Committee Statements

Good afternoon, and welcome to the latest in a series of field hearings of the Education and the Workforce Committee.  It is good to be here in Nevada. We appreciate the time our witnesses have taken to be with us today, and we look forward to hearing their testimony.

I would like to extend my personal appreciation to the leadership and staff of the Opportunity Village, and recognize the men and women who have benefited from the support offered by this remarkable organization. Opportunity Village has provided hope to thousands of individuals with disabilities, and has stood as a model of service to the community. Through your hospitality, you’ve demonstrated why this organization stands out as the “favorite charity” of Las Vegas. We are grateful for your service and for hosting our hearing.

Since the start of the 112th Congress, members of this committee have made it a priority to actively engage with the men and women whose lives are touched by the policies developed in Washington. Today marks the sixth field hearing held by this committee during the last eight months, reflecting our commitment to bringing the voices and experiences of the people to federal policymakers. These hearings also reflect our belief that many of the most innovative solutions come not from the nation’s capital, but from workers, employers, citizens, and local leaders in towns across America.

With a bureaucracy as vast and complicated as the one that resides in Washington, it is easy to leave government programs on auto-pilot, resulting in less effective support for those in need and wasted taxpayer dollars. Unfortunately, this sums up the state of the nation's job training programs.

According to a recent report by the non-partisan Government Accountability Office, the federal government administers 47 separate job training programs spread across nine different agencies, representing an annual taxpayer investment of $18 billion. Forty-four programs overlap with at least one other program. Only five programs have been evaluated to determine whether they are effectively serving workers.

Our deficits and debt are skyrocketing and unemployment continues to hover around 9 percent. Wasting the hard-earned dollars of taxpayers and squandering support for workers is unacceptable.

In 1998, Congress passed the Workforce Investment Act, which provided workers with a system of one-stop centers that offer the support they need in a more efficient and effective way, and took a first step toward streamlining job training and employment programs. However, this law is long overdue for reform. And as the GAO report makes clear, we have a lot of work ahead of us to enhance support for workers and promote better use of taxpayer dollars.

Just as importantly, we must ensure these services reflect the realities of today’s workforce. Last week, the Congressional Budget Office released a grim report on our nation’s economic future. In the report, the non-partisan budget office projects that a year from now unemployment may be as high as 8.5 percent. The report cites a number of structural impediments hindering hiring across the country, including “a mismatch between the requirements of existing job openings and characteristics of job seekers.”

Simply put, unemployed workers would have a better shot at finding a job if they had the skills and training needed for today’s workplaces. Many states, including Nevada, have advanced positive solutions that try to bridge the gap between workers and employers. I look forward to learning more about these efforts and how we can advance similar initiatives in Washington.

Before I close, I would like to thank Congressman Buck McKeon, a senior member of this committee and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, for being with us and for his dedication to the nation’s workers. He has long championed job training reform, and his leadership will be extremely important as this process moves forward.

I would also like to thank Congressman Joe Heck for his service on the committee and for his continued advocacy for a better approach to support workers in a more fiscally responsible way. Without any objection, I will now yield to Congressman Heck for some brief opening remarks.