[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 108 (Friday, June 23, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H5114-H5123]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ACCELERATING INDIVIDUALS INTO THE WORKFORCE ACT
General Leave
Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 2842.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Newhouse). Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from Nebraska?
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 396 and rule
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House
on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 2842.
The Chair appoints the gentleman from California (Mr. Denham) to
preside over the Committee of the Whole.
{time} 0911
In the Committee of the Whole
Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the
Whole House on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill
(H.R. 2842) to provide for the conduct of demonstration projects to
test the effectiveness of subsidized employment for TANF recipients,
with Mr. Denham in the chair.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered read the
first time.
The gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Nebraska.
Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I rise in support to talk about H.R. 2842, the
Accelerating Individuals into the Workforce Act.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more than 6
million job openings, the highest level since the government started
tracking the data in the year 2000. At the same time, the share of
Americans participating in the workforce is near a four-decade low.
[[Page H5115]]
Moving welfare recipients into employment is a central goal of the
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, or TANF. Yet only half
of all TANF recipients receiving cash assistance are working or
preparing for work.
Some TANF recipients have a difficult time transitioning from welfare
into a job, so these types of on-the-job work experiences aid in the
transition. The same goes for employers who may be reluctant to hire
welfare recipients with limited work experience or other barriers to
working.
So the question is: How can we bridge the gap? How do we connect out-
of-work Americans with all of the employers who want and need to fill
job openings?
H.R. 2842, sponsored by Congressman Curbelo of Florida and
Congressman Davis of Illinois, encourages employers to work with State
and local agencies to hire TANF recipients. States would only be able
to use this money to provide benefits to those who are working,
providing paychecks in lieu of benefit checks, a key tenet to welfare
reform.
Employers would take the lead by partnering with State and local
agencies to hire TANF recipients, providing recipients with highly
valued work experience and on-the-job training, including
apprenticeships.
Earn-and-learn models help people become familiar with the workplace,
gain needed skills, and earn a wage.
The bill reserves up to $100 million for 1 year from the TANF
Contingency Fund, which has already been extended through the end of
fiscal year 2018 to subsidize up to 50 percent of a TANF recipient's
wage for no more than 12 months.
Fifteen percent of the funds would be set aside for career pathway
programs, which combine work, training, and other supports to help
individuals enter the workforce and move up the economic ladder.
Finally, high-quality evaluations would be used to determine whether
these public-private partnerships were effective in helping welfare
recipients move into jobs and retain work.
There is broad support from the employer community for helping low-
skilled Americans gain on-the-job experience, and there is plenty of
support here and across the country for tying government assistance to
work or work preparation for those who are able-bodied.
Decades of experience tells us the most effective anti-poverty
program is a job. It is helping low-income Americans earn success
through the dignity of work.
Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the opportunity to stand with Mr. Curbelo
in supporting this bill today, and I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 0915
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such
time as I may consume.
I strongly support H.R. 2842, the Accelerating Individuals into the
Workforce Act, which is better known as TANF.
This important bill modernizes the TANF Contingency Fund to promote
effective job training programs, such as subsidized jobs, career
pathways, and apprenticeship programs. Research is clear. Subsidized
employment, career pathways, and apprenticeship programs successfully
engage people in employment, especially those who have been
unsuccessful in finding paid employment through their efforts.
Further research on past TANF subsidized employment programs document
that these initiatives increase employment and earnings both while
individuals worked in a subsidized job as well as after the program
ended. Also, studies show that States operated these programs that
provided tremendous benefit at very reasonable cost.
Many States used the TANF Emergency Funds to establish effective
subsidized employment programs. Using these TANF Emergency Funds in
Illinois, former Governor Pat Quinn implemented the very successful Put
Illinois to Work program that directly created over 26,000 jobs,
helping close to 5,000 employees in Illinois. Nationally, the TANF
Emergency Funds created 260,000 jobs.
Good subsidized employment programs have three characteristics that
make them an attractive part of TANF: they are able to increase
employment quickly; they help some of the individuals who face the
greatest challenges enter the workforce and stay there; and, when
funded on a large scale, they can help boost local economies. For these
reasons, Democrats have proposed subsidized employment within TANF for
years.
My friend and colleague from Wisconsin, Gwen Moore, initially
proposed allowing subsidized employment in TANF via her RISE Act many
years ago. I embraced her idea in my Responsible Fatherhood bill, and I
am pleased to join with Representative Curbelo on this effort.
If we are truly committed to helping families work their way out of
poverty, we will need to do much more to strengthen TANF. We will need
to ensure that States actually spend TANF money on TANF recipients. We
need to improve access to education and training, critical changes that
both Republican and Democratic witnesses have emphasized over and over
again. We need to improve childcare so parents can actually go to work.
This bill is a good bill. It makes a small, positive step forward on
our path to more comprehensive improvements to TANF. I strongly support
it.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the
distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Curbelo), the lead sponsor of
the bill.
Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support
of H.R. 2842, the Accelerating Individuals into the Workforce Act.
Here in the House, we have prioritized helping Americans escape
poverty, and we are working to create policies that are focused on
getting individuals into jobs so they can achieve self-sufficiency.
A job is something that dignifies the human condition. It is an
opportunity for every individual to make a contribution to their
family, their local community, and to our country.
This bill is an innovative solution that will give more people access
to that opportunity. Through proposals like H.R. 2842, we can help
struggling Americans find work and get on the path to success.
This bipartisan legislation connects Americans looking for work with
employers looking to fill job openings, including through
apprenticeships and other forms of on-the-job training. It uses $100
million from the TANF Contingency Fund for grants so States can conduct
demonstration projects intended to assist TANF recipients in entering
the workforce and maintaining employment.
Importantly, this legislation requires that States meet certain
criteria to ensure they achieve their intended goal. This includes a
description of how local governments will coordinate these efforts with
others that assist low-income individuals.
States must also report on the outcomes of the demonstration projects
and provide evaluations to determine whether such employer-led
partnerships were effective.
This bill empowers States, giving them the ability to take into
account their own unique challenges and design programs that meet both
their employers' and job seekers' needs, rather than a top-down
Washington approach.
This legislation has support from our business leaders. I include
this letter of support in the Record.
Business Roundtable,
Washington, DC, June 20, 2017.
Hon. Carlos Curbelo,
House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Danny K. Davis,
House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Representative Curbelo and Representative Davis:
Business Roundtable appreciates your bipartisan efforts to
bring more people into the workforce who currently have few
skills and lack job experience. Your bill, H.R. 2842, the
Accelerating Individuals into the Workforce Act, is a
thoughtful approach for encouraging companies to hire
recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
We are pleased to support it.
