Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Berman voted to invest in improvements in education, housing, and health care of the American people.  The Labor, Health and Education Appropriations Act builds on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to provide short-term relief to struggling American families by shoring up our social safety net programs, and long-term solutions to help grow our economy and build up the workforce of the future.

This legislation is an important part of our broader economic strategy.  It allows us to provide short-term help to those who need it most, while making long-term investments in building up our workforce and helping our youth get the skills they need to succeed in the jobs of the future.  We continue to pass our appropriations bills on time and under budget in a fiscally responsible manner by eliminating programs that aren't working.

The legislation shores up programs that serve as crucial social safety nets for many Americans struggling to make ends meet in this recession.  It includes funding to provide jobs, meals and other support services to impoverished seniors, as well as critical energy assistance programs that help heat and cool low income homes.  The bill also funds grants that allow states to provide health care to more of their uninsured residents.  

To build and train the next generation of workers, this bill includes funding to recruit and train health professionals in underserved areas and encourages our brightest doctors and scientists to develop the latest medical discoveries that will keep Americans healthy and reduce health care costs.  The legislation also provides funds for programs such as the Teacher Incentive Fund, which encourages teachers to innovate and find new ways to engage students and help them learn, while boosting funding for literacy programs and college preparation programs for disadvantaged students.

This bill gives our workers the tools they need to thrive in a new clean energy economy and provides aid to veterans and those workers that were recently affected by mass layoffs.  At the same time, we fund new and existing programs to improve education for our young people and help them succeed in college and beyond.  As the workforce of the future, we must ensure that they are ready for the challenges of a 21st century global economy.