HOUSE PASSES BIPARTISAN AGREEMENT ON WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT LEGISLATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A bipartisan, bicameral agreement on legislation to improve workforce training and development activities passed the U.S. House of Representatives today. Congressman Kevin Cramer, who supported the legislation when it first passed the House in March 2013, said the agreement comes after the Senate passed an amended version of the House bill on June 25, 2014. After today’s House vote, the bill goes to the President for his signature.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, formerly known as the SKILLS Act, consolidates federally funded workforce development programs and eliminates 15 duplicative and ineffective ones, promotes skills training for in-demand jobs, makes it easier for workers to access job training by eliminating unnecessary steps, and reduces paperwork for community and technical colleges accessing job training providers. The legislation also gives greater autonomy to state and local workforce investment boards by repealing 21 federal requirements governing their membership.
“No place in the country better exemplifies the need for more skilled labor than North Dakota, where we need about 20,000 more workers. We need to focus on preparing the future and existing workforce for the kind of jobs which we know are in demand in today’s economy,” said Cramer.
State and local authority is strongly emphasized in the bill. It allows states to determine standards for eligible workforce training providers, and allows localities to contract directly with community colleges and other higher education institutions to provide specialized group training programs for employers who need to hire several skilled workers.
“Our state model is streamlined to deliver the best workforce development programs with the least administrative cost. This legislation chips away at bureaucracy at the federal level making it harder to meet people’s job training needs,” Cramer added.
Read this original document at: http://cramer.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/house-passes-bipartisan-agreement-on-workforce-development-legislation