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Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR) recently joined Senators Blunt (R-MO), Brown (D-OH), Snowe (R-ME), Warner (D-VA) and Wyden (D-OR) to introduce the Building a Stronger America Act of 2012 (S. 3479), which aims to increase U.S. manufacturing, competitiveness and exports.
The Building a Stronger America Act combines 7 previously introduced bipartisan bills. Importantly, the bill includes three workforce components: the SECTORS Act, industry partnerships, and a pilot program aimed at expanding workforce training in high-tech manufacturing.
The SECTORS Act was developed by National Skills Coalition with state and national partners and lead sponsors Senators Brown and Snowe in the Senate, and Representatives Loebsack (D-IA) and Platts (R-PA) in the House. Cosponsored by 19 Representatives and 6 Senators, and endorsed by 168 organizations including 75 employers, the bill allows businesses, unions, the public workforce system, and education and training providers to develop and implement plans that target job training at the current and anticipated skill needs of industries within a geographic region.
Senator Brown first authored the bipartisan SECTORS Act in 2008, with Senator Snowe as the lead Senate sponsor and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) as a cosponsor. In 2009, the SECTORS Act was also introduced in the House by Reps. Loebsack and Platts. In July 2010, the bill passed the House with unanimous bi-partisan support.
Last year, Congress included the SECTORS Act in the “Make it in America” agenda, a set of bills focused on revitalizing American manufacturing and rebuilding the nation’s middle class.
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