Business Roundtable CEOs believe earn-and-learn programs
help people become familiar with the workplace, gain needed
skills, and earn a wage. In many inner cities, the
unemployment rate for young people is distressingly high, but
their prospects improve dramatically if they find a first-
time job.
By supporting partnerships among business, government, and
education to hire
[[Page H5116]]
TANF recipients, the Accelerating Individuals into the
Workforce Act will give the unemployed an opportunity to work
and succeed.
Sincerely,
Wes Bush,
Chair, Education and Workforce Committee, Business
Roundtable; Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President,
Northrop Grumman Corporation.
Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I was happy to partner with
Representative Danny Davis on this effort to move individuals from
welfare into long-term employment, and I am proud of the work we have
done together.
I would also like to thank Chairman Brady and Subcommittee Chairman
Adrian Smith for their leadership and hard work, as well as Rosemary
Lahasky, Anne DeCesaro, and the rest of the House Committee on Ways and
Means staff who have worked on this legislation.
Mr. Chairman, if I may add one thing. Last week, in the wake of the
tragic shooting against Members of Congress, we all vowed to come
together, to find common ground. The Committee on Ways and Means
answered that call, and I am very confident that this House will do the
same later today.
The American people expect us to have our differences, our
disagreements, but they also expect us to find common ground; and
Republicans and Democrats have done this today in favor of those who
need it most, welfare recipients, needy families in our country. I am
very proud to sponsor this legislation, to support it, and I would ask
all of my colleagues to do the same.
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to
the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett), who has worked on these issues
for many, many terms and many years.
Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman and both my
colleagues, though I respectfully disagree that this Congress has
placed any priority on helping get people out of poverty. Indeed, when
it comes to poverty in America, this Congress has largely been silent.
I think the Congress itself is impoverished when it comes to ideas
about how to lift people up into the middle class.
We talk here so much about the middle class, and appropriately so,
but there are millions of people out there who are struggling to just
climb up that first or second rung of the economic ladder and work
themselves into the middle class, and this Congress is doing little,
constructively, to assist them.
The need for real and meaningful change is particularly evident in my
home State of Texas, where the State legislature has been so incredibly
indifferent to this problem. There, one out of every four children is
below the poverty level, and over one-third of all Texans live in the
shadow of poverty, meaning that their income is less than twice the
poverty threshold. The Corporation for Enterprise Development ranked
Texas near the bottom among all States on key measures related to
financial security.
Now, here is what today's bipartisan bill does to respond to that,
and it is really a story of the number one.
Of the several Republican proposals that were originally advanced by
now-Speaker Paul Ryan two years ago, some introduced by Republican
colleagues and some containing good ideas, this is the one last bill
standing.
With the notable exception of a budget that is devastating to
opportunities for poor Americans, this is the one and only bill on
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, previously known as welfare,
that Republicans will even permit us to discuss on the floor of this
House.
This one very modest bill does not add one new dollar to address the
challenges that those who want to rise from welfare to work need. It
simply segregates $100 million from an existing fund for one year.
Now, get this: the fund from which they are segregating the $100
million from, Donald Trump is seeking to abolish the entire fund so
that no moneys for this proposal will be available after one year.
This bill gives the States no new flexibility, and no new authority.
It does not authorize them to do anything that they cannot do today.
Indeed, some States--and I think my colleague from Illinois referenced
one of these--are already finding ways to, in appropriate situations,
subsidize employment.
What this bill does is to say that on this particular $100 million
fund, as long as it lasts, until President Trump eliminates it
entirely, that the States must use the money in a particular way. In
other words, it seeks to restrict the States who receive these moneys
to require them to use it for one particular way to assist those who
are in poverty.
It is also significant that the Trump budget cuts are so far-reaching
in trying to undermine efforts to raise people out of poverty, and for
those who are not able-bodied, to provide them the support that they
need. This bill deals with a little less than one-half of one percent
of the Trump budget cuts.
I believe, sincerely, that we need a better approach, that we have
ideas on both sides of the aisle that are being blocked by a
determination to not address root causes of poverty.
First, we should support initiatives that strike at the early seeds
of poverty, like the Home Visiting Program that will expire in a mere
three months, which helps to improve opportunities for at-risk children
and helps their parents be the parents they want to be; and certainly,
early childhood education is a key part of that.
Second, we should increase efforts to help people gain the skills
they need to secure jobs through which they can support their families
at a living wage, and that is the challenge here. Sure, some employers
will love to have taxpayers subsidize their workforce, pay part of the
wages that they would otherwise have to pay, and sometimes this is a
valuable support, particularly for people that are reentering our
society after incarceration and other groups of particularly hard-to-
place employees. But for many folks, the big question is, when the
subsidy ends, when the taxpayer stops paying, will there be a job
there? Is there a job ladder that will allow that person to work
themselves up, or are they essentially participating in minimum wage
employment that will not support their family and will not provide them
a future?
There are in-demand skills-training programs that do work and do
offer an alternative, but they are not free. They take an investment.
An example is Project QUEST in San Antonio.
The CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. I yield the gentleman an additional 2
minutes.
Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Chairman, Project QUEST has an 86 percent job
placement rate for its graduates, who boost their incomes, on average,
from $10,000 a year before entering the program to $40,000 a year.
I know there are similar programs in other parts of the country that
do the same. They are not subsidized employment, but they are working
with poor people to get the skills that they need for an in-demand job
and working with local employers to find out what types of jobs are
most needed. In many parts of America, our economy is being held back
by a lack of qualified workers.
Then, one of the areas that is so important to all parents, but
particularly to single moms that are in poverty, is childcare.
President Trump is proposing not one, but three cuts to childcare,
cutting out hundreds of millions of dollars of support to childcare,
which stands in the way of many individuals from working their way out
of poverty.
I believe that we need to be working together to try to find genuine
solutions and that working together is not just here in this House, in
Congress, because the big problem here is that, when we voted in 1996--
and I voted for it, for moving from welfare to work--we expected the
States to be partners in that effort. Today, as much as we talk about
work and getting from welfare to work, exactly 8 cents out of every
dollar being spent on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
program--8 cents--goes to work supports. And not very much more than
that goes to childcare, and President Trump, of course, wants to reduce
that.
It is only by having a comprehensive program that is really focused
on the roots of poverty and assisting those
[[Page H5117]]
who would help themselves that the promise of that welfare law can
become effective.
