[House Hearing, 117 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                SKILL, UPSKILL, AND RESKILL: ANALYZING NEW 
                 INVESTMENTS IN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

=======================================================================

                                 HEARING

                               BEFORE THE

                      SUBCOMMITTEE ON INNOVATION,
              ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

                                 OF THE

                      COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS
                             UNITED STATES
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                    ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

                             SECOND SESSION

                               __________

                              HEARING HELD
                             MARCH 31, 2022

                               __________

[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
                               

            Small Business Committee Document Number 117-049
             Available via the GPO Website: www.govinfo.gov
             
                              __________

                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE                    
46-948                      WASHINGTON : 2022                     
          
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------   
             
                   HOUSE COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS

                 NYDIA VELAZQUEZ, New York, Chairwoman
                          JARED GOLDEN, Maine
                          JASON CROW, Colorado
                         SHARICE DAVIDS, Kansas
                         KWEISI MFUME, Maryland
                        DEAN PHILLIPS, Minnesota
                         MARIE NEWMAN, Illinois
                       CAROLYN BOURDEAUX, Georgia
                         TROY CARTER, Louisiana
                          JUDY CHU, California
                       DWIGHT EVANS, Pennsylvania
                       ANTONIO DELGADO, New York
                     CHRISSY HOULAHAN, Pennsylvania
                          ANDY KIM, New Jersey
                         ANGIE CRAIG, Minnesota
              BLAINE LUETKEMEYER, Missouri, Ranking Member
                         ROGER WILLIAMS, Texas
                        PETE STAUBER, Minnesota
                        DAN MEUSER, Pennsylvania
                        CLAUDIA TENNEY, New York
                       ANDREW GARBARINO, New York
                         YOUNG KIM, California
                         BETH VAN DUYNE, Texas
                         BYRON DONALDS, Florida
                         MARIA SALAZAR, Florida
                      SCOTT FITZGERALD, Wisconsin

                 Melissa Jung, Majority Staff Director
            Ellen Harrington, Majority Deputy Staff Director
                     David Planning, Staff Director
                            
                            
                            C O N T E N T S

                           OPENING STATEMENTS

                                                                   Page
Hon. Jason Crow..................................................     1
Hon. Young Kim...................................................     2

                               WITNESSES

Mr. Gerald Lee Arnold, Business Manager & Financial Secretary 
  Treasurer, Denver Pipefitters Local #208, Denver, CO, 
  testifying on behalf of the Denver Pipefitters Joint 
  Apprenticeship Training Committee..............................     5
Dr. Mordecai Ian Brownlee, Ed.D., President, Community College of 
  Aurora, Aurora, CO.............................................     7
Mr. Joseph W. Kane, Fellow, The Brookings Institution, 
  Washington, DC.................................................     9
Ms. Diane Benck, General Operations Manager and Owner, West Side 
  Tractor Sales Co., Lisle, IL, testifying on behalf of the 
  Associated Equipment Distributors..............................    11

                                APPENDIX

Prepared Statements:
    Mr. Gerald Lee Arnold, Business Manager & Financial Secretary 
      Treasurer, Denver Pipefitters Local #208, Denver, CO, 
      testifying on behalf of the Denver Pipefitters Joint 
      Apprenticeship Training Committee..........................    29
    Dr. Mordecai Ian Brownlee, Ed.D., President, Community 
      College of Aurora, Aurora, CO..............................    33
    Mr. Joseph W. Kane, Fellow, The Brookings Institution, 
      Washington, DC.............................................    38
    Ms. Diane Benck, General Operations Manager and Owner, West 
      Side Tractor Sales Co., Lisle, IL, testifying on behalf of 
      the Associated Equipment Distributors......................    45
Questions for the Record:
    None.
Answers for the Record:
    Mathematica Policy Research..................................    48
Additional Material for the Record:
    None.

 
  SKILL, UPSKILL, AND RESKILL: ANALYZING NEW INVESTMENTS IN WORKFORCE 
                              DEVELOPMENT

                              ----------                              


                        THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2022

              House of Representatives,    
               Committee on Small Business,
      Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship,
                                 and Workforce Development,
                                                    Washington, DC.
    The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:04 a.m., in 
Room 2360, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Jason Crow 
[chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding.
    Present: Representatives Crow, Davids, Houlahan, Phillips, 
Young Kim, Williams, Tenney, and Garbarino.
    Chairman CROW. Good morning. I call this hearing to order.
    Without objection, the Chair is authorized to declare a 
recess at any time.
    I would like to begin by noting some important 
requirements. Standing House and Committee rules and practice 
will continue to apply during hybrid proceedings. All Members 
are reminded that they are expected to adhere to these rules, 
including decorum.
    House regulations require Members to be visible through a 
video connection throughout the proceeding, so please keep your 
cameras on. Also, please remember to remain muted until you are 
recognized to minimize background noise.
    In the event a Member encounters technical issues that 
prevent them from being recognized for their questioning, I 
will move to the next available Member of the same party and I 
will recognize that Member at the next appropriate time slot 
provided they have returned to the proceeding.
    The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic created one of the most 
significant upheavals in the history of the American labor 
force. Between February and April of 2020, the U.S. economy 
shut 22 million jobs and the unemployment rate skyrocketed from 
3.5 percent to 14.8 percent. Congress stepped in to pass the 
CARES Act, stopped the economy's freefall and provided support 
throughout the pandemic. This quick action, combined with the 
American Rescue Plan, paved the way for one of the fastest 
recoveries from a recession in our nation's history.
    In 2021, the U.S. economy added 6.6 million jobs, the most 
on record. Considering the deep wounds of the pandemic, this is 
a monumental achievement. While we have recovered most of the 
jobs lost during the pandemic, our country is in the middle of 
an ongoing labor shortage. This shortage is complex in its 
origin and we cannot attribute it to any one factor. The 
pandemic upended life as we know it. It slowed legal 
immigration, caused a wave of early retirements, and forced 
many to exit the job market out of concerns for their health or 
family obligations. All of these factors have contributed to 
the shortage we are seeing today.
    The labor shortage impacts all businesses, but it 
particularly concerns our nation's entrepreneurs. But there is 
more to this than appear lack of workers. For many small firms, 
a general lack of applicants is not the problem. Instead, they 
are not finding qualified candidates, workers with the proper 
skills to do the job and do it well.
    Guaranteeing an adequate number of skilled workers in the 
labor force could be the first step to smoothing out this rough 
labor market. Fortunately, we have many established tools at 
our disposal to accomplish this goal. For example, initiatives 
like workforce boards, apprenticeships, community college, and 
career and technical education can help us upskill the American 
labor force.
    But as it stands, these initiatives are not getting the 
funding they need. Over the past decade alone, the workforce 
system has seen a nearly 20 percent decline in federal funding 
when adjusted for inflation. I think we are seeing the impacts 
of this underinvestment in today's economy.
    Fortunately, the Biden administration has made a commitment 
to reversing this trend. Workforce development expansion, 
improvement in funding are prominent features of the bipartisan 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The infrastructure law 
allows states to obligate funds from programs like the National 
Highway Performance Program toward workforce development 
activities. The law provides grants for programs that train and 
certify workers on the installation of energy-efficient 
technologies in partnership with labor unions and employers. 
The law also includes the Digital Equity Act of 2021, which 
creates two new grant programs that provide funds that develop 
digital equity plans and help get people the requisite skills 
to compete in today's economy.
    Lastly, the overwhelming majority of funds in IIJA are 
subject to Davis-Bacon requirements to ensure workers are paid 
a fair wage. These are excellent developments but we must find 
more ways to modernize the American labor force.
    So today, I hope we can take a close look at existing 
programs and discuss new initiatives to expand our country's 
pool of skilled workers. By investing in workforce development, 
we can help ease our current labor shortage and position 
American workers to thrive in the future.
    I would now like yield to the Ranking Member, Ms. Young 
Kim, for her opening statement.
    Ms. YOUNG KIM. Thank you, Chairman Crow. I want to thank 
you for holding this very important topical hearing, and I want 
to thank all of our witnesses joining us virtually today and 
testifying before us.
    Our entrepreneurs are our nation's job creators. Their 
innovative products and services fuel our economies and 
communities. They take risks. They train employees. And they 
provide two-thirds of all jobs. The new jobs.
    As a small business owner, I know the adversities and 
obstacles that small businesses must overcome to succeed. The 
hurdles small businesses are facing right now are high. 
Inflation is soaring, supply chains are in chaos, and 
regulations are mounting. Small businesses are also facing 
historic job openings and labor shortages. Recent job numbers 
show positive growth as we reopen from the pandemic and 
mandates come to an end. However, the current job market 
contains 1.14 million less employed workers than prior to the 
pandemic. And main street still struggles to find employees.
    The most recent job openings and labor turnover summary 
reported 11.3 million job openings and recent surveys report 
over half of all small business owners are having trouble 
finding qualified people to hire compared to a year ago.
    NFIB surveys also indicate historically large numbers of 
small businesses are struggling to increase their workforce 
despite almost half of all employers raising wages. 
Furthermore, 22 percent of small business owners reported labor 
costs as the top business problem, just two points below 
December's 48-year record high. These staffing shortages have a 
direct impact on our economy. Seventy-seven percent of small 
business owners reported that staffing shortages are resulting 
in significant to mild lost sales opportunities. Small 
businesses do not just need to fill open positions but they 
also need qualified and skilled workers. In February, 61 
percent of small businesses reported hiring or trying to hire 
employees, and an astounding 93 percent of those small 
employers hiring or trying to hire reported few or no qualified 
applicants for those open positions. Inaction is not an option 
as small business place Help Wanted signs on their doors and 
innovation is stifled due to a lack of workers.
    The Small Business Entrepreneurship Council found that just 
5 percent of small business owners agree that Congress's 
policies are helping the economy and small business. Only 5 
percent. We must change that and enact pro-growth policies that 
support small businesses in meeting their workforce needs and 
consumer demand.
    Republican Members on this Committee have solutions. I am 
proud to have introduced the bipartisan H.R. 6450, the SCORE 
for Small Business Act of 2022. The SCORE program provides 
mentorship, education, and training opportunities for small 
businesses. Recently, SCORE has hosted webinars for small 
business owners on adapting to the trends transforming the 
workforce. By authorizing and modernizing this important 
program, we can ensure that SBA's resource partners are 
prepared to help entrepreneurs meet their business needs, 
including labor and workforce development.
    Additionally, my colleague, Vice Ranking Member Williams, 
has bipartisan legislation to utilize the Small Business 
Development Centers and Women's Business Centers to assist 
small businesses in hiring career and technical education 
graduates.
    There is no ``one size fits all'' solution to meet the 
diverse demands of our unique small business communities. 
However, I am confident that we can work together to empower 
small businesses with resources to address the skills gap, 
promote career and technical education opportunities, encourage 
apprenticeships, and restore the small business economy so our 
job creators can prosper.
    I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today and I 
hope to work with my colleagues to find real solutions to 
support our small businesses in finding labor and closing the 
skills gap.
    Thank you, Chairman. I yield back.
    Chairman CROW. Thank you, Ms. Young Kim. The gentlelady 
yields back.
    I would like to take a moment to explain how this hearing 
will proceed. Each witness will have 5 minutes to provide a 
statement and each Committee Member will have 5 minutes for 
questions. Please ensure that your microphone is on when you 
begin speaking and that you return to mute when finished.
    With that, I would like to introduce our first witness.
    Our first witness is Mr. Gerald Arnold. As the business 
manager since 2017 and a Member of the Joint Apprenticeship 
Training Committee since 2008, he has worked to enhance 
recruitment, training, and retention of union pipefitters. His 
leadership of educational efforts in the trade has earned him 
several appointments by state and city leaders, including a 3-
year appointment by the governor of Colorado in 2019 to the 
Business Experiential Learning Commission in which he guides 
development of a youth apprenticeship program. Thank you, Mr. 
Arnold. I look forward to your testimony.
    Our next witness is Dr. Mordecai Brownlee, the sixth 
president of the Community College of Aurora in my district. 
During his tenure, he has focused on creating initiatives that 
lift up lower-income members of our community and prepare them 
for careers. In 2020, Dr. Brownlee was featured by EdTech 
Magazine as one of the 30 Most Interesting Voices in Higher 
Education who are shaping the conversation around educational 
technology and information technology. In 2022, he was featured 
by Diverse Issues in Higher Education Magazine as a new school 
leader representing the next generation of college presidents. 
Thank you, Dr. Brownlee for being here today.
    Our third witness is Mr. Joseph Kane, a fellow at the 
Brookings Institution. His work focuses on a wide array of 
infrastructure issues, including transportation and water 
infrastructure. Recently, his work has explored transportation 
and placemaking, climate investment and the challenges and 
opportunities facing the country's infrastructure workforce and 
its essential workforce more broadly. Prior to Brookings, Mr. 
Kane was an economist at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 
Thank you, Mr. Kane. I look forward to your testimony.
    And I will now yield to the Ranking Member to introduce our 
final witness.
    Ms. YOUNG KIM. Thank you, Chairman.
    Our fourth witness is Ms. Diane Benck, general operations 
manager and owner of West Side Tractor Sales Company who is 
testifying today on behalf of the Associated Equipment 
Distributors. West Side Tractor Sales Company, a John Deere 
construction equipment dealer, has been in business for an 
impressive 58 years and has 11 locations across Illinois and 
Indiana. West Side Tractor Sales Company is also a family-owned 
business. While Ms. Bank and her two brothers are the second 
generation of the family in the business, the third generation 
is already involved in the company. I understand Ms. Benck 
takes pride in coaching and training the next generation to 
have the same success and growth as her and her brothers. She 
is also very active in a variety of industry-related 
associations. She served two terms on the Associated Equipment 
Distributors Board of Directors before becoming the first 
female volunteer leader of the association in 2018 when she was 
inaugurated as Chairwoman. She is currently on the AED 
Foundation's Board of Directors, which focuses on workforce 
development and attracting skilled workers to the industry. Ms. 
Benck has also twice served as president of the John Deere 
Construction Dealer Association. I know Ms. Benck's experience 
as a small business owner and vast knowledge on workforce 
development issues will be extremely beneficial to our hearing 
today.
    So, Ms. Benck, I thank you for the time to join us today 
and for taking the time to testify. I yield back.
    Chairman CROW. Thank you, Ms. Young Kim.
    And I will remind the witness to keep to the 5 minutes. Ms. 
Young Kim and I run a tight ship on the Small Business 
Committee and we ask that people stay within their time. There 
is a clock on the screen to help you with that effort to 
prevent you from being gaveled out. So, with that I thank all 
the witness for being here today. And Mr. Arnold, you are 
recognized for 5 minutes.

