CONYERS AND 31 HOUSE DEMOCRATS REINTRODUCE BILL TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO JOBS AND TRAINING FOR ALL AMERICANS

WASHINGTON– Last week, Representative John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13), with support from 31 Democratic Members of Congress, reintroduced H.R. 1000, the “Humphrey-Hawkins 21st Century Full Employment and Training Act.”  The bill establishes a comprehensive job creation and training program that would create millions of new jobs and raise wages throughout the country. The bill, which is funded by a small tax on Wall Street speculation, would employ Americans in projects such as the renovation of housing and schools, infrastructure repair, expanding access to broadband and wireless Internet, neighborhood beautification projects, among many other community initiatives in the health and education sectors.  This direct job creation effort would be coupled with a significant increase in funding for job training programs funded under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. 

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

“While President Obama has made great strides in job creation, there are still millions of Americans seeking full-time employment and a livable wage,” Conyers said. “While the official unemployment rate has dropped, there are still more than 20 million Americans who want full time work. In my hometown of Detroit—as in many urban and rural communities throughout the country—the local unemployment rate remains above 25 percent. The direct job creation strategy in H.R.1000 is the only proven way to ensure that millions of American workers are not stuck on the sidelines of this economic recovery.”

Polls indicate that many Americans remain concerned about the state of the job market, even as the official unemployment rate has declined to 5.7 percent. A poll released last week by Associated Press-GfK found that only 35 percent of Americans say their own family has “mostly recovered” from the recession, while even fewer—27 percent—see the their local job market as being “most of the way to recovery.”

Conyers added that “the persistent lack of full time jobs is the greatest single cause of America’s wage stagnation. When more jobs are available, workers gain the power to bargain for higher wages.”

Conyers’ bill would address these lingering job shortages by providing resources for employment and training programs administered by non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and state and local governments.  H.R. 1000 prioritizes projects in those regions that have higher level of unemployment, underemployment, and non-labor force participation.

H.R. 1000 received the endorsement of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators at their December 2014 legislative conference.

Original Congressional co-sponsors of the measure included Karen Bass (D-CA), Corrine Brown (D-FL), Michael E. Capuano (D-MA), André Carson (D-IN), Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY), Judy Chu (D-CA),  Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Donna Edwards (D-MD), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Sam Farr (D-CA), Al Green (D-TX), Raul M. Grijalva (D-AZ), Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL), Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX),  Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (D-GA),  Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), Barbara Lee (D-CA), John Lewis (D-GA), Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Albio Sires (D-NJ), Mark Takano (D-CA), John Yarmuth (D-KY), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Richard M. Nolan (D-MN), José E. Serrano (D-NY), Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL), John Yarmuth (D-KY).

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