Thoughts on Addressing Economic Disparity

Floor Speech

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Mrs. BICE of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding. It is an honor to be selected for the committee, and I look forward to working with all the members, including Ranking Member Steil, on this very important issue.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to be selected to serve on the Select Committee on Economic Disparity, and I look forward to working with all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to dive deep into the issues at hand and to try to find areas where we can work together to craft bipartisan solutions.

In contrast to my friend and colleague from California, I was born the daughter of an immigrant. My father came to the United States with no money in pursuit of the American Dream. He went to college, graduated, started his own business, and, today, is a very successful businessman.

I look forward to discussing in this committee the ways that we can foster the American Dream with American citizens across this country. The mission of the select committee is certainly worthy of consideration. The question of why some of our fellow Americans are being left behind in the economy demands our time and attention.

One of the most worrying economic statistics of the past year and a half is that the U.S. labor force participation rate is the lowest it has been since 1977, nearly 45 years ago. Millions of fewer Americans are employed or actively seeking work compared to just 2 years ago, and that has created a wide-ranging challenge for American families and for our economy.

``Help Wanted'' signs, as was mentioned earlier, have become ubiquitous across the Nation as stores, restaurants, manufacturers, and others struggle to find employees to continue operations. It is vital that we find the root causes and craft the appropriate solutions.

To that end, here are a few areas I think the select committee should focus its time and its energy on.

First, we should begin to review and unwind Federal policies that have disincentivized participation in the labor force, many of which were created at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Second, we should refocus and strengthen our Nation's education and workforce development programs. It is clear that our Nation's education system leaves many Americans behind, saddles students with large amounts of debt, and often promotes pricey degree programs with very poor job prospects.

I believe we need to do a better job of matching workforce development programs to the actual needs of employers. Aligning job training curriculum to meet the demands of employers who need skilled workers would almost guarantee jobs for those who complete a program.

Third, we need to reform our Nation's criminal justice system and reinvigorate efforts to rehabilitate the nearly 95 percent of prisoners who will eventually be released from prison. Sadly, all too often, we hear of individuals released with just the clothes on their back and a one-way bus ticket. This level of support doesn't set up individuals for success.

I am proud, earlier this year, the State of Oklahoma stood up a program to begin preparing inmates 9 months before their release with workforce training and assistance to obtain documentation needed to get a job, transportation, and housing. Improving programs to transition the formerly incarcerated back to society is worth our consideration and can save taxpayers in the long run.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't note the importance of regulatory relief and tax reform as key components to all of this. As someone who worked in the private sector for many years, including running my own firm and working for a family company, I can say with certainty that tax policy and government regulation have tremendous impacts on the decisions of businesses to hire, expand, and make investments.

In closing, I would again like to express my appreciation for being on the committee and look forward to working with my colleagues to dig deeper.

Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Himes and Ranking Member Steil for organizing this Special Order this evening.

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