1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Invest in America Act . 2. Purposes The purposes of this Act are— (1) (A) to help local and regional leaders build and support the necessary environment and conditions for employers to create and expand middle and high-skill jobs; and (B) to train workers to have the knowledge and skills to meet the requirements of those jobs; (2) to support— (A) economic expansion and resilience— (i) by diversifying the commercial and industrial bases of local and regional economies; (ii) by removing barriers to growth; and (iii) by identifying means of encouraging such expansion, carried out in a manner that is increasingly proactive and predictive of future economic shifts, to build local and regional economic resilience; (B) job creation, in new or existing industries; and (C) workforce development and re-employment opportunities, by providing a range of workforce development activities, including occupational training, resulting in recognized postsecondary credentials for high-quality, in-demand jobs; and (3) specifically, to meet the needs of economically distressed communities and regions by supporting locally or regionally determined, and locally or regionally led, plans and projects. 3. Definitions In this Act: (1) Area career and technical education school The term area career and technical education school has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 ( 20 U.S.C. 2302 ). (2) Career pathway The term career pathway has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act ( 29 U.S.C. 3102 ). (3) Comprehensive economic development strategy The term comprehensive economic development strategy has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 ( 42 U.S.C. 3122 ). (4) Medium-sized area The term medium-sized area means an area that— (A) is not a rural area, as defined in paragraph (9)