President Donald Trump signed into law H.R. 2353, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21^st Century Act. The law provides $1 billion for states to fund job training programs that, combined with regulatory action, could reduce the labor shortage in the waste and recycling industry.

This legislation has been a legislative priority for the National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA). The law is intended to modernize current federal law by aligning career and technical education programs to meet the needs of the regional, state and local labor markets; supporting greater collaboration between schools and employers; increasing student participation in work-based learning opportunities; and promoting the use of recognized industry and other post-secondary credentials.

“The waste and recycling industry has experienced a growing labor shortage over the past several years. Passage of H.R. 2353 has been one of our top legislative priorities, and we thank President Trump for signing the legislation into law so quickly,” said Darrell Smith, NWRA president and CEO, in a statement.

NWRA also supports passage of H.R. 3831, the Professional Pell Education Learning (PROPEL) Act, which would authorize non-traditional schools that are approved for GI benefits to be Pell Grant eligible.

Additionally, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is implementing provisions of the FAST Act to assist in the transition of military veterans into careers as commercial motor vehicle drivers.