[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 59 (Friday, May 13, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 13, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
 INTRODUCTION OF THE CONSOLIDATED AND REFORMED EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT, 
                   AND RETRAINING SYSTEMS CAREERS ACT

                                 ______


                        HON. WILLIAM F. GOODLING

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 12, 1994

  Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, at a time when the skills levels of the 
American workforce are more important than ever before to U.S. 
competitiveness, this country's programs designed to prepare its 
workers are seriously fragmented and duplicative. Because education and 
training programs have been developed independently over many years, 
there is no national strategy for a coherent workforce preparation and 
development system. As everyone knows by now, the U.S. General 
Accounting Office [GAO] recently identified 154 different Federal 
programs, totaling $24 billion administered by 14 different agencies, 
which offer some form of job training and/or employment assistance to 
high school and out-of-school youth, and to adults in the United 
States. A major focus of any reform effort undertaken by the Congress 
in this area must be to eliminate unnecessary duplication and 
fragmentation in these systems, and at the same time, provide States 
and localities with the flexibility needed to build on successful 
existing programs and initiate change where appropriate.
  Today a number of my colleagues and I are introducing the 
Consolidated and Reformed Education, Employment, and Retraining Systems 
[CAREERS] Act, a multi-tiered job training reform effort. This 
legislation achieves reform in four ways: It streamlines workforce 
preparation programs at the Federal level through consolidation of 
similar programs; provides flexibility needed by States and local areas 
to further reform State and local systems--building on existing 
successful programs, and encouraging change where such change is 
needed; requires the National Commission for Employment Policy to study 
and make recommendations for further reforms and consolidation, where 
appropriate, in U.S. workforce preparation programs within 1 year of 
the date of enactment; and through elimination of programs that have 
been found to be ineffective, or having outlived their usefulness or 
original intent, potentially achieves savings of $1.4 billion per 
year--or $7 billion over 5 years.
  The CAREERS Act builds very closely on legislation that Rep. 
Gunderson and I, along with other Education and Labor Committee 
Republicans introduced last year, H.R. 2943, the ``National Workforce 
Preparation and Development Act.'' However, the legislation we are 
introducing today contains a significant addition--a new title devoted 
solely to the consolidation of Federal job training programs.
  Specifically, the CAREERS Act consolidates 86 Federal education and 
training programs, as listed by the GAO, into 7 blocked systems to 
States--while preserving basic services to individuals currently 
served. Consolidated programs under this proposal include the following 
block grant systems: an Adult Education and Literacy Block Grant; a 
Vocational Education Block Grant; a Vocational Rehabilitation Block 
Grant; an Adult Employment and Training System which includes blocked 
programs for Disadvantaged Adults, Dislocated Workers, Veterans, and 
the JOBS program, with encouragement to States and local providers to 
combine funds, planning and reporting activities, and to establish 
service delivery at the local level through one-stop centers; a Youth 
Employment and Training Block Grant program; a migrant and seasonal 
farmworkers employment and training block grant program; and a Native 
American Employment and Training Block Grant program.
  While we significantly alter the way Federal programs are driven to 
States and local areas--we were very careful to create consolidated 
block grants that continue to target populations in need of education, 
training and employment services. In fact, while we repeal numerous 
provisions of law that make up the current maze of Federal training 
programs, in nearly all cases, we anticipate that States will continue 
to provide these services to eligible individuals. For example, while 
providing States and localities with additional flexibility in 
determining priorities through the elimination of specific set asides, 
we require States or local areas to continue providing services for 
displaced homemakers, veterans, and older workers, to name a few. By 
consolidating 86 various programs of education, training and employment 
services, we reduce confusion for individuals on what programs and 
services are available to them--and reduce administrative costs and 
burdens thus allowing more money to be spent on actual service 
delivery.
  The CAREERS Act does not stop with Federal consolidation however. 
Through encouraging States and local areas to develop workforce 
preparation systems built on the concept of ``one-stop-shopping'', we 
create a system that is much more ``user friendly.'' States and local 
areas wishing to participate in reform efforts under this legislation 
would be provided waiver authority, simplified reporting and planning 
requirements, and funding for the establishment of one-stop delivery 
systems based on strategic development of State and local workforce 
preparation strategies which at a minimum incorporate programs under 
Vocational Education; Adult Education; the Job Training Partnership 
Act; the JOBS Program under Welfare; and the Employment Service.
  Local areas electing to participate in this reform effort would form 
local Workforce Development Boards, similar to Private Industry 
Councils under JTPA, that would be responsible for development of a 
comprehensive and integrated local workforce preparation system--built 
upon service delivery through the one-stop centers. We continue to 
provide an integral role for local employers in the development of 
these systems by requiring that a majority of the members of local 
boards be representatives of business and industry. We also require 
that the board chair come from business. Under the proposal, one-stop 
job centers would be established in each participating community that 
would serve as single points of entry into the local workforce system, 
where anyone in the community could go to receive assessment, 
counseling, job information, and referral to appropriate education or 
training programs in the community. Targeted populations would continue 
to be eligible for more intensive services.
  As a result of this legislation, over $7 billion would potentially be 
redirected toward deficit reduction over 5 years; paperwork required of 
States and localities would be dramatically reduced; and administrative 
savings would be achieved, resulting in higher quality and more 
efficient services provided to an increased number of individuals.
  We feel that this legislation represents a comprehensive and 
realistic approach to reform of our nation's programs designed to 
prepare American workers. It goes much further than the 
Administration's Reemployment Act legislation in the area of 
consolidation, which: Limits Federal program consolidation to only 6 
programs, 8 programs as listed by the GAO, serving dislocated workers; 
and limits its one-stop--or bottom-up reform effort to only programs 
under the jurisdiction of the Department of Labor.
  The CAREERS Act is real reform of this Nation's vast array of job 
training programs.

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