# 119-hr-8210: A Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2026 119-hr-8210, A Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Walberg, Tim [R-MI-5] (R-MI); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8210 - As of: 2026-09-21 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-hr-8210 - Congress: 119 - Title: A Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2026 - Status: in_committee - Introduced: 2026-04-06 - Sponsor: Rep. Walberg, Tim [R-MI-5] (R-MI) - Cosponsors: 1 - Policy area: Labor and Employment - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-09-21 ## Summary **This bill would rename and reauthorize WIOA as the A Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2026 and would modernize and expand the national workforce system.** It shifts Title II Adult Education into the Department of Labor, creates new competitive funds and pilots, tightens performance and data rules, and reforms Job Corps into residential 'Campuses'. - Workers and jobseekers: Expands training choices, emphasizes foundational, digital and AI literacy, and requires at least 50% of local adult/dislocated funds be used for training services. It also adds employer‑directed contracts, incumbent worker upskilling accounts, and pay‑for‑performance options. - Youth, community colleges, and training providers: Boosts youth apprenticeship, pre‑apprenticeship, and YouthBuild supports, and funds Job Corps campuses. Annual authorizations include about $1.8 billion for Job Corps and $105 million for YouthBuild. - States, regions, and agencies: Strengthens state plans, regional consortium options, public provider/talent marketplaces, machine‑readable reporting, and a Workforce Data Quality Initiative using 5–10% of certain funds. Title II moves to Labor one year after enactment. *Includes explicit annual authorizations across programs, for example about $1.8 billion for Job Corps, $1.3 billion for Dislocated Worker activities, and $729.2 million for Adult Education through FY2027–2032.* ## Cosponsors (1) - Rep. James, John [R-MI-10] (R-MI), 2026-06-08T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Annual program funding authorizations: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would authorize multi‑year appropriations for key workforce programs for FY2027–FY2032. Examples include Job Corps at about $1.76 billion per year, Youth programs $948 million/year, Adult programs $876 million/year, Dislocated Worker programs $1.33 billion/year, Strengthening C… - Adult education moved to Labor: benefit, high. If enacted, Title II adult education would move from Education to the Department of Labor one year after enactment and be authorized at $729.2 million per year for FY2027–FY2032. Programs would add digital and AI literacy, postsecondary preparation, and workforce-aligned instruction. Eligible agenc… - Native, migrant, and SUD workforce help: benefit, medium. If enacted, Native American program grants would be limited to 15% admin costs, allowed to transfer unobligated funds, and must report performance publicly. Migrant and seasonal farmworker grants would also have a 10% admin cap, require wage‑record evaluations, add digital literacy training, and pu… - New reentry employment grants: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would create a Reentry Employment Opportunities Program and authorize $110 million per year for FY2027–FY2032. Grants would fund projects for justice‑involved adults and youth, require at least 20% for national/regional intermediaries and at least 20% for youth projects, and in… - Stronger one-stop centers and boards: benefit, medium. If enacted, one-stop centers must coordinate with Employment Service offices so adults can get job listings, labor market info, help filing unemployment, and referrals for supports like child care or Medicaid. Local workforce boards would add new members and standing committees for youth, labor, ed… - YouthBuild funding and timing: benefit, medium. If enacted, YouthBuild would be authorized at $105 million per year for FY2027–FY2032. The program could provide meals tied to YouthBuild activities and refer participants to means‑tested programs. The Secretary must reserve at least 5% for tribes and 10% for rural applicants and is asked to announ… - Better data, reporting, and evaluations: benefit, medium. If enacted, Labor must create standard templates and common data elements within 24 months so States and local areas report comparable performance data. The bill expands use of quarterly wage records and the National Directory of New Hires for reporting and YouthBuild evaluation. It funds $6 millio… - Phased start dates and rule deadlines: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Act would largely take effect on the first day of the first full program year after enactment, with many program changes phasing in on the first day of the second full program year. The Secretary could act immediately to plan an orderly transition. Proposed regulations would be due… - More Job Corps experiment support: benefit, low. The bill would raise the Job Corps set-aside for experimental projects and technical assistance from 0.25 percent to 1.25 percent. It would add allowed uses like help developing behavior management plans and assistance meeting campus and student safety rules. This would increase the portion of Job… - Worker protections and disability help: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would create a Center to help employers and State agencies move people with disabilities into competitive integrated employment. The bill would also require recipients of certain