.jpg){kind=logo}
All In: Student Pathways Forward
This podcast focuses on elevating community college student voices to shape inclusive higher education and workforce development policies, practice and partnerships that create economic mobility.
All In: Student Pathways Forward
Federal Policy Episode - Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici & National Skills Coalition Managing Director of Government Affairs, Katie Spiker
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
This special edition of the All In: Student Pathway Forward podcast is focused on federal policy with a featured guest who is one of the strongest legislative champions in Congress for community colleges and workforce development, Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, serving Oregon's 1st congressional district. Congresswoman Bonamici discusses how her federal policy work supporting community college students and workers has been shaped by her own community college student experience at Lane Community College. The Congresswoman talks about her leadership on current legislation that addresses the unmet financial need of community college students and emphasizes the different paths a student or worker can take to thrive including community college and workforce development programs but also registered apprenticeships.
Katie Spiker, the Managing Director of Government Affairs at the National Skills Coalition, provides a valuable update from the Hill on the historic passage of the infrastructure bill and describes the status of the Build Back Better Act. She offers a helpful summary of what funding can assist higher education students, workers, apprentices and small and medium sized businesses in these two key pieces of legislation. Katie also shares how important it is for community college students, faculty, staff and champions to continue to advocate for legislation towards an inclusive economic recovery.
The interviews with Congresswoman Bonamici and Katie Spiker were recorded prior to the House of Representatives passing the Build Back Better Act on Friday, November 19.
Welcome to the All-in-Student Pathways Board podcast focused on elevating student voices from Oregon community colleges to shape inclusive policy, practice, and partnerships. This is the host, Mark Goldberg, and it's an honor to speak with students across our state who share their community college experiences, our persalient and practical solutions to make colleges more student-centered, and hear from college leaders and policymakers listening in and reacting to the students' recommendations, building on their solutions to call to act. This is a special episode taking a short pause today from featuring a student, but staying centered on inclusive policy work, I have an incredible opportunity to hear from Oregon's first United States Congressional District Congresswoman, Suzanne Bonovici, a long-standing policy champion and advocate in Washington, D.C. for community college students, workers, apprentices, and small and medium-sized businesses. It's a fantastic conversation with a congresswoman physically right around National Apprenticeship Week, followed up by a real-time federal policy update on the infrastructure bill, the Bills Backbetter Act, and other pertinent workforce development and higher education policies by Keith Spiker, the Managing Director of Government Affairs at the National Skills Coalition. Thanks for listening in. Thank you, Congresswoman Bonomici, for joining me today.
SPEAKER_01Thank you. It's great to be with you.
SPEAKER_00So this is a unique opportunity to have such a strong advocate on the Hill in Washington, D.C. for community college students, workers, and businesses on the podcast. Typically, for each episode, we feature an interview with a student from a different Oregon community college to gain insights from students to help shape inclusive policies, practices, and partnerships. Today it's a great chance to pause and hear from a legislative champion from Oregon who's taken perspectives and insights from students, workers, and businesses to craft dynamic, equitable federal policies for those who haven't always had the same opportunity. As a leader on the House Education and Labor Committee and chair of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services, you've been an incredible advocate for equity and education and workforce development policy and funding. So, Congresswoman Bonamici, could you share with listeners your pathway into becoming a member of Congress and how this experience has informed the policy issues that you're focused on?
SPEAKER_01Yes, of course. I'm happy to do that. I didn't have a typical pathway to becoming a member of Congress. But first I want to say how important it is to recognize that community colleges are a really important part of our educational infrastructure and our communities, and it's also a part of my personal history. So I grew up in Michigan, but after high school, I moved with a group of friends to Oregon, fell in love with the state, and I enrolled at Lane Community College. That was my first two years of college, and it created a tremendous amount of opportunity for me. I was in a legal assistant program and I was volunteering at legal aid, and I really found a passion for helping Oregonians who were struggling. So then from community college, after my two years at Lane, I went over to University of Oregon for a four-year degree and then a law degree. And those opportunities would not have been there without the community college getting me off to that start. And also the assistance that I had because of investments in grants, loans. I was on a work study program, got food assistance. I was able to get through those seven years of college. I did it on my own and go to do a really important work in consumer protection, which was what I did as a lawyer. So, you know, times have changed significantly. And what I hear now from students and families is about what a struggle it is to overcome those financial barriers and how higher education is so much more expensive. Of course, things are exacerbated during the pandemics. In my role, I want to make sure that others have opportunities. Finances should not be a barrier. Too many conversations I have with students who are facing food insecurity, housing insecurity. That to me is a place where we need to come together and make sure that people can find a path, whether it be through community college, college, workforce, into a good job. So after I became a lawyer, then what really got me involved in policy and becoming a policymaker was education. When my own children were going to school, I realized it was at the time of Measure Five, which throughout the history of Oregon was known as the measure that really cut education funding and back in 1990. So I started doing a lot of volunteer work in public schools. That led me to the state legislature where I served in the House and the Senate, and then to Congress. It was really that passion to make sure that everyone had an opportunity for quality education at all levels. And you know, I have to say that that life experience that I've had has also helped me understand that not everyone's on the same path. And that's where I really want to mention that the goal is for everyone to thrive, regardless of what path they take. Community colleges and workforce programs are an important part of that, as are registered apprenticeships, for example. Different paths for people to take to be able to thrive.
SPEAKER_00That's wonderful to hear your own journey through community colleges and also being a member of Congress who's a community college graduate who faced challenges and funding your own education, it makes a huge difference in the way that you champion legislation for community college for apprentices and workers. As you said, the cost of education has gotten much more and is challenging for students. And at the same time, the importance of skills training, be it a community college certificate or degree, an apprenticeship, or another workforce training program that's quality-based, has more value and is the path to quality jobs and careers.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. And I've noticed that in speaking with students or people who started college and then decided this isn't working for me. I need to find a path that can get me into a good job. So I've heard from students, I've heard from people in the workforce, I heard from apprenticists. And, you know, I remember talking with students, you know, during the pandemic who were suddenly struggling because they didn't have access to childcare or working students who lost their jobs when the economy shut down. And how are they going to get back on their feet? So this is where particularly our community colleges can come in and help and respond with food pantries and distribution of mobile hotspots. And I really gain a lot from speaking with people who are in the workforce, but also people who are wanting to join the workforce and find a successful pathway to get there.
SPEAKER_00That's a good segue into the next question, getting at it already. This podcast is really focused on elevating Oregon Community College student voices, particularly parenting, working, BIPOC, immigrant, and/or adult education students, to help colleges shape more inclusive policies, practices, and partnerships. And curious in your policy work in Washington, what value have you seen and hearing from these same community college students, workers, apprentices to shape inclusive policies, especially current ones such as the Build Back Better Act?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, thank you. And it is so critical that we do look at these policies as inclusive and make sure that we are closing those equity gaps. There have been so many over the years. There isn't really a traditional college student. I think over the years, people thought of a college student as someone who's right out of high school and then four years and then they're done. But we must recognize that that isn't the path that everyone wants to or can take. So making sure that we have those opportunities for people really guides me both in the work throughout the pandemic, but also as we're crafting the Build Back Better policies. And I do want to note, I do chair the Civil Rights and Human Services Subcommittee. The federal role in education is really about equity of opportunity. And a lot of the federal laws about education, whether it be the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Title I for additional dollars for school districts with high populations of low-income students, or the Higher Education Act, which is really designed to make college affordable, those all came about in the civil rights era. And they really are about creating that equity of opportunity. So as I mentioned, hearing from students, from workers, from people who have done apprenticeships really guides that work and helps me to try to find the right policies that can help meet the needs of everyone and targeted to the needs in the community. And I mentioned that during the pandemic, how hard it's been for people who don't have childcare, working students who lost their job or struggling with food insecurity. I talked to students who were helping their families pay rent because their families were out of work. And so it's been really tough. And again, the community colleges were quick to respond. But these are stories that I take back with me when I'm looking at policy. So I worked on including about $40 billion in the American Rescue Plan and then passed earlier this year to help higher education institutions like community colleges. And half of that was designated to go directly to support students. So now as we're working on the Build Back Better Act, it's helping to break down those barriers that I want to remove for anyone seeking education. And the other piece that I wanted to mention that's so important in Build Back Better is workforce and making sure that our workforce programs, either Department of Labor workforce programs, the all programs through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and those great community college partnerships with industry, that those programs have funding because as we transition from the pandemic, as we are looking at having a big investment in infrastructure, we need to build the infrastructure, we need people with the skills to do it. And as we transition to a clean energy economy, which we absolutely need to do to address the climate crisis, there's a lot of jobs, but we also need the people to do the jobs and a path for people to skill up to do those good jobs. And that's why I'm looking at not only the community colleges, but the workforce investments as well.
