March 4, 2022 3:20 a.m. 

On Thursday, the Oregon House passed Senate Bill 1545, known as “Future Ready Oregon”.

A release from Governor Kate Brown said it is now headed to her desk for her signature.

Brown said it was one her top initiatives in this session. Brown said Future Ready Oregon is a comprehensive $200 million package of investments to give people the education, training, and resources they need to get into good-paying careers.

Brown said”, I want to thank the Legislature for passing Future Ready Oregon. And a special thank you to the Racial Justice Council, as well as our business community, and the working Oregonians who shared their stories during the legislative process. Now, its time to roll up our sleeves and get to work to build a skilled and diverse workforce”.

The release said that crafted with input from the Governor’s Racial Justice Council, the package will particularly focus on opportunities for historically underserved communities. That includes adult learners, dislocated workers, people of color, women, people with low incomes, rural communities, and disconnected youth.

The release said SB1545 makes strategic and targeted investments in 3 broad categories:

*Increased investments to existing programs with proven track records of success

*Establishing new competitive Workforce Readiness Grants for new and innovative education and training opportunities and

*Providing direct financial benefits to individuals to remove barriers to accessing opportunities.