[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 63 (Thursday, May 19, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 19, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
    STATEMENT BY MAJOR R. OWENS INTRODUCING THE WORKFORCE DIVERSITY 
                        PARTNERSHIP ACT OF 1994

                                 ______


                          HON. MAJOR R. OWENS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 19, 1994

  Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, today, I am introducing the Workforce 
Diversity Partnership Act of 1994, which addresses the multitude of 
issues concerning a more diverse labor force by providing grants to 
organizations to develop educational tools for public and private 
sector education and training. This legislation would establish within 
the Department of Labor a grant program to, first, study and address 
issues relating to cultural diversity in the work force and its impact 
on economic competitiveness, employment opportunities, advancement, and 
retention; and, second, encourage partnerships between public and 
private sector entities to address these issues. This legislation seeks 
to respond and to provide new resources to deal with this timely issue 
of diversity, before labor-management relations become overwhelmed with 
mistrust and nonproductivity.
  In an effort to encourage various partnerships and to develop 
positive conditions which take advantage of the diversity within the 
American work force, this proposed bill acts as a catalyst to foster 
the informational resources necessary to insure a workable environment 
for all individuals. This is especially so for people of color, 
caucasian women, and immigrants, who will comprise over 85 percent of 
the net growth in our Nation's labor force during the 1990's.
  It is imperative that employees, managers, administrators, and 
Government officials be prepared to understand and value diversity, 
which in turn will improve entrepreneurial opportunity for economic 
success at a time of growing economic dissatisfaction and intense 
global competition.
  I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation. 
Its enactment will contribute to the development of necessary tools 
American business needs for economic survival in an intensely 
competitive and diverse business world.

                                H.R.----

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Workforce Diversity 
     Partnership Act of 1994''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

       (a) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
       (1) the workplace in the United States is becoming the most 
     diverse workplace in the world at a time of growing economic 
     dissatisfaction and intense global competition;
       (2) people of color, caucasian women, and immigrants will 
     account for 85 percent of the net growth in our Nation's 
     labor force during the 1990's;
       (3) the expectations, characteristics, demands, beliefs, 
     work values, motivating factors, and educational backgrounds 
     of individuals in the workforce are becoming increasingly 
     diverse;
       (4) employees, managers, administrators, and government 
     officials are inadequately prepared to deal effectively with 
     increased diversity in the workforce;
       (5) increased domestic and international competition 
     requires that business, industry, and government leaders 
     effectively motivate and manage this diverse workforce;
       (6) as more parents join the workforce, it has become 
     increasingly difficult for employees to balance the demands 
     of the workplace with the needs of families; and
       (7) by understanding and valuing diversity which respects 
     differences, employers emphasize creativity, self initiative, 
     leadership, innovation, and team-work, and thereby improve 
     the working conditions of all individuals in the United 
     States and the chances for economic success.
       (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to establish a 
     grant program within the Department of Labor to--
       (1) study and address issues relating to workforce and 
     cultural diversity and their impact on economic 
     competitiveness, employment opportunities, advancement and 
     retention; and
       (2) develop collaborative public and private sector 
     education and training materials that address the issues of 
     workforce and cultural diversity.

     SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF WORKFORCE DIVERSITY GRANT PROGRAM.