SPEAKER_00That's great to hear. And I know from my time at different community colleges in Oregon and just staying connected, the American Rescue Plan made such a difference with those investments directly to students as well as to the institutions and the Build Back Better Act resources as it moves forward, hopefully can do even more to create access to those good jobs in the new economy, recognizing the inequitable systems that have been in place that have not allowed for the same opportunity. So it really expands those supports. Could you describe how you've effectively been able to listen to and gather that information, insights from students, workers, and apprentices?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I always make it a priority to really listen to the people I'm honored to represent. And that certainly includes students and workers and workforce. And it's been more challenging, obviously, during the pandemic, but I hold regular meetings, roundtable conversations. I was really excited. I was able to host our new education secretary, Secretary Cardona, in Oregon. And I brought together community college students and presidents to meet with him when he was here. During that conversation, we heard from Miranda King. So she was attending class of community college, and she said that the financial aid she got from the college really took the burden off of her, allowed her to get a degree. 10 years prior, she had had to drop out of college. But because of financial aid that was given to her, now she was able to focus and earn her degree. So it kind of reinforced the importance of the work that we're doing. I also visit education institutions, work sites. I visited, for example, an IBEW training center. They have a wonderful pre-apprenticeship program, really focused on diverse applicants, giving them the opportunity to get the skills they need. We really need electricians. It's a good job. So they have a commitment to including women and people of color. They had a great new family leave benefit program that they negotiated for pregnant workers and then really supporting the whole family. They have a labor littles program to help fill their child care gaps. So it's just one example of a looking at a program that's working, apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships. I do want to share a story from a few years ago, definitely pre-pandemic, and I was meeting with a high school in a fairly rural part of the district, not in an urban area. And I was gathered in an auditorium with the high school students, and they were talking about college and how much should it cost and who should get tuition and who should get financial aid. And then one student raised his hand and said, Do you think everyone needs to go to college? And I'm there, I am a member of Congress on the education committee talking to high school students. But I had to answer honestly and say, not right away. And maybe some will take a different path. I myself didn't start college right away. And then when I started, I started at a community college. And then I thought the principal was here looking at me, and I thought, oh my goodness, I'm going to get a lecture from the principal. But instead, the principal said, thank you so much for answering honestly that question about whether everyone needs to go to college, because that student had just been in her office saying, I really want to be an electrician. What do I need to do to become an electrician? So it was just to me a real wake-up call that absolutely have to have a path. We can't send a message that everyone's on the same path and have those opportunities available for people to be able to skill up and get a good job.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely. And knowing that registered apprenticeships provide that combination of work-based learning. So the on-the-job training with a mentor along with the classroom instruction and the application right into the workplace. So it's a tremendous model that I know has gotten a lot more traction. And I know you've been a champion of registered apprenticeships. So, no, we're fittingly National Apprenticeship Week, and wondered since you've touched on apprenticeships, could you talk more about your work on the Hill over the past few years concentrating on registered apprenticeships as an inclusive recovery skills training strategy for workers and students leading to those quality jobs and careers?
SPEAKER_01Right, happy to. And as I mentioned, I've had many conversations and I remember talking with people who had been through apprenticeship programs and pre-apprenticeship programs and what that meant. So I've been really a leader in Congress to increase access to registered apprenticeships for that reason. And I often think about the conversation I had with a woman named Sarah, a single mom. And she went through a program through Constructing Hope, their pre-apprentip training program. And she said, I would never be here providing a better life for my kids and myself without that program. So we just recently in the US House passed an update to the National Apprenticeship Act. It's the first update since the 1930s. So it was long overdue to be updated. And this will create nearly a million registered apprenticeships and youth apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships over the next five years. So I'm really excited about it. I work to help make sure that the National Apprenticeship Act includes those supportive services like access to tools or work attire, transportation, childcare. And as you mentioned, Mark, the mentorship that's so important. So those are the types of support that make it possible for someone to be able to start the apprenticeship and complete it. So removing those barriers is really important. So I was thrilled to be able to work on it. It includes my bipartisan partners act that has to do with industry partnerships and making sure that the apprenticeships are skilling up people to do the jobs in the area. So now we're focused on making sure that the build back better legislation includes robust workforce development funding to meet those needs. And we were able to get that robust funding into the house version and working hard to make sure it stays in there.