 STATEMENTS OF GERALD LEE ARNOLD, BUSINESS MANAGER & FINANCIAL 
 SECRETARY TREASURER, DENVER PIPEFITTERS LOCAL #208; MORDECAI 
 IAN BROWNLEE, ED.D., PRESIDENT, COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF AURORA; 
JOSEPH W. KANE, FELLOW, THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION; DIANE BENCK, 
 GENERAL OPERATIONS MANAGER AND OWNER, WEST SIDE TRACTOR SALES 
                              CO.

                 STATEMENT OF GERALD LEE ARNOLD

    Mr. ARNOLD. Thank you, Chairman Crow, Ranking Member Young 
Kim, and Members of the Subcommittee. I appreciate the 
opportunity to testify in front of you this morning to talk 
about registered apprenticeship programs, and specifically our 
program that we operate here in Denver, Colorado.
    During the introduction, it was noted that I currently 
serve as the business manager at Denver Pipefitters Local 208. 
I also have the pleasure of recently being elected as the 
district vice president for our International Union, the United 
Association of Pipefitters, Plumbers, HVAC Service Technicians, 
Sprinkler Fitters, and Pipeliners.
    My experience has been one as an actual apprentice. So, I 
served my apprenticeship from 2003 until 2008 working for a 
contractor called Murphy Company during that entire 5 years and 
really just enjoyed every single second of the opportunity. I 
was extremely thankful for getting the chance to learn how to 
become a professional pipefitter and I wanted to give back as 
soon as I completed my apprenticeship program. I had the 
opportunity to become an instructor here in our program 
teaching mostly welding classes to 3rd, 4th, and 5th year 
apprentices. So, I basically took the summer off after I 
completed my apprenticeship program and came back the following 
school year. Instead of being a student, I became an instructor 
and really enjoyed the 7 years getting a chance to teach our 
apprentices.
    After that, I had the opportunity to be hired and took the 
position of training director in charge of the day-to-day 
operations of our registered apprentice program, continuing 
education and certification programs that we do here as part of 
the training department.
    In 2017, I was elected by our membership to serve as their 
business manager and continued to play an integral role as the 
secretary of our Joint Apprentice Training Committee that 
oversees and guides the overall operations of the training 
program here at Local 208. We are excited because we have 230-
plus apprentices currently in our program somewhere along the 
5-year program and we continue to see those numbers increase. 
Apprentice programs, I think, are the most effective way for 
training construction professionals, specifically my experience 
being with pipefitters on both the construction and HVAC 
service side. And the reasons for that is being able to partner 
the on-the-job training with related instruction given in the 
classroom this allows those apprentices to have the full 
experience. We try to duplicate what they will encounter on a 
jobsite and out here in the classroom provide a safe space for 
apprentices to make mistakes. Most people learn much more from 
their mistakes than they do from their successes. 
Unfortunately, you cannot allow that to happen when you are on 
a customer's property as we are building their equipment or 
safety is a concern. So, we want to have properly-trained, 
qualified journeypersons overseeing that on-the-job portion but 
allow that safe space down here in the classroom to have folks 
make mistakes and learn from it. No matter how much you try, 
you cannot duplicate every possible scenario a construction 
pipefitter or an HVAC service technician would run into on a 
jobsite because not every building is the same. Each system is 
designed for that particular building the way it was 
engineered, the way the architecture was completed to make that 
kind of a special system. And while systems have similar faults 
and need similar types of repairs, having that on-the-job 
component partnered with the classroom training really does 
prepare them for any possible scenario they could run into as a 
qualified journeyperson as they continue their career.
    The tremendous benefit that I think our model provides 
specifically to small businesses is our contractors of all 
sizes have the same access to the great training program and it 
is based off of an hourly training contribution. While we 
utilize the multi-employer, it is an 80 cents per manhour 
contribution into our ERISA-governed training trust fund. And 
so, while we have contractors that have hundreds of employees, 
the vast majority of our employers have 30 or less employees. 
They are small shops, and there is no way they would have the 
resources and the capital needed to undertake a large training 
effort like we have at our apprenticeship program here at Local 
208.
    So, I looked at our list. I actually printed out a report 
this morning, and I am pleased to say that we have 80 percent 
of our contractors, like I said, have less than 30 employees. 
So, Air Tech Mechanical for one was at the top of my report 
because it goes alphabetical order. They have 12 members 
working for them. And out of those 12 members, two of them are 
apprentices and one of them is a pipe tradesman that is an 
entry level position really to get some experience and decide 
whether or not they want to pursue the whole career and apply 
for the apprenticeship program.
    And so, we enjoy about a $1.8 million annual operating 
budget for the training program, and those contractors, like I 
said, have the same access that our large contractors with 400-
plus members may be working for them right now.
    Because it is directly related to the amount of employees 
they have and the amount of work that they are performing, it 
makes it an equitable access for not only our employers but 
also our apprentices. The apprentices do not have to face any 
kind of personal financial burden. They get compensated for on-
the-job training----
    Chairman CROW. Mr. Arnold, Mr. Arnold, you are over the 5 
minute time so I am going to have to stop you here but we can 
finish up during the question and answer period as we dive into 
it with the members. Thank you very much.
    Dr. Brownlee, you are now recognized for 5 minutes.

