Jobs and Economy
When I travel around Northwest Oregon, I often hear from parents who struggle to pay for child care—which in Oregon can cost as much as a year of college tuition. I’ve heard from parents who don’t have access to paid family leave at work, and have to choose between caring for a new baby and earning a paycheck. Congress must do more to address the challenges facing our families.
Our economy will be stronger and people will be healthier when we acknowledge that families need policies that work for them, not against them. Equal pay for women, good wages, paid leave, and affordable child care will better support families in Oregon and across the country. When we open the doors of opportunity to everyone, we all succeed.
One of my top priorities in Congress is to grow our economy and implement policies that create more jobs in Oregon and across the country. As a leader on the Education and Labor Committee, I’ve introduced legislation to strengthen apprenticeships and paid, on-the-job training programs to provide workers with meaningful pathways to better paying jobs, and to connect businesses with workers who have the skills they need. I support the Raise the Wage Act, which would gradually increase the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2024. I also helped pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to help to address the pay gap and provide workers with the tools they need to achieve equal pay for equal work.
More on Jobs and Economy
WASHINGTON, DC [2/6/20] – Today the House passed major legislation to strengthen workers’ rights. Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Chair of the Education and Labor Committee’s Civil Rights and Human Services Subcommittee, co-sponsored the legislation and spoke in favor of it on the House floor.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to enact new protections against age discrimination in the workplace, approving a bill that supporters say will give older workers the same safeguards other protected groups enjoy.
“I’ve heard from workers, many in the technology industry, who believe they have been dismissed or denied employment because of their age,” Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Beaverton, said on the House floor Wednesday.
Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) talked about House legislation designed to protect older Americans from job discrimination.
The U.S. House has committed to voting on a comprehensive bill supporting union organizing before Presidents' Day.
"Under the 41-year-old law, it's very, very challenging for pregnant women to bring a claim and to prevail to get the support and relief that they need," said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, a Democrat from Oregon. She and Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler, a Republican from Washington are co-sponsors of a new bill, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, that would make it easier for women to get temporary accommodations during their pregnancies.
The full U.S. Senate could soon vote on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the Trump administration’s new version of NAFTA. The House of Representatives passed the trade deal with a 385 to 41 vote count in December, and the Senate Finance Committee advanced the bill last week.
The Oregon Association of Nurseries announced Wednesday, Nov. 19, that Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose, and Democratic U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici are among the nine legislators recognized by the trade group as "Friends of Nurseries."
The Friends of Nurseries award serves to acknowledge state and federal officials who listen to concerns and help protect the interests of Oregon's nursery and greenhouse industry, which is the state's top agricultural sector with nearly $1 billion in annual sales, according to the Wednesday press release from OAN.