Thursday, April 23, 2009

Rep. John B. Larson Introduces Community College Technology Access Act

Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01), Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, along with more than 15 other members of Congress, introduced legislation that will help train our workforce for the jobs of the future and boost our economy. The Community College Technology Access Act, H.R. 2060, will open the doors of community college technology labs and training opportunities to the public in order to provide workers who are lacking key computer skills the opportunity to attain them.

Rep. Larson said, “By broadening their mission, community colleges have the potential to be a hub to train our workforce for the jobs of the future. With this legislation we are helping them fulfill their potential and boost local economies around the country.”

The legislation would provide funding to community colleges that offer technology training and open their computer labs to the public for at least 30 hours each week. Then-Senator Barack Obama included a similar idea as part of his platform during the campaign for the presidency.

ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown spoke in support of the legislation by noting, "The Community College Technology Access Act of 2009 will enable the nation’s community colleges to extend service to their communities by allowing workers to retrain or retool their computer skills. Community colleges are on the front lines in our communities and constitute economic engines that are vital to turning around our economy and promoting prosperity."
"Through this legislation, community colleges will able to reach out to those who need access to technology, realizing their mission of service and responsiveness to their communities," said Brown. "The Association of Community College Trustees is pleased to support this critically important legislation and we look forward to its passage and eventual funding by the Congress."

2 comments:

  1. Great news! Now I wonder who are the other 15 supporters.

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  2. The supporter list is now 21. The list can be found at: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d111:16:./temp/~bdNdSI:@@@P|/bss/|

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