Heidi Alexander: “while the Senator from Iowa is still on the floor, I wish to compliment him. The committee which he chairs-- of which I…”

“while the Senator from Iowa is still on the floor, I wish to compliment him. The committee which he chairs-- of which I am the ranking member--has produced 19 bills this year for this Congress, 10 of which have become law. No other committee has produced as much--this will add one to that--and that is not because we agree on everything. The truth is we disagree on a lot of things, but we have found a way--when there is a chance to get a result--to come together. Senator Harkin has helped to create an environment in which Senator Isakson and Senator Murray, and a group of other Senators, have finally brought this Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to a conclusion, and a lot of other Senators have tried, and it has taken a long time to do it. Our focus today should be on the workers of America and people who need jobs. I think it is important to point out that when the Senate tries to do it this way and allow everybody to have a chance to have a say, we can get a pretty good result. This is $10 billion, and for our State--I say to the Senator from Iowa--it is $145 million for the single biggest issue in our State: How do I get a better job? It is not a matter of Washington telling you how to do that. This is a bill that empowers States to enable people to get the skills they need so they can get a better job. I thank the chairman for the way he has worked on this, and I wanted to say that while he was on the floor.…”