Many professionals fear the passing of the SKILLS Act could be detrimental; others believe it won’t make a difference.

The U.S. House of Representatives on March 15 approved an amendment called the Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills Act, which aims to combine the Workforce Investment Act with several other programs to create one single umbrella act. In particular, this act provides job placement for workers and assists employers in filling vacant positions.

However, the amendment may cut 35 federal job-placement programs already provided by the Workforce Investment Act because of the merges. According to The Chronicle for Higher Education, Democrats opposed the bill and walked out when the House approved it. The SKILLS Act still awaits Senate approval.

Some professionals think the ammendment will change many things, while some don’t.

University President Glenn Poshard said the bill likely won’t pass because of Senate opposition. However, he said the bill’s surrounding debate demonstrates another example of Congress’ dysfunctionality.

“Like a family, they need to sit down at the kitchen table and discuss this,” he said.

Poshard said the bill isn’t about principle or one side being right about everything. Instead, he explained, it’s about cutting expenses as much as possible, but not as drastic as the act proposes — it’s about balancing the budget.

While the act would cut money from federal programs, Poshard said he didn’t think it would majorly affect the university.

Beth Winfrey Freeburg, department of workforce education and development chair, said the Workforce Investment Act funds WorkNet and Illinois Shared Learning Environment, but she wasn’t aware of any changes the SKILLS Act would create. She said WorkNet is a program that benefits both potential employers and employees since jobs can be posted online by employers, and appropriate training for these jobs can be identified so the potential employee can prepare.

The Illinois Shared Learning Environment is run throughout the state and partners with high schools to prepare students for future employment, she said.

However, four-year universities aren’t the only institutions that could be affected. Community colleges could also see changes if the act is passed.

Steve O’Keefe, director of college relations at John A. Logan College, said the 80 students supported by the Workforce Investment Act will suffer the most. These students depend on the funding for tuition, books, living and travel expenses, he said.

Throughout the past 23 years, thousands of displaced workers such as coal miners have relied on Workforce Investment Act-funded college programs, he said. O’Keefe said the college had an “all hands on deck” mentality: Staff members were devoted to helping the displaced workers in whatever way they could.

The government will have to choose which programs to cut to keep operating, he said. It’s not program cuts the college will worry about but rather the funding, which O’Keefe said is a loss that will result in an enrollment decrease.

This act would not only affect college programs, but also area organizations that receive Workforce Investment Act funding.

Kathy Lively, CEO of the Management Training and Consulting Corporation, said the act would only mean a name change from for her organization’s funding. However, not all organizations are as safe, she said.

“All federal funding has the right to be concerned,” she said. “(The cuts) are coming regardless.”