Bipartisan, bicameral bill from Sens. Coons, Risch, Smith, Gardner & Reps Luján, Fleischmann, Hultgren, Lipinski supports small business innovation

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), James Risch (R-ID), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Cory Gardner (R-CO) and U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), Randy Hultgren (R-IL), and Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) today introduced the Promoting Small Business Innovation through Partnerships with National Labs Act, which allows small businesses to gain access to premier facilities at the national labs, spurring innovation and stimulating the culture of private-public collaboration.

Small businesses are the lifeblood of the American economy. However, the cost of investing in necessary but expensive capital equipment often prohibits small businesses from pursuing truly innovative ideas and developing groundbreaking products. In order to address these challenges, this bill authorizes a small business voucher program that will allow small businesses to conduct feasibility studies and analyze the innovation potential of new technologies by accessing facilities and expertise at the national labs. The bill also streamlines the application and approval process for vouchers, eliminating barriers that prevent small businesses from exploring the potential of new technologies.

“Small businesses are at the forefront of creating innovative solutions to the problems that face our nation,” said Senator Coons. “Often, small businesses need access to unique facilities and resources to succeed in developing truly groundbreaking products. This bill provides businesses with access to world-class facilities and experts to help strengthen the ecosystem of small businesses innovation in the U.S.”

“American small businesses have led innovation for generations, creating lasting solutions in the fields of science, medicine, technology, and more,” said Senator Risch. “Utilizing the unique assets and expertise of our national laboratories, this bill provides additional resources for entrepreneurs to research and test their latest advancements. In my home state, the Idaho National Lab has been a leader in public/private partnerships and serves as a great example of how well this collaboration works.” 

“Minnesota has a long history of innovation. When I host roundtables and meetings across the state, I’m struck by the many ways Minnesotans are addressing important issues and developing innovative products, and having more access to DOE laboratory facilities and expertise will help,” said Senator Smith. “As a former small business owner myself, I want to make it possible for more small businesses in Minnesota and across the country to access the resources they need to ensure their businesses create good jobs, grow the economy, and help them and their families thrive.”

“Connecting small businesses to our national labs will lead to more innovation from American businesses on Main Street,” said Senator Gardner. “The Promoting Small Business Innovation through Partnerships with National Labs Act is a bipartisan, commonsense approach that will give our small businesses the tools they need to be competitive and succeed in the global economy.”

“National laboratories and small businesses play a key role in ensuring America’s continued technological leadership,” said Representative Ben Ray Luján. “As challenges to our global competitiveness, national security, and environmental vitality continue to evolve, it is critical that small businesses have greater access to lab facilities and expertise. This legislation will make it easier for small businesses to access lab technologies and resources, streamline partnership agreements, and offer innovation vouchers that may be used at labs and research facilities.”

“The influence of small business on the development of our nation is anything but small,” Representative Fleischmann said. “This bill marries the entrepreneurial strength of small businesses with the unparalleled resources and expertise of our national labs. In my district, Oak Ridge National Lab is home to several state-of-the-art user facilities, such as the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, and I am happy to play a part in this effort to enable the types of public/private partnerships that grant small businesses access to facilities like this one, and drive our nation’s innovation ecosystem.”    

“Small businesses are the engine of the American economy, and many need access to the ground-breaking technology and research produced at our national labs like Fermilab and Argonne in Illinois,”said Representative Hultgren. “Increasing access and collaborative opportunities will ensure a small business owner with an idea can take advantage of technological capabilities nearby, and foster future innovation and growth.” 

“Our National Labs have world-class facilities that can significantly lower the barriers to starting new science- and technology-based companies. For example, Argonne National Lab, in my district, has a nanofabrication facility that can produce incredibly small electronics with circuit components 1/1000th the width of a human hair,” said Representative Lipinski. “Technologies developed there could become central to next-generation computers or wireless equipment. No small business could afford to build a facility like this, and yet, by partnering with a National Lab, they can access the tools they need to bring their best ideas to market.” 

A one-pager on the bill is available here. 

The text of the bill is available here. 

“I applaud Senators Coons, Risch, and Gardner and Congressmen Lujan and Fleischmann for introducing the Small Business Voucher bill which will streamline the way small businesses access taxpayer-funded expertise and world-class facilities of the DOE national laboratory system. Supporting small businesses through cutting-edge science and technology at the labs strengthens the country’s innovation ecosystem and its national competitiveness,” said Jetta Wong, Senior Advisor for Northern California Operations, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator.

 “Small businesses often lack access to research facilities that would allow them to explore innovative ideas. DOE’s small business voucher pilot programs are important tools to stimulate innovation and lower barriers to research for small businesses, while at the same time maximizing the value of the national labs to the American public. These pilot programs have already proven to be successful and should be extended to all national labs,” said Stephen Ezell, Vice President, Global Innovation Policy, ITIF.  

“The Department of Energy and our 17 national labs have enabled the United States to be a leader in clean energy innovation. To maintain that leadership, however, we not only need a well-funded DOE, we need one that can partner with America’s small businesses and help these private sector innovators get their technologies into the market. We’ve seen enormous success with the GAIN initiative at the Office of Nuclear Energy, which has helped the advanced reactor industry in the U.S. grow from 48 projects in 2015 to 75 projects today. Expanding small business vouchers at DOE is a smart policy that will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of national clean energy R&D,” said Josh Freed, Vice President for Clean Energy, Third Way.

“I applaud Senators Coons and Risch for their proposal to allow small businesses to receive vouchers to access National Labs’ facilities. I’ve worked at the National Labs in the past and have witnessed firsthand how they are a great resource of intellect and capabilities. However, I also saw that a connection to the marketplace was missing. This small business voucher program will close that gap, allowing small businesses to collaborate with the National Labs so that research can successfully move out of the lab sand into the marketplace,” said Stephen Grot, Owner, Ion Power, and Delaware Small Business Owner.

“NCET2 applauds the leadership shown by Senator Coons and Senator Risch in the ‘‘Promoting Small Business Innovation through Partnerships with National Labs Act of 2018, and we support the passage of this act. Allowing small business the opportunity to use cost-effective vouchers at national labs for the development and commercialization of needed innovation is important to advance U.S. economic competitiveness and to provide high value jobs,” said Tony Stanco, Executive Director, National Council of Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer (NCET2). 

“BPC Action is proud to support the Promoting Small Business Innovation Through Partnerships with National Labs Act which would expand opportunities for small businesses to harness the resources and expertise at our nation’s renowned national labs. Technology innovation drives economic productivity and growth. Providing our workers with access to resources and guidance to develop new products and services benefits all Americans by helping to grow US businesses and create jobs across industries and the nation,” said Michele Stockwell, Executive Director of BPC Action. 

“The U.S. national laboratory system has a tremendous variety of cutting edge infrastructure and world-leading scientists and engineers.  Making that capability available to small businesses throughout the U.S. will help spur innovation and keep the U.S. in a leadership position in emerging energy technologies.  Expanding these private-public partnerships is smart advocacy,” said Dr. Todd Allen, Energy & Sustainability Thrust Lead, Grainger Institute for Engineering, University of Wisconsin. 

“As a small, growing startup with big goals to be the world leader in portable energy storage, Inergy does not yet have the specialized technical tools in-house such as a micro-grid testbeds or a battery testing chamber to test our nano-grid software or our experimental lithium batteries. Getting access to the Idaho National Lab’s facilities, which have those resources, will not only allow Inergy to bring its solutions more quickly to market but also increase revenues and grow our workforce. Inergy wholeheartedly supports this voucher program,” said Sean Luangrath, CEO, Inergy, and Idaho Small Business Owner.

“This bipartisan legislation would foster small business technological innovation. The GridWise Alliance has always advocated for a variety of means by which to spur innovation that will contribute further to the transformation of the electric system,” said Steve Hauser, CEO, the GridWise Alliance.

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Senators Carper, Coons join 30 Senators in calling on Trump Administration to put American jobs, national security before China

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.), joined a letter signed by 32 senators calling on the Trump Administration to put American jobs and national security ahead of China. The senators wrote the letter in response to President Trump’s announcement that he has directed the Department of Commerce to look at easing penalties imposed on China-based company ZTE for violations that include selling sensitive U.S. technologies to Iran and North Korea in violation of US sanctions laws.

“Offering to trade American sanctions enforcement to promote jobs in China is plainly a bad deal for American workers and for the security of all Americans,” the senators wrote.  “American workers and companies confront rampant theft of U.S. intellectual property, agricultural policies that disadvantage American farmers, restrictions on market access for U.S. service providers and manufacturers, and mercantilist industrial policies that have cost U.S. workers their jobs.  America’s policies toward China should put American workers, farmers and businesses first, not China’s.

“We urge you to focus on identifying effective strategies to reshape China’s policy approach in each of these areas, such as through enforceable commitments to eliminate forced technology transfer policies, market distorting subsidies, data localization policies, and foreign investment restrictions, and ensuring nondiscriminatory treatment of U.S. firms in regulatory and other proceedings. Above all, we urge you to remain steadfast in enforcing America’s laws.”

Text of the Senate Democrats’ letter can be found below:

Dear Mr. President:

Your recent remarks directing Secretary Ross to help ZTE – a Chinese company that has repeatedly sold sensitive U.S. technologies to Iran and North Korea in clear violation of American sanctions laws – call into grave doubt whether this administration will put American jobs and national security first.

If acted upon, your instruction would reverse a law enforcement decision by Secretary Ross to impose a seven-year denial of export privileges on ZTE, setting aside that decision made in the interests of U.S. national security to cushion the employment impact on the Chinese company.  ZTE not only violated US sanctions law but then repeatedly lied about steps it would take to remedy the problems. As Secretary Ross noted when he imposed the order, “ZTE made false statements to the U.S. Government when they were originally caught and put on the Entity List, made false statements during the reprieve it was given, and made false statements again during its probation. ZTE misled the Department of Commerce.  Instead of reprimanding ZTE staff and senior management, ZTE rewarded them. This egregious behavior cannot be ignored.” 

In addition to paying a fine of $1.2 billion, and pleading guilty to knowingly violating U.S. sanctions laws, ZTE agreed to a multi-year denial of export privileges, to be activated if any aspect of the agreement was not met and/or if the company committed additional violations of US export control regulations. Prompted by new violations, Commerce imposed the denial.

America’s national security must not be used as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations.  Offering to trade American sanctions enforcement to promote jobs in China is plainly a bad deal for American workers and for the security of all Americans. Bargaining away law enforcement power over bad actors such as ZTE undermines the historically sharp distinction between sanctions and export control enforcement and routine trade decisions made by the US.

Your order comes as your administration is in the midst of discussions with China to address China’s market-distorting policies and other tactics to undermine key American industries. Beyond appearing to risk American national security, the statement suggests that the administration is not serious about addressing the many economic challenges China presents.  The devastating effects of China’s trade policies are clear.  As your top trade negotiator recognized in his trade report on China less than six months ago, to address the “very serious and harmful problems generated by China’s trade regime”, China must “truly embrace a market-oriented approach, rooted in the fundamental WTO principles of non-discrimination, market access, reciprocity, fairness and transparency.”  There is no evidence that China has agreed to such a shift in approach.

American workers and companies confront rampant theft of U.S. intellectual property, agricultural policies that disadvantage American farmers, restrictions on market access for U.S. service providers and manufacturers, and mercantilist industrial policies that have cost U.S. workers their jobs.  America’s policies toward China should put American workers, farmers and businesses first, not China’s.

We urge you to focus on identifying effective strategies to reshape China’s policy approach in each of these areas, such as through enforceable commitments to eliminate forced technology transfer policies, market distorting subsidies, data localization policies, and foreign investment restrictions, and ensuring nondiscriminatory treatment of U.S. firms in regulatory and other proceedings. Above all, we urge you to remain steadfast in enforcing America’s laws. 

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR)

Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO)

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)

Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD)

Senator Tom Carper (D-DE)

Senator Bob Casey (D-PA)

Senator Chris Coons (D-DE)

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV)

Senator Joe Donnelly (D-IN)

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)

Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM)

Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA)

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT)

Senator Ed Markey (D-MA)

Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ)

Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)

Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL)

Senator Gary Peters (D-MI)

Senator Jack Reed (D-RI)

Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI)

Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)

Senator Tina Smith (D-MN)

Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)

Senator Tom Udall (D-NM)

Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)

Senator Mark Warner (D-VA)

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

 

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Senator Coons’ statement on President Trump’s nominations for Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and US Ambassador to Kenya

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after President Trump nominated the former ambassador to Ethiopia and Guinea, Tibor Nagy, to be Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and Illinois state Sen. Kyle McCarter to be U.S. Ambassador to Kenya.