Unfortunately, while we did change fundamentally and end welfare as
we know it, it became welfare for Republican Governors who wanted to
use these Federal moneys not to assist the poor, but to assist their
States fill various budget gaps. We have a great example of where block
grants fail. I hope we can find ways to succeed.
{time} 0930
Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the efforts here today of my colleague
from Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr.
Curbelo) working together focusing on solutions.
Mr. Chairman, we know that, this day and age, it is very easy to
identify the problems and the challenges that our country faces. It is
a little more difficult to come up with the solutions and bring people
together. I appreciate the efforts of both sides coming together today.
I truly believe that the solutions to our challenges are out in the
communities where needy families live, and we know we have many needy
families across our country for various reasons. America is a big
country. And when you look at the challenges that individuals might
face economically, I hope that we can come together as Americans to
focus on growing our economy, growing opportunity, hoping that we see,
as our number one responsibility, the need to provide for opportunity
in the future.
We can't set certain and determine certain outcomes, but we can
certainly measure the outcomes from our efforts here in Washington.
That is why this bill, very importantly, requires States to report on
outcomes through this program. We know that we need to provide more
flexibility for States. This does exactly that, and, even more so, with
communities.
As we do get the feedback from the States, I hope that we will heed
their advice because they are the folks who are more in touch with the
needs of their various communities around their jurisdictions, all 50
States.
Mr. Chairman, they are experts, and I hope that we can work together
with them here, on both sides of the aisle, in Washington, but also all
across America with very diverse needs for needy families.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to
the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore), a fierce advocate for low-
income people.
Ms. MOORE. Mr. Chairman, I thank Ranking Member Danny Davis. I rise
to express support for H.R. 2842, Accelerating Individuals into the
Workforce Act.
I do, again, want to thank my dear friend, Representative Davis, for
recognizing the importance of subsidizing jobs as something that was
featured in my RISE Out of Poverty bill, and I applaud this bipartisan
bill as a small step in the right direction.
Now, this bill calls for a demonstration project, which would show
progress toward reducing poverty in our country through a 1-year test
of subsidized employment programs. But I would note, Mr. Chairman, that
it certainly does not tackle the larger shortcomings of TANF, which is
in desperate need of reform.
If enacted, this bill would exhibit a great start at helping TANF
recipients obtain short-term employment. However, methods to retain
long-term employment through higher education and childcare options for
TANF recipients are still needed.
I do want to point out, Mr. Chairman, that contrary to popular
notions of welfare recipients--I have been a welfare recipient myself--
people on public assistance do, in fact, want to work, but they want to
work at a wage that is sustainable. They want to work at a job that
includes training opportunities. They want to work at jobs that provide
them with a career ladder, and they, certainly, want to work at a job
that will bring them out of poverty--something that will help them work
in a durable, lasting fashion.
Since I have a little bit more time than I thought I was going to
have, I just want to point out that it is a little-known fact that
current law under TANF actually requires welfare recipients to do
unwaged work. How absurd is that? Who in this body, Mr. Chairman, would
work for absolutely nothing?
I want to note that the proposed funding mechanism in H.R. 2842 does
not appear in my RISE Out of Poverty bill. TANF funds are woefully
inadequate already. They are pegged to a 1994 appropriations, and,
certainly, this flat funding would inure to the detriment of the entire
TANF program.
Mr. Chair, I urge Members to support this bill.
Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Chairman, I am prepared to close if there
are no more speakers. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chair, I yield myself the balance
of my time.
I want to, first of all, commend Mr. Curbelo for his leadership on
this issue, and I certainly agree with him that we have found enough
common ground to be here this morning with a bill that we can pass, but
I also agree with my friend from Texas (Mr. Doggett), that there are
many shortcomings to helping individuals actually realize the potential
that they have to move beyond poverty to sustainable employment so that
they can have a level of living and a level of expectation which gives
them the energy that they need to keep moving forward.
There are some improvements that we certainly need to make. We can
allow greater education and training. Every time witnesses come before
us, they always tell us that, no matter whether they are billed as
Republican or Democrat, or with no political stripe. We should improve
TANF for kinship caregivers. We should remove the lifetime ban on
felony drug convictions. Just imagine, that these individuals will
never ever have the opportunity to experience the benefits of this
program, or of this effort.
We should remove the 60-month time limit during recessions, and we
should remove the ban to assist unwed teen parents and other youth who
are displaced.
So clearly, we do have agreement this morning, and I am delighted to
be a part of it, but I certainly hope that my colleagues will look at
those unmet needs that the legislation does not cover.
I urge its support, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my
time.
Mr. Chairman, I appreciate Mr. Curbelo and Mr. Davis for their
leadership on this issue, and then colleagues from both sides coming
together in a bipartisan way so that we can help more Americans get
back to work.
This bill requires high-quality evaluations to determine whether
these public-private partnerships are effective in helping welfare
recipients move into jobs. These evidence-based results will be used to
inform future policy decisions to reform our welfare system, similar to
the approach taken in the mid-1990s.
I look forward to working with my colleagues on these important
issues so more Americans can earn a wage and feel the dignity of work.
Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIR. All time for general debate has expired.
Pursuant to the rule, the bill shall be considered for amendment
under the 5-minute rule.
In lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by
the Committee on Ways and Means, printed in the bill, it shall be in
order to consider as an original bill for the purpose of amendment
under the 5-minute rule an amendment in the nature of a substitute
consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 115-22. That amendment
in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read.
The text of the amendment in the nature of a substitute is as
follows:
H.R. 2842
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Accelerating Individuals
into the Workforce Act''.
[[Page H5118]]
SEC. 2. DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS TO SUPPORT SUBSIDIZED
EMPLOYMENT FOR TANF RECIPIENTS TO ENTER THE
WORKFORCE.
Section 403 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 603) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``(c) Subsidized Employment Demonstration Projects.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall make grants to
States to conduct demonstration projects, at least one of
which shall fund programs that offer apprenticeships
registered under the Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly known
as the `National Apprenticeship Act'; 50 Stat. 664, chapter
663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.), designed to implement and
evaluate strategies that provide wage subsidies to enable
low-income individuals to enter into and retain employment.
``(2) Application requirements.--The Secretary shall
require each State that applies for a grant under this
subsection to do the following:
``(A) Describe how wage subsidies will be provided (such as
whether paid directly to the employer or the individual), the
duration of the subsidies, the amount of the subsidies, the
structure of the subsidies, and how employers will be
recruited to participate in the subsidized employment
program.
``(B) Describe how the State expects those participating in
subsidized employment to be able to retain employment after
the subsidy ends.
