119-hr5372

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5372 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 5372

To provide grants for the conduct of demonstration projects designed to 
provide education and training for eligible individuals with an arrest 
or conviction record to enter and follow a career pathway in the health 
professions through occupations that are expected to experience a labor 
shortage or be in high demand, under the health profession opportunity 
 grant program under 

section 2008 of the Social Security Act.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 September 16, 2025

Mr. Davis of Illinois introduced the following bill; which was referred 
 to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To provide grants for the conduct of demonstration projects designed to 
provide education and training for eligible individuals with an arrest 
or conviction record to enter and follow a career pathway in the health 
professions through occupations that are expected to experience a labor 
shortage or be in high demand, under the health profession opportunity 
 grant program under 

section 2008 of the Social Security Act.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Demonstrating that Empowerment Makes 
Opportunities Act'' or the ``DEMO Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS TO PROVIDE CAREER PATHWAYS IN 
 THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS FOR CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS WITH AN 
 ARREST OR CONVICTION RECORD.

 

Section 2008 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397g) is 
amended by redesignating subsection
            (d) as subsection

    (e) and inserting 
after subsection
            (c) the following:
 ``
            (d) Demonstration Projects To Provide Career Pathways in the 
Health Professions for Certain Individuals With an Arrest or Conviction 
Record.--
 ``

    (1) Grant authority.--The Secretary, in consultation with 
 the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Education, and the 
 Attorney General, shall award grants in accordance with this 
 subsection to eligible entities to conduct demonstration 
 projects for the purpose of providing education and training 
 for eligible individuals with arrest or conviction records to 
 enter and follow a career pathway in the health professions 
 through occupations that pay well and are expected to 
 experience a labor shortage or be in high demand.
 ``

    (2) Duration.--A demonstration project shall be conducted 
 under this subsection for not less than 3 years.
 ``

    (3) Application requirements.--An applicant seeking a 
 grant under this subsection for a demonstration project shall 
 submit to the Secretary an application for the grant, that 
 includes the following:
 ``
        (A) A demonstration that the State in which the 
 project is to be conducted has in effect policies or 
 laws that permit certain allied health and behavioral 
 health care credentials to be awarded to people with 
 certain arrest or conviction records (which policies or 
 laws shall include appeals processes and other 
 opportunities to demonstrate rehabilitation to obtain 
 credentials, licensure, and approval to work in the 
 proposed health careers), and a plan described in the 
 application which will use a career pathway to assist 
 participants with such a record in acquiring 
 credentials, licensing, and employment in the specified 
 careers.
 ``
        (B) A discussion of how the project or future 
 strategic hiring decisions will demonstrate the 
 experience and expertise of the project in working with 
 job seekers who have arrest or conviction records or 
 employers with experience working with people with 
 arrest or conviction records.
 ``
            (C) A demonstration that the applicant has 
 experience working with low-income populations, or a 
 description of the plan of the applicant to work with a 
 partner organization that has the experience.
 ``
            (D) An identification of promising innovations or 
 best practices that can be used to provide the 
 training.
 ``
        (E) A proof of concept or demonstration that the 
 applicant has done sufficient research on workforce 
 shortage or in-demand jobs for which people with 
 certain types of arrest or conviction records can be 
 hired.
 ``
        (F) A plan for recruiting students who are 
 eligible individuals into the project.
 ``
        (G) A plan for providing post-employment support 
 and ongoing training as part of a career pathway under 
 the project.
 ``

    (4) Preferences in considering applications.--In 
 considering applications for a grant under this subsection, the 
 Secretary shall give preference to--
 ``
        (A) applications submitted by applicants who have 
 completed a demonstration project funded under this 
 section, if an evaluation of the project, which was 
 funded by the Secretary, found the project to have 
 positive outcomes in the categories of--
 ``
            (i) graduation and credential attainment;
 ``
            (ii) job placement and retention; and
 ``
            (iii) evidence of addressing the worker 
 shortage or in-demand jobs described in the 
 original application for funding for the 
 completed demonstration project; and
 ``
        (B) applications which have an emergency cash 
 fund to assist project participants financially in 
 emergency situations.
 ``

