Artificial Intelligence Education and Workforce Readiness Act of 2026

(a) Establishment. The Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Education, shall establish an advisory committee to be known as the Artificial Intelligence Workforce and Industry Coordination Council (in this section referred to as the Council). Not later than 30 days after completing each update to the Strategy under section 201(c), the Secretary of Labor shall—

(1) evaluate the effectiveness of the Council in carrying out its duties under subsection (b); and

(2) submit to the Committee on Education and Workforce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report on such evaluations, including any recommendations for changes to the Council’s membership, duties, structure, or renewal.

(b) Duties. The Council shall—

(1) advise the Secretary of Labor on the development, updating, and implementation of the National Artificial Intelligence Workforce Strategy under section 201;

(2) recommend methods for increasing access to and participation in education, training, and reskilling opportunities related to artificial intelligence for individuals from underserved communities, including such communities with historically limited access to resources necessary to develop skills and platforms related to artificial intelligence;

(3) advise Federal agencies on aligning education and workforce development programs administered by such agencies with the needs of workers in artificial intelligence-impacted industries and artificial intelligence-augmented occupations;

(4) identify sector-specific frameworks for skill development that emphasize—

(A) critical thinking;

(B) artificial intelligence ethics; and

(C) the need to ensure that a human retains oversight and decision-making authority over outputs generated by artificial intelligence;

(5) develop guidelines for partnerships between educational institutions and employers in artificial intelligence-impacted industries for the purpose of designing, delivering, and scaling workforce training aligned to artificial intelligence-augmented occupations; and

(6) publish an annual report summarizing the Council’s work.

(c) Membership

(1) Number and appointment. The Council shall be composed of not more than 23 members as follows:

(A) Not more than 5 members who are representatives of employers or employer associations in artificial intelligence-impacted industries, excluding artificial intelligence developers, artificial intelligence integrators, and artificial intelligence deployers, appointed by the Secretary of Labor from among sectors including manufacturing, health care, agriculture, energy, transportation, construction, financial services, and other sectors the Secretary determines are artificial intelligence-impacted industries, provided that—

(i) no more than 1 such member may represent employers or employer associations at any given time;

(ii) members appointed under this subparagraph shall serve staggered 3-year terms, as determined by the Secretary; and

(iii) not later than 30 days after completing each update to the Strategy under section 201(c), the Secretary shall—

(I) review empirical evidence regarding which industries qualify as artificial intelligence-impacted industries, including labor market data, the list published under section 4, and the Strategy;

(II) update the sectors from which members are appointed under this subparagraph to reflect such evidence; and

(III) if such review identifies an industry sector that has qualified as an artificial intelligence-impacted industry and is not represented among the members appointed under this subparagraph, appoint not more than 2 additional members representing such sector, provided that the total number of members appointed under this subparagraph shall not exceed 7, and provided further that any such additional member shall serve until the next vacancy occurring among members appointed under this subparagraph, at which point such vacancy shall be filled by a representative of such newly identified sector.

(B) Not more than 3 members who are representatives of labor organizations, as defined in section 2 of the National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 152), or organizations that represent employees of a State or local government, or a political subdivision thereof, including joint labor-management partnerships.

(C) Not more than 2 members who are representatives of a State workforce board, local workforce board, or public sector workforce entity.

(D) Not more than 5 members from institutions of higher education, provided that such members shall collectively reflect diversity across institution type, including—

(i) community colleges and junior colleges;

(ii) 4-year colleges and universities;

(iii) technical and career and technical education institutions;

(iv) minority-serving institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving institutions; and

(v) institutions located in rural areas, as defined in section 3 of this Act;

(E) Not more than 3 members from nonprofit organizations, provided that no more than 1 such member may represent the following entities, of whom—

(i) shall represent a nonprofit organization specializing in artificial intelligence ethics;

(ii) shall represent a nonprofit organization specializing in artificial intelligence accessibility; and

(iii) shall represent a nonprofit organization or community-based organization specializing in workforce equity, including direct services to workers who have been displaced from, or are at risk of displacement from, employment due to artificial intelligence.

(F) Not more than 3 members of whom—

(i) not more than 1 shall represent an artificial intelligence developer;

(ii) not more than 1 shall represent an artificial intelligence integrator; and

(iii) not more than 1 shall represent an artificial intelligence deployer, as defined in section 3 of this Act, each of whom shall be a non-voting member.

(2) Rotation

(A) In general. In making appointments to fill vacancies among members described in subparagraphs (B) through (E) of paragraph (1), the Secretary shall seek to ensure that, for each such subparagraph—

(i) the members collectively reflect diversity across the eligible entities for membership described in such subparagraph, as applicable; and

(ii) no single entity, organization, or company serves consecutive terms in the same membership seat, except where the Secretary determines that no other qualified candidate is available.

(B) Additional considerations. In carrying out subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall additionally seek to ensure—

(i) for members described in paragraph (1)(B), diversity among the type of labor organization represented, including industrial, craft, public sector, and service sector unions and joint labor-management partnerships, and diversity in the size and geographic location of the workforce represented;

(ii) for members described in paragraph (1)(C), representation across each of the institution types described in clauses (i) through (v) of paragraph (1)(C) over successive appointment cycles; and

(iii) for members described in paragraph (1)(D), that no more than 1 member at any given time represents a nonprofit organization whose primary specialty is the same as that of another sitting member appointed under such paragraph.

(3) Terms

(A) In general. Except as provided in paragraph (1)(A)(ii), members of the Council shall serve staggered 3-year terms, as determined by the Secretary of Labor.

(B) Vacancies. A vacancy on the Council shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment and shall not affect the duties of the Council.

(C) Reappointment. A member of the Council may be reappointed for not more than 1 additional term.

(4) Subcommittees. The Council may establish such subcommittees of the Council as the members of the Council determine appropriate, except that no more than 1 member described in paragraph (1)(E) may serve on any subcommittee of the Council.