[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 16 (Wednesday, January 29, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E108]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         INTRODUCTION OF THE BACK TO WORK INCENTIVE ACT OF 2003

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOHN BOEHNER

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 29, 2003

  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to co-sponsor the ``Back 
to Work Incentive Act of 2003,'' sponsored by Congressman Jon Porter, 
to create personal re-employment accounts to help put unemployed 
Americans back to work.
  During his State of the Union Address, President Bush laid out a 
comprehensive plan to speed our economic recovery and promote long-term 
job growth and investment. His economic stimulus plan also provides 
specific assistance--in the form of personal re-employment accounts--to 
help unemployed Americans who are struggling to return to work.
  The Back to Work Incentive Act reflects the President's plan to 
create these accounts and aid unemployed workers who need the most help 
getting back to work. By introducing this measure, we are taking an 
important step toward making his plan a reality.
  The President's proposal--which is reflected in this bill--represents 
a new and innovative approach to helping the unemployed get back on 
their feet. As President Bush has said, one worker out of work is one 
too many, and his plan will help working families in times when they 
need it the most.
  States will be able to target this flexible benefit to help the 
unemployed who are most in need of help in the form of $3,000 Back to 
Work accounts. Recipients will be able to keep the balance of the 
account as a cash reemployment bonus if they become reemployed within 
13 weeks, creating an important incentive to return to work quickly. 
The more quickly a job is obtained, the larger the reemployment bonus 
will be.
  Workers can use their Back to Work accounts for a variety of 
different services to help them find a good job, including job 
training, child care, transportation, and other expenses to help in 
finding a new job. These re-employment accounts give the unemployed the 
flexibility and resources they need.
  One of the exciting aspects of the new Back to Work accounts is that 
they empower individual recipients to make choices appropriate for 
their own circumstances. Recipients will be able to create reemployment 
plans that help them navigate all the options available--such as career 
counseling or training for a new profession in which they can become 
employed. By providing choice and flexibility, we can get people back 
into steady, good-paying jobs.
  This new benefit supplements and enhances the services that are 
already available for those who are most likely to face obstacles in 
finding and keeping new employment. Back to Work accounts will allow 
the nationwide One Stop Career Center system to offer another important 
benefit to the unemployed, in addition to the array of employment 
services these centers already provide.
  A number of states have experimented with personal re-employment 
accounts and the results have been very positive. For example, Iowa has 
used a similar approach with reemployment accounts of up to $5,000 a 
person, called the New Employment Opportunities Fund. Richard Running, 
the director of Iowa Workforce Development, recently said, ``It has 
worked a lot better than we had imagined it would.''
  This proposal is a compassionate one because it provides workers with 
the flexibility and resources they need to help them get back on the 
job quickly. I look forward to working with President Bush, 
Subcommittee Chairman McKeon, and Congressman Porter to move this 
proposal quickly and make this innovative plan a reality for working 
families who need the help the most.

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