WASHINGTON  -  U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) today had the opportunity to vote on her own legislation aimed at saving the Mingo Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center in Puxico, Missouri.  In order to keep the center open and operating, Emerson’s bill, S. 1814, would transfer authority over the center from the U.S. Department of Interior to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

 

The legislation passed Monday evening by a vote of 333-0.

 

“Because the Mingo center is so important to training students and workers, we are obligated to give it the federal attention and support it deserves.  The best chance of that happening comes with the center under the jurisdiction of USDA,” Emerson said.  “We face many challenges in our rural economy, and one of the greatest is keeping and attracting jobs.  With the Mingo Job Corps providing essential training and retraining to Southern Missouri workers, it is a keystone for our labor force.”

 

During the past academic year, the Mingo Job Corps was rated 29 out of 188 such centers in the nation.  The center was established in 1944.  Today, it employs 76 Federal employees, can accommodate up to 224 residential students, and garners volunteer support from nearby communities.

 

“I am very proud of the community effort in place to provide volunteer support to the Mingo center.  It shows that the people of Southern Missouri really value the Job Corps program.  Moving the center to USDA can only enhance these volunteer efforts and make the entire program more effective,” Emerson said.

 

Emerson is a member of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Her bill was introduced by Missouri Senator Kit Bond in the U.S. Senate, where it won passage earlier this year.