Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 447, the National Apprenticeship Act of 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant and lasting hardship for our Nation's workers. Millions of people are still without work, and at least 7 million of the jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic will not come back. During this historic economic downturn, we must use every tool we have to help workers find jobs and prepare them for high- quality jobs and employment opportunities of the future. The most successful of these tools that we have, without question, is our registered apprenticeship system. Each year, hundreds of thousands of workers count on registered apprenticeships to learn in-demand skills, earn wages that grow along with those skills, and receive nationally recognized credentials that lead to rewarding careers. Registered apprenticeships are so successful that 94 percent of apprentices are employed upon completion and they earn an average starting wage of more than $70,000 a year. Yet Congress has not reauthorized the National Apprenticeship Act since it was first passed as part of the New Deal in 1937. Simply put, we have left our Nation's very best workforce development initiative underresourced at a time when we need it most.…”