[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 190 (Tuesday, December 15, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H14882]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    THE BEST SOCIAL PROGRAM IS A JOB

  (Mr. COURTNEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, the best social program is a job. It 
provides individuals and families with the means to support themselves. 
It also provides dignity and confidence to know that they actually have 
a viable future. That's why in eastern Connecticut we were very pleased 
a couple of weeks ago that the stimulus bill released money for the 
incumbent worker training program, a program which will provide 800 new 
jobs with funds directly sent to small- and medium-sized businesses, 
which is part of, again, the tried and true program that the stimulus 
bill expanded.
  The president of Willimantic Savings Institute, Rheo A. Brouillard, 
who's going to have 200 new workers as a result of this program, said, 
The grants have assisted us in hiring of entry-level employees and 
enabled us to provide them with new skills needed to more readily 
advance their banking careers. The Norwich Bulletin, the largest 
newspaper in New London County, indicated that this is an excellent 
program, and this is what the stimulus package was intended to do.
  Putting people to work is the best way to build a strong and vibrant 
economy. We need to build on the stimulus bill with these types of 
programs: first-time homebuyer tax credit, Cash For Clunkers, incumbent 
worker training programs. Steadily but surely we are turning this 
economy around, and we need a new jobs package to build on that 
success.

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