Washington, DC – Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a Leadership appointee of the House Budget Committee and senior member of the House Committees on Judiciary and Homeland Security and Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations, voted today to expand skills training and employment opportunities for the long-term unemployed. By lending her support to H.R. 2842, the “Accelerating Individuals into the Workforce Act,” the Congresswoman joined with both Democrats and Republicans to help pass the bipartisan measure through the House of Representatives.

“Any measure that expands workforce training and helps the unemployed secure jobs makes our communities stronger,” said Congresswoman Jackson Lee. The “Accelerating Individuals into the Workforce Act” infuses $100 million into proven programs that create career pathways for those persons who have desired to work, but whose lack of training has held them back.

Congresswoman Jackson Lee has a proud history of supporting initiatives to strengthen workforce training. During the last Congress, she introduced Bill H.R. 78, the “New Chance for a New Start in Life Act,” which directs the Secretary of Labor to make grants to nonprofits and to state and local governments to help grow employment training programs.

“We need to provide the training so that people can acquire the skills needed to achieve their dreams,” added Congresswoman Jackson Lee. “By accelerating workforce training, we move closer to extending the promise of America to every person who just wants to job.”

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is a Democrat from Texas’s 18th Congressional District. She is a senior member of the House Committees on Judiciary and Homeland Security and is a Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations.