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WASHINGTON, D.C., September 2, 2026 — Representatives Josh Harder (D-CA) and Lucy McBath (D-GA) introduced the Better Jobs Through Evidence and Innovation Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, joined by America Forward, Results for America, and more than 60 America Forward Coalition Members and partners voicing support for the bill. The House bill follows companion legislation Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) introduced in the Senate earlier this year.

The bill would establish a Workforce Development Innovation Fund (WDIF) within the U.S. Department of Labor, dedicated to identifying, funding, and scaling workforce programs that demonstrably work, while generating the evidence needed to develop the next wave of effective solutions.

The current workforce system does not do enough to identify, fund, and grow programs with a track record of improving job seekers’ earnings and employment outcomes. Promising models, such as sectoral training programs, apprenticeships, employment social enterprises, and re-entry initiatives, often struggle to secure the funding needed to test, refine, and expand what works, even when early results are strong. The bill is designed to close that gap by building an evidence pipeline directly into federal workforce funding.

“The Better Jobs Through Evidence and Innovation Act would provide an accessible, efficient pathway for the development and expansion of evidence-based workforce programs across the nation,” said Deborah Smolover, Executive Director of America Forward. “As the pace of change in our labor market accelerates, this legislation ensures that high-impact organizations driving economic mobility, many of which are members of the America Forward Coalition, can nimbly and creatively respond to the needs of workers, communities, and employers.”

The bill creates three tiers of competitive grants tied to increasing levels of evidence: early-phase grants to launch and test newer programs, mid-phase grants to refine and evaluate programs with moderate evidence at a single site, and expansion grants to scale programs with strong, replicated evidence to new sites. Grant recipients would put at least 60 percent of their award toward direct program implementation, and at least half of total program funds would go toward expansion grants for the most proven models.

The fund is open to a broad range of organizations, including state and local workforce boards, tribal organizations, colleges and universities, state workforce agencies, and nonprofits serving underserved populations. Eligible program models include sectoral employment programs, apprenticeships, re-entry initiatives, career pathway models, industry partnerships, and on-the-job training.

Up to 10 percent of the fund’s budget would be set aside for technical assistance and research, including pre-application workshops, help designing feasibility studies, support for smaller or rural organizations that might otherwise struggle to compete for federal grants, and the dissemination of findings about which workforce strategies are backed by low, moderate, or high levels of evidence.

The Better Jobs Through Evidence and Innovation Act is supported by the following organizations:

America Forward, Results for America, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, ActivateWork, Appetite For Change, AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation, Arnold Ventures, BluePrint Geneva, Inc., Braven, CEEMI, Center for Employment Opportunities, Chrysalis, Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, Colorado Succeeds, ConnectED Workforce, CrossPurpose, Data Quality Campaign, EDGE Partners, Education Partnerships Coalition of Minnesota, Elevate Teaching, FutureFit AI, Jobs for the Future, Goodwill of Colorado, Homeward Bound of Marin, JVS Bay Area, JVS Boston, Knowledge Alliance, LIFT Inc, Lynn Cominsky (Professor of Physics & Astronomy, Sonoma State University), Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Main Street Youth & Family Services, Merit America, National Association of Workforce Boards, NPower, Opportunity@Work, Per Scholas, Project Evident, Project QUEST, Propel America, RecycleForce, Redefine Alliance, Research Institute for Key Indicators Data Lab, Robert J. Shea (CEO, GovNavigators), Second Chance Center, Servicios de La Raza, Servicios Sigue, STRIVE International, StriveTogether, Tamaqua Area Community Partnership, TeamHWH, The Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, The Master’s Apprentice, Third Sector, Third Way, United Way of Salt Lake, Vehicles for Change, Women’s Bean Project, Workforce, Inc., Yakima Valley Partners for Education, Year Up United, YouthBuild Global, and YUPRO Placement (part of Year Up United).

About America Forward 

America Forward is a national nonpartisan policy and advocacy organization that unites our nation’s leading social entrepreneurs with policymakers to advance a public policy agenda that fosters innovation, rewards results, and catalyzes cross-sector partnerships to expand opportunity for all. America Forward leads the America Forward Coalition, a network of 100+ of the nation’s most impactful and innovative non-governmental organizations that develop and advocate for more effective public policies to advance opportunity and move all of America forward. Since its founding more than 15 years ago, America Forward has emphasized the importance of evidence-based approaches and continued evidence-building across policy domains, including education and workforce development. To learn more, visit americaforward.org.