[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 63 (Tuesday, May 7, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3164-S3165]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REED (for himself and Mr. Cochran):
  S. 882. A bill to amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to 
integrate

[[Page S3165]]

public libraries into State and local workforce investment boards, and 
for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce the Workforce 
Investments through Local Libraries Act or the WILL Act with Senator 
Cochran. During these challenging economic times, our one-stop system 
has been stretched to the limit. Stepping in to help have been our 
public libraries, which have always been a key access point for people 
looking for employment or looking to make a career change. According to 
the Institute of Museum and Library Services, 30 million Americans used 
a library computer to help address their career and employment needs in 
2009.
  The Employment and Training Administration and the Institute of 
Museum and Library Services have developed a partnership to highlight 
effective practices and encourage collaboration between the workforce 
investment system and public libraries, but more needs to be done. 
There are more than four times as many libraries as one-stop centers in 
high unemployment counties. We could greatly expand the reach of the 
workforce investment system by fully integrating public libraries into 
the delivery system and providing them with the resources they need to 
better assist Americans in finding work.
  The Workforce Investments through Local Libraries, WILL, Act will 
strengthen the connection between the public library system and the 
one-stop system to better serve job seekers. The WILL Act will give 
library users access to workforce activities and information related to 
training services and employment opportunities, including resume 
development, job bank web searches, literacy services, and workshops on 
career information. The goal of the WILL Act is to enable libraries to 
access Workforce Investment Act resources to continue to provide job 
search support in communities all across America.
  Specifically, the WILL Act amends the Workforce Investment Act, WIA, 
to: include library representation on state and local workforce 
investment boards; ensure the coordination of employment, training, and 
literacy services carried out by public libraries as part of the state 
workforce investment plan; recognize public libraries as an allowable 
``One-Stop'' partner; authorize new demonstration and pilot projects to 
establish employment resources in public libraries; and encourage the 
Employment and Training Administration to collaborate with other 
federal agencies, including the Institute of Museum and Library 
Services, to leverage and expand access to workforce development 
resources.
  To get Americans back to work, we need to leverage all of our 
community assets. Public libraries play a vital role in providing 
access to information, technology, support, and other essential 
resources to help Americans find good jobs and build successful 
careers. I urge my colleagues to join Senator Cochran and me in 
cosponsoring the WILL Act and to support its inclusion in the effort to 
renew the Workforce Investment Act.
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