Title: Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that infrastructure spending bills should include development programs that recruit and train individuals from communities with high unemployment rates.
Policy area: Labor and Employment

Summary:
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that infrastructure spending bills enacted during the 115th Congress should include: (1) investments in workforce development programs to recruit and train unemployed veterans that have served in a conflict since September 11, 2001, and individuals from communities with high unemployment rates; and (2) outreach efforts geared toward underrepresented contractors, including minority- and women-owned businesses, veteran owned small businesses, service-disabled veteran owned small businesses, and offerors that employ veterans on a full-time basis.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 159 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 159

       Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 
infrastructure spending bills should include development programs that 
 recruit and train individuals from communities with high unemployment 
                                 rates.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 28, 2017

 Mr. Meeks (for himself, Ms. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Mr. 
 Walz, and Ms. Plaskett) submitted the following resolution; which was 
     referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
       Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 
infrastructure spending bills should include development programs that 
 recruit and train individuals from communities with high unemployment 
                                 rates.

Whereas America would need to spend approximately $1.44 trillion over the next 
        10 years to close the infrastructure gap;
Whereas the infrastructure workforce is aging at a rate where approximately 
        3,000,000 workers will need to be replaced over the next 10 years, 
        compounding America's infrastructure crisis;
Whereas infrastructure jobs include a wide range of employment opportunities in 
        both the public and private sectors, including design, construction, 
        operation, governance, and maintenance of America's assets;
Whereas infrastructure jobs provide competitive wages with low barriers to 
        entry, many of which require on-the-job training in lieu of formal 
        higher education;
Whereas in spite of rising income inequality, infrastructure jobs paid 
        approximately 30 percent more to low-income individuals than other 
        occupations between the years of 2005 and 2015;
Whereas in the fourth quarter of 2016, African-Americans and Hispanics between 
        the ages of 25 and 34 had the highest unemployment levels at 8.6 percent 
        and 5.3 percent, respectively;
Whereas the unemployment rate for military veterans serving in conflicts since 
        September 11, 2001, has remained above the national unemployment rate, 
        with the Federal Reserve of Chicago highlighting how wartime deployment 
        can limit the types of training veterans receive that are transferable 
        to the civilian labor market; and
Whereas the Federal Government should make concerted efforts, by coordination 
        with State and local governments, workforce development agencies, 
        educational institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and 
        Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions, to recruit, train, and 
        retain America's next generation of infrastructure workers to close the 
        workforce gap: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) any infrastructure spending bill enacted during the 
        115th Congress should include robust investments in workforce 
        development programs that take meaningful actions to recruit 
        and train individuals from communities with high unemployment 
        rates, including African-American communities, Hispanic 
        communities, and American Indian tribal areas;
            (2) any infrastructure spending bill enacted during the 
        115th Congress should include robust investments in workforce 
        development programs that take meaningful actions to recruit 
        and train unemployed veterans that have served in a conflict 
        since September 11, 2001; and
            (3) any infrastructure spending bill enacted during the 
        115th Congress should include meaningful outreach efforts 
        geared toward underrepresented contractors, including minority- 
        and women-owned businesses, veteran owned small businesses, 
        service-disabled veteran owned small businesses, and offerors 
        that employ veterans on a full-time basis.
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