Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) co-chairs Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN), along with CPC leaders Reps. John Conyers(D-MI), Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Barbara Lee(D-CA), today unveiled the next round of legislation in the CPC “Rebuild the American Dream Framework.”The new initiativesfocus on rebuilding our economy immediately with emergency jobs legislation and implementing longer-term job creation strategies.
“The American people are demanding that we do something to get America back to work,” Rep. Grijalva said. “The Progressive Caucus listened, and I hope everyone else in Congress listens. There’s an urgent demand for jobs, and our responsibility is to create opportunities for employment and a secure future. That’s what these bills do, and that’s what the CPC is going to continue to do as long as it takes.”
The Humphrey-Hawkins 21st Century Full Employment and Training Act, introduced by Rep. Conyers, would create a national Full Employment Trust Fund that would put the long-term unemployed and Americans living in our hardest-hit communities to work rebuilding our infrastructure, weatherizing homes, fixing our schools, tutoring our children, and expanding high speed broadband access in urban and rural communities.
The Rebuilding America’s Schools Act, introduced by Rep. Rangel, would increase aid to renovate schools nationwide that badly needrepair by allowing the Qualified School Construction Bond (QSCB) and the Qualified Zone Academy Bond (QZAB) programs to continue financing school construction projects through 2015.
The Emergency Unemployment Compensation Expansion Act, introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee, would provide a critical lifeline to the long-term unemployed by extending emergency unemployment compensation for an additional 14 weeks to those who have exhausted their benefits.
“It's no accident that our middle class is shrinking while the bottom lines of millionaires, corporations, and their lobbyists are growing,” Rep. Ellisonsaid. “The American people are speaking out and the CPC is continuing to push for effective legislation to put America back to work and to rebuild our middle class.”
The CPC released its “Framework to Rebuild the American Dream” earlier this month in response to overwhelming public feedback on the Speakout for Good Jobs Now! summer jobs tour.
