Rep. Pete Aguilar re-introduced the Job Opportunity and Business Services (JOBS) Act, a bill he drafted with the input of local advocates to help Inland Empire job-seekers and businesses connect with employment resources. The legislation empowers local Workforce Development Boards (WDBs) to advertise their services, including on-the-job training, career counseling, and mentoring, to businesses and potential employees in the communities they serve.

“This bill is the product of conversations I’ve had in our community about how we can make sure every Inland Empire resident has the resources they need to find a good-paying job. Workforce Development Boards can be powerful tools to help job-seekers find openings and submit strong applications. We need to make sure more people have access to this resource so that we can help more San Bernardino County families succeed, and that’s what the JOBS Act is all about,” said Rep. Aguilar.

“Our Workforce Development Board helps thousands of job seekers each year access the training they need to be competitive in today’s job market, but we could help even more people if we had the ability to spread the word about our services. The JOBS Act provides the kind of flexibility we need to give all San Bernardino County residents access to the training and resources that can help them find good jobs here in our region,” said Tony Myrell, Chair of the San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014, established WDBs to help job-seekers find and prepare for available jobs in their communities. The JOBS Act would amend WIOA to allow WDBs to use their budgets to advertise their services. The idea for the bill came as a result of Rep. Aguilar’s Jobs Roundtable Tour through the Inland Empire.