As a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, Joe knows that access to quality and affordable education is the key to a thriving and growing middle class. That is why he has worked to ensure robust investments in education and improve access to higher education and workforce training.
Learn more about Joe’s work:
Supporting K-12 schools. As a strong supporter of our public education system, Joe has worked to ensure that eastern Connecticut’s schools have the resources they need to provide a quality education for our children. Schools were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, and Joe fought to ensure that measures like the American Rescue Plan provided the support needed for eastern Connecticut schools to reopen safely. And, he has fought to ensure that the federal government meets its commitment to funding special education programs.
Reducing the burden of student debt. Whether it’s finding a job, buying a house, or starting a family, the burden of student loan debt looms over major life decisions for too many young and middle-aged Americans. That’s why Joe is leading the push in Congress to eliminate interest on federal student loans and allow for student loan debt to be refinanced like all other forms of personal debt. And, he is pushing for new legislation to reform the public service forgiveness program that allows those who work in public service to have their loans forgiven.
WIOA & Apprenticeships. Our region has long ties to efforts on the federal level to support job training and workforce development. One of Joe’s predecessors, Congressman William Fitzgerald, passed the first federal apprenticeship law in the 1930s. Now, Joe is working to build on that legacy and ensure that apprenticeship and job training programs can prepare students and those transitioning their careers for the opportunities of today. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act, Connecticut has been able to offer thousands of job-seekers with career opportunities that provide on-the-job training with good salaries and benefits in in-need fields.
Joe is also working to pass the National Apprenticeship Act of 2022 which would bring this long-standing and successful program into the 21st century to increase the availability of earn-as-you-learn job training opportunities in sectors like manufacturing, health care, and information technology. And he’s fighting to pass an updated Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act to make sure our award-winning local workforce boards, like the Eastern Workforce Investment Board, have the resources they need to connect job seekers with dynamic careers that have room for growth.
Impact Aid. In southeastern Connecticut, schools in Groton and Ledyard are proud to educate the children of our sailors and officers serving at SUBASE New London. That is why Joe has worked to boost the Impact Aid program, which helps fund public schools serving high numbers of military families. As a co-chair of the House Impact Aid Coalition, Joe has been a leader in securing education funding to support military families and their children. And, as the COVID-19 pandemic created uncertainty for those schools that rely on Impact Aid, Joe worked with Republicans And Democrats to pass legislation into law twice – once under President Trump and again under President Biden – to ensure those students aren’t shortchanged due to complications of the pandemic.