``(C) Describe how the State will coordinate subsidized
employment funded under this subsection with other efforts to
help low-income individuals enter work as conducted by the
State.
``(3) Use of funds.--
``(A) In general.--A State to which a grant is made under
this subsection may use the grant to subsidize the wages of
an eligible recipient for a period not exceeding 12 months,
and only to the extent that the total of the funds paid under
this project and any other Federal funds so used with respect
to the recipient does not exceed 50 percent of the amount of
the wages received by the recipient during the period.
``(B) Eligible recipient.--For purposes of subparagraph
(A), an eligible recipient is--
``(i)(I) a recipient of assistance under the State program
funded under this part or any other State program funded with
qualified State expenditures (as defined in section
409(a)(7)(B)(i)); or
``(II) a noncustodial parent of a minor child who is
receiving assistance referred to in subclause (I);
``(ii) who, at the time the subsidy begins, is unemployed;
and
``(iii) whose income, at that time, is less than 200
percent of the poverty line (as defined by the Office of
Management and Budget, and revised annually in accordance
with section 673(2) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act
of 1981 (42 U.S.C. 9902(2))).
``(4) Limitations.--
``(A) Nondisplacement.--A State to which a grant is made
under this subsection shall ensure that no participant in a
subsidized job program funded in whole or in part under this
subsection is employed or assigned to a job under the
program--
``(i) when any other individual is on layoff from the same
or any substantially equivalent job; or
``(ii) if the employer has terminated the employment of any
regular employee or otherwise caused an involuntary reduction
of its workforce in order to fill the vacancy so created with
an adult described in paragraph (1).
``(B) Grievance procedure.--A State with a program funded
under this subsection shall establish and maintain a
grievance procedure for resolving complaints of alleged
violations of subparagraph (A).
``(C) No preemption.--Nothing in this paragraph shall
preempt or supersede any provision of State or local law that
provides greater protection for employees from displacement.
``(5) Reports.--As a condition of receiving funds under
this subsection for a fiscal year, a State shall submit to
the Secretary, within 6 months after the end of the fiscal
year, a report that--
``(A) specifies, for each month of the fiscal year, the
number of individuals whose employment is subsidized with
these funds;
``(B) describes the structure of the State activities to
use the funds to subsidize employment, including the amount
and duration of the subsidies provided;
``(C) specifies the percentage of eligible recipients who
received a subsidy who are in unsubsidized employment during
the second quarter after the subsidy ended;
``(D) specifies the percentage of eligible recipients who
received a subsidy who are in unsubsidized employment during
the fourth quarter after the subsidy ended; and
``(E) specifies the median earnings of eligible recipients
who received a subsidy who are in unsubsidized employment
during the second quarter after the subsidy ended.
``(6) Evaluation.--The Secretary, in consultation with each
State conducting a demonstration project, shall conduct a
high-quality evaluation of the demonstration project, and may
reserve funds made available under this subsection to conduct
the evaluation in accordance with the following:
``(A) Evaluator qualifications.--The Secretary may not
enter into a contract with an evaluator unless the evaluator
has demonstrated experience in conducting rigorous
evaluations of program effectiveness including, where
available and appropriate, well-implemented randomized
controlled trials.
``(B) Methodologies to be used.--The evaluation of a
demonstration project shall use experimental designs using
random assignment or other reliable, evidence-based research
methodologies that allow for the strongest possible causal
inferences when random assignment is not feasible.
``(C) Public disclosure.--The Secretary shall publish the
results of the evaluation on the website of the Department of
Health and Human Services in a location easily accessible by
the public.
``(7) Recommendations to congress.--The Secretary shall
submit recommendations to the Committee on Ways and Means of
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of
the Senate on how to increase the employment, retention, and
advancement of individuals currently or formerly receiving
assistance under a State program funded under this part or
any other State program funded with qualified State
expenditures (as defined in section 409(a)(7)(B)(i)).
``(8) Funding.--Of the amounts made available to carry out
subsection (b) for fiscal year 2018, the Secretary shall
reserve $100,000,000 to carry out this subsection.
``(9) Use of certain funds for career pathway programs.--
The Secretary shall use 15 percent of the amounts reserved to
carry out this subsection, to fund programs that offer career
pathway (as defined in section 3(7) of the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act) services.
``(10) Availability of funds.--Funds provided to a State
under this subsection in a fiscal year shall be expended by
the State in the fiscal year or in the succeeding fiscal
year.''.
SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.
The amendment made by this Act shall take effect on October
1, 2017.
The CHAIR. No amendment to that amendment in the nature of a
substitute shall be in order except those printed in House Report 115-
187. Each such amendment may be offered only in the order printed in
the report, by a Member designated in the report, shall be considered
as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report
equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall
not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for
division of the question.
Amendment No. 1 Offered by Ms. Foxx
The CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 1 printed in
House Report 115-187.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 2, line 2, before the period, insert the following:
``in an in-demand industry sector or occupation identified by
the appropriate State or local workforce development board''.
Page 5, after line 13, insert the following:
``(C) describes the State's policies in effect during the
fiscal year--
``(i) to ensure nondisplacement as required under paragraph
(4)(A); and
``(ii) to implement grievance procedures as required in
(4)(B), including information on the number of grievance
claims filed in the preceding fiscal year and the aggregate
results of those claims;''.
Page 5, line 14, redesignate subparagraph (C) as
subparagraph (D).
Page 5, line 18, redesignate subparagraph (D) as
subparagraph (E).
Page 5, line 22, redesignate subparagraph (E) as
subparagraph (F).
The CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 396, the gentlewoman from
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from North Carolina.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chairman, this amendment to H.R. 2842, Accelerating
Individuals into the Workforce Act, would make two changes to the bill.
The first part of the amendment would encourage the demonstration
projects created under this bill to direct beneficiaries toward jobs in
an in-demand industry sector or occupation, as identified by workforce
boards in their States and local communities.
Today, in this country, there are approximately 6 million jobs that
remain unfilled because they require technical skills and knowledge
related specifically to an industry or occupation. If we want to help
participants move from government assistance and hold a job, then we
must set them on a path toward jobs and industries that are currently,
and will remain, competitive in the evolving 21st century economy.
The second part of my amendment would include in the reports from
States that establish these demonstration projects information about
their efforts to ensure nondisplacement of workers and to address
grievance claims. Congress' future decisions related to similar
programs will be enhanced by having access to this information and data
reported from the States.
Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
[[Page H5119]]
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in
opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.
The CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for 5
minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would
further strengthen the protections against displacement of current
employees. I think it is a goal that we all share to make sure that
this bill expands employment, rather than just changing who is
employed.
I plan to support the gentlewoman's amendment, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chairman, as our economy continues to recover and
evolve, it is critical that job seekers have the resources needed to
gain the skills they need to compete for in-demand jobs. That was the
aim of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act that we passed in
2014, and my amendment encourages State agencies to coordinate with
their workforce boards to continue these efforts.
My amendment also would improve the information participating States
submit about their demonstration projects, providing important data for
decisionmakers in the future. I thank my colleagues for their
consideration and ask for their support of this amendment and the
underlying bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 2 Offered by Mr. Bost
The CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 2 printed in
House Report 115-187.
Mr. BOST. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 2, line 20, after ``individuals'', insert ``,
including individuals displaced or relocated from a public
housing authority to an alternative public housing facility
or placed on rental assistance,''.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 396, the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Bost) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.
{time} 0945
Mr. BOST. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I rise today to provide relief to the people of Cairo,
Illinois, and other communities across the country who have fallen
victim to corruption in their local housing authorities.
Last year, the Department of Housing and Urban Development took
control of Alexander County Housing Authority in my district after
decades of fraud and mismanagement. Many of Cairo's public housing
units were falling apart, rating somewhere between dangerous and
unlivable. All the while, the housing authority's senior staff
continued to cash in: excessive pay, great benefits, large pension
payouts, and big consulting contracts for former executive directors.
All of this was paid for with taxpayers' money.
An investigation by The Southern Illinoisan newspaper found local
residents coping with leaking roofs, moldy living facilities, broken
heating and air conditioning, rats, and cockroaches--unbelievable
living conditions.
This didn't happen overnight. It happened after many years of
neglect. The situation is so bad that the worst housing units in Cairo
are being destroyed, and families are being required to move.
Sadly, Cairo's story is not unique. Similar stories of mismanagement
and fraud have occurred in housing authorities across the country.
While I continue to fight for families in Cairo, we must work to help
those who have been relocated at no fault of their own.
My amendment would require the State applications include plans to
help these families transition to their new communities and find work.
This will be an important step forward for Americans already fighting
to stay on their feet.
Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. I want
to say to everyone, if they can, to support this amendment.
I want everyone to know also that it is my hope that both State and
Federal authorities pursue, in this particular case, those who have
abused the system, that they prosecute them, and that they are put in
situations where they are in prison, because there they will receive
better housing conditions than what they left these people with.
Now, this amendment deals with the fact of allowing them the
opportunity to work and to step them up into a better life. But I hope
and I pray that the people who are responsible for Cairo and all these
other facilities will be prosecuted to the full extent.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman
from Illinois (Mr. Bost).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 3 Offered by Ms. Bonamici
The CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 3 printed in
House Report 115-187.
Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 2, after line 21, insert the following:
``(D) Describe how the State will coordinate subsidized
employment funded under this subsection with the Federal
Work-Study Program, career pathway (as defined in section
3(7) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act)
services, and other Federal programs to help low-income
individuals complete education and training programs and
enter the workforce.''.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 396, the gentlewoman from
Oregon (Ms. Bonamici) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Oregon.
Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Chairman, the amendment I am offering with my
colleague, Representative Susan Davis, strengthens coordination between
subsidized employment through the Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families, TANF, program, other Federal workforce development programs,
and the Federal Work-Study program.
The goal of the Accelerating Individuals into the Workforce Act is to
help low-income individuals gain the experience and skills necessary
for long-term success in the workforce and access to family-sustaining
wages. Yet studies of the long-term effects on unemployment from short-
term, subsidized employment programs demonstrate differing outcomes,
which is why I commend my colleagues for including robust reporting and
evaluation requirements in the underlying bill.
We already know that other efforts have clear long-term benefits.
Adults who attain postsecondary credentials and degrees are much more
likely to be employed and much less likely to rely on public
assistance. For example, about 90 percent of young adults who earn a
bachelor's degree are employed. The employment rate for those who don't
complete high school is just 48 percent. Not surprisingly, the vast
majority--approximately 93 percent--of TANF recipients did not attain
education beyond high school.
Helping more low-income adults complete postsecondary credential
programs and degrees is a proven strategy for reducing reliance on
public assistance and promoting self-sufficient households. This is a
bipartisan goal.
Our amendment advances this goal by helping to give more low-income
parents high-quality work opportunities while enrolled in postsecondary
programs. Currently, the Federal Work-Study program provides part-time
jobs to students. Studies show that those students who are lucky enough
to get a Federal Work-Study job have higher completion rates and are
more likely to work in a position that aligns with their program of
study.
Unfortunately, Federal Work-Study alone cannot meet the demand for
connecting low-income students with valuable, work-based learning
opportunities. In fact, only about 2 percent of community college
students participate in Federal Work-Study.
The subsidized employment program authorized in the bill we are
debating today could help address this unmet need and target additional
support to low-income student parents, helping
[[Page H5120]]
them attain a credential or degree and vastly improving their long-term
employment prospects.
Administering the subsidized employment program in conjunction with
the Federal Work-Study program requires coordination among State
agencies and higher education institutions. My amendment encourages
this coordination, and I encourage Members to support it.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition
to the amendment, although I am not opposed to the amendment.
The CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for 5
minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Chairman, I support this amendment. It
requires States to coordinate efforts under this bill with other
Federal programs designed to help low-income individuals obtain the
necessary skills to enter employment and climb the economic ladder.
Our Federal welfare system is large, fragmented, and growing in cost.
The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service estimates that we
currently operate over 80 programs that provide food, housing,
healthcare, job training, education, energy assistance, and cash to
low-income Americans. Reducing bureaucracy and streamlining a State's
administration of employment and training services to low-income
Americans is a step in the right direction.
Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment as well
as supporting the underlying bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Chairman, a number of State programs leverage
Federal Work-Study funds to help TANF recipients who are enrolled in
community college programs meet work requirements and get real-world
experience in jobs that reinforce what they are studying.
Additionally, the Government Accountability Office has recommended
improving coordination between employment and training programs, and
the Department of Health and Human Services guidelines on helping TANF
recipients succeed in career pathways makes recommendations for using
the Federal Work-Study program in conjunction with TANF to boost the
attainment of industry-recognized credentials.
There is precedent and widespread support for improving the
coordination of programs that help low-income individuals gain work
experience to subsidize employment. Again, our amendment does not
require States to devote funds from TANF-subsidized employment programs
to low-income student parents, but it does ask States to consider how
they are using subsidized employment--whether through TANF or Federal
Work-Study--in concert to give more people the opportunity to earn a
higher education degree or credential and, thereby, a significantly
improved chance at finding a long-term, living-wage job.