    (5) Support to be provided.--
 ``
        (A) Required support.--A project for which a 
 grant is made under this subsection shall include 
 access to legal assistance for project participants for 
 the purpose of addressing arrest or conviction records 
 and associated workforce barriers.
 ``
        (B) Allowed support.--The goods and services 
 provided under a project for which a grant is made 
 under this subsection may include the following:
 ``
            (i) A reserve fund for financial 
 assistance to project participants in emergency 
 situations.
 ``
            (ii) Assistance with programs and 
 activities, including legal assistance, deemed 
 necessary to address arrest or conviction 
 records as an employment barrier.
 ``

    (6) Technical assistance.--The Secretary shall provide 
 technical assistance--
 ``
        (A) to assist eligible entities in applying for 
 grants under this subsection;
 ``
        (B) that is tailored to meet the needs of 
 grantees at each stage of the administration of 
 projects for which grants are made under this 
 subsection; and
 ``
            (C) that is tailored to meet the specific needs 
 of eligible entities in carrying out the projects.
 ``

    (7) Evaluations.--
 ``
        (A) In general.--The Secretary shall, by grant, 
 contract, or interagency agreement, conduct rigorous 
 and well-designed evaluations of the demonstration 
 projects for which a grant is made under this 
 subsection, which shall include identification of 
 successful activities for creating opportunities for 
 developing and sustaining, particularly with respect to 
 low-income individuals with arrest or conviction 
 records, a health professions workforce that has 
 accessible entry points, that meets high standards for 
 education, training, certification, and professional 
 development, and that provides increased wages and 
 affordable benefits, including health care coverage, 
 that are responsive to the needs of the workforce.
 ``
        (B) Rule of interpretation.--Evaluations 
 conducted pursuant to this paragraph may include a 
 randomized controlled trial, but this paragraph shall 
 not be interpreted to require an evaluation to include 
 such a trial.
 ``

    (8) === Definitions. ===
-In this subsection:
 ``
        (A) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' 
 means any of the following entities that demonstrates 
 in an application submitted under this subsection that 
 the entity has the capacity to fully develop and 
 administer the demonstration project described in the 
 application:
 ``
            (i) A local workforce development board 
 established under 

section 107 of the Workforce 
 Innovation and Opportunity Act.
 ``
            (ii) A State or territory, a political 
 subdivision of a State or territory, or an 
 agency of a State, territory, or such a 
 political subdivision.
 ``
            (iii) An Indian tribe, a tribal 
 organization, or a tribal college or 
 university.
 ``
            (iv) An institution of higher education 
 (as defined in the Higher Education Act of 
 1965).
 ``
            (v) A hospital (as defined in 

section 1861

    (e) ).
 ``
            (vi) A skilled nursing facility (as 
 defined in 

section 1819

    (h)

    (1)
        (A) ).
 ``
            (vii) A Federally qualified health center 
 (as defined in 

section 1861

    (aa)

    (4) ).
 ``
            (viii) A nonprofit organization described 
 in 

section 501
            (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue 
 Code of 1986, a labor organization, or an 
 entity with shared labor-management oversight, 
 that has a demonstrated history of providing 
 health profession training to eligible 
 individuals.
 ``
            (ix) An opioid treatment program (as 
 defined in 

section 1861
            (iii) (2) ).
 ``
        (B) Eligible individual.--The term `eligible 
 individual' means an individual whose income does not 
 exceed 138 percent of the Federal poverty level.
 ``

    (9) Appropriation.--Out of any funds in the Treasury of 
 the United States not otherwise appropriated, there are 
 appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this subsection 
 $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2026.''.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

 The amendment made by this Act shall take effect on October 1, 
2025.
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