Passed by the House and Senate, the BRIDGE for Workers Act expands job placement services to all unemployment insurance (UI) claimants.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Legislation, introduced by Ways and Means Work and Welfare Subcommittee Chairman Darin LaHood (IL-16) and Subcommittee Ranking Member Danny Davis (IL-07), to increase access to job placement services and help more Americans find gainful employment is headed to the President’s desk following approval in the U.S. Senate. The bipartisan BRIDGE for Workers Act (H.R. 5861) previously received unanimous approval in the Committee and passed the U.S. House of Representatives in September. 

“More Americans on unemployment insurance are closer than ever to getting the assistance they need to reconnect with the workforce and find a new job,” said Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08). “America has faced a labor shortage over the last several years. This legislation takes steps to end that shortage by helping Americans find work compatible with their skills. It makes the system more fair while also taking steps to protect taxpayer money and ensure only eligible Americans actually receive these benefits.”

“This commonsense, bipartisan bill will eliminate unnecessary restrictions that prevent many Americans looking for work from having access to valuable workforce development tools,” said Subcommittee Chairman LaHood (IL-16). “I am thrilled that the BRIDGE for Workers Act has passed through both chambers of Congress with unanimous support, and I look forward to it being signed into law in the coming days and seeing the benefit it provides to our communities.”

“I am proud of our bipartisan work to get the BRIDGE for Workers Act to President Biden to sign into law,” said Ranking Member Davis (IL-07). “This bill will ensure that our states can provide reemployment services to individuals who would most benefit from additional help to get back into the workforce. Simple services – like job market information and resume assistance – help people get back to work faster, and even a week or two of getting a paycheck instead of an unemployment benefit makes a difference for a household budget.”

BRIDGE for Workers Act
H.R. 5861 makes job placement services available to all unemployment insurance (UI) claimants.

• Makes a correction to the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments (RESEA) program that clarifies reemployment services can be provided to all unemployment insurance claimants, not just those most likely to exhaust their benefits. 
• RESEAs are in-person interviews during which UI claimants may receive a variety of services, including career information that addresses specific claimant needs; enrollment in employment services, such as job search assistance, employability assessments, or job matching services.
• Strengthens program integrity by ensuring claimants are complying with eligibility rules – including the requirement that a UI claimant must be able to work, available to work, and actively seeking work.

Read the one-pager on H.R. 5861 here.

H.R. 5861 passed the Ways and Means Committee 41-0 and passed the U.S. House of Representatives on September 17, 2024.

Read Chairman Smith’s opening statement during debate in the U.S. House of Representatives on the BRIDGE for Workers Act here.