Dislocated Workers: Proposed Re-employment Assistance Program (Letter
Report, 11/12/93, GAO/HRD-94-61).

A proposed Department of Labor re-employment assistance program would
target workers who lose their jobs as a result of the North American
Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)--either through rising imports or through
plant relocations to Canada and Mexico.  The proposed program basically
replicates the existing Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program but
sets new eligibility criteria for NAFTA-affected workers and changes the
certification process.  The proposed bridge program to help
NAFTA-affected workers, however, suffers from many of the same
shortcomings that have plagued TAA. GAO questions two major changes that
the bridge proposal makes to the basic TAA approach.  First, changes to
expedite the certification process would require Labor to complete a TAA
certification in 30 days, a task that has previously taken 60 days.
Second, although eliminating the training waiver allowed under TAA is a
positive step, other services, such as job search assistance, should be
included as allowable training activities for receiving income support
assistance.  If NAFTA is passed, Labor should address these concerns as
it develops the implementing regulations.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  HRD-94-61
     TITLE:  Dislocated Workers: Proposed Re-employment Assistance 
             Program
      DATE:  11/12/93
   SUBJECT:  Eligibility criteria
             Employment or training programs
             Training utilization
             Eligibility determinations
             Full employment policies
             Human resources training
             Income maintenance programs
             International economic relations
             State-administered programs
             Aid for training or employment
IDENTIFIER:  North American Free Trade Agreement
             NAFTA
             Trade Adjustment Assistance Program
             DOL Economic Dislocation and Worker Adjustment Assistance 
             Program
             Canada
             Mexico
             North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
             
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