Mr. Chairman, I ask my colleagues to support this commonsense
amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Chairman, again, I urge my colleagues to
support this amendment as well as the underlying bill.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Chair, I am proud to support this
amendment which would align the TANF program and the federal work study
program.
TANF, or the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, was
created to help struggling families become self sufficient.
We know that the best way to achieve this goal is to give people the
resources they need to find quality jobs.
This amendment would allow states to align employment efforts by
coordinating with schools to help more students access work-study
opportunities.
And we know that these students are not the 18 year olds of decades
past--they are older students with children, dependent parents, and
more financial responsibilities.
Helping these students elevates entire families; helping these
families elevates entire communities.
I hope we can come together to support this amendment and support
more working Americans.
The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Bonamici).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 4 Offered by Mr. Krishnamoorthi
The CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 4 printed in
House Report 115-187.
Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 5, line 9, before the semicolon, insert ``and the
percentage of such individuals whose employment is in an area
that matches their previous training and work experience''.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 396, the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Krishnamoorthi) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.
Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise in support of my bipartisan amendment. I would like to thank
my good friend, Congressman Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania, for helping
me to introduce this amendment.
Right now what is being taught in classes doesn't necessarily align
with what is needed to get a job. Yesterday, the House passed a
bipartisan bill unanimously that would make sure that there is stronger
alignment and collaboration between career and technical education
programs and the employers that will be hiring.
Our amendment would require that States report the percentage of
subsidized individuals whose jobs match their previous experience.
Incentivizing States that opt into this pilot program expands on
yesterday's bill to ensure that resources are being used as efficiently
as possible by guiding students towards the jobs they were trained for.
Mr. Chairman, I hope everybody will support passage of our amendment,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the
amendment, although I am not opposed.
The CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for 5
minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Chairman, I support this amendment. This
amendment provides further information to ensure we have high-quality
evaluations requiring States to measure how many recipients entered
employment in the same field they received on-the-job training. The
more we know about how these programs work and their return on our
investments is important when we make decisions down the road.
Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support the amendment as well
as the underlying bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for his support.
I urge all Members to support this amendment, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman
from Illinois (Mr. Krishnamoorthi).
The question was taken; and the Chair announced that the ayes
appeared to have it.
Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further proceedings on
the amendment offered by the gentleman from Illinois will be postponed.
Amendment No. 5 Offered by Mr. Davidson
The CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 5 printed in
House Report 115-187.
Mr. DAVIDSON. Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer an amendment.
The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 5, line 21, strike ``and''.
Page 5, line 25, strike the period and insert ``; and''.
Page 5, after line 25, insert the following:
(F) specifies the number of eligible recipients who
received a subsidy who concurrently received other Federal or
State means-tested benefits during their subsidized
employment.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 396, the gentleman from Ohio
[[Page H5121]]
(Mr. Davidson) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio.
Mr. DAVIDSON. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment that,
if enacted, would provide additional data on the performance and
effectiveness of the programs created under H.R. 2842, the Accelerating
Individuals into the Workforce Act.
In particular, my amendment would require States to include in their
annual reports to the Health and Human Services Department whether
individuals who participated in this demonstration project still need
additional forms of Federal or State assistance after the fact. The
data point really shows whether they are truly independent of the
safety net.
The most meaningful solution to poverty is a job. I believe the data
point outlined in my amendment will further help Congress measure the
performance of this program in the scope that should apply to all of
our Nation's welfare programs: placing people into meaningful work and
helping them and their families achieve self-sufficiency. We need this
data to ensure the project is truly working.
When I worked in manufacturing, data was a vital component to solving
problems. It showed me what worked best, what failed, and, most
importantly, what needed to be changed and how to get to the root
cause. The same science applies to solving problems here and to this
program.
Too often we measure the success of our safety net programs based on
dollars spent rather than effectiveness. Fixing our welfare system is a
sentiment shared by both sides of the aisle. This is a bipartisan bill,
and I believe this legislation is a great step forward.
Additionally, my office has been working on another bill, the Welfare
BRAC Act, which would create a bipartisan commission to review the 90-
plus means-tested programs that spent nearly $850 billion a year. I
hope one day to have a vote on that bill just as we are having one on
this today.
We need more deeds and not just words. This bill is a great step
forward to solving the problem. There is widespread agreement on both
sides of the aisle that our safety net is not accomplishing all it
needs to. If enacted, my amendment would help us here in Congress
identify new methods to help our Nation's most vulnerable by getting
them into the workplace.
{time} 1000
It is crucial that everyone has an equal opportunity to engage in our
communities and contribute by earning financial independence through
the dignity of work.
Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote in support of my amendment,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to
the amendment.
The CHAIR. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would
require States to collect and report information on whether
participants were receiving income-related assistance like health
insurance; child care assistance; school lunch; or the Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits; rental subsidies; or
perhaps even the earned income tax credit.
The information the amendment requests is not relevant to what we are
trying to learn from these demonstration projects, which is whether
different approaches improve earnings and employment. Asking for it is
an invasion of the privacy of the individuals, with no research
benefit.
Collecting this information also seems burdensome for States, and
would likely require them to ask participating employers to ask their
employees inappropriate personal questions that they would not ask of
any other employee.
Most importantly, I am concerned that requiring States to collect
information on these important work supports would make some States
think that they are supposed to discourage participants from accessing
these supports.
Both research and common sense clearly tell us that access to
supports like child care assistance, healthcare, and wage supplements
that pay for transportation and other work expenses make it more likely
that individuals will succeed in work. We should do nothing that might
discourage States from providing these supports to help workers
succeed. We should do nothing that might cause individuals to not make
use of what is available to them.
Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this amendment, and
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVIDSON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Nebraska (Mr. Smith).
Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Chairman, I thank Mr. Davidson for his
efforts.
Mr. Chairman, I support this amendment. I hope that we can evaluate
all of the programs that we have, coordinate among them, learn more
about their effectiveness, and ultimately respect folks in need and do
all we can that is appropriate to help lift themselves out of poverty.
Mr. DAVIDSON. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on
this.
Sunlight brings truth. Truth will set you free. My hope is truth will
set folks free from the trap that many people find in multigenerational
poverty. We really, truly want to help solve the problem and get the
information that will help us make our systems work effectively.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman
from Ohio (Mr. Davidson).
The question was taken; and the Chair announced that the ayes
appeared to have it.
