{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/as-ai-threatens-american-workforce-van-hollen-introduces-legislation-to-create-jobs-and-tackle-long-term-unemployment", "As AI Threatens American Workforce, Van Hollen Introduces Legislation to Create Jobs and Tackle Long-term Unemployment", "2026-09-30", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MD", "Chris Van Hollen", "V000128", "www.vanhollen.senate.gov", "vanhollen", "https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "As concerns grow about the threats posed to the American workforce by AI \u2013 and as U.S. long-term unemployment hits nearly two million \u2013 U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) is introducing the Ready to Work Act, legislation that creates an innovative federal program to generate job opportunities for people who have been unemployed for six months or more, connecting them to work that rebuilds skills and financial stability. This bill would provide support to help people overcome the barriers keeping them out of the workforce \u2013 such as transportation, childcare, job readiness training, and substance abuse treatment \u2013 and training programs that build skills to sustain permanent employment. Senator Van Hollen was joined in introducing this legislation by U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).\n\n\u201cEvery American who wants to work should be able to find a job. But with AI as a looming threat to our workforce \u2013 and nearly two million Americans already unemployed for six months or longer \u2013 it\u2019s clear that we need to do more. Instead of accepting prolonged joblessness as inevitable, we must provide real opportunities for workers to get into or rejoin the workforce and help remove barriers like childcare, transportation, and job training. This critical legislation will support American workers and strengthen economic stability for American families,\u201d said Senator Van Hollen.\n\n\u201cBetween student loan debt and high unemployment, young people have been hit with an economic wrecking ball,\u201d Wyden said. \u201cThis bill would take an innovative approach to creating job opportunities for young Americans that want a bite at the American dream that has become out of reach for too many students and graduates,\u201d said Senator Wyden.\n\n\u201cLong-term unemployment is devastating for someone\u2019s financial security, future job opportunities, and overall wellbeing\u2014and it can take a toll on our economy as well. The Ready to Work Act creates real, meaningful job opportunities for people who have been struggling to find employment. This bill provides people with the support and resources they need as they reenter the workforce and strengthen local economies,\u201d said Senator Blumenthal.\n\n\u201cWith the looming threat of massive job losses from AI, we have to find new ways to protect Americans from long periods of unemployment and connect them to good-paying, stable jobs,\u201d said Senator Murphy. \u201cThis bill reimagines and modernizes our unemployment system, creating a wider range of support resources, so that everyone looking for work can find work.\u201d\n\nThe Ready to Work Act would: establish a program at the Department of Labor to reimburse local workforce development boards and community-based organizations for costs associated with providing jobs as well as training, support, and career services to long-term unemployed workers. The bill also provides competitive grants to local areas to support innovation and investment in areas hit hardest by high poverty and chronic joblessness, which would give additional flexibility and support in the places where it is needed most. These grants would support locally-driven development, worker-owned enterprises, and other strategies to ensure that area residents are part of the process and benefit from the results.\n\nToday, over 1.9 million workers have been job searching for at least six months, accounting for more than 26% of all unemployed workers. This legislation provides targeted funding to local areas to generate work opportunities and get Americans back into the workforce. With mandatory federal funding, the program can grow large enough to serve anyone who is long-term unemployed and wants to participate. The bill is designed to address long-term unemployment under all economic conditions.\n\nA section-by-section summary of the bill is available here. Text of the legislation is available here.\n\n\u201cWhat makes Senator Van Hollen\u2019s Ready to Work Act so vital and unique is that it directly seeks jobs solutions to avoid the devastating harms of long-term unemployment. Studies make clear that while any job loss is painful, long-term unemployment deeply scars workers economically and emotionally but can be prevented with the types of thoughtful policies Van Hollen is proposing,\u201d said Gene Sperling, Director, Economic Dignity Lab, McCourt School at Georgetown.\n\nThis legislation is supported by a wide array of organizations and stakeholders, including America Forward, Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation, Center for Employment Opportunities, Employ Prince George's, Inc., Maryland Workforce Association, Midwest Urban Strategies, Inc., National Association of Workforce Boards, National Association of Workforce Development Professionals, National Urban League, Redefine Alliance, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), United States Workforce Associations, and United Way of Central Maryland.\n\n\u201cAmerica Forward is proud to support the Ready to Work Act, which would make critical, targeted investments in proven approaches to reach, engage, and support workers experiencing prolonged unemployment. Expanding resources specifically to eliminate barriers and create pathways back into the workforce for people who've been unemployed for six months or more is essential to responding to disruptions in today\u2019s quickly-changing economy, creating a more productive, sustainable, inclusive economy in the long term, and moving all of America forward,\u201d said Deborah Smolover, Executive Director, America Forward.\n\n\u201cThe Ready to Work Act is the kind of sound investment needed to address the systemic barriers keeping justice-impacted people locked out of the workforce,\u201d said Sam Schaeffer, Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Employment Opportunities. \u201cWhen 60% of people returning from incarceration face unemployment a year after release, we know that this isn\u2019t down to the individual's desire to work, it\u2019s a systemic issue. Too many doors are closed and too many people don\u2019t have time or money to invest in job readiness training. The Ready to Work Act offers in demand training and financial support so that every American can build themselves a quality career. We are grateful to Senator Van Hollen\u2019s leadership in building an inclusive economy where opportunity is afforded to everyone.