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Alexander: Brainpower Advantage is Key to Keeping Tennessee's Good Paying Jobs
Tells Johnson City Economic Summit that Programs like the ETSU Center of Excellence and Workforce Development Will Protect Our Economic Security |
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October 21st, 2008 - Johnson City, Tenn. - U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said today during the keynote address at the Johnson City Economic Summit that education and workforce development are key to America’s economic security.
“Last year, America produced about 25 percent of the world’s wealth with just 5 percent of the world’s population,” Alexander said. “Education and workforce development are two of our biggest tools to help keep a high standard of living and prevent jobs from going overseas. But we need to make sure we are encouraging programs in math and science education so that we can keep our brainpower advantage and remain competitive with countries like China and India. The America COMPETES Act is a great start, but we need to make sure we are funding these programs every year.”
The America COMPETES Act, bipartisan legislation backed by Alexander, seeks to preserve America’s brainpower advantage in order to keep good jobs here instead of moving overseas by putting research programs at the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology on a path to double their budgets during the next decade.
Alexander led Republican efforts on the bipartisan legislation for more than two years prior to its being signed into law last August, serving as both the Republican manager of Senate floor debate on the America COMPETES Act and the lead Senate Republican during final negotiations with the House of Representatives. The legislation was signed into law in August 2007.
Alexander noted that the America COMPETES act will help support programs like the collaboration between East Tennessee State University’s (ETSU) Center of Excellence in Mathematics and Science Education collaboration and Eastman Chemical Co. to provide innovative summer training for area math teachers. The ETSU/Eastman summer academy offers professional development to over 50 teachers from across the state, followed by extensive development and training activities for the participants throughout the academic year.
"Eastman is investing more than $1 million at ETSU over the next five to seven years, which will provide each teacher with a $600 stipend, $700 in school math supplies, and $1,000 in college tuition fees – a total commitment of $2,300 per teacher. This is exactly the type of programs we need, and is an example of what the America COMPETES Act supports to help Tennessee keep our competitive edge," Alexander said.
Alexander also noted that Workforce Investment Act needs to be improved in order to “provide Tennesseans with the training they need to stay active in the workforce with improved skills for today’s jobs.”
The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) provides job training to unemployed and underemployed individuals through a system of One-Stop Centers, including the Northeast Tennessee Career Center in Johnson City. Alexander supported a bipartisan bill to reauthorize and strengthen WIA which cleared the Senate in 2005 but was never acted on by the House of Representatives. Alexander is a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) and said he expected WIA to be one of the committee’s top priorities in 2009.
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| October 2008 Press Releases: |
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October 31, 2008 -
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Alexander: New Center Will Help Preserve Howard Baker’s Legacy for New Generation of Leaders
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October 31, 2008 -
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Members of Tennessee Delegation Announce Drought Declaration for 39 Counties in Tennessee
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October 29, 2008 -
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Alexander One of Two U.S. Senators to Receive National Guard’s Medal of Merit
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October 28, 2008 -
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Alexander Calls for Equal Treatment for Tennesseans in GI Bill
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October 27, 2008 -
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Alexander Receives “Friend of The Farm Bureau” Award
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October 23, 2008 -
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Alexander: Mounting Childhood Obesity Is A National Crisis
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October 21, 2008 -
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current Press Release
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October 17, 2008 -
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Alexander Says Increased Support for Homeless Assistance Programs Will Help Programs Like the Chattanooga Community Kitchen Continue Feeding those in Need
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October 15, 2008 -
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Alexander: Tennessee Can Lead Development of Clean Energy Technology
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October 14, 2008 -
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Alexander: Vonore Biorefinery Keeps Tennessee on Cutting Edge in Push for Clean Energy Independence
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October 10, 2008 -
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Alexander, Corker, L. Davis Announce $25,000 for Motlow State Community College
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October 10, 2008 -
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Alexander, Corker, L.Davis Announce $31,912 for White County Museum
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October 10, 2008 -
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Alexander, Corker, L.Davis Announce $500,000 for Grundy County Water System
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October 10, 2008 -
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Members of Tennessee Delegation Request Drought Declaration for 11 Additional Counties
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October 10, 2008 -
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Lawrence, Lewis Counties Added to Appalachian Regional Commission
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October 9, 2008 -
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Alexander: HOPE for Homeowners Program Could Help Many of the 67,000 Tennesseans Facing Foreclosure
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October 9, 2008 -
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Alexander, Corker, Gordon Announce $272,900 for Clay County Water System
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October 9, 2008 -
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Alexander, Corker, Wamp Announce $75,000 for the Clearfork Community Institute
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October 9, 2008 -
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Alexander, Corker, Wamp Announce $256,500 for Rhea Medical Center
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October 8, 2008 -
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Alexander: Tennesseans Will Receive More Coverage for Mental Health
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October 3, 2008 -
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Alexander Statement on Final Passage of Bipartisan Economic Rescue Plan
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October 3, 2008 -
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Alexander Celebrates 10th Anniversary of Outstanding Military Service in Millington
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October 3, 2008 -
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Alexander Celebrates 10th Anniversary of Outstanding Military Service in Millington
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October 1, 2008 -
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Alexander Votes to Protect Taxpayers from Looming Credit Crunch
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October 1, 2008 -
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Alexander Says U.S.–India Nuclear Agreement Will Be a Pillar of American Foreign Policy
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