Daines Applauds Passage of Bill to Secure Support for Native American Workforce Development

Press Release

Congressman Steve Daines today voted in support of the Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills (SKILLS) Act, which helps make job training programs more accessible and efficient and contains provisions that guarantee funding for American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian workforce development grants.

"With thousands of Americans still looking for work, it is imperative that American job-seekers are empowered with the skill set they need to be competitive. This is especially critical in our tribal communities, where unemployment remains high," Daines stated. "The SKILLS Act makes important and much-needed reforms to our nation's job training programs by cutting waste, reducing inefficiency, and most importantly, empowering employers and individuals so that Americans looking for work have access to the resources and training they need."

The SKILLS Act eliminates and streamlines 35 ineffective and duplicative programs, including 27 identified in a 2011 report by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office. This legislation creates a flexible Workforce Investment Fund to serve as a single source of support for workers, employers, and job seekers.

The SKILLS Act also seeks to empower employers in workforce development decisions and provides greater responsibility to state and local officials in overseeing employment and training services.

The "Support Native Employment Training" provision of the SKILLS Act would require that each State provide a portion of their total allotment for Native grants, preventing future funding reductions for tribal job training programs. The provision guarantees that, regardless of future fluctuations in State allocations, federal responsibility to tribes will not be forgotten.

Source