29 U.S. Code § 3101 - Purposes

The purposes of this Act are the following:

(1) To increase, for individuals in the United States, particularly those individuals with barriers to employment, access to and opportunities for the employment, education, training, and support services they need to succeed in the labor market.

(2) To support the alignment of workforce investment, education, and economic development systems in support of a comprehensive, accessible, and high-quality workforce development system in the United States.

(3) To improve the quality and labor market relevance of workforce investment, education, and economic development efforts to provide America’s workers with the skills and credentials necessary to secure and advance in employment with family-sustaining wages and to provide America’s employers with the skilled workers the employers need to succeed in a global economy.

(4) To promote improvement in the structure of and delivery of services through the United States workforce development system to better address the employment and skill needs of workers, jobseekers, and employers.

(5) To increase the prosperity of workers and employers in the United States, the economic growth of communities, regions, and States, and the global competitiveness of the United States.

(6) For purposes of parts A and B of subchapter I, to provide workforce investment activities, through statewide and local workforce development systems, that increase the employment, retention, and earnings of participants, and increase attainment of recognized postsecondary credentials by participants, and as a result, improve the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare dependency, increase economic self-sufficiency, meet the skill requirements of employers, and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the Nation.

(Pub. L. 113–128, § 2, July 22, 2014, 128 Stat. 1428.)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This Act, referred to in text, is Pub. L. 113–128, July 22, 2014, 128 Stat. 1425, known as the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which enacted this chapter, repealed chapter 30 (§ 2801 et seq.) of this title and chapter 73 (§ 9201 et seq.) of Title 20, Education, and made amendments to numerous other sections and notes in the Code. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out below and Tables.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Pub. L. 113–128, title V, § 506, July 22, 2014, 128 Stat. 1703, provided that:

“(a) In General.—

Except as otherwise provided in this Act, this Act [see Tables for classification], including the amendments made by this Act, shall take effect on the first day of the first full program year after the date of enactment of this Act [July 22, 2014].

“(b) Application Date for Workforce Development Performance Accountability System.—

“(1) In general.—

Section 136 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2871), as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this Act, shall apply in lieu of section 116 of this Act [29 U.S.C. 3141], for the first full program year after the date of enactment of this Act.

“(2) Special provisions.—

For purposes of the application described in paragraph (1)—

“(A) except as otherwise specified, a reference in section 136 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to a provision in such Act (29 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.), other than to a provision in such section or section 112 of such Act [29 U.S.C. 2822], shall be deemed to refer to the corresponding provision of this Act;

“(B) the terms ‘local area’, ‘local board’, ‘one-stop partner’, and ‘State board’ have the meanings given the terms in section 3 of this Act [29 U.S.C. 3102];

“(C) except as provided in subparagraph (B), terms used in such section 136 shall have the meanings given the terms in section 101 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801);

“(D) any agreement negotiated and reached under section 136(c)(2) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2871(c)(2)) shall remain in effect, until a new agreement is so negotiated and reached, for that first full program year;

“(E) if a State or local area fails to meet levels of performance under subsection (g) or (h), respectively, of section 136 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 [29 U.S.C. 2871(g), (h)] during that first full program year, the sanctions provided under such subsection shall apply during the second full program year [probably means beginning July 1, 2016] after the date of enactment of this Act; and

“(F) the Secretary shall use an amount retained, as a result of a reduction in an allotment to a State made under section 136(g)(1)(B) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 2871(g)(1)(B)), to provide technical assistance as described in subsections (f)(1) and (g)(1) of section 116 of this Act [29 U.S.C. 3141(f)(1), (g)(1)], in lieu of incentive grants under section 503 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (20 U.S.C. 9273) as provided in section 136(g)(2) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 2871(g)(2)).

“(c) Application Date for State and Local Plan Provisions.—

“(1) Implementation.—

Sections 112 and 118 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2822, 2833), as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this Act, shall apply to implementation of State and local plans, in lieu of sections 102 and 103, and section 108, respectively, of this Act [29 U.S.C. 3112, 3113, 3123], for the first full program year after the date of enactment of this Act.

“(2) Special provisions.—

For purposes of the application described in paragraph (1)—

“(A) except as otherwise specified, a reference in section 112 or 118 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to a provision in such Act (29 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.), other than to a provision in or to either such section or to section 136 of such Act, shall be deemed to refer to the corresponding provision of this Act;

“(B) the terms ‘local area’, ‘local board’, ‘one-stop partner’, and ‘State board’ have the meanings given the terms in section 3 of this Act;

“(C) except as provided in subparagraph (B), terms used in such section 112 or 118 shall have the meanings given the terms in section 101 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801); and

“(D) section 112(b)(18)(D) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2822(b)(18)(D)) shall not apply.

“(3) Submission.—

Sections 102, 103, and 108 of this Act shall apply to plans for the second full program year after the date of enactment, including the development, submission, and approval of such plans during the first full program year after such date.

“(d) Disability Provisions.—

Except as otherwise provided in title IV of this Act, title IV [see Tables for classification], and the amendments made by title IV, shall take effect on the date of enactment of this Act.”

[The first full program year after the date of enactment of Pub. L. 113–128, referred to in section 506 of Pub. L. 113–128, set out above, begins on July 1, 2015, based on section 189(g)(1)(A) of Pub. L. 113–128, which is classified to section 3249(g)(1)(A) of this title.]

Short Title of 2015 Amendment

Pub. L. 114–18, § 1, May 22, 2015, 129 Stat. 213, provided that:

“This Act [amending sections 780, 3112, 3121, 3122, 3141, 3164, 3172, and 3174 of this title and enacting provisions set out as notes under sections 780 and 3112 of this title] may be cited as the ‘WIOA Technical Amendments Act’.”

Short Title

Pub. L. 113–128, § 1(a), July 22, 2014, 128 Stat. 1425, provided that:

“This Act [see Tables for classification] may be cited as the ‘Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act’.”

Pub. L. 113–128, title II, § 201, July 22, 2014, 128 Stat. 1608, provided that:

“This title [enacting subchapter II of this chapter] may be cited as the ‘Adult Education and Family Literacy Act’.”

Declaration of Policy

Pub. L. 102–367, title I, § 101(a), Sept. 7, 1992, 106 Stat. 1022, provided that:

“In recognition of the training needs of low-income adults and youth, the Congress declares it to be the policy of the United States to—

“(1) provide financial assistance to States and local service delivery areas to meet the training needs of such low-income adults and youth, and to assist such individuals in obtaining unsubsidized employment;

“(2) increase the funds available for programs under title II of the Job Training Partnership Act ([former] 29 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) by not less than 10 percent of the baseline each fiscal year to provide for growth in the percentage of eligible adults and youth served above the 5 percent of the eligible population that is currently served; and

“(3) encourage the provision of longer, more comprehensive, education, training, and employment services to the eligible population, which also requires increased funding in order to maintain current service levels.”

Executive Documents

Executive Order No. 13845

Ex. Ord. No. 13845, July 19, 2018, 83 F.R. 35099, as amended by Ex. Ord. No. 13853, § 5, Dec. 12, 2018, 83 F.R. 65073; Ex. Ord. No. 13931, § 1, June 26, 2020, 85 F.R. 39455, which established the President’s National Council for the American Worker and the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board, was revoked by Ex. Ord. No. 14025, § 4(a), Apr. 26, 2021, 86 F.R. 22831, set out in a note under section 141 of this title.

[Ex. Ord. No. 13931, June 26, 2020, 85 F.R. 39455, which continued the President’s National Council for the American Worker and the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board until Sept. 30, 2021, was revoked by Ex. Ord. No. 14025, § 4(a), Apr. 26, 2021, 86 F.R. 22831.]