CREATES Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8304 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8304

  To require the Secretary of Labor to establish a grant program for
 States to improve or establish a credential repository, and for other
                               purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 15, 2026

Mrs. McBath (for herself and Mr. Owens) introduced the following bill;
     which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To require the Secretary of Labor to establish a grant program for
 States to improve or establish a credential repository, and for other
                               purposes.

    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 ``Credential Repository and
Transparency in States Act'' or the ``CREATES Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to provide assistance to States for the
collection, development, analysis, and sharing of information on--
            (1) all of the credentials offered in each State;
            (2) the quality of such credentials, including their use by
        employers for making employment-related decisions;
            (3) education and career pathways that lead to such
        credentials and occupations in a State; and
            (4) the sharing of such information with individuals in
        each State, enabling them to make informed education and career
        choices.

SEC. 3. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

    (a) Authorization and Limitations.--
            (1) In general.--From amounts made available under section
        4, the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of
        Education, shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to
        States to establish, expand, or improve a State credential
        repository that contains information on each covered program,
        credential, and training provider in the State.
            (2) Duration.--A grant awarded under this Act shall be
        awarded for a period of 3 years.
            (3) Amount.--In awarding a grant under this Act, the
        Secretary--
                    (A) may not award a grant in excess of $10,000,000;
                and
                    (B) in deciding the amount of a grant, shall take
                into consideration--
                            (i) the number of credentials offered in
                        the State; and
                            (ii) the number of training providers in
                        the State.
            (4) Timing.--Not later than 90 days after the Secretary
        receives an application submitted under subsection (b), the
        Secretary shall make a determination as to whether the State
        that submitted such application will receive a grant under this
        Act.
            (5) Limit.--The Secretary may only award one grant to a
        State.
    (b) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant, a State shall
submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner,
and containing such information as the Secretary shall require,
including--
            (1) information on how the State will establish, expand, or
        improve a credential repository that satisfies requirements
        under subsection (d);
            (2) information on the data policy a State will establish
        under subsection (c)(1)(B);
            (3) a description of any products, tools, services, or
        resources that a State develops pursuant to subsection
        (c)(1)(E);
            (4) an assurance that the credential repository will be
        interoperable with other State credential repositories; and
            (5) an assurance that the State will establish and maintain
        the credential repository in accordance with the requirements
        under subsection (d).
    (c) Uses of Funds.--
            (1) Mandatory use.--A State awarded a grant under this Act
        shall--
                    (A) establish a credential repository, as described
                in subsection (d), through a process that includes
                input from the public;
                    (B) establish a data policy for such repository
                that addresses how the State will ensure that the
                repository meets the requirements described in
                subsection (d);
                    (C) assist training providers in the State in the
                collection of information on the primary indicators of
                performance described in section 116(b)(2)(A) of the
                Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C.
                3141(b)(2)(A)) for each covered program;
                    (D) provide guidance to education, job, and career
                counselors in the State on how to use the credential
                repository; and
                    (E) develop or facilitate access to products,
                tools, services, and other resources, using the
                information and linked, open, and interoperable data
                contained in the credential repository, that benefit
                workers, employers, educators, counselors,
                policymakers, and others.
            (2) Authorized use.--If a State carries out all of the
        activities under paragraph (1), the State may use any excess
        grant funds to publicize the repository of the State to
        individuals in the State.
    (d) Credential Repository.--A State that receives a grant under
this Act shall establish a publicly accessible credential repository
that--
            (1) identifies--
                    (A) each credential offered in the State; and
                    (B) each training provider in the State;
            (2) includes information on--
                    (A) with respect to each training provider in the
                State--
                            (i) process and outcome quality indicators
                        of such training provider for each covered
                        program offered by such training provider; and
                            (ii) each credential for which such
                        training provider offers a covered program;
                    (B) with respect to each covered program offered in
                the State--
                            (i) the competencies and skills an
                        individual develops by completing such covered
                        program; and
                            (ii) the cost of enrollment for an
                        individual to enroll in such program; and
                    (C) with respect to each credential offered in the
                State--
                            (i) the training providers that offer such
                        credential;
                            (ii) any assessment that an individual is
                        required to take to earn such credential;
                            (iii) the cost to an individual of each
                        such assessment;
                            (iv) any postsecondary credit or equivalent
                        transfer value recommendations of such
                        credential, such as the recommendations
                        provided by the American Council on Education's
                        National Guide, guidance from a statewide
                        education coordinating entity, or
                        recommendations or guidance from a comparably
                        similar entity, as available and appropriate;
                            (v) the career pathway or program of study
                        that such credential is a part, as applicable;
                            (vi) the outcomes associated with such
                        credential, including--
                                    (I) the earning and employment
                                status of individuals after earning
                                such credential;
                                    (II) the completion and pass rates
                                of individuals in each career pathway
                                or program of study for which the
                                individual earned such credential; and
                                    (III) other calculations, including
                                the return on investment, as determined
                                by the State, for an individual after
                                earning such credential;
                            (vii) the job skills an individual develops
                        in earning such credential; and
                            (viii) the industries and occupations for
                        which such credential prepares an individual;
            (3) aligns with, complements, and enhances eligibility
        lists or criteria for training providers, such as the
        eligibility criteria established under section 122(a) of the
        Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3152(b)),
        or a program or pathway approval process required by the Carl
        D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (U.S.C.)
        or chapter 33 of title 38, United States Code (otherwise known
        as the Post 9/11 Education Assistance Program);
            (4) is updated on a continuous basis to ensure the accuracy
        and recency of the information and data in the repository;
            (5) uses data formats that--
                    (A) are transparent, linked, open, and
                interoperable with other State credential repositories;
                    (B) are aligned with widely recognized and adopted
                standards, which may include the use of credential
                transparency description language specifications; and
                    (C) allow for open access to the data in the
                repository across State and national borders and
                industry sectors for guidance counseling, career
                navigation, and other comparably similar activities;
            (6) has functions to search, discover, compare, and analyze
        each credential, covered program, and training provider in the
        State; and
            (7) includes any other information as determined by the
        Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Education.
    (e) Privacy Protections.--In carrying out the activities under this
Act, a State shall not collect or include in the repository any
personally identifiable information.
    (f) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
        enactment of this Act, and on an annual basis thereafter, a
        State that receives a grant under this Act shall submit to the
        Secretary a report at such time, in such manner, and containing
        such information as the Secretary may require, including
        information on the improvement or development and
        implementation of the credential repository in such State.
            (2) Reduced burden.--The Secretary, in coordination with
        the Secretary of Education, and in consultation with the States
        receiving a grant under this Act, shall implement processes to
        reduce the burden of reporting information required to be
        reported under this Act.
    (g) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Covered program.--The term ``covered program'' means a
        program that is offered to individuals to earn a credential.
            (2) Credential.--The term ``credential'' means an education
        or occupational qualification or achievement used to indicate
        suitability for a future educational opportunity or career
        opportunity, including diplomas, digital badges, certificates,
        certifications, a recognized postsecondary credential,
        occupational or professional licenses, microcredentials, and
        degrees of all types and levels.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'', unless otherwise
        specified in this Act, means the Secretary of Labor.
            (4) Training provider.--The term ``training provider''
        means an entity that offers a covered program.
            (5) WIOA terms.--The terms ``career pathway'', ``recognized
        postsecondary credential'', and ``State'' have the meanings
        given such terms in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and
        Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3113).

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated such sums
as may be necessary to carry out this Act for fiscal year 2028.
    (b) Remain Available.--The funds appropriated under this section
shall remain available until September 30, 2029.
                                 <all>