[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 84 (Tuesday, June 17, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5874-S5875]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. JEFFORDS:
  S. 928. A bill to provide for a regional education and workforce 
training system in the metropolitan Washington area, to improve the 
school facilities of the District of Columbia, and to fund such 
activities in part by an income tax on nonresident workers in the 
District of Columbia, to be offset by tax credits; to the Committee on 
Finance.


  the metropolitan washington education and workforce training act of 
                                  1997

  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I am introducing legislation today to 
address a problem that has enormous significance for the future of this 
Nation and the prosperity of our citizens. This legislation will create 
a regional Education and Workforce Training Partnership for the 
Washington Metropolitan Area. The partnership created in the Washington 
Metropolitan region would serve as a national model and would address 
the infrastructure crisis that exists in the District of Columbia 
Public Schools. Let me take a moment to explain the importance of this 
legislation as a national model.
  We face a national economic crisis if we fail to prepare our 
workforce for the high-paying technology jobs of the future. As a 
nation, we are currently enjoying an extended period of economic 
strength, and that is terrific. But we mustn't be lulled into a false 
sense of complacency. We have all read and digested the theory of how 
the foundation of our economy is shifting from a manufacturing base to 
what is now called the global knowledge economy. In the global 
knowledge economy, the ability to use critical thinking skills with 
advanced technology and information will be at a premium. Technology 
proficiency will be required to get and keep a good job. Now, I ask 
you, are we really prepared as a nation to be a leader in the global 
knowledge economy? Will our workers be surpassed by the workforces of 
our competitors overseas?
  At present there are 190,000 unfilled high-skilled information 
technology jobs at large and mid-sized U.S. companies. These vacancies 
are almost equally divided between information technology (IT) and non-
IT companies that rely heavily on advanced technology skills to get the 
job done. This shows us, that as we approach the 21st century 
technology skills are a must.
  In the Washington Metropolitan Area alone there are at least 50,000 
jobs--with an average annual salary of $40,000--that cannot be filled 
by the local labor market. Local area students are not being prepared 
to fill these jobs. Companies have complained to me in meeting after 
meeting that they are forced to recruit from other States or from other 
countries to try and find people for these positions--and that tactic 
is entirely too cost-prohibitive.
  The Metropolitan Washington Education and Workforce Training 
Improvement Act of 1997 authorizes the establishment of a regional 
education and work force training partnership. This partnership is to 
be composed of 13 members representing business and education, together 
with a government official from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and 
Virginia. The partnership will chart a course for reforms and 
investments in education and work force training for the D.C. 
metropolitan area, making recommendations to the Secretaries of 
Education and Labor for grants to fund specific activities so that the 
skills of the regional work force will meet the needs of the regions 
employers.
  By filling the 50,000 IT jobs in the Washington metropolitan area an 
additional $3.5 billion annually would be injected into the region's 
economy. And, the partnership created by this legislation with its 
unique focus on business-education collaboration, would serve as a 
model for other regions in the Nation that are facing the same pending 
crisis in labor market shortage and economic development.
  In addition, this legislation will fulfill another long awaited 
promise that we as national leaders living and working in Washington 
must see through. I believe we have an obligation to make the Nation's 
Capital a model of what education must be as we enter the next century. 
The D.C. schools have made administrative progress recently, but the 
infrastructure problems are still appalling--requiring, according to a 
1996 GSA report, an additional $2 billion for reconstruction and repair 
of dilapidated buildings. We must not let the students of the District 
of Columbia be sentenced to learning in buildings that would be found 
in a war zone. We owe more to the students of our Nation's Capital.
  I want to be clear that this legislation would provide initial 
Federal funding to help finance the bonding required to reconstruct the 
D.C. school infrastructure. No funds would be used towards the present 
school administration as they have adequate receipts. The legislation 
would also provide funding for the D.C. school reform legislation 
passed by the Congress last session.

[[Page S5875]]

  I want to see this Metropolitan Washington Education and Workforce 
Training Act enacted to help correct our regional labor market shortage 
and to serve as a model for the Nation. Through this legislation we can 
help fill the high-paying jobs we have available in this region, known 
as the Golden Crescent of Maryland, Virginia, and the District, and in 
so doing we will make our capital's education system one that is 
effective and one we can be proud of. I urge my colleagues to join me 
in this important effort.

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