National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL) Names Representative Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney (WA) and Representative Michel Consejo (VT) as Chair & Vice Chair of Labor & Workforce Development Task Force

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WASHINGTON, April 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL) names Representative Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney (WA) and Representative Michel Consejo (VT) as Chair and Vice Chair of the Labor & Workforce Development Task Force. The task force will focus on promoting public policy solutions on labor and workforce related issues such as unemployment insurance, disparities in pay according to gender, workforce enforcement, and more.

Representative Gutierrez Kenney (WA) has been a leader in education and workforce development in her home state and has promoted a number of workforce education solutions that have been hailed as model concepts and visionary.  Representative Kenney served as Chair of the House Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee in the Washington State legislature for eight years.

Among the many cutting edge programs that have been proposed by Representative Kenney (WA) have been Opportunity Grants, which provide training for low and median income students to meet Washington State's economic needs to stay competitive in a global market.  She also was instrumental in developing the Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training program (IBEST). Both have received national accolades including recognition by President Obama on IBEST. 

"I am pleased and honored to accept the position of Vice Chair of the Labor & Workforce Development Task Force for NHCSL.  I look forward to working with the President and members to develop policies and address issues that will help protect the jobs of today, create the jobs of tomorrow and to assure that we have a skilled workforce to meet the needs of industry," stated Representative Gutierrez Kenney (WA).

Representative Michel Consejo (VT) has served in the Vermont State Legislature since 2006 and is currently serving on the Commerce Committee. Representative Consejo (VT) has been an entrepreneur for a majority of his career and has keen insight into the workforce needs of the business community.

The NHCSL is the premier national association of Hispanic state legislators working to design and implement policies and procedures that will improve the quality of life for Hispanics throughout the country.  NHCSL was founded in 1989 as a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission to be the most effective voice for the more than 340 Hispanic legislators.  For more information visit www.nhcsl.org.

SOURCE National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL)