[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 143 (Monday, October 21, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S12422]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IMPORTANT WORK ON BEHALF OF WORKING PEOPLE DONE BY LABOR COMMITTEE 
                            DURING MY TENURE

 Mr. PELL. Mr. President, upon joining the U.S. Senate in 
January 1961, I became a member of the Senate Labor and Public Welfare 
Committee--now called the Labor and Human Resources Committee.
  From the beginning of my career-long tenure on the committee until 
today, I have had the distinct honor of serving with and learning from 
some giants of the Senate and have had the pleasure of working on many 
important pieces of legislation.
  When I first joined the committee on January 1961--which, according 
to the Official Congressional Directory for the 87th Congress, met on 
the second and forth Thursdays of each month--membership of the 
committee included Ralph Yarborough of Texas, the great Jennings 
Randolph of West Virginia, Barry Goldwater, Everett Dirksen and my old, 
dear friend Jacob Javits. The following year, John Tower joined the 
committee.
  In 1963, our current ranking member Ted Kennedy first came to the 
committee. Few can question the wonderful work Senator Kennedy has done 
for America from his post on the committee.
  In the years following, many outstanding members of this body joined 
the committee and shared their skills and insights with us. Along with 
those I have already referred to, I have had the pleasure of working 
with many whose names are well known to this day: Robert F. Kennedy, 
Walter Mondale, Tom Eagleton, Alan Cranston, Richard Schweicker, my 
partner for many years on Education matters Robert Stafford, Orrin 
Hatch, Howard Metzenbaum, Strom Thurmond and our current Chair, the 
most gracious Nancy Kassebaum. I do not believe our committee has ever 
been led by a more evenhanded Chair.
  I think it is a tribute to the committee and the importance of its 
jurisdiction that some of the greatest Senators of our time decided to 
sit on the committee.
  During my tenure on the Labor Committee, the committee has worked on 
many important issues in the areas of health, education, and labor 
including many directly affecting the working men and women of this 
country.
  A brief review of the achievements of the Senate Labor and Human 
Resources Committee shows that during the past 36 years, we have worked 
to create and improve laws of great import to the working people of 
this Nation.
  The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 established broad 
minimum standards for the conditions under which American workers work.
  The Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 gave the Equal 
Employment and Opportunity Commission much needed teeth to curb 
workplace discrimination.
  In 1974, unemployment compensation was extended to 12 million 
previously uncovered Americans.
  After five years of committee hearings and study, the Employee 
Retirement Income Security Act [ERISA] was enacted that guaranteed that 
pension plan participants would receive their promised benefits even if 
the pension fund was terminated.
  The Age Discrimination in Employment Act prohibited workplace 
discrimination for workers between 40 and 67 years of age.
  When I joined the committee in 1961, the Federal minimum wage was $1. 
That minimum was increased over the years and thanks to the efforts of 
many on this committee, minimum wage workers in the United States will 
be receiving a much needed raise to $5.15 over the next 2 years.
  Many job retraining programs have been established to help workers 
who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. During the 
104th Congress, the committee spent a great deal of time trying to 
unify the Federal programs into one single program better suited for 
the demands of today's workplace. Unfortunately, those efforts ended in 
failure.
  In 1988, legislation passed by this committee to require advance 
notification to workers of plant closings and large scale layoffs 
became law.
  In 1986, certain protections of the Fair Labor Standards Act were 
extended to disabled individuals.
  The above is but a thumbnail outline of the important work in the 
area of labor and employment done by the Labor Committee during the 
past 36 years. I am pleased to have been involved in such important 
work with a fine group of colleagues--both well-known and 
unsung.

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