Contact: Aaron White
Phone: 202-225-5506
Aaron.White@mail.house.gov

Bill creates prize competition for youth and pre-apprenticeship programs that help high schoolers compete in the new economy, and gives extra consideration to programs in Opportunity Zones

La Crosse – Today, U.S. Rep. Ron Kind introduced the bipartisan Compete for the Future Act of 2018, which invests in the next generation of workers by establishing a prize competition to reward youth and pre-apprenticeship programs that are successful in preparing high school students for good-paying jobs in high-demand industries. The Compete for the Future Act of 2018 is co-introduced by Reps. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and G.T. Thompson (R-PA).

“As I travel across Wisconsin, I hear from students and employers alike that we need more hands-on training opportunities. I am proud to help introduce theCompete for the Future Act, which will invest in the next generation of Wisconsin workers by bolstering industry partnerships and bring real-world experience right to our students and apprentices,” said Rep. Ron Kind. “I am also happy to see that Opportunity Zones, which were based on my bipartisan bill, theInvesting in Opportunity Act, will be given priority in this competition program. Businesses and trades in all 15 Opportunity Zones in Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District will have more opportunities to grow their businesses right here in Wisconsin.”

The prize competition in the Compete for the Future Act is modeled after the successful prize competitions carried out under the 2010 America COMPETES Reauthorization Act, which added Prize Competitions to the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980. Between 2010 and 2015, the government ran more than 450 challenges and awarded more than $150 million in awards on topics ranging from finding a better way to detect salmonella in foods, to creating solar-powered water purification systems.

As part of the Compete for the Future Act, programs in or around Opportunity Zones are given priority in the evaluation process.

The Opportunity Zones program was established by Congress as an innovative approach to spurring long-term private sector investments in low-income urban and rural communities nationwide. The program is based on the bipartisan Investing in Opportunity Act, introduced by Reps. Kind (D-WI) and Tiberi (R-OH –Retired) and Sens. Booker (D-NJ) and Scott (R-SC).

Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District is home to 15 designated Opportunity Zones, including: Chippewa Falls, Prairie Du Chien, Menomonie, Eau Claire, Platteville, La Crosse, River Falls, Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids, Nekoosa, and Port Edwards.

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