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WORKFORCE INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP ACT OF 1997


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WORKFORCE INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP ACT OF 1997
(Senate - May 05, 1998)

Text of this article available as: TXT PDF [Pages S4252-S4349] WORKFORCE INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP ACT OF 1997 The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will now proceed to the consideration of H.R. 1385, which the clerk will report. The legislative clerk read as follows: A bill (H.R. 1385) to consolidate, coordinate, and improve employment, training, literacy, and vocational rehabilitation programs in the United States, and for other purposes. The Senate resumed consideration of the bill. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will now be 60 minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form for closing remarks prior to final passage. Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, first I yield to the Senator from Minnesota for a unanimous consent request. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. Privilege of the Floor Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Jana O'Leary, who is an intern in my office, [[Page S4253]] be allowed to be in the Chamber for the duration of this debate. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Mr. WELLSTONE. I thank the Chair. Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, the Senate is resuming consideration of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act, S. 1186. This legislation incorporates job training, vocational education, and adult education. Last Friday, the Senate began debate on S. 1186. Amendments by Senators DeWine, Domenici, Lautenberg, and Ashcroft were adopted and made a part of this substitute. We have only today to have the final vote on the legislation, and we have 1 hour equally divided for that purpose. The legislation before this body today is one of the most important proposals we will consider this year. S. 1186 proposes a streamlined, practical, business-oriented approach to job training which empowers States with the ability to transform the current patchwork of programs into a comprehensive system. The purpose of this bill is to better coordinate and to consolidate in certain circumstances 90 federally funded programs and promote joint partnerships between education leaders in the business community in developing a workforce development system that is first rate. Perhaps the best illustration of why we need to revamp our workforce system can be clearly seen on a weekly basis in the want-ad sections of the newspapers throughout the Nation. There are presently 190,000 unfilled positions in the technology field. The reason for the difficulty in filling these positions is not because of low unemployment numbers but because of the lack of skilled workers. Many of these jobs do not require 4 years plus postsecondary education. In fact, if we had the proper high school vocational education system, these could be filled by students graduating from high school. They require an excellent vocational education system and the ability to pursue technical education following high school graduation or receive this education as high school students. One of the most fascinating facts to come out of the Senate Labor Committee's hearings on the workforce is that Malaysia has replicated our tech-prep model. In other words, we have presently a model system with a few schools using it which, if duplicated throughout this country, could provide us with what we need today. The unusual thing is that in this country it takes us a long time to replicate anything through our school systems. Malaysia came over here, studied our Tech- Prep Program, and went back to Malaysia and implemented it overnight-- again, moving them into a position to improve their competitiveness and perhaps exceed our own competitiveness. That is the kind of challenge we have now had delivered to us by our competitors in the international markets. It is up to us to take the steps necessary to ensure that we can meet the international competition which we are facing and not have 190,000 jobs out there begging because we cannot provide the skilled workforce. Fifteen years ago, ``A Nation At Risk'' was published and warned us about this problem. This report posed the question as to whether the United States would have an adequately trained workforce to meet the global challenges of the 21st century. Fifteen years later, here is what we have. According to the latest census information, 22 percent of the population in the United States aged 25 and over have completed less than 12 years of schooling. These are the kinds of problems with which we are faced. A most recent national adult literacy survey indicated that 44 million adults have literacy difficulty. This means that over 20 percent of adults in this country have trouble using reading, writing, and computation skills to say nothing of qualifying for jobs that are available, for which we should have the workforce. The same is true in my State of Vermont. All States have this very serious problem. With the statistics I just mentioned, the United States is still the most productive country in the world, but we are losing our edge to other industrialized nations such as Japan and Germany as well as other rapidly developing countries such as Taiwan, Korea, and China. Recent international exams have demonstrated that notwithstanding this warning we had 15 years ago, we have not made significant headway in being able to meet the challenge of that competition and to provide the workforce for those 190,000 jobs that are going begging right now. Over the past 25 years, the standard of living for those Americans without a 4-year postsecondary degree has plunged. In the next decade, we are in danger of being surpassed as the world's foremost economic power if we do not begin to redefine our priorities at the national, State, and local levels. This is an excellent bill, Mr. President. Senator DeWine, my good friend from Ohio, who was in charge of the subcommittee that developed this bill, along with Senator Wellstone, has produced a wonderful bill. It is going to do a great deal to bring us forward as we face the problems of the Nation and the problems of our national competitiveness. Mr. President, at this point I will be happy to yield the floor. Senator Wellstone, I believe, desires to be heard. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I yield 5 minutes to my colleague, Senator Kerrey, from Nebraska. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska. Mr. KERREY. I thank the Senator from Minnesota. Mr. President, I rise in support of S. 1186, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. This is an initiative that I have been involved with since my days as Governor of Nebraska from 1983 to 1987, and it is something I am proud to see come to fruition in the Senate. All of us understand that in today's global economy, this kind of legislation represents an important step in helping individual Americans achieve their shot at the American dream. One of the most satisfying efforts for me is to help, as a public official, some individual acquire the skills they need to earn a good wage so that they can support themselves and their families. Investments such as vocational education, job training, and adult education play a major role in this effort. But in order to be more effective, these programs need to be streamlined and coordinated in such a way that they work together to provide individuals the information and resources they need to be successful in a job market that demands an increasingly higher skill level. In 1994, along with Senator Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas, I introduced legislation to consolidate 91 job training programs into a single authorization called the Workforce Development Act. The bill also sought to reconnect job training, training-related education, and actual jobs. It also provided States greater flexibility in designing job training systems. Mr. President, I take great pleasure and am pleased that these concepts represented in this legislation are also incorporated into S. 1186. S. 1186 also encourages statewide partnerships consisting of the business community, the education community, the Governor, and local and State elected officials. A key responsibility in this partnership is the development of a State plan. The legislation also encourages one-stop customer service centers which will provide a central point of entry to job training programs. In the last few years in my State of Nebraska, Congress has increased its commitment to preparing individuals for the workforce. We have seen in our State an increase in Federal funding for job training of approximately $1.5 million since 1996; for vocational education, we have seen an increase of about $700,000; and for adult education, about $460,000. Mr. President, I would like to call this to the attention of my colleagues. I suspect, if they are like me, sometimes these program names get confusing, and I wonder whether or not they have any impact. In Nebraska, the $6.276 million allocation of Federal job training funds in 1997 provided 4,000 of my citizens with the skills they need to become more productive and to earn a higher living and satisfy the market demand, as the Senator from Vermont identified. There are many jobs out there that are unfilled simply because we cannot find people with skills. Mr. President, 4,000 of those jobs were filled; 4,000 of those people are happier. [[Page S4254]] In addition, vocational and applied technology education grants assisted 70,000 secondary students and 47,800 post-secondary students who now have higher skills, a technical education they otherwise would not have had. They are going to get a shot at the American dream. They are going to be happier. They are going to be healthier. As I said, there are very few things that are more gratifying than having an individual say to you, ``Thank you for helping me get a shot at the American dream,'' and 17,340 adults in a single year were assisted in my State as a consequence of the $1.7 million in addition education. This is an investment with an excellent return. The legislation will not only help more individuals achieve the American dream but will also help our Nation become the best educated, most productive country in the world as we enter the 21st century. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act represents a good bipartisan effort to increase opportunities for American citizens. I look forward to seeing it move through Congress, and I congratulate and thank sincerely the distinguished chairman of the committee, Senator Jeffords of Vermont, and the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, Senator Wellstone, as well as the chairman of the subcommittee, Senator DeWine. On behalf of the tens of thousands of Nebraskans who will receive the benefits of this program, I thank you. Mr. WELLSTONE addressed the Chair. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I ask if, after 10 minutes, I might be so notified? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator will be notified. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, first of all, let me thank Chairman Jeffords for his leadership. He had a lot to do with this piece of legislation. We did a lot of work on the Subcommittee on Employment and Training, but Senator Jeffords and Senator Kennedy were absolutely critical to bringing this piece of legislation finally to the floor and keeping all of us together. Senator DeWine--it was really a labor of love working with him. He has just put all of himself into this piece of legislation. He has done a great job. I would also like to thank a couple of other people: On Senator Kennedy's staff, Jeff Teitz, who is out on the floor with me today, for his work, and Brian Ahlberg who works with me and has put hundreds of hours into this, as have a number of other very talented people. I am not going to go into all of the specific provisions. I really want to take some time to thank some people who helped out. But let me just say, S. 1186, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act, is an important piece of legislation. The President correctly observed that the bill is ``essential to widening the circle of opportunity for more Americans and keeping our economy growing steady and strong.'' My concern all along has been that over the past couple of years there has been some discussion about cutting funding for job training programs. That would be the worst thing in the world for us to do. I think what we have now done, in a bipartisan way, is we brought people together around to job training that really takes root at the community level. We are talking about a program that is more streamlined. We decentralize it. There are accountable job performance measures, as there should be. The Governors have a key role to play, but they are in partnership with local communities. And at local levels of government, whether they be county or city, you have key decisionmakers as well. The private sector is an essential part of this, as should be the case, because a lot of these jobs that will be created will be in the private sector. We are talking about, you know, that goal that I think is the most important goal for most families in our country, which is to earn a decent living and to be able to raise your children successfully. This is all about doing that. In addition, we have kept separate funding for adults and youth and dislocated workers. We don't have a straight block grant program; we keep our priorities at the national level. I think we should do that. The out-of-school youth initiative is extremely important, targeting funds to youth in high-poverty areas, both urban and rural. Please colleagues--and I don't think too many colleagues make this mistake, but quite often when we talk about ``youth'' or ``lack of jobs'' or ``young people dropping out of schools'' or ``inadequate housing'' or ``inadequate education'' or ``affordable child care'' or ``affordable health care,'' we think about these issues as urban issues. These issues are every bit as important to rural America. The problems are more hidden but they are no less real. The nice thing about the out-of- school initiative is that it is already paid for. Congress has already provided $250 million in an advance appropriation. I want to take special note of the contribution of Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, who testified at one of our subcommittee hearings. I want to also take note of our important national job training programs that we have renewed. The Job Corps Program, we have the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center in Saint Paul, which is one of the best performing centers in the country. Last year, we had Ralph DiBattista and Dave McKenzie, the current director--Ralph was a former director--at a hearing on youth training. They were joined by Susan Lees, who is an impressive young trainee at the center, on her way to becoming an auto technician at the Ford dealership. The bill also renews current Native American programs and migrant and seasonal farm worker programs. And finally the veterans program--I want to say to the veterans community, we heard from you loud and clear. You wanted to have a separate focus on veterans programs, a separate funding stream. We have some additional provisions by way of eligibility to make sure that gulf war veterans, some of whom are really struggling, will be well served; as well as homeless veterans. We have also built into this bill the continuation of Concentrated Employment Programs, rural CEPs. That is to say, in rural areas where there is high concentration of unemployment and poverty, we have a special focus to make sure the job training is out there. I think--and many colleagues have worked on this but I get to say it on the floor of the Senate, with some pride--this is a very Minnesota- like program. The one-stop centers, we have been doing that in our State. The idea of decentralization, of trying to build good partnerships between the Governor and the local community, trying to build good partnerships between the public and private sector with a focus on good job training, good skills development, and job opportunities for people. Job opportunities for people--I can't really think of anything more important for us to be focusing our attention on. So, I want to make it very clear that I am very, very proud of this piece of legislation. I thank my colleagues again--Senator DeWine, Senator Jeffords, and Senator Kennedy as well. Mr. President, how much time do I have left? The PRESIDING OFFICER. There are 18 minutes remaining to the Senator from Minnesota, 23 minutes to the Senator from Vermont. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I don't see other Senators on the floor right now. I might just highlight some amendments to this piece of legislation, to make maximum use of time. There are five amendments to the bill which we have agreed to accept. The first is one by Mr. DeWine. It is the vocational rehabilitation bill. It is extremely important. I think what Senator DeWine has done is basically provided a set of improvements to this piece of legislation. It is an amendment that I strongly support. There is an amendment by Senator Lautenberg which gives units of local government which are currently service delivery areas under the Job Training Partnership Act, and which have a population of 200,000 or more, an automatic right to appeal to the Secretary of Labor a decision by a Governor not to continue that area as an SDA. That also is an amendment which I support. There are two other amendments by Senator Ashcroft which I will my colleague, the chairman, Senator Jeffords, to speak to if he chooses. Mr. JEFFORDS. On my time, I will. Mr. WELLSTONE. I won't use anymore time. I yield the floor. [[Page S4255]] The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time? Mr. JEFFORDS addressed the Chair. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont. Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. President, let me just make a few more comments. I believe Senator DeWine will be here shortly. As was pointed out, there are three bills which are combined in this bill, and I want to talk a little bit about vocational rehabilitation. It is extremely important that as we move forward, we do more and more for our disabled community to give them every possible opportunity to compete for jobs and to demonstrate their capacity to help our Nation's workforce. We place these programs together, although we maintain separate streams of funding to ensure that each of these programs in adult education, vocational education, job training, and vocational rehabilitation will not feel at all threatened that money will be taken from them. It is important at the same time that we recognize the great capacity of people with disabilities to come into the workforce if they are given the opportunity. By placing them in the same bill, it is important to demonstrate that they are ready and willing to take advantage of the opportunities in the workforce in many places which they have been denied. Also, as I mentioned earlier in my statement, the problems we have with the adult workforce is literacy, to a large extent. As the demands become higher and greater on our workforce, we are recognizing that we need more people to move into the workforce to take the jobs that are available. Thus, it is incredibly important that we coordinate adult education along with vocational education. That is the purpose of this bill, to get everybody to work together to improve the workforce of this Nation to meet the competition of nations overseas. While I am pleased with the progress we have made, I believe that we have moved forward on this bill to do everything possible we can to make ourselves more competitive. I will now talk a little bit about a report released by the National Center for Research and Vocational Education which gave a good overview of training in European nations. I think it is important that my colleagues understand the kind of competition we are getting in Europe, and I will say the same is true and maybe even more so in Asia. This report highlights the importance of a cohesive partnership between educators and employers. Employers in Europe are active participants in the governance of work-related education and training in Australia, Great Britain, France and Germany. Another significant finding of the report is that European nations, such as the Netherlands and Denmark, are attempting to develop a technical education system which can survive as either a bridge to additional vocational training or pursuing college-level courses. Although we are not Europe, we are beginning to make some progress. With the passage of S. 1186, that progress will only continue to grow. I am also hopeful that passage of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act will eliminate many of the misconceptions that exist regarding vocational education, adult education and training. Some perceive vocational education as a second-rate education for students who cannot otherwise succeed in the so-called traditional academic path. Nothing--and I say nothing--could be further from the truth. In fact, the opposite in many cases is the situation now. Vocational education courses hold appeal for all students. In my home State of Vermont, over 4,500 students participate in vocational education courses of which 12 percent are adults. A strong technical education system is the best kind of training. As has been pointed out, as we move forward in our lives, the need for vocational education or skills training is going to increase. We are going to change jobs five, six, seven times during our lives as we move into the next century, and we are going to need training continuously. The same is true now with our society. However, we just do not have the appropriate training available. We need to coordinate, we need to get together and figure out how we can provide the skills that are necessary. If employment and training programs are to succeed, a simple, integrated workforce development system must be established that gives States, local communities, employers and students both the assistance and the incentives to participate in our global economy. S. 1186 is a good step in responding to this need. I urge my colleagues to support the passage of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. Before turning to others who may want to speak on this legislation, I again thank my colleagues and coauthors of the bill, in particular Senators Kennedy, DeWine and Wellstone. In particular, I thank the Employment and Training Subcommittee chaired by Senator DeWine, who has done an outstanding job in putting together this bill. Senator Wellstone, the Employment and Training Subcommittee ranking member, has also done a tremendous job in drafting key provisions of this bill. Senator Kennedy and I have been working for many years on this effort, and we are pleased to have Senators DeWine and Wellstone as our partners. I also thank the staff of Senators Wellstone, Kennedy and DeWine, and the staff of the Congressional Research Service and legislative counsel have worked tirelessly on this bill. In addition, I also thank the administration for their hard work. The business community led by the National Alliance for Business, the Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers are also to be commended for their efforts and for their support. I express my appreciation to the Chief State School Officers and other educational organizations who offered constructive comments during the drafting of S. 1186. Most of all, I thank my home State of Vermont for serving as an inspiration for this legislation. Almost 1 year ago, I held a hearing in Vermont on workforce development. Over 100 Vermonters attended and offered various perspectives which have been incorporated in this bill. Also, I thank the State of Mississippi. I went down to the State of Mississippi and found that they had one of the most innovative vocational education systems that I have had the chance to observe. They are dedicated there and doing a fine job. In fact, I noted that their unemployment rate was going down, even though they were losing hundreds of jobs to Mexico. Why? Because of the business community seeing the state of their vocational training and their ability to train for the skills necessary for the jobs that are locating in Mississippi. Thus, they are losing low-wage jobs and replacing them with high-wage jobs. We have, therefore, taken a close look at the Mississippi system and have made sure our bill models their initiative. So I commend those in other States and certainly my own State of Vermont which I mentioned, who have tried to make efforts but they have been hindered to a certain extent by the problems with our present system, the inability to coordinate. This bill is designed to try and provide that coordination, to ensure that all of this country can move now to make sure that we are ready for the future. We established the goals to make sure by the next century we would have moved past our educational difficulties to the greatest extent possible, to make sure that our young people would be ready to enter the workforce, to make sure we provided them the skills not after high school but in high school, as well as to make sure this Nation would be competitive in the year ahead. I yield to my good friend, Senator DeWine, who deserves maximum credit from our side for his productive work in giving us a bill today which we can be proud of, which we can vote for with great confidence. We will improve this Nation's workforce. I yield to Senator DeWine. Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I thank Chairman Jeffords for the work he has done on this bill. It is a real bipartisan bill, as we have pointed out many times on this floor; Senator Wellstone, Senator Kennedy, Senator Jeffords, myself. It is a bill that will truly change the status quo, a bill that will really make a difference. [[Page S4256]] We will be voting on this bill in about half an hour. This legislation, S. 1186, will fundamentally reform our Nation's currently fragmented, duplicative and many times ineffective job training programs. I believe this bill will transform them into a coordinated, accountable, and flexible workforce investment system. Before the Senate votes, I want to spend a few minutes discussing the reasons why the Workforce Investment Partnership Act does enjoy such bipartisan support. One of the most historic, if not the most historic accomplishments of the 105th Congress was the legislation that revolutionized the American welfare system. In passing a bill to end welfare as we knew it, we were empowering the States and local communities to seek a better way to make work, not welfare, the way of life for millions of disadvantaged Americans. The bill we are considering this evening, S. 1186, is a very important extension of that basic welfare reform, continuing the devolution of Federal power to where it rightfully belongs--States, localities--and most importantly, the individuals who are voluntarily seeking training assistance. This bill, S. 1186, recognizes the leadership of States and localities which have show innovation and initiative over the last few years, even in the midst of many times onerous Federal barriers and obstacles. By eradicating outdated rules and regulations, we can remove the barriers that have stymied people in the past. We can empower States and local communities by giving them the tools, the tools and the flexibility that they need to implement real reform, reform that will allow them to provide truly comprehensive training services. This bill, S. 1186, also promotes free market competition. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act establishes an effective and accountable workforce development system, ensuring that training leads to meaningful, long-term employment. Under this bill, training services will be held accountable to high standards. This means they will have to prove training leads ultimately to meaningful, unsubsidized employment, showing how many people were placed, at what cost, and how many people remained employed 6 months, a year or 18 months later. That is true accountability. That is the true measure of whether job training works or does not work. Does the person have a job 6 months or 12 months later, and what kind of a job is it. S. 1186 also has bipartisan support because it eliminates government bureaucracy and promotes personal responsibility. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act would provide training assistance through individual training accounts or vouchers in order to allow the individual seeking assistance to have a say themselves about where, how and what training they will receive. These programs should be tailored to individual needs, not to Washington bureaucrats and what Washington bureaucrats think is best. This bill provides program coordination and simplification. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act incorporates nearly 70 categorical programs, eliminating numerous Federal requirements and mandatory set- asides. This bill authorizes and expands a modified work-flex program which allows States to approve requests for waivers of Federal statutory and regulatory requirements submitted by their local communities. The bill provides States with the option to submit a unified plan or a single-State plan for the numerous programs incorporated into the legislation. Further, this bill removes income eligibility requirements. States will be allowed to provide all adults who voluntarily seek assistance the comprehensive services available through the one-stop customer service system--services such as job search, placement assistance, skill assessment, and case management. Just like welfare reform, job training reform depends on participation of the business community, the local business community. This bill not only allows for business community involvement, but business community leadership, as well. The private sector must outline its employment needs and assist in the design of training programs so that individuals that receive training assistance obtain long-term, meaningful employment. To summarize, job training reform is needed. It is needed because we can no longer afford the Washington-knows-best attitude that created the current maze of training and related programs. With a few notable exceptions, the evidence on the one-size-fits-all approach reveals far more failures than successes. However, because of Congress' inability to enact reform in the past, States and localities have begun the task of creating their own comprehensive systems which meet the unique needs of their States and local communities. Frankly, they have been frustrated. They have been frustrated by the Federal laws and regulations which prevent them from developing more responsive and more effective workforce investment systems. This bill, the Workforce Investment Partnership act, is designed to reform the Federal Government's role in providing job training assistance to Americans. For too long, that role has been to foster confusion, frustration, and complication. With this bipartisan bill, we offer a new foundation and a positive framework for success. Instead of rules that tie the hands of States and localities, this bill provides the tools, the tools to empower them to develop comprehensive work force investment systems that address the needs of job seekers and employers alike. This morning's Cleveland Plain Dealer, in an editorial, I think, gets it exactly right. ``A Bill That Works. Consolidation could produce job- training programs that do their own jobs better.'' ``A Bill That Works.'' This bill is a road map, a road map to a better system. If we are to achieve the goals we have set--stronger economy, a better trained workforce, true and meaningful welfare reform--we need to begin that journey today. I want to thank all my colleagues who have worked so hard to pass this important bill. I also want to thank all the concerned individuals and groups who have offered their support, including the National Alliance of Business, City of New York, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Council of Chief State School Officers, Society for Human Resource Management, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Cleveland Growth Association, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Association of Private Industry Councils, the National Association of Counties, the American Vocational Association and the National Association of State Directors of Vocational Education Consortium. All of these groups have worked to put this bill together. We have a comprehensive bill that brings about the reform that we all need. In summary, we will be voting in a little over 20 minutes on a bill that will fundamentally reform job training in this country. This reform is long overdue. It is a reform that will bring about more accountability. We will be able to measure success and failure better. It is a bill that will give more authority to the local communities. It will be a bill that will empower the recipients to have more choices in regard to the job training that fits their needs. And it will work. It will work because we are incorporating, as never before, the local business community--not just in the implementation of the plan, but rather in the design of the plan. The one thing that we have seen as we have held hearings across this country, time and time and time again, is how important it is to include the local business community because, ultimately, they are the consumers, along with the people who need the jobs and the people who need the job training. They are all the consumers. It doesn't do any good to design a job training program and train someone for a job and that job does not exist in the local community. That is why the enclosure and inclusion of the business community, making them a part of this process from the very beginning, is such an essential part of this bill. Let me again thank Chairman Jeffords for his work on the bill, along with Senator Kennedy, Senator Wellstone, and the other members of the committee. This bill was passed out of our committee by a unanimous vote. Several of my colleagues have already noted on the floor that this is a committee that has a very wide divergence of points of view. This committee has many members that have opinions that many times do not always [[Page S4257]] agree. But the fact that we were able to pass this bill unanimously out of the committee, I think, shows its bipartisan support and also shows that the status quo was not acceptable, and this bill makes a significant change and improvement in that status quo. I yield the floor. PRE-VOCATIONAL TRAINING Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I have sought recognition to discuss the issue of pre-vocational training in the context of this legislation. In March, I introduced S. 1709, the Job Preparation and Retention Training Act of 1998, which would have authorized a new Labor Department program providing grants to community-based organizations which would provide essential pre-vocational training to individuals who have not successfully entered the workforce. In my floor remarks on March 4 upon introduction of S. 1709, I noted that one such community-based organization, Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America, Inc., has found that the average hourly wage of trainees prior to pre-vocational training was $3.70, but after such training, these same participants started earning an average of $8.00 an hour, with a placement rate of 85 percent into gainful employment. After consultation with Chairman Jeffords, I have decided not to offer my bill as an amendment to the comprehensive job training bill before us, based on assurances that in Conference, he and Chairman DeWine will work with me to ensure that pre-vocational training is more accessible to individuals who are not prepared to fully benefit from the training and skills development provided in S. 1186. Mr. JEFFORDS. I thank my colleague from Pennsylvania for his work on job training and educational issues, both in this context, and as Chairman of the appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over such programs. I will endeavor to work with him on enhancing the issue of pre-vocational training in conference with the House and welcome his input on this critical issue. Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about S. 1186--the Workforce Investment Partnership Act and to applaud the Labor and Human Resources Committee for the bipartisan manner in which the legislation was developed. In the last Congress the opportunity for reform of employment and training programs was lost due to partisan bickering and the insistence on a reform structure which I believe jeopardized the investment in skills training--and in particular the investment in the retraining of dislocated workers. This bill builds on the success of the dislocated worker program and adds other elements which will improve the program. These include establishing One-Stop centers as the framework of the new workforce development system which will improve dislocated worker access to quality information and services, and the proposed skill grants--or Individual Training Account system--which will enable them to make informed choices about training opportunities with qualified vendors. Despite our improving economy, there are always workers who will lose jobs because of economic change. We owe these workers the tools to get back on their feet, through rapid response to plant closings and mass layoffs, job search assistance and retraining for new jobs. I am particularly pleased that this bill includes rapid response and labor- management committees which have been important tools under the current dislocated worker program. This program, where formula grants to states and localities are supplemented by National Reserve Account to allow the Secretary of Labor to respond to emergencies, has been successful in helping hundreds of thousands of workers each year to make mid- career changes. The current dislocated worker program served approximately 540,000 dislocated workers nationwide in the most recent year. Of those who completed the program during that year, 71 percent were employed when they left the program, earning on average 93 percent of their previous wages, and for workers who had received retraining, the wage replacement was 95 percent. The Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Labor conducted an audit of JTPA Title III retraining services to determine how successful retraining was in helping dislocated workers to return to work. The conclusion of the April 1995 report was: ``The purpose of Title III is to return dislocated workers to productive employment. In this context, the program was successful. Program participants were reemployed, remained in the workforce, and regained their prior earning power.'' In my own state of Washington, we have experienced layoffs in the timber and aerospace industries and the assistance provided by Title III of JTPA has been essential to meeting the needs of affected workers. The success of the program is illustrated by the experience of one dislocated worker, Mr. David Hamilton of Valley, Washington. He had a steady income working in the logging industry, but only for six to eight months each year. This created a difficult financial situation when employment was not available. In July 1995, he was laid off from Accord Logging. He decided to investigate career options in the cross-country truck driving field. He learned of the opportunities available through JTPA and began actively seeking financial assistance for training. With only a tenth grade education, his employment opportunities were limited. He knew that he needed a GED, but his assessment test also indicated a deficiency in basic math skills. With his unemployment benefits nearly exhausted, he held steadfastly to his hope of entering the truck driving industry. He pursued his education and training through the Colville Job Service JTPA Title III program. His determination to obtain a Commercial Drivers License increased as he passed his physical and Wonderlic tests (in lieu of a GED). He met the program qualifications for Title III funding and completed his training on February 23, 1997, with excellent grades. He was immediately placed with G & G Trucking and was driving cross-country the following Monday. G & G agreed to assist him with the financing needed to purchase a tractor. Within six months he became an owner-operator. As an owner- operator, he will earn between $12 and $18 per hour. He now has a reliable source of income and greater financial security. The success of Mr. Hamilton and other dislocated worker program participants is why I am so pleased that S. 1186 is designed to assure that funding for dislocated workers will be maintained. This is an important improvement over last year's bill and I thank the authors of S. 1186 for their attention to this critical item. Mr. President, I also ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record a letter from Mr. Rick Bender, President of Washington State's Labor Council. I have been working with Chairman Jeffords to address Title III in the bill which provided training funds only after labor consultations have been performed. I am hopeful that the Department will work with respective labor organizations to continue this successful communication. Washington State has developed a Community Based Rapid Response policy that quickly meets the various needs and concerns of dislocated workers. Mr. Bender has been at the forefront of this effort and provides a compelling argument to continue this consultation. There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Seattle, WA, March 25, 1998. Hon. Patty Murray, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Dear Senator Murray: The Workforce Investment Partnership Act (S. 1186) is ready to come to the floor of the US Senate for action. The Act, as written, is missing a crucial provision of benefit to Union members. The current JTPA Act provides that, ``. . . any program conducted with funds made available under Title III which will provide services to a substantial number of members of a labor organization will be established only after full consultation with such labor organization.'' (Sec. 311(b)(7)). This provision is ominously absent from the new bill. The new legislation will cause irreparable harm to our Union members who suffer layoff through plant closure due to the failure to require labor consultation when planning services for them. The language quoted above has enabled the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, to assist its affiliates in demanding appropriate levels of service for their members who are facing long term layoff. The ability to demand that funding be pulled from bad [[Page S4258]] retraining programs has been key to the success of Labor's active participation in workforce employment and training programs in Washington State. The Washington State Labor Council presently operates a contract with Washington State Employment Security to provide Rapid Response services to our union members whose plant(s) may be closing or downsizing. By actively invoking this language, we make the workforce development system move towards a customized approach toward service and training design, which takes the needs of working men and women and their families into account. Without this language in the bill service and training design will take the convenience of service agencies into account, not our members' needs. Any assistance you can provide to insert this crucial provision into S. 1186, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act, will be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Rick S. Bender, President. Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I rise today to add my voice to the bipartisan chorus in support of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. I commend the sponsors for their excellent work. Senators Jeffords, DeWine, Kennedy, and Wellstone have done an outstanding job of crafting legislation that is long overdue. For too long American workers have had to struggle through a complex system of dozens of different job training and educational programs to get the skills they needed to enter, or reenter the job market. Today, the Senate takes concrete steps to streamline the current system so that getting the help they need will be easier for the workers of America. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act simplifies the search for a job by encouraging communities to establish a ``one stop shopping'' location. Localities will have one location where an individual can go to get help finding a job or search out skill training opportunities. At this location all of the options will be laid out, and the choice will be up to the worker. Inherent in this idea is that there will be no wrong door. No longer will a person be told, ``We can't help you here because you don't qualify for these programs. Maybe they can help you down the hall.'' That sort of bureaucratic run around results in inefficiency and frustrates the very people we are trying to help. This job training reform bill focuses on shifting power back to the states and local communities. Government, business, labor, and community groups will collaborate on strategies that fit the economic situation of the individual state and locality. The Senate version of this bill also takes the important step of allowing states to keep reforms they have made that are working. Wisconsin has made many changes to its job training system on its own initiative that have been ground- breaking and very successful. I am pleased the Committee recognizes that there is no need to replace programs that are already doing the job and meeting the goals set forth in this legislation. I am also pleased we maintain our commitment to helping at risk youth. This bill ensures that providing opportunities for kids on the edge will continue, and that the funds will move quickly to those who need it most. I hope that the Conference Committee can quickly complete its work so that the $250 million set aside in last year's budget for Out-of-School Youth will become available before the July 1 deadline. These kids need our help to become productive citizens and contribute to society. If Congress fails to complete action before July 1, these young people will be forced to wait even longer for our support. In today's global economy, our people are our greatest resource. With the rise in information and technology, the nations that are the most creative, most innovative, and most inventive will have the edge. The United States currently has the lead in these sectors and this bill will help our people maintain their advantage through continuing their education and updating their skills. Our nation's continued prosperity, and the prosperity of our workers, hinges on a well-trained workforce. This bill helps ensure that our current economic growth will continue into the future and be shared by all Americans. Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I rise in support of S. 1579, the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, of which I am proud to be an original co-sponsor. I would like to commend Senators Jeffords, DeWine, Kennedy, and Wellstone, for making reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act a priority, and for including this legislation as an amendment to the Workforce legislation. The State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program provides $2.2 billion in formula grant assistance to States to help individuals with disabilities prepare for and engage in gainful employment. Since established by the Smith-Fess act 75 years ago, state vocational rehabilitation programs have served some nine million people. This program promotes economic independence for people with disabilities, and the numbers reflect that. In 1992, Congress made major changes to the Act, namely, increasing consumer participation, streamlining processes, and reducing unnecessary paperwork. In the bill before us today, we have built on the '92 amendments. The bill preserves and strengthens the themes of the '92 amendments, while fine-tuning and aligning the Act with other workforce reforms. The Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 strengthen the role of the consumer throughout the vocational rehabilitation process, particularly in the development of the individual's employment plan. This reauthorization reduces unnecessary burdens on State VR agencies by streamlining the State plan; indeed, the bill reduces the 36 State plan requirements in current law to 24. The bill also refocuses the State plan on improving outcomes for individuals with disabilities by requiring States to develop, jointly with the State Rehabilitation Council, annual goals and strategies for improving results. Access of Social Security beneficiaries to VR services is facilitated, and unnecessary gatekeeping is eliminated, by making SSI and SSDI beneficiaries presumptively eligible for services under the VR States Grants program. This change will eliminate the need for the VR agency to determine on a case-by-case basis whether individuals ``require'' VR services in order to gain employment. Under this bill, if a person receiving SSI or SSDI walks through the door of a VR agency, that person will be presumed eligible for VR services. As the Administrator of the Iowa VR agency explained to me, ``now we don't have to spend time and money determining whether an individual on SSI or SSDI is eligible for services. Instead, we can focus our resources where they should be focused--on assisting our consumers in obtaining employment.'' Of particular interest to me and to Senator Dodd are the changes to Section 508 of the Act, which pertain to electronic and information technology accessibility. This section will make it easier for individuals with disabilities who are federal employees to obtain the assistive technology they need in order to do their jobs. Finally, this bill widens employment opportunities for people with disabilities by establishing linkages with larger statewide workforce systems. I would like to point out, however, as Senators Jeffords, DeWine, and Kennedy already have, that vocational rehabilitation agencies will not be required to spend any of their federal allotment on activities other than those that help provide jobs for people with disabilities. In sum, the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 bring us closer to the goal of fostering independence for people with disabilities by providing them with the services they need in order to enter the workforce. I would like to thank Senators DeWine, Jeffords, Kennedy, Wellstone, and Dodd, and the Clinton Administration, for their leadership in developing this bill in a bipartisan manner. I also would like to commend all the staff members who worked on this bill. Without their tireless efforts, we would never have been able to bring this important reauthorization to the floor. Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I share the widespread support for this important legislation. This bill would consolidate and reauthorize job training and vocational education programs. This bill enables states to create a unified plan for all social services related to job training and vocational and adult education. Job training and vocational education are vital programs which prepare individuals to compete in today's changing global economy. An estimated 346,000 high-tech jobs are going [[Page S4259]] unfilled nationwide. The increasing shortage of highly trained workers threatens our nation's economic growth and our productivity. This measure will help address these short-comings and prepare more of America's workers, and thus America's businesses, for the Twenty-first century. We live in a capitalist society with a free market economy. Employers seek to hire the best qualified job candidates. S. 1186 simply provides a means to help individuals acquire the skills necessary to compete. The acquisition of these skills will best help individuals thrive as our economy continues to grow. Too many of our citizens have been left behind the growing economy of the past years, and this measure will help them keep up with the new economy. I believe that S. 1186 also supports our commitment to move individuals from welfare to work. Job training prepares individuals to compete in the marketplace, and remain free from government assistance. For all of the foregoing reasons, I support this bill. One important part of this legislation is the reauthorization of the programs under the Carl D. Perkins Vocation and Applied Technology Education Act. I have heard from constituents across my state that these programs are a very critical component of our vocational and technical education system. As we in the Congress work to help our nation prepare for the Twenty- first century, there are few challenges more fundamental to our success than ensuring that our work force has the education and training necessary to compete in the global economy. More and more jobs require technical skills, training that is not offered in our traditional four- year colleges. Our vocational and technical schools, accordingly, are absolutely essential for the students and workers of today. Technical skills lead to higher wages for workers and more competitive businesses. That is why the federal-state-local partnership for vocational and technical education, which has been very successful to date, must be continued. The highest priority for the moment is to get the reauthorization of the Perkins Act programs through the Senate and into conference. The legislative session this year is very short, and we cannot afford to delay passage of this bill any further. That said, however, there are a number of provisions of this bill which need improvement. Foremost among the needed changes, in my view, is that the Senate should accept what the House has proposed in terms of a separate bill for vocational-technical education. This difference is very crucial, for it is essential to preserve the independent mission and funding stream for vocational education. For some time, it appeared that the Senate bill was headed in the wrong direction, removing the separate designation for vocational and technical education and placing these programs into the mix of the overhaul of our job training and retraining programs. That would have been a serious mistake, and I am pleased with the improvements that the managers of this bill have agreed to offer to this legislation. Among the expected changes is an assurance that funding appropriated for vocational-technical education programs will be directed to school- based programs and not diverted to other areas. Additionally, the amendment is expected to ensure that governance for vocational education will remain at the state and local level, and that a strong focus will remain on professional development for teachers and administrators. The House, on the other hand, has proposed a separate legislative authorization for the Perkins Act programs. Despite the forthcoming changes to the Senate bill, I urge the Senate conferees to accept the position of the House with respect to reauthorization. Today, however, I believe that we should send this bill to the conference committee, where I hope that the remaining issues can be resolved, and I urge my colleagues to join me in passing this bill as expeditiously as possible. Workforce Investment Partnership Act Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, the time has come for the Senate to take appropriate steps to ensure that our work force is equipped to meet the challenges we will face in the next century. Today, high-skill, high- wage jobs are being created faster than they can be filled. This is not because of a labor shortage. Instead we are suffering from a ``skill shortage.'' Not enough workers in this country possess the skills necessary to fill these jobs. In order to keep our economy strong and growing, our people must receive the education and training they need to become productive employees in the 21st century. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act of 1997 (WIPA) is the first step in providing the education and training job seekers need to compete for high-wage jobs. This bill would consolidate many narrowly- focused federal vocational education, adult education and job training programs that currently provide a disjointed approach to job training and job placement. Through the establishment of ``one-stop'' customer service centers, job seekers will have a central point of entry to job training programs. These one-stop centers will also offer ``individual training accounts'' allowing job seekers to choose their preferred type of education and job training programs to better accommodate their individual skills or interests. Finally, one-stop centers will provide applicants and employers alike with a centralized source of information about training and employment opportunities available in the area. WIPA's goal of streamlining our many training programs bears great similarity to legislation I introduced in January, 1997, called the Working Americans Opportunity Act. Reforming and improving our nation's job training system has long been a Democratic priority. I am glad to see strong, bipartisan support for WIPA and look forward to working with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to enact this important legislation. The passage of this legislation is of particular importance to the people of South Dakota, where we have recently experienced large scale layoffs in Huron with the closing of the Dakota Pork processing plant, and in Lead with cutbacks at the Homestake Gold mine. People in my home state have been drastically affected by these layoffs. It is my hope that these programs will enable them to receive the training they need to compete for the high-wage jobs of tomorrow. I believe it is very important that any investment we make in education and training produces positive, measurable results. That's why I am pleased this bill ensures that each training provider and agency administering state and local programs is held to a higher level of accountability than in the past. These agencies will be responsible for monitoring and reporting job placement, job retention and average earnings for program graduates. If a program is not performing up to acceptable standards, it will no longer be eligible to receive public funding. It is of particular importance that we act quickly on this bill. Unless it is signed into law by June 1, the Department of Labor will not be able to implement Youth Opportunity Grants. This grant program invests money in poverty-stricken areas to help youth who have left school to get year-round jobs. Appropriations for these grants are contingent on the authorization of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. This worthwhile program deserves a chance to be implemented as it was intended. By working in a bipartisan way to reform vocational education and job training programs, I believe that we can, during this Congress, create opportunities for American workers that will help to keep our economy strong for the next century. Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I rise to offer my support for HR 1385, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. This bill is the result of several years of hard work and bipartisan cooperation by Congress on behalf of our nation's workforce and employers. Our present job training system has become overly bureaucratic, fragmented and duplicative without adequate accountability or assessment measures. Currently, the federal government administers 163 separate programs, scattered across 15 agencies, at a cost of more than $20 billion a year. The Workforce Investment Partnership Ac

