“For decades, the federal government has spent billions of dollars propping up bloated colleges that serve a minority of our citizens—and recently, have let antisemitic and anti-American ideas flourish. Meanwhile, the majority of Americans who don’t go to college are left behind. My bill will right that wrong by investing heavily in a new workforce education strategy to help working Americans get ahead,” said Senator Cotton.

Text of the bill can be found here.

The American Workforce Act would:

• Create a $9,000 federal voucher available to prospective “trainees,” defined as any citizen with a high school degree/GED, but without a bachelor’s degree or higher.
• Offer an additional $1,000 bonus to employers for each trainee that is hired after completion of the workforce training program.
• Require participating employers to provide training for positions paid at least 80% of the local median household income.
• Allow the voucher to subsidize employer-led workforce training that offers a full time, paid position combing on-the-job experience and skilled workforce training.
• Give employers wide flexibility to build their own training programs or delegate the training to a valid third-party entity, such as a trade association, community college, high school, non-profit, or union.
• Require E-Verify at participating employers.