[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 164 (Tuesday, September 22, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H4648-H4649]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  0945
              UNLEASHING THE SPIRIT OF THE AMERICAN DREAM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kentucky (Mr. Barr) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the chairman of the Republican 
Study Committee's American Worker Task Force. This task force was 
established to provide policy recommendations to empower millions of 
American workers to reclaim their version of the American Dream.
  This task force, really, Mr. Speaker, is all about the American 
Dream, which is the idea that the condition of your birth should not 
determine the outcome of your life and that, in America, because of the 
blessings of freedom that we are given, anyone, regardless of race, 
color, creed, gender, or any station in life, through hard work, 
persistence, and determination, can achieve upward mobility, can 
achieve his or her God-given potential, and can realize that American 
Dream.
  This afternoon, the American Worker Task Force will unveil its report 
to change flawed policies from Washington, D.C., to unleash the spirit 
of the American Dream and to give workers their opportunity at upward 
mobility.
  First, we are going to propose policy changes that will refocus labor 
policy to unleash American workers and allow them to realize their God-
given potential. This includes increasing opportunities for 
apprenticeships, not just Department of Labor, Washington-directed, 
centrally planned registered apprenticeships, apprenticeships that may 
or may not yield fruitful careers in in-demand jobs in the labor 
market, in the real world, but, instead, also recognizing 
apprenticeships that are industry-recognized, industry-driven, and that 
meet the jobs that are actually available in the labor market.
  We are going to be proposing ideas about eliminating overly 
restrictive occupational licensing requirements and giving workers 
greater flexibility in the way they are compensated, to choose comp 
time as opposed to just overtime.
  Secondly, we want to reimagine our failed welfare policies to remove 
the trap of government dependency and, instead, create a system that 
propels American individuals and families to extraordinary success and 
prosperity.
  This includes providing alternatives to the failed Housing First 
policies: to provide Americans access in housing assistance with 
wraparound services to actually meet those individuals where they are; 
to provide them with career counseling and perhaps, if needed, 
addiction recovery services and financial literacy.
  We want second-chance employees to have access to the labor market. 
Whether they have been incarcerated before, whether they are struggling 
with an addiction, whether they have failed to get the skills that they 
need, we believe that second-chance and third-chance employees are 
desperately needed in America's economy today.
  We also want work incentives for able-bodied, work-capable adults, 
especially those without dependents, because we know that work is a 
blessing; work is not a punishment.
  And, third, we want to refine our education system to debunk the 
bachelors-

[[Page H4649]]

or-bust mentality, to encourage innovative careers and better equip 
American workers with the skills they need to adapt and thrive in the 
ever-changing 21st century economy. That means in preparing people for 
higher education, it is not just about a 4-year degree; it is also 
about career and technical education, skills-based education.
  We believe that there should be deductibility for up-skilling so that 
employers can give workers the skills that are needed for them to move 
and advance in their careers.
  We think there should be transparency outcomes in higher education. 
And we think, to deal with the student loan debt crisis, we need to 
recognize that the return on investment is very important, and career 
and technical education can provide that opportunity.
  We believe in income-sharing agreements as an alternative to the debt 
trap of Federal student loans.
  The policies that constitute these three key policy platforms are the 
result of over a year and a half of deliberations by task force 
members. We conducted listening sessions with think tanks and policy 
experts, small business owners, and workers from across our districts.
  Mr. Speaker, in the Sixth Congressional District of Kentucky, which I 
represent in Congress, I have already seen the benefits of investing in 
career and technical education and job training.
  The Kentucky Welding Institute in Fleming County, Kentucky, graduates 
students in less than 6 months, readying them for careers in welding 
that can earn them over $100,000 a year.
  In Estill County, Kentucky, the Estill County Area Technical Center, 
currently under construction, will be a state-of-the-art job training 
facility that is scheduled to open in August of 2021. Kentuckians will 
train for jobs in advanced manufacturing, in diesel mechanics, health 
sciences, information technology and science technology, engineering 
and math, in addition to many other industries.
  I am proud to have supported a $4 million grant from the Economic 
Development Administration that will yield a return on investment in 
just a few months, graduating taxpayers.
  Mr. Speaker, this report could not be a more timely endeavor in the 
face of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing economic uncertainty that 
has followed.
  Although progrowth tax, regulatory, and trade policies have enabled 
unemployment to come back down to single digits and the stock market to 
rebound, Americans still need Congress to take up a bold, comprehensive 
agenda to pave the way for more jobs.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage everyone to consider these very important 
proworker recommendations.

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