“I’m glad to see the Trump administration finally nominate officials for two important posts – Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and U.S. Ambassador to Kenya.  Simply put, the United States and the Trump Administration must do a better job of engaging on this critical continent, and I’m hopeful that these two nominees will prove that they are the right people for that important task.  Whether it is combatting terrorism in the Sahel and East Africa, supporting democratic institutions and rule of law throughout the continent, or promoting U.S. investment and American companies through legislation like the BUILD Act, the United States simply cannot afford to ignore Africa. 

“I recently led a congressional delegation to Zimbabwe, South Africa, Niger, and Burkina Faso, and I will continue to ensure that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee remains engaged across Africa.  I look forward to meeting with former Ambassador Nagy and state Senator McCarter and reviewing their records and qualifications.”

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Sen. Coons’ statement on DuPont’s purchase of Newark manufacturing facility

WILMINGTON, DE – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement regarding DuPont’s purchasing of a new facility in Newark, Delaware, to manufacture DuPont™ Kalrez®, a engineered material used in a variety of sealing applications that require high-temperature performance and excellent chemical resistance.

“DuPont has been rooted in Delaware since 1802 and today, those roots grow stronger with DuPont’s purchase of a larger facility in Newark,” said U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del). “This new facility and the plan to invest $45 million in our state to increase manufacturing capacity makes this a great day for Delaware and the Delaware workforce. This is another positive sign that DuPont is committed to operating, expanding, and staying in the First State.”

 

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[AUDIO] Sen. Coons on Fox News Radio: “Our European allies are questioning now whether we are a reliable partner in making diplomatic measures that will drive Iran in a better direction.”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, yesterday joined Fox News Radio after President Trump announced that the United States will pull out of the nuclear agreement between the United States, Iran, and world powers. 

“Reengineering the potential plutonium reactor by filling its calandria with concrete and thus blocking the most credible path that Iran had towards plutonium, which would have been an ordered magnitude more dangerous than the uranium enrichment they were doing, that was a real accomplishment of the Iran nuclear deal. Getting their entire enriched uranium nuclear stockpile with a small exception shipped out of the country under international seal and supervision, that was an accomplishment. Getting the IAEA searching inspection capability in the country, that was an accomplishment. On the other hand, there were clear other issues in Iran’s behavior that were not addressed by the deal. To think of Iran as a country that was dealing in good faith at all moments, all along its trajectory as it developed a nuclear weapons program would be profoundly naive, I never had that view. I hope that we can now find some path toward reengaging our allies, renegotiating with Iran and getting to a stronger deal, but I frankly think President Trump’s decision today makes that less likely, not more likely,” said Senator Coons.

Audio is available here.  

Excerpts from the interview: 

Sen. Coons on the Iran Nuclear Deal: Thanks for a chance to be with you. It’s great to have the opportunity to talk through where do we go from here on the Iran deal and on our security. 

Sen. Coons on where do we go from here: Well, about half of the remarks that the President made, I agree with. Like many Democrats, like many Republicans, I see Iran as a dangerous regime. A regime whose ballistic missile program, whose human rights record, whose support for terrorism makes it deserving of our attention, of our strong efforts to constrain them, and to make sure that they are less able to spread their brand of terror in the region and in the world. But, what I disagreed with was his timing and his decision to leave the Iran deal. It was not a perfect deal, it only intended to deal with the nuclear weapons ambitions of Iran, not to deal with the other areas that the President and I find so concerning about Iran’s ongoing behavior. The IAEA, the nuclear inspector organization, and our allies all confirmed that Iran has so far kept to the terms of the Iran deal. I would have strongly preferred if President Trump had chosen to build on those foundations, to address the key issues that he identifies and that I agree ought to be addressed, about the ballistic missile program and the support for terrorism in the region and the future path post the Iran deal, and I think our three closest European allies were very intent on doing that with him. Now, we’re in a different place. We don’t know what’s going to happen. We don’t know if Iran is going to resume enrichment, we don’t know if President Trump and the administration will impose hard secondary sanctions on our European allies. And, we don’t know what impact this will have on his ability to negotiate a deal with North Korea. 

Sen. Coons on how this will impact the upcoming talks with North Korea: Well, I think one of the strongest parts of the Iran agreement was the inspections. We got searching, continuous inspections of all known nuclear sites. Not just enrichment sites, but uranium mines and uranium mills, and the places where centrifuges were developed and tested. That is a complete nuclear fuel cycle testing and inspection regime. We have to have something comparable in North Korea to have any kind of a credible agreement. My concern is that Kim Jong Un and President Trump have reasons to want to do a positive but superficial meeting, summit, and agreement. And, a summit without a strategy and a summit without a strategy that we can enforce is a very risky thing. Exactly the same group, the International Atomic Energy Agency, that has led successfully the inspections of Iran so far is the only group really capable of doing those inspections in North Korea. And, if we’ve turned our back on the credibility, thoroughness, and respectability of their inspections in Iran, it raises the question about how would President Trump verify any commitment by Kim Jong Un to denuclearize. I’ll remind you we’ve been here twice before. Kim Jong Un’s father and grandfather made public commitments, signed agreements that they would denuclearize only to turn back from them. We can’t trust the North Korean regime, just like we can’t trust the Iranian regime, and we will need searching inspections to make any agreement work. 

More on the Iran deal: Well, I can see how the Netanyahu government and the Saudi government are encouraged by this — they are directly threatened by Iran and they have been most of the vociferous publicly in their opposition to the deal. However, in private conversations, even leaders of those two countries have conceded that so far, the Iran Nuclear Deal has succeeded in blunting their nuclear ambitions. I do think it was a huge coup by Mossad to extract and publish for the world the archives of the Iranian nuclear weapons program. I do think it confirmed something that many of us believed for a long time, which was that Iran’s protestations that their program was always peaceful were nothing but lies, and it reinforces that we have to be able to have accountability mechanisms in order to have an agreement with a regime like Iran in order for it to work. The alternative to a multilateral international agreement to constrain the ballistic missile and nuclear programs of North Korea and Iran is regime change. And, in both cases, I will tell you that is a prospect just too horrendous to contemplate. I don’t want us hurdling toward another Iraq War where based on a credible fear of WMDs, we go into a country in the Middle East where we don’t have the scale, the firepower, or the staying power to genuinely make a difference. I think we need to be pursuing diplomacy and I think our European allies are questioning now whether are a reliable partner in making diplomatic measures that will drive Iran in a better direction. 

Sen. Coons on Iran’s faithfulness to a broader commitment: Well, I’ve never had the illusion that the Iranian regime just needed a little sweet talk and invitations to parties and they’d suddenly change their tune and rejoin the community of nations. I’ve always viewed as a dangerous and an untrustworthy regime. I can’t speak for whether that’s the case for all of my colleagues or not, but I thought one of things that was most commendable about the Iran deal was there were pieces of it that were confirmable, verifiable, and irreversible. For example, reengineering the potential plutonium reactor by filling its calandria with concrete and thus blocking the most credible path that Iran had towards plutonium, which would have been an ordered magnitude more dangerous than the uranium enrichment they were doing, that was a real accomplishment of the Iran nuclear deal. Getting their entire enriched uranium nuclear stockpile with a small exception shipped out of the country under international seal and supervision, that was an accomplishment. Getting the IAEA searching inspection capability in the country, that was an accomplishment. On the other hand, there were clear other issues in Iran’s behavior that were not addressed by the deal. To think of Iran as a country that was dealing in good faith at all moments, all along its trajectory as it developed a nuclear weapons program would be profoundly naive, I never had that view. I hope that we can now find some path toward reengaging our allies, renegotiating with Iran and getting to a stronger deal, but I frankly think President Trump’s decision today makes that less likely, not more likely. 

More on the Iran deal: I do think close consultation with Congress and congressional oversight and engagement is essential. I worked with Senator Corker to make sure that Congress had a role in the Iran deal. Frankly, one of the other things I’ll point to, in the North Korea negotiations, it’s key that we get agreements that are irreversible and verifiable for changes in North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs and its other WMD programs. North Korea is a very dangerous regime, so is the Iranian regime. My hope is that the President will keep Congress regularly updated and informed, but I’ll remind you, the bipartisan sanctions bill that we passed last year by a margin of 98-2 called on President Trump to deliver a strategy for how to deal with Iran to Congress by January. He still hasn’t developed or delivered it, we’re still waiting for that consultation. I will simply say in a positive vein, I am hopeful that with a new Secretary of State, we will have a new level of consultation and I do hope Congress will have the opportunity to weigh in on whatever agreement is reached with North Korea or with our allies with regards to Iran. 

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Sen. Coons’ statement on the Iran nuclear agreement

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after President Trump announced that the United States will pull out of the nuclear agreement between the United States, Iran, and world powers (comprised of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, China, and the European Union). 

