State Representative Joey Andrews has introduced legislation intended to help workers whose jobs were affected or eliminated by AI get training for their next roles.
Andrews tells us House Bill 6417 would expand the state’s Community and Worker Economic Transition Act by defining who qualifies as a transition worker and what assistance can be provided. He says the bill is about preparing amid uncertainty about what AI will do to the workforce.
“This technology is advancing really fast, and no one’s going to be able to predict the future,” Andrews said. “Depending on what you read, some people think that there probably won’t be much job loss, there’ll be more job creation than loss. Some people think some industries will take hits while others will grow. It’s just hard to know.”
The bill from Andrews specifies that workers who lost their jobs because of AI can be helped by the state’s Community and Worker Economic Transition Office, created in 2023. Those workers would then be eligible for education, training, career counseling, skills matching, reemployment services, and financial planning assistance.
Andrews tells us the legislation is intended to help the state be prepared for whatever’s coming, rather than having to react after jobs are already gone.
“We’re trying to get ahead of this a little bit just in case there is a serious disruption in the job market from it.”
Andrews does not expect the Republican House leadership to allow a hearing on the legislation anytime soon. But he tells us he introduced it last week so it can get lawmakers thinking about the issue ahead of potential work next year.
