Workforce Committee Chair Highlights

Strong Jobs Report,

Calls on Senate to Finish Work on Job Training Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Education & the Workforce Committee Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA) today highlighted the February employment report announced this morning by the U.S. Department of Labor.  The report showed that 243,000 jobs were created in February.

“The pro-growth policies championed by Congress and President Bush have led to nearly five million new jobs since May 2003 and more than two million jobs in the past year alone,” noted McKeon.  “More Americans are working than ever before, and it’s imperative that such rapid job creation is matched by an equally strong workforce training system.  I call on the Senate to follow the House’s lead and pass job training reforms so Congress can complete work on this key priority.”

Last year, the House approved the Job Training Improvement Act (H.R. 27), legislation sponsored by McKeon.  The bill streamlines government bureaucracy in job training services and improves opportunities for Americans looking for work or seeking new skills to acquire better-paying jobs.  The measure also authorizes a personal reemployment account pilot project to help the neediest unemployed Americans upgrade their skills and return to work quickly, bolsters adult education, and strengthens partnerships between local businesses, community colleges, and the local one-stop delivery system.    

            “The new realities of an increasingly competitive global economy require that we equip every willing American with the resources and skills they need to find and keep a reliable, fulfilling job,” McKeon concluded.  “Strengthening our workforce training system is one of the most logical steps we can take to do just that.  It’s time for Congress to send a job training bill to President Bush.”

Further information on Republican efforts to renew and strengthen America’s job training system for workers is available at: http://edworkforce.house.gov/issues/109th/workforce/wia/wia.htm.

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