Thought bipartisanship gone way of dinosaur?

TRIAD- First-term U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, R-8th, showed Tuesday that bipartisanship at the nation’s capital isn’t quite dead yet.

The conservative congressman who represents parts of Davidson County joined Democratic President Barack Obama as the president signed a workforce retraining reform bill that Hudson supported. The event marked the first time that Hudson attended a bill-signing ceremony at the White House.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act includes provisions to better link job-seekers with employers who need their skills, streamline the oversight of workforce programs, allow communities more flexibility to make training fit local needs and encourage young people to re-enter the job market through education and training.

“With millions of Americans unemployed and millions of jobs unfilled, it’s clear our job-training system is broken. We must invest in our workforce to ensure that folks have the skills they need to get the jobs that are out there,” the congressman said.

Hudson told The High Point Enterprise that the legislation shows the grip of partisan gridlock in the nation’s capital can be loosened.

“One of the reasons I ran for Congress is that I was frustrated the Republicans and Democrats can’t come together and solve these problems that we all know are problems,” the congressman said.
The president echoed Hudson’s sentiment in his remarks at the ceremony.

“So I want to thank all the Democrats and Republicans here today for getting this bill done. ... But I’m also inviting you back. Let’s do this more often,” the president said. “It’s so much fun. Let’s pass more bills to help create more good jobs, strengthen the middle class. Look at everybody — everybody is smiling, everybody feels good. We could be doing this all the time.”

During his first year in Congress, Hudson said he’s tried to build levels of trust with Democratic House members despite differing viewpoints on issues.

“One of my better friends in the freshman class is Joe Kennedy III from Boston. He’s very liberal. But we like each other, and we’ve built trust,” he said.

"We might not agree on every topic, but Congressman Hudson and I share a strong commitment to workforce development and ensuring all Americans have the skills they need to find employment. I'm glad to call him a friend and hopeful we can continue to work together on this and other issues," Kennedy said in a statement to the Enterprise.

Hudson told the Enterprise he hopes that Republicans and Democrats in Congress “from the bottom up” can change the partisan gridlock over time.

Details of retraining bill
President Barack Obama on Tuesday signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act that was backed by U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, R-8th. Here are some of the provisions:
• Eliminate 15 existing programs that were ineffective or redundant
• Create smaller and more strategic state and local workforce development boards
• Allow local areas to better tailor programs to needs of communities and individual workers
• Align workforce development programs with economic development and education efforts

High Point Enterprise, By: Paul B. Johnson