[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 18476]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        INTRODUCING THE ADULT EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you as a member of the 
Education and Labor Committee. It is a pleasure to stand before you 
today to speak about the Adult Education and Economic Growth Act of 
2009, known as H.R. 3238, legislation that my friend and colleague 
Representative Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island and I introduced on 
Thursday, July 16, 2009.
  As we all know, our Nation is facing one of the most difficult 
economic times in history. Technology and globalization, coupled with 
the economic recession, are causing low-wage and low-skilled workers to 
become particularly vulnerable. According to the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics, unemployment among individuals with less than a high school 
diploma has risen from 7\1/2\ percent in December of 2007 to almost 15 
percent in April 2009. The unemployment rate for high school graduates 
with no college degree has increased from 4.6 percent to 9.3 percent. 
Currently, the U.S. ranks 11th among OECD countries in the percent of 
young adults with a high school diploma. We should be especially 
concerned that we are the only country in which younger adults are less 
educated than the previous generation. More than 40 million adults 
across our country have basic skills needs or limited proficiency in 
English that keep them from participating fully in work, in family and 
community activities.
  In 2007, more than 25 million adults ages 18 to 64 had no high school 
credential. In 2006, 18,400,000 adults spoke English less than ``very 
well'' according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In my congressional 
district alone, there are 154,000 adults without a high school diploma. 
In addition, another 444,000 adults speak a language other than English 
or do not speak English ``very well.'' In Texas, we have 3.8 million 
adults who do not have a high school diploma. This is unacceptable. We 
must do much more to educate our adult learners and assist them in 
acquiring the 21st century skills they need to succeed in the 
workplace.
  In my conversations with business leaders in my congressional 
district and across the country, they have shared their desire for a 
highly educated and trained workforce. Employers need highly skilled 
workers to compete globally, particularly in high-growth industries and 
occupations such as health care.
  Despite these alarming statistics and realities, we have not made 
adequate investments in our adult education delivery system. Our adult 
education and workforce training delivery systems are in great need of 
reform. In many States, thousands of adult learners are experiencing 
long waiting lists for adult literacy services to increase their basic 
literacy skills or improve their English skills. More than 77 percent 
of community-based literacy programs currently report waiting lists. 
Current funding reaches only 2.8 million of these adults each year and 
thousands more are on those waiting lists that I mentioned for adult 
literacy services.
  A report issued this month by the President's Council on Economic 
Advisers, Preparing the Workers of Today for the Jobs of Tomorrow, 
underscores that our modern economy requires workers with higher skills 
and the need to employ workers with education and training beyond the 
high school level.
  In closing, I want to say that the report identifies key limitations 
to our education and training system, including low completion rates, 
limited accountability, poor coordination among different programs and 
excessive bureaucratic restrictions on the use of training funds.
  If we are to remain competitive in the global economy, we must invest 
in high quality adult education and workforce training programs that 
lead to family-sustaining jobs in careers with the promise of 
advancement and postsecondary education.
  Mr. Speaker, I invite Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle 
to sign on as cosponsors to this legislation.
  The ``Adult Education and Economic Growth Act,'' H.R. 3238, 
strengthens our adult education and workforce training systems, 
increases economic growth in local communities and supports President 
Obama's call to once again lead the world college degrees by 2020.
  This legislation provides adult learners with greater access to 
obtain basic literacy or workplace skills, including English as a 
Second Language. This bill assists adults in gaining admission to job 
training programs and postsecondary education.
  This legislation provides adequate resources for innovative 
educational and workforce programs, so that states can bridge the gap 
between adult education and occupational skills training. Our adult 
learners will be better served by having access to integrated 
approaches to education and workforce training.
  This legislation expands access by ensuring that federal funding 
formulas accurately take into account the adult education and workforce 
skills needs of individual states, including the number of adults who 
are limited English proficient.
  This legislation increases access to adult education, literacy, and 
workplace skills through the use of technology.
  This legislation increases access to correctional educational 
programs and provides added accountability in the system.
  This legislation invests in lower skilled workers by providing 
employers with a tax credit.
  We must reform our adult education and workforce delivery systems if 
we are to provide adults with the educational opportunities and 21st 
century skills needed to acquire family-sustaining wages and remain 
globally competitive.

                          ____________________