On Friday, House Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott (VA), along with Representatives Bonamici (OR), Davis (PA), Castro (TX), Fudge (OH), McBath (GA), Lee (NV), Stevens (MI), Courtney (CT), Horsford (NV), Craig (AR) and Levin (MI), introduced the Relaunching America’s Workforce Act, a bill calling for a $15.1 billion investment in WIOA, Adult Education, and Career and Technical Education as part of the COVID-19 crisis response. Using the ARRA framework, the bill funnels funding through existing channels, providing $2.5 billion each for Title I Adult, Youth and Dislocated Worker state grants, $1 billion for Wagner Peyser, $1 billion for Adult Education (including for digital literacy), $1 billion for CTE state grants and $2 billion for a revamped TAACCCT (renamed Community College and Industry Partnerships) program. It also includes increased funding for national grant programs under WIOA and for registered apprenticeships. All funds can be used until FY22.
Senators Murray (WA), Kaine (VA), Smith (MN) and Baldwin (WI) will be sponsoring the companion bill in the Senate.
Click here to access the bill text or click here to access a short section-by-section summary of the bill.
USCM has partnered with NAWB, NACO and NLC on a support letter, calling for a $15 billion investment in workforce development, consistent with Chairman Scott’s Bill.
Click here to access the joint letter.
USCM CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran also authored an op-Ed in WorkingNation calling for significant investments in workforce development programs in the next stimulus.
Click here to access Tom’s op-Ed.
It is absolutely critical that your congressional representatives hear from you, your business partners and your mayors in support of this legislation.
Additional outreach is also key — to House and Senate Appropriations Committee members; Labor-HHS Subcommittee members; House and Senate leadership (Representatives Hoyer, Clyburn, McCarthy and Scalise in the House and Senators Schumer, Durbin, Murray and McConnell in the Senate); as well as members of the House Education and Labor and Senate HELP Committee members.