“President Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of the nuclear agreement is a mistake. This decision will likely make it harder for the United States and the international community to monitor Iran’s nuclear program, it divides us from our European allies, and it raises legitimate questions about the United States’ ability to lead the international community in the face of crisis.  

“Like the President, I remain deeply concerned by Iran’s continued support for terrorism in the region, its commitment to prop up the murderous Assad regime in Syria, its human rights abuses, and its ballistic missile program, but I question how walking away from the nuclear deal makes it any easier to deal with those challenges.

“Today’s decision from President Trump produces only new, increasingly difficult questions.  What is his strategy for preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon?  How do we now ensure that Iran does not restart its nuclear weapons program without the inspections and access guaranteed by the agreement?  How can we lead an international coalition to push back against Iran after abandoning an agreement with which Iran has largely complied?  What reasonable expectation is there for a new, stronger deal with Iran?  Why would our international partners honor any deal we might strike with North Korea? 

“On issues as serious as nuclear nonproliferation in the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula, the stakes are high. I share President Trump’s goals of ensuring Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon and denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, but we differ greatly in how we approach these problems. Bluster is not a strategy and the alliances we have built over the past 70 years matter.

“Last year, the Senate passed, with an overwhelming, bipartisan vote of 98-2, a bill providing President Trump additional authority and support to levy sanctions against Iran.  That bill also required the President to deliver a strategy for dealing with Iran by this past January, something he has failed to do.  Today’s announcement is further proof that President Trump does not have a clear strategy for dealing with Iran, and that is dangerous not only for the United States, but also for the world.” 

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ICYMI: Sen. Coons, Superintendent of NCCVT school district, pen editorial on Delaware’s first vo-tech ‘draft day’

WILMINGTON, DE – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Superintendent of New Castle County Vocational Technical School District Victorial Gehrt, authored an editorial entitled, “Students Deserve a Draft Day for Getting Good Jobs.”

The News Journal: Students Deserve a Draft Day for Getting Good Jobs

By U.S. Senator Chris Coons and Superintendent of New Castle County Vocational Technical School District, Victoria C. Gehrt

Less than two weeks ago, tens of thousands of people attended the NFL draft and millions more followed on TV and online. Similarly, when top high school athletes commit to attend a college that’s recruiting them, there’s often an elaborate signing event with family, friends, and even the media. 

All of that is great, and we should continue to celebrate young men and women pursuing their athletic dreams after high school, but we should also recognize other students making similar commitments for what they’ll do after Graduation Day.

That’s why last week, we were honored and excited to partner together for the New Castle County Vocational-Technical (Vo-Tech) School District’s own version of “Draft Day,” where a group of 13 high school seniors who have worked and studied for careers in the building trades, information technology, and health care, accepted full-time job offers from local employers.

These students may not run the 40-yard dash in less than five seconds, but they have natural talent and hard-earned skills of their own that we should celebrate, too. These students, representing hundreds more just like them, earned their job offers because of their performance in high-quality, skill-based curricula in their high school career and technical programs.

Thanks to their hard work, they now have industry-recognized credentials that, coupled with the valuable work experience they gained during their senior-year co-op placement, make them career ready right away as high school graduates.

For 50 years, Delaware’s Vo-Tech high schools have prepared tens of thousands of graduates for the workplace. This year alone, New Castle County Vo-Tech will graduate 1,100 seniors who have earned certifications in one of 40 different career programs of study. What’s more, 70 percent of them will have participated in co-op job placements, which don’t come easy.

In order to be eligible for a co-op placement, students must meet GPA requirements and demonstrate that they’ve mastered specific career program skill sets.

The rest of Delaware is keeping up the pace, too. Polytech in Kent County has 270 seniors earning credentials in one of 20 different career programs this year, and Sussex Tech has 356 seniors in one of 17 career programs offered there.

Because of their skills and work experience, many of these seniors will be hired to work for local, regional, and national companies, and others will begin apprenticeships in the construction and mechanical fields. They will continue to earn certifications while they are earning good wages and receiving full benefits, and many of them will begin to get promoted in stable, upwardly mobile industries.

We hear all the time from local companies that are looking to fill open positions offering good salaries and benefits, but they struggle to find applicants with the skills and work ethic required to fill those jobs.  The shortage of the right candidates for those jobs is known, nationwide, as the ‘skills gap,’ and filling that gap is a fantastic opportunity for our economy.

