WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) announced she has reintroduced legislation with Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) to support the construction workforce in order to increase housing supply and lower housing costs. The bipartisan Creating Opportunities for New Skills Training at Rural and Underserved Colleges and Trade Schools (CONSTRUCTS) Act would create a new competitive grant program at the Department of Labor to fund residential housing construction education and skills training programs at community colleges and career and technical education schools. This would bolster the housing workforce and address the shortage of skilled construction workers, helping construction businesses and developers build more homes and lower housing costs.
“The shortage of skilled construction workers is driving up construction costs and limiting the housing supply, leading to even higher housing costs for hardworking Nevada families,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud to re-introduce this bipartisan legislation to help bolster our skilled construction workforce, increase housing supply, and lower costs, all while supporting training for good-paying, high-demand jobs that don’t require a college degree.”
“We are currently facing a shortage of highly skilled construction workers, which drives up the price of construction,” said Senator Blackburn. “The CONSTRUCTS Act would expand opportunities for training programs at community colleges and technical education schools to help students enter and excel in the residential construction industry.”
Senator Rosen has been working to support Nevada’s skilled workforce. Last month, she called on the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Labor to work together to bolster the construction workforce through investments in training and apprenticeship programs. Earlier this year, Senator Rosen announced over $4 million for registered apprenticeships and workforce development in northern Nevada.
Senator Rosen is also working to lower housing costs through her Housing Oversight and Mitigating Exploitation (HOME) Act, which would crack down on price gouging by corporate investors who drive up home prices by buying up housing stock, and she urged the Department of Housing and Urban Development to increase the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority’s (SNRHA) Housing Choice Vouchers allocation by 10,000 vouchers over five years. Earlier this month, she called on Senate leadership to address rising housing prices and lower costs for Nevada families.
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