Congress Still Negotiating on Long Term Funding Bill
With just one week left to work out a deal before the current continuing resolution expires and the government shuts down, Congress is still trying to find a middle ground that they can agree on regarding cuts. As of Thursday evening, it was being reported that House Republicans and Senate Democrats are close to striking a deal that would cut $33 billion from current spending levels, but nothing had yet been agreed to.
SECTORS Act
This week, Senators Sherrod Brown (OH) and Olympia Snowe (ME) introduced S. 665, the Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success (SECTORS) Act. This bill would promote job creation by preparing workers with education and training tailored for jobs in high-growth industry sectors—like biosciences, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing—in regions across the country by supporting partnerships between businesses, unions, educators, and the public workforce system. Representatives Dave Loebsack (IA) and Todd Platts (PA) introduced companion legislation in the House.
“Workforce development and job creation go hand-in-hand. Even in this time of high unemployment, I’ve heard from Ohio companies in high-growth industries who say they’re ready to hire but can’t find workers with the specialized skills needed to fill the position,†Senator Brown said. “We need to do a better job of creating tailoring workforce development programs to meet the demands of these 21st-century industries. The SECTORS Act creates partnerships between educators, industry, and workforce training boards to ensure that workers have the right skills to get hired in high-tech, good-paying jobs. And by ensuring a skilled, local workforce, we can attract clusters of employers in high-growth industries.â€
Tags: appropriations, budget, business and industry partnerships, Congress, Job training, sector strategies