Securing a Brighter Future for Iowans By Bringing in Good Paying Jobs

Iowans need to know that if they choose to stay in their hometowns there will be a good paying job and a bright and secure future waiting for them.

I have met too many people who say they used to be from Iowa and too few who still call our great state home.

I am on a mission to make sure each and every Iowan who wants to stay here can, and that starts with ensuring everyone can provide for themselves and their families.

That’s why last year I voted for the bipartisan infrastructure law, which is expected to create more than 770,000 new jobs by 2025. These are good-paying jobs for workers who are willing to help create better communities by building out and maintaining Iowa’s power and broadband infrastructure, our roads and bridges, our water systems, and our public transportation operations.

Many of these jobs won’t require a four-year degree, which are often expensive, time-consuming, and not an option for everyone.

While I’m excited to see what this legislation will do to help bring more jobs to Iowa, I’m also working on bolstering our workforce, so we have plenty of workers to fill these jobs.

I hear from employers in Iowa every day who can’t find the workers they need. 

That’s why I’m fighting for legislation like my National Apprenticeship Act, which invests more than $35 billion over the next five years to grow apprenticeship opportunities and creates a grant program to expand apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and youth apprenticeship programs. Workers are paid throughout these apprenticeship programs and often lead to full-time employment.

To attract more workers to Iowa, we also need to make sure our businesses can offer fair and competitive wages and that we’re providing the services folks need to be successful here, like child care. 

I’ve talked to a number of Iowans who either can’t go to work due to the lack of child care, or their spouse is forced to work opposite shifts so someone can stay home with the kids. 

As a mom, I know how stressful it is to make sure your child has the care they need and how much families rely on quality, reliable child care. I’m going to continue to fight to make sure child care centers are accessible to every community by ensuring fair wages for workers, and fair prices for families.

I’m also continuing my fight for paid family leave to make sure folks can afford time off to care for their children, and to protect unions so that workers can collectively bargain for better wages and benefits and provide a better life for their families.

I believe every person in Iowa should be able to earn a dignified living, and I’m fighting hard to make that happen.