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WORKFORCE INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP ACT OF 1997
(Senate - May 05, 1998)

Text of this article available as: TXT PDF [Pages S4252-S4349] WORKFORCE INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP ACT OF 1997 The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will now proceed to the consideration of H.R. 1385, which the clerk will report. The legislative clerk read as follows: A bill (H.R. 1385) to consolidate, coordinate, and improve employment, training, literacy, and vocational rehabilitation programs in the United States, and for other purposes. The Senate resumed consideration of the bill. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will now be 60 minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form for closing remarks prior to final passage. Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, first I yield to the Senator from Minnesota for a unanimous consent request. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. Privilege of the Floor Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Jana O'Leary, who is an intern in my office, [[Page S4253]] be allowed to be in the Chamber for the duration of this debate. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Mr. WELLSTONE. I thank the Chair. Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, the Senate is resuming consideration of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act, S. 1186. This legislation incorporates job training, vocational education, and adult education. Last Friday, the Senate began debate on S. 1186. Amendments by Senators DeWine, Domenici, Lautenberg, and Ashcroft were adopted and made a part of this substitute. We have only today to have the final vote on the legislation, and we have 1 hour equally divided for that purpose. The legislation before this body today is one of the most important proposals we will consider this year. S. 1186 proposes a streamlined, practical, business-oriented approach to job training which empowers States with the ability to transform the current patchwork of programs into a comprehensive system. The purpose of this bill is to better coordinate and to consolidate in certain circumstances 90 federally funded programs and promote joint partnerships between education leaders in the business community in developing a workforce development system that is first rate. Perhaps the best illustration of why we need to revamp our workforce system can be clearly seen on a weekly basis in the want-ad sections of the newspapers throughout the Nation. There are presently 190,000 unfilled positions in the technology field. The reason for the difficulty in filling these positions is not because of low unemployment numbers but because of the lack of skilled workers. Many of these jobs do not require 4 years plus postsecondary education. In fact, if we had the proper high school vocational education system, these could be filled by students graduating from high school. They require an excellent vocational education system and the ability to pursue technical education following high school graduation or receive this education as high school students. One of the most fascinating facts to come out of the Senate Labor Committee's hearings on the workforce is that Malaysia has replicated our tech-prep model. In other words, we have presently a model system with a few schools using it which, if duplicated throughout this country, could provide us with what we need today. The unusual thing is that in this country it takes us a long time to replicate anything through our school systems. Malaysia came over here, studied our Tech- Prep Program, and went back to Malaysia and implemented it overnight-- again, moving them into a position to improve their competitiveness and perhaps exceed our own competitiveness. That is the kind of challenge we have now had delivered to us by our competitors in the international markets. It is up to us to take the steps necessary to ensure that we can meet the international competition which we are facing and not have 190,000 jobs out there begging because we cannot provide the skilled workforce. Fifteen years ago, ``A Nation At Risk'' was published and warned us about this problem. This report posed the question as to whether the United States would have an adequately trained workforce to meet the global challenges of the 21st century. Fifteen years later, here is what we have. According to the latest census information, 22 percent of the population in the United States aged 25 and over have completed less than 12 years of schooling. These are the kinds of problems with which we are faced. A most recent national adult literacy survey indicated that 44 million adults have literacy difficulty. This means that over 20 percent of adults in this country have trouble using reading, writing, and computation skills to say nothing of qualifying for jobs that are available, for which we should have the workforce. The same is true in my State of Vermont. All States have this very serious problem. With the statistics I just mentioned, the United States is still the most productive country in the world, but we are losing our edge to other industrialized nations such as Japan and Germany as well as other rapidly developing countries such as Taiwan, Korea, and China. Recent international exams have demonstrated that notwithstanding this warning we had 15 years ago, we have not made significant headway in being able to meet the challenge of that competition and to provide the workforce for those 190,000 jobs that are going begging right now. Over the past 25 years, the standard of living for those Americans without a 4-year postsecondary degree has plunged. In the next decade, we are in danger of being surpassed as the world's foremost economic power if we do not begin to redefine our priorities at the national, State, and local levels. This is an excellent bill, Mr. President. Senator DeWine, my good friend from Ohio, who was in charge of the subcommittee that developed this bill, along with Senator Wellstone, has produced a wonderful bill. It is going to do a great deal to bring us forward as we face the problems of the Nation and the problems of our national competitiveness. Mr. President, at this point I will be happy to yield the floor. Senator Wellstone, I believe, desires to be heard. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I yield 5 minutes to my colleague, Senator Kerrey, from Nebraska. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska. Mr. KERREY. I thank the Senator from Minnesota. Mr. President, I rise in support of S. 1186, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. This is an initiative that I have been involved with since my days as Governor of Nebraska from 1983 to 1987, and it is something I am proud to see come to fruition in the Senate. All of us understand that in today's global economy, this kind of legislation represents an important step in helping individual Americans achieve their shot at the American dream. One of the most satisfying efforts for me is to help, as a public official, some individual acquire the skills they need to earn a good wage so that they can support themselves and their families. Investments such as vocational education, job training, and adult education play a major role in this effort. But in order to be more effective, these programs need to be streamlined and coordinated in such a way that they work together to provide individuals the information and resources they need to be successful in a job market that demands an increasingly higher skill level. In 1994, along with Senator Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas, I introduced legislation to consolidate 91 job training programs into a single authorization called the Workforce Development Act. The bill also sought to reconnect job training, training-related education, and actual jobs. It also provided States greater flexibility in designing job training systems. Mr. President, I take great pleasure and am pleased that these concepts represented in this legislation are also incorporated into S. 1186. S. 1186 also encourages statewide partnerships consisting of the business community, the education community, the Governor, and local and State elected officials. A key responsibility in this partnership is the development of a State plan. The legislation also encourages one-stop customer service centers which will provide a central point of entry to job training programs. In the last few years in my State of Nebraska, Congress has increased its commitment to preparing individuals for the workforce. We have seen in our State an increase in Federal funding for job training of approximately $1.5 million since 1996; for vocational education, we have seen an increase of about $700,000; and for adult education, about $460,000. Mr. President, I would like to call this to the attention of my colleagues. I suspect, if they are like me, sometimes these program names get confusing, and I wonder whether or not they have any impact. In Nebraska, the $6.276 million allocation of Federal job training funds in 1997 provided 4,000 of my citizens with the skills they need to become more productive and to earn a higher living and satisfy the market demand, as the Senator from Vermont identified. There are many jobs out there that are unfilled simply because we cannot find people with skills. Mr. President, 4,000 of those jobs were filled; 4,000 of those people are happier. [[Page S4254]] In addition, vocational and applied technology education grants assisted 70,000 secondary students and 47,800 post-secondary students who now have higher skills, a technical education they otherwise would not have had. They are going to get a shot at the American dream. They are going to be happier. They are going to be healthier. As I said, there are very few things that are more gratifying than having an individual say to you, ``Thank you for helping me get a shot at the American dream,'' and 17,340 adults in a single year were assisted in my State as a consequence of the $1.7 million in addition education. This is an investment with an excellent return. The legislation will not only help more individuals achieve the American dream but will also help our Nation become the best educated, most productive country in the world as we enter the 21st century. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act represents a good bipartisan effort to increase opportunities for American citizens. I look forward to seeing it move through Congress, and I congratulate and thank sincerely the distinguished chairman of the committee, Senator Jeffords of Vermont, and the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, Senator Wellstone, as well as the chairman of the subcommittee, Senator DeWine. On behalf of the tens of thousands of Nebraskans who will receive the benefits of this program, I thank you. Mr. WELLSTONE addressed the Chair. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I ask if, after 10 minutes, I might be so notified? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator will be notified. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, first of all, let me thank Chairman Jeffords for his leadership. He had a lot to do with this piece of legislation. We did a lot of work on the Subcommittee on Employment and Training, but Senator Jeffords and Senator Kennedy were absolutely critical to bringing this piece of legislation finally to the floor and keeping all of us together. Senator DeWine--it was really a labor of love working with him. He has just put all of himself into this piece of legislation. He has done a great job. I would also like to thank a couple of other people: On Senator Kennedy's staff, Jeff Teitz, who is out on the floor with me today, for his work, and Brian Ahlberg who works with me and has put hundreds of hours into this, as have a number of other very talented people. I am not going to go into all of the specific provisions. I really want to take some time to thank some people who helped out. But let me just say, S. 1186, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act, is an important piece of legislation. The President correctly observed that the bill is ``essential to widening the circle of opportunity for more Americans and keeping our economy growing steady and strong.'' My concern all along has been that over the past couple of years there has been some discussion about cutting funding for job training programs. That would be the worst thing in the world for us to do. I think what we have now done, in a bipartisan way, is we brought people together around to job training that really takes root at the community level. We are talking about a program that is more streamlined. We decentralize it. There are accountable job performance measures, as there should be. The Governors have a key role to play, but they are in partnership with local communities. And at local levels of government, whether they be county or city, you have key decisionmakers as well. The private sector is an essential part of this, as should be the case, because a lot of these jobs that will be created will be in the private sector. We are talking about, you know, that goal that I think is the most important goal for most families in our country, which is to earn a decent living and to be able to raise your children successfully. This is all about doing that. In addition, we have kept separate funding for adults and youth and dislocated workers. We don't have a straight block grant program; we keep our priorities at the national level. I think we should do that. The out-of-school youth initiative is extremely important, targeting funds to youth in high-poverty areas, both urban and rural. Please colleagues--and I don't think too many colleagues make this mistake, but quite often when we talk about ``youth'' or ``lack of jobs'' or ``young people dropping out of schools'' or ``inadequate housing'' or ``inadequate education'' or ``affordable child care'' or ``affordable health care,'' we think about these issues as urban issues. These issues are every bit as important to rural America. The problems are more hidden but they are no less real. The nice thing about the out-of- school initiative is that it is already paid for. Congress has already provided $250 million in an advance appropriation. I want to take special note of the contribution of Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, who testified at one of our subcommittee hearings. I want to also take note of our important national job training programs that we have renewed. The Job Corps Program, we have the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center in Saint Paul, which is one of the best performing centers in the country. Last year, we had Ralph DiBattista and Dave McKenzie, the current director--Ralph was a former director--at a hearing on youth training. They were joined by Susan Lees, who is an impressive young trainee at the center, on her way to becoming an auto technician at the Ford dealership. The bill also renews current Native American programs and migrant and seasonal farm worker programs. And finally the veterans program--I want to say to the veterans community, we heard from you loud and clear. You wanted to have a separate focus on veterans programs, a separate funding stream. We have some additional provisions by way of eligibility to make sure that gulf war veterans, some of whom are really struggling, will be well served; as well as homeless veterans. We have also built into this bill the continuation of Concentrated Employment Programs, rural CEPs. That is to say, in rural areas where there is high concentration of unemployment and poverty, we have a special focus to make sure the job training is out there. I think--and many colleagues have worked on this but I get to say it on the floor of the Senate, with some pride--this is a very Minnesota- like program. The one-stop centers, we have been doing that in our State. The idea of decentralization, of trying to build good partnerships between the Governor and the local community, trying to build good partnerships between the public and private sector with a focus on good job training, good skills development, and job opportunities for people. Job opportunities for people--I can't really think of anything more important for us to be focusing our attention on. So, I want to make it very clear that I am very, very proud of this piece of legislation. I thank my colleagues again--Senator DeWine, Senator Jeffords, and Senator Kennedy as well. Mr. President, how much time do I have left? The PRESIDING OFFICER. There are 18 minutes remaining to the Senator from Minnesota, 23 minutes to the Senator from Vermont. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I don't see other Senators on the floor right now. I might just highlight some amendments to this piece of legislation, to make maximum use of time. There are five amendments to the bill which we have agreed to accept. The first is one by Mr. DeWine. It is the vocational rehabilitation bill. It is extremely important. I think what Senator DeWine has done is basically provided a set of improvements to this piece of legislation. It is an amendment that I strongly support. There is an amendment by Senator Lautenberg which gives units of local government which are currently service delivery areas under the Job Training Partnership Act, and which have a population of 200,000 or more, an automatic right to appeal to the Secretary of Labor a decision by a Governor not to continue that area as an SDA. That also is an amendment which I support. There are two other amendments by Senator Ashcroft which I will my colleague, the chairman, Senator Jeffords, to speak to if he chooses. Mr. JEFFORDS. On my time, I will. Mr. WELLSTONE. I won't use anymore time. I yield the floor. [[Page S4255]] The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time? Mr. JEFFORDS addressed the Chair. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont. Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. President, let me just make a few more comments. I believe Senator DeWine will be here shortly. As was pointed out, there are three bills which are combined in this bill, and I want to talk a little bit about vocational rehabilitation. It is extremely important that as we move forward, we do more and more for our disabled community to give them every possible opportunity to compete for jobs and to demonstrate their capacity to help our Nation's workforce. We place these programs together, although we maintain separate streams of funding to ensure that each of these programs in adult education, vocational education, job training, and vocational rehabilitation will not feel at all threatened that money will be taken from them. It is important at the same time that we recognize the great capacity of people with disabilities to come into the workforce if they are given the opportunity. By placing them in the same bill, it is important to demonstrate that they are ready and willing to take advantage of the opportunities in the workforce in many places which they have been denied. Also, as I mentioned earlier in my statement, the problems we have with the adult workforce is literacy, to a large extent. As the demands become higher and greater on our workforce, we are recognizing that we need more people to move into the workforce to take the jobs that are available. Thus, it is incredibly important that we coordinate adult education along with vocational education. That is the purpose of this bill, to get everybody to work together to improve the workforce of this Nation to meet the competition of nations overseas. While I am pleased with the progress we have made, I believe that we have moved forward on this bill to do everything possible we can to make ourselves more competitive. I will now talk a little bit about a report released by the National Center for Research and Vocational Education which gave a good overview of training in European nations. I think it is important that my colleagues understand the kind of competition we are getting in Europe, and I will say the same is true and maybe even more so in Asia. This report highlights the importance of a cohesive partnership between educators and employers. Employers in Europe are active participants in the governance of work-related education and training in Australia, Great Britain, France and Germany. Another significant finding of the report is that European nations, such as the Netherlands and Denmark, are attempting to develop a technical education system which can survive as either a bridge to additional vocational training or pursuing college-level courses. Although we are not Europe, we are beginning to make some progress. With the passage of S. 1186, that progress will only continue to grow. I am also hopeful that passage of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act will eliminate many of the misconceptions that exist regarding vocational education, adult education and training. Some perceive vocational education as a second-rate education for students who cannot otherwise succeed in the so-called traditional academic path. Nothing--and I say nothing--could be further from the truth. In fact, the opposite in many cases is the situation now. Vocational education courses hold appeal for all students. In my home State of Vermont, over 4,500 students participate in vocational education courses of which 12 percent are adults. A strong technical education system is the best kind of training. As has been pointed out, as we move forward in our lives, the need for vocational education or skills training is going to increase. We are going to change jobs five, six, seven times during our lives as we move into the next century, and we are going to need training continuously. The same is true now with our society. However, we just do not have the appropriate training available. We need to coordinate, we need to get together and figure out how we can provide the skills that are necessary. If employment and training programs are to succeed, a simple, integrated workforce development system must be established that gives States, local communities, employers and students both the assistance and the incentives to participate in our global economy. S. 1186 is a good step in responding to this need. I urge my colleagues to support the passage of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. Before turning to others who may want to speak on this legislation, I again thank my colleagues and coauthors of the bill, in particular Senators Kennedy, DeWine and Wellstone. In particular, I thank the Employment and Training Subcommittee chaired by Senator DeWine, who has done an outstanding job in putting together this bill. Senator Wellstone, the Employment and Training Subcommittee ranking member, has also done a tremendous job in drafting key provisions of this bill. Senator Kennedy and I have been working for many years on this effort, and we are pleased to have Senators DeWine and Wellstone as our partners. I also thank the staff of Senators Wellstone, Kennedy and DeWine, and the staff of the Congressional Research Service and legislative counsel have worked tirelessly on this bill. In addition, I also thank the administration for their hard work. The business community led by the National Alliance for Business, the Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers are also to be commended for their efforts and for their support. I express my appreciation to the Chief State School Officers and other educational organizations who offered constructive comments during the drafting of S. 1186. Most of all, I thank my home State of Vermont for serving as an inspiration for this legislation. Almost 1 year ago, I held a hearing in Vermont on workforce development. Over 100 Vermonters attended and offered various perspectives which have been incorporated in this bill. Also, I thank the State of Mississippi. I went down to the State of Mississippi and found that they had one of the most innovative vocational education systems that I have had the chance to observe. They are dedicated there and doing a fine job. In fact, I noted that their unemployment rate was going down, even though they were losing hundreds of jobs to Mexico. Why? Because of the business community seeing the state of their vocational training and their ability to train for the skills necessary for the jobs that are locating in Mississippi. Thus, they are losing low-wage jobs and replacing them with high-wage jobs. We have, therefore, taken a close look at the Mississippi system and have made sure our bill models their initiative. So I commend those in other States and certainly my own State of Vermont which I mentioned, who have tried to make efforts but they have been hindered to a certain extent by the problems with our present system, the inability to coordinate. This bill is designed to try and provide that coordination, to ensure that all of this country can move now to make sure that we are ready for the future. We established the goals to make sure by the next century we would have moved past our educational difficulties to the greatest extent possible, to make sure that our young people would be ready to enter the workforce, to make sure we provided them the skills not after high school but in high school, as well as to make sure this Nation would be competitive in the year ahead. I yield to my good friend, Senator DeWine, who deserves maximum credit from our side for his productive work in giving us a bill today which we can be proud of, which we can vote for with great confidence. We will improve this Nation's workforce. I yield to Senator DeWine. Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I thank Chairman Jeffords for the work he has done on this bill. It is a real bipartisan bill, as we have pointed out many times on this floor; Senator Wellstone, Senator Kennedy, Senator Jeffords, myself. It is a bill that will truly change the status quo, a bill that will really make a difference. [[Page S4256]] We will be voting on this bill in about half an hour. This legislation, S. 1186, will fundamentally reform our Nation's currently fragmented, duplicative and many times ineffective job training programs. I believe this bill will transform them into a coordinated, accountable, and flexible workforce investment system. Before the Senate votes, I want to spend a few minutes discussing the reasons why the Workforce Investment Partnership Act does enjoy such bipartisan support. One of the most historic, if not the most historic accomplishments of the 105th Congress was the legislation that revolutionized the American welfare system. In passing a bill to end welfare as we knew it, we were empowering the States and local communities to seek a better way to make work, not welfare, the way of life for millions of disadvantaged Americans. The bill we are considering this evening, S. 1186, is a very important extension of that basic welfare reform, continuing the devolution of Federal power to where it rightfully belongs--States, localities--and most importantly, the individuals who are voluntarily seeking training assistance. This bill, S. 1186, recognizes the leadership of States and localities which have show innovation and initiative over the last few years, even in the midst of many times onerous Federal barriers and obstacles. By eradicating outdated rules and regulations, we can remove the barriers that have stymied people in the past. We can empower States and local communities by giving them the tools, the tools and the flexibility that they need to implement real reform, reform that will allow them to provide truly comprehensive training services. This bill, S. 1186, also promotes free market competition. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act establishes an effective and accountable workforce development system, ensuring that training leads to meaningful, long-term employment. Under this bill, training services will be held accountable to high standards. This means they will have to prove training leads ultimately to meaningful, unsubsidized employment, showing how many people were placed, at what cost, and how many people remained employed 6 months, a year or 18 months later. That is true accountability. That is the true measure of whether job training works or does not work. Does the person have a job 6 months or 12 months later, and what kind of a job is it. S. 1186 also has bipartisan support because it eliminates government bureaucracy and promotes personal responsibility. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act would provide training assistance through individual training accounts or vouchers in order to allow the individual seeking assistance to have a say themselves about where, how and what training they will receive. These programs should be tailored to individual needs, not to Washington bureaucrats and what Washington bureaucrats think is best. This bill provides program coordination and simplification. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act incorporates nearly 70 categorical programs, eliminating numerous Federal requirements and mandatory set- asides. This bill authorizes and expands a modified work-flex program which allows States to approve requests for waivers of Federal statutory and regulatory requirements submitted by their local communities. The bill provides States with the option to submit a unified plan or a single-State plan for the numerous programs incorporated into the legislation. Further, this bill removes income eligibility requirements. States will be allowed to provide all adults who voluntarily seek assistance the comprehensive services available through the one-stop customer service system--services such as job search, placement assistance, skill assessment, and case management. Just like welfare reform, job training reform depends on participation of the business community, the local business community. This bill not only allows for business community involvement, but business community leadership, as well. The private sector must outline its employment needs and assist in the design of training programs so that individuals that receive training assistance obtain long-term, meaningful employment. To summarize, job training reform is needed. It is needed because we can no longer afford the Washington-knows-best attitude that created the current maze of training and related programs. With a few notable exceptions, the evidence on the one-size-fits-all approach reveals far more failures than successes. However, because of Congress' inability to enact reform in the past, States and localities have begun the task of creating their own comprehensive systems which meet the unique needs of their States and local communities. Frankly, they have been frustrated. They have been frustrated by the Federal laws and regulations which prevent them from developing more responsive and more effective workforce investment systems. This bill, the Workforce Investment Partnership act, is designed to reform the Federal Government's role in providing job training assistance to Americans. For too long, that role has been to foster confusion, frustration, and complication. With this bipartisan bill, we offer a new foundation and a positive framework for success. Instead of rules that tie the hands of States and localities, this bill provides the tools, the tools to empower them to develop comprehensive work force investment systems that address the needs of job seekers and employers alike. This morning's Cleveland Plain Dealer, in an editorial, I think, gets it exactly right. ``A Bill That Works. Consolidation could produce job- training programs that do their own jobs better.'' ``A Bill That Works.'' This bill is a road map, a road map to a better system. If we are to achieve the goals we have set--stronger economy, a better trained workforce, true and meaningful welfare reform--we need to begin that journey today. I want to thank all my colleagues who have worked so hard to pass this important bill. I also want to thank all the concerned individuals and groups who have offered their support, including the National Alliance of Business, City of New York, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Council of Chief State School Officers, Society for Human Resource Management, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Cleveland Growth Association, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Association of Private Industry Councils, the National Association of Counties, the American Vocational Association and the National Association of State Directors of Vocational Education Consortium. All of these groups have worked to put this bill together. We have a comprehensive bill that brings about the reform that we all need. In summary, we will be voting in a little over 20 minutes on a bill that will fundamentally reform job training in this country. This reform is long overdue. It is a reform that will bring about more accountability. We will be able to measure success and failure better. It is a bill that will give more authority to the local communities. It will be a bill that will empower the recipients to have more choices in regard to the job training that fits their needs. And it will work. It will work because we are incorporating, as never before, the local business community--not just in the implementation of the plan, but rather in the design of the plan. The one thing that we have seen as we have held hearings across this country, time and time and time again, is how important it is to include the local business community because, ultimately, they are the consumers, along with the people who need the jobs and the people who need the job training. They are all the consumers. It doesn't do any good to design a job training program and train someone for a job and that job does not exist in the local community. That is why the enclosure and inclusion of the business community, making them a part of this process from the very beginning, is such an essential part of this bill. Let me again thank Chairman Jeffords for his work on the bill, along with Senator Kennedy, Senator Wellstone, and the other members of the committee. This bill was passed out of our committee by a unanimous vote. Several of my colleagues have already noted on the floor that this is a committee that has a very wide divergence of points of view. This committee has many members that have opinions that many times do not always [[Page S4257]] agree. But the fact that we were able to pass this bill unanimously out of the committee, I think, shows its bipartisan support and also shows that the status quo was not acceptable, and this bill makes a significant change and improvement in that status quo. I yield the floor. PRE-VOCATIONAL TRAINING Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I have sought recognition to discuss the issue of pre-vocational training in the context of this legislation. In March, I introduced S. 1709, the Job Preparation and Retention Training Act of 1998, which would have authorized a new Labor Department program providing grants to community-based organizations which would provide essential pre-vocational training to individuals who have not successfully entered the workforce. In my floor remarks on March 4 upon introduction of S. 1709, I noted that one such community-based organization, Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America, Inc., has found that the average hourly wage of trainees prior to pre-vocational training was $3.70, but after such training, these same participants started earning an average of $8.00 an hour, with a placement rate of 85 percent into gainful employment. After consultation with Chairman Jeffords, I have decided not to offer my bill as an amendment to the comprehensive job training bill before us, based on assurances that in Conference, he and Chairman DeWine will work with me to ensure that pre-vocational training is more accessible to individuals who are not prepared to fully benefit from the training and skills development provided in S. 1186. Mr. JEFFORDS. I thank my colleague from Pennsylvania for his work on job training and educational issues, both in this context, and as Chairman of the appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over such programs. I will endeavor to work with him on enhancing the issue of pre-vocational training in conference with the House and welcome his input on this critical issue. Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about S. 1186--the Workforce Investment Partnership Act and to applaud the Labor and Human Resources Committee for the bipartisan manner in which the legislation was developed. In the last Congress the opportunity for reform of employment and training programs was lost due to partisan bickering and the insistence on a reform structure which I believe jeopardized the investment in skills training--and in particular the investment in the retraining of dislocated workers. This bill builds on the success of the dislocated worker program and adds other elements which will improve the program. These include establishing One-Stop centers as the framework of the new workforce development system which will improve dislocated worker access to quality information and services, and the proposed skill grants--or Individual Training Account system--which will enable them to make informed choices about training opportunities with qualified vendors. Despite our improving economy, there are always workers who will lose jobs because of economic change. We owe these workers the tools to get back on their feet, through rapid response to plant closings and mass layoffs, job search assistance and retraining for new jobs. I am particularly pleased that this bill includes rapid response and labor- management committees which have been important tools under the current dislocated worker program. This program, where formula grants to states and localities are supplemented by National Reserve Account to allow the Secretary of Labor to respond to emergencies, has been successful in helping hundreds of thousands of workers each year to make mid- career changes. The current dislocated worker program served approximately 540,000 dislocated workers nationwide in the most recent year. Of those who completed the program during that year, 71 percent were employed when they left the program, earning on average 93 percent of their previous wages, and for workers who had received retraining, the wage replacement was 95 percent. The Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Labor conducted an audit of JTPA Title III retraining services to determine how successful retraining was in helping dislocated workers to return to work. The conclusion of the April 1995 report was: ``The purpose of Title III is to return dislocated workers to productive employment. In this context, the program was successful. Program participants were reemployed, remained in the workforce, and regained their prior earning power.'' In my own state of Washington, we have experienced layoffs in the timber and aerospace industries and the assistance provided by Title III of JTPA has been essential to meeting the needs of affected workers. The success of the program is illustrated by the experience of one dislocated worker, Mr. David Hamilton of Valley, Washington. He had a steady income working in the logging industry, but only for six to eight months each year. This created a difficult financial situation when employment was not available. In July 1995, he was laid off from Accord Logging. He decided to investigate career options in the cross-country truck driving field. He learned of the opportunities available through JTPA and began actively seeking financial assistance for training. With only a tenth grade education, his employment opportunities were limited. He knew that he needed a GED, but his assessment test also indicated a deficiency in basic math skills. With his unemployment benefits nearly exhausted, he held steadfastly to his hope of entering the truck driving industry. He pursued his education and training through the Colville Job Service JTPA Title III program. His determination to obtain a Commercial Drivers License increased as he passed his physical and Wonderlic tests (in lieu of a GED). He met the program qualifications for Title III funding and completed his training on February 23, 1997, with excellent grades. He was immediately placed with G & G Trucking and was driving cross-country the following Monday. G & G agreed to assist him with the financing needed to purchase a tractor. Within six months he became an owner-operator. As an owner- operator, he will earn between $12 and $18 per hour. He now has a reliable source of income and greater financial security. The success of Mr. Hamilton and other dislocated worker program participants is why I am so pleased that S. 1186 is designed to assure that funding for dislocated workers will be maintained. This is an important improvement over last year's bill and I thank the authors of S. 1186 for their attention to this critical item. Mr. President, I also ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record a letter from Mr. Rick Bender, President of Washington State's Labor Council. I have been working with Chairman Jeffords to address Title III in the bill which provided training funds only after labor consultations have been performed. I am hopeful that the Department will work with respective labor organizations to continue this successful communication. Washington State has developed a Community Based Rapid Response policy that quickly meets the various needs and concerns of dislocated workers. Mr. Bender has been at the forefront of this effort and provides a compelling argument to continue this consultation. There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Seattle, WA, March 25, 1998. Hon. Patty Murray, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Dear Senator Murray: The Workforce Investment Partnership Act (S. 1186) is ready to come to the floor of the US Senate for action. The Act, as written, is missing a crucial provision of benefit to Union members. The current JTPA Act provides that, ``. . . any program conducted with funds made available under Title III which will provide services to a substantial number of members of a labor organization will be established only after full consultation with such labor organization.'' (Sec. 311(b)(7)). This provision is ominously absent from the new bill. The new legislation will cause irreparable harm to our Union members who suffer layoff through plant closure due to the failure to require labor consultation when planning services for them. The language quoted above has enabled the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, to assist its affiliates in demanding appropriate levels of service for their members who are facing long term layoff. The ability to demand that funding be pulled from bad [[Page S4258]] retraining programs has been key to the success of Labor's active participation in workforce employment and training programs in Washington State. The Washington State Labor Council presently operates a contract with Washington State Employment Security to provide Rapid Response services to our union members whose plant(s) may be closing or downsizing. By actively invoking this language, we make the workforce development system move towards a customized approach toward service and training design, which takes the needs of working men and women and their families into account. Without this language in the bill service and training design will take the convenience of service agencies into account, not our members' needs. Any assistance you can provide to insert this crucial provision into S. 1186, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act, will be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Rick S. Bender, President. Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I rise today to add my voice to the bipartisan chorus in support of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. I commend the sponsors for their excellent work. Senators Jeffords, DeWine, Kennedy, and Wellstone have done an outstanding job of crafting legislation that is long overdue. For too long American workers have had to struggle through a complex system of dozens of different job training and educational programs to get the skills they needed to enter, or reenter the job market. Today, the Senate takes concrete steps to streamline the current system so that getting the help they need will be easier for the workers of America. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act simplifies the search for a job by encouraging communities to establish a ``one stop shopping'' location. Localities will have one location where an individual can go to get help finding a job or search out skill training opportunities. At this location all of the options will be laid out, and the choice will be up to the worker. Inherent in this idea is that there will be no wrong door. No longer will a person be told, ``We can't help you here because you don't qualify for these programs. Maybe they can help you down the hall.'' That sort of bureaucratic run around results in inefficiency and frustrates the very people we are trying to help. This job training reform bill focuses on shifting power back to the states and local communities. Government, business, labor, and community groups will collaborate on strategies that fit the economic situation of the individual state and locality. The Senate version of this bill also takes the important step of allowing states to keep reforms they have made that are working. Wisconsin has made many changes to its job training system on its own initiative that have been ground- breaking and very successful. I am pleased the Committee recognizes that there is no need to replace programs that are already doing the job and meeting the goals set forth in this legislation. I am also pleased we maintain our commitment to helping at risk youth. This bill ensures that providing opportunities for kids on the edge will continue, and that the funds will move quickly to those who need it most. I hope that the Conference Committee can quickly complete its work so that the $250 million set aside in last year's budget for Out-of-School Youth will become available before the July 1 deadline. These kids need our help to become productive citizens and contribute to society. If Congress fails to complete action before July 1, these young people will be forced to wait even longer for our support. In today's global economy, our people are our greatest resource. With the rise in information and technology, the nations that are the most creative, most innovative, and most inventive will have the edge. The United States currently has the lead in these sectors and this bill will help our people maintain their advantage through continuing their education and updating their skills. Our nation's continued prosperity, and the prosperity of our workers, hinges on a well-trained workforce. This bill helps ensure that our current economic growth will continue into the future and be shared by all Americans. Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I rise in support of S. 1579, the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, of which I am proud to be an original co-sponsor. I would like to commend Senators Jeffords, DeWine, Kennedy, and Wellstone, for making reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act a priority, and for including this legislation as an amendment to the Workforce legislation. The State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program provides $2.2 billion in formula grant assistance to States to help individuals with disabilities prepare for and engage in gainful employment. Since established by the Smith-Fess act 75 years ago, state vocational rehabilitation programs have served some nine million people. This program promotes economic independence for people with disabilities, and the numbers reflect that. In 1992, Congress made major changes to the Act, namely, increasing consumer participation, streamlining processes, and reducing unnecessary paperwork. In the bill before us today, we have built on the '92 amendments. The bill preserves and strengthens the themes of the '92 amendments, while fine-tuning and aligning the Act with other workforce reforms. The Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 strengthen the role of the consumer throughout the vocational rehabilitation process, particularly in the development of the individual's employment plan. This reauthorization reduces unnecessary burdens on State VR agencies by streamlining the State plan; indeed, the bill reduces the 36 State plan requirements in current law to 24. The bill also refocuses the State plan on improving outcomes for individuals with disabilities by requiring States to develop, jointly with the State Rehabilitation Council, annual goals and strategies for improving results. Access of Social Security beneficiaries to VR services is facilitated, and unnecessary gatekeeping is eliminated, by making SSI and SSDI beneficiaries presumptively eligible for services under the VR States Grants program. This change will eliminate the need for the VR agency to determine on a case-by-case basis whether individuals ``require'' VR services in order to gain employment. Under this bill, if a person receiving SSI or SSDI walks through the door of a VR agency, that person will be presumed eligible for VR services. As the Administrator of the Iowa VR agency explained to me, ``now we don't have to spend time and money determining whether an individual on SSI or SSDI is eligible for services. Instead, we can focus our resources where they should be focused--on assisting our consumers in obtaining employment.'' Of particular interest to me and to Senator Dodd are the changes to Section 508 of the Act, which pertain to electronic and information technology accessibility. This section will make it easier for individuals with disabilities who are federal employees to obtain the assistive technology they need in order to do their jobs. Finally, this bill widens employment opportunities for people with disabilities by establishing linkages with larger statewide workforce systems. I would like to point out, however, as Senators Jeffords, DeWine, and Kennedy already have, that vocational rehabilitation agencies will not be required to spend any of their federal allotment on activities other than those that help provide jobs for people with disabilities. In sum, the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 bring us closer to the goal of fostering independence for people with disabilities by providing them with the services they need in order to enter the workforce. I would like to thank Senators DeWine, Jeffords, Kennedy, Wellstone, and Dodd, and the Clinton Administration, for their leadership in developing this bill in a bipartisan manner. I also would like to commend all the staff members who worked on this bill. Without their tireless efforts, we would never have been able to bring this important reauthorization to the floor. Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I share the widespread support for this important legislation. This bill would consolidate and reauthorize job training and vocational education programs. This bill enables states to create a unified plan for all social services related to job training and vocational and adult education. Job training and vocational education are vital programs which prepare individuals to compete in today's changing global economy. An estimated 346,000 high-tech jobs are going [[Page S4259]] unfilled nationwide. The increasing shortage of highly trained workers threatens our nation's economic growth and our productivity. This measure will help address these short-comings and prepare more of America's workers, and thus America's businesses, for the Twenty-first century. We live in a capitalist society with a free market economy. Employers seek to hire the best qualified job candidates. S. 1186 simply provides a means to help individuals acquire the skills necessary to compete. The acquisition of these skills will best help individuals thrive as our economy continues to grow. Too many of our citizens have been left behind the growing economy of the past years, and this measure will help them keep up with the new economy. I believe that S. 1186 also supports our commitment to move individuals from welfare to work. Job training prepares individuals to compete in the marketplace, and remain free from government assistance. For all of the foregoing reasons, I support this bill. One important part of this legislation is the reauthorization of the programs under the Carl D. Perkins Vocation and Applied Technology Education Act. I have heard from constituents across my state that these programs are a very critical component of our vocational and technical education system. As we in the Congress work to help our nation prepare for the Twenty- first century, there are few challenges more fundamental to our success than ensuring that our work force has the education and training necessary to compete in the global economy. More and more jobs require technical skills, training that is not offered in our traditional four- year colleges. Our vocational and technical schools, accordingly, are absolutely essential for the students and workers of today. Technical skills lead to higher wages for workers and more competitive businesses. That is why the federal-state-local partnership for vocational and technical education, which has been very successful to date, must be continued. The highest priority for the moment is to get the reauthorization of the Perkins Act programs through the Senate and into conference. The legislative session this year is very short, and we cannot afford to delay passage of this bill any further. That said, however, there are a number of provisions of this bill which need improvement. Foremost among the needed changes, in my view, is that the Senate should accept what the House has proposed in terms of a separate bill for vocational-technical education. This difference is very crucial, for it is essential to preserve the independent mission and funding stream for vocational education. For some time, it appeared that the Senate bill was headed in the wrong direction, removing the separate designation for vocational and technical education and placing these programs into the mix of the overhaul of our job training and retraining programs. That would have been a serious mistake, and I am pleased with the improvements that the managers of this bill have agreed to offer to this legislation. Among the expected changes is an assurance that funding appropriated for vocational-technical education programs will be directed to school- based programs and not diverted to other areas. Additionally, the amendment is expected to ensure that governance for vocational education will remain at the state and local level, and that a strong focus will remain on professional development for teachers and administrators. The House, on the other hand, has proposed a separate legislative authorization for the Perkins Act programs. Despite the forthcoming changes to the Senate bill, I urge the Senate conferees to accept the position of the House with respect to reauthorization. Today, however, I believe that we should send this bill to the conference committee, where I hope that the remaining issues can be resolved, and I urge my colleagues to join me in passing this bill as expeditiously as possible. Workforce Investment Partnership Act Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, the time has come for the Senate to take appropriate steps to ensure that our work force is equipped to meet the challenges we will face in the next century. Today, high-skill, high- wage jobs are being created faster than they can be filled. This is not because of a labor shortage. Instead we are suffering from a ``skill shortage.'' Not enough workers in this country possess the skills necessary to fill these jobs. In order to keep our economy strong and growing, our people must receive the education and training they need to become productive employees in the 21st century. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act of 1997 (WIPA) is the first step in providing the education and training job seekers need to compete for high-wage jobs. This bill would consolidate many narrowly- focused federal vocational education, adult education and job training programs that currently provide a disjointed approach to job training and job placement. Through the establishment of ``one-stop'' customer service centers, job seekers will have a central point of entry to job training programs. These one-stop centers will also offer ``individual training accounts'' allowing job seekers to choose their preferred type of education and job training programs to better accommodate their individual skills or interests. Finally, one-stop centers will provide applicants and employers alike with a centralized source of information about training and employment opportunities available in the area. WIPA's goal of streamlining our many training programs bears great similarity to legislation I introduced in January, 1997, called the Working Americans Opportunity Act. Reforming and improving our nation's job training system has long been a Democratic priority. I am glad to see strong, bipartisan support for WIPA and look forward to working with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to enact this important legislation. The passage of this legislation is of particular importance to the people of South Dakota, where we have recently experienced large scale layoffs in Huron with the closing of the Dakota Pork processing plant, and in Lead with cutbacks at the Homestake Gold mine. People in my home state have been drastically affected by these layoffs. It is my hope that these programs will enable them to receive the training they need to compete for the high-wage jobs of tomorrow. I believe it is very important that any investment we make in education and training produces positive, measurable results. That's why I am pleased this bill ensures that each training provider and agency administering state and local programs is held to a higher level of accountability than in the past. These agencies will be responsible for monitoring and reporting job placement, job retention and average earnings for program graduates. If a program is not performing up to acceptable standards, it will no longer be eligible to receive public funding. It is of particular importance that we act quickly on this bill. Unless it is signed into law by June 1, the Department of Labor will not be able to implement Youth Opportunity Grants. This grant program invests money in poverty-stricken areas to help youth who have left school to get year-round jobs. Appropriations for these grants are contingent on the authorization of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. This worthwhile program deserves a chance to be implemented as it was intended. By working in a bipartisan way to reform vocational education and job training programs, I believe that we can, during this Congress, create opportunities for American workers that will help to keep our economy strong for the next century. Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I rise to offer my support for HR 1385, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. This bill is the result of several years of hard work and bipartisan cooperation by Congress on behalf of our nation's workforce and employers. Our present job training system has become overly bureaucratic, fragmented and duplicative without adequate accountability or assessment measures. Currently, the federal government administers 163 separate programs, scattered across 15 agencies, at a cost of more than $20 billion a year. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act addresses these problems by c

