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DPA Workforce and Skilled Labor Needs Act of 2026
To amend the Defense Production Act of 1950 to address workforce and skilled labor needs for the national defense, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill amends the Defense Production Act of 1950 to address workforce and skilled labor needs in defense industries. It requires federal agencies administering Defense Production Act programs to identify workforce and skills gaps affecting the domestic defense industrial base. The bill allows these agencies to direct a portion of financial assistance to entities for recruiting, training, placing, and retaining workers in defense-critical occupations. Agencies must report annually on identified gaps and make recommendations for workforce training programs, including apprenticeships, to address national defense labor needs.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Rep. Casten, Sean [D-IL-6] (D-IL)
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Sean Casten’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY $15,800
- UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO $13,975
- CME GROUP $12,925
- DUPAGE MEDICAL GROUP $12,900
- MESIROW FINANCIAL $9,900
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Sean Casten → · Outside spending →
Actions (2)
- Mar 27, 2026 Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services. · house
- Mar 27, 2026 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 27, 2026
Mr. Casten introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services
A BILL
To amend the Defense Production Act of 1950 to address workforce and skilled labor needs for the national defense, 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 “DPA Workforce and Skilled Labor Needs Act of 2026”.
SEC. 2. USE OF FUNDS FOR SKILLED LABOR.
Section 303 of the Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4533) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
“(h) Use of Funds for Skilled Labor.—
“(1) Identification of workforce and skills gaps.—Each Federal agency to which the President has delegated authority under this Act shall identify any workforce gaps or skills gaps that affect the ability of the domestic industrial base to supply the materials and services necessary to satisfy the objectives set forth in section 2(b).
“(2) Use of funds.—With respect to an entity receiving financial assistance under title I or this title, the agency making such financial assistance may direct that a portion of the financial assistance be used to recruit, train, place, or retain workers in defense-critical occupations directly related to the activities funded by such assistance, if such entity keeps records of performance standards for workers recruited, trained, placed, or retained using such assistance.
“(3) Information included in annual report.—Each Federal agency to which the President has delegated authority under this Act shall include in the annual report of the Defense Production Act Committee required by section 722(d)—
“(A) a discussion of the identification required under paragraph (1) and the authority provided under paragraph (2);
“(B) short-term and long-term recommendations for administrative or legislative action to reduce any workforce gaps or skills gaps identified by the agency, including recommendations on workforce training programs to recruit, train, place, and retain workers in occupations critical to the national defense, including any apprenticeships.”.
SEC. 3. SHORT TITLE CORRECTION.
The first undesignated section of the Defense Production Act of 1950 is amended, effective on the date of enactment of such Act, by striking “cited as ‘the Defense”’ and inserting “cited as the ‘Defense”’. <all>
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