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further proceedings on
the amendment offered by the gentleman from Ohio will be postponed.
Amendment No. 6 Offered by Mr. Khanna
The CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 6 printed in
House Report 115-187.
Mr. KHANNA. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 6, line 4, after ``project,'' insert ``including an
analysis of the project's effect on eligible recipients who
received additional credentialing and training during their
subsidized employment or participation in an apprenticeship
or career pathways program,''.
Page 7, line 10, insert at the end the following: ``Such
recommendations shall include recommendations on the effects
of additional credentialing and training provided during
subsidized employment or participation in an apprenticeship
or career pathways program.''.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 396, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Khanna) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
Mr. KHANNA. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 2842, the
Accelerating Individuals into the Workforce Act. I would like to thank
the sponsors of the bill, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Curbelo), and
the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions).
This bipartisan bill will assist low-income individuals by helping
some of our most needy Americans to enter the workforce and maintain
their employment. I believe one of the top priorities for Congress is
to help our middle class by creating wealth in the middle class and to
help the wages of the 50 percent of Americans who haven't had a wage
raise since 1980.
For far too long, many Americans have seen falling incomes, which
have left working families behind. My amendment is simple. It adds a
requirements for the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human
Services to measure the effect that training and credentialing has on
the recipients helped by this bill.
The public report and recommendations to Congress are already
mandated by the original bill. This amendment will not affect the
overall cost.
There is a body of research demonstrating that providing education
and training to TANF recipients makes people more likely to obtain good
jobs and increase their wages. They are more likely to stay employed.
The projects funded by this bill provide a great opportunity to add
to this
[[Page H5122]]
research so we can know how to better assist TANF recipients and other
unemployed workers.
I also want to thank the gentlewoman from Washington, (Ms. DelBene),
for her amendment to the bill during markup by the Committee on Ways
and Means. That amendment requires that at least one of the employment
demonstration projects must be an apprenticeship program.
I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support my
amendment that seeks to add information that can be used to modernize
our job training, credentialing, and apprenticeship program to match
those seeking employment with our current job openings.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the
amendment, although I am not opposed.
The CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for 5
minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Chairman, I support this amendment.
This amendment simply requires that the high-quality evaluations
include measurements or how many recipients participated in an
apprentice or career pathway program, and any credentials earned along
the way.
Earn-and-learn models--those where an individual is getting on-the-
job experience, earning a wage, and learning new occupational skills--
are one of the best types of workforce development models the
government can support. Apprenticeships, in particular, provide a
combination of occupational on-the-job training and related
instruction, helping to improve worker training and address critical
skill gaps that align with the needs of industry.
We know that the best way out of poverty is through work, and
apprenticeships provide a pathway to obtaining a successful career.
Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment as well as
the underlying bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman
from California (Mr. Khanna).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 7 Offered by Mr. Kilmer
The CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 7 printed in
House Report 115-187.
Mr. KILMER. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 7, line 10, after the period, insert the following:
``Such recommendations shall include recommendations on how
to address employment-related challenges in rural areas and
among members of federally recognized Indian tribes.''.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 396, the gentleman from
Washington (Mr. Kilmer) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington.
Mr. KILMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I am here this morning to talk about the biggest thing
on the minds of the folks that I represent: jobs.
I am glad that we are having a discussion today about how to help
people land a job that they can be proud of.
Whether I am at a VFW or a county fair, in a lot of the parts of the
region that I represent, this is the concern that I hear more than
anything else.
Today's bill would help people who are looking for work acquire
skills that help them land a bigger paycheck and a better career. I am
glad to offer an amendment with a fellow member of the Bipartisan
Working Group, Representative Valadao, to make sure that the bill that
is passed does some good for rural communities and for our tribal
partners as well.
I know firsthand the challenges that small towns across America are
facing. I grew up in a timber town in Washington State and watched some
of the parents of my friends and some of my neighbors lose their jobs
as mills shut down. These men and women are the hardworking Americans
that want work, want training, and want careers. In short, they want a
shot at a better life.
That is what this bill will do. I commend Mr. Curbelo and Mr. Davis
for bringing it forward. With our amendment, we can make sure that shot
is extended to all communities, no matter their ZIP Code.
Our amendment directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to
take a look at how to address employment challenges in rural areas and
those challenges facing members of federally recognized Native American
Tribes. It directs the Secretary then to provide recommendations to
Congress on what fixes actually work best.
When it comes to providing the training to get folks into quality
jobs, we want to make sure that we are not flying blind. Our amendment
makes sure that we have all the information we need to make the right
decisions and give folks who want a quality job a shot at that.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the
amendment, although I am not opposed.
The CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for 5
minutes.
There was no objection.
Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Chairman, I support this amendment.
The first hearing I held as chairman of the Ways and Means
Subcommittee on Human Resources was on the geography of poverty. People
often think of poverty only as they see it in cities, not realizing
poverty today is more common than ever in suburban and even rural
areas.
People also underestimate poverty in rural and remote areas, not
knowing the rates of poverty in these areas have, for decades, been
higher than in urban areas.
This amendment ensures the Secretary takes into account rural areas
and Indian Tribes when making recommendations on how to address
employment-related challenges.
Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment as well as
support the underlying bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. KILMER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for his support. And,
again, I thank Representatives Curbelo and Davis for their work on the
underlying bill, and the cooperation of Mr. Valadao for working to
address this challenge.
Mr. Chairman, I urge adoption of the amendment, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support
this amendment and the underlying bill, and I yield back the balance of
my time.
The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Mitchell). The question is on the amendment
offered by the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Kilmer).
The amendment was agreed to.
Announcement by the Acting Chair
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, proceedings
will now resume on those amendments printed in House Report 115-187 on
which further proceedings were postponed, in the following order:
Amendment No. 4 by Mr. Krishnamoorthi of Illinois.
Amendment No. 5 by Mr. Davidson of Ohio.
The Chair will reduce to 2 minutes the minimum time for any
electronic vote after the first vote in this series.
Amendment No. 4 Offered by Mr. Krishnamoorthi
The Acting CHAIR. The unfinished business is the demand for a
recorded vote on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Illinois
(Mr. Krishnamoorthi) on which further proceedings were postponed and on
which the ayes prevailed by voice vote.
The Clerk will redesignate the amendment.
The Clerk redesignated the amendment.
Recorded Vote
The Acting CHAIR. A recorded vote has been demanded.