               STATEMENT OF MORDECAI IAN BROWNLEE

    Mr. BROWNLEE. Good morning. And thank you for this 
opportunity, Chairman Crow, Ranking Member Young Kim, and 
Members of the Subcommittee, my name is Mordecai Brownlee, and 
I am the proud president of the Community College of Aurora.
    CCA is part of the Colorado Community College System and 
serves over 10,000 students annually. At the onset of the 
pandemic, our enrollment dropped 12 percent. However, I am 
proud to share that our college has rallied hard for our 
students, and to date have recaptured 7 percent of that loss 
and we won't stop until all students have been accounted for.
    Uniquely, our institution serves in the most diverse region 
of the state and student demographics represent that reality 
accordingly. As a federally designated Hispanic Serving 
Institution and Minority Serving Institution, 64 percent of our 
students identify as students of color, 51 percent of our 
students are Pell grant eligible, and 50 percent of our 
students are first-generation college students. With five 
continents and over 90 countries represented at our 
institution, we are proud to serve a rich and diverse student 
body that includes the state's largest immigrant population.
    It is also important to note that our small business owners 
within our area represent this rich diversity as well. 
Community colleges, like ours, stand on the front lines and in 
service to the most disadvantaged students and those hardest 
impacted due to the pandemic through our mission of open-
access, affordable, high-quality postsecondary education, and 
workforce training. Through partnerships with community 
organizations, such as our Aurora Chamber of Commerce, Aurora 
Economic Development Council, Arapahoe/Douglas County Workforce 
Development Council, and the BuildStrong Academy, CCA is 
utilizing data and feedback provided by small businesses and 
large industries to re-envision and transform our student 
learning experiences. Intended to train displaced workers, 
nontraditional adult students, and first-time-in-college 
students, these efforts seek to upskill or reskill to obtain 
industry-recognized credentials that align in-demand, high-wage 
occupations. Currently, we are designing new programs in 
healthcare, renewable energy, and construction management, and 
offer hybrid, online, and in-person instruction outside the 
typical working hours to accommodate our students' varied 
schedules.
    Our students are directly impacted by the various 
socioeconomic challenges that face other metropolitan 
communities around the nation. Lack of reliable transportation, 
childcare, broadband access, and a supportive network have 
historically created barriers to a quality education and the 
obtainment of their dreams. Listening to the voice of our 
students, CCA has worked in hand with our student body to 
eliminate barriers and provide resources to promote equitable 
access and opportunities for our students.
    Take, for example, Victoria Browning. Prior to attending 
CCA, Victoria held a full-time job earning $14 an hour to 
support her two young children, while struggling to address 
thousands of dollars in student debt. Thanks to a grant created 
by the U.S. Department of Labor, the Strengthening Working 
Families Initiative at CCA offered students like Victoria 
childcare, college counseling, and career support. Or, take for 
example our Asegurando Learning Program. To address the equity 
gap in student achievement between students of color and their 
white peers, CCA was awarded a Title V grant from the U.S. 
Department of Education. From there, our Asegurando Learning 
Community was born. Recently, CCA established a new division 
within the college to focus strategically on the placement of 
students into career mentorships, internships, externships, and 
apprenticeships to level the playing field among those who have 
access to supportive networks and those who are not as 
privileged.
    Supports at the federal level are critical for our 
continued success. Pell Grant financing for very short-term 
programs, and fund increases for TRIO, Minority Serving 
Institutions and the nation's Hispanic-Serving Institutions 
could dramatically transform institutions. Such transformation 
would provide the resources to create and sustain efforts aimed 
to retool and upskill the workforce necessary to power small 
businesses and industries while helping our most struggling 
students finance college.
    Additionally, our workforce programs, while innovative and 
responsive, are expensive to operate. For example, programs in 
healthcare and advanced manufacturing are in great demand; but 
are also among the most expensive programs to offer. To 
maintain our roles as leading providers of workforce training 
and maintain affordability for students, it is critical that we 
make meaningful investments in career and technical education 
infrastructure at community colleges. Dedicated community 
college job-training programs, like those originally included 
in the Build Back Better Act, would fund these critical 
efforts.
    In conclusion, in today's culture where the call for 
innovation and increased efficiencies are abundant, community 
colleges cannot afford to be viewed as inefficient and 
nonresponsive. Our community small businesses and industry 
partners are depending on us to be responsive to their needs. 
Our students are depending on us to create an environment where 
equitable student success is fostered and every barrier towards 
the fulfillment of that success is removed. The Community 
College of Aurora stands ready to meet these needs for years to 
come.
    Thank you and I look forward to answering any questions you 
may have.
    Chairman CROW. Thank you, Dr. Brownlee.
    Mr. Kane, you are recognized for 5 minutes.

                  STATEMENT OF JOSEPH W. KANE

    Mr. KANE. Good morning, Members of the Committee. Thank you 
for this opportunity. My name is Joseph Kane, and I am a fellow 
at the Brookings Institution. The purpose of my remarks today 
is to frame specific challenges and opportunities facing the 
country's infrastructure workforce, includingthe potential to 
expand career pathways.
    As you know, workers have faced an increasingly polarized 
labor market during the pandemic and over the last few decades. 
Middle-skill jobs, which typically require more than a high 
school diploma but less than a 4-year college degree have grown 
slowly. At the same time, the country's infrastructure, 
including transportation, water, energy, and broadband has 
increasingly faced gaps in investment. That is not only true 
when it comes to physical upgrades but also when it comes to 
preparing a skilled workforce to construct, operate, and 
maintain all these systems.
    However, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act offers 
an unprecedented opportunity to address these gaps and 
accelerate momentum around careers that pay higher wages, 
require shorter term credentials, and need a new generation of 
talent. To maximize this opportunity, federal, state, and local 
leaders cannot just create short-term jobs, mainly construction 
jobs, for the same people. They need to be ready to harness 
funding in ways that expand opportunities to more workers--
women and men, the unemployed and underemployed, and younger 
students and adult learners across a broad range of positions 
in the skilled trades and other in-demand fields. They need to 
focus on creating an infrastructure talent pipeline that can 
offer more sustained opportunity to workers and provide greater 
certainty to employers, including small businesses.
    The country's infrastructure workforce challenges primarily 
center around a lack of visibility and flexibility. Addressing 
these challenges begins with acknowledging the variety of 
infrastructure career pathways nationally. In 2019, before the 
pandemic hit, more than 17 million workers, or nearly 1 out of 
every 10 workers were employed in infrastructure across 91 
different occupations. A basic challenge facing infrastructure 
employers, including utilities, transportation agencies, and 
engineering firms, is a lack of awareness among Americans that 
these careers even exist. This obscurity continues even as 
infrastructure jobs offer more competitive, equitable wages 
paying 30 percent more to workers at lower ends of the wage 
spectrum, in other words, workers with the least amount of 
experience who are just starting their careers.
    Prospective workers may also lack awareness of and easy 
access to the training needed for these careers, which tend to 
emphasize work-based learning opportunities. As a result, there 
are training and retention gaps. Nearly a quarter of all 
infrastructure workers will need to be replaced over the next 
decade. But some occupations are expected to see 10 percent or 
more of their workers leave each year on average. That is 
especially the case for infrastructure jobs with older workers 
near retirement or they have the continued struggles reaching 
younger students, women, people of color, and other 
individuals.
    Addressing these challenges hinges on proactive federal 
leadership to ensure greater visibility and flexibility. That 
does not mean filling one type of job in one place, but rather 
having multiple entry points available for more people in more 
places. This flexibility matters because many unemployed and 
low-wage workers in hospitality, retail, and other industries 
following the pandemic need to transition to better jobs, which 
will require many branching pathways.
    Expanded financial and technical capacity around regional 
planning and employer engagement is a must, as is an expanded 
focus on future-looking skills development and flexible 
training opportunities.
    For example, employers can partner directly with community 
colleges and other educational institutions to help students 
gain the necessary skills and qualifications to be hired. 
Federal leaders could support such collaborations and sector 
partnerships through expanded funding and technical assistance 
as part of competitive grants in the infrastructure law. 
Apprentice and pre-apprenticeship programs offer another earn 
and learn opportunity. Beyond additional federal funding for 
apprenticeships, expanding the Work Opportunity Tax Credit 
could further incentivize employers to test new approaches.
    Above all, the ultimate reach and impact of any new federal 
funding must ensure there are flexible training opportunities.
    Programs focused on younger workers, particularly those out 
of school, out of work, and facing other social and economic 
disadvantages, can grow the infrastructure workforce. Service-
based learning opportunities and expanded Pell grant 
eligibility for short-term job training are two ways that 
federal leaders could address these youth workforce needs. Of 
course, many other nontraditional and underrepresented workers, 
including women, people of color, and middle-aged workers can 
realize greater opportunity in this sector. Enhancing existing 
federal efforts, such as the women in apprenticeship and 
nontraditional occupations grant program could help community-
based organizations provide more accessible on ramps.
    Members of the Committee, I believe there are enormous 
challenges facing our infrastructure workforce, but also 
enormous opportunities. Admittedly, the issues that I described 
today only scratch the surface of the issue. But as 
conversations evolve in the coming months, I want to emphasize 
the opportunity you and other leaders have to further refine 
and test potential applications of any new funding. To not 
simply reinforce existing and inequitable workforce gaps, but 
to create stronger pathways for all prospective workers. Thank 
you.
    Chairman CROW. Thank you, Mr. Kane.
    Ms. Benck, you are now recognized for 5 minutes.

