[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 46 (Thursday, April 17, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E700-E701]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF THE EMPLOYMENT, TRAINING, AND LITERACY ENHANCEMENT ACT 
                                OF 1997

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. HOWARD P. ``BUCK'' McKEON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 17, 1997

  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, today I am joining the distinguished 
chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, Mr. Goodling, 
and the ranking Democrat on the Postsecondary Education, Training, and 
Life-Long Learning Subcommittee, Mr. Kildee, to introduce important, 
bipartisan legislation to reform this Nation's fragmented and 
duplicative array of employment, training, and literacy programs. The 
Employment, Training, and Literacy Enhancement Act will consolidate 
over 70 Federal programs through the establishment of three block 
grants to States and localities for the provision of employment, 
training, and literacy services, and through amendments to the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
  The bill would accomplish key reforms in this country's job training 
system by building on the three principles of individual choice; 
quality training for the 21st century; and the transfer of resources 
and authority for employment, training, and literacy programs to States 
and local communities. By amending, consolidating, and improving 
existing programs established under the Job Training Partnership Act 
[JTPA], the Adult Education Act, the Wagner Peyser Act, and other 
statutes, we hope to build on the many positive reforms that are 
already underway in States and local communities, while encouraging 
further reform and breaking down barriers to State and local program 
integration.
  The three block grants that are established under division A of the 
bill would comprise each State's employment, training, and literacy 
system--an adult employment and training opportunities grant; a 
disadvantaged youth employment and training opportunities grant; and an 
adult education and family literacy grant. While the legislation 
separately amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, vocational 
rehabilitation programs are not block granted with job training.
  Specifically, title I would drastically reform the current JTPA State 
and local delivery structure, as well as its fiscal and performance 
accountability provisions. The bill provides maximum authority to 
States and localities in the design and operation of their individual 
employment, training, and literacy systems.

[[Page E701]]

We reduce administrative requirements, paperwork, duplicative planning, 
reporting, and data collection requirements and eliminate bureaucracy 
throughout the system. At the State level, Governors would pull 
together representatives of the State legislature, key State agency 
heads, and leaders from business, local communities, and others to 
develop a single State plan and performance measurement system for the 
three block grants and for programs authorized under the Wagner-Peyser 
Act. Governors are also asked to designate work force development areas 
throughout the State, for the distribution of funds and service 
delivery under much of the system.

  To ensure the involvement of employers in the design and 
implementation of local systems, the bill requires the establishment of 
local, employer-led, work force development boards. These boards would 
provide policy guidance and oversight over local systems, and would be 
responsible for the establishment of local full-service employment and 
training delivery systems--easily accessible single points of entry 
into the employment and training system. Local elected officials would 
continue to play an important role in the development and 
implementation of the local system.
  Title II of the bill amends JTPA by merging its existing nonschool-
based summer employment and year-round programs--resulting in the 
disadvantaged youth employment and training opportunities block grant. 
The main focus of reform under this block grant is to increase the 
focus of these programs on longer term academic and occupational 
training, rather than short-term employment fixes--requiring that all 
employment experiences under these programs be tied to academic and 
occupational learning opportunities. Under the bill, communities may 
continue to carry out programs such as summer youth employment, if 
linked to additional learning opportunities. The block grant is 
designed to result in improved academic and occupational opportunities 
for disadvantaged youth in the community, as well as completion of high 
school, or its equivalent, and other positive results such as placement 
and retention in employment, or continuation into postsecondary 
education or training. States and localities would also be required to 
show how the hardest to serve disadvantaged youth are served within 
their programs.
  Title III of the bill would amend the current adult employment and 
training programs authorized under JTPA by establishing a single 
delivery system for all adults, that maximizes individual choice in the 
selection of occupations and training providers. The bill encourages an 
employment first approach to job training--providing training services 
to individuals who are unable to obtain initial employment, or 
employment that will lead to self-sufficiency, through core services 
and intensive job search assistance. With limited exceptions, training 
services for adults would be provided through the use of vouchers--
referred to as skill grants in the bill--distributed through an easily 
accessible full-service employment and training delivery system. While 
a single employment and training system would be established through 
this block grant, funding for dislocated workers would remain 
protected. States would continue to be required to use State reserve 
funds to provide rapid response assistance--for dislocated workers--and 
additional assistance to areas that experience substantial worker 
dislocation. The bulk of funding under the adult training system would 
be sent to local work force development areas for the establishment of 
full-service employment and training delivery systems; provision of 
core or up-front services through the full service system; provision of 
intensive services; and the provision of training services. Not only 
will this legislation result in improved services to dislocated 
workers, but it will also result in enhanced services provided to 
welfare recipients who must make the transition from welfare to work.
  Title V of the bill amends the current Adult Education Act and the 
National Literacy Act, consolidating numerous categorical programs into 
a block grant to the States. While this title is maintained as a 
separate act, adult education and literacy programs share planning and 
performance provisions with the job training system, pulling adult 
education and family literacy programs into the broader system. This is 
particularly important because a large number of under-and unemployed 
individuals will need to improve their literacy skills before they can 
participate in job training programs. The legislation requires States 
to send 85 percent of available funds to a variety of local service 
providers to be used for adult education programs, English as a second 
language programs and family literacy programs. All set asides and caps 
have been removed, allowing States to use the funds to meet the unique 
literacy needs of their citizens. The bill contains continued 
authorization for the National Institute for Literacy and for national 
activities conducted by the Department of Education.
  In the area of vocational rehabilitation, the bill amends the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 by extending its authorization through 2000. 
It also makes some minor substantive changes to the law that promote 
consumer choice and promote State agency accountability. The amendments 
would create a limited written plan at the option of the person with a 
disability. This alternative to the statutorily required individualized 
written rehabilitation plan, would allow individuals with disabilities 
who know what they are seeking from the vocational rehabilitation 
system to obtain it without wasting unnecessary paperwork and time. 
Other changes include a shift of current State plan requirements to 
standard and indicators, allowing agencies to focus on definable 
indicators instead of malleable process monitoring; and a deletion of a 
number of out-of-date and unnecessary State plan obligations. Finally, 
the amendments also repeal 25 programs authorized by the act for which 
Congress has never appropriated funds.
  The skills of this Nation's work force are more important today than 
ever before--both to American workers and to U.S. competitiveness. 
However our current patchwork of Federal programs is not the answer. 
The Employment, Training and Literacy Enhancement Act is a first, 
important step in addressing our long-term work force preparation needs 
by helping States and local communities to make sense out of our 
current confusing array of training programs. I thank our distinguished 
chairman for his insight and leadership on this vital issue, and I 
thank the ranking Democrat Member of our Subcommittee, Mr. Kildee, for 
his valuable input in development of this legislation. I invite all of 
my colleagues to join with us in this dramatic effort to overhaul our 
current employment, training, and literacy programs.

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