[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14876]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         STRENGTHEN THE ECONOMY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Schneider) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, our number one priority should always be 
strengthening our economy and expanding job growth and opportunity.
  That is why I launched the ``Brad At Your Business'' initiative, to 
hear firsthand about the opportunities and challenges facing the 
businesses in my district.
  So far I have visited more than 80 companies, speaking with owners, 
managers, and employees about their aspirations and needs for achieving 
success. I have spoken with some of the largest companies in our 
country, but also to small- and medium-sized businesses; second-, 
third-, and fourth-generation family firms, startups, advanced 
manufacturing companies, retail, and service firms.
  Throughout these visits, I have heard several recurring themes, 
including concerns about our growing skills gap, our aging 
infrastructure, the need to reform our broken immigration system, and 
the need to modernize our Tax Code to successfully compete in a global 
economy.
  These conversations have subsequently led to concrete actions, such 
as introducing the AMERICA Works Act and the LEARN Act, that will help 
better match worker training programs to specific employer needs.
  If we are to successfully lead a resurgence of the U.S. economy, we 
need more collaboration between our business owners, workers, and 
elected officials.
  Only by working together can we reignite social mobility, rebuild the 
ladders of opportunity, and achieve a more inclusive prosperity for all 
Americans.

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