Thankfully, we have excellent programs here in Delaware to train students for these promising careers, but we need more students and families to take a good look at what vocational and technical training can offer, because too often, most Americans think their option to advance their career is an expensive, and not always practical, four-year degree.

The simple truth is that a four-year college degree isn’t the only option for high school graduates, and it isn’t always the best one, either.

That’s why this week, the stars of the show “This Old House,” along with companies like Marvin Windows and Doors and Electrical Training Institute, will be in Washington to join Sen. Coons and a bipartisan group of Senators for a discussion about the importance of apprenticeships and how we can close the skills gap in Delaware and all around the country. Several Delawareans, including recent Delcastle Technical High School graduates, will attend and hear just how valued their skills are.

Last week, the seniors who signed their job offers at our event in Delaware were flanked by their new employers, career teachers, co-op coordinators, school administrators, and proud parents. These young men and women beginning their vo-tech careers are off and running toward a long, rewarding, lucrative career that can support a family and make an impact in our communities.

Next year, we hope to make “Draft Day” an even bigger event, and until then, we’ll be helping students and their families see all the options they can pursue after graduation.

Chris Coons is a U.S. Senator representing Delaware. Victoria C. Gehrt is the Superintendent of New Castle County Vocational Technical School District.

ICYMI: Sen. Coons, ‘This Old House’ experts pen editorial on addressing the skills gap in America through apprenticeships

WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) and the experts from the PBS show This Old House authored an editorial entitled, “Addressing the skills gap in America through apprenticeships.”

The Hill: Addressing the skills gap in America through apprenticeships

By U.S. Senator Chris Coons, Kevin O’Connor, Norm Abram, Richard Trethewey, Tom Silva, Roger Cook, and Nathan Gilbert 

In Washington, the most common conversation topic should be a simple one: jobs.

How do we create more of them? How do we prepare Americans for the jobs that are already available? How do we ensure those jobs provide a decent wage and good benefits?

In Congress, these conversations often lead to discussions on the importance of expanding early childhood education, strengthening our public schools, and making college more affordable. And to be sure, those investments are critical.

But let’s not forget about another straightforward, proven way to train Americans for well-paying jobs and lifelong careers: apprenticeships, sometimes called “the other four-year degree.” 

According to the National Skills Coalition, there are 5.9 million job openings in the United States, and 6.6 million unemployed Americans. The skills gap is a major reason why these jobs continue to go unfilled, especially for those jobs that don’t require a four-year college degree. But apprenticeships can help address this. 

As a U.S. senator from Delaware who spent ten years in county government, and as the expert craftsmen and women of This Old House, we’ve seen firsthand that apprenticeships can help address these issues. Apprenticeships are one of our oldest forms of education—and still one of the smartest investments we can make. 

An apprenticeship is basically a degree that nearly guarantees you a well-paying job and a clear career path after graduation. It’s a program that gives you experience that employers demand and teaches you skills that last a lifetime. It’s a program that provides a paycheck while you’re still in training and doesn’t rack up debt while you’re at it.

Sure, you might have to work weekends and nights. You might have to complete thousands of hours of on-the-job training and hundreds of more hours in the classroom. It doesn’t sound like a typical college or university curriculum, right? That’s because it’s not. 

Apprenticeships are programs that provide on-the-job training and instruction for workers in highly-skilled occupations across a range of industries, such as manufacturing, construction, health care support, and information technology. After apprentices complete their programs, they receive industry credentials and are set up for a job with the employer union or association that sponsored the program.

These programs are challenging, time-intensive, and competitive. But they work. 

Ask Steve Dignan from Delaware. More than 30 years ago, he entered the construction industry as an apprentice at his company. He worked his way up to the title of project manager and eventually bought the company that he worked for. Today, he is the president and CEO of that company, Nickle Electrical Companies.

Ask Nathan Gilbert from East Bridgewater, Mass. He built his career around on-the-job learning, starting with five years of Seabee overseas, followed by apprenticing with the experts at This Old House and their program, Generation Next. Today, Nathan runs his own carpentry business, completing millwork installation for homes in Martha’s Vineyard.

Steve and Nathan aren’t the exceptions; they’re the rule. Right now, students across the country with career and technical education are more likely to be employed than their counterparts with academic credentials. In fact, more than 90 percent of those who complete apprenticeships land jobs with annual wages that exceed $60,000. 

Data shows that apprenticeships provide an important option for today’s students. The thousands of hours of on-the-job experience produce apprentices with a keen understanding of the techniques and the tools they need to do their jobs—making them safer, more skilled, and more productive employees.

