Toward increasing Americans’ access to job opportunities, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) recently proposed two pieces of legislation that would eliminate bureaucratic hurdles and modernize the nation’s workforce system.
“In Louisiana, there are workers looking for work and employers looking for employees,” said Sen. Cassidy, chairman of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. “These common-sense bills cut red tape and empower workers with skills and flexibility to succeed in a 21st Century economy.”
The senator cosponsored both the Employer-Directed Skills Act, S. 3846, on Feb. 11, and the Workforce Development Modernization Act, S. 3825, on Feb. 10 alongside U.S. Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC), who sponsored both bills.
Specifically, the Employer-Directed Skills Act, S. 3846, would streamline businesses’ access to skills programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to give American businesses the opportunity to identify prospective employees to participate in training programs and select or design the training program that best meets their needs, while accessing WIOA funds to offset training costs.
“The Employer-Directed Skills Act would unlock access for American businesses to take advantage of valuable skills development programs to recruit and retain qualified personnel to strengthen our workforce,” said Sen. Budd.
S. 3846 has been endorsed by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), the Floor Covering Education Foundation, the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors (PHCC) Association, and the Skills First Coalition, among others.
Sen. Cassidy also helped lead the Workforce Development Modernization Act, S. 3825, with fellow cosponsor U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) to give local Workforce Development Boards the option to create virtual one-stop centers, share resources with other workforce development regions and one-stop centers, or co-locate at community colleges to increase access to employment resources.
“Our workforce development system should be flexible enough to serve workers in today’s economy,” said Sen. Tillis. “Allowing virtual one-stop centers and shared partnerships with community colleges will help more North Carolinians gain the skills they need to fill open jobs, strengthen local economies, and address ongoing workforce shortages.”
The ACCA, USA Flooring, the Floor Covering Education Foundation, the PHCC National Association, the PHCC of North Carolina, and the Skills First Coalition support S. 3825.
Both measures have been referred to the Senate HELP Committee for consideration.