CREATES Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 8304 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8304 To require the Secretary of Labor to establish a grant program for States to improve or establish a credential repository, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 15, 2026 Mrs. McBath (for herself and Mr. Owens) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To require the Secretary of Labor to establish a grant program for States to improve or establish a credential repository, 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 ``Credential Repository and Transparency in States Act'' or the ``CREATES Act''. SEC. 2. PURPOSE. The purpose of this Act is to provide assistance to States for the collection, development, analysis, and sharing of information on-- (1) all of the credentials offered in each State; (2) the quality of such credentials, including their use by employers for making employment-related decisions; (3) education and career pathways that lead to such credentials and occupations in a State; and (4) the sharing of such information with individuals in each State, enabling them to make informed education and career choices. SEC. 3. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. (a) Authorization and Limitations.-- (1) In general.--From amounts made available under section 4, the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Education, shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to States to establish, expand, or improve a State credential repository that contains information on each covered program, credential, and training provider in the State. (2) Duration.--A grant