Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This amendment changes the word ``and'' to ``or,'' as my colleague from Arkansas pointed out, and it may seem like a small change. But, instead, it inadvertently could take away the employers' seat at the table for apprenticeship grant partnerships. Let me explain why. Although my Republican colleague likely introduced this amendment to ensure that apprenticeship grantees do not have to partner with labor unions, the unintended consequence of this amendment is that it also ensures that applicants would not have to partner with an industry or sector partnership at the expense of only partnering with a union. Those in support of this amendment may not realize that nothing about this amendment prevents partnerships with labor organizations as industry or sector partnerships, as defined in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, or WIOA, require three key stakeholders: Representatives of multiple businesses or employers, including small and medium-sized employers, labor representatives, and education or training programs. Any way you slice it, this amendment does not actually meet the Republican goal of attacking labor unions but, instead, attacks small and medium-sized employers that could be part of these grant programs.…”