                    STATEMENT OF DIANE BENCK

    Ms. BENCK. Chairman Crow, Ranking Member Young Kim, and 
distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, my name is Diane 
Benck and it is my pleasure to appear before you today as a 
small business owner directly impacted by the skilled workforce 
shortage and on behalf of Associated Equipment Dealers (AED), 
the international trade association representing companies that 
sell, rent, service, manufacture construction, agricultural 
farm, mining, energy, material handling, and industrial 
equipment.
    I am the general operations manager and co-owner of West 
Side Tractor, a full-service John Deere construction and 
forestry equipment dealer.
    You know, I would like to say that my family story is 
really the story of the American dream. My father, who grew up 
with nothing, joined the Air Force during the Korean War. The 
Air Force gave him technical skills and education so that when 
his service was done, he went to work as a technician for a 
John Deere dealership. My parents dreamed of having their own 
business, so when a territory for John Deere opened, they put 
every penny they had and created something of their own.
    If we fast-forward 60 years to today, we have 11 locations, 
approximately 35 employees, and my brothers and myself are 
working towards passing the business now to the third 
generation of family members.
    As a small family-owned, capital-intensive business, we 
have a lot of challenges right now, from supply chain issues, 
inflation, and ever-changing regulatory and tax environment. 
But the greatest need is right where my father started his 
career in the technical trades. And whether you are Wagner 
Equipment in Aurora, Colorado, or BJF Corporation in Placentia, 
California, you cannot find skilled workers, particularly to 
serve as diesel service techs.
    According to the A.D. Foundation Commission study, the 
equipment industry foregoes at least $2.4 billion in lost 
revenue annually due to the inability to find skilled service 
technicians. That is money that could be used to further expand 
our businesses and create more jobs and economic activity.
    It is also important to understand that if equipment 
dealers do not have the skilled workforce needed to repair and 
maintain heavy equipment, construction projects are delayed 
costing our customers in lost time and money. It truly creates 
inefficiencies up and down the supply chain.
    Most service technicians attend a 2-year technical college 
degree program that focuses on heavy equipment technology. 
Traditionally, the occupation was stereotyped as dirty. 
However, with recent innovations, today's heavy equipment is on 
the cutting edge of technology requiring technicians to work 
with computers to diagnose and fix problems.
    In fact, when you include technical education with our 
manufacturer mandated and in-house training, a typical service 
technician logs similar classroom hours to someone with a 
bachelor's degree from a university without crippling student 
loan debt.
    These are very well paid positions that are truly careers. 
At West Side Tractor, our apprentices start at more than $22 an 
hour and quickly escalate to $45 an hour within 4 years, not 
include comprehensive benefits and other incentives. We could 
easily increase our technician workforce by 20 percent if we 
could find qualified workers. A.D. is doing exceptional work 
accrediting heavy machinery technology programs at high schools 
and colleges, as well as educating parents, teachers, students, 
and guidance counselors about the well-paying, rewarding 
careers in the equipment industry. Yet, we continue to push our 
kids to pursue 4-year degrees when there are millions upon 
millions of jobs in the skilled trades open which require 
taking on minimal debt and an opportunity to work towards that 
American dream that has worked so well for my family.
    The problem is not unique to equipment dealers. Our 
manufacturers do not have the workers to build the equipment 
and our customers do not have the skilled workforce to operate 
the equipment. Meanwhile, infrastructure projects await, 
particularly after passage of the bipartisan infrastructure 
bill.
    To address this issue, the country must provide increased 
funding to career and technical education programs to build the 
pipeline of skilled workers and incentivize students to pursue 
alternatives to 4-year degrees. The skilled workforce shortage 
continues to be the equipment industry's greatest challenge. It 
hinders growth and economic opportunity, creates 
inefficiencies, and impacts the country's competitiveness. As a 
nation, it is imperative that we steer the next generation to 
careers in the skilled trades and align public policy and 
investments to growing this important workforce for our future.
    Thank you for the honor for appearing before you today and 
I look forward to any questions you may have.
    Chairman CROW. Thank you, Ms. Benck. I appreciate your 
testimony.
    Thank you to all the witness for being here today.
    I will begin by recognizing myself for 5 minutes.
    Starting with Mr. Arnold, Mr. Arnold, I had a chance to 
recently visit with you all at Pipefitters Local 208 in Denver 
and we had a discussion about the United Associations of 
Veterans and Piping Program. I have been a long-time veterans 
advocate and one of the issues we have always struggled with is 
that gap between when someone takes off the uniform to when 
their veterans benefits start to flow and how we often lose so 
many veterans who fall through the cracks during that gap 
period. But your VIP program is extremely innovative in that it 
closes that gap and it starts the training while they are still 
in uniform so it is a seamless transition.
    So, could you just tell a little bit about that program, 
what you have learned about it and how effective it has been in 
helping our veterans and helping the trades and the workforce?
    Mr. ARNOLD. Thank you, Chairman Crow.
    Yes, I ran out of time there but I do appreciate the 
question. Our Veterans in Piping Program really works well for 
everybody involved. So, the United Association started that 
program years ago. It is now operating on eight different bases 
across the country. And what it allows is while military 
personnel are still active duty, they are allowed to take 18 
weeks of accelerated training in either welding, HVAC service, 
or sprinkler fitting. And the nice part is because that 
training takes place while they are still active duty, they are 
still receiving their pay and benefits from their time in the 
service, and then they complete that training prior to 
mustering out of the service. And towards the end of the 
training, they are allowed to pick the location of their 
choice. And so whatever apprenticeship program that they want 
to enter in the United Association, they get to go back to the 
area of the country that they would like to live along with 
starting their career and they get what we call direct entry 
into the program of their choice. And so, because that is 
seamlessly happening, we are allowed to tell them exactly what 
the wage is going to be, provide employment verification 
letters so they have the documentation they need to apply for 
mortgages or if they are going to rent an apartment or a house, 
their family has some idea of what they are going to be looking 
at doing. They know they have full health insurance benefits. 
And so, it really makes it a nice transition. They receive 1 
year's credit for the 18 weeks of accelerated training they 
received during their time in the military and then they are 
automatically qualified to start receiving their GI Bill 
benefits due to being accepted into the registered 
apprenticeship program. So those GI Bill benefits work based 
off their on-the-job training hours and they receive the 
highest amount at the very beginning where they are learning 
the lowest wage as a first-year apprentice obviously makes a 
percentage of a qualified journeyperson. And then that pay 
increases as their skill and knowledge increases. So, it really 
makes it a nice transition for the individual and it also helps 
us as an industry. The skillsets that they bring, their sense 
of responsibility and accountability. Everything really our 
employers are looking for. And so, it has been a great 
partnership.
    Chairman CROW. Thank you, Mr. Arnold. Just an example of 
frankly how our labor unions are really leading the way. You 
know, it is a brotherhood and sisterhood, not just an 
organization, and I think that culture translates really well 
for a lot of our veterans and your ability to do that. And I 
would like to see these programs expand. I think the other 
trade unions are uniquely qualified to actually expand these 
into the service and help our veterans transition. And I 
appreciate your leadership in that regard.
    Dr. Brownlee, in the minute that I have left I would like 
you to comment briefly on your community college's work with 
local business development centers and how we can expand those 
relationships and how they are doing.
    Mr. BROWNLEE. Thank you so much for that question there, 
Chairman Crow. And what I would just say is, again, as you 
heard me talk about our various Chamber of Commerce, Arapahoe/
Douglas Workforce Council, the work that we are doing with the 
various entities here, in our service area of the Community 
College of Aurora is just critical conversations that we are 
having to ensure that the workforce meets the various shortages 
that are being experienced. We certainly all heard about the 
great resignation or the great recalibration. Essentially, we 
are just having conversations about how to retool and upskill 
our community individuals, our adult learners, as well as our 
traditional age students to create new opportunities, new 
career pathways to ensure the growth and sustainability of our 
communities. I am excited about the conversations that we have 
been having with our industry partners to create new pipelines 
of training, on job training and opportunities, and it just 
creates, again, as we think social and economic mobility, it 
certainly excites us here at the Community College of Aurora to 
be a part of this advancement of our communities. Thank you, 
sir.
    Chairman CROW. Thank you so much, Dr. Brownlee.
    My time has expired.
    The Ranking Member, Ms. Young Kim, is now recognized for 5 
minutes.
    Ms. YOUNG KIM. Thank you, Chairman.
    Ms. Benck, I am pleasantly delighted to hear that your 
father served in the Korean War. And so, please, offer my 
deepest appreciation for his service. As an immigrant from 
South Korea, obviously, I have a very soft spot when it comes 
to thanking, especially all the veterans, but especially Korean 
War veterans. So, my hat is off to you, your father. And your 
father has founded this family-owned business which you are now 
taking over and your family and your children are also taking 
over. So, it is really important because all of our witnesses 
are job creators in our nation. But most importantly, 
supporting our veteran-owned, women-owned, and also minority-
owned businesses are something that Chairman Crow and I and 
Members of this Committee are passionately supportive of.
    Ms. Benck, your testimony references the many challenges of 
being a small business owner, including inflation, supply 
chains, and ever-changing tax and regulatory environment. So, 
could you talk about how your business is managing with all of 
this economic headwinds?
