[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18336]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                      RELIEF FOR DISPLACED WORKERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simmons). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin) is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge quick action to address a 
crisis in our country. The number of workers displaced from the 
airlines and related industries since the devastating terrorist attacks 
of September 11 have been steadily growing and now stretches beyond 
100,000.
  Our air infrastructure is, in many ways, the backbone of our economy; 
and its strength is essential to the economic health of the United 
States. The September 11 tragedy and subsequent shutdown of the airways 
had a severe financial impact on carriers and led to massive layoffs. 
In response, this House passed, with my support, a $15 billion package 
of cash assistance and loan guarantees to help the airlines weather 
this recent storm.
  It continues to be my strong hope that by promoting the continued 
viability of air travel this aid will also help other businesses 
relying upon the airline industry, businesses like aircraft 
manufacturers, travel agents, rental car agencies, hotels and 
restaurants, all of which have been affected by the recent shutdown in 
air travel.
  Unfortunately, the airline assistance package is unlikely to help the 
thousands of workers who have lost their jobs in recent weeks, and we 
must not turn our backs on them in this critical time. If we truly hope 
to boost our Nation's economy, we must ensure that these men and women 
receive unemployment benefits, health care, and the training needed to 
minimize the transition time between jobs.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be an original co-sponsor of legislation 
which will give these workers a helping hand at a time when it is 
desperately needed. These measures introduced by the gentleman from 
Missouri (Mr. Gephardt) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings) 
and the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Hart) would allow displaced 
airline industry employees to petition the Department of Labor for 
special benefits akin to those provided under the Trade Adjustment 
Assistance program.
  Specifically, eligible employees would receive unemployment benefits 
for 78 weeks instead of the usual 26, and even those who would not 
otherwise qualify for unemployment would be entitled to 26 weeks of 
benefits.
  In addition, laid-off workers would receive up to 78 weeks of job-
training assistance to ensure they could re-enter the workforce as 
quickly as possible.
  Finally, displaced workers would be provided up to 18 months of 
federally subsidized COBRA premiums, and those workers without COBRA 
would receive temporary Medicaid coverage.
  Just as importantly, the assistance would be available to all airline 
and airport workers, including transit workers, as well as employees of 
airline suppliers, such as service workers and airplane manufacturers.
  Mr. Speaker, we took an important first step by providing financial 
assistance to stabilize the airlines, restore confidence in air travel, 
and protect the millions of workers still employed in the airline 
industry. However, our work cannot end there. We must act quickly on 
behalf of the workers and their families who have been impacted by 
widespread layoffs. They desperately need our help to pay bills, buy 
groceries, maintain access to health care, and learn the skills they 
need to quickly find new employment.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in telling these 
hardworking Americans that we have heard their plea and they can count 
on us to respond.

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