A recorded vote was ordered.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 380,
noes 32, not voting 19, as follows:
[Roll No. 320]
AYES--380
Abraham
Adams
Aderholt
Aguilar
Allen
Amodei
Arrington
Bacon
Barletta
Barragan
Bass
Beatty
Bera
Bergman
Beyer
Bilirakis
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (MI)
Black
Blackburn
Blum
Blumenauer
Blunt Rochester
Bonamici
Bost
Boyle, Brendan F.
Brady (PA)
Brady (TX)
Brooks (IN)
[[Page H5123]]
Brown (MD)
Brownley (CA)
Buchanan
Buck
Bucshon
Budd
Bustos
Butterfield
Byrne
Calvert
Capuano
Carbajal
Cardenas
Carson (IN)
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Cartwright
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Chabot
Chaffetz
Cheney
Chu, Judy
Cicilline
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Coffman
Cohen
Cole
Collins (GA)
Collins (NY)
Comer
Comstock
Conaway
Connolly
Conyers
Cook
Cooper
Correa
Costa
Costello (PA)
Courtney
Cramer
Crawford
Crist
Crowley
Cuellar
Culberson
Curbelo (FL)
Davidson
Davis (CA)
Davis, Danny
Davis, Rodney
DeFazio
DeGette
Delaney
DeLauro
DelBene
Demings
Denham
Dent
DeSantis
DeSaulnier
Deutch
Diaz-Balart
Dingell
Doggett
Donovan
Doyle, Michael F.
Duffy
Duncan (TN)
Dunn
Ellison
Emmer
Eshoo
Espaillat
Estes (KS)
Esty (CT)
Evans
Faso
Ferguson
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Flores
Fortenberry
Foster
Foxx
Frankel (FL)
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Fudge
Gallego
Garamendi
Gianforte
Gibbs
Gonzalez (TX)
Goodlatte
Gottheimer
Gowdy
Granger
Graves (LA)
Graves (MO)
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Griffith
Grijalva
Grothman
Guthrie
Gutierrez
Hanabusa
Harper
Hartzler
Hastings
Heck
Hensarling
Herrera Beutler
Hice, Jody B.
Higgins (LA)
Higgins (NY)
Hill
Himes
Holding
Hollingsworth
Hoyer
Hudson
Huffman
Huizenga
Hultgren
Hunter
Hurd
Issa
Jackson Lee
Jayapal
Jeffries
Jenkins (KS)
Jenkins (WV)
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (LA)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson, E. B.
Jordan
Joyce (OH)
Kaptur
Katko
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kelly (PA)
Kennedy
Khanna
Kihuen
Kildee
Kilmer
Kind
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kinzinger
Knight
Krishnamoorthi
Kuster (NH)
Kustoff (TN)
Labrador
LaHood
Lamborn
Lance
Langevin
Larson (CT)
Latta
Lawrence
Lawson (FL)
Lee
Levin
Lewis (GA)
Lewis (MN)
Lipinski
LoBiondo
Loebsack
Lofgren
Loudermilk
Love
Lowenthal
Lowey
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Lujan Grisham, M.
Lujan, Ben Ray
Lynch
MacArthur
Maloney, Carolyn B.
Maloney, Sean
Marino
Marshall
Mast
Matsui
McCarthy
McCaul
McClintock
McCollum
McEachin
McGovern
McHenry
McKinley
McMorris Rodgers
McNerney
McSally
Meadows
Meehan
Meeks
Meng
Mitchell
Moolenaar
Mooney (WV)
Moore
Moulton
Mullin
Murphy (FL)
Murphy (PA)
Nadler
Neal
Newhouse
Noem
Nolan
Norcross
Nunes
O'Halleran
O'Rourke
Pallone
Palmer
Panetta
Pascrell
Paulsen
Payne
Perlmutter
Peters
Peterson
Pingree
Pittenger
Pocan
Poliquin
Polis
Price (NC)
Quigley
Raskin
Ratcliffe
Reed
Reichert
Rice (NY)
Rice (SC)
Roby
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rohrabacher
Rokita
Rooney, Francis
Rooney, Thomas J.
Ros-Lehtinen
Rosen
Roskam
Ross
Rothfus
Rouzer
Roybal-Allard
Royce (CA)
Ruiz
Ruppersberger
Rush
Russell
Rutherford
Ryan (OH)
Sanchez
Sanford
Sarbanes
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schneider
Schrader
Schweikert
Scott (VA)
Scott, Austin
Scott, David
Sensenbrenner
Serrano
Sessions
Sewell (AL)
Shea-Porter
Sherman
Shimkus
Shuster
Simpson
Sinema
Sires
Slaughter
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Smith (WA)
Smucker
Soto
Stefanik
Stewart
Stivers
Suozzi
Swalwell (CA)
Takano
Taylor
Tenney
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tipton
Titus
Tonko
Torres
Trott
Tsongas
Turner
Upton
Valadao
Vargas
Veasey
Vela
Velazquez
Visclosky
Wagner
Walberg
Walden
Walker
Walorski
Walters, Mimi
Walz
Waters, Maxine
Watson Coleman
Webster (FL)
Welch
Wenstrup
Westerman
Williams
Wilson (FL)
Wilson (SC)
Womack
Woodall
Yarmuth
Yoder
Young (AK)
Young (IA)
Zeldin
NOES--32
Amash
Babin
Banks (IN)
Barr
Barton
Biggs
Bishop (UT)
Brat
Brooks (AL)
Burgess
DesJarlais
Duncan (SC)
Farenthold
Gaetz
Gallagher
Gohmert
Graves (GA)
Harris
Jones
Kelly (MS)
Marchant
Massie
Messer
Olson
Palazzo
Pearce
Perry
Poe (TX)
Posey
Weber (TX)
Wittman
Yoho
NOT VOTING--19
Bridenstine
Cummings
Engel
Gabbard
Garrett
Gosar
Johnson, Sam
LaMalfa
Larsen (WA)
Lieu, Ted
Long
Napolitano
Pelosi
Renacci
Richmond
Scalise
Speier
Tiberi
Wasserman Schultz
{time} 1042
Messrs. BURGESS, WITTMAN, POSEY, and PERRY changed their vote from
``aye'' to ``no.''
Messrs. WOODALL, REED, ROKITA, and LAMBORN changed their vote from
``no'' to ``aye.''
So the amendment was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now
rise.
The motion was agreed to.
Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr.
Ferguson) having assumed the chair, Mr. Mitchell, Acting Chair of the
Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, reported that
that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2842) to
provide for the conduct of demonstration projects to test the
effectiveness of subsidized employment for TANF recipients, had come to
no resolution thereon.
____________________