[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3641]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1730
                               SKILLS ACT

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow the House will 
vote on the Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills Act, 
or SKILLS Act. With 12 million Americans out of work and 3.6 million 
job openings unfilled, the SKILLS Act will modernize and reform our 
Federal workforce development programs and reauthorize the Workforce 
Investment Act.
  As a former volunteer member of a Workforce Investment Board who had 
the responsibility for administering these training opportunities, I 
witnessed firsthand the difficulty and expense these duplicative and 
overlapping programs create. The SKILLS Act consolidates current 
programs efficiently so that individuals seeking training will be able 
to navigate the system with greater success and greater access. The 
SKILLS Act also refocuses the accountability and control at the local 
level rather than Washington.
  Mr. Speaker, America's competitiveness depends on having a qualified 
and trained workforce. The SKILLS Act offers just that. President Obama 
called on Congress in 2012 to work with him to develop a skills 
training program that is more efficient and effective. The SKILLS Act 
does just that. Let's take action to put Americans back to work and 
make America more competitive.

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