Nevertheless, despite the many benefits of apprenticeships, many programs are underfunded due to a poor understanding and negative perceptions of the skilled trades. Employers in industries that haven’t traditionally had apprenticeship programs still remain skeptical about incorporating apprenticeships as a means to recruit, train and hire new employees.

Because of these barriers, it is essential that policymakers and businesses find ways to support apprenticeship programs in their states. Too often in the Senate we define “education” too narrowly. We talk about education as a ticket to the middle class—but we don’t include apprenticeship programs. That has to change. 

We need to find ways to dramatically increase the number of apprenticeships in the United States. That’s why I’m proud to announce my new initiative to grow and expand highly successful Apprenticeship Hubs across America, which work to create new registered apprenticeship programs in high growth industry sectors. These hubs will help to address local economic needs and fill local skill gaps—issues that every member of the Senate should advocate for.

My home state of Delaware recognizes the value of apprenticeships, and has initiated Delaware Pathways, an Apprenticeship Hub that convenes education and workforce leaders in the state and leverages community support to broaden career pathways for youth by developing new apprenticeship programs in a variety of occupations. 

Apprenticeships have a huge return on investment, with some analyses indicating returns of $23 for every dollar spent by the government. Budgets are tight, and all of us in the federal government are looking for smart, cost-effective investments that create jobs and help revitalize the American economy. That’s why apprenticeship programs deserve our continued support.

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[VIDEO] Sen. Coons calls on Zimbabwean President Mnangagwa to demonstrate commitment to democracy

WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke with CGTN Africa about U.S.-Zimbabwe relations. In early April, Senator Coons met with President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe as part of a bipartisan Senate delegation to Niger, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Burkina Faso.

“President Mnangagwa has committed himself to democracy, to free and fair elections, to protecting human rights, towards returning to a rules-based, open economy. If he takes those steps, sanctions relief should be forthcoming from the United States and Senator Flake and I would take the action necessary in the American Congress to accomplish that. But, frankly, after what was a very encouraging meeting a few weeks ago, we’ve seen no concrete steps in response. The amount of time left before the elections is shrinking, so the importance of taking prompt, concrete steps to demonstrate the President’s commitment to democracy is becoming more and more important,” said Senator Coons. 

Senator Coons’ full interview is available here.

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Senator Coons introduces bipartisan bill to aid victims domestic violence

Wilmington, DE – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Dean Heller (R-NV), Bob Casey (D-PA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and John Cornyn (R-TX) today announced that they have introduced legislation to aid victims by directing federal resources to emergency shelters, supportive programs, and the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Specifically, the legislation reauthorizes the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA), a historic law enacted in 1984 that directs funding to states and tribes to help provide supportive services such as shelter, counseling, legal assistance and more to victims of domestic abuse and their dependents. Additionally the bill funds prevention programs and 24-hour victim assistance through the National Domestic Violence Hotline, a toll-free helpline in which highly-trained advocates offer victims of relationship abuse assistance over the phone and through their website at http://www.thehotline.org/.  

“The fight to end domestic violence is far from over. Domestic violence and sexual assault are evils that transcend race, class, gender and sexual orientation, and are present in every community in America. When we shine a light on these evils by educating the public, empowering the victims, and punishing the offenders, we can help break the cycle of abuse,” said Senator Coons. “A vital part in combating domestic violence is ensuring that survivors have all the services necessary to heal and recover.  I’m proud to support the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act. It’s up to all of us to educate, advocate, and work together and ensure that no woman, man, or child has to live in fear.”

“The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) staunchly advocates for the reauthorization of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA). As the only federal act solely dedicated to supporting domestic violence services, FVPSA helps ensure that victims have a safe place to go when they are escaping life-threating violence. Programs across the country depend on FVPSA funding to serve over 1.3 million victims a year. We applaud its bipartisan sponsors for their leadership and support,” said Kim Gandy, president and chief executive officer of the National Network to End Domestic Violence.

“The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act is the backbone of the nation’s response to domestic violence,” said Esta Soler, president and founder of Futures Without Violence. “Thank you Senators Heller and Casey for reintroducing this important legislation. Due to recent funding increases, FVPSA also now can better meet the needs of children who are in shelter or are witnessing domestic violence in their homes. This program is essential to breaking the often inter-generational cycle of violence and abuse.”