Bill · S. 2987· Senate(119-S-2987)
American Workforce Act
- Introduced
- 10/8/2025
- Last activity
- 10/8/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Sponsored by
- Tom Cotton
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The American Workforce Act aims to create a workforce development program as an alternative to traditional college education. It establishes the American Workforce Division within the Department of Commerce to manage these programs. Through American workforce contracts, employers and trainees engage in structured on-the-job work and educational training. The government provides workforce education subsidies to employers and bonuses for hiring successful trainees. The program is designed to prepare individuals for full-time positions with specific wage requirements. This initiative includes strict oversight, reporting, and a sunset provision that ends the program after a set period.
Yes· 3 of 11
Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this?+7
The program targets individuals without bachelor's degrees, providing a path to specialized careers directly after high school.
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+6
The act provides paid training and paths to jobs with wages relative to local median household income.
Is this likely to create jobs?+6
The bill establishes a workforce development program that provides subsidies and hiring bonuses to encourage employer participation.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Access to Paid Training: The bill provides for "American workforce programs" that include a paid, full-time position for each participating trainee (Section 2(2)).
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Wage Protections: Trainees are guaranteed a wage that is not less than the federal minimum wage or a applicable State or local minimum wage (Section 4(c)(2)).
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Career Advancement: The program focuses on preparing individuals for positions that require "specialized knowledge and experience" and involve "complex tasks" (Section 4(e)(3)).
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Hiring Incentives: Employers receive a $1,000 bonus when they hire a trainee as a full-time, regular employee upon completion of a workforce project (Section 4(d)(1)).
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Educational Support: The act provides workforce education subsidies to help cover the costs of educational workforce training (Section 4(a)).
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Standardized Agreements: The Director is required to publish a standardized template for American workforce contracts to help guide prospective trainees and employers (Section 3(c)(2)(B)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Strict Eligibility Requirements: To be considered a trainee, an individual must be a United States citizen, have a high school diploma or equivalent, and must not have earned a bachelor's or higher degree (Section 2(8)(A)).
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Wage Caps Relative to Local Income: While there are wage protections, the law specifies that the training position must lead to a job with an annual salary of not less than 80 percent of the local annual median household income (Section 4(e)(1)).
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Training Duration Limits: The workforce education subsidy is limited to a maximum period of 3 years (Section 4(c)(14)).
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Restrictions on Subsidy Use: Workforce education subsidies cannot be used for diversity, equity, and inclusion training or culturally responsive training (Section 4(c)(8)(A)).
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Potential for Program Termination: The entire program and the position of the Director are subject to a sunset provision, meaning the program could cease to exist after 11 years or upon the submission of a 10-year report (Section 6(c)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Young Adults+7Good For Low Income Households+6Good For Business Owners+5Good For Union Workers+3
- Economy And Finance
- Increases Job Creation+6Improves Economic Growth+5Improves Small Business Support+4Increases Minimum Wage+2
- Education And Technology
- Improves College Affordability+6
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Poverty Reduction+5
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+4
- 10/8/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.