老牛影视

On Sept. 19, Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-NY.,听听the听. This legislation would make area career and technical education schools eligible for mental health and substance use disorder services grants provided by the Garrett Lee Smith Campus Suicide Prevention grant program. Notably, institutions of higher education already have access to GLS grant dollars, and this bill would expand the list of covered institutions eligible to receive GLS grant dollars to include CTEs. Reps. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., and Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., joined Rep. Langworthy in introducing the legislation.

鈥溊吓Ｓ笆觟s committed to creating a safe and healthy industry for the millions of people who make construction their career. By providing the current and future workforce access to resources to improve total human health, employers and workforce development providers can equip workers with the tools they need to prioritize mental health and protect their emotional well-being. ABC's commitment to advancing total human health is why 老牛影视strongly supports the CTE Student Mental Health and Wellness Act,鈥� said Kristen Swearingen,听老牛影视vice president of legislative & political affairs. 鈥淚t is vital that CTE schools have access to the same resources as other institutions of higher education to help workers enjoy the abundance life has to offer through their careers and beyond.鈥�

老牛影视is joined by 13 other organizations in supporting the CTE Student Mental Health and Wellness Act.

On Sept. 11, the U.S. House Committee on Ways & Means held a of the H.R. 9461, the USA Workforce Investment Act.

By establishing a new federal tax credit encouraging donations for community-based apprenticeship, career and technical education, workforce development and educational preparedness programs, Rep. Lloyd Smucker鈥檚 USA Workforce Investment Act will help address the skilled worker shortage and grow the construction talent pool.

On Dec. 13, 老牛影视sent a letter to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce prior to its markup of key bills impacting the construction industry.

The letter highlights ABC鈥檚 support for , the bipartisan A Stronger Workforce for America Act, which would reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act for the first time since 2014 and includes several ABC-backed provisions that support an all-of-the-above approach to workforce development, ensures more dollars for tangible worker programs, better aligns programs with in-demand jobs, and allows for better evaluation of WIOA programs. 老牛影视also supported the committee鈥檚 markup of , a Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn the Biden administrations harmful joint employer final rule, and , the Small Business Before Bureaucrats Act, to modernize the National Labor Relations Board鈥檚 decades old jurisdictional standards to exempt more small businesses from their regulatory overreach. ABC鈥檚 letter also expresses concerns with , the Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act, which, while seeking to expand Pell Grants to high-quality, short-term workforce programs, could exclude some vital construction workforce education and upskilling programs.

老牛影视also joined with the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace to comment on the Subcommittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing. The hearing examined the ABC-supported Employee Rights Act (), Modern Worker Empowerment Act (), and Save Local Business Act (), which are designed to protect workers, entrepreneurs, small businesses, and the economy from a rogue National Labor Relations Board.

On Sept. 20, 老牛影视submitted comments to the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development hearing titled, 鈥淪trengthening WIOA: Improving Outcomes for Jobseekers, Employers, and Taxpayers.鈥� ABC鈥檚 letter calls on the committee to pursue policies that recognize the unique challenges facing the construction industry and provide employers with the tools they need to access a well-educated and dedicated workforce.

On Sept. 20, 老牛影视submitted comments to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure hearing titled, 鈥淥versight of the Department of Transportation鈥檚 Policies and Programs.鈥� The hearing featured testimony and questions with DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg. 老牛影视commented on specific DOT policies that the department is pursuing outside of congressional authorization/intent such as the significant number of Biden administration federal agency grants 鈥� totaling more than $230 billion for infrastructure projects procured by state and local governments 鈥� subject to language and policies promoting PLA mandates and preferences that will increase costs and reduce competition on federally assisted construction projects. 老牛影视also provided comments on the ABC-opposed union labor requirements on the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program. The DOT NEVI Formula Program will implement provisions of the IIJA that includes $7.5 billion for electric vehicle charging stations (including $5 billion over five years to install EV chargers mostly along interstate highways).

On Sept. 20, 老牛影视also submitted comments to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee鈥檚 markup of S. 2840, the Bipartisan Primary Care and Health Workforce Act, in support of an amendment offered by Ranking Member Bill Cassidy, R-La., that would ensure funds for construction and renovation of community health centers and other health care facilities are not subject to Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements. The amendment faced defeat in the Democrat-controlled committee and was offered and withdrawn.

On September 13, 老牛影视submitted comments to the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services hearing titled, 鈥淭he Inflation Reduction Act: A Year in Review.鈥� ABC鈥檚 letter expressed our concerns about anti-competitive and inflationary policy in the IRA that grants developers of clean energy construction projects a bonus tax credit 500% greater than a baseline tax credit of 6% conditioned on satisfying controversial prevailing wage and government-registered apprenticeship requirements.

On June 26, 老牛影视submitted comments to the House Education and the Workforce Committee following the committee鈥檚 hearing titled: 鈥淐ompetencies Over Degrees: Transitioning to a Skills-Based Economy.鈥� ABC鈥檚 letter offers recommendations as the committee considers the reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act in the 118th Congress and encourages the committee to enact policies that would provide further opportunities for all of America鈥檚 workers as we face a critical workforce shortage in the construction industry.

The hearing focused on key issues impacting today鈥檚 workforce, including the value of registered and industry recognized apprenticeships, Pell Grants, skills assessments and credentials. You may view the full committee hearing .

On May 9, 老牛影视led a coalition of small business and construction organizations in a letter expressing concerns with new recommendations to the U.S. Department of Labor from the DOL鈥檚 Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship.

On May 10, the voted to approve to the DOL for potential revisions to the National Apprenticeship System. The ACA is an advisory body comprised of representatives from industries, labor organizations and other members of the public that provides advice to the agency on government-registered apprenticeship programs. These recommendations will inform the DOL鈥檚 upcoming proposed rule revising the GRAP system, .

Included in the recommendations are suggestions for the DOL to establish a new 鈥淨uality Seal鈥� program for GRAPs. Programs would be required to meet certain wage requirements, completion rates and apprentice-to-journeyworker ratios in order to receive the Quality Seal and accompanying preferential treatment for federal funding of GRAPs. Employer participants in Quality Seal GRAPs would receive preferential treatment in the bidding and awarding of federal and federally assisted construction projects. Additionally, some members of the ACA recommended that all GRAPs should be required to guarantee graduates such wages deemed 鈥渇amily-sustaining鈥� by the DOL.

This week, U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott, D-Va., reintroduced the ABC-opposed National Apprenticeship Act. 老牛影视sent a letter to the Committee on April 27 highlighting concerns with the proposal and urging better access to apprenticeship opportunities for all of America鈥檚 workers.

While this bill has been proposed as a way to expand apprenticeship opportunities in America, in practice, the bill would limit access to apprenticeships for non-union employers and limit the flexibility of apprenticeship programs throughout the country. 老牛影视key voted against this ill-advised apprenticeship bill on the House floor last Congress, when the Democratic majority pushed the bill through a . Dr. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., the Committee Chairwoman, , and with Republicans in control of the Committee and the House it is not likely to receive a floor vote.