NASWA Applauds House Passage of 'BRIDGE for Workers Act' -



Media Contact

Michelle Marshel, Director, Communications & Events
Phone: (202) 999-0168 | Email: mmarshel@naswa.org

For Immediate Release

 

WASHINGTON – The National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) was pleased to endorse H.R. 1759, known as the "BRIDGE for Workers Act." The bill received bipartisan support as it passed the U.S. House yesterday.

The Act allows states to provide Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments (RESEA), including individual career counseling, assistance with job searches, and information on the local labor market, to all those receiving unemployment benefits and not only to those most likely to exhaust their benefits.

“Passage of the ‘BRIDGE for Workers Act’ is a win for unemployed workers and will give states greater flexibility to help them find good paying jobs,” said Scott B. Sanders, Executive Director of NASWA. “We are grateful for the work of U.S. Reps. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), Jackie Walorski (R-IN), Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM), and Darin LaHood (R-IL) to introduce this bipartisan measure and we're excited to endorse it. This Act is critical to an economy desperately in need of skilled workers.”

NASWA’s 2019 Legislative Priorities herald the importance of reemployment services because they have a proven track record of accelerating unemployment beneficiaries’ return to work, with the additional benefit of reducing unemployment insurance payments.

 

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About the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (www.naswa.org): NASWA is the national organization representing all 50 state workforce agencies, District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. These agencies deliver training, employment, career, business, and wage and hour services, in addition to administering unemployment insurance, veteran reemployment, and labor market information programs. NASWA provides policy expertise, shares promising state practices, and promotes state innovation and leadership in workforce development.