workforce funds to assure they follow specified labor protections before getting funds. - Governor cap on provider bonuses: benefit, low. The bill would require Governors to set up performance incentive payments to eligible providers from funds they reserve. The total pool for those provider bonuses could not be more than 5 percent of the Governor-reserved workforce funds. Providers could get awards for exceeding performance targets… - More training money and ITA rules: mixed, high. If enacted, local workforce areas would have to use at least 50% of certain funds for training services. A new Job Training Grants pool would return 12% of funds to the Treasury each year and set aside $65 million for community college programs. Individual training accounts (ITAs) would generally h… - Job Corps campuses: rules and access: mixed, medium. If enacted, Job Corps 'centers' would be renamed 'campuses' and colleges could partner with campuses. The bill would raise the age limit to 24 and allow some service members eligible for preseparation counseling to enroll. Campuses would face stronger performance reviews, safety and behavior plan r… - One‑stop access, virtual tools, and referrals: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would define and support talent marketplaces, learning and employment records, and credential registries to help match people to jobs. One‑stop centers could be virtual and must refer people who lack skills to adult education and may provisionally enroll youth for up to 40 days… - Tighter provider rules and data: mixed, medium. If enacted, States would set minimum performance levels and publish standardized provider performance reports that include credential rates, job placement, and a median earnings gain metric. States would verify provider outcomes using administrative data and could limit payments to out-of-state onl… - Employer training and provider rules: mixed, medium. The bill would let local workforce funds pay for employer-facing services like recruitment, sector strategies, apprenticeships, layoff-aversion help, and referrals. It would expand which training providers can get money to include community colleges, institutions that award postsecondary credential… - New industry grants and employer shares: mixed, medium. If enacted, Governors could reserve up to 10% of certain State allotments to create a Critical Industry Skills Fund and a Sector Partnership fund, subject to matching. The bill would create competitive grants for industry partnerships with employer commitments to hire completers for at least one ye… - Five‑Year consolidated pilot grants: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would create a 5‑year "Make America Skilled Again" pilot letting States or local consortia combine multiple workforce grants into one consolidated grant. Pilots must reserve at least 25% for evidence‑based workforce activities and follow performance reporting. The Secretary cou… - Move Adult Education to Labor: mixed, medium. If enacted, Title II adult education functions would transfer from the Department of Education to the Department of Labor one year after enactment. Labor would issue guidance and approve pilot applications and must contract for third‑party evaluations on transition activities. OMB could move staff… - State and local redesignation rules: mixed, medium. If enacted, States must review and either revise or keep planning regions before the second full program year. Governors must keep existing local boundaries through the third full program year unless exceptions apply. The bill permits single‑State local area designations for small States, lets Stat… - State performance, allotments, and penalties: mixed, medium. If enacted, the Secretary must publish the statistical model used to set State performance expectations and let States submit counterproposals. States that miss performance targets could face reductions in amounts Governors can reserve (5% or 8%), with total cuts capped at 10% in a program year. Th… - Youth program and supportive service changes: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would raise two numeric limits in youth program rules from 5 to 10, expanding some program ceilings. It would also change youth eligibility language to focus on those who "have foundational skill needs" and adjust age and attendance rules for out‑of‑school youth. At the same ti… - Technical program and remedy changes: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would broaden wording for allowable uses of certain job training grant funds and require a specified remedy to last at least two years. These are technical statutory changes that may expand allowable activities but also lengthen compliance periods. ## Related bills - 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025 - 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025 - 119-hr-833: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025 - 119-hr-6766: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025 - 119-hr-740: Veterans’ ACCESS Act of 2025 - 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act ## Sources - [119-hr-8210 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8210) ## Related - [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669) - [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151) - [119-hr-833: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-833) - [119-hr-6766: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6766) - [119-hr-740: Veterans’ ACCESS Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-740) - [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8210 (as of 2026-09-21).