Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022
Floor Speech
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Ms. BONAMICI. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Scott for yielding and for his leadership.
Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022. This important legislation improves the existing statute in several critical ways.
First, this legislation formally authorizes sector partnerships. I have witnessed the significant benefit of sector partnerships. One persuasive example in northwest Oregon is the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center, OMIC, which develops and applies advanced metals manufacturing technologies in their R&D center, while educating an advanced manufacturing workforce in their training center run by Portland Community College. OMIC is an outstanding example of how sector partnerships between industry, higher education, and government can create new R&D outcomes, prepare workers, and fuel local economies.
Second, this legislation will improve access to supportive services like access to tools, work attire, transportation, childcare, and mentorship, which are crucial to helping workers stay in their training and in the workplace and to thrive.
Third, this legislation will define and formally authorize funding for pre-apprenticeship programs. In Oregon, we have tremendous programs, successful programs, like Oregon Tradeswomen, that prepare women for careers and trades through pre-apprenticeships. Despite the success of this program and others, funding has been extremely low. This legislation will help expand these life-changing programs and set participants up for success in apprenticeships and beyond. These are life-changing.
Importantly, this legislation will make Job Corps more inclusive by requiring Job Corps center operators to implement a tiered disciplinary system instead of adhering to a zero-tolerance drug policy. It would expand the definition of ``individuals with barriers to employment'' to include historically disadvantaged communities. These changes will modernize Job Corps in important ways, and it will better meet the needs of all communities.
I urge my colleagues to support this Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act reauthorization to help close the skills gap and to address the needs of working Americans, and I thank Chairman Scott for his leadership in bringing this important bill to the floor.
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