Hire more Heroes Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank Chairman Shuster and
Ranking Member DeFazio as well as subcommittee Chairman Graves and
Ranking Member Holmes Norton for their work on this important bill. I
would also like to thank Congresswoman Foxx for cosponsoring this
amendment.

This amendment is bipartisan, straightforward, and will ensure the
Federal Government is getting the best return on our investment while
helping the greatest number of people.

The underlying bill provides grants through an innovative frontline
workforce development program to train and recruit underrepresented
populations for career pathways in transit maintenance and operations.

By establishing apprenticeships and forging local and regional
training partnerships, these grants will provide targeted, hands-on
training for workers across the country. This is critical for
identifying potential workforce shortages in the future and filling
those gaps with skilled workers.

Workforce development programs are often referred to as ladders of
opportunity. Helping people find good-paying, long-term employment is
the best way to ensure everyone has access to economic opportunities.

The program included in today's bill is a great example of this. It
will help low-income Americans become self-sufficient by giving them
specialized training to secure a career in the transit field and
increase their earning potential, and it will identify the best ways to
help the most people succeed.

My amendment would simply require a report on the frontline workforce
development program for each fiscal year. The report would include an
evaluation of the overall program and would include policy
recommendations to improve the program's effectiveness.

The amendment would not affect direct spending or revenue and is
budget-neutral, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

I firmly believe that this amendment improves the underlying bill,
which will inject a sorely needed boost to our Nation's infrastructure
and economy. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan amendment.

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