       (a) Authorization.--The Secretary of Labor (hereafter in 
     this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') is authorized to 
     provide grants to eligible entities described in subsection 
     (b) for the purposes of--
       (1) targeting and developing issues relating to workforce 
     and cultural diversity;
       (2) developing public and private sector education and 
     training materials that focus on the issues of workforce and 
     cultural diversity;
       (3) fostering research, scholarship, innovative curriculum 
     development, development of teaching materials, and other 
     practicable supportive academic activities relating to 
     workforces and cultural diversity;
       (4) assisting in the dissemination and transfer of such 
     materials for use in private sector training efforts; and
       (5) developing and establishing cooperative higher 
     education-business training programs to assist public and 
     private industry leaders and workers in addressing the issues 
     of workforce and cultural diversity.
       (b) Eligible Entities.--
       (1) In general.--An institution of higher education in 
     partnership with 1 or more of the organizations described in 
     paragraph (2) shall be eligible to receive a grant under 
     subsection (a).
       (2) Organizations.--An organization described in this 
     paragraph is--
       (A) a corporation, business, or partnership, whether, for 
     profit or nonprofit;
       (B) a labor organization; or
       (C) an organization that has a demonstrated interest or 
     expertise in workforce diversity issues.
       (3) Institution of higher education defined.--For purposes 
     of this subsection, the term ``institution of higher 
     education'' has the meaning given such term by section 
     1201(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     1141(a)).
       (c) Period of Grant.--The provision of payments under a 
     grant under subsection (a) shall not exceed 3 fiscal years 
     and shall be subject to the annual approval of the Secretary 
     and subject to the availability of appropriations for the 
     fiscal year involved to make the payments.

     SEC. 4. APPLICATION.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary may not provide a grant 
     under section 3 to an eligible entity unless the entity 
     submits to the Secretary an application in such form and 
     containing such information as the Secretary may reasonably 
     require.
       (b) Faculty Participation.--The Secretary shall encourage 
     eligible entities desiring to receive a grant under section 3 
     to submit applications that are written by teams of faculty 
     from multiple disciplines, student and academic affairs 
     professionals, or student organizations concerned with 
     multicultural education, or any combination thereof.

     SEC. 5. USE OF AMOUNTS.

       The Secretary may not provide a grant under section 3 to an 
     eligible entity unless the entity agrees that it will use all 
     amounts received from such grant to establish and carry out a 
     program in accordance with 1 or more of the following 
     guidelines:
       (1) The development of instructional material concerning 
     efforts designed to address cultural and workforce diversity 
     issues within the workplace setting.
       (2) The development of public and private sector education 
     and training materials that will address the issues of 
     workforce and cultural diversity.
       (3) The development of new approaches to workforce 
     diversity issues and scholarship efforts to be integrated 
     within the curriculum of business schools, ethnic and women's 
     studies, engineering schools, social science disciplines, 
     humanities and the arts and sciences. In using grant funds 
     under this paragraph, a grantee may employ approaches to be 
     carried out in conjunction with the corporate education and 
     training programs.
       (4) The conduct of research concerning multicultural 
     workplace interactions and team management and business in 
     multicultural and multi-lingual marketplace settings.
       (5) The implementation of faculty development programs that 
     focus on research, appropriate learning environments, and 
     pedagogical approaches to teaching multicultural management 
     and work diversity issues.
       (6) The development and dissemination of information 
     concerning models for summer precollege business internship 
     programs that aid in integrating the workplace and in giving 
     students a better understanding of the private sector and of 
     workforce diversity issues.
       (7) The conduct of forums, workshops, and conferences in 
     which representatives from academic, corporate, government, 
     or other institutions with a demonstrated interest or 
     expertise in workforce diversity will focus on issues, 
     attitudes, and strategies that sensitize managers, employees, 
     faculty, corporate, government, and other leaders and workers 
     to workplace diversity issues.
       (8) Any other activities that the Secretary determines to 
     be appropriate to meet the purposes of this Act.

     SEC. 6. SELECTION.

       (a) Criteria for Selection.--In determining whether to 
     provide a grant under section 3, the Secretary shall take 
     into account--
       (1) the extent to which the eligible entity demonstrates 
     the potential to achieve 1 or more of the guidelines 
     described in section 5;
       (2) the level of participation and financial commitment of 
     the eligible entity;
       (3) the likelihood that the program to be established under 
     section 5 by the eligible entity will foster the creation of 
     increased workforce and cultural diversity awareness programs 
     in other institutional environments;
       (4) the likelihood that the program will result in the 
     development and dissemination of national or regional best 
     practices;
       (5) the extent to which the program will impact on the 
     international competitiveness of the United States economy; 
     and
       (6) such other criteria as the Secretary may prescribe.

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