    Ms. BENCK. Well, I have to say that, you know, I have been 
in this business for 35 years and this has definitely been one 
of the most challenging in a good way. We have never produced 
more sales and our bottom line has never looked better. And it 
has never been more frustrating or difficult because we cannot 
price tractors next year. We do not know when we are going to 
get availability. So, I mean, I have never seen the supply 
chain as disrupted as it is. I mean, I hope as a country we can 
get this fixed. I know all the construction equipment 
manufacturers are working hard but it is super challenging to 
do business right now.
    From a tax environment, you know, we always carry very 
large rental fleets so we always have changing rules on 
depreciation or like-kind exchange. And so, 1 minute, you know, 
we have these hundreds of millions of dollars of rental fleets 
and then the tax rules change and then we have to kind of 
regroup. The 100 percent depreciation did sort of negate the 
like-kind exchange program going away but, you know, we 
certainly have challenges for the next couple of years as those 
depreciation amounts start to phase out. But really, the 
biggest problem we have right now is this labor shortage as I 
have discussed. You know, our capacity to serve our customers 
is diminished because of not being able to hire anyone. And 
technicians are number one on the list. But we also have had a 
lot more struggles just hiring administrative people and 
salesmen. And we have had very low turnover rates compared to 
some of the other numbers that I have been reading about 
through this whole great resignation. But it is definite more 
challenges right now than I have ever seen in our history.
    Ms. YOUNG KIM. I know I heard that from your testimony, 
too. I mean, the shortage of having the qualified technician 
workforce is critically the biggest challenge in your industry 
and as is in all industries because you mentioned the capacity 
to serve your customers is deeply affected because you do not 
have the qualified technicians. So, you testified that you 
could easily increase your technician workforce by 20 percent 
if only you could find qualified workers. So, talk more about 
how the current labor shortages have impacted your business 
operation and revenue, as well as those members of AED. I am 
sure you hear more and talk about this every single day.
    Ms. BENCK. You look at we are putting up growth and sales 
numbers of 15-20 percent and our labor sales were only up 6 
percent. That would have easily been up 15 percent if we had 
the number of people that we needed to have. And, you know, you 
hear stories around the country of you call for a service call 
and it is 2 weeks before a technician can get there. In the 
meantime, that tractor is sitting. And we are about ready to 
flood the entire industry with more money through the new 
infrastructure bill. So, you know, these challenges just become 
greater and greater and greater. And for us, we believe we 
really need to reach down into the high school level because we 
all have worked with all the technical programs that are out 
there but we need to get more kids interested in coming into 
the industry. And somehow, we have to get down to a lower 
level, whether it is junior high or high school and get the 
school administrators to really be focusing on letting students 
and parents know about the great careers that are available.
    As I said, a lot of my very skilled technicians make six 
figures in the Chicago area. That is a really good wage for no 
college debt. And we are just not getting that message across 
in that lower levels of education to let people pursue those 
kind of careers.
    We have a great recruiting for the military as well, kind 
of similar to what was just described. I think we have hired 
three or four technicians where they work for us for free and 
get skills and then they have been fantastic but there are not 
enough people coming out of the military to fuel our true 
needs. And it is not just construction equipment. It is 
automobile technicians, truck technicians and all the other 
skilled trades that are out there.
    Ms. YOUNG KIM. Well, thank you so much.
    My time is up. I yield back. Thank you.
    Chairman CROW. Thank you. The gentlelady yields back.
    The gentlelady from Kansas, Ms. Davids, who is the 
Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax, and 
Capital Access is now recognized for 5 minutes.
    Ms. DAVIDS. Thank you, Chairman Crow and Ranking Member 
Young Kim for holding this hearing today.
    As we have heard in this hearing today and for the last few 
years, our small businesses are facing serious challenges, 
including workforce challenges that have been brought on by 
this pandemic and, you know, what we are doing here is trying 
to focus on how we can help folks enter or re-enter the 
workforce and get these good-paying jobs we are hearing about. 
Community colleges are, of course, a major player in helping 
individuals skill and upskill and reskill, especially as it 
comes to these highly technical and long-lasting careers. In 
fact, in the Kansas 3rd, where I represent, I like to say that 
we are kind of a hidden gem of a thriving community college 
environment. I mean, I am a little bit biased. I might be 
saying that because I am the product and proud alum of Johnson 
County Community College. And I have had the chance to work a 
lot with the Kansas City, Kansas Community College to secure 
funding for an automated robotics lab and program that they 
have so that students can train with like real life automation 
equipment that is currently being used in the industry. And I 
think this is especially relevant given the conversation that 
we have been having today.
    I am curious, Dr. Brownlee, if you could share a bit about 
what successes or maybe even concerns, I am not sure, you have 
seen in developing some of the kind of custom curriculum for 
specific trades or jobs. And then also, if there is like, what 
the mix of the students that are looking at those various 
career choices or reskilling. I am just curious about that.
    Mr. BROWNLEE. Thank you for the question, Representative 
Davids. And I will tell you, we are excited that you are a 
proud product of community colleges, especially as we enter 
April, Community College Month. That is a great excitement to 
us.
    But to your question, as we think about essentially in our 
service area, our industry partners have been very responsive 
in wanting to be at the table. We include industry partners 
through advisory councils that help us to shape what are 
essentially the learning outcomes that are associated with 
these jobs. As you heard one of our fellow, the individuals 
giving the testimony talked about how there are technicians 
that are needed in these various industries. And so, we work 
with our partners to identify what are those learning outcomes. 
A bit of the challenge really becomes those very short-term 
programs. As we think about funding those programs is where the 
true to concern to your question of the challenge comes in is 
funding because depending upon the nature and the length of 
that academic program or that workforce-related program, we are 
talking about social and economic mobility, workforce-driven 
programs. So, 3, 4 week, 5 week programs, 9 week programs, this 
individual can now take on a new career and pathway and be able 
to provide for them and their families in a manner in which 
they would not have been able to do previously. However, the 
funding becomes a challenge. Based on the length of it, it may 
not be funded and carried by the Pell grant, and so that is 
where we really need the help and the challenge.
    In terms of those that we are seeing engage with these 
trainings, everything from the traditional age--I think about 
the work that we are doing out of Cherry Creek Schools, the 
great work they are doing out of the Cherry Creek Innovation 
Center where they are directly tying students into high-wage, 
in-demand pathways to work over here at Aurora Public Schools. 
So, there are strong partnerships with the traditional age.
    The adult working populations are noncredit programs is 
where we continue to have opportunity, and to be very honest 
with you, it comes down to funding. We need to be able to fund 
the very short-term programs. Otherwise, these individuals are 
coming out of pocket and they may have the means or may not 
have the means. And so hopefully, the conversations that now we 
are having and we are seeing some return on, and that is our 
industry partner saying, listen, let's sponsor some of these 
individuals, especially these adult working learners to be able 
to fund them in their education. Creative partnerships. 
However, we have to think about sustainability and the 
implications if we cannot find a sustainable result.
    Ms. DAVIDS. Yeah. Thank you, Dr. Brownlee.
    And also, just thank you to our other witnesses for your 
testimony.
    Mr. Arnold, I am excited and impressed about the training 
program that you all have. And Ms. Benck, I really appreciated 
your comments about us looking into the younger populations.
    Chairman, I will yield back now. Thank you.
    Chairman CROW. Thank you. The gentlelady yields back.
    I will now recognize the gentleman from Texas, Mr. 
Williams, also the Vice Ranking Member of the Committee.
    Mr. WILLIAMS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you, 
Ranking Member Young Kim. And I just want to say in full 
disclosure, and especially to Ms. Benck, I am an automobile 
dealer. I have been in the automobile business, Chevrolet, 
Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ram for 51 years. My family is in it and 
my grandchildren are now in it. So, I really enjoyed your 
statements. And also, was glad that you mentioned about some of 
the Trump tax cuts that we had in 2016--they are still in 
force--that have helped make our business pretty good.
    You talked about inventory. I normally have 800 units on 
the ground. This morning in my car dealerships I have 22. So, 
we know about what it has done to our industry. But thank you 
for bringing up about the importance of cutting taxes.
    With all that being said, the Biden administration 
continues to show their lack of understanding for the real 
issues American small businesses are facing. Instead of 
creating opportunities for all businesses, President Biden is 
pushing government mandates that favor big labor and are both 
unfair and extremely costly to taxpayers. They just mean more 
money. And last month, Biden signed an executive officer 
mandating project labor agreements on federal construction 
contracts exceeding $35 million, which funnels these critical 
government contracts to unions and cuts out other private 
companies from being competitive.
    A recent report by the Association of Builders and 
Contractors stated that 87.3 percent of the U.S. construction 
workforce does not--I repeat, does not belong to a union. These 
businesses should not be excluded from applying for government 
projects because they are not unionized with burdensome fees 
and failing pension plans. We should push back on the efforts 
to impose restrictive labor requirements on taxpayer funded 
construction projects and ensure open, fair, and competitive 
bidding for all Americans. And it saves us money by doing that.
    So, my question to you, Ms. Benck, you represent the 
construction industry. I represent the car industry. Can you 
elaborate on how President Biden's executive order will affect 
