Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, Republicans are committed to preparing America's workforce for the 21st century. This reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, WIOA, will not help our country live up to its potential. In fact, this reauthorization moves our workplace development system in the wrong direction.
Our labor market is not facing a lack of job openings or a lack of workers. Currently there are 11.3 million open jobs, but unfortunately there are too few Americans with the skills needed to fill them effectively. That is why we need a robust workforce development system that will prepare workers for in-demand skills.
During the Education and Labor Committee markup of H.R. 7309, Republicans offered an amendment that would empower employers to respond to local economic needs; streamline the workforce development system by increasing local collaboration and putting program qualification decisions at the State and local level; strengthen outcomes and accountability by adding evidence-based practices, maintaining common performance-based metrics, funding programs with a track record of success, and improving transparency measures; and reduce bureaucracy by requiring the Department of Labor to address regulatory bottlenecks.
Democrats blocked all those commonsense proposals.
Republicans also pushed to allocate more funds for upskilling workers and support robust postsecondary education programs that focus on in- demand skills. Instead of embracing innovative models, Democrats rely on an 85-year-old Federal apprenticeship model from the Great Depression. This model has not been working and throwing more money at it won't change that.
Our Nation's job creators are in a far better position to help run workforce development programs, but this bill puts Washington in the driver's seat. Instead of putting workers first, this legislation makes bureaucrats and labor unions the priority.
For example, provisions in this bill increase the size of State and local governing boards and dilute employer input to increase the power of labor unions. Too often, labor unions have the interests of their union bosses in mind instead of the interests of workers. Giving big labor an outsized role on these boards will render these programs less responsive to industry needs.
H.R. 7309 also promotes progressive gender ideology and critical race theory by requiring States to develop and publish State equity reports regarding performance outcomes on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Leave it to the left to destroy equality in pursuit of equity, a word one author aptly described as ``dispensing unequal treatment in order to achieve equal outcomes.'' Taking the focus of our job programs off upskilling workers and putting it onto a woke agenda will do a disservice to all our jobseekers.
This legislation also increases cumbersome administrative hurdles for employers. If we want employers to participate in these programs, we need a system that has fewer barriers and is easier to navigate. This process should be streamlined instead of making it more complex.
Instead of making this program more efficient, provisions in this reauthorization will end up costing taxpayers more. H.R. 7309 will require Job Corps contractors to comply with onerous local prevailing wage requirements. This will significantly increase the cost of all Job Corps projects without improving the program's effectiveness.
On top of that, the bill weakens expectations for Job Corps' success. Job Corps is a program that has been fraught with negative issues for decades. This is a program in which 30 different government reports and audits have raised concerns over its safety and security. People have literally been killed in this program, and the left wants to make it less accountable. Other provisions in the bill water down performance metrics, reducing the ability of Congress to measure the success of workforce development programs.
More accountability and measurable outcomes are clearly necessary. According to a 2018 investigation by the Tampa Bay Times, some local workforce boards had significantly misreported their outcomes and took credit for finding thousands of jobs for people who never even participated in the program.
Other data demonstrate that these programs are not always effective, even when being operated honestly. Less than one-quarter of young enrollees and barely one-third of adults exited programs with occupations related to the workforce development program in which they were enrolled. Clearly, something isn't working. Let me repeat: Fewer than 25 percent of young enrollees and only 30 percent of adults came out of the programs into jobs related to the workforce development program in which they were enrolled.
If we hope to enhance our Nation's economic competitiveness and upskill workers for in-demand jobs, we must create a workforce development system that actually works. This bill utterly fails to do that. The American people deserve so much better.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, in FY 2021, taxpayers spent about $1.8 billion on adult, dislocated worker, and youth activities under title I of WIOA. According to the Department of Labor, only $537 million, or less than 30 percent of that money, went toward ``training services.''
Most people assume that our Nation's workforce development system is primarily focused on providing workers the skills they need to be successful in the modern economy. Unfortunately, that is not accurate.
Not surprisingly, with so little focus on actual skills development, the outcomes for these programs are poor. Among youth participants, less than one-quarter exited the program with employment in an occupation related to the services they received from the system. Among adults and dislocated workers, a little more than one-third exited with employment related to their program.
Republicans would like to address these shortcomings and believe this reauthorization presents an opportunity to do that. The Republican proposal we offered during committee, and to the Rules Committee, increases the percentage of funding going toward skills development. We proposed reforms to bring more employers to the table and engage more employers in the workforce system.
Unfortunately, the Democrats' bill rejects those proposals and, instead, would actually make these problems worse. As a result of provisions in H.R. 7309, an even smaller portion of WIOA funding will be directed toward skills development.
The bill will also dilute employers' involvement in State and local governance of the workforce system, which is the opposite of what we should be doing.
Madam Speaker, this bill is a missed opportunity. I urge my colleagues to oppose the base bill so we can get back to work and truly reform this program to get more workers the skills they need to fill the economy's open jobs.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rutherford).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, by reversing some of the key reforms made in the bipartisan 2014 WIOA reauthorization, H.R. 7309 takes our workforce system backwards. It does this by imposing more bureaucratic hurdles to job creators and reducing program accountability. It is time to stop being so frivolous with taxpayer dollars.
