Buckeye Reporter

Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) introduced the Halting International Relocation of Employment Act, also known as the HIRE Act, in an effort to address the issue of outsourcing American jobs. The legislation was brought forward for passage by unanimous consent but was blocked by Senate Democrats.

The proposed bill aims to discourage U.S. companies from employing foreign labor instead of American workers by imposing a tax on businesses that outsource jobs overseas. Revenue generated from this tax would be allocated to workforce development programs intended to benefit middle-class Americans.

Moreno explained his position, stating: “But corporations, unfortunately, chase slave wages in other parts of the world where they can pay people $5 a day. And our calls, our American consumers that need help, need assistance, are calling these foreign countries. They have a language barrier, a culture barrier, and more importantly, that money is leaving our country to go into those communities versus having that money to stay here in America,” said Senator Moreno. “So, what my bill does, it’s very simple, if you outsource American jobs to a foreign country, you will pay a 25 percent fee for the value of that contract. And here’s the best part, we take that 25 percent fee that we collect, and we use it to fund trade schools to upskill workers to be able to step up into a better, higher paying job.”

The HIRE Act proposes using collected fees from outsourcing contracts specifically for funding trade schools and training initiatives aimed at improving skills among American workers.