On July 9, the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee officially approved the Education and Workforce Freedom Act (HR 8915) by a vote of 23-13. This bill included legislative text pulled from the ISSA-supported Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act (HR 1477/S 722), which is a public-policy priority for ISSA. The bill would expand qualified expenses under 529 savings plans to include post-secondary training and credentialing, such as licenses and professional certifications for cleaning workers.

As an early member of the Tomorrow’s Workforce Coalition, ISSA has long advocated for the Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act. In April, 100+ cleaning-industry leaders who attended the ISSA Clean Advocacy Summit met with congressional offices about the need for training essential workers and advocated for specific legislation. This collective advocacy is an important reason why the Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act has gained so much bipartisan support in Congress (146 House cosponsors; 24 Senate cosponsors).

“This marks a major milestone for our essential workforce training efforts,” said ISSA Director of Government Affairs John Nothdurft. “We thank the House Ways and Means committee members who voted to approve HR 8915, as well as our association partners and ISSA advocates who helped make this legislative success to date possible. Although the Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act still has more to achieve in Congress, it’s progressing in a steadfast and meaningful way.” The bill has now been reported to the House floor for consideration at a time to be determined.

Take action: Using ISSA’s Advocacy Action Center, take a moment to email, post on X, and/or call your congressional delegation to request their support for the bipartisan, bicameral Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act to help essential cleaning professionals get trained and certified. Take action

To learn more about ISSA advocacy and our legislative efforts to train essential workers, please contact ISSA Senior Government Affairs Manager Stacy Seiden.