Policymaker Perspectives: A Discussion with Representative Donald Norcross
Policymaker Perspectives is a discussion series between ACTE and federal policymakers. It is intended to allow CTE professionals to hear directly from policymakers about their priorities and the work taking place in Washington to strengthen the CTE ecosystem.
Congressman Donald Norcross (D-NJ) was first elected in 2014 to represent New Jersey’s First Congressional District, located in the southwestern part of the state. He graduated from Camden County College and a skilled apprenticeship program, and is an electrician by trade. After college he installed power lines, and later became a business agent for Local 351 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and president of the Southern New Jersey AFL-CIO. He also served in both the New Jersey General Assembly and State Senate, where he championed CTE issues by making county colleges more affordable, connecting local employers to CTE programs, and expanding access to the workforce for underrepresented populations.
In Congress, Rep. Norcross has continued his strong support for CTE initiatives, and co-sponsored H.R. 2353, the Perkins Act reauthorization bill. He also introduced H.R. 1837, the 21st Century Energy Workforce Act, a bill to direct the Department of Energy to establish an advisory board to align apprenticeship programs and industry certifications. He is also a co-author of H.R. 3395, the 529 OPTIONS Act, which would allow individuals enrolled in a registered apprenticeship to use money from their 529-education savings account, tax-free, to pay for expenses associated with being an apprentice.
Rep. Norcross serves on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, where his top priority is raising the minimum wage for hardworking families, and he is a member of the House Armed Services Committee. For the Democratic caucus, he serves as assistant whip and sits on the Steering & Policy and Communications Committees. Rep. Norcross is a founding member of the bipartisan Building Trades Caucus, and is also a member of the Congressional CTE Caucus.
The Congressman and his wife lives in Camden City, and they have three adult children and two grandchildren. ACTE recently spoke with Representative Norcross as part of our Policymaker Perspectives discussion series.
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ACTE: Policymakers are increasingly looking at apprenticeships as an important component of many students’ education. You are unique among Members of Congress in that you actually were a registered apprentice. What was the experience like for you, and what would you tell a student considering a registered apprenticeship?
Representative Norcross: Technical training shaped my life – taking me from Community College to construction work to Congress. I never forget that. I became an electrician’s apprentice in 1979 and, in that year, every spot in my program was accounted for – with a waiting list for more people who wanted to join. Today, there is a stigma surrounding apprenticeships in America.
Let’s all remember that our country needs electricians and computer programmers, just like we need doctors and judges.
I am one of four boys; I was always the one taking apart our bicycles to see how they worked. I loved working with my hands. There are many kids and teens out there who are probably like me, but are pushed toward a four-year college. I would tell a student considering a registered apprenticeship how the trades gave me the tools I needed to make a living and life for my family. I learned about the dignity of a hard day’s work from my apprenticeship.
ACTE: In 2016, you co-founded the Congressional Building Trades Caucus in an effort to bring together both parties to discuss the challenges people face in the construction industry. A recent report found that the construction workforce will face a deficit of at least one million workers by 2020. What is Congress doing to address this issue? What motivated you to create the caucus?
Representative Norcross: As mentioned in the question, we created the bipartisan Congressional Building Trades Caucus to discuss issues that affect the millions of construction workers who keep our economy moving. I’m an electrician; I worked for years connecting and restoring power for New Jersey homes and businesses, and when I first arrived in Congress, it was clear to me that many of my colleagues didn’t understand the day-to-day needs of our workers.
There are 211 lawyers in Congress, but only one electrician. As that one person, I feel a real responsibility to make sure workers’ voices are heard.
In terms of addressing the projected deficit in the construction workforce, Congress needs to do a better job on two fronts: 1) encouraging young people to follow whatever path suits them best and 2) putting millions of Americans to work rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure.
The four-year college experience is critical for many, but it’s not for everyone. Some kids want to go to college, some kids want to build the college and some kids want to protect the college. In Congress, we should be supporting each of those kids equally. That’s why I introduced the 529 OPTIONS Act (H.R. 3395). The bipartisan bill allows students and families to use 529 college savings accounts for skilled-based education.
The next part of the equation involves a real, robust investment in our infrastructure. We need to repair our roads, bridges, ports and airports. We need to ensure we have clean drinking water, a hardened electric grid, and safe transit systems that bring people where they need to go. When Congress invests, workers will see the high-wage job opportunities available when you work with your hands. Then, and only then, will we increase the amount of people who are proud to put on shoes with steel tips instead of wing tips.
ACTE: Your bill, the 21st Century Energy Workforce Act (H.R. 1837), focuses on ensuring that educational and apprenticeship programs help meet the energy industry’s skilled workforce demands. In fact, the fastest-growing occupation, an energy industry-related career, requires postsecondary education beyond high school but below a bachelor’s degree, and has a median salary of more than $50,000 per year. Why did you introduce this bill and how will it help New Jersey? What are the bill’s prospects?
Representative Norcross: I introduced this bill because investing in America’s energy infrastructure is vital to my state and our country’s growth. We need an energy grid that’s safe, reliable, and secure – and one that delivers power to our homes and businesses utilizing multiple sources. But to accomplish these goals, we need to train workers for tomorrow’s skilled jobs, now.
The 21st Century Energy Workforce Act has support from bipartisan members of Congress, industry and labor. While that broad support doesn’t mean it will definitely move here in Washington, it is a good sign that there’s consensus around the Act. During Infrastructure Week this year, I co-authored an op-ed about how we are partnering to deliver America’s energy future with my Republican colleague David McKinley, the President of the Edison Electric Institute and the President of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
ACTE: As an assistant whip and member of the Steering & Policy and Communications Committees for the Democratic caucus, can you talk about House Democrats’ priorities on CTE and workforce development issues for this Congress?
Representative Norcross: House Democrats are laser-focused on workforce development. We recognize that far too many workers have been left behind, and that the social contact that guided us for decades – which said if you work hard and play by the rules, you can make it in America – is broken. We’ve come together with A Better Deal – one that offers good-paying, high-growth jobs. A key component of the Deal involves expanding registered apprenticeships and work-based learning programs.
Plus, the House Democratic Caucus recently created Jobs for America task forces and asked me to serve as a Co-chair of the Rebuilding American Task Force. I am sharing my knowledge of the construction industry with colleagues as we come up with policy solutions to improve our aging infrastructure and raise wages.
Earlier this year, Democrats also worked with Republicans in the House to unanimously pass H.R. 2353, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act. The House-passed bill includes my provision that extends the allowable use of funding for career-building programs. It’s now up to the Senate to pass this bill that gets us one step closer to helping more Americans enter the workforce with the skills they need to compete for high-skilled, high-wage jobs.