\u201d\n\n\u201cEmploy Prince George\u2019s is proud to support the Ready to Work Act and its investment in creating meaningful pathways back into the workforce for individuals experiencing long-term unemployment. We see firsthand the importance of connecting job seekers not only to employment, but also to the training, career services, and supportive resources that help individuals overcome barriers and achieve long-term economic stability. By investing in locally driven workforce solutions and strong partnerships with employers and community organizations, this legislation can expand access to opportunity while helping employers build the skilled workforce they need,\u201d said LaTara T. Harris, President & CEO, Employ Prince George\u2019s, Inc.\n\n\u201cNAWB applauds Senator Van Hollen for his leadership on the Ready to Work Act and his recognition that helping people return to work often requires addressing barriers beyond job training alone. Local workforce development boards are uniquely positioned to connect people to good jobs while coordinating the training and supportive services that help them succeed. By empowering workforce boards and investing in wages, training, and supports that address barriers to employment, the Ready to Work Act strengthens the pathways that help people get back to work and stay employed,\u201d said Andrew Bercich, CEO, National Association of Workforce Boards.\n\n\u201cThe Ready to Work Act recognizes the critical role our nation\u2019s workforce development system plays in connecting people to opportunity. NAWDP is pleased to support legislation that equips local communities and workforce professionals with additional tools to help individuals overcome barriers, build skills and return to meaningful employment,\u201d said Melissa Robbins, CEO, National Association of Workforce Development Professionals.\n\n\u201cAs an intermediary that invests into employment social enterprises \u2014 businesses that create jobs and economic mobility for sidelined talent across the country \u2014 Redefine Alliance is proud to support the Ready to Work Act. Ten million Americans are shut out of the economy due to barriers like homelessness or incarceration, and the Ready to Work Act will not only generate opportunity for such populations but also will help to shift the public workforce culture towards an economy that works for everyone,\u201d said Manie Grewal, Head of Policy, Redefine Alliance.\n\n\u201cPrograms like those authorized under this Act would give AAWDC and the Anne Arundel County Local Workforce Development Board an important additional tool to serve long-term unemployed residents and employers throughout our county who are eager to rebuild the connection between local job seekers and quality employment. We believe the Ready to Work Act is a thought, well-structures response to a real and growing problem in our workforce system,\u201d said Kirkland J. Murray, President and CEO, Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation.\n\n\u201cThe number of workers that remain on the sidelines, unable to find work that sustains them and their families, has real consequences in local communities. The Ready to Work Act will address that issue by investing resources through local workforce development boards, and providing transitional employment opportunities (using an earn and learn model) that build skills and grows the competencies of workers to compete for jobs that offer livable wages and access to benefits. Midwest Urban Strategies (MUS) fully supports this proposed legislation as a necessary tool to reengage America\u2019s workforce,\u201d said Tracey Carey, Executive Director, Midwest Urban Strategies, Inc.\n\n\u201cIndividuals who have been out of the workforce face unique and persistent barriers to employment. The Ready to Work Act would further empower local workforce boards to serve these individuals by connecting them directly with jobs. Work experience is a vital piece to keeping these individuals employed in a dynamic labor market. Thank you to Senator Van Hollen for reintroducing this important legislation,\u201d said Ryan Hundt, Director, United States Workforce Associations.\n\n\u201cSenator Van Hollen's 'Ready to Work Act' is a carefully crafted piece of legislation that addresses the problem of long-term unemployment. We know that the long-term unemployed are at serious risk of dropping out of the labor market permanently, making themselves unable to support themselves and their family. Senator Van Hollen's measure would keep them in the labor force by providing funding to local communities to provide temporary employment. This is a measure designed to keep people out of poverty by providing work, not a handout,\u201d said Dean Baker, Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Center for Economic and Policy Research.\n\n\u201cEvery American who wants to work should be able to find a job \u2014 full stop. Instead, over a quarter of unemployed workers have been searching for six months or more, and that's not an accident of the economy, it's a policy failure. Long-term unemployment doesn't just scar the worker who loses income and skills \u2014 it destabilizes families and hollows out communities, and the market has proven it cannot fix this on its own. The Ready to Work Act steps in where the market has failed, guaranteeing real job opportunities for anyone locked out of the workforce,\u201d said Mark Paul, Associate Professor of Economics, Bloustein School of Public Policy, Rutgers University.\n\n\u201cLong-term unemployment has soared during COVID-19 and we are at risk of repeating the mistakes of the last recession where long-term unemployment remained stubbornly high for too long. This bill addresses a crucial issue by encouraging employers to take a second look and therefore encouraging workers to keep searching. We don\u2019t have a moment to lose in helping the long-term unemployed get back to work,\u201d said Peter Ganong, Associate Professor, University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.\n\n###", 1, "2026-10-01T11:23:28Z", "2026-10-01T11:25:15Z"]], "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.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/as-ai-threatens-american-workforce-van-hollen-introduces-legislation-to-create-jobs-and-tackle-long-term-unemployment"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6821268945932388, "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"}