# Plain Language Summary: Labor Market Response Act

This bill makes a straightforward change to how the government awards health profession opportunity grants. These grants help people—particularly those receiving government assistance—get training for jobs in healthcare fields like nursing, medical technician work, or other health-related careers. Right now, organizations can apply for these grants fairly freely. This bill adds one requirement: when they apply, they have to show evidence that there's actually a real need for workers in the health jobs they want to train people for.

Think of it this way: if a training program wants federal money to teach people to become nurses, they'd need to provide data showing that hospitals and clinics in their area are actually hiring nurses and have open positions. They can't just decide to train people for a health job that nobody's hiring for. The evidence could come from labor market data, job postings, employer surveys, or other information that demonstrates real worker shortages or strong job demand in that specific field.

The practical effect is that this bill tries to make sure training money goes toward jobs that actually exist and are hiring. This protects both the people getting trained—they won't spend time and effort learning a skill with no job prospects—and taxpayer dollars, which won't fund training programs that don't lead to employment. The change takes effect on October 1, 2023, so any new grant applications submitted after that date would need to include this evidence of job demand.

Labor Market Response Act

Rep. Boyle, Brendan F. [D-PA-2]

Labor Market Response Act This bill requires the inclusion of certain information about the labor market in applications for grants that provide low-income individuals with education and training for health care occupations.