Skip to main content
H.R. 1534 115th Congress House

21st Century Worker Opportunity Act

Official title: To establish a program that provides dislocated workers with a subsidy or coupon that may be applied towards obtaining broadband Internet access service, and for other purposes.

Introduced: March 15, 2017 Introduced by: Debbie Dingell Democratic · Michigan See on congress.gov
Labor and Employment Employment and training programsIndustrial facilitiesInternet and video servicesInternet, web applications, social media
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
ManufacturingTelecommunication rates and feesUnemployment
Sign in to write a letter Sign in to watch
This bill died when the 115th Congress ended
It never became law before the 115th Congress (2017–2018) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 17, 2017
Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
Mar 15, 2017
Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Mar 15, 2017
Introduced in House
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Latest action March 17, 2017

Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

21st Century Worker Opportunity Act

This bill requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to implement a program that provides displaced workers with a subsidy or coupon for a lump sum payment of $500 that may only be applied towards: (1) broadband Internet access service, or (2) remote job training in a profession not likely to be automated in the next 20 years.

A "displaced worker" is defined as an individual who, due to automation of machinery that replaces human labor, has been terminated or laid off from employment or who has received a notice of termination or layoff from employment.

To be eligible for the program, a displaced worker who has been laid off or terminated must submit a certification from an employer that the worker was employed in the manufacturing sector and was laid off or terminated due to the automation of the position of the worker.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • S 3273 Port Operations, Research, and Technology Act
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 3
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 1534: 21st Century Worker Opportunity Act. 115th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-1534/
MLA
"H.R. 1534: 21st Century Worker Opportunity Act." 115th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-1534/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 1534, 115th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-1534/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 1534: 21st Century Worker Opportunity Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-1534/)
Report a problem