On Tuesday, Jennifer Andrade who works for Advance, an organization that helps Puerto Ricans relocate to fill jobs in Iowa that employers have been struggling to fill, visited the Capitol with one of her recruiters and an employee who have benefited from the organization’s mission. Over the past six months, I have had numerous meetings with the Governor’s Office, House and Senate Leadership, and Director Debi Durham regarding a bill that would provide funding for skilled Puerto Ricans to relocate to Iowa so more companies in Iowa can benefit from this practice. I chaired the subcommittee for this bill, HF 2136, on Tuesday, and I’m happy to say that it passed through subcommittee with bipartisan support. This is a real tangible way to get workers to our state and directly help our business’s that are struggling to find workers, and this bill is going to be my biggest priority this year. I made a promise to legislate policies that help businesses in my district flourish and bring more people to our rural communities that are seeing a decline in population. This bill addresses both of those concerns. Can’t wait to see this bill move through the legislative process.
