To the Members of the United States House of Representatives:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce strongly supports H.R. 6655, A Stronger Workforce for America Act, which would modernize America's workforce system. The Chamber will consider including votes on this legislation in our "How They Voted" Congressional scorecard.
The current workforce system has not been responsive enough to the changing job needs and the evolving skill demands of employers. Businesses face persistent challenges to recruit and hire skilled workers while too many Americans lack the skills necessary to fill these openings. H.R. 6655 would take meaningful steps to address these issues, and it would help the workforce development system to more effectively serve both workers and employers.
We are pleased that this bill would address many of the priorities the Chamber identified in our America Works Initiative. The Chamber strongly supports provisions of the bill that would ensure that a majority of authorized funds are directed to workforce development through individual training accounts as well as on-the-job and other employer-based workforce training. The Chamber is also pleased that the bill would emphasize employer needs by maintaining business representation on workforce boards, support program innovation; improve labor market data collection, and hold states, local boards, and providers accountable for results.
We applaud the work of the House Education and the Workforce Committee to develop this bipartisan legislation and we urge you to vote in favor when this bill comes to the House floor.
Sincerely,
Tom Wickham
Senior Vice President
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
