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Overhead view of House floor

Representatives Meuser, Krishnamoorthi Introduce Bipartisan “Partnerships for American Jobs Act”

March 17, 2020

Legislation will fund new initiative to utilize the public media outlets to address the skills gap and workforce development needs across the nation.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Dan Meuser (R-PA-09) and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08) introduced the Partnerships for American Jobs Act, a bipartisan effort to establish a new grant program at the Department of Education. This legislation would promote available skills training programs and job opportunities in our communities through the powerful platform of public media stations.

Congressman Meuser said,"Since coming to Congress, economic revitalization has been a top priority of mine. Closing the skills gap by helping my constituents get the training they need to fill jobs in our communities is key to reviving the economy of Pennsylvania's Ninth District. The Partnerships for American Jobs Act utilizes public media stations, which reach 99% of the American population, to promote available skills training programs and job opportunities in our communities. Harnessing the power of public media is an innovative, effective way to connect job-seekers, small businesses, and career technical institutions to address workforce development needs across the nation."

"America's Public Television Stations are most grateful to Congressman Krishnamoorthi and Congressman Meuser for introducing the Partnership for American Jobs Act", said Patrick Butler, CEO of America's Public Television Stations (APTS). "The Partnership for American Jobs Act will match the powerful educational resources of public media with the enormous challenge of creating a more competitive American workforce to succeed in the global economy."

"For more than 50 years, public media organizations have served as trusted partners and civic leaders in our local communities," said Congressman Krishnamoorthi. "At the same time, we currently have a skills gap equaling over 7 million, where employers can't find adequately trained employees for good-paying, in-demand jobs. Simply put, this bipartisan legislation leverages the power of public media to expose and prepare Americans for these jobs while simultaneously strengthening local economies. I sincerely appreciate Rep. Meuser's leadership in co-leading this bill and want to also thank America's Public Television Stations for their support."

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