[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 24420-24421]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         INTRODUCTION OF THE 21ST CENTURY JOB OPPORTUNITIES ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 8, 2003

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to submit, 
with eight of my colleagues in the House, the 21st Century Job 
Opportunities Act.
  We need to put the nation's unemployed workers back to work. 
President Bush's policy to cut $3 trillion in taxes for the rich to 
stimulate the economy has left millions of Americans looking for work, 
and millions more working less than they need to in order to pay their 
bills. Others have given up looking for work altogether because of the 
dismal economy.
  Since the beginning of 2001, the private sector has lost more than 3 
million jobs, and the number of unemployed has risen in 49 states and 
national unemployment levels are over 6 percent, the highest in nearly 
a decade. Today, 9 million people are out of work and an additional 4.5 
million people work parttime because they can't find a full-time job.
  At the same time, new U.S. Census data shows that the median 
household income declined 1.1 percent between 2001 and 2002 and the 
number of Americans living in poverty increased for the second year in 
a row.
  We can no longer tolerate President Bush's ``No New Jobs'' policy. 
Too many hard-working Americans are struggling to pay the rent, bills 
and provide for their families.
  Providing immediate education assistance to unemployed workers to 
boost their skills so that they can successfully re-enter the workforce 
is essential. According to analysis by Postsecondary Education 
OPPORTUNITY, unemployment rates are more than one and one-half times 
higher for workers with only a high

[[Page 24421]]

school degree, compared to workers with at least a Bachelor's degree.
  In addition, analysis by the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) 
shows that in 1973, three-quarters of all jobs were held by those with 
high school education or less, compared to just 40 percent today.
  The 21st Century Job Opportunities Act would provide temporary 
emergency education assistance for workers who have been laid off and 
who require additional education and training to successfully re-enter 
the workforce. The Act would help to put Americans back to work by: 
Providing temporary emergency education assistance for workers who have 
been laid off and who require additional education and training to 
successfully re-enter the workforce; Granting eligible recipients up to 
an amount equal to the Pell Grant maximum award, towards tuition and 
fees; and, Providing the training for thousands of workers to help fill 
demands of the highly skilled workforce.
  It is clear that the Republican economic policy, based on tax cuts 
for the wealthiest people, has failed to reverse the job losses in the 
economy. We need a new approach, one that puts Americans back to work.
  It is essential to the nation's economic recovery that we invest in 
the education of American workers and put them back to work. I strongly 
encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill and ensuring 
that Americans can get back to work.

                          ____________________