your member companies?
    Ms. BENCK. Well, honestly, I work in a very heavily 
unionized area. So, the Chicago area, you cannot function 
without being in a labor union. So, I do not know if it has 
much impact in Illinois. But I think in other parts of the 
country, just your 80 percent are not in labor unions, I think 
that there is--I do not know if that is the exact number, but I 
would not be surprised at that. So, I do think the important 
thing here that we get our infrastructure rebuilt and not focus 
so much on whether it goes through labor unions. And I am a 
supporter of labor unions. Like I said, I have two I am 
signatory to here in Chicago. It is just a reality of doing 
business up here. But to do things, to make that a requirement 
seems to kind of sabotage what we are trying to accomplish in 
terms of rebuilding this country's infrastructure for our 
future.
    Mr. WILLIAMS. I agree with. Picking winners and losers is 
not good. Even competition does work.
    I have been in the car business for over 50 years as I have 
stated and I know firsthand that we are always looking for more 
mechanics. We have talked about that. More mechanics, more 
technicians and other skilled workers. Our country is facing a 
growing skills gap from younger generations that are not 
joining the vocational workforce at high enough rates. So, 
business owners in all sectors of the economy are in critical 
need of workers, especially skilled workers. One way that we 
can work to address the skills gap is by informing and 
encouraging students to join career technical education 
programs. A traditional 4-year college degree is not for 
everyone and we found that to be true in this day and time. We 
need to ensure students know that there are other high-demand 
opportunities that will provide them with a good-paying job and 
successful career.
    So again, Ms. Benck, you even stated that in your testimony 
that a service technician at an equipment dealership can easily 
make up to 6 figures, and that is true with my car dealerships. 
Providing that vocational program sets students up to learn a 
skill which they can master over the years and then hopefully 
turn into their own small business like your sone day. The 
return on investment for skilled workers is undeniable and it 
is critical that we continue to expand and encourage CTE 
opportunities.
    So quickly, Mr. Arnold, given your background in apprentice 
programs, how can we better educate high schoolers who might be 
on the fence about paying for a 4-year degree that there are 
other opportunities out there and not as costly, and what are 
the best practices to recruit more students to put a vocational 
option for them in the future?
    Mr. ARNOLD. Thank you for the question, Representative.
    Very quickly, I think we just need to do a better job of 
explaining the benefits to both parents and students so 
everybody involved understands about the excellent 
opportunities. A lot of times, you know, folks were told they 
had to go the traditional career or traditional education path 
to be successful and I do not think we did a good enough job 
explaining the benefits, explaining the financial burdens. Best 
practices, what we have seen starting to work better, is 
actually utilizing our current apprentices. The folks in our 
program that can relate to the younger populations better than 
say myself or folks that have been in the industry for 30 or 40 
years. Getting their peers and letting them know exactly what 
they are experiencing right now as existing apprentices has 
seemed to make a big difference.
    Mr. WILLIAMS. Thank you very much.
    And Mr. Chairman, I yield my time back.
    Chairman CROW. Thank you. The gentleman yields back.
    I will now recognize the gentleman from Minnesota, Mr. 
Phillips, the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight, 
Investigations, and Regulations for 5 minutes.
    Mr. PHILLIPS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and to all the 
witnesses today. I am grateful for your testimony.
    Ms. Benck, I want to thank you for your wonderful remarks 
about your business and unions. I think that one can be both 
pro-business and pro-worker. And I think your remarks are 
wonderful and I encourage every business in this country to 
follow suit.
    When I am back in the district, I have been doing a program 
called At Work with Dean where I spend about 3 hours, do a 3-
hour shift at various small businesses in my district. And 
without exception, all are saying that business is improving, 
very strong in most cases. And all are also saying that the 
attraction and retention of employees is terribly difficult. 
So, I think we are all in agreement on that.
    Starting with you, Ms. Benck, we hear a lot of reasons why 
people have left the workforce. I would love to hear from each 
of our witnesses about why you think that is the case. Starting 
with you, Ms. Benck. What is keeping people out of the 
workforce based on your experience?
    Ms. BENCK. Well, I think maybe we are a little bit 
different than--first of all, we were essential workers so we 
never stopped working. We have had may be little higher 
attrition rates but not compared to other businesses. And part 
of it is because we are high paying wages here. We are not, you 
know, hospitality or people, you know, making $10-12 an hour 
where I think you are getting a lot more turnover. And I would 
say I think that what I have seen in our people is that they 
are just a little bit more sole searching. Do I really want to 
do this the rest of my life? Do I really want to be a 
technician? Do I want to live somewhere else in the country? 
Illinois has a lot of issues and we have had just two 
technicians resign in the last couple of weeks who want to move 
down to more southern states with lower tax rates. And lower 
real estate taxes. So, like I said, I do not think our 
resignation rates have been as significant as other industries 
but it is still certainly an issue for us.
    Mr. PHILLIPS. And do you have any belief that perhaps 
childcare or immigration reform could provide a boost to the 
labor force?
    Ms. BENCK. Oh, absolutely. I think we need more 
immigration, and if we could get young people who are coming 
into this country and start to get them trained as technicians, 
they do a great job. I know of some dealers who have flown to 
the Philippines and brought a whole plane full of technicians 
back. That was in Canada. I do not think we have that policy 
here in the United States to allow that to happen. But that is 
what this country is, is a whole bunch of immigrants. And I 
certainly would hope that we can bring more people in that 
would help with the skills gap problem that we are having.
    Mr. PHILLIPS. Thank you. I wholeheartedly agree.
    Dr. Brownlee, any thoughts from your perspective about what 
is keeping people out of the workforce and how we might rectify 
it?
    Mr. BROWNLEE. Thank you so much for that question, 
Representative Phillips. What I would say is that as we think 
about, again, the apprenticeships, the internships of small 
business owners, really looking to revolutionize what we have 
looked at in terms of opportunities previously and asking the 
question what brings about relevance and messaging and 
opportunity now for our students? And so, I think the creation 
of new opportunities. We were talking with industry partners 
just a few weeks ago. Relooking at these job descriptions. What 
can we do to create some transferrable skill opportunities 
where we can retool and upskill and create more? Certainly, 
there are challenges with transportation, childcare. You 
mentioned it, Representative, and thank you for acknowledging 
that. And just what have been challenges of the low 
socioeconomic communities continue. But we are committed, and 
we are grateful for the funding that we have been able to 
receive through the various grants, Department of Education, 
you name it. Even here in the State of Colorado through our CoC 
programs to create more opportunity and close gaps. What has 
been a challenge for folks in terms of funding their higher 
education.
    Mr. PHILLIPS. Thank you, sir. I appreciate it.
    Mr. Kane, your thoughts on what is keeping folks out of the 
workforce and what we might do to rectify it.
    Mr. KANE. Thank you, Representative. Look, I think the 
challenge is some of these are new issues at play but also 
enduring issues. And so, there are significant replacement 
needs across, in particular, the infrastructure sector. There 
is a silver tsunami hitting a lot of these positions. That has 
been true for a very, very long time. And the sector is very 
traditional in good ways and bad where there is an overemphasis 
on service provision, and often an underemphasis on who are 
going to be those future workers that are going to take on 
these roles? Even in the capital planning process for these 
different agencies. You know, workers are kind of a second 
concern I would argue compared to some of the physical 
upgrades. And so, understanding that there needs to be more 
flexibility and visibility as I said before, and particularly 
for younger workers, younger students. I appreciate what was 
reflected in some of the other testimony on that. But there 
need to be mentorships, knowledge transfer as this older 
generation transitions out, that the younger generation 
actually can take on and understand what the nature of the work 
is and not just a simple credential in isolation but actually a 
pathway where they can grow and learn.
    Mr. PHILLIPS. I see we are out of time, Mr. Kane. I was 
hoping to get to you, Mr. Arnold, but perhaps next time.
    I yield back. Thanks.
    Chairman CROW. The gentleman yields back.
    I will now recognize the gentleman from Mr. New York, Mr. 
Garbarino, for 5 minutes.
    Mr. GARBARINO. Thank you, Chairman. And thank you to the 
Ranking Member for hosting this hearing.
    I have a question. I will start with Ms. Benck and maybe 
Mr. Arnold can add in to it. Ms. Benck, you run your own 
business. And something I heard from my electrical contractors, 
I had a meeting with them yesterday, and they talked about a 
lot of the women and minority-owned businesses. And they said 
that right now under the SBA--the federal government under the 
SBA size standards set forth in their regulations that they 
used a gross revenue standard when determining whether a woman 
or minority-owned business can participate in these SBA 
programs. And since it is gross, are you concerned that using 
that current standard and not updating it based on increased 
cost of goods, increased cost of doing business that certain 
businesses like yours or others might get knocked out of the 
program prematurely just because of the way inflation is?
    Ms. BENCK. I do not know exactly what the SBA standards 
are. I certainly am very familiar with like the State of 
Illinois and City of Chicago, State of Indiana standards. I 
would think that they run pretty similar. But I think one of 
the really big problems of those programs is that you graduate 
too quickly. The reality is there is still a lack of MB, WB 
businesses out there to do construction work. And all the 
states are putting in higher and higher percentages that that 
work needs to be subcontracted. And there is just not enough 
skilled people out there. I would much prefer to see some more 
criteria put in as far as the number of minorities or women in 
the workforce working on a particular job to me would raise it 
better than selecting one specific customer or owner of a 
