[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 38 (Friday, March 15, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H1434]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               SKILLS ACT

  (Mrs. WAGNER asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mrs. WAGNER. Madam Speaker, the 113th Congress was elected to tackle 
the ``big problems''--and there is no bigger problem facing our country 
right now than getting hardworking Americans back to work with the 
skills they need to compete in a very tough economy.
  Today, the Federal Government currently operates more than 50 
different job training programs, many of which are duplicative, at a 
cost of $18 million annually to taxpayers. With nearly 20 million 
Americans unemployed or underemployed, it's time to cut through the red 
tape and start training individuals with the skills they need to find 
high-paying middle class jobs.
  That's why the House will take up the SKILLS Act, which streamlines 
35 overlapping job training programs, including many identified by the 
nonpartisan GAO, and eliminates unnecessary red tape so that State and 
local resources go directly to job seekers.
  According to a report released by St. Louis Community College, 76 
percent of employers found that workers lacked the proper training to 
contribute right away, and the most in-demand certificates for job 
openings were for registered nurses. The SKILLS Act addresses those 
needs.
  It's time we start investing in nurses, medical assistants, and 
manufacturing technicians, and be sure to cut the ineffective 
government programs that do little to train individuals with skills 
they need.

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