House committee approves workforce development bills
The House Education and the Workforce Committee approved two bipartisan bills after months of negotiations among lawmakers. The first bill, H.R. 6655, A Stronger Workforce for America Act, seeks to reform and expand workforce training programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. NRCA has made reform of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act a priority during Roofing Day in D.C. 2022 and 2023 and is pleased to see its advocacy efforts yield positive results. H.R. 6655 will streamline the current bureaucracy and provide more flexibility within Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act programs to improve access for employers—especially small businesses. It will improve the ability of state and local workforce boards to spur innovation and be more responsive to regional workforce shortages to help close the skills gap. Additionally, the bill expands opportunities for collaboration between industry and educational institutions, recognizes competency-based certification and training, and allocates more funding to incumbent worker education. H.R. 6655 will provide new tools for employers to meet future workforce needs, and NRCA is pleased to support this bipartisan legislation, which passed the committee in an overwhelming vote of 44-1.
The second bill, H.R. 6585, the Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act, seeks to expand opportunities for students and workers to gain new skills in high-demand fields by allowing federal Pell Grants to be used for qualifying short-term education programs. NRCA supports this legislation as a strategy to address the workforce development needs of roofing industry employers and is pleased to see its approval on a bipartisan vote of 37-8. NRCA commends House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) and Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-Va.) for their leadership regarding these workforce initiatives and looks forward to working toward approval of the bills by the full House.
Supplemental appropriations and border security legislation stall
Negotiations among lawmakers to produce a bipartisan agreement regarding border security and immigration reform—as part of a broader supplemental appropriations bill for Israel, Taiwan and Ukraine during fiscal year 2024—appear to have stalled in the Senate. Republicans are pushing for several major immigration policy changes to be included with increased funding for border security requested by the Biden administration. Despite weeks of negotiations, little progress has been made to bridge the differences between Democrats and Republicans regarding the scope of eligibility under U.S. asylum laws and humanitarian parole programs with the goal of reducing record levels of migration at the U.S. southern border. It now appears lawmakers will fail to reach agreement before Congress adjourns for the fast-approaching holidays, although negotiations among senators and the administration are continuing. Given this impasse, the outlook for the supplemental appropriations package is highly uncertain.
A special thank you for supporting ROOFPAC!
During this giving season, NRCA shares its great appreciation for all who give back to the roofing industry through support for ROOFPAC. By contributing to ROOFPAC, the only political action committee dedicated to the roofing industry in Washington, D.C., you are making a positive difference and helping to secure the future of roofing for generations. We also thank our generous corporate sponsors who partner with us during the year to help underwrite our fundraising activities and events so all proceeds can go directly to members of Congress who support our industry. If you are a current member of one of our exclusive donor clubs, please look for a token of our appreciation in the mail! For more information or if you would like to contribute to help ROOFPAC finish 2023 strong, please visit www.nrca.net/roofpac.