SPEAKER_00Just coming back to apprenticeships, it really is a win-win for the employers as well as the worker. And as you talked about those supportive services, it really does open up access to populations that may not have had the same opportunity historically and may need some additional supports, be it like you said, transportation, childcare, to make it work and even just that pre-apprenticeship, which may be the starting point into a registered apprenticeship.
SPEAKER_01Right. And I also want to mention, too, how critical it is to make sure those opportunities are available to the communities lehind. Because as we look at whether it be the pandemic or the climate crisis, certain populations, primarily BIPOC communities, women, other minority communities, have been disproportionately affected both by the pandemic and by the climate crisis. So making sure that those opportunities are there for those historically left behind and disproportionately affected, is even more important.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely. And I think that example you described of the student who went through the constructing hope pre-apprenticeship is a great one that shows that there is a model. There's programs in place that are creating more access for women and communities of color. I know Oregon Tradeswomen is another organization that's been a national leader from our.
SPEAKER_01Indeed. Indeed. I'm proud that we have a higher percentage of women in the trades in Oregon than many other states, in large part because of the great work of Oregon Tradeswomen.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and constructing hope, as you pointed out.
SPEAKER_01Exactly. Great programs.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, both of them. So shifting back to students and the realities for community college students now. We know from a national survey that the Hope Center did from Temple University that 63% of community college students in Oregon have experienced at least one form of basic needs and security over the past year. And that could be housing insecurity, food insecurity, andor houselessness. And that survey went out before COVID. So we know those numbers have increased since then. How is Congress working on funding and holistic supports for students, workers, and apprentices that can address systemic inequities in the education and workforce development systems and position these individuals for careers with economic mobility?
SPEAKER_01Well, thank you. And I know about the Hope Center study, but I also know from listening to people right here in Oregon that there's far too much food insecurity, housing insecurity, houselessness. And I've spoken with college students who have actually left school because of homelessness, because of hunger, struggle to put food on the table for themselves and their siblings while also attending class full-time. And as we know, food insecurity affects academic success, lowers retention. It's a health issue, health and well-being. So students should not have to be skipping meals or worrying about where their next meal comes from. So I've introduced an opportunity to address the College Hunger Act. And I've heard again from community colleges and universities. They're aware oftentimes that the students struggling with food and housing insecurity. My legislation will help bridge that information gap and make sure that students have access to benefits available to them. So institutes of higher education will need to inform students in the federal work study program that they qualify for SNAP, removes administrative burdens by providing documentation necessary for the application process. So I was proud that the Hope Center endorsed the legislation to help connect students with food benefits. And I mentioned the workforce investments as well. I also want to mention how critical it is for us to have more affordable housing in our community. We are in desperate need of that here in Northwest Oregon, not just in urban areas, but across the region. Raising the federal minimum wage, there's a lot of policies that we can do to help support individuals and families. The COVID relief checks helped, but there were still gaps in who got those. And one of the things that I want to mention too, because I'm very much aware that many students, in particular community college students, are parents, the child tax credit that we passed with the American Rescue Plan, we're working on making that permanent because that really is money in the pockets of struggling parents that will help them meet the needs of their family. So all these policies are going to help. I wanted to mention in terms of another piece of legislation, the Partners Act. The Partners Act is designed to help small and medium-sized businesses establish registered apprenticeships and also has that support provision, whether it be childcare, mentorship, work attire, transportation. So lots of pieces of legislation, both related to COVID and just related to breaking down those barriers to a path to education and training, workforce training, that I'm continuing to work on based on my experience. Experience and really with the recognition that it is an opportunity and I believe a responsibility to create a better future for the people I represent. And that's the lens I bring to my policymaking.
