Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, the opioid and addiction epidemic continues to devastate communities across our country today. One of the greatest challenges for the 21 million Americans currently impacted by substance use disorder is to obtain and maintain employment while sustaining recovery. For the benefit of our Nation, we must work to implement interventions to improve employment rates among this chronically unemployed and underemployed population in treatment and recovery.

Research demonstrates that alignment of job training and treatment services improves employment attainment, employee earnings, and substance use disorder treatment outcomes, including lower rates of relapse. By holding a job, an individual establishes a legal source of income, structured use of time, and improved self-esteem, which in term may reduce substance use and boost our economy.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is the major source of Federal support for workforce development. WIOA programs provide education and training services to prepare individuals for work and to help them improve their prospects in the labor market through job search assistance, career counseling, occupational skill training, classroom training, or on-the-job training; however, no dedicated funding currently exists to integrate workforce training into recovery and treatment services to enable individuals to secure and maintain stable employment. Participants enrolled in WIOA--beyond core service-- achieve an adult entered employment rate overall of 82%, which rises to 87% for on-the-job training and apprenticeship.

I am pleased to introduce today with my colleagues, Senator Young and Senator Jones, the Jobs Plus Recovery Act, which addresses barriers individuals in treatment face when seeking employment opportunities. The Jobs Plus Recovery Act amends WIOA to empower our primary workforce development driver to better support the needs of individuals with substance use disorders by including them in the definition of an individual with a barrier to employment. The bill also supports partnerships between substance use disorder treatment and recovery providers, education providers, and job services providers, such as the American Job Centers established in WIOA, to improve worker training, employment opportunity and retention for individuals in recovery.

Throughout my time as a public servant, I have remained committed to ensuring our Nation's workforce is as strong as possible. Virginia businesses continue to share their desperate need for more applicants with the necessary skills to thrive in their industries. I am proud to introduce this commonsense, bipartisan legislation to provide critical support services to equip workers with the training and supports necessary to gain and retain meaningful employment.

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