[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 23, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 23, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. METZENBAUM (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Simon, Mr. Pell, 
        Mr. Dodd, Mr. Wofford, Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Ford, Mr. Daschle, 
        Mrs. Boxer, Ms. Moseley-Braun, and Ms. Mikulski):
  S. 1964. A bill entitled the Reemployment and Retraining Act.


                  the reemployment and retraining act

  Mr. METZENBAUM. Mr. President, today I am introducing the 
Reemployment and Retraining Act of 1994, an initiative proposed by the 
Clinton administration to revitalize assistance to dislocated workers.
  Our economy is finally emerging from a long recession. In the first 
year of the Clinton administration, almost 2 million jobs were created 
in the private sector. This is encouraging news, but for the 8.5 
million Americans still looking for work, this is little consolation. 
No matter how much the economy improves, their old jobs are gone for 
good. In 1993 we saw the highest percentage of permanent job loss ever 
recorded by the Department of Labor--75 percent of all laid-off workers 
will never return to their former jobs.
  For years unemployment has been concentrated in the manufacturing 
sector due to increased global competition and overseas plant 
relocation. But job loss is no longer the exclusive problem of these 
blue collar workers. Tens of thousands of white-collar jobs have been 
eliminated in downsizing efforts by large companies, a trend that is 
likely to continue even in an expanding economy.
  Workers in both sectors have been affected by the increasing use of 
part-time and temporary workers. Often these contingent jobs are the 
only jobs out there, even for experienced, skilled professionals--jobs 
with lower pay, fewer benefits, and no security.
  The business community claims that this is unavoidable in an era of 
global competition. But as companies trim their payrolls and plants 
close their doors in the name of competitiveness, more and more workers 
are left to face the difficult task of finding new jobs and new 
careers.
  We must do more to help workers meet the challenges of our changing 
economy. Business and labor must work together to create high wage 
jobs. We must also ensure that workers have the information and skills 
necessary to find new and better jobs.
  In the past, we have tried to assist dislocated workers with programs 
targeted at specific groups affected by trade agreements, defense 
reductions, and other government actions. In fact, I was the author of 
the dislocated worker provisions in the Omnibus Trade and 
Competitiveness Act of 1988. Unfortunately, this multi-program approach 
has left too many dislocated workers out in the cold, Dislocated worker 
programs serve approximately 600,000 workers each year, but that is 
only about one-third of the dislocated worker population. We can, and 
we must, do better.
  When workers come to the government for help, they are confronted 
with a confusing maze of forms, eligibility requirements, and lengthy 
processing periods. The assistance available to these workers is often 
inadequate. Too frequently, local program offices lack the necessary 
information to help workers make informed decisions about career and 
training choices and do not have the funds to enable workers to retrain 
for better jobs. Budget cuts in dislocated worker programs during the 
1980's have left the dislocated worker program a well-intentioned, but 
mostly unfulfilled promise.

