WASHINGTON, D.C.-Yesterday, the House of Representatives approved the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act by a bipartisan vote of 415-6. When the bill is signed by the President, as he has indicated he will do, fourteen bills in the HELP Committee’s jurisdiction-under the leadership of Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA)-will have become law in the 113th Congress. In a Congress dominated by partisan gridlock and Republican obstructionism, the bipartisan successes of the HELP Committee stand out.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act modernizes and improves existing federal workforce development programs, helps workers attain skills for 21st-century jobs, and fosters the modern workforce that evolving American businesses rely on to compete. It contains provisions championed by Chairman Harkin-the Senate author of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act- that will support people with disabilities as they seek to enter and remain in competitive, integrated job settings.
“As Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, it has been an exciting year to see this important piece of legislation move from committee, to a Senate vote of 95-3, and finally to House passage. Over the last 40 years, America’s backbone - the middle class - has found it harder and harder to make ends meet as wages have stagnated and costs have risen. This bill is part of the solution to this challenge facing our middle class. Access to education, training, and employment services is critical to helping our workers secure good jobs, gain access to the middle class, and become economically self-sufficient. This bill will help us achieve these goals," Harkin said.
“Most importantly to me, this bill includes long-overdue and much-needed provision that will help persons with disabilities to enter the workforce. I am proud that this bill addresses the disproportionate burden of unemployment and underemployment experienced by people with disabilities. Despite the enormous progress we have made in ensuring that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as those without disabilities, the sad fact is that they experience unemployment at twice the rate and a workforce participation rate less than half that of the general population. This bill takes major steps to correct this injustice, and will help to prepare a new generation of young people with disabilities to prepare for, obtain, and succeed in competitive integrated employment. Finally, we are giving persons with disabilities the same supports and experiences that everyone else expects and receives.
“This bill represents the best of what Congress can accomplish when we work together. Again, I want to thank my colleagues for their hard work and dedication in helping us reach this historical moment."
In addition to winning strong bipartisan support in both chambers, the bill is supported by a broad array of labor, business, workforce development leaders, and disability advocates, as well as governors and mayors from around the country. A one-page summary of the legislation can be found here.
The HELP Committee bills that are law or will soon become law in the 113th Congress are as follows:
1. H.R. 307, Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2013 (PAHPA) (Senators Burr, Harkin, Alexander, and Casey)
2. S. 622, Animal Drug and Animal Generic Drug User Fee Reauthorization Act of 2013 (ADUFA/AGDUFA) (Senators Harkin and Alexander)
3. H.R. 1911, Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act of 2013 (Senators Alexander, Blunt, Burr, Carper, Coburn, Durbin, Enzi, Harkin, Heller, Hoeven, Isakson, King and McCaskill)
4. H.R. 2094, School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act (Senators Durbin, Kirk, and Harkin)
5. S. 330, HIV Organ Policy Equity Act (HOPE Act) (Senators Boxer, Coburn, Baldwin, Paul, and Harkin)
6. H.R.2747, Streamlining Claims Processing for Federal Contractor Employees Act (Senator Harkin)
7. S. 252, Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers Who Deliver Infants Early (PREEMIE) Reauthorization Act (Senators Alexander, Bennet, and Harkin)
8. S. 1561, CHIMP Act Amendments of 2013 (Senators Harkin, Alexander, Burr, Landrieu, and Collins)
9. S. 424, National Pediatric Research Network Act of 2013 (Senators Brown, Wicker, Blumenthal, Collins, Portman, Whitehouse)
10. H.R. 3204, Drug Quality and Security Act (Senators Harkin, Alexander, Franken, Roberts, Bennet, and Burr)
11. HR. 3527, the Poison Center Network Act (Senators Murray, Burr, and Harkin)
12. S.1302, Cooperative and Small Employer Charity Pension Flexibility Act (Senators Harkin and Roberts)
13. S. 1557, Children’s Hospital GME Reauthorization Act of 2013 (Senators Casey, Isakson, Whitehouse, Harkin, and Alexander)
14. H.R. 803, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) (Senators Murray, Isakson, Harkin, and Alexander)
