Peoria Standard

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed Congressman Darin LaHood's (R-IL-16) H.R. 5861, the Building on Reemployment Improvements to Deliver Good Employment (BRIDGE) for Workers Act, by a voice vote. The legislation aims to provide states with greater flexibility in administering existing unemployment benefits to help more Americans find employment.

LaHood, Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Work and Welfare, introduced the BRIDGE for Workers Act with Subcommittee Ranking Member Danny Davis (D-IL-07) in November 2023. Rep. LaHood led the debate on the bill on the House Floor.

"The United States currently has 1.2 unfilled jobs for every unemployed worker, which underscores the need for Congress to incentivize individuals to get back into the workforce," said Work and Welfare Subcommittee Chairman LaHood. "The BRIDGE for Workers Act will provide more flexibility to the states and give individuals on unemployment greater access to workforce development tools, which will strengthen our communities and our economy. I am proud to see this strong bipartisan effort from the Ways and Means Committee pass the House, and I urge the Senate to pass it swiftly."

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) awards annual Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) grants to states and territories providing individual reemployment services for Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants. These services aim to help workers who might otherwise struggle to find new jobs by providing them with necessary tools, thereby reducing the number of weeks that UI claimants receive unemployment benefits.

Under current law, states can only use their federal grants to assist workers who are “most likely to exhaust their unemployment benefits.” This restriction prevents many unemployed workers from receiving valuable assistance. The BRIDGE for Workers Act seeks to remove this restriction, allowing states to use their allocated funding to support any individual receiving unemployment benefits if it is believed these services would help them return to work more quickly.

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