Press Release

July 2, 2007
CARDIN, MIKULSKI AND TEAM MARYLAND ANNOUNCE $4 MILLION FOR STATE WORKFORCE TO PREPARE FOR BRAC IMPLEMENTATION


WASHINGTON, D.C. –
Senators Benjamin Cardin and
 Barbara A. Mikulski today announced that the “Team Maryland” colleagues in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have secured $4 million in federal funding for the Maryland Department of Labor to help prepare the state workforce for the implementation of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission’s (BRAC) recommendations.
  The money was administered through a
Workforce Investment Act National Emergency Grant.



 


The funding will be used for the Susquehanna Workforce Network to help workers, businesses and communities across the state plan and begin to execute an effective workforce investment system response to the implementation of the 2005 BRAC recommendations by providing access to employment and training services.
 
Senator Mikulski was joined by
Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D), House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D), Representatives Wayne T. Gilchrest (R), Albert Wynn (D), Roscoe Bartlett (R), Elijah E. Cummings (D), C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger (D), Chris Van Hollen (D)
and
John Sarbanes (D)
in securing these funds.




 


“My promises made to BRAC-impacted communities are promises kept.
  BRAC brings opportunities, but it also brings great challenges. We must now work together to help Maryland address the increased demands on our workforce and our communities,” said Senator Mikulski.
  “We fought to win BRAC as Team Maryland, and we will fight to make sure Maryland communities have what they need in the federal checkbook to implement the BRAC decisions.”




 


“BRAC will have an enormous impact on Maryland, and this grant will enable the State to plan effectively for the new jobs and skills that will be required by this expanded mission,” said Senator Cardin.
  “It will provide funding for workforce investment that will meet the future needs of employers.”



 


“These grant funds will go a long way in helping the region prepare for the economic growth and job expansion expected as a result of BRAC and address some of the challenges that such an economic influx poses,” stated Congressman Hoyer.



 


“BRAC is expected to be the most significant economic development phenomenon in Maryland since World War II and is projected to bring 40,000 to 60,000 new jobs to our state over the next decade,” Congressman Cummings, a Member of House Armed Services Committee, said.  “This grant will help support the workers and businesses who will be affected by the changes that BRAC will bring.”




 


“It is critically important that Maryland is ready for the influx of new workers that will be soon be heading here through BRAC.
  Grants like this help us invest in workers and businesses so we are ready for the future and the exciting opportunities that are ahead of us,” said Congressman Ruppersberger.
 



 


 “
I am pleased that the State of Maryland will receive this funding,” said Congressman Van Hollen.  “These funds will be vital to helping workers and communities adjust and create new opportunities as the BRAC process moves forward.  Our future prosperity demands that we provide workers with education and skills to compete in a global economy.”


 


“BRAC is forcing us to do the sort of planning and forward thinking that we should be doing anyway,” said Congressman Sarbanes.
 “These critical federal resources will help ensure that Maryland is prepared to carry out this important work while maintaining environmental integrity and a high quality of life in our communities.”

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