This bill proposes pouring more money into an already expensive program. In FY 2021, taxpayers spent $1.8 billion on programs under title 1 of WIOA alone. This is too much money, especially as inflation is still at a 41-year high.
The House of Representatives has been entrusted with the power of the purse. It is time we took this responsibility more seriously. The Nation deserves a workforce system that will actually prepare Americans for in-demand jobs. Unfortunately, this bill fails to protect taxpayers at a time of rampant inflation, pushes a radical progressive agenda, expands Federal control over the workforce, and embraces that failed status quo rather than pursuing opportunities for innovation.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, this en bloc includes several amendments that I believe would improve the underlying legislation so I will vote for the en bloc.
Unfortunately, I must also note that the en bloc includes three amendments to which I have concerns.
The Gottheimer amendment reduces the flexibility the workforce system needs to meet the needs of workers.
The Harder amendment will reduce the percentage of funds going to help youth receive the skills they need to enter the workforce.
And the Lee amendment authorizes a duplicative study that would not be a reasonable use of taxpayer funds.
However, on balance, this en bloc will improve the underlying legislation. This group of amendments better focuses WIOA on in-demand jobs, decreases duplication by encouraging better alignment between K- 12 education providers and local workforce development boards, and includes information on entrepreneurship in career and skills development services.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, the amendments in this en bloc will refocus the workforce development system on the individuals it was created to serve: jobseekers and employers.
We must make sure that WIOA is helping all American jobseekers get the skills they need to compete in our modern economy. We must also make sure that WIOA programs are helping employers connect with skilled workers, instead of saddling them with unnecessary requirements that have no proven effectiveness.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the amendment. This Democratic en bloc creates new programs, authorizes new funding, expands bureaucracy on workforce development boards, imposes new mandates on States and local areas, detracts from skills development services, and transforms WIOA from a workforce program into a welfare program.
This laundry list of problems is not what our Nation's jobseekers need. I cannot agree to saddle employers and workers with new Federal mandates that will make it harder for them to grow the economy and better individual lives.
I urge my colleagues to oppose the package, and I reserve the balance of my time.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, we should focus on empowering jobseekers to select skills development providers that will prepare them for in-demand jobs and make sure that employers are involved in this process so we can close the skills gap.
We should also streamline the workforce system so that funding is not wasted on unnecessary bureaucracy and administrative overhead. This funding should instead be directed toward upskilling workers.
Unfortunately, this Democratic en bloc misses the mark on each of these fronts.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this group of amendments, and I yield back the balance of my time.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Good).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
This en bloc includes several amendments that I believe would vastly improve the underlying legislation.
First, these amendments would bring needed flexibility and innovation to the workforce development system when it comes to apprenticeships. Democrats have, unfortunately, chosen to double down on the outdated registered apprenticeship model rather than meet employers where they are at. This group of amendments includes proposals that encourage innovation to occur so that apprenticeships can meet the needs of more employers.
Second, one of the amendments would ensure that States provide a realistic and workable timetable for awarding grants and contracts for adult basic education. This is simply good governance. States should not hold on to funding indefinitely that is intended to be directed toward jobseekers. This amendment will make sure the funding goes where it is intended and doesn't get stuck with bureaucrats to the detriment of individuals seeking basic education services.
Third, WIOA should be focused first and foremost on providing skills development services for jobseekers. It is unfortunate that H.R. 7309 adds vague language encouraging supportive services to include ``healthcare supports.'' While I was pleased that the longstanding Hyde amendment was secured and will apply to WIOA funds for fiscal year 2022 appropriations, I will always fight to see the Hyde amendment applied to ensure Federal funds do not support the killing of babies. It is of utmost importance that taxpayer dollars do not go to pay for killing babies, and this amendment would guarantee that.
The right to life is our most fundamental and sacred right and must always be protected. I will always remain vigilant to ensure that taxpayer funds do not pay for the killing of babies.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I have a couple of other speakers, so I am not prepared to close.
Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jacobs).
Mr. JACOBS of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of my amendment, which would be of great benefit to adult learners across this country, and especially in my home State of New York.
New York State has had issues over the last several years in distributing these funds promptly. Independent programs typically operate on very thin budgets, so any delay in funding puts their operations in jeopardy.
My amendment would ensure States are held accountable for distributing funding promptly by requiring the States to provide a timeline for distributing grants and contracts for adult basic education in the Unified State Plan, and specifying that funds must be distributed in a timely manner.
The typical adult learner benefiting from title II funding is either an individual who was not able to access a K-12 education as a child or is a recent immigrant.
Last September, I visited one of the adult education programs in my district, Literacy West New York, and I walked away very impressed by the adult learners there. Life certainly has not been easy for them, but that hasn't stopped them from pressing on and working to improve their lives.
It is important we make sure that the resources promised to our Nation's adult learners, and the programs that support them, are available.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Miller).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, the amendments in this en bloc will refocus the workforce development system on the individuals it was created to serve: jobseekers and employers. We must make sure that WIOA is helping all American jobseekers get the skills they need to compete in our modern economy.
We must also make sure that WIOA programs are helping employers connect with skilled workers instead of saddling them with unnecessary requirements that have no proven effectiveness.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Iowa (Mrs. Miller- Meeks) for her great work on this committee and for bringing forth this amendment. It is an excellent amendment, and I support it.
We need to do everything we can to improve the workforce development programs in our country.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source