Virginia Foxx: “I want to thank the chairman for his support in this and all the members of the committee who helped work on this bill.…”

“I want to thank the chairman for his support in this and all the members of the committee who helped work on this bill. I would like to add my thanks to those that the chairman has made to the staff, in particular, Juliane Sullivan, James Bergeron, Brian Melnyk, and Rosemary Lahasky, for the incredible work that they have done. I also want to thank Eric Cantor, our majority leader, and Senators Isakson and Patty Murray for the wonderful support that they have given. Madam Speaker, today's vote on the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act is important for the millions of Americans who are looking for work. It is also important for the employers who have 4.6 million job opportunities that remain unfilled due to the skills gap. Closing this gap will specifically improve the lives of many Americans who are currently looking for work while generally helping our economy grow. Today's vote is the culmination of an 18-month process of legislating the old-fashioned way: discussion, negotiation and compromise. This has been a bipartisan and bicameral process. It has been a privilege to play a role in it. Madam Speaker, as you know, last year, the House passed H.R. 803, the SKILLS Act, a bill to reform our Nation's mishmash of workforce development programs. About 2 weeks ago, after much negotiation, the Senate passed an amended version of H.R. 803 and renamed it the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.…”