Brooklyn, N.Y. – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement on the Work Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, H.R. 803, which will increase our competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century by investing in American workers. The bill passed by a vote of 415 to 6.

The act will improve coordination between federal, state and local workforce training programs to identify sectors of the economy that need workers and the types of skills these workers will need, and allow workforce training programs to develop customized services to provide each participant with the best opportunity to develop her or his talents.

“The people themselves have always been our most important resource. To remain competitive in the Twenty-First Century in an economy that includes every nation in the world, we must support people in the development of their individual capacities,” said Congresswoman Clarke. “I believe that the Work Innovation and Opportunity Act will allow more people to access training programs to develop the skills our economy needs.”

U.S. Representative Yvette D. Clarke is a member of the House Committee on Small Business, Ethics, and Homeland Security, where she is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies. She represents many neighborhoods in central and southern Brooklyn, NY which include Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Gerritsen Beach, Madison, Midwood, parts of Park Slope and Flatlands, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Sheepshead Bay, and Windsor Terrace.