Peoria Standard

The House Ways and Means Committee has successfully passed Congressman Darin LaHood's bipartisan Building on Reemployment Improvements to Deliver Good Employment (BRIDGE) for Workers Act. This legislation aims to provide states with more flexibility in administering unemployment benefits, ultimately assisting more Americans in finding well-paying jobs.

Congressman LaHood, who serves as the Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Work and Welfare, introduced the BRIDGE for Workers Act in collaboration with Subcommittee Ranking Member Danny Davis. Speaking on the importance of the bill, Rep. LaHood highlighted the current disparity between job openings and unemployed individuals in the United States.

"The United States currently has 1.5 unfilled jobs for every unemployed worker, which underscores the need for Congress to incentivize individuals to get back into the workforce," said Rep. LaHood.

The BRIDGE for Workers Act seeks to address this issue by granting states greater flexibility in utilizing existing unemployment benefits. It aims to provide individuals on unemployment with improved access to workforce development tools, ultimately strengthening both communities and the economy.

Expressing his pride in working with Ranking Member Davis on this important issue, Rep. LaHood urged swift passage of the bill in the full House.

"The BRIDGE for Workers Act provides more flexibility to the states and gives individuals on unemployment greater access to workforce development tools, which will strengthen our communities and our economy. I am proud to work with my colleague from Chicago, Ranking Member Davis, on this important issue and urge the full House to swiftly pass our bill."

The BRIDGE for Workers Act tackles the issue of limited access to reemployment services for Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants. Currently, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) awards Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) grants to states and territories to provide individual reemployment services.

However, under current law, these grants can only be used to assist workers who are "most likely to exhaust their unemployment benefits." This restriction hinders many unemployed workers from receiving the valuable assistance they need to find new employment.

The BRIDGE for Workers Act aims to remove this unnecessary restriction, allowing states to use their allocated funding to provide support to any individual receiving unemployment benefits. As long as the state believes that these services would aid in their return to work more quickly, they would have the flexibility to utilize the funding accordingly.

In summary, the passage of Congressman Darin LaHood's BRIDGE for Workers Act by the House Ways and Means Committee marks an important step towards providing states with the flexibility they need to administer unemployment benefits effectively. By removing unnecessary restrictions, this legislation aims to assist more Americans in finding good-paying jobs and strengthening both communities and the economy as a whole.

To find out more, go to this link: https://lahood.house.gov/2023/11/lahood-s-bridge-for-worker-s-act-passes-ways-and-means-committee