PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Sep 7, 2011
21st Century WPA Act - Establishes within the Department of Labor a Works Progress Administration (WPA).
Requires eligible federal departments to submit to the WPA proposals for works projects that produce a high number of employee hours per dollar of the total project cost, and meet certain other criteria.
Permits such projects to include: (1) residential and commercial building weatherization projects; (2) residential and commercial water use efficiency improvement projects; (3) highway, bridge, and rail repair and maintenance projects; (4) manufacturing projects; (5) school, library, and firehouse construction projects; (6) soil erosion and pesticide runoff prevention projects; and (7) trail maintenance projects.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Makes an employer who is unable to hire an individual to fill a job position that has been vacant for 90 days eligible to enter into an agreement with the WPA to provide training to a WPA fellow in order to become qualified to fill such position. Prescribes WPA fellowship program requirements.
Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to transfer amounts appropriated under this Act to the Attorney General and to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for grants for the hiring of eligible public safety individuals.
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a 5.4% surcharge on individual taxpayers whose modified adjusted gross income exceeds $1 million ($2 million for joint returns). Dedicates amounts collected from such surcharge to federal deficit reduction.
People & committees
Sen. Lautenberg, Frank R. [D-NJ] · D–NJ
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Aug 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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