SPEAKER_00Well, thank you for your leadership on all of the policies that can provide more support for students facing food insecurities, you mentioned, thinking about affordable housing, connecting students to SNAP benefits and ensuring they learn about these different resources, making the child tax credit permanent. And then, as you mentioned, the Partners Act and support of small and medium-sized businesses as well in supporting apprenticeships that all will help and gets at the realities that students are facing of unmet financial need and a multitude of ways.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. And one more issue I want to mention too, although it's both a short-term but mostly a long-term issue, and that is what we're advocating for in the Build Back Better Act for universal pre-K for three and four-year-olds, as well as affordable childcare. As it turns out, investment in our children is a very good investment. And when we have good quality early childhood education, it's best for families, it's best for the community, and it's best for the economy. As then students enter school ready to learn and will thrive. So again, these are investments that really start early to help break some of the cycles of poverty and houselessness and insecurity that people are experiencing later. So these early childhood investments, although it seems like a long way away from college and workforce in the long run, they turn out to be a good investment as well.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And as you've touched on these various policies that you're focused on, I wanted to ask how community college students, faculty, staff, and advocates can continue to help shape future policies that close opportunity and equity gaps at community colleges and in workforce development to establish an equitable economic recovery, centering those who've been systemically excluded.
SPEAKER_01Well, I just want to invite people to continue reaching out to your representative in Congress. I'm honored if I'm your representative, but I know that there are people listening who may not live in the first district of Oregon, which I'm honored to represent. Please continue to reach out to your representative. If they're having town hall meetings or virtual town hall meetings, weigh in and we keep track of every email and letter and call that we get. So don't hesitate to make your voice be heard and tell your story. Stories are really powerful. When we talk about changing policy in the abstract, it's not nearly as meaningful as saying this is how this policy changes a person's life for the better. So tell your story. We need to hear about the needs in the community, and that allows us to develop better legislation in response to the needs. So don't hesitate to reach out to your representative in Congress, your senators as well as your state representatives and local elected leaders as well.
SPEAKER_00Appreciate that encouragement and guidance on ways that individuals can share their stories at the federal and state level. So, Congresswoman Bonamici, anything else you'd like to share on this podcast episode for our listeners?
SPEAKER_01Well, I just appreciate the opportunity to talk with you, Mark, and everyone who's listening. I see a better future ahead. It again has been a challenging time with the pandemic and climate crisis, but working together and looking at policies and passing policies that create a better future, we'll get there together. So thank you for the opportunity to be with you.
SPEAKER_00Well, I'd like to thank you immensely, Congressman Bonamici, for carving out the time to speak with me today on the All-In Student Pathways Forward podcast. I've learned a great deal and continue to see firsthand how fortunate we are to have such a passionate, fierce advocate in Washington, D.C. for Oregonian workers, students, and businesses. So thank you very much.
SPEAKER_01Thank you so much, Mark.
SPEAKER_00I'd like to welcome my next guest to the special episode of All in Student Pathways Forward, Katie Spiker, who's the Managing Director of Government Affairs at National Skills Coalition. Welcome, Katie, to the All in Student Pathways Forward podcast.
SPEAKER_02Thanks, Mark.
SPEAKER_00Well, just to get us started, I was hoping you could provide just a brief overview of National Skills Coalition for listeners who may not be as familiar with the organization.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. National Skills Coalition was formed about 20 years ago and brings together a network of folks that are advocating for skills policies that help support student access and worker access to training programs for in-demand jobs that meet business demand and for which they don't require a four-year degree. Our network is comprised of community college leaders, folks from workforce boards and community organizations, from labor management partnerships, from businesses, in particular small and mid-sized companies. And we work across policy at the federal level, at the state level, and I'm bringing together a broad and diverse network of folks to advocate for these policies across both federal and state.
SPEAKER_00I know in Oregon we've had the benefit of working closely and collaboratively with National Skills Coalition through the years, particularly within the community college system. I know you've had a series of YouTube video skills on the Hill that have been extremely helpful and an effective tool to update your networks on federal workforce development policies and the opportunity to influence a decade's worth of funding. Most recently, these weekly videos have centered around the hard infrastructure bill and the human infrastructure bill, build back better, which includes historic investments for workforce development. So I was hoping you could share an update on what is included in these bills and the next steps on the horizon.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. So the hard infrastructure bill was signed by the president yesterday and included investments in workers' digital skills and access to basic digital literacy, as well as some occupational specific investments in things like clean energy jobs and clean manufacturing, pieces like that. The Builds Back Better Act, the answer is probably a little bit longer than that last one. You know, it's complicated. Right now, the Democrats are working to pass this bill through a budget trick called reconciliation that requires only the majority of the Senate's only Dems to move it through. The House has released a couple versions of text that they'll vote on for Builds Back Better Act. There was an agreement on House Dems that they were going to vote on the bill this week, but that's kind of hung up because they're waiting for the Congressional Budget Office to release what's called the score or the essentially the cost of the different provisions of the bill. Those scores could be out as early as this week, but there's a little bit of a hang-up on being able to vote in the House on that package before they get those numbers. For workforce and community colleges, the most recent iteration of that bill included a $5 billion investment in community college industry partnerships, similar to some of the TACT grants that folks may be familiar with from a few years ago. It also included a $5 billion proposal for industry and sector partnership grants, of which community and technical colleges would be a key partner. It included funding for Title I of WIOA and adult basic education. It also included a billion dollars of investment for apprenticeships, a plus up to career and technical education state grants and to adult education state grants. So across a lot of the provisions that we've been talking about and that you've been raising up as key issues for both students' access to training dollars as well as to some of the support services and retention and completion activities that ensure that they can be successful in those programs. Once the bill passes the House, it has to head over to the Senate for the Senate to vote on. Then it's got to go through some of the procedural process to ensure that it fits under this reconciliation umbrella of what's allowed to pass through that process. And so we'll likely see some changes. So in the House version, there's nearly $40 billion that would be invested in training, in support services, in industry partnerships and sector-based training to build out workers' access to skills and businesses' access to skilled workers. I think that we're likely to see both some of the parameters around that spending shift a little bit in the Senate, as well as potentially some of those funding levels. So advocacy with the Senate is still really critical. Realistically, the path forward for that bill includes some of the procedural steps in the House and then a vote, some of the procedural process in the Senate. And then folks are still talking about the potential of this bill passing in November. I think that even pushing a more realistic timeline to December is probably more likely. But Congress has a lot on their plate even outside of Builds Back Better right now.
SPEAKER_00That's a really informative summary in both the hard infrastructure bill that passed and the president signed yesterday, and then the nuanced steps to the Builds Back Better Act and how it moves through the House and over to the Senate. And it sounds promising that there are still significant investments in workforce training in support of community college education and partnerships. And hopefully we'll have more updates soon. And just a quick plug that if you haven't listened in or watched the Skills on the Hill videos, they're extremely informative weekly with Katie and her colleague Rachel Unruh at National Skills Coalition. So we'll just encourage folks to check them out because it's real-time updates each week. And so pivoting from there, recognize in your summary, these investments in career technical education, adult education, apprenticeships, community college and industry partnerships, and the TACT grant funding, they're all a critical first step towards building an inclusive economy and ensuring equitable access to skills training. We wanted to ask where you see supportive services and the integration of holistic services fitting in as well.
SPEAKER_02I think that's a great question. So focusing specifically on the skills piece, a lot of the language that we saw out of the most recent house version of the Builds Back Better Act would include in both of the two big discretionary grant programs that I mentioned, the first and community college partnerships with industry, as well as the industry partnership and sector-based training grants, there are allowable uses of funds that recognize that supportive services, people being able to access childcare and transportation, being able to access internet and devices are critical ways of ensuring student success in those programs, of thinking about navigation and how people connect from training to good jobs. Similarly, in some of the apprenticeship pieces of the legislation, as well as a piece that I hadn't mentioned that focuses on a climate core program, there's lots of links to pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship training and funding that would be allowable to support some of those support services. I think that having an allowable use of funds, though, and having that dedicated investment that provides both institutions like community colleges with the capacity to deliver those support services, as well as local areas and people being able to access those services is probably a different thing. And so would draw our focus out just a little bit from the pieces that are specifically targeted to people's ability to access support services while they're in a job training program, and to the broader priorities that the Biden administration laid out with their Builds Back Better Act and looking at when the bill focuses on expanding access to child care and pre-K for all people, that that's going to create a broader opportunity for students and for workers to access those programs as well. But then also a call to action to folks that are listening that this is part of the next step for advocacy around implementation of Builds Back Better Act, is to ensure that federal agencies provide states and local areas with necessary guidance on how to spend these dollars. And that there are avenues for community and technical colleges and other practitioners to be able to access the funding proposed in Builds Back Better. And all of that will come in the next phase once we hopefully get through a Build Back Better vote and send the implementation next steps over to the Department of Education, Department of Labor, and then formula dollars to states that there's another next step to ensuring that these dollars are spent not just the way that they're allowed to be, but in the way that works best for students, for workers, and for businesses that are hiring them.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's so important. And as you talked about child care, I know from many interviews in this podcast with students at different community colleges in Oregon who are parenting students. That issue is so pivotal. And it's been a recommendation from students to ask colleges to help with childcare. And if there are new resources from this bill that can do that, it'll be really impactful to many parenting students. So I appreciate that information as well. And I think on the same note, I wanted to ask you from your expertise, many years at NSC doing this work, in what ways have you seen student and worker voices impact federal education and workforce policies towards an inclusive economic recovery?
