Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success Act of 2010
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1855, the Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success, or the SECTORS, Act, and I appreciate Mr. Loebsack and the bipartisan way in which this is going to move forward.
H.R. 1855 creates new grants within the Workforce Investment Act to help create or increase targeted industry capacity and partnerships within specific regions. This is an idea that is already being done in some places across the country with success. For example, Philadelphia has created a regional program to train nurses for their hospitals and health care industry needs.
I believe Federal policies should also encourage regional business development and improve worker training, retention, and advancement opportunities. That is why I strongly support not only this bill but strongly support the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act.
Madam Speaker, the Workforce Investment Act is 8 years overdue in its reauthorization, and I am disappointed that we are not engaging in a larger discussion of Workforce Investment Act reauthorization.
The American people are facing a tremendous economic challenge and there has never been a more critical time to make sure our workforce has the opportunity to find new jobs or receive additional training. We need better systems of training and skills development to help move into new industries.
I come from a small business manufacturing background, and I have seen firsthand that unemployed workers who receive additional training for new skills can obtain a higher-paying job which can radically transform their way of life. We cannot afford to approach the workforce and job needs of our country in a piecemeal way. The American people deserve a real, comprehensive job training bill.
I, along with eight of my colleagues, introduced H.R. 4271, the Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2009, to begin the process of reauthorization of WIA. But, unfortunately, my bill has not been taken up by the Education and Labor Committee.
I do support this bill before us today, but I do believe it's a disservice to the American people not to have an updated, comprehensive workforce development bill, and I urge this Congress to take action on full authorization of WIA as soon as possible. I do urge my colleagues to support the bill before us, however.
I yield back the balance of my time.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT.
Source