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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The Congress of the United States of America has
3proposed budget cuts that would decrease funding to the
4Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which
5supports workforce development activities, adult education and
6literacy, U.S. employment services, vocational services for
7disabled workers, and numerous other programs that invest in
8our workforce; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The WIOA has had a positive impact on the
10livelihoods of millions of Americans, having provided job
11training to 237,836 people nationwide in the midst of a global
12pandemic in program year 2020; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Throughout Illinois, the program has grown
14substantially in the last several years, having seen the
15number of local workforce innovation area incumbent worker
16training projects greatly increase from 64 to 378, the number
17of businesses utilizing incumbent worker training increase
18from 62 to 278, and an increase in the number of incumbent
19workers able to receive training from 125 to 4,228; and
 
20    WHEREAS, These efforts and others like it have resulted in
21a statewide unemployment rate of only 5.1%; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Last year, the One-stop Operator in Champaign
2County, a single location where all four core programs of the
3WIOA are collocated, helped 362 visitors with resume,
4interview, career fair, application, employment workshop, and
5job search advice; it also connected 227 visitors to services,
6including rent assistance, GED classes, printing, veterans'
7services, and youth services; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Among those visitors, the East Central Illinois
9Workforce Board provided career coaching and supportive
10services to 262 low-income or skill-deficient adults as well
11as 163 youth with barriers to employment; and
 
12    WHEREAS, The WIOA gives preference to veterans, low-income
13individuals, individuals with disabilities, unhoused
14individuals, youth who have been in the foster care system,
15eligible migrants and seasonal farmworkers, single parents,
16and long-term unemployed individuals; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Unfortunately, the East Central Illinois
18Workforce Board was forced to turn away over 600 adults last
19year who wanted to receive job training but who could not be
20provided with services due to funding limitations; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Budget cuts like the ones proposed recently would
22make it even more difficult for organizations enacting the

 

 

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1provisions of the WIOA to render high-demand services to
2underserved and underutilized members of the community;
3therefore, be it
 
4    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
5HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
6we urge the Congress of the United States to enact legislation
7that maintains funding for the Workforce Innovation and
8Opportunity Act (WIOA), and for President Joe Biden to sign
9that legislation into law; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
11delivered to the President of the United States, Joe Biden,
12the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, and
13all members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation.