{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-peters-tours-genesee-countys-ignite-initiative-to-highlight-funding-he-secured-to-support-initiatives-success", "Senator Peters Tours Genesee County\u2019s IGNITE Initiative to Highlight Funding He Secured to Support Initiative\u2019s Success", "2024-10-21", "2024", "2024-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "MI", "Gary C. Peters", "P000595", "www.peters.senate.gov", "garypeters", "https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "FLINT, MI \u2013 U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) toured the Genesee County Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education (IGNITE) initiative\u2019s facilities today to highlight the need for additional funding to support the initiative\u2019s success. Founded in 2020 by Genesee County Sheriff Christopher R. Swanson, IGNITE has shown to reduce recidivism rates by providing incarcerated individuals with valuable education and skills training opportunities needed to obtain meaningful employment after completing their sentence. In 2022, Peters secured $768,000 in federal funding that enabled the launch of IGNITE. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Peters is now working to deliver additional resources to support the initiative\u2019s growing success. Most recently, Peters secured $500,000 for IGNITE in the Fiscal Year 2025 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. If passed into law, this funding would be used to modernize the Genesee County Jail\u2019s facilities to improve culinary and computing education classes offered under IGNITE.\n\n\u201cReentry initiatives like IGNITE are a proven success. By providing access to education and career training, not only do they significantly lower the chances of individuals returning to the justice system, they also support local law enforcement and help keep our communities safe,\u201d said Senator Peters. \u201cIt was rewarding to see the transformational opportunities being provided here in Genesee County to help returning citizens embark on a fresh start on life, and I\u2019ll keep fighting to ensure the initiative has the funding it needs to continue bolstering and expanding its services.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe cannot expect someone to leave the jail and be a better person if we don\u2019t do something different. IGNITE is changing the way we do corrections by transforming lives, and when we transform lives, we transform communities. This couldn\u2019t be accomplished without support from elected officials like Congressman Kildee and Senator Peters,\u201d said Genesee County Sheriff Christopher R. Swanson.\n\nPeters was joined by Ilona Curry, a returning citizen and IGNITE graduate who utilized the program\u2019s culinary training opportunities to obtain local employment.\n\nPeters is also working to pass his bipartisan Reentry Employment Opportunities (REO) Act, which would protect a critical grant program that supports individuals reintegrating back into their communities after incarceration. Peters\u2019 bill would codify the U.S. Department of Labor\u2019s Reentry Employment Opportunities (REO) program into law, strengthening reentry initiatives that center on offering employment preparation, pre-workforce training, and vocational apprenticeship prospects by equipping individuals transitioning back into their communities after incarceration with the necessary skills to secure meaningful employment. Peters witnessed the REO program\u2019s success firsthand earlier this year while visiting the Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation\u2019s (DESC) Growth Opportunities Program, supported by funding from the REO program, where he heard from current participants how the program has helped them expand their career opportunities and establish economic independence.\n\nPeters has led numerous efforts to expand access to skills training and apprenticeship opportunities to strengthen local workforce development. Peters has secured federal funding for community colleges throughout Michigan, including Mott Community College, Grand Rapids Community College, and Macomb Community College, to strengthen their skills training programs, create state-of-the-art training facilities, and expand apprenticeship programs. In 2020, Peters\u2019 bipartisan legislation to allow more veterans to use their GI bill benefits toward securing a registered apprenticeship was signed into law. In 2018, Peters\u2019 legislation to expand career and technical education was also signed into law, which strengthens school counselor training and awareness of career and technical education so they can help inform students of post-high school education opportunities outside of the traditional four-year college degree.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:57:20Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-peters-tours-genesee-countys-ignite-initiative-to-highlight-funding-he-secured-to-support-initiatives-success"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 3.937107976526022, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}