company would be more effective. And also, what we have seen 
over and over again is you get a very qualified minority 
contractor and then everybody floods to them because they do a 
good job. They get too big. They graduate out of the program.
    Mr. GARBARINO. They hit a certain revenue standard and they 
get graduated out?
    Ms. BENCK. Yep.
    Mr. GARBARINO. And then you are all stuck in the same 
position as you just were.
    Ms. BENCK. Yeah. And I know there has been discussion in 
the State of Illinois of even taking those standards completely 
off. Where that is right now I do not know but definitely for 
construction jobs I think, you know, a lot of times it is 
around $30 million is pretty darn small. I mean, it costs a lot 
to do any kind of road construction or trucking or whatever it 
is. That is pretty small.
    Mr. GARBARINO. No, absolutely. I know the same thing in my 
state of New York. A lot of projects cost that much.
    Mr. Arnold, I am not sure, have you heard anything similar 
in Colorado with some of your contractors? I know you probably 
work very closely with them since you have the program that you 
currently run.
    Mr. ARNOLD. Thank you, Representative. My experience really 
has been more that the city and county of Denver has similar 
program requirements and there is a lot of work going on at 
Denver International Airport. It is a concern because it is 
based off gross revenue. The cost of materials has gone up 
significantly and I think labor costs will follow suit as you 
try to backfill the labor needs. And so, I think it is worth 
taking a hard look at it. It makes sense on the surface. You 
know, your gross revenue should be a reflect of what type of 
profit margin that you make at the end of the project. With the 
increase on the goods, if you look at a Chiller or whatever 
piece of equipment that you are buying, materials, because they 
have increased so much and we still want to serve our 
customers, I think the contractors are sharpening up the 
pencils. And so that might mean that those profit margins are a 
little bit thinner than they were in the past just to make sure 
that the project goes forward, everything stays on budget. And 
so, it is more of an examination and making sure that we are 
not graduating those women and minority-owned contractors too 
quickly because they need that support to really flourish long 
term.
    Mr. GARBARINO. You touched a point that I was going to get 
to next. Can you talk about how much materials have gone up and 
what that is doing to the contractors that you work with?
    Mr. ARNOLD. So right now we have not seen an effect on it 
as far as projects being delayed or canceled but the material 
costs have increased significantly. I attended strategic 
planning sessions with our contractors actually this week, 
Monday and Tuesday, and that was a large topic of discussion 
and whether or not they were seeing actual projects delayed or 
canceled. Things are long lead items right now and we have just 
seen huge increases on just the raw materials that it takes to 
build these kinds of projects out. I had a contractor tell me 
that they are looking at 60 weeks lead on some of the equipment 
that they need for projects. So, it is going to be a challenge 
I think coming up here in the near future.
    Mr. GARBARINO. I appreciate the answer.
    I am out of time so I yield back. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Chairman CROW. Thank you. The gentleman yields back.
    I now recognize the gentlelady from New York, Ms. Tenney, 
for 5 minutes.
    Ms. TENNEY. Thank you, Chairman Crow and Ranking Member 
Young Kim, for holding this hearing today.
    We hear a lot about the labor shortage facing our economy. 
Businesses of all sizes, including my business which is less 
than 100 employees. But we have been around for 76 years and we 
are experiencing a real problem with getting workers. We are 
trying to advertise. We are doing extra incentives that we have 
not had to do in the past in order to deal with the labor 
shortage that we have. We are offering higher wages, expanded 
incentives as I said. And this is happening not in just the 
southern tier and Central New York, but it really happening all 
over our state as well. And probably all over the country.
    As we know, this is a tight labor market. So, as the demand 
for goods and services increases, so does the price. And so now 
we are seeing higher prices and the cost of wages is rising. 
Americans are receiving more money for their work which is a 
good thing, but this creates this tension between the employers 
who obviously we like to see a labor market where we can get 
more employees at a lower rate, but at the same time, we love 
to pay our employees more because if we can charge more for our 
services, but with inflation affecting us this has been a 
problem.
    But I think government can respond to this. And I think one 
of the things that we are seeing, and this is particularly 
true, is some de-industrialized areas, we are seeing just an 
influx of supply of a cheap foreign labor that are often, 
especially in the tech industry, and they are getting some of 
the benefits here that a lot of our American companies are not. 
And I think this creates a disincentive for employers to really 
invest in their workers and invest in the technologies and the 
processes in the long-term growth that we need to bring 
American workers back into the workforce. And so, we have seen 
a lot of American workers kind of pushed to the sidelines, many 
of them with skills that could be trailed but moving 
unfortunately, maybe the lower skilled jobs are even choosing, 
unfortunately, not to do some of the jobs that we need them to 
do or we could train them to do if we had a focus on the 
American labor market. And also, on dealing with this issue.
    And I think it is really important on the Small Business 
Committee that we are fighting for our small business 
community. And especially, the employees of the small business 
community because they are the heart of our businesses. They 
are the people that make us grow. And in my business they are 
part of our family. I mean, it is almost every year that we 
give out a 50-year pin to someone who has worked in our 
business way back when my grandfather hired them.
    But to that, one of the things that I think has been really 
helpful for us, and this is why I want to direct a question to 
Ms. Benck and also to Mr. Brownlee from Aurora, we have 
wonderful community colleges in Upstate New York and they have 
been providing us with an opportunity to train a lot of our 
workforce. And this has been a great situation. But in terms of 
job training, increased wages and benefits and really focusing 
on a renewed commitment to America workers and our communities, 
I think that is what we need to start looking at.
    And I wanted to again address my first question to Ms. 
Benck. You raised the unfortunate issue of stigmas against 
skilled trade in our country and this has been a barrier to 
entry particularly for young people into stable, well-paying, 
long-term jobs. How, in your opinion, does the frequent lack of 
career and technical training in America's secondary schools 
contribute to this phenomenon? If you could just give us a 
brief, kind of restating what you have said in the past.
    Ms. BENCK. Well, I think it is a huge source of the 
problem. I mean, it used to be when I was in high school, you 
know, there was always a shop class; right? And those are gone 
out of most high schools. So that is where AEDs putting their 
efforts now into reaching back into those high schools that are 
still focusing on technical trades and we are out there 
certifying them and organizing all the dealers in that specific 
area to get involved and active so that we get those young 
people interested in our profession. And I think the high 
schools need to do a much better job. And it is not really just 
even the educational process. It is really the parents that are 
a big problem. We have this view in this country that everybody 
has got to go to college and if you do not send your kids to 
college you are doing them a disservice. And unfortunately, I 
think that has led to all of these very sometimes much higher 
paying jobs with no debt.
    We have a little graph that we use at AED. It is based on 
averages. But it is literally like over $300,000 for the first 
4 years of a young person's life difference in cost of going to 
college and going into debt versus going into one of our 
technician programs where you get paid going along the way and 
you get out 2 years earlier earning in a job. Three hundred 
thousand dollars in the first 4 years of someone's life is 
absolutely enormous in terms of their total economic future.
    Ms. TENNEY. We could do a month on school loans and debt. I 
hear about it a lot from students. But I urge them, as you 
said, you have got a lot of trucks in the background in your 
screen there and we are having a struggle getting a lot of 
people to become truckers which is a great, well-paying job 
that is so necessary. And we have had to employ some of our own 
people.
    I just want to say, what do you think Congress----
    Chairman CROW. The gentlelady's time has expired.
    Ms. TENNEY. That went quick. Thanks so much. I appreciate 
it. I will catch up with you in the next round.
    Chairman CROW. Thank you.
    So, we will start, while we are waiting on Ms. Houlahan 
from Pennsylvania who is on her way to the hearing, I wanted to 
do a follow up with Mr. Brownlee, Dr. Brownlee.
    A little bit more on the students that you serve in Aurora, 
some of those or many of those are underserved students. Can 
you touch briefly on the impacts of transportation challenges 
and childcare challenges that those students face when they are 
pursuing training, vocational, technical training at the 
Community College of Aurora?
    Mr. BROWNLEE. Absolutely, Chair. Thank you, Chairman Crow 
for the opportunity.
    So, yes, as I shared earlier, 51 percent of our students 
are Pell grant eligible and so as we think about low 
socioeconomic communities, over 90 countries represented here 
at the Community College of Aurora so as we think about 
childcare, just as, for example, 60 percent of our students are 
female, so we think about the amount of working mothers that we 
have here at the Community College of Aurora, it tends to be a 
bit of a challenge and a barrier for childcare, just available 
childcare. As we think about our service area and the various 
challenges there are in some cases a 1 to 2 year waiting list 
just for individuals to be able to secure childcare for 
themselves. And then that certainly becomes a barrier.
    And so, as we think about transportation, broadband access, 
as we have been working through the pandemic, it is one thing 
to hand a student a laptop. It is a whole another thing to make 
an assumption that that student has a home to plug that laptop 
into, let alone has access, Internet access in their own 
private homes to do the work of online education. And so, we 
are seeking and have continued to find ways to have gap 
closures as we think about the digital divide and providing Wi-
Fi access. We certainly increased our infrastructure here at 
the college at our locations. I have created Wi-Fi accessible 
parking lots to create more access opportunities for our 
students. But certainly, certainly, certainly it has been a 
challenge in our community to be able to meet the needs, create 
workforce opportunities, and you are having to deal with just 
