This has been in the works for years....
Today, a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers announced that they have reached a deal to improve the nation’s workforce development system through new legislation, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The bill, which will now be considered by both the House and Senate, modernizes and improves existing federal workforce development programs, helps workers attain skills for 21stcentury jobs, and fosters the modern workforce that evolving American businesses rely on to compete.;
WIOA represents a compromise between the SKILLS Act (H.R. 803), which passed the House of Representatives in March 2013 with bipartisan support, and the Workforce Investment Act of 2013 (S. 1356), which passed through the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee with a bipartisan vote of 18-3 in July of 2013.A one-page summary of the legislation can be found here.
The statement of managers, including a section-by-section summary of the legislation, can be found here.
A summary of key improvements WIOA makes to current workforce development programs can be found here.
The text of the bipartisan, bicameral agreement can be found here.