Washington, DC-U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross (NJ-01) today announced two pieces of legislation he authored & introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives have been included in the House Democratic Leadership’s new Make it in America plan.

The Make It In America initiative focuses on four themes that build on the following ideas: emphasizing an expansion on entrepreneurship and innovation, closing the skills gap, building a 21st century infrastructure, and breaking down barriers to manufacturing.

“I’m honored my legislation is included in the ‘Make it in America’ initiative. This represents a meaningful investment in our nation’s students, workers, and infrastructure. If we want to keep America moving in the right direction for generations to come and position ourselves for the new challenges and new opportunities in today’s economy, we need this type of solutions-based approach. And I thank Whip Steny Hoyer for leading this effort,” said Rep. Norcross.

Rep. Norcross’ legislation included in the Make it in America plan include the 21st Century Energy Workforce Act (H.R.3386). Among other things, the Act

Directs the U.S. Department of Energy to create training, education, and apprenticeship programs to prepare an anticipated 1.5 million energy sector workers over the next 15 years.

"I'm pleased to include the 21st Century Energy Workforce Act introduced by Rep. Norcross in the new ‘Make It In America’ plan. This legislation will help ensure that Americans have the education and training necessary to fill good-paying jobs in the energy sector. I thank him for his work to help close the skills gap and look forward to working with him to advance the ‘Make It In America’ plan in Congress," said House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05).

Also included in the “Make it in America” plan is Rep. Norcross’ Workers Opportunity and Retraining Competitive (WORC) Grant Program Act of 2015 (H.R. 3258), which establishes a manufacturing grant program to provide scholarships to unemployed workers for manufacturing job retraining.

“My legislation will put hardworking Americans back to work, and prepare those who need training with the skillset and the toolkit they need to be on the pathway to the careers of the future,” said Rep. Norcross.

The Make It In America plan was launched in 2010 to encourage private sector job creation in the U.S. Since then, seventeen Make It In America bills have been signed into law, including legislation to cut taxes and provide loans for small businesses, speed up the patent process, train skilled workers, and end tax loopholes that encourage companies to ship jobs overseas. The “Make it in America” plan involves representatives from labor & business, entrepreneurs, innovators, and educators and focuses on concepts families and businesses need to succeed in today’s economy. For a full list of legislation included in the Make it in America plan, click here.

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