On December 7, Reps. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Bobby Scott (D-VA) introduced H.R. 6655, A Stronger Workforce for America Act. The legislation would comprehensively reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and make significant changes to core aspects of this legislation including eligible training provider lists and the provision of training services by the system.
Specifically, this bill requires that 50% of the adult and dislocated worker funding toward upskilling workers through individual training accounts (ITAs), streamlines the eligible training provider list requirements to focus on outcomes and ensure eligible programs are aligned with the skill and hiring demands of employers, establishes a demonstration authority to provide several states and local workforce boards the flexibility to reimagine their workforce system, and facilitates skills-based hiring by validating workers’ competencies gained through prior experience and authorizing state and local boards to provide technical assistance to employers on implementing skills-based hiring practices. ACTE will providing more analysis of key provisions related to CTE, such as funding for community colleges, the youth funding streams and the infrastructure funding mechanism, over the coming weeks.
The House Education and the Workforce Committee took this bill up on December 12 and approved the legislation in a bipartisan 44-1 vote. The bill now moves to the House floor.
On the passage of the bill, Foxx said, “Today’s legislative package reflects our commitment to aligning the priorities of education and the workforce. To that end, we must continue to advocate for policies that develop vital workforce programs and help Americans move into in-demand jobs more quickly. I believe the measures passed today achieve this goal and ensure students and working Americans have the skills necessary for a changing economy.”
An additional summary of the bill can be found here. A recording of the markup can be found here.
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