10/31/11 Thursday, Congressman Joe Donnelly wrote a letter to the leaders of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce requesting action on his bipartisan legislation, The AMERICA Works Act. He requested a hearing on the bill, and he asked that the provisions in his bill be included in the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) which the committee is considering for reauthorization. The WIA, first passed in 1998, sets the framework for national workforce preparation and employment systems designed to meet the needs of American businesses, job seekers, and those who want to enhance their careers.
“Encouraging education centers to offer programs teaching in-demand skills would help ensure our companies can find workers equipped to compete in today’s global economy,” Donnelly wrote. “Likewise, this emphasis on in-demand, portable credentials would help those workers who already have these skills or are training for them to more easily gain and keep good jobs. As you continue to work toward reauthorizing WIA, I would encourage the committee to examine The AMERICA Works Act in a future legislative hearing. I believe the bill’s provisions would aid a reauthorized and improved WIA in updating our existing workforce training structure.”
Read a copy of Donnelly’s letter to the leaders of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce here.
The AMERICA Works Act would ensure that workforce training programs are teaching to the needs of American employers and that workers are able to convey their expertise to any employer in any state. To learn more about Donnelly’s legislation, click here. To learn more about his job creation efforts in Congress and at home in north central Indiana, click here.