basic food insecurities, housing insecurities, and the various 
challenges that come about with low socioeconomic communities.
    I say that to all say, we also are grateful though for all 
the opportunities that have been provided from us from the U.S. 
Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor, and 
certainly here in the State of Colorado, to help us address 
these various challenges for our students.
    Chairman CROW. Thank you, Dr. Brownlee.
    I will now recognize the Ranking Member, Ms. Young Kim, for 
5 minutes.
    Ms. YOUNG KIM. Sure. Thank you, Chairman.
    And to our witnesses, as we continue to discuss the 
shortage in skilled workforce and the need to bring in more 
qualified individuals to work, could you, specifically Mr. 
Arnold and Ms. Benck in your respective industries that you are 
in, can you talk about some of the technical skills and 
qualifications you are looking for in an employee and whether 
or not you anticipate those skills will be changing in the next 
5 to 10 years?
    Ms. BENCK. Well, I guess I will go first. Oh, my God, the 
skill levels that we are going to need in the future is a 
little bit frightening when we look out 5 years from today. I 
mean, we are on the verge of autonomous tractors. We have all 
the new fuel technologies that are coming, electrification, 
hydrogen, all kinds of things that the manufacturers are 
working on today. So, the skill level, like I said, right now 
our technicians really have a bachelor's degree in terms of the 
time that is put into their training, whether it be from that 
2-year technical program, and then what we do as a dealership. 
But the skill levels and the different skills that are going to 
be needed in the future are a little bit frightening and will 
create a whole bunch of other challenges as we move into the 
future.
    Ms. YOUNG KIM. Mr. Arnold? Mr. Arnold?
    Mr. ARNOLD. Thank you, Ranking Member Young Kim.
    The nice part I think right now is for somebody just 
looking to enter into the apprenticeship program, all we really 
need is somebody that has the good enough soft skills. A 
willingness to show up to work, to be there on time, to work 
throughout their entire shift, be productive, and learn from 
their mistakes. The training program really is designed and 
engineered to make sure that at the completion of the 5-year 
program obtain all the certifications required to be successful 
in the career. So, during that program they are going to obtain 
welding certifications. Up front it is a big focus on safety, 
so they are going to need OSHA 30-hour Safe Handling 
Refrigerants. And then all the various certifications that go 
along that is needed by the industry, by our employers that 
communicate that to us at our monthly JATC meetings.
    I would agree with Ms. Benck that the future is going to 
involve some changes and we are going to need to train folks on 
newer technologies. Right now, we are focusing on making sure 
our members are trained on variable refrigerant flow, variable 
refrigerant volume systems which just were not all that common 
in the past. Typically, you saw large scale hydronic systems 
with traditional boilers and chillers. And so, some of that 
technology is already starting to show itself and we have 
already engaged in that training. But where does hydrogen lead 
for building heat and in-home heating? Geothermal is another 
viable technology that I could see used in the future. And so, 
what we want to do is continue to maintain that constant 
communication with our employers so they can communicate 
exactly what our customers are looking for. What do building 
owners want in their new buildings? And that way we can adjust 
and be flexible to meet the industry needs.
    Ms. YOUNG KIM. Thank you. It looks like Ms. Houlahan showed 
up so I will yield my time.
    Chairman CROW. Thank you. The gentlelady yields back.
    I will now recognize the gentlelady from Pennsylvania, Ms. 
Houlahan, for 5 minutes.
    Ms. HOULAHAN. Thank you. And apologies for being so late.
    I appreciate the time of all of you all, and I appreciate 
all of your testimonies today. And my questions are focusing on 
two areas. One is on workforce development in the STEM area. 
And I want to thank you as I mentioned for each of your 
testimonies in this area. We need to very much swiftly address 
the workforce issues that we are having, particularly in STEM 
and STEAM. I am an engineer and so, of course, particularly 
interested in these issues. And in specifically addressing the 
lack of gender diversity in these fields.
    So, one particularly important consideration is that which 
women experience, and they experience significant challenges in 
returning to the workforce after major life events. So, one in 
four women tend to take a break in their career which is four 
times as many women as men, and many of those women drop out of 
the workforce as a result of that break in their career.
    So, to Mr. Kane, in your testimony you emphasizer the need 
for federal leadership to ensure greater flexibility to fill 
careers. Would you be able to please elaborate on how providing 
funding for flexible workforce development opportunities, such 
as returnships that would be created by the STEM Restart Act 
would help address the workforce development and diversity 
challenges that our country faces?
    Mr. KANE. Yeah, Representative. You know, look, I think the 
reality we are facing is startling where I think Mr. Brownlee 
said that 60 percent of the candidates I think in his program, 
are about 60 percent women. In our research, under 15 percent 
of infrastructure workers are women. And so, there are huge 
gaps here even for individuals who may get some of the 
credentials to actually holding on to and filling these 
positions over time. And so, to the extent that there is direct 
employer engagement, supportive services as has already been 
talked about in terms of childcare, travel assistance and so 
on, that is very important for women I would argue in 
particular here. But I think flexibility also to the 
understanding as it relates to the skills conversation, you 
know, we cannot just be looking at filling one type of job or 
one position but really revealing I think the pathways that can 
be quite nimble for prospective workers, whether you are a 
woman, a person of color, or so on. We need the 100 to 200 
level skills here, too, that workers, particularly as it 
relates to STEM, we found in our past research that STEM skills 
are crucial, whether you are a water treatment operator, 
whether you are a technician, whether you are an electrician. 
These are common skills across so many of these different 
occupations. And yet, the employers often are planning an 
isolation; right? They are often competing against each other. 
And from the worker's standpoint, they do not know, at least 
from the research I have done, they do not know where to turn 
other than that they are told to kind of train for one 
particular job with one employer. And that is just not the 
reality that is facing a lot of workers now. And so, 
understanding how more and different types of women, including 
women, can achieve those 100 to 200 level skills is crucial. We 
have seen some innovative efforts across the country that have 
tried to do this. The Infrastructure Academy concept is one 
idea that has emerged in D.C. and also in Los Angeles on this 
issue of creating a one-stop destination for workers, 
prospective workers, for the younger workers, to actually 
understand what the opportunities are and the skillsets that 
are needed, not just the individual credentials to fill these 
positions.
    Ms. HOULAHAN. Thank you. And I look forward to following up 
with you on Infrastructure Academy. The Infrastructure Academy 
conversation because my follow-on question was going to be what 
can we be doing to be more helpful, and what can the SBA be 
doing as well?
    With what remains of my time, I want to transition over to 
stakeholder capitalism. I Co-Chair the Stakeholder Capitalism 
Caucus with my friend and Representative Dean Phillips. And we 
are trying to understand how businesses can better impact 
policies to foster inclusion and generate longer lasting growth 
that benefits all stakeholders rather than just exclusively the 
shareholders. We believe that smarter business practices, such 
as providing workforce development and career advancement, will 
be able to grow businesses as well as grow people.
    So, to all of you with the 47 seconds I have left, can any 
of you speak to the importance of providing workforce 
development opportunities not only for the benefits of the 
individual but for the benefit of the businesses at large?
    Perhaps Mr. Brownlee.
    Mr. BROWNLEE. Thank you very much, Representative.
    I would say that stackable credentials now more than ever 
are critical as we think about the advancements in workforce 
development and training, we want to create very short-term 
programs that can meet the needs of small businesses as quickly 
as possible and create what can be a career growth trajectory 
for those individuals towards increased opportunities for 
economic mobility for them and their families. So, I would say 
stackable credentials, very short-term credentials, and 
including very dynamic programs that infuse industry 
experiences working with the likes of Mr. Arnold and Ms. Benck 
to create these real-life experiences for students in the 
classroom is critical.
    Ms. HOULAHAN. I appreciate you all. It appears as though I 
have run out of time and I yield back.
    Chairman CROW. Thank you. The gentlelady yields back.
    I want to thank all of our witnesses again for being here 
today. The current labor shortage is a top concern for American 
small businesses. A business cannot thrive without properly 
skilled workers. A drag on small businesses hinders our entire 
economy. Workforce development can expand the pool of qualified 
candidates, helping small firms fill their openings and grow 
their businesses. In turn, we can supply workers with the tools 
they need to get good paying jobs and help them support their 
families. So, by prioritizing workforce development, we can 
bolster small businesses, help American workers, and support 
communities.
    And I also just wanted to make an additional comment on the 
discussion that we had with Dr. Brownlee and the impact of 
affordable quality childcare on our workforce. One of the 
largest periods of economic expansion in our nation's history 
was after World War II is large numbers of new workers entered 
our workforce. They were largely women. Right now, we have 
millions of American workers who cannot enter the workforce or 
cannot enter the workforce at the right level because they 
cannot afford to or they just cannot because they do not have 
childcare for their children. And the bottom line is this 
actually disproportionately impacts women. That is what the 
data show.
    So, if we want to unleash vast swaths of economic activity 
and grow our economy and help our businesses we will pass 
legislation that will provide quality, affordable childcare to 
American families. That is good for our economy. It is good for 
our families.
    So, without objection, Members have 5 legislative days to 
submit statements and supporting materials for the record.
    And if there is no further business to come before the 
Committee, without objection, we are adjourned.
    [Whereupon, at 11:29 a.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]
                           
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