S. 1646: Keep Americans Working Act

111th Congress · introduced 2009-08-07 · Labor and Employment · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9080-9081)

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2009-08-07 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9080-9081) Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Keep Americans Working Act

Plain summary

Keep Americans Working Act - Declares that the purpose of this Act is to keep Americans working by strengthening and expanding short-time compensation programs that provide employers with an alternative to layoffs. Requires the Secretary of Labor to: (1) provide guidance to states in enacting short-term compensation programs; and (2) award start-up grants to state agencies in states that have enacted programs and meet certain requirements. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to define "short-time compensation program" as one in which: (1) participation of an employer is voluntary; (2) an employer reduces the number of hours worked by employees through certifying that such reductions are in lieu of temporary layoffs; (3) an employee whose workweek that has been reduced by at least 10% is eligible for unemployment compensation; (4) an eligible employee may participate in an employer-sponsored job skills training program; and (5) an employer is required to certify that continuation of employee health and retirement benefits will not be affected by participation in the program. Directs the Secretary to make payments to a state's unemployment compensation trust fund for the payment of unemployment compensation if the Secretary approves a state's application for certification to operate a short-time compensation program that requires the maintenance of health and retirement employee benefits.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Keep Americans Working Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI] · 7 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Patty Murray (D-WA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Maria Cantwell (D-WA)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI] reported raising $3.7 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-111s1646.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/111/s>

Record fed-us-cong111-s1646 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong111 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong111