[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5245-5246]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE ENHANCEMENT ACT

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I am joined by my colleague Senator Ron 
Wyden in introducing the Trade Adjustment Assistance, TAA, Enhancement 
Act of 2015. This legislation would reauthorize trade adjustment 
assistance programs to help American workers who lose their jobs as a 
result of foreign competition. These programs are an investment in the 
American worker and are essential to helping those who are negatively 
affected by international trade to get the skills and training to 
prepare for jobs in other industries.
  The Trade Adjustment Assistance Enhancement Act of 2015 would cover 
affected workers in the manufacturing, service, and agricultural 
sectors. In addition to covering workers whose jobs shift to countries 
with which the United States has a Free Trade Agreement, the bill would 
also extend to job losses from non-FTA countries, such as China or 
India. It would make eligible for assistance those who have been laid 
off due to unfair foreign subsidies or dumping practices, as long as 
the layoff occurs within 1 year of an affirmative injury determination 
by the International Trade Commission.

[[Page 5246]]

  Our bill would also authorize an investment of up to $575 million per 
year to train workers in new, in-demand skills, thereby providing them 
with the opportunity to find lasting employment that will ensure 
greater economic stability in years to come. It would also provide 
extended unemployment insurance for those enrolled in an approved 
training program. For older workers seeking quick reemployment, our 
bill would provide wage insurance to cover up to 50 percent of the wage 
differential between the old job and the new job. It would also provide 
assistance to those who must commute a greater distance or relocate 
altogether to find new employment.
  Under our bill, farmers, fishermen, and aquaculture producers would 
also be eligible for targeted training and assistance programs designed 
to help increase their competitiveness. The bill would further clarify 
that fishermen and aquaculture producers may receive TAA benefits 
whether they are competing against farmed or wild-caught fish or 
seafood imports.
  Small, rural communities in my home State of Maine have been hit hard 
by closures or partial shutdowns of mills, manufacturing plants, or 
other businesses that, in many cases, represent a large portion of jobs 
in the surrounding communities. In the past year, the communities of 
Lincoln, Millinocket, and Bucksport have experienced such devastating 
job losses. Moreover, the second and third-order economic effects on 
other businesses is significant. When these jobs are abruptly lost on 
such a massive scale, entire communities and the surrounding area are 
devastated. In times of such great upheaval, the laid off employees, 
who lost their good jobs through no fault of their own, need the time, 
support, and resources to learn new skills and seek viable employment 
opportunities.
  TAA programs have made a tremendous difference in the lives of those 
working in trade-affected industries in Maine, such as the pulp and 
paper manufacturing, lobster, and blueberry industries. In fiscal year 
2013, more than 700 Mainers benefitted from these programs, which led 
to an employment retention rate of more than 90 percent. In the last 
year alone, the Department of Labor approved TAA benefits for the 
hundreds of workers who lost their jobs with the closures of the Verso 
Paper mill in Bucksport, the Lincoln Paper and Tissue mill in Lincoln, 
the Great Northern Paper mill in East Millinocket, and the UTC Fire and 
Security plant in Pittsfield. Previously, TAA benefited former 
employees of the Great Northern Paper mill in Millinocket when it 
closed, in addition to lobstermen and wild blueberry producers who 
needed help increasing the competitiveness of their unique commodities. 
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Eastern Maine Community 
College and tour its Fine Woodworking and Cabinet Making Shop. I met 
with a group of students formerly employed at the Bucksport Verso Paper 
mill, who now have the opportunity to learn a new skill because of the 
funds available through TAA.
  TAA has been vitally important in helping Maine workers, and those 
across the Nation, who have been harmed by trade get the skills and 
training they need to prepare for jobs in other industries. 
Reauthorization of trade adjustment assistance programs must be a part 
of the national trade policy debate, and I am pleased that the Senate 
recognized the importance of TAA by approving the bipartisan amendment 
that I authored to the Budget Resolution related to reauthorizing TAA. 
I urge my colleagues to support the bipartisan Trade Adjustment 
Assistance Enhancement Act of 2015 to continue crucial investments in 
the American worker and protect them from unfair trade practices and 
increased imports.

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