04/12/2005
Sens. Rick Santorum (Pa.) and Norm Coleman (Minn.) today unveiled the Senate Republican Conference's Job Creation and Retention Agenda of the 109th Congress. The agenda, which aims to provide workers with more job opportunities, includes increased workplace flexibility and advocates improving the Workforce Investment Act.
The proposal won the support of Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao.
“The Job Creation and Retention agenda unveiled today addresses excessive regulation, over taxation and abusive litigation that is stifling innovation and job growth,” Chao said. “This agenda also includes reforming and reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act. The Administration's ‘WIA Plus’ proposal will reform the workforce investment system so it will be of even greater value to helping Americans get the training they need to access higher-skilled, better paying jobs in high-growth industries.”
Chao said the United States has experienced 22 straight months of job growth and more Americans are working than ever before. Since June 2003, 3.1 million jobs have been created. She also noted that unemployment has dropped to 5.3 percent, which is below the average of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
