On February 21, Republicans on the House Education and Workforce Committee released a proposed bill to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). The measure entitled, Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills (SKILLS) Act, would reform federal job training and employment assistance programs. According to the Committee’s press release, Higher Education and Workforce Training Subcommittee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) is set to introduce the bill formally today, February 25. The proposal would authorize governors to reserve 15 percent of funds allotted for statewide employment and training activities, in contrast to the version of the reauthorization bill introduced last Congress (HR 4297), which initially included a 5 percent set-aside for governors and was later revised to increase the set-aside to 10 percent. Earlier this month, on February 15, Democrats on the House Education and Workforce Committee formally introduced their version of the WIA reauthorization bill. This bill is reportedly similar to the version that the Democrats proposed last Congress, which did include a 15 percent set-aside for governors. The links below provide more details on the recently introduced legislative measures.

Link: 2/21 Press Release; 2/15 Press Release