text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Hurricane Katrina Employment and 
  Training Assistance Act''.
  
  SEC. 2. SPECIAL RULES FOR NATIONAL EMERGENCY GRANTS RELATED TO 
                HURRICANE KATRINA.
  
      (a) Use of Grants for Projects Outside Disaster Area.--Funds 
  provided to States that submit applications for assistance described in 
  section 173(a)(2) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 
  2918(a)(2)) to address the effects of Hurricane Katrina may be used to 
  provide disaster relief employment and other assistance under section 
  173(d)(1) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 2918(d)(1)) on projects that provide 
  assistance in areas outside of the disaster area (as such term is 
  defined in section 173(a)(2) of such Act).
      (b) Expanded Eligibility for Disaster Relief Employment.--Funds 
  provided to States that submit applications for assistance described in 
  section 173(a)(2) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to address 
  the effects of Hurricane Katrina may be used to provide disaster relief 
  employment and other assistance under section 173(d)(1) of such Act, or 
  public sector employment authorized under subsection (c) of this Act, 
  to individuals who were unemployed at the time of the emergency or 
  major disaster involved and to individuals who are without employment 
  history, in addition to individuals described in section 173(d)(2) of 
  the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2918(d)(2)).
      (c) Authorization for General Public Sector Employment.--Funds 
  provided to States that submit applications for assistance described in 
  section 173(a)(2) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to address 
  the effects of Hurricane Katrina may be used to provide to eligible 
  individuals temporary employment by public sector entities for a period 
  not to exceed 6 months in addition to disaster relief employment 
  described in section 173(d)(1) of such Act.
      (d) Extension of the Duration of Disaster Relief Employment.--The 
  Secretary of Labor may extend the 6-month maximum duration of 
  employment under this Act and under section 173(d) of the Workforce 
  Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2918(d)) for not more than an 
  additional 6 months due to extraordinary circumstances.
      (e) Priority for Disaster Relief Employment Funds.--In awarding 
  national emergency grants to States under section 173(a)(2) of the 
  Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2918(a)(2)) to address the 
  effects of Hurricane Katrina by providing disaster relief employment, 
  the Secretary of Labor shall--
              (1) first, give priority to States in which areas that have 
          suffered major disasters (as defined in section 102 of the 
          Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
          (42 U.S.C. 5122)) are located; and
              (2) second, give priority to the remaining States that have 
          been most heavily impacted by the demand for services by 
          workers affected by Hurricane Katrina.
      (f) Documentation.--In providing disaster relief employment under 
  section 173(a)(2) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 
  2918(a)(2)), an entity shall not deny such employment to a worker 
  affected by Hurricane Katrina because of the worker's inability, due to 
  the effects of Hurricane Katrina, to provide at the time of application 
  appropriate documentation of eligibility under section 173(d)(2) of 
  such Act (29 U.S.C. 2918(d)(2)).
      (g) Eligibility for Needs-Related Payments.--Funds provided to 
  States that submit applications for asisstance described in section 
  173(a)(2) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 
  2918(a)(2)) to address the effects of Hurricane Katrina may be used to 
  provide needs-related payments (described in section 134(e)(3) of such 
  Act (29 U.S.C. 2864(e)(3))) to individuals described in subsection (b) 
  who do not qualify for (or have ceased to qualify for) unemployment 
  compensation, and who are not employed on a project described under 
  section 173(d) of such Act, for the purpose of enabling such 
  individuals to participate in activities described in paragraphs (2), 
  (3), or (4) of section 134(d) of such Act.
      (h) Use of Available Funds.--With the approval of the Secretary of 
  Labor, any State may use funds that remain available for expenditure 
  under any grants awarded to the State under section 173 of the 
  Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2918) or under this 
  section, to provide any assistance authorized under such section 173 or 
  this section, or personal protective equipment not otherwise available 
  through public funds or private contributions, to assist workers 
  affected by Hurricane Katrina, including workers who have relocated 
  from areas for which an emergency or major disaster (as defined in 
  section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
  Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122)) was declared, due to the effects of 
  Hurricane Katrina.
      (i) Expanded Eligibility for Employment and Training Activities.--
              (1) In general.--In awarding national emergency grants 
          under section 173(a)(1) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 
          (29 U.S.C. 2918(a)(1)), the Secretary may award such a grant to 
          an entity to provide employment and training assistance 
          available under section 173(a)(1) of such Act to workers 
          affected by Hurricane Katrina, including workers who have 
          relocated from areas for which an emergency or major disaster 
          (as defined in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
          Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122)) was 
          declared, due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina.
              (2) Eligible entity.--In this subsection, the term 
          ``entity'' means a State, a local board (as defined in section 
          101 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801)), 
          or an entity described in section 166(c) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 
          2911(c)), that submits an application for assistance described 
          in section 173(a)(1) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to 
          address the effects of Hurricane Katrina.
  
  SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
  
      (a) Mobile One-Stop Centers.--It is the sense of Congress that 
  States that operate mobile one-stop centers, established as part of 
  one-stop delivery systems authorized under subtitle B of title I of the 
  Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2811 et seq.) should, where 
  possible, make such centers available for use in the areas affected by 
  Hurricane Katrina, and areas where large numbers of workers affected by 
  Hurricane Katrina have been relocated.
      (b) Expanded Operational Hours.--It is the sense of Congress that 
  one-stop operators (as such term is defined in section 101 of the 
  Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801) should increase 
  access for workers affected by Hurricane Katrina to the one-stop 
  delivery systems authorized under subtitle B of title I of such Act, 
  including through the implementation of expanded operational hours at 
  one-stop centers and on-site services for individuals in temporary 
  housing locations.
target: Hurricane Katrina Employment and Training Assistance Act - Allows national emergency grant funds to states under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) for addressing the effects of Hurricane Katrina (HK) to be used to provide disaster relief employment on projects that provide assistance in areas outside of the HK-disaster area.
  
  Allows such funds to be used to provide disaster relief employment and other WIA assistance, or temporary general public sector employment, to HK-affected individuals, including those who have relocated from states in the disaster area, who were unemployed at the time of the disaster, or who are without employment history, in addition those who meet WIA eligibility requirements. 
   
   Limits such general public sector employment to not more than six months in addition to such disaster relief employment. Authorizes the Secretary of Labor, however, to extend the duration of employment under this Act and WIA for up to an additional six months due to extraordinary circumstances. 
   
   Directs the Secretary, in awarding WIA national emergency grants for disaster relief employment, to give priority: (1) first, to states with major disaster areas; and (2) second, to the remaining states that have been most heavily impacted by the demand for services by HK-affected workers. 
   
   Prohibits an entity that is providing such disaster relief employment from denying such employment because of an HK-affected worker's inability, due to HK's effects, to provide documentation of eligibility. 
   
   Allows any state, with the Secretary's approval, to use available WIA national emergency grant funds to assist HK-affected workers, including those who have relocated from states in the HK-disaster area. 
   
   Authorizes the Secretary to award a WIA national emergency grant for employment and training assistance (ETA) for dislocated workers to an eligible entity to provide ETA to HK-affected workers, including workers who have relocated from HK-disaster areas. 
   
   (Sec. 3) Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) states operating one-stop centers should make them available for use in HK-affected areas and areas where large numbers of HK's victims have been relocated; and (2) one-stop operators should increase access for HK-affected individuals, including through expanded operational hours and on-site services for those in temporary housing locations.
feat_title: A bill to provide special rules for disaster relief employment under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 for individuals displaced by Hurricane Katrina.