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Update: On July 22, 2014, President Obama signed this bill into law.
One of the few employment-related bills considered this term is on its way to the President’s desk. On July 9, the House overwhelmingly approved the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (H.R. 803) by a vote of 415-6 (with 11 not voting).
As previously discussed, last month the Senate approved this bill, which primarily reauthorizes and consolidates a number of federal job training programs.
The measure includes provisions that give private sector employers the ability to provide greater input on the types of skills needed for today’s workforce. For example, the bill requires that each Job Corps center created by the Job Corps program maintain a workforce council, the majority of which “shall be owners of business concerns, chief executives or chief operating officers of nongovernmental employers, or other private sector employers, who (i) have substantial management, hiring, or policy responsibility; and (ii) represent businesses with employment opportunities that reflect the employment opportunities of the applicable local areas in which enrollees will be seeking employment.” The idea is that local employers are in the best position to know which skills best meet job demands.
The President is expected to sign this measure into law shortly.
More information on the bill can be found here.