  In addition, the success of these programs is dependent upon early 
intervention, which is possible only when workers and local communities 
receive advance notice of layoffs. But our Federal notice law has 
substantial problems in terms of coverage, compliance and enforcement. 
We must address these problems if our dislocated worker programs are to 
succeed.
  In sum, American workers deserve a better chance at a fresh start.
  That is why today I am introducing the Reemployment and Retraining 
Act of 1994, an initiative proposed by President Clinton and Secretary 
of Labor Robert Reich. The reemployment and retraining act aims to 
restructure existing dislocated worker programs into one comprehensive 
system that will serve all permanently laid-off workers. By 
consolidating these programs, access to assistance will be easier for 
workers and the department can sponsor a broader array of services.
  The bill will require State and local governments to establish a 
network of career centers that will provide a single point of access to 
job search assistance, career counseling, skills assessment and 
referral to job training. A new labor market information system will 
provide dislocated workers with up-to-date information on job openings 
and labor market trends. These services will be available to all 
permanently laid-off workers, without any consideration as to why they 
lost their jobs.
  Workers who need retraining will receive $4,750 per year for training 
expenses and will be able to select a training program based on 
consumer performance information, such as placement rates and graduate 
earnings. For workers who have 1 to 3 years tenure with their previous 
employer, income support for up to 1 year will be available while they 
are enrolled in a training program.
  In addition, the Reemployment and Retraining Act encourages States to 
go one step further by establishing one-stop centers that would expand 
these services to assist not only dislocated workers, but all job 
seekers.
  The Reemployment and Retraining Act will increase funding for 
dislocated workers' assistance by $1 billion a year. This is a bottom 
line investment that will help revitalize programs that have long been 
underfunded. Our workforce is this country's greatest resource and we 
should spend whatever amount is necessary to provide workers with 
needed jobs and job skills.
  The Reemployment and Retraining Act is a good and important first 
step toward putting Americans back to work, preferably in high skill, 
high wage jobs. I intend to hold a series of hearings, with the full 
participation of the job training community, to evaluate what has 
worked and what has not worked in the past 6 years of program 
experience. I look forward to working with my colleagues and with the 
administration to develop this legislation into a strong and successful 
reform of our job training programs.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, it is an honor to join Senator Metzenbaum 
in introducing the Reemployment and Retraining Act of 1994. This 
legislation, which was developed by the Clinton administration after 
extensive consultation with key leaders around the country, addresses 
an issue of critical importance to our economic future: The need for an 
effective system to ensure that workers who are bearing the brunt of 
the rapid structural changes in the economy get the services they need 
to enable them to secure new jobs at decent wages.
  We have all heard the encouraging news about the increasing pace of 
economic recovery. Unemployment is down, production and productivity 
are up, and nearly 2 million new jobs have been created in just the 
last 13 months. The administration's economic program and deficit 
reduction strategy are clearly producing results.
  But these positive signs of recovery exist side by side with other 
compelling data that tell us that for working Americans, the landscape 
is still bleak. Wages are stagnant--and in some sectors still falling. 
Large companies continue to downsize, shedding workers at a record 
pace. Long-term unemployment--the percent of unemployed 
workers who have been out of work for more than 6 months--remains at a 
postwar high. And more than three out of every four workers who lost 
their jobs last year were permanently--not temporarily--laid off.
  Even those who were fortunate enough to keep their jobs and standard 
of living through the last recession remain deeply concerned about 
their economic future. According to recent polls, large percentages of 
employed Americans have very real fears that they too will lose their 
jobs or be forced to take pay cuts in the foreseeable future.
  As Labor Secretary Reich testified last week at a hearing by the 
Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee, we cannot, and must not, 
accept a status quo in which large numbers of working Americans are 
left behind as the economy moves ahead. That is why it is so important 
to use our best efforts to ensure that working Americans have the 
skills, the services, and the information they need to participate in 
the benefits of economic recovery.
  The evidence is strong that skill is one of the most significant 
factors in determining who is benefiting and who is being hurt by the 
changes in the economy. The earnings gap between those with a college 
education or other technical training and those without it is steadily 
increasing. Jobs for relatively unskilled or semiskilled workers that 
pay good wages and provide decent benefits are disappearing. Workers 
who once held those jobs and have lost them often find themselves with 
no other choice than to accept low-paying, unskilled work at a fraction 
of their former wages.
  The legislation which we are introducing today is designed to address 
that challenge by replacing our current fragmented system of Federal 
assistance programs for dislocated workers with a single, comprehensive 
system that moves quickly to identify unemployed workers who are not 
going to get their old jobs back, and provide them with a range of 
services to prepare for new jobs that pay decent wages.

  In place of the six separate existing programs for dislocated 
workers--two for workers affected by trade agreements, two for workers 
affected by defense cutbacks, one for workers affected by the Clear Air 
Act, and a separate program for every one else--this legislation 
creates a single program that will serve all workers who are 
dislocated, regardless of the reason for their dislocation. That step 
alone should save millions of dollars that are currently wasted each 
year in duplicative administrative expenses and costly efforts to 
determine whether a particular worker meets a particular program's 
eligibility requirements.
  Instead of requiring dislocated workers to travel from one office to 
another to get information and receive the various services available 
to them, the bill creates single-site career centers at which workers 
can obtain a full range of services, including assistance in filing for 
unemployment benefits, information about job openings and training 
programs, and individualized counseling to assist them in developing 
plans to get back to work.
  Instead of a system in which workers are too often steered into 
training programs that fail to fit their needs, the bill is designed to 
allow workers to make their own choices from among programs offered by 
a wide range of providers. These choices will be based on accurate and 
up-to-date information on how well those programs are performing in 
providing participants with marketable skills relevant to actual job 
opportunities.
  For most dislocated workers using the new system, services will focus 
on providing accurate labor market information and job search 
assistance. Such services have proved effective for workers who have 
marketable skills but have difficulty in identifying and contacting 
potential employers with job openings for which the workers would be 
qualified.
  For the 30 percent of dislocated workers who lack skills to find work 
or whose skills are obsolete or no longer relevant to existing job 
opportunities, the program will provide more intensive services, 
including individual counseling to develop a re-employment plan and 
assistance in identifying and enrolling in job training programs. 
Participants enrolled in qualified education and training programs will 
be eligible to receive up to $4,760 per year in tuition assistance.
  Participants will receive training and education services from a wide 
variety of public and private providers, including community colleges. 
However, those providers will be required to furnish objective 
information on their graduation and placement rates and other 
performance factors, so that participants can make informed choices 
about whether to enroll in particular programs, and to ensure that 
Federal dollars are not used to subsidize fly-by-night or other 
ineffective programs.
  The administration's proposal which we are introducing today is the 
product of extensive consultations that have been ongoing since early 
last year. Hundreds of interested groups have participated in the 
consultation process, and the administration's proposal takes account 
of many of the comments received. This consultation process has 
produced broad support for the administration's approach from business 
and labor groups, state and local government officials, and the 
provider community.
  Because the proposal is complex, we anticipate a full airing of the 
proposal in the Labor and Human Resources Committee. Last week's 
hearing, at which Secretary Reich testified, was the first of a series 
of hearings we will be holding on the bill. We look forward to the 
active participation of all interested parties as the bill moves 
forward through the committee. Other aspects of the administration's 
proposal will be considered by the Senate Finance Committee, including 
the important reforms of income support for the unemployed. I look 
forward to working with the members of that committee and with other 
Senators to achieve the comprehensive reform that is needed.
                                 ______

      By Mr. McCAIN:
  S.J. Res. 175. A joint resolution to designate the week beginning 
June 13, 1994, as ``National Parkinson Disease Awareness Week''; to the 
Committee on the Judiciary.


               NATIONAL PARKINSON DISEASE AWARENESS WEEK

 Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, today it is my pleasure to 
introduce legislation which designates the week beginning June 13, 
1994, as ``National Parkinson Disease Awareness Week.'' I am proud to 
be sponsoring this important resolution which is dedicated to 
developing a better understanding of Parkinson's disease by promoting 
and sponsoring discussions, mutual sharing and support groups for 
patients as well as their families throughout our Nation.
  Also included in this important week will be educational forums and 
medical symposiums which will help stimulate further medical research 
into this disease. Since there is no cure for this disease, we must 
improve biomedical research to determine the causes of this disease, 
effective treatment methodologies, and one day a cure.
  Parkinson's disease is a disorder of the nervous system which affects 
more than 1,500,000 people throughout our Nation. I am personally aware 
of the effects of Parkinson's disease, as I have watched my very good 
friend and one of this country's most respected elected officials, 
Congressman Mo Udall, valiantly battle the effects of this disease.
  Mr. President, I think we can all agree that this measure is in the 
best interest of this Nation and will play a vital role in the fight 
against Parkinson's disease. I hope that my colleagues will join me in 
working together to pass this joint resolution and ensure that National 
Parkinson Disease Awareness Week is a success in promoting public 
awareness and the fight against this disease.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the joint resolution and 
a letter from the American Parkinson Disease Awareness Association be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                             S.J. Res. 175

       Whereas Parkinson's Disease is a chronic neurologic, 
     crippling disorder of the nervous system; and
       Whereas Parkinson's Disease affects more than 1,500,000 
     people of all ages in the United States and millions more 
     around the world; and
       Whereas no cure is available at this time, but extensive 
     research in laboratories throughout the world has led to 
     improved treatment in alleviating symptoms while searching 
     for a cure; and
       Whereas Parkinson support groups, chapters, and information 
     and referral centers across America are dedicated to 
     developing understanding of this disease and community 
     awareness of Parkinson's Disease by promoting discussions, 
     mutual sharing, and support among patients and family members 
     and by sponsoring educational and medical symposiums that 
     help stimulate research: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
     United States of America in Congress assembled, That the week 
     beginning June 13, is hereby designated as ``National 
     Parkinson's Disease Awareness Week.'' The President is 
     authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling upon 
     the people of the United States to observe that week with 
     appropriate ceremonies and activities.
                                  ____

                                    The American Parkinson Disease


                                            Association, Inc.,

                                   Washington, DC, March 23, 1994.
     Hon. John McCain,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator McCain: The American Parkinson Disease 
     Association and the more than 1 million people who suffer 
     from Parkinson's Disease thank you for sponsoring legislation 
     that would establish the week of June 13, 1994 as National 
     Parkinson Disease Awareness Week.
       As you know, Parkinson's Disease is a long term 
     debilitating neurological disorder which unfortunately, has 
     no cure. Several national organizations are dedicated to 
     developing a greater understanding of Parkinson's Disease by 
     funding research, sponsoring educational programs and medical 
     symposiums, and raising public awareness. Until there is a 
     cure for Parkinson's Disease, our work will continue.
       Establishing National Parkinson Disease Awareness Week will 
     help focus national attention on the important need for 
     Parkinson's Disease research and greater public awareness 
     while we all work toward the ultimate goal--a cure for 
     Parkinson's Disease.
       Thank You.
           Sincerely,

     Paul C. Smedberg.

                          ____________________