[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 69 (Friday, May 9, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E926]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         WORKFORCE REINVESTMENT AND ADULT EDUCATION ACT OF 2003

                               speech of

                        HON. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 8, 2003

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1261) to 
     enhance the workforce investment system of the Nation by 
     strengthening one-stop career centers; providing for more 
     effective governance arrangements, promoting access to a more 
     comprehensive array of employment, training, and related 
     services, establishing a targeted approach to serving youth, 
     and improving performance accountability, and for other 
     purposes:

  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to urge all of my colleagues 
to vote against H.R. 1261, the Workforce Investment and Adult Education 
Act (WIA). WIA authorizes and funds employment, training, literacy, and 
vocational rehabilitation programs for adults and dislocated workers, 
as well as activities for disadvantaged and low-income youth.
  I have numerous concerns with the legislation before this House. 
However, I want to briefly discuss just two of the reasons that make 
this bill flawed.
  H.R. 1261 would jeopardize the quality of training provided to 
workers. This bill fails to help the thousands of Americans who are 
looking for work or in need of additional job training. H.R. 1261 takes 
away dedicated funding for vulnerable workers by consolidating funding 
for Employment Services and service to adults and dislocated workers 
into block grants. Mr. Speaker, given that unemployment numbers for the 
month of April rose to 6 percent, a four-month high, it does not make 
sense that this vital program would lose funding.
  But most troubling is the fact that H.R. 1261 would permit faith-
based organizations that receive WIA funds to hire or fire employees 
based on religion. This reverses the federal government's stance of 
fighting against federally-funded discrimination by exempting religious 
organizations from anti-discrimination requirements. It also reverses 
the policy that until now has been supported on a bipartisan basis--
because it is the only right and sensible policy. It is the only true 
American policy.
  I ask my colleagues to reject this bill. Provisions in H.R. 1261 
would undermine programs designed to aid dislocated workers and public 
policy aimed at protecting workers from discrimination. American 
workers need and deserve better.

                          ____________________