SPEAKER_02I think the importance of student and worker voice in both developing policy priorities and applying a policy lens to their experience, as well as that direct advocacy, can't be overstated. There's a line that we use a lot in preparing folks to do advocacy that data makes you credible and stories make you memorable. And the first hand experience of a student or a worker is obviously always the most impactful as well as the most memorable, both as we're creating the scaffolding of the advocacy and then for the policymakers themselves.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's helpful to hear. So one of our key legislative champions on the Hill in Oregon is Congresswoman Bonamichi, who spoke before you and was the featured guest on this episode. And I wanted to ask you, Katie, how Congresswoman Bonamichi from Oregon's first district has been an effective champion of skills training and the coalition work that National Skills Coalition has led.
SPEAKER_02I'm excited to be part of an episode with Congresswoman Bonamichi. She has been an absolute stellar advocate in Congress. You and I were talking a little bit about some of the work that you've done with her office, that we've done with her office. And really, there's a lot of members in Congress right now who support investments and skills. We have worked with offices on both the House and Senate side for sign on and dear colleague letters, where members are stating the importance of investing, the $100 billion that we saw proposed in the President's American Jobs Plan, as well as the investments in the America's College of Promise and Free Community College that we saw proposed in the President's America's Family Plan. There were hundreds of members between both chambers who supported those investments. What makes Congresswoman Bonamici stand apart along with a few of her colleagues in the House and in the Senate is that she's not just a champion for these issues, but she's willing to exert the capital to call congressional leadership to reach out to the White House to let them know that this is a key priority for her. And I think that that comes from two key places. So first is obviously her own experience as a community college student and her understanding of the importance of community college and workforce programs to helping workers access good jobs. The second is the work that you all have done, Mark. And when Kate Kinder was still with Portland Community College and your other colleagues in Oregon have done to provide her and her staff with the understanding about the work that you all are doing that's leading the nation in helping people access skills training and support services, as well as where even with the expertise and sophisticated work that you all are doing on the ground in Oregon, that there's still holes that federal policy levers can be pulled for in order to address student need and worker need. And so I think that really creates this environment where Congresswoman Bonanci has both the will and the ability to be a really meaningful champion for the investments in workforce community college, technical college, and other programs that are so critical to helping students, workers, and businesses.
SPEAKER_00We are very fortunate to have her leadership. And I would add that the expertise and engagement and advocacy that National Skills Coalition does so effectively in Washington is part of that. And I know that you've brought Congresswoman Bonamici to skills summits before, to be on panels to talk about her leadership in legislation on apprenticeships, on wraparound supports, and investments for community college students and programs. So I know that's a lot of collaboration, and it was thrilling to get the chance to speak with the Congresswoman and hear what she's focused on now and the multitude of ways that she is able to listen to constituents, particularly college students, workers, apprentices, and small and medium-sized businesses. I did want to come back to the issue of unmet financial needs of post-secondary education students, and addressing these needs is really essential in ensuring that IPOC immigrant and parenting students, along with workers in low-wage jobs, have an opportunity to reskill or upskill and complete high-quality post-secondary credentials. Wanted to ask you how can community college students, faculty, staff, and champions continue to advocate for skills training and these supportive services and tuition support?
