Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. House passed legislation Wednesday to help modernize and improve our nation's workforce development system and help put Americans back to work. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (H.R. 803) is the latest effort in the House to focus on Americans' top priority – finding real solutions to bolster job creation and strengthen our economy.

“One of the most frustrating experiences during my service in Congress has been the pervasive skills gap facing workers and employers,” said U.S. Representative Scott Perry (PA-4). “At the same time that millions of Americans remain unemployed, countless local employers have told me about their difficulty finding qualified workers. This is a clear reminder that effective education and workforce development opportunities are critical to a making the American economy healthy again. This legislation will prepare workers for the 21^st century workforce, while helping businesses find the skilled employees they need to compete and create jobs in the 4^th District and across America.”

H.R. 803 reforms and modernizes federal workforce training programs by: eliminating 15 duplicative programs, applying a single set of outcome metrics to federal workforce programs, aligning workforce development programs with local economic development and education initiatives, and enabling businesses to identify in-demand skills and connect workers with the opportunities to build those skills. H.R. 803 was first adopted by the U.S. House in March 2013 as the “SKILLS Act”. A House-Senate conference committee drafted this compromise agreement that was approved by the Senate in late June and is expected to be signed into law by President Obama.

Passage of H.R. 803 continues efforts in the U.S. House to lay the groundwork for a stronger economy and increased opportunities for all Americans. Legislation already passed by the House would: strengthen our water transportation networks; embrace American energy resources; lift barriers to clean renewable energy; give working families more flexibility and increase oversight of expensive federal regulations.

Throughout the 113^th Congress, House members have put their cards on the table and sent bills to the Senate, waiting for them to pass their own versions so we could eventually come together to try and find some common ground. These proposals have largely been met with silence by the Senate and President Obama.  Examples of jobs bills passed by the U.S. House can be reviewed here: http://www.speaker.gov/jobs.

Residents are welcomed to contact Congressman Perry and his staff at any of his offices, or via Perry.House.Gov, where they can sign up for e-mail updates and for his Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and You Tube pages.