On December 7, 2023, House Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Robert Scott (D-VA) and Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) introduced H.R. 6655, A Stronger Workforce for America Act, supported by House Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee leaders Burgess Owens (R-UT), Frederica Wilson (D-FL).
By December 11, 2023, both the House and Senate chambers of the 118th Congress had passed the new reauthorization bill, which is now on President Biden’s desk, where we anticipate a favorable reception and response. As for funding, the Congressional Budget Office, which produces cost estimates for bills and resolutions, had not produced an estimate as of December 13, 2023.
The bill, intended to overhaul the public workforce-development system, is progressing—at Step 6 of a 7-Step Congressional Legislative Process—with “lighting speed”, considering the 117th Congress failed to achieve reauthorization during its 2-year term, which expired on January 3, 2023.
Knowlton R. Atterbeary, KRA President & CEO, commented, “We are extremely excited about the new WIOA-reauthorization, which is needed desperately for KRA to better serve our WDB clients, our Business Services partners, and our Career Services jobseekers.
“KRA will be more empowered to meet the demands of the communities we serve across the country as we continue recovering from the pandemic and moving through global economic uncertainty. Addressing record-setting, skilled-labor shortages that plague our in-demand industries, and ‘closing’ open positions businesses are struggling to fill is critical to the resilience and stability of our workforce, the backbone of our nation’s economy.”