PHOTOS: At White House, Harkin Applauds Signing of Bipartisan Bill to Update America’s Job Training Programs
At White House, Harkin Joined by Emilea Hillman of Independence, Iowa
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today issued the following statement after President Obama signed into law the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The bill seeks to update and improve the nation’s workforce development and vocational rehabilitation systems and was passed by the House and Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support. It is the 14th HELP Committee bill to become law in the 113th Congress under Harkin’s leadership as Chairman. Harkin was on hand at the White House to witness the bill signing, where he was joined by Iowan Emilea “Em” Hillman. Em was previously employed in a segregated workshop, but thanks to support from the Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services’ Self-Employment Program and assistance from her family, today she is the owner of Em's Coffee Company in Independence, Iowa. She employs six people, two of whom have disabilities.
“Today is a victory for workers and businesses in Iowa and around the country. With the President’s signature of the bipartisan Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act today, workers in the U.S., including those with disabilities, will have access to the training, education, and employment services they need to compete in the 21st century economy,” Harkin said. “This bill will pay dividends for years to come as these programs give more Americans the skills they need to secure good jobs and build a stronger future for themselves and their families.”
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, aimed at modernizing and improving existing federal workforce development programs and vocational rehabilitation programs, will help workers attain skills for 21st-century jobs and foster the modern workforce that evolving American businesses rely on to compete.
Harkin, the Senate author of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act, worked to ensure that WIOA included a much needed update to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to directly address the high unemployment rate among people with disabilities. Provisions of the update include requiring state Vocational Rehabilitation programs to work hand-in-hand with local secondary schools; ensuring that employers have the information necessary to recruit, hire, and retain people with disabilities; and requiring that state Vocational Rehabilitation programs dedicate 15 percent of their funds to transitioning young people into competitive, integrated employment. As a result of the Harkin-led provisions, this bill will help prepare a new generation of young people with disabilities to prepare for, obtain, and succeed in competitive, integrated employment.
Dozens of labor, business, disability advocacy, and workforce development leaders endorsed the legislation and urged Congress to pass it promptly. See the list of supporters here.
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