KLAS-TV Las Vegas
Rosen among US lawmakers behind STEM RESTART legislation to help workers
By Greg Haas
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Lawmakers including U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) introduced the STEM RESTART Act in Washington, D.C., to provide funding to offer “returnships” for mid-career workers seeking to transition into the STEM workforce.
RESTART — Restoring Employment Skills through Targeted Assistance, Re-entry, and Training — is designed to help older workers get good-paying jobs. STEM refers to science, technology, engineering and math.
As technology changes, some lines of work become dead ends for employees who have skills that are no longer in high demand.
“As a former computer programmer, I understand firsthand the value of a STEM education and how it can open doors for successful careers,” Rosen said.
“That’s why I’m working to expand opportunities for our workforce in Nevada to enter the STEM careers of the future and help our businesses fill technical positions with qualified workers,” she said.
Rosen was joined by senators Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) in reintroducing the legislation. They were joined by Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Penn.) and Rep. Jim Baird (R-Ind.), who have introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“I’m re-introducing this bipartisan legislation to provide the professional development and support our workers need to transition back to work in the STEM industry, particularly in the wake of the pandemic, or enter a good-paying STEM field for the first time,” Rosen said.
Several Nevadans voice support for STEM RESTART.
“As an organization focused on empowering Nevada’s Latino workforce with the tools needed to succeed, we couldn’t be prouder to support Senator Rosen’s bipartisan STEM RESTART Act,” said Peter Guzman, President of the Latin Chamber of Commerce.
“This bill addresses the real need to provide support to workers looking to enter the STEM workforce for the first time, or re-entering again after a break in their career, and will greatly benefit the Las Vegas community,” Guzman said.
“As a Civil Engineering graduate myself who wants to see other individuals from historically underrepresented groups get STEM employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, I applaud and welcome Senator Rosen’s introduction of this bipartisan STEM Restart Act legislation,” said Ken Evans, President of the Urban Chamber of Commerce in Las Vegas.
“We at the Asian Chamber of Commerce are deeply committed to giving our minority small business owners and workforce the help and guidance they seek to grow and succeed,” said Sonny Vinuya, President of the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce. “We are proud to wholeheartedly support Senator Rosen’s STEM Restart bill to provide meaningful resources for our workers and small business community to succeed in the industries of the future.”