# Climate Resilience Workforce Act Summary
This bill establishes a comprehensive federal program to build a climate resilience workforce while prioritizing environmental justice and worker protections. The legislation creates new government offices and grants to support job training and employment in sectors addressing climate change, from renewable energy to disaster recovery.
The bill creates an Office of Climate Resilience within the White House to coordinate federal climate efforts and develop a national climate resilience action plan within two years. It also establishes a Center for the Climate Resilience Workforce at the Department of Labor to track job growth and research labor market trends. The legislation requires federal agencies to develop their own climate resilience plans aligned with national goals.
To build the workforce, the bill creates three main grant programs: planning grants to help states and communities develop climate resilience strategies, job creation grants to fund climate-related projects, and workforce development grants for apprenticeships and training programs. These grants prioritize frontline communities—low-income areas, communities of color, and regions historically dependent on fossil fuels. The bill authorizes $20 million annually for occupational safety training, particularly for disaster recovery workers.
Critically, the bill establishes strong labor standards for all workers hired through these programs, including prevailing wages, health insurance, paid leave, and collective bargaining rights. It removes employment barriers for undocumented immigrants, formerly incarcerated individuals, and those with criminal records by creating special visa status for climate workers and limiting criminal background consideration in hiring. The bill also creates a Climate Resilience Workers Commission to enforce labor protections and investigate violations.
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