SPEAKER_02It's a big question. I have lots of thoughts on how we can continue to advocate. I think the first is that there's still immediate advocacy that we can be doing, and folks can connect on National Skills Coalition's website around investments in Build Back Better as the Senate finalizes legislation. The next is some of the pieces that were excluded from negotiations at this point around Build Back Better. One of the big pieces impacting community college capacity to address student financial needs that were as proposed as part of the American Family Plan was America's College Promise, which would provide states with federal funding to support tuition costs for students and would then provide and free up additional dollars for institutions and states to use to help support some of those support services that are so critical. That program was negotiated away by Democrats as part of the Builds Back Better Act right now, in the current iteration that we've seen. And so I think continuing to advocate for that piece of legislation and for tuition assistance from the federal level is going to be critical. Following advocacy on Builds Back Better, one of the next steps that National Skills Coalition will be asking folks to join with us in advocating for is a bill called the Jobs Act, which is a bipartisan piece of legislation that would expand Pell Grants to high-quality short-term programs and ensure that students had access to grants for these programs. It's something that we've heard from our business partners is particularly critical, as people need to rapidly reskill after job loss or during the crisis, and also something that can help address some of that financial need from students. That is something that's been a big priority of Senator Kane and Senator Portman in the Senate. Senator Portman is retiring at the end of next year. And so we'll continue to do a big push on this piece of legislation through the appropriations and funding conversation this year, and then looking towards next year to really take advantage and leverage the leadership that Senator Portman has had in this advocacy effort. And I think that really just the big picture around both America's College Promise, Builds Back Better, and the Jobs Act is thinking about the fact that Builds Back Better will be a monumental and historic investment in students, in workers, in helping people be able to access succeed in training programs. It's also just the first step. And as we look to implementation, being able to tell the story about the equitable impact that these investments had on students and students of color, on workers and on businesses is going to be really critical to ensuring that we're not just talking about the $5 billion in tact that was proposed as part of Builds Back Better, but that we're using that as a foundation for sustained long-term investment in these same kinds of strategies. And so both the advocacy that we can be doing on the current and upcoming legislative front, but then also capturing how equitable and the data and the stories from the implementation of this funding will be really critical as we look to not just this year and next, but five years from now.
SPEAKER_00It makes a lot of sense. And as you talked about the Jobs Act, having had a career pathways initiative in Oregon for 15 plus years, we have the framework in place for stackable credentials, but the biggest challenge has been for students to pay for those trainings. So to have the funding in the Jobs Act for quality short-term training will really be impactful and create more access to populations that haven't had the same opportunity. Hope that our listeners will engage with National Skills Coalition with all three of those priorities that you highlighted in advocating for the respective legislation. I just wanted to wrap up and ask if there's anything else you would like to share about the federal policy landscape for this podcast episode.
SPEAKER_02I think the message that I've probably said a few times, and I think that you raised this up in the questions that you were asking, is that we're at a point where the federal government could be poised to invest historic levels in worker and student access and success in programs as well as in meeting business demand. And it is because of the advocacy that you have done, Mark, and that folks who are listening have done to make sure that members of Congress and the administration understand the importance of these programs and the success of implementation of any of these investments will also be because of that work. And I think that it's both an exciting time and a time in which I feel like we've got a lot of opportunity to make an impact moving forward. And it's exciting to talk about it with you.
SPEAKER_00Well, thank you for taking the time to have this conversation at a really pivotal moment where I know your eyes and ears have to be on the hill tracking how things are evolving. And I learned a lot from our conversation. I hope that listeners do as well, and would just encourage listeners to engage with National Skills Coalition. They have tremendous expertise in the policy landscape at the federal level and have also supported states like Oregon in a number of ways. Just wanted to thank you, Katie, for taking the time and having this conversation. Thanks for listening in to this federal policy-focused all-and-student pathway sport podcast episode. We'll be back after the Thanksgiving holiday in December with another episode of Turing Student from Oregon's largest higher education institution, Portland Community College, along with a conversation with PCC's president Mark B. Sewe and a discussion with Kermit Kaliba from the Lumina Foundation, the largest independent private foundation focused exclusively on higher education and workforce development in the country. See you the next time.