Reps. Crow, Thanedar, Molinaro, and Salazar Reintroduce Small Business Workforce Pipeline Act

WASHINGTON — Today, Representative Jason Crow (D-CO-06) reintroduced the bipartisan Small Business Workforce Pipeline Act with Representatives Shri Thanedar (D-MI-13), Marc Molinaro (R-NY-19), and Maria Salazar (R-FL-27) to help small businesses offer more apprenticeships and on-the-job training opportunities for their workers. This legislation aims to directly combat the labor shortage impacting small businesses across the country. By the end of 2022, the US hit a near record-high of 1.9 job openings for every person on the job hunt.

Crow first introduced the Small Business Workforce Pipeline Act last April, which passed in the House in September 2022. According to the Small Business Administration, Colorado is home to more than 691,000 small businesses, accounting for 99.5% of all businesses in the state.  

“I introduced the Small Business Workforce Pipeline Act to ensure Colorado remains a strong small business state by investing in apprenticeships and on-the-job learning opportunities for our workers,” said Congressman Crow. “This bipartisan legislation would bring more opportunities for our workers to reskill and upskill and combat the labor shortage that holds our small businesses back.”

“I am thrilled to co-lead the reintroduction of the Small Business Workforce Pipeline Act, a crucial piece of legislation that will support the small businesses in my district and across the country,” said Congressman Thanedar. “This bill is the result of a bipartisan effort to address the workforce challenges that many small businesses face, and I am proud to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to move it forward. By investing in workforce development and fostering new partnerships between small businesses and education providers, we can create new opportunities for workers while helping our small businesses to grow and succeed.”

"Small businesses across America are struggling to find qualified and trained workers to fill vacant positions, and apprenticeships are a critical avenue to address these problems," said Congresswoman Salazar. "Small Business Development Centers will provide necessary assistance to small businesses as they begin their apprenticeship programs. This is a win-win for the consumer and the American worker."

“Small business owners in Upstate New York have open jobs, but are having difficulty filling these positions with qualified workers,” said Congressman Molinaro. “We need to tackle the workforce shortage by connecting workers to the open jobs we have. That’s why, I’m introducing the Small Business Workforce Pipeline Act. This bipartisan bill directs the Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) to connect workers in apprenticeship and work-based learning programs.”

The legislation would empower Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) to establish and improve their apprenticeship and job training programs for our nation’s small businesses. SBDCs work with the US Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide a suite of counseling and training services to small businesses.

As a former member of the House Small Business Committee, Congressman Crow has been an ongoing champion for Colorado’s small businesses. 

Read the full text of the legislation here.