules. The Director would start an investigation within one month and make a preliminary finding within 90 days of starting. Penalties could include warnings, fines up to the subsidies the employer received in the past two years, and susp…
- Wage floor for trainees and raises: benefit, medium. This bill would set a pay floor for jobs tied to training. Employers would have to train you for a job that pays at least 80% of the county median household income, converted to an hourly rate using 2,080 hours. If the county is outside a metro area, they would use the nearest metro’s median income…
- Training subsidies and $1,000 hire bonus: benefit, medium. This bill would let the program pay employers for training costs after a contract is approved, but not for wages. Employers would have to pay at least the higher of the federal or local minimum wage and follow safety and nondiscrimination laws. Funds could not be used for diversity, equity, and inc…
- New workforce office and contract rules: benefit, low. This bill would create an American Workforce Division at the Commerce Department, led by a Senate‑confirmed Director, subject to funding. The Director would post a short contract template and review each proposed contract within one month; if not disapproved, it would be treated as approved on day…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3816: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-5089: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act
- 119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2570: Maximum Pressure Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-5779 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5779)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-3816: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3816)
- [119-hr-5089: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5089)
- [119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-137)
- [119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2725)
- [119-hr-2570: Maximum Pressure Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2570)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5779 (as of 2026-04-21).