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WORKFORCE INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP ACT OF 1997


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WORKFORCE INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP ACT OF 1997
(Senate - May 05, 1998)

Text of this article available as: TXT PDF [Pages S4252-S4349] WORKFORCE INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP ACT OF 1997 The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will now proceed to the consideration of H.R. 1385, which the clerk will report. The legislative clerk read as follows: A bill (H.R. 1385) to consolidate, coordinate, and improve employment, training, literacy, and vocational rehabilitation programs in the United States, and for other purposes. The Senate resumed consideration of the bill. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will now be 60 minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form for closing remarks prior to final passage. Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, first I yield to the Senator from Minnesota for a unanimous consent request. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. Privilege of the Floor Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Jana O'Leary, who is an intern in my office, [[Page S4253]] be allowed to be in the Chamber for the duration of this debate. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Mr. WELLSTONE. I thank the Chair. Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, the Senate is resuming consideration of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act, S. 1186. This legislation incorporates job training, vocational education, and adult education. Last Friday, the Senate began debate on S. 1186. Amendments by Senators DeWine, Domenici, Lautenberg, and Ashcroft were adopted and made a part of this substitute. We have only today to have the final vote on the legislation, and we have 1 hour equally divided for that purpose. The legislation before this body today is one of the most important proposals we will consider this year. S. 1186 proposes a streamlined, practical, business-oriented approach to job training which empowers States with the ability to transform the current patchwork of programs into a comprehensive system. The purpose of this bill is to better coordinate and to consolidate in certain circumstances 90 federally funded programs and promote joint partnerships between education leaders in the business community in developing a workforce development system that is first rate. Perhaps the best illustration of why we need to revamp our workforce system can be clearly seen on a weekly basis in the want-ad sections of the newspapers throughout the Nation. There are presently 190,000 unfilled positions in the technology field. The reason for the difficulty in filling these positions is not because of low unemployment numbers but because of the lack of skilled workers. Many of these jobs do not require 4 years plus postsecondary education. In fact, if we had the proper high school vocational education system, these could be filled by students graduating from high school. They require an excellent vocational education system and the ability to pursue technical education following high school graduation or receive this education as high school students. One of the most fascinating facts to come out of the Senate Labor Committee's hearings on the workforce is that Malaysia has replicated our tech-prep model. In other words, we have presently a model system with a few schools using it which, if duplicated throughout this country, could provide us with what we need today. The unusual thing is that in this country it takes us a long time to replicate anything through our school systems. Malaysia came over here, studied our Tech- Prep Program, and went back to Malaysia and implemented it overnight-- again, moving them into a position to improve their competitiveness and perhaps exceed our own competitiveness. That is the kind of challenge we have now had delivered to us by our competitors in the international markets. It is up to us to take the steps necessary to ensure that we can meet the international competition which we are facing and not have 190,000 jobs out there begging because we cannot provide the skilled workforce. Fifteen years ago, ``A Nation At Risk'' was published and warned us about this problem. This report posed the question as to whether the United States would have an adequately trained workforce to meet the global challenges of the 21st century. Fifteen years later, here is what we have. According to the latest census information, 22 percent of the population in the United States aged 25 and over have completed less than 12 years of schooling. These are the kinds of problems with which we are faced. A most recent national adult literacy survey indicated that 44 million adults have literacy difficulty. This means that over 20 percent of adults in this country have trouble using reading, writing, and computation skills to say nothing of qualifying for jobs that are available, for which we should have the workforce. The same is true in my State of Vermont. All States have this very serious problem. With the statistics I just mentioned, the United States is still the most productive country in the world, but we are losing our edge to other industrialized nations such as Japan and Germany as well as other rapidly developing countries such as Taiwan, Korea, and China. Recent international exams have demonstrated that notwithstanding this warning we had 15 years ago, we have not made significant headway in being able to meet the challenge of that competition and to provide the workforce for those 190,000 jobs that are going begging right now. Over the past 25 years, the standard of living for those Americans without a 4-year postsecondary degree has plunged. In the next decade, we are in danger of being surpassed as the world's foremost economic power if we do not begin to redefine our priorities at the national, State, and local levels. This is an excellent bill, Mr. President. Senator DeWine, my good friend from Ohio, who was in charge of the subcommittee that developed this bill, along with Senator Wellstone, has produced a wonderful bill. It is going to do a great deal to bring us forward as we face the problems of the Nation and the problems of our national competitiveness. Mr. President, at this point I will be happy to yield the floor. Senator Wellstone, I believe, desires to be heard. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I yield 5 minutes to my colleague, Senator Kerrey, from Nebraska. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska. Mr. KERREY. I thank the Senator from Minnesota. Mr. President, I rise in support of S. 1186, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. This is an initiative that I have been involved with since my days as Governor of Nebraska from 1983 to 1987, and it is something I am proud to see come to fruition in the Senate. All of us understand that in today's global economy, this kind of legislation represents an important step in helping individual Americans achieve their shot at the American dream. One of the most satisfying efforts for me is to help, as a public official, some individual acquire the skills they need to earn a good wage so that they can support themselves and their families. Investments such as vocational education, job training, and adult education play a major role in this effort. But in order to be more effective, these programs need to be streamlined and coordinated in such a way that they work together to provide individuals the information and resources they need to be successful in a job market that demands an increasingly higher skill level. In 1994, along with Senator Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas, I introduced legislation to consolidate 91 job training programs into a single authorization called the Workforce Development Act. The bill also sought to reconnect job training, training-related education, and actual jobs. It also provided States greater flexibility in designing job training systems. Mr. President, I take great pleasure and am pleased that these concepts represented in this legislation are also incorporated into S. 1186. S. 1186 also encourages statewide partnerships consisting of the business community, the education community, the Governor, and local and State elected officials. A key responsibility in this partnership is the development of a State plan. The legislation also encourages one-stop customer service centers which will provide a central point of entry to job training programs. In the last few years in my State of Nebraska, Congress has increased its commitment to preparing individuals for the workforce. We have seen in our State an increase in Federal funding for job training of approximately $1.5 million since 1996; for vocational education, we have seen an increase of about $700,000; and for adult education, about $460,000. Mr. President, I would like to call this to the attention of my colleagues. I suspect, if they are like me, sometimes these program names get confusing, and I wonder whether or not they have any impact. In Nebraska, the $6.276 million allocation of Federal job training funds in 1997 provided 4,000 of my citizens with the skills they need to become more productive and to earn a higher living and satisfy the market demand, as the Senator from Vermont identified. There are many jobs out there that are unfilled simply because we cannot find people with skills. Mr. President, 4,000 of those jobs were filled; 4,000 of those people are happier. [[Page S4254]] In addition, vocational and applied technology education grants assisted 70,000 secondary students and 47,800 post-secondary students who now have higher skills, a technical education they otherwise would not have had. They are going to get a shot at the American dream. They are going to be happier. They are going to be healthier. As I said, there are very few things that are more gratifying than having an individual say to you, ``Thank you for helping me get a shot at the American dream,'' and 17,340 adults in a single year were assisted in my State as a consequence of the $1.7 million in addition education. This is an investment with an excellent return. The legislation will not only help more individuals achieve the American dream but will also help our Nation become the best educated, most productive country in the world as we enter the 21st century. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act represents a good bipartisan effort to increase opportunities for American citizens. I look forward to seeing it move through Congress, and I congratulate and thank sincerely the distinguished chairman of the committee, Senator Jeffords of Vermont, and the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, Senator Wellstone, as well as the chairman of the subcommittee, Senator DeWine. On behalf of the tens of thousands of Nebraskans who will receive the benefits of this program, I thank you. Mr. WELLSTONE addressed the Chair. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I ask if, after 10 minutes, I might be so notified? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator will be notified. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, first of all, let me thank Chairman Jeffords for his leadership. He had a lot to do with this piece of legislation. We did a lot of work on the Subcommittee on Employment and Training, but Senator Jeffords and Senator Kennedy were absolutely critical to bringing this piece of legislation finally to the floor and keeping all of us together. Senator DeWine--it was really a labor of love working with him. He has just put all of himself into this piece of legislation. He has done a great job. I would also like to thank a couple of other people: On Senator Kennedy's staff, Jeff Teitz, who is out on the floor with me today, for his work, and Brian Ahlberg who works with me and has put hundreds of hours into this, as have a number of other very talented people. I am not going to go into all of the specific provisions. I really want to take some time to thank some people who helped out. But let me just say, S. 1186, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act, is an important piece of legislation. The President correctly observed that the bill is ``essential to widening the circle of opportunity for more Americans and keeping our economy growing steady and strong.'' My concern all along has been that over the past couple of years there has been some discussion about cutting funding for job training programs. That would be the worst thing in the world for us to do. I think what we have now done, in a bipartisan way, is we brought people together around to job training that really takes root at the community level. We are talking about a program that is more streamlined. We decentralize it. There are accountable job performance measures, as there should be. The Governors have a key role to play, but they are in partnership with local communities. And at local levels of government, whether they be county or city, you have key decisionmakers as well. The private sector is an essential part of this, as should be the case, because a lot of these jobs that will be created will be in the private sector. We are talking about, you know, that goal that I think is the most important goal for most families in our country, which is to earn a decent living and to be able to raise your children successfully. This is all about doing that. In addition, we have kept separate funding for adults and youth and dislocated workers. We don't have a straight block grant program; we keep our priorities at the national level. I think we should do that. The out-of-school youth initiative is extremely important, targeting funds to youth in high-poverty areas, both urban and rural. Please colleagues--and I don't think too many colleagues make this mistake, but quite often when we talk about ``youth'' or ``lack of jobs'' or ``young people dropping out of schools'' or ``inadequate housing'' or ``inadequate education'' or ``affordable child care'' or ``affordable health care,'' we think about these issues as urban issues. These issues are every bit as important to rural America. The problems are more hidden but they are no less real. The nice thing about the out-of- school initiative is that it is already paid for. Congress has already provided $250 million in an advance appropriation. I want to take special note of the contribution of Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, who testified at one of our subcommittee hearings. I want to also take note of our important national job training programs that we have renewed. The Job Corps Program, we have the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center in Saint Paul, which is one of the best performing centers in the country. Last year, we had Ralph DiBattista and Dave McKenzie, the current director--Ralph was a former director--at a hearing on youth training. They were joined by Susan Lees, who is an impressive young trainee at the center, on her way to becoming an auto technician at the Ford dealership. The bill also renews current Native American programs and migrant and seasonal farm worker programs. And finally the veterans program--I want to say to the veterans community, we heard from you loud and clear. You wanted to have a separate focus on veterans programs, a separate funding stream. We have some additional provisions by way of eligibility to make sure that gulf war veterans, some of whom are really struggling, will be well served; as well as homeless veterans. We have also built into this bill the continuation of Concentrated Employment Programs, rural CEPs. That is to say, in rural areas where there is high concentration of unemployment and poverty, we have a special focus to make sure the job training is out there. I think--and many colleagues have worked on this but I get to say it on the floor of the Senate, with some pride--this is a very Minnesota- like program. The one-stop centers, we have been doing that in our State. The idea of decentralization, of trying to build good partnerships between the Governor and the local community, trying to build good partnerships between the public and private sector with a focus on good job training, good skills development, and job opportunities for people. Job opportunities for people--I can't really think of anything more important for us to be focusing our attention on. So, I want to make it very clear that I am very, very proud of this piece of legislation. I thank my colleagues again--Senator DeWine, Senator Jeffords, and Senator Kennedy as well. Mr. President, how much time do I have left? The PRESIDING OFFICER. There are 18 minutes remaining to the Senator from Minnesota, 23 minutes to the Senator from Vermont. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I don't see other Senators on the floor right now. I might just highlight some amendments to this piece of legislation, to make maximum use of time. There are five amendments to the bill which we have agreed to accept. The first is one by Mr. DeWine. It is the vocational rehabilitation bill. It is extremely important. I think what Senator DeWine has done is basically provided a set of improvements to this piece of legislation. It is an amendment that I strongly support. There is an amendment by Senator Lautenberg which gives units of local government which are currently service delivery areas under the Job Training Partnership Act, and which have a population of 200,000 or more, an automatic right to appeal to the Secretary of Labor a decision by a Governor not to continue that area as an SDA. That also is an amendment which I support. There are two other amendments by Senator Ashcroft which I will my colleague, the chairman, Senator Jeffords, to speak to if he chooses. Mr. JEFFORDS. On my time, I will. Mr. WELLSTONE. I won't use anymore time. I yield the floor. [[Page S4255]] The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time? Mr. JEFFORDS addressed the Chair. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont. Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. President, let me just make a few more comments. I believe Senator DeWine will be here shortly. As was pointed out, there are three bills which are combined in this bill, and I want to talk a little bit about vocational rehabilitation. It is extremely important that as we move forward, we do more and more for our disabled community to give them every possible opportunity to compete for jobs and to demonstrate their capacity to help our Nation's workforce. We place these programs together, although we maintain separate streams of funding to ensure that each of these programs in adult education, vocational education, job training, and vocational rehabilitation will not feel at all threatened that money will be taken from them. It is important at the same time that we recognize the great capacity of people with disabilities to come into the workforce if they are given the opportunity. By placing them in the same bill, it is important to demonstrate that they are ready and willing to take advantage of the opportunities in the workforce in many places which they have been denied. Also, as I mentioned earlier in my statement, the problems we have with the adult workforce is literacy, to a large extent. As the demands become higher and greater on our workforce, we are recognizing that we need more people to move into the workforce to take the jobs that are available. Thus, it is incredibly important that we coordinate adult education along with vocational education. That is the purpose of this bill, to get everybody to work together to improve the workforce of this Nation to meet the competition of nations overseas. While I am pleased with the progress we have made, I believe that we have moved forward on this bill to do everything possible we can to make ourselves more competitive. I will now talk a little bit about a report released by the National Center for Research and Vocational Education which gave a good overview of training in European nations. I think it is important that my colleagues understand the kind of competition we are getting in Europe, and I will say the same is true and maybe even more so in Asia. This report highlights the importance of a cohesive partnership between educators and employers. Employers in Europe are active participants in the governance of work-related education and training in Australia, Great Britain, France and Germany. Another significant finding of the report is that European nations, such as the Netherlands and Denmark, are attempting to develop a technical education system which can survive as either a bridge to additional vocational training or pursuing college-level courses. Although we are not Europe, we are beginning to make some progress. With the passage of S. 1186, that progress will only continue to grow. I am also hopeful that passage of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act will eliminate many of the misconceptions that exist regarding vocational education, adult education and training. Some perceive vocational education as a second-rate education for students who cannot otherwise succeed in the so-called traditional academic path. Nothing--and I say nothing--could be further from the truth. In fact, the opposite in many cases is the situation now. Vocational education courses hold appeal for all students. In my home State of Vermont, over 4,500 students participate in vocational education courses of which 12 percent are adults. A strong technical education system is the best kind of training. As has been pointed out, as we move forward in our lives, the need for vocational education or skills training is going to increase. We are going to change jobs five, six, seven times during our lives as we move into the next century, and we are going to need training continuously. The same is true now with our society. However, we just do not have the appropriate training available. We need to coordinate, we need to get together and figure out how we can provide the skills that are necessary. If employment and training programs are to succeed, a simple, integrated workforce development system must be established that gives States, local communities, employers and students both the assistance and the incentives to participate in our global economy. S. 1186 is a good step in responding to this need. I urge my colleagues to support the passage of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. Before turning to others who may want to speak on this legislation, I again thank my colleagues and coauthors of the bill, in particular Senators Kennedy, DeWine and Wellstone. In particular, I thank the Employment and Training Subcommittee chaired by Senator DeWine, who has done an outstanding job in putting together this bill. Senator Wellstone, the Employment and Training Subcommittee ranking member, has also done a tremendous job in drafting key provisions of this bill. Senator Kennedy and I have been working for many years on this effort, and we are pleased to have Senators DeWine and Wellstone as our partners. I also thank the staff of Senators Wellstone, Kennedy and DeWine, and the staff of the Congressional Research Service and legislative counsel have worked tirelessly on this bill. In addition, I also thank the administration for their hard work. The business community led by the National Alliance for Business, the Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers are also to be commended for their efforts and for their support. I express my appreciation to the Chief State School Officers and other educational organizations who offered constructive comments during the drafting of S. 1186. Most of all, I thank my home State of Vermont for serving as an inspiration for this legislation. Almost 1 year ago, I held a hearing in Vermont on workforce development. Over 100 Vermonters attended and offered various perspectives which have been incorporated in this bill. Also, I thank the State of Mississippi. I went down to the State of Mississippi and found that they had one of the most innovative vocational education systems that I have had the chance to observe. They are dedicated there and doing a fine job. In fact, I noted that their unemployment rate was going down, even though they were losing hundreds of jobs to Mexico. Why? Because of the business community seeing the state of their vocational training and their ability to train for the skills necessary for the jobs that are locating in Mississippi. Thus, they are losing low-wage jobs and replacing them with high-wage jobs. We have, therefore, taken a close look at the Mississippi system and have made sure our bill models their initiative. So I commend those in other States and certainly my own State of Vermont which I mentioned, who have tried to make efforts but they have been hindered to a certain extent by the problems with our present system, the inability to coordinate. This bill is designed to try and provide that coordination, to ensure that all of this country can move now to make sure that we are ready for the future. We established the goals to make sure by the next century we would have moved past our educational difficulties to the greatest extent possible, to make sure that our young people would be ready to enter the workforce, to make sure we provided them the skills not after high school but in high school, as well as to make sure this Nation would be competitive in the year ahead. I yield to my good friend, Senator DeWine, who deserves maximum credit from our side for his productive work in giving us a bill today which we can be proud of, which we can vote for with great confidence. We will improve this Nation's workforce. I yield to Senator DeWine. Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I thank Chairman Jeffords for the work he has done on this bill. It is a real bipartisan bill, as we have pointed out many times on this floor; Senator Wellstone, Senator Kennedy, Senator Jeffords, myself. It is a bill that will truly change the status quo, a bill that will really make a difference. [[Page S4256]] We will be voting on this bill in about half an hour. This legislation, S. 1186, will fundamentally reform our Nation's currently fragmented, duplicative and many times ineffective job training programs. I believe this bill will transform them into a coordinated, accountable, and flexible workforce investment system. Before the Senate votes, I want to spend a few minutes discussing the reasons why the Workforce Investment Partnership Act does enjoy such bipartisan support. One of the most historic, if not the most historic accomplishments of the 105th Congress was the legislation that revolutionized the American welfare system. In passing a bill to end welfare as we knew it, we were empowering the States and local communities to seek a better way to make work, not welfare, the way of life for millions of disadvantaged Americans. The bill we are considering this evening, S. 1186, is a very important extension of that basic welfare reform, continuing the devolution of Federal power to where it rightfully belongs--States, localities--and most importantly, the individuals who are voluntarily seeking training assistance. This bill, S. 1186, recognizes the leadership of States and localities which have show innovation and initiative over the last few years, even in the midst of many times onerous Federal barriers and obstacles. By eradicating outdated rules and regulations, we can remove the barriers that have stymied people in the past. We can empower States and local communities by giving them the tools, the tools and the flexibility that they need to implement real reform, reform that will allow them to provide truly comprehensive training services. This bill, S. 1186, also promotes free market competition. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act establishes an effective and accountable workforce development system, ensuring that training leads to meaningful, long-term employment. Under this bill, training services will be held accountable to high standards. This means they will have to prove training leads ultimately to meaningful, unsubsidized employment, showing how many people were placed, at what cost, and how many people remained employed 6 months, a year or 18 months later. That is true accountability. That is the true measure of whether job training works or does not work. Does the person have a job 6 months or 12 months later, and what kind of a job is it. S. 1186 also has bipartisan support because it eliminates government bureaucracy and promotes personal responsibility. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act would provide training assistance through individual training accounts or vouchers in order to allow the individual seeking assistance to have a say themselves about where, how and what training they will receive. These programs should be tailored to individual needs, not to Washington bureaucrats and what Washington bureaucrats think is best. This bill provides program coordination and simplification. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act incorporates nearly 70 categorical programs, eliminating numerous Federal requirements and mandatory set- asides. This bill authorizes and expands a modified work-flex program which allows States to approve requests for waivers of Federal statutory and regulatory requirements submitted by their local communities. The bill provides States with the option to submit a unified plan or a single-State plan for the numerous programs incorporated into the legislation. Further, this bill removes income eligibility requirements. States will be allowed to provide all adults who voluntarily seek assistance the comprehensive services available through the one-stop customer service system--services such as job search, placement assistance, skill assessment, and case management. Just like welfare reform, job training reform depends on participation of the business community, the local business community. This bill not only allows for business community involvement, but business community leadership, as well. The private sector must outline its employment needs and assist in the design of training programs so that individuals that receive training assistance obtain long-term, meaningful employment. To summarize, job training reform is needed. It is needed because we can no longer afford the Washington-knows-best attitude that created the current maze of training and related programs. With a few notable exceptions, the evidence on the one-size-fits-all approach reveals far more failures than successes. However, because of Congress' inability to enact reform in the past, States and localities have begun the task of creating their own comprehensive systems which meet the unique needs of their States and local communities. Frankly, they have been frustrated. They have been frustrated by the Federal laws and regulations which prevent them from developing more responsive and more effective workforce investment systems. This bill, the Workforce Investment Partnership act, is designed to reform the Federal Government's role in providing job training assistance to Americans. For too long, that role has been to foster confusion, frustration, and complication. With this bipartisan bill, we offer a new foundation and a positive framework for success. Instead of rules that tie the hands of States and localities, this bill provides the tools, the tools to empower them to develop comprehensive work force investment systems that address the needs of job seekers and employers alike. This morning's Cleveland Plain Dealer, in an editorial, I think, gets it exactly right. ``A Bill That Works. Consolidation could produce job- training programs that do their own jobs better.'' ``A Bill That Works.'' This bill is a road map, a road map to a better system. If we are to achieve the goals we have set--stronger economy, a better trained workforce, true and meaningful welfare reform--we need to begin that journey today. I want to thank all my colleagues who have worked so hard to pass this important bill. I also want to thank all the concerned individuals and groups who have offered their support, including the National Alliance of Business, City of New York, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Council of Chief State School Officers, Society for Human Resource Management, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Cleveland Growth Association, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Association of Private Industry Councils, the National Association of Counties, the American Vocational Association and the National Association of State Directors of Vocational Education Consortium. All of these groups have worked to put this bill together. We have a comprehensive bill that brings about the reform that we all need. In summary, we will be voting in a little over 20 minutes on a bill that will fundamentally reform job training in this country. This reform is long overdue. It is a reform that will bring about more accountability. We will be able to measure success and failure better. It is a bill that will give more authority to the local communities. It will be a bill that will empower the recipients to have more choices in regard to the job training that fits their needs. And it will work. It will work because we are incorporating, as never before, the local business community--not just in the implementation of the plan, but rather in the design of the plan. The one thing that we have seen as we have held hearings across this country, time and time and time again, is how important it is to include the local business community because, ultimately, they are the consumers, along with the people who need the jobs and the people who need the job training. They are all the consumers. It doesn't do any good to design a job training program and train someone for a job and that job does not exist in the local community. That is why the enclosure and inclusion of the business community, making them a part of this process from the very beginning, is such an essential part of this bill. Let me again thank Chairman Jeffords for his work on the bill, along with Senator Kennedy, Senator Wellstone, and the other members of the committee. This bill was passed out of our committee by a unanimous vote. Several of my colleagues have already noted on the floor that this is a committee that has a very wide divergence of points of view. This committee has many members that have opinions that many times do not always [[Page S4257]] agree. But the fact that we were able to pass this bill unanimously out of the committee, I think, shows its bipartisan support and also shows that the status quo was not acceptable, and this bill makes a significant change and improvement in that status quo. I yield the floor. PRE-VOCATIONAL TRAINING Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I have sought recognition to discuss the issue of pre-vocational training in the context of this legislation. In March, I introduced S. 1709, the Job Preparation and Retention Training Act of 1998, which would have authorized a new Labor Department program providing grants to community-based organizations which would provide essential pre-vocational training to individuals who have not successfully entered the workforce. In my floor remarks on March 4 upon introduction of S. 1709, I noted that one such community-based organization, Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America, Inc., has found that the average hourly wage of trainees prior to pre-vocational training was $3.70, but after such training, these same participants started earning an average of $8.00 an hour, with a placement rate of 85 percent into gainful employment. After consultation with Chairman Jeffords, I have decided not to offer my bill as an amendment to the comprehensive job training bill before us, based on assurances that in Conference, he and Chairman DeWine will work with me to ensure that pre-vocational training is more accessible to individuals who are not prepared to fully benefit from the training and skills development provided in S. 1186. Mr. JEFFORDS. I thank my colleague from Pennsylvania for his work on job training and educational issues, both in this context, and as Chairman of the appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over such programs. I will endeavor to work with him on enhancing the issue of pre-vocational training in conference with the House and welcome his input on this critical issue. Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about S. 1186--the Workforce Investment Partnership Act and to applaud the Labor and Human Resources Committee for the bipartisan manner in which the legislation was developed. In the last Congress the opportunity for reform of employment and training programs was lost due to partisan bickering and the insistence on a reform structure which I believe jeopardized the investment in skills training--and in particular the investment in the retraining of dislocated workers. This bill builds on the success of the dislocated worker program and adds other elements which will improve the program. These include establishing One-Stop centers as the framework of the new workforce development system which will improve dislocated worker access to quality information and services, and the proposed skill grants--or Individual Training Account system--which will enable them to make informed choices about training opportunities with qualified vendors. Despite our improving economy, there are always workers who will lose jobs because of economic change. We owe these workers the tools to get back on their feet, through rapid response to plant closings and mass layoffs, job search assistance and retraining for new jobs. I am particularly pleased that this bill includes rapid response and labor- management committees which have been important tools under the current dislocated worker program. This program, where formula grants to states and localities are supplemented by National Reserve Account to allow the Secretary of Labor to respond to emergencies, has been successful in helping hundreds of thousands of workers each year to make mid- career changes. The current dislocated worker program served approximately 540,000 dislocated workers nationwide in the most recent year. Of those who completed the program during that year, 71 percent were employed when they left the program, earning on average 93 percent of their previous wages, and for workers who had received retraining, the wage replacement was 95 percent. The Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Labor conducted an audit of JTPA Title III retraining services to determine how successful retraining was in helping dislocated workers to return to work. The conclusion of the April 1995 report was: ``The purpose of Title III is to return dislocated workers to productive employment. In this context, the program was successful. Program participants were reemployed, remained in the workforce, and regained their prior earning power.'' In my own state of Washington, we have experienced layoffs in the timber and aerospace industries and the assistance provided by Title III of JTPA has been essential to meeting the needs of affected workers. The success of the program is illustrated by the experience of one dislocated worker, Mr. David Hamilton of Valley, Washington. He had a steady income working in the logging industry, but only for six to eight months each year. This created a difficult financial situation when employment was not available. In July 1995, he was laid off from Accord Logging. He decided to investigate career options in the cross-country truck driving field. He learned of the opportunities available through JTPA and began actively seeking financial assistance for training. With only a tenth grade education, his employment opportunities were limited. He knew that he needed a GED, but his assessment test also indicated a deficiency in basic math skills. With his unemployment benefits nearly exhausted, he held steadfastly to his hope of entering the truck driving industry. He pursued his education and training through the Colville Job Service JTPA Title III program. His determination to obtain a Commercial Drivers License increased as he passed his physical and Wonderlic tests (in lieu of a GED). He met the program qualifications for Title III funding and completed his training on February 23, 1997, with excellent grades. He was immediately placed with G & G Trucking and was driving cross-country the following Monday. G & G agreed to assist him with the financing needed to purchase a tractor. Within six months he became an owner-operator. As an owner- operator, he will earn between $12 and $18 per hour. He now has a reliable source of income and greater financial security. The success of Mr. Hamilton and other dislocated worker program participants is why I am so pleased that S. 1186 is designed to assure that funding for dislocated workers will be maintained. This is an important improvement over last year's bill and I thank the authors of S. 1186 for their attention to this critical item. Mr. President, I also ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record a letter from Mr. Rick Bender, President of Washington State's Labor Council. I have been working with Chairman Jeffords to address Title III in the bill which provided training funds only after labor consultations have been performed. I am hopeful that the Department will work with respective labor organizations to continue this successful communication. Washington State has developed a Community Based Rapid Response policy that quickly meets the various needs and concerns of dislocated workers. Mr. Bender has been at the forefront of this effort and provides a compelling argument to continue this consultation. There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Seattle, WA, March 25, 1998. Hon. Patty Murray, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Dear Senator Murray: The Workforce Investment Partnership Act (S. 1186) is ready to come to the floor of the US Senate for action. The Act, as written, is missing a crucial provision of benefit to Union members. The current JTPA Act provides that, ``. . . any program conducted with funds made available under Title III which will provide services to a substantial number of members of a labor organization will be established only after full consultation with such labor organization.'' (Sec. 311(b)(7)). This provision is ominously absent from the new bill. The new legislation will cause irreparable harm to our Union members who suffer layoff through plant closure due to the failure to require labor consultation when planning services for them. The language quoted above has enabled the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, to assist its affiliates in demanding appropriate levels of service for their members who are facing long term layoff. The ability to demand that funding be pulled from bad [[Page S4258]] retraining programs has been key to the success of Labor's active participation in workforce employment and training programs in Washington State. The Washington State Labor Council presently operates a contract with Washington State Employment Security to provide Rapid Response services to our union members whose plant(s) may be closing or downsizing. By actively invoking this language, we make the workforce development system move towards a customized approach toward service and training design, which takes the needs of working men and women and their families into account. Without this language in the bill service and training design will take the convenience of service agencies into account, not our members' needs. Any assistance you can provide to insert this crucial provision into S. 1186, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act, will be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Rick S. Bender, President. Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I rise today to add my voice to the bipartisan chorus in support of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. I commend the sponsors for their excellent work. Senators Jeffords, DeWine, Kennedy, and Wellstone have done an outstanding job of crafting legislation that is long overdue. For too long American workers have had to struggle through a complex system of dozens of different job training and educational programs to get the skills they needed to enter, or reenter the job market. Today, the Senate takes concrete steps to streamline the current system so that getting the help they need will be easier for the workers of America. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act simplifies the search for a job by encouraging communities to establish a ``one stop shopping'' location. Localities will have one location where an individual can go to get help finding a job or search out skill training opportunities. At this location all of the options will be laid out, and the choice will be up to the worker. Inherent in this idea is that there will be no wrong door. No longer will a person be told, ``We can't help you here because you don't qualify for these programs. Maybe they can help you down the hall.'' That sort of bureaucratic run around results in inefficiency and frustrates the very people we are trying to help. This job training reform bill focuses on shifting power back to the states and local communities. Government, business, labor, and community groups will collaborate on strategies that fit the economic situation of the individual state and locality. The Senate version of this bill also takes the important step of allowing states to keep reforms they have made that are working. Wisconsin has made many changes to its job training system on its own initiative that have been ground- breaking and very successful. I am pleased the Committee recognizes that there is no need to replace programs that are already doing the job and meeting the goals set forth in this legislation. I am also pleased we maintain our commitment to helping at risk youth. This bill ensures that providing opportunities for kids on the edge will continue, and that the funds will move quickly to those who need it most. I hope that the Conference Committee can quickly complete its work so that the $250 million set aside in last year's budget for Out-of-School Youth will become available before the July 1 deadline. These kids need our help to become productive citizens and contribute to society. If Congress fails to complete action before July 1, these young people will be forced to wait even longer for our support. In today's global economy, our people are our greatest resource. With the rise in information and technology, the nations that are the most creative, most innovative, and most inventive will have the edge. The United States currently has the lead in these sectors and this bill will help our people maintain their advantage through continuing their education and updating their skills. Our nation's continued prosperity, and the prosperity of our workers, hinges on a well-trained workforce. This bill helps ensure that our current economic growth will continue into the future and be shared by all Americans. Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I rise in support of S. 1579, the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, of which I am proud to be an original co-sponsor. I would like to commend Senators Jeffords, DeWine, Kennedy, and Wellstone, for making reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act a priority, and for including this legislation as an amendment to the Workforce legislation. The State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program provides $2.2 billion in formula grant assistance to States to help individuals with disabilities prepare for and engage in gainful employment. Since established by the Smith-Fess act 75 years ago, state vocational rehabilitation programs have served some nine million people. This program promotes economic independence for people with disabilities, and the numbers reflect that. In 1992, Congress made major changes to the Act, namely, increasing consumer participation, streamlining processes, and reducing unnecessary paperwork. In the bill before us today, we have built on the '92 amendments. The bill preserves and strengthens the themes of the '92 amendments, while fine-tuning and aligning the Act with other workforce reforms. The Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 strengthen the role of the consumer throughout the vocational rehabilitation process, particularly in the development of the individual's employment plan. This reauthorization reduces unnecessary burdens on State VR agencies by streamlining the State plan; indeed, the bill reduces the 36 State plan requirements in current law to 24. The bill also refocuses the State plan on improving outcomes for individuals with disabilities by requiring States to develop, jointly with the State Rehabilitation Council, annual goals and strategies for improving results. Access of Social Security beneficiaries to VR services is facilitated, and unnecessary gatekeeping is eliminated, by making SSI and SSDI beneficiaries presumptively eligible for services under the VR States Grants program. This change will eliminate the need for the VR agency to determine on a case-by-case basis whether individuals ``require'' VR services in order to gain employment. Under this bill, if a person receiving SSI or SSDI walks through the door of a VR agency, that person will be presumed eligible for VR services. As the Administrator of the Iowa VR agency explained to me, ``now we don't have to spend time and money determining whether an individual on SSI or SSDI is eligible for services. Instead, we can focus our resources where they should be focused--on assisting our consumers in obtaining employment.'' Of particular interest to me and to Senator Dodd are the changes to Section 508 of the Act, which pertain to electronic and information technology accessibility. This section will make it easier for individuals with disabilities who are federal employees to obtain the assistive technology they need in order to do their jobs. Finally, this bill widens employment opportunities for people with disabilities by establishing linkages with larger statewide workforce systems. I would like to point out, however, as Senators Jeffords, DeWine, and Kennedy already have, that vocational rehabilitation agencies will not be required to spend any of their federal allotment on activities other than those that help provide jobs for people with disabilities. In sum, the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 bring us closer to the goal of fostering independence for people with disabilities by providing them with the services they need in order to enter the workforce. I would like to thank Senators DeWine, Jeffords, Kennedy, Wellstone, and Dodd, and the Clinton Administration, for their leadership in developing this bill in a bipartisan manner. I also would like to commend all the staff members who worked on this bill. Without their tireless efforts, we would never have been able to bring this important reauthorization to the floor. Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I share the widespread support for this important legislation. This bill would consolidate and reauthorize job training and vocational education programs. This bill enables states to create a unified plan for all social services related to job training and vocational and adult education. Job training and vocational education are vital programs which prepare individuals to compete in today's changing global economy. An estimated 346,000 high-tech jobs are going [[Page S4259]] unfilled nationwide. The increasing shortage of highly trained workers threatens our nation's economic growth and our productivity. This measure will help address these short-comings and prepare more of America's workers, and thus America's businesses, for the Twenty-first century. We live in a capitalist society with a free market economy. Employers seek to hire the best qualified job candidates. S. 1186 simply provides a means to help individuals acquire the skills necessary to compete. The acquisition of these skills will best help individuals thrive as our economy continues to grow. Too many of our citizens have been left behind the growing economy of the past years, and this measure will help them keep up with the new economy. I believe that S. 1186 also supports our commitment to move individuals from welfare to work. Job training prepares individuals to compete in the marketplace, and remain free from government assistance. For all of the foregoing reasons, I support this bill. One important part of this legislation is the reauthorization of the programs under the Carl D. Perkins Vocation and Applied Technology Education Act. I have heard from constituents across my state that these programs are a very critical component of our vocational and technical education system. As we in the Congress work to help our nation prepare for the Twenty- first century, there are few challenges more fundamental to our success than ensuring that our work force has the education and training necessary to compete in the global economy. More and more jobs require technical skills, training that is not offered in our traditional four- year colleges. Our vocational and technical schools, accordingly, are absolutely essential for the students and workers of today. Technical skills lead to higher wages for workers and more competitive businesses. That is why the federal-state-local partnership for vocational and technical education, which has been very successful to date, must be continued. The highest priority for the moment is to get the reauthorization of the Perkins Act programs through the Senate and into conference. The legislative session this year is very short, and we cannot afford to delay passage of this bill any further. That said, however, there are a number of provisions of this bill which need improvement. Foremost among the needed changes, in my view, is that the Senate should accept what the House has proposed in terms of a separate bill for vocational-technical education. This difference is very crucial, for it is essential to preserve the independent mission and funding stream for vocational education. For some time, it appeared that the Senate bill was headed in the wrong direction, removing the separate designation for vocational and technical education and placing these programs into the mix of the overhaul of our job training and retraining programs. That would have been a serious mistake, and I am pleased with the improvements that the managers of this bill have agreed to offer to this legislation. Among the expected changes is an assurance that funding appropriated for vocational-technical education programs will be directed to school- based programs and not diverted to other areas. Additionally, the amendment is expected to ensure that governance for vocational education will remain at the state and local level, and that a strong focus will remain on professional development for teachers and administrators. The House, on the other hand, has proposed a separate legislative authorization for the Perkins Act programs. Despite the forthcoming changes to the Senate bill, I urge the Senate conferees to accept the position of the House with respect to reauthorization. Today, however, I believe that we should send this bill to the conference committee, where I hope that the remaining issues can be resolved, and I urge my colleagues to join me in passing this bill as expeditiously as possible. Workforce Investment Partnership Act Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, the time has come for the Senate to take appropriate steps to ensure that our work force is equipped to meet the challenges we will face in the next century. Today, high-skill, high- wage jobs are being created faster than they can be filled. This is not because of a labor shortage. Instead we are suffering from a ``skill shortage.'' Not enough workers in this country possess the skills necessary to fill these jobs. In order to keep our economy strong and growing, our people must receive the education and training they need to become productive employees in the 21st century. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act of 1997 (WIPA) is the first step in providing the education and training job seekers need to compete for high-wage jobs. This bill would consolidate many narrowly- focused federal vocational education, adult education and job training programs that currently provide a disjointed approach to job training and job placement. Through the establishment of ``one-stop'' customer service centers, job seekers will have a central point of entry to job training programs. These one-stop centers will also offer ``individual training accounts'' allowing job seekers to choose their preferred type of education and job training programs to better accommodate their individual skills or interests. Finally, one-stop centers will provide applicants and employers alike with a centralized source of information about training and employment opportunities available in the area. WIPA's goal of streamlining our many training programs bears great similarity to legislation I introduced in January, 1997, called the Working Americans Opportunity Act. Reforming and improving our nation's job training system has long been a Democratic priority. I am glad to see strong, bipartisan support for WIPA and look forward to working with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to enact this important legislation. The passage of this legislation is of particular importance to the people of South Dakota, where we have recently experienced large scale layoffs in Huron with the closing of the Dakota Pork processing plant, and in Lead with cutbacks at the Homestake Gold mine. People in my home state have been drastically affected by these layoffs. It is my hope that these programs will enable them to receive the training they need to compete for the high-wage jobs of tomorrow. I believe it is very important that any investment we make in education and training produces positive, measurable results. That's why I am pleased this bill ensures that each training provider and agency administering state and local programs is held to a higher level of accountability than in the past. These agencies will be responsible for monitoring and reporting job placement, job retention and average earnings for program graduates. If a program is not performing up to acceptable standards, it will no longer be eligible to receive public funding. It is of particular importance that we act quickly on this bill. Unless it is signed into law by June 1, the Department of Labor will not be able to implement Youth Opportunity Grants. This grant program invests money in poverty-stricken areas to help youth who have left school to get year-round jobs. Appropriations for these grants are contingent on the authorization of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. This worthwhile program deserves a chance to be implemented as it was intended. By working in a bipartisan way to reform vocational education and job training programs, I believe that we can, during this Congress, create opportunities for American workers that will help to keep our economy strong for the next century. Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I rise to offer my support for HR 1385, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. This bill is the result of several years of hard work and bipartisan cooperation by Congress on behalf of our nation's workforce and employers. Our present job training system has become overly bureaucratic, fragmented and duplicative without adequate accountability or assessment measures. Currently, the federal government administers 163 separate programs, scattered across 15 agencies, at a cost of more than $20 billion a year. The Workforce Investment Partnership Ac

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WORKFORCE INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP ACT OF 1997
(Senate - May 05, 1998)

Text of this article available as: TXT PDF [Pages S4252-S4349] WORKFORCE INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP ACT OF 1997 The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will now proceed to the consideration of H.R. 1385, which the clerk will report. The legislative clerk read as follows: A bill (H.R. 1385) to consolidate, coordinate, and improve employment, training, literacy, and vocational rehabilitation programs in the United States, and for other purposes. The Senate resumed consideration of the bill. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will now be 60 minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form for closing remarks prior to final passage. Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, first I yield to the Senator from Minnesota for a unanimous consent request. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. Privilege of the Floor Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Jana O'Leary, who is an intern in my office, [[Page S4253]] be allowed to be in the Chamber for the duration of this debate. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Mr. WELLSTONE. I thank the Chair. Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, the Senate is resuming consideration of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act, S. 1186. This legislation incorporates job training, vocational education, and adult education. Last Friday, the Senate began debate on S. 1186. Amendments by Senators DeWine, Domenici, Lautenberg, and Ashcroft were adopted and made a part of this substitute. We have only today to have the final vote on the legislation, and we have 1 hour equally divided for that purpose. The legislation before this body today is one of the most important proposals we will consider this year. S. 1186 proposes a streamlined, practical, business-oriented approach to job training which empowers States with the ability to transform the current patchwork of programs into a comprehensive system. The purpose of this bill is to better coordinate and to consolidate in certain circumstances 90 federally funded programs and promote joint partnerships between education leaders in the business community in developing a workforce development system that is first rate. Perhaps the best illustration of why we need to revamp our workforce system can be clearly seen on a weekly basis in the want-ad sections of the newspapers throughout the Nation. There are presently 190,000 unfilled positions in the technology field. The reason for the difficulty in filling these positions is not because of low unemployment numbers but because of the lack of skilled workers. Many of these jobs do not require 4 years plus postsecondary education. In fact, if we had the proper high school vocational education system, these could be filled by students graduating from high school. They require an excellent vocational education system and the ability to pursue technical education following high school graduation or receive this education as high school students. One of the most fascinating facts to come out of the Senate Labor Committee's hearings on the workforce is that Malaysia has replicated our tech-prep model. In other words, we have presently a model system with a few schools using it which, if duplicated throughout this country, could provide us with what we need today. The unusual thing is that in this country it takes us a long time to replicate anything through our school systems. Malaysia came over here, studied our Tech- Prep Program, and went back to Malaysia and implemented it overnight-- again, moving them into a position to improve their competitiveness and perhaps exceed our own competitiveness. That is the kind of challenge we have now had delivered to us by our competitors in the international markets. It is up to us to take the steps necessary to ensure that we can meet the international competition which we are facing and not have 190,000 jobs out there begging because we cannot provide the skilled workforce. Fifteen years ago, ``A Nation At Risk'' was published and warned us about this problem. This report posed the question as to whether the United States would have an adequately trained workforce to meet the global challenges of the 21st century. Fifteen years later, here is what we have. According to the latest census information, 22 percent of the population in the United States aged 25 and over have completed less than 12 years of schooling. These are the kinds of problems with which we are faced. A most recent national adult literacy survey indicated that 44 million adults have literacy difficulty. This means that over 20 percent of adults in this country have trouble using reading, writing, and computation skills to say nothing of qualifying for jobs that are available, for which we should have the workforce. The same is true in my State of Vermont. All States have this very serious problem. With the statistics I just mentioned, the United States is still the most productive country in the world, but we are losing our edge to other industrialized nations such as Japan and Germany as well as other rapidly developing countries such as Taiwan, Korea, and China. Recent international exams have demonstrated that notwithstanding this warning we had 15 years ago, we have not made significant headway in being able to meet the challenge of that competition and to provide the workforce for those 190,000 jobs that are going begging right now. Over the past 25 years, the standard of living for those Americans without a 4-year postsecondary degree has plunged. In the next decade, we are in danger of being surpassed as the world's foremost economic power if we do not begin to redefine our priorities at the national, State, and local levels. This is an excellent bill, Mr. President. Senator DeWine, my good friend from Ohio, who was in charge of the subcommittee that developed this bill, along with Senator Wellstone, has produced a wonderful bill. It is going to do a great deal to bring us forward as we face the problems of the Nation and the problems of our national competitiveness. Mr. President, at this point I will be happy to yield the floor. Senator Wellstone, I believe, desires to be heard. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I yield 5 minutes to my colleague, Senator Kerrey, from Nebraska. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska. Mr. KERREY. I thank the Senator from Minnesota. Mr. President, I rise in support of S. 1186, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. This is an initiative that I have been involved with since my days as Governor of Nebraska from 1983 to 1987, and it is something I am proud to see come to fruition in the Senate. All of us understand that in today's global economy, this kind of legislation represents an important step in helping individual Americans achieve their shot at the American dream. One of the most satisfying efforts for me is to help, as a public official, some individual acquire the skills they need to earn a good wage so that they can support themselves and their families. Investments such as vocational education, job training, and adult education play a major role in this effort. But in order to be more effective, these programs need to be streamlined and coordinated in such a way that they work together to provide individuals the information and resources they need to be successful in a job market that demands an increasingly higher skill level. In 1994, along with Senator Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas, I introduced legislation to consolidate 91 job training programs into a single authorization called the Workforce Development Act. The bill also sought to reconnect job training, training-related education, and actual jobs. It also provided States greater flexibility in designing job training systems. Mr. President, I take great pleasure and am pleased that these concepts represented in this legislation are also incorporated into S. 1186. S. 1186 also encourages statewide partnerships consisting of the business community, the education community, the Governor, and local and State elected officials. A key responsibility in this partnership is the development of a State plan. The legislation also encourages one-stop customer service centers which will provide a central point of entry to job training programs. In the last few years in my State of Nebraska, Congress has increased its commitment to preparing individuals for the workforce. We have seen in our State an increase in Federal funding for job training of approximately $1.5 million since 1996; for vocational education, we have seen an increase of about $700,000; and for adult education, about $460,000. Mr. President, I would like to call this to the attention of my colleagues. I suspect, if they are like me, sometimes these program names get confusing, and I wonder whether or not they have any impact. In Nebraska, the $6.276 million allocation of Federal job training funds in 1997 provided 4,000 of my citizens with the skills they need to become more productive and to earn a higher living and satisfy the market demand, as the Senator from Vermont identified. There are many jobs out there that are unfilled simply because we cannot find people with skills. Mr. President, 4,000 of those jobs were filled; 4,000 of those people are happier. [[Page S4254]] In addition, vocational and applied technology education grants assisted 70,000 secondary students and 47,800 post-secondary students who now have higher skills, a technical education they otherwise would not have had. They are going to get a shot at the American dream. They are going to be happier. They are going to be healthier. As I said, there are very few things that are more gratifying than having an individual say to you, ``Thank you for helping me get a shot at the American dream,'' and 17,340 adults in a single year were assisted in my State as a consequence of the $1.7 million in addition education. This is an investment with an excellent return. The legislation will not only help more individuals achieve the American dream but will also help our Nation become the best educated, most productive country in the world as we enter the 21st century. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act represents a good bipartisan effort to increase opportunities for American citizens. I look forward to seeing it move through Congress, and I congratulate and thank sincerely the distinguished chairman of the committee, Senator Jeffords of Vermont, and the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, Senator Wellstone, as well as the chairman of the subcommittee, Senator DeWine. On behalf of the tens of thousands of Nebraskans who will receive the benefits of this program, I thank you. Mr. WELLSTONE addressed the Chair. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I ask if, after 10 minutes, I might be so notified? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator will be notified. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, first of all, let me thank Chairman Jeffords for his leadership. He had a lot to do with this piece of legislation. We did a lot of work on the Subcommittee on Employment and Training, but Senator Jeffords and Senator Kennedy were absolutely critical to bringing this piece of legislation finally to the floor and keeping all of us together. Senator DeWine--it was really a labor of love working with him. He has just put all of himself into this piece of legislation. He has done a great job. I would also like to thank a couple of other people: On Senator Kennedy's staff, Jeff Teitz, who is out on the floor with me today, for his work, and Brian Ahlberg who works with me and has put hundreds of hours into this, as have a number of other very talented people. I am not going to go into all of the specific provisions. I really want to take some time to thank some people who helped out. But let me just say, S. 1186, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act, is an important piece of legislation. The President correctly observed that the bill is ``essential to widening the circle of opportunity for more Americans and keeping our economy growing steady and strong.'' My concern all along has been that over the past couple of years there has been some discussion about cutting funding for job training programs. That would be the worst thing in the world for us to do. I think what we have now done, in a bipartisan way, is we brought people together around to job training that really takes root at the community level. We are talking about a program that is more streamlined. We decentralize it. There are accountable job performance measures, as there should be. The Governors have a key role to play, but they are in partnership with local communities. And at local levels of government, whether they be county or city, you have key decisionmakers as well. The private sector is an essential part of this, as should be the case, because a lot of these jobs that will be created will be in the private sector. We are talking about, you know, that goal that I think is the most important goal for most families in our country, which is to earn a decent living and to be able to raise your children successfully. This is all about doing that. In addition, we have kept separate funding for adults and youth and dislocated workers. We don't have a straight block grant program; we keep our priorities at the national level. I think we should do that. The out-of-school youth initiative is extremely important, targeting funds to youth in high-poverty areas, both urban and rural. Please colleagues--and I don't think too many colleagues make this mistake, but quite often when we talk about ``youth'' or ``lack of jobs'' or ``young people dropping out of schools'' or ``inadequate housing'' or ``inadequate education'' or ``affordable child care'' or ``affordable health care,'' we think about these issues as urban issues. These issues are every bit as important to rural America. The problems are more hidden but they are no less real. The nice thing about the out-of- school initiative is that it is already paid for. Congress has already provided $250 million in an advance appropriation. I want to take special note of the contribution of Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, who testified at one of our subcommittee hearings. I want to also take note of our important national job training programs that we have renewed. The Job Corps Program, we have the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center in Saint Paul, which is one of the best performing centers in the country. Last year, we had Ralph DiBattista and Dave McKenzie, the current director--Ralph was a former director--at a hearing on youth training. They were joined by Susan Lees, who is an impressive young trainee at the center, on her way to becoming an auto technician at the Ford dealership. The bill also renews current Native American programs and migrant and seasonal farm worker programs. And finally the veterans program--I want to say to the veterans community, we heard from you loud and clear. You wanted to have a separate focus on veterans programs, a separate funding stream. We have some additional provisions by way of eligibility to make sure that gulf war veterans, some of whom are really struggling, will be well served; as well as homeless veterans. We have also built into this bill the continuation of Concentrated Employment Programs, rural CEPs. That is to say, in rural areas where there is high concentration of unemployment and poverty, we have a special focus to make sure the job training is out there. I think--and many colleagues have worked on this but I get to say it on the floor of the Senate, with some pride--this is a very Minnesota- like program. The one-stop centers, we have been doing that in our State. The idea of decentralization, of trying to build good partnerships between the Governor and the local community, trying to build good partnerships between the public and private sector with a focus on good job training, good skills development, and job opportunities for people. Job opportunities for people--I can't really think of anything more important for us to be focusing our attention on. So, I want to make it very clear that I am very, very proud of this piece of legislation. I thank my colleagues again--Senator DeWine, Senator Jeffords, and Senator Kennedy as well. Mr. President, how much time do I have left? The PRESIDING OFFICER. There are 18 minutes remaining to the Senator from Minnesota, 23 minutes to the Senator from Vermont. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I don't see other Senators on the floor right now. I might just highlight some amendments to this piece of legislation, to make maximum use of time. There are five amendments to the bill which we have agreed to accept. The first is one by Mr. DeWine. It is the vocational rehabilitation bill. It is extremely important. I think what Senator DeWine has done is basically provided a set of improvements to this piece of legislation. It is an amendment that I strongly support. There is an amendment by Senator Lautenberg which gives units of local government which are currently service delivery areas under the Job Training Partnership Act, and which have a population of 200,000 or more, an automatic right to appeal to the Secretary of Labor a decision by a Governor not to continue that area as an SDA. That also is an amendment which I support. There are two other amendments by Senator Ashcroft which I will my colleague, the chairman, Senator Jeffords, to speak to if he chooses. Mr. JEFFORDS. On my time, I will. Mr. WELLSTONE. I won't use anymore time. I yield the floor. [[Page S4255]] The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time? Mr. JEFFORDS addressed the Chair. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont. Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. President, let me just make a few more comments. I believe Senator DeWine will be here shortly. As was pointed out, there are three bills which are combined in this bill, and I want to talk a little bit about vocational rehabilitation. It is extremely important that as we move forward, we do more and more for our disabled community to give them every possible opportunity to compete for jobs and to demonstrate their capacity to help our Nation's workforce. We place these programs together, although we maintain separate streams of funding to ensure that each of these programs in adult education, vocational education, job training, and vocational rehabilitation will not feel at all threatened that money will be taken from them. It is important at the same time that we recognize the great capacity of people with disabilities to come into the workforce if they are given the opportunity. By placing them in the same bill, it is important to demonstrate that they are ready and willing to take advantage of the opportunities in the workforce in many places which they have been denied. Also, as I mentioned earlier in my statement, the problems we have with the adult workforce is literacy, to a large extent. As the demands become higher and greater on our workforce, we are recognizing that we need more people to move into the workforce to take the jobs that are available. Thus, it is incredibly important that we coordinate adult education along with vocational education. That is the purpose of this bill, to get everybody to work together to improve the workforce of this Nation to meet the competition of nations overseas. While I am pleased with the progress we have made, I believe that we have moved forward on this bill to do everything possible we can to make ourselves more competitive. I will now talk a little bit about a report released by the National Center for Research and Vocational Education which gave a good overview of training in European nations. I think it is important that my colleagues understand the kind of competition we are getting in Europe, and I will say the same is true and maybe even more so in Asia. This report highlights the importance of a cohesive partnership between educators and employers. Employers in Europe are active participants in the governance of work-related education and training in Australia, Great Britain, France and Germany. Another significant finding of the report is that European nations, such as the Netherlands and Denmark, are attempting to develop a technical education system which can survive as either a bridge to additional vocational training or pursuing college-level courses. Although we are not Europe, we are beginning to make some progress. With the passage of S. 1186, that progress will only continue to grow. I am also hopeful that passage of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act will eliminate many of the misconceptions that exist regarding vocational education, adult education and training. Some perceive vocational education as a second-rate education for students who cannot otherwise succeed in the so-called traditional academic path. Nothing--and I say nothing--could be further from the truth. In fact, the opposite in many cases is the situation now. Vocational education courses hold appeal for all students. In my home State of Vermont, over 4,500 students participate in vocational education courses of which 12 percent are adults. A strong technical education system is the best kind of training. As has been pointed out, as we move forward in our lives, the need for vocational education or skills training is going to increase. We are going to change jobs five, six, seven times during our lives as we move into the next century, and we are going to need training continuously. The same is true now with our society. However, we just do not have the appropriate training available. We need to coordinate, we need to get together and figure out how we can provide the skills that are necessary. If employment and training programs are to succeed, a simple, integrated workforce development system must be established that gives States, local communities, employers and students both the assistance and the incentives to participate in our global economy. S. 1186 is a good step in responding to this need. I urge my colleagues to support the passage of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. Before turning to others who may want to speak on this legislation, I again thank my colleagues and coauthors of the bill, in particular Senators Kennedy, DeWine and Wellstone. In particular, I thank the Employment and Training Subcommittee chaired by Senator DeWine, who has done an outstanding job in putting together this bill. Senator Wellstone, the Employment and Training Subcommittee ranking member, has also done a tremendous job in drafting key provisions of this bill. Senator Kennedy and I have been working for many years on this effort, and we are pleased to have Senators DeWine and Wellstone as our partners. I also thank the staff of Senators Wellstone, Kennedy and DeWine, and the staff of the Congressional Research Service and legislative counsel have worked tirelessly on this bill. In addition, I also thank the administration for their hard work. The business community led by the National Alliance for Business, the Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers are also to be commended for their efforts and for their support. I express my appreciation to the Chief State School Officers and other educational organizations who offered constructive comments during the drafting of S. 1186. Most of all, I thank my home State of Vermont for serving as an inspiration for this legislation. Almost 1 year ago, I held a hearing in Vermont on workforce development. Over 100 Vermonters attended and offered various perspectives which have been incorporated in this bill. Also, I thank the State of Mississippi. I went down to the State of Mississippi and found that they had one of the most innovative vocational education systems that I have had the chance to observe. They are dedicated there and doing a fine job. In fact, I noted that their unemployment rate was going down, even though they were losing hundreds of jobs to Mexico. Why? Because of the business community seeing the state of their vocational training and their ability to train for the skills necessary for the jobs that are locating in Mississippi. Thus, they are losing low-wage jobs and replacing them with high-wage jobs. We have, therefore, taken a close look at the Mississippi system and have made sure our bill models their initiative. So I commend those in other States and certainly my own State of Vermont which I mentioned, who have tried to make efforts but they have been hindered to a certain extent by the problems with our present system, the inability to coordinate. This bill is designed to try and provide that coordination, to ensure that all of this country can move now to make sure that we are ready for the future. We established the goals to make sure by the next century we would have moved past our educational difficulties to the greatest extent possible, to make sure that our young people would be ready to enter the workforce, to make sure we provided them the skills not after high school but in high school, as well as to make sure this Nation would be competitive in the year ahead. I yield to my good friend, Senator DeWine, who deserves maximum credit from our side for his productive work in giving us a bill today which we can be proud of, which we can vote for with great confidence. We will improve this Nation's workforce. I yield to Senator DeWine. Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I thank Chairman Jeffords for the work he has done on this bill. It is a real bipartisan bill, as we have pointed out many times on this floor; Senator Wellstone, Senator Kennedy, Senator Jeffords, myself. It is a bill that will truly change the status quo, a bill that will really make a difference. [[Page S4256]] We will be voting on this bill in about half an hour. This legislation, S. 1186, will fundamentally reform our Nation's currently fragmented, duplicative and many times ineffective job training programs. I believe this bill will transform them into a coordinated, accountable, and flexible workforce investment system. Before the Senate votes, I want to spend a few minutes discussing the reasons why the Workforce Investment Partnership Act does enjoy such bipartisan support. One of the most historic, if not the most historic accomplishments of the 105th Congress was the legislation that revolutionized the American welfare system. In passing a bill to end welfare as we knew it, we were empowering the States and local communities to seek a better way to make work, not welfare, the way of life for millions of disadvantaged Americans. The bill we are considering this evening, S. 1186, is a very important extension of that basic welfare reform, continuing the devolution of Federal power to where it rightfully belongs--States, localities--and most importantly, the individuals who are voluntarily seeking training assistance. This bill, S. 1186, recognizes the leadership of States and localities which have show innovation and initiative over the last few years, even in the midst of many times onerous Federal barriers and obstacles. By eradicating outdated rules and regulations, we can remove the barriers that have stymied people in the past. We can empower States and local communities by giving them the tools, the tools and the flexibility that they need to implement real reform, reform that will allow them to provide truly comprehensive training services. This bill, S. 1186, also promotes free market competition. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act establishes an effective and accountable workforce development system, ensuring that training leads to meaningful, long-term employment. Under this bill, training services will be held accountable to high standards. This means they will have to prove training leads ultimately to meaningful, unsubsidized employment, showing how many people were placed, at what cost, and how many people remained employed 6 months, a year or 18 months later. That is true accountability. That is the true measure of whether job training works or does not work. Does the person have a job 6 months or 12 months later, and what kind of a job is it. S. 1186 also has bipartisan support because it eliminates government bureaucracy and promotes personal responsibility. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act would provide training assistance through individual training accounts or vouchers in order to allow the individual seeking assistance to have a say themselves about where, how and what training they will receive. These programs should be tailored to individual needs, not to Washington bureaucrats and what Washington bureaucrats think is best. This bill provides program coordination and simplification. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act incorporates nearly 70 categorical programs, eliminating numerous Federal requirements and mandatory set- asides. This bill authorizes and expands a modified work-flex program which allows States to approve requests for waivers of Federal statutory and regulatory requirements submitted by their local communities. The bill provides States with the option to submit a unified plan or a single-State plan for the numerous programs incorporated into the legislation. Further, this bill removes income eligibility requirements. States will be allowed to provide all adults who voluntarily seek assistance the comprehensive services available through the one-stop customer service system--services such as job search, placement assistance, skill assessment, and case management. Just like welfare reform, job training reform depends on participation of the business community, the local business community. This bill not only allows for business community involvement, but business community leadership, as well. The private sector must outline its employment needs and assist in the design of training programs so that individuals that receive training assistance obtain long-term, meaningful employment. To summarize, job training reform is needed. It is needed because we can no longer afford the Washington-knows-best attitude that created the current maze of training and related programs. With a few notable exceptions, the evidence on the one-size-fits-all approach reveals far more failures than successes. However, because of Congress' inability to enact reform in the past, States and localities have begun the task of creating their own comprehensive systems which meet the unique needs of their States and local communities. Frankly, they have been frustrated. They have been frustrated by the Federal laws and regulations which prevent them from developing more responsive and more effective workforce investment systems. This bill, the Workforce Investment Partnership act, is designed to reform the Federal Government's role in providing job training assistance to Americans. For too long, that role has been to foster confusion, frustration, and complication. With this bipartisan bill, we offer a new foundation and a positive framework for success. Instead of rules that tie the hands of States and localities, this bill provides the tools, the tools to empower them to develop comprehensive work force investment systems that address the needs of job seekers and employers alike. This morning's Cleveland Plain Dealer, in an editorial, I think, gets it exactly right. ``A Bill That Works. Consolidation could produce job- training programs that do their own jobs better.'' ``A Bill That Works.'' This bill is a road map, a road map to a better system. If we are to achieve the goals we have set--stronger economy, a better trained workforce, true and meaningful welfare reform--we need to begin that journey today. I want to thank all my colleagues who have worked so hard to pass this important bill. I also want to thank all the concerned individuals and groups who have offered their support, including the National Alliance of Business, City of New York, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Council of Chief State School Officers, Society for Human Resource Management, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Cleveland Growth Association, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Association of Private Industry Councils, the National Association of Counties, the American Vocational Association and the National Association of State Directors of Vocational Education Consortium. All of these groups have worked to put this bill together. We have a comprehensive bill that brings about the reform that we all need. In summary, we will be voting in a little over 20 minutes on a bill that will fundamentally reform job training in this country. This reform is long overdue. It is a reform that will bring about more accountability. We will be able to measure success and failure better. It is a bill that will give more authority to the local communities. It will be a bill that will empower the recipients to have more choices in regard to the job training that fits their needs. And it will work. It will work because we are incorporating, as never before, the local business community--not just in the implementation of the plan, but rather in the design of the plan. The one thing that we have seen as we have held hearings across this country, time and time and time again, is how important it is to include the local business community because, ultimately, they are the consumers, along with the people who need the jobs and the people who need the job training. They are all the consumers. It doesn't do any good to design a job training program and train someone for a job and that job does not exist in the local community. That is why the enclosure and inclusion of the business community, making them a part of this process from the very beginning, is such an essential part of this bill. Let me again thank Chairman Jeffords for his work on the bill, along with Senator Kennedy, Senator Wellstone, and the other members of the committee. This bill was passed out of our committee by a unanimous vote. Several of my colleagues have already noted on the floor that this is a committee that has a very wide divergence of points of view. This committee has many members that have opinions that many times do not always [[Page S4257]] agree. But the fact that we were able to pass this bill unanimously out of the committee, I think, shows its bipartisan support and also shows that the status quo was not acceptable, and this bill makes a significant change and improvement in that status quo. I yield the floor. PRE-VOCATIONAL TRAINING Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I have sought recognition to discuss the issue of pre-vocational training in the context of this legislation. In March, I introduced S. 1709, the Job Preparation and Retention Training Act of 1998, which would have authorized a new Labor Department program providing grants to community-based organizations which would provide essential pre-vocational training to individuals who have not successfully entered the workforce. In my floor remarks on March 4 upon introduction of S. 1709, I noted that one such community-based organization, Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America, Inc., has found that the average hourly wage of trainees prior to pre-vocational training was $3.70, but after such training, these same participants started earning an average of $8.00 an hour, with a placement rate of 85 percent into gainful employment. After consultation with Chairman Jeffords, I have decided not to offer my bill as an amendment to the comprehensive job training bill before us, based on assurances that in Conference, he and Chairman DeWine will work with me to ensure that pre-vocational training is more accessible to individuals who are not prepared to fully benefit from the training and skills development provided in S. 1186. Mr. JEFFORDS. I thank my colleague from Pennsylvania for his work on job training and educational issues, both in this context, and as Chairman of the appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over such programs. I will endeavor to work with him on enhancing the issue of pre-vocational training in conference with the House and welcome his input on this critical issue. Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about S. 1186--the Workforce Investment Partnership Act and to applaud the Labor and Human Resources Committee for the bipartisan manner in which the legislation was developed. In the last Congress the opportunity for reform of employment and training programs was lost due to partisan bickering and the insistence on a reform structure which I believe jeopardized the investment in skills training--and in particular the investment in the retraining of dislocated workers. This bill builds on the success of the dislocated worker program and adds other elements which will improve the program. These include establishing One-Stop centers as the framework of the new workforce development system which will improve dislocated worker access to quality information and services, and the proposed skill grants--or Individual Training Account system--which will enable them to make informed choices about training opportunities with qualified vendors. Despite our improving economy, there are always workers who will lose jobs because of economic change. We owe these workers the tools to get back on their feet, through rapid response to plant closings and mass layoffs, job search assistance and retraining for new jobs. I am particularly pleased that this bill includes rapid response and labor- management committees which have been important tools under the current dislocated worker program. This program, where formula grants to states and localities are supplemented by National Reserve Account to allow the Secretary of Labor to respond to emergencies, has been successful in helping hundreds of thousands of workers each year to make mid- career changes. The current dislocated worker program served approximately 540,000 dislocated workers nationwide in the most recent year. Of those who completed the program during that year, 71 percent were employed when they left the program, earning on average 93 percent of their previous wages, and for workers who had received retraining, the wage replacement was 95 percent. The Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Labor conducted an audit of JTPA Title III retraining services to determine how successful retraining was in helping dislocated workers to return to work. The conclusion of the April 1995 report was: ``The purpose of Title III is to return dislocated workers to productive employment. In this context, the program was successful. Program participants were reemployed, remained in the workforce, and regained their prior earning power.'' In my own state of Washington, we have experienced layoffs in the timber and aerospace industries and the assistance provided by Title III of JTPA has been essential to meeting the needs of affected workers. The success of the program is illustrated by the experience of one dislocated worker, Mr. David Hamilton of Valley, Washington. He had a steady income working in the logging industry, but only for six to eight months each year. This created a difficult financial situation when employment was not available. In July 1995, he was laid off from Accord Logging. He decided to investigate career options in the cross-country truck driving field. He learned of the opportunities available through JTPA and began actively seeking financial assistance for training. With only a tenth grade education, his employment opportunities were limited. He knew that he needed a GED, but his assessment test also indicated a deficiency in basic math skills. With his unemployment benefits nearly exhausted, he held steadfastly to his hope of entering the truck driving industry. He pursued his education and training through the Colville Job Service JTPA Title III program. His determination to obtain a Commercial Drivers License increased as he passed his physical and Wonderlic tests (in lieu of a GED). He met the program qualifications for Title III funding and completed his training on February 23, 1997, with excellent grades. He was immediately placed with G & G Trucking and was driving cross-country the following Monday. G & G agreed to assist him with the financing needed to purchase a tractor. Within six months he became an owner-operator. As an owner- operator, he will earn between $12 and $18 per hour. He now has a reliable source of income and greater financial security. The success of Mr. Hamilton and other dislocated worker program participants is why I am so pleased that S. 1186 is designed to assure that funding for dislocated workers will be maintained. This is an important improvement over last year's bill and I thank the authors of S. 1186 for their attention to this critical item. Mr. President, I also ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record a letter from Mr. Rick Bender, President of Washington State's Labor Council. I have been working with Chairman Jeffords to address Title III in the bill which provided training funds only after labor consultations have been performed. I am hopeful that the Department will work with respective labor organizations to continue this successful communication. Washington State has developed a Community Based Rapid Response policy that quickly meets the various needs and concerns of dislocated workers. Mr. Bender has been at the forefront of this effort and provides a compelling argument to continue this consultation. There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Seattle, WA, March 25, 1998. Hon. Patty Murray, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Dear Senator Murray: The Workforce Investment Partnership Act (S. 1186) is ready to come to the floor of the US Senate for action. The Act, as written, is missing a crucial provision of benefit to Union members. The current JTPA Act provides that, ``. . . any program conducted with funds made available under Title III which will provide services to a substantial number of members of a labor organization will be established only after full consultation with such labor organization.'' (Sec. 311(b)(7)). This provision is ominously absent from the new bill. The new legislation will cause irreparable harm to our Union members who suffer layoff through plant closure due to the failure to require labor consultation when planning services for them. The language quoted above has enabled the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, to assist its affiliates in demanding appropriate levels of service for their members who are facing long term layoff. The ability to demand that funding be pulled from bad [[Page S4258]] retraining programs has been key to the success of Labor's active participation in workforce employment and training programs in Washington State. The Washington State Labor Council presently operates a contract with Washington State Employment Security to provide Rapid Response services to our union members whose plant(s) may be closing or downsizing. By actively invoking this language, we make the workforce development system move towards a customized approach toward service and training design, which takes the needs of working men and women and their families into account. Without this language in the bill service and training design will take the convenience of service agencies into account, not our members' needs. Any assistance you can provide to insert this crucial provision into S. 1186, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act, will be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Rick S. Bender, President. Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I rise today to add my voice to the bipartisan chorus in support of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. I commend the sponsors for their excellent work. Senators Jeffords, DeWine, Kennedy, and Wellstone have done an outstanding job of crafting legislation that is long overdue. For too long American workers have had to struggle through a complex system of dozens of different job training and educational programs to get the skills they needed to enter, or reenter the job market. Today, the Senate takes concrete steps to streamline the current system so that getting the help they need will be easier for the workers of America. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act simplifies the search for a job by encouraging communities to establish a ``one stop shopping'' location. Localities will have one location where an individual can go to get help finding a job or search out skill training opportunities. At this location all of the options will be laid out, and the choice will be up to the worker. Inherent in this idea is that there will be no wrong door. No longer will a person be told, ``We can't help you here because you don't qualify for these programs. Maybe they can help you down the hall.'' That sort of bureaucratic run around results in inefficiency and frustrates the very people we are trying to help. This job training reform bill focuses on shifting power back to the states and local communities. Government, business, labor, and community groups will collaborate on strategies that fit the economic situation of the individual state and locality. The Senate version of this bill also takes the important step of allowing states to keep reforms they have made that are working. Wisconsin has made many changes to its job training system on its own initiative that have been ground- breaking and very successful. I am pleased the Committee recognizes that there is no need to replace programs that are already doing the job and meeting the goals set forth in this legislation. I am also pleased we maintain our commitment to helping at risk youth. This bill ensures that providing opportunities for kids on the edge will continue, and that the funds will move quickly to those who need it most. I hope that the Conference Committee can quickly complete its work so that the $250 million set aside in last year's budget for Out-of-School Youth will become available before the July 1 deadline. These kids need our help to become productive citizens and contribute to society. If Congress fails to complete action before July 1, these young people will be forced to wait even longer for our support. In today's global economy, our people are our greatest resource. With the rise in information and technology, the nations that are the most creative, most innovative, and most inventive will have the edge. The United States currently has the lead in these sectors and this bill will help our people maintain their advantage through continuing their education and updating their skills. Our nation's continued prosperity, and the prosperity of our workers, hinges on a well-trained workforce. This bill helps ensure that our current economic growth will continue into the future and be shared by all Americans. Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I rise in support of S. 1579, the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, of which I am proud to be an original co-sponsor. I would like to commend Senators Jeffords, DeWine, Kennedy, and Wellstone, for making reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act a priority, and for including this legislation as an amendment to the Workforce legislation. The State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program provides $2.2 billion in formula grant assistance to States to help individuals with disabilities prepare for and engage in gainful employment. Since established by the Smith-Fess act 75 years ago, state vocational rehabilitation programs have served some nine million people. This program promotes economic independence for people with disabilities, and the numbers reflect that. In 1992, Congress made major changes to the Act, namely, increasing consumer participation, streamlining processes, and reducing unnecessary paperwork. In the bill before us today, we have built on the '92 amendments. The bill preserves and strengthens the themes of the '92 amendments, while fine-tuning and aligning the Act with other workforce reforms. The Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 strengthen the role of the consumer throughout the vocational rehabilitation process, particularly in the development of the individual's employment plan. This reauthorization reduces unnecessary burdens on State VR agencies by streamlining the State plan; indeed, the bill reduces the 36 State plan requirements in current law to 24. The bill also refocuses the State plan on improving outcomes for individuals with disabilities by requiring States to develop, jointly with the State Rehabilitation Council, annual goals and strategies for improving results. Access of Social Security beneficiaries to VR services is facilitated, and unnecessary gatekeeping is eliminated, by making SSI and SSDI beneficiaries presumptively eligible for services under the VR States Grants program. This change will eliminate the need for the VR agency to determine on a case-by-case basis whether individuals ``require'' VR services in order to gain employment. Under this bill, if a person receiving SSI or SSDI walks through the door of a VR agency, that person will be presumed eligible for VR services. As the Administrator of the Iowa VR agency explained to me, ``now we don't have to spend time and money determining whether an individual on SSI or SSDI is eligible for services. Instead, we can focus our resources where they should be focused--on assisting our consumers in obtaining employment.'' Of particular interest to me and to Senator Dodd are the changes to Section 508 of the Act, which pertain to electronic and information technology accessibility. This section will make it easier for individuals with disabilities who are federal employees to obtain the assistive technology they need in order to do their jobs. Finally, this bill widens employment opportunities for people with disabilities by establishing linkages with larger statewide workforce systems. I would like to point out, however, as Senators Jeffords, DeWine, and Kennedy already have, that vocational rehabilitation agencies will not be required to spend any of their federal allotment on activities other than those that help provide jobs for people with disabilities. In sum, the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 bring us closer to the goal of fostering independence for people with disabilities by providing them with the services they need in order to enter the workforce. I would like to thank Senators DeWine, Jeffords, Kennedy, Wellstone, and Dodd, and the Clinton Administration, for their leadership in developing this bill in a bipartisan manner. I also would like to commend all the staff members who worked on this bill. Without their tireless efforts, we would never have been able to bring this important reauthorization to the floor. Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I share the widespread support for this important legislation. This bill would consolidate and reauthorize job training and vocational education programs. This bill enables states to create a unified plan for all social services related to job training and vocational and adult education. Job training and vocational education are vital programs which prepare individuals to compete in today's changing global economy. An estimated 346,000 high-tech jobs are going [[Page S4259]] unfilled nationwide. The increasing shortage of highly trained workers threatens our nation's economic growth and our productivity. This measure will help address these short-comings and prepare more of America's workers, and thus America's businesses, for the Twenty-first century. We live in a capitalist society with a free market economy. Employers seek to hire the best qualified job candidates. S. 1186 simply provides a means to help individuals acquire the skills necessary to compete. The acquisition of these skills will best help individuals thrive as our economy continues to grow. Too many of our citizens have been left behind the growing economy of the past years, and this measure will help them keep up with the new economy. I believe that S. 1186 also supports our commitment to move individuals from welfare to work. Job training prepares individuals to compete in the marketplace, and remain free from government assistance. For all of the foregoing reasons, I support this bill. One important part of this legislation is the reauthorization of the programs under the Carl D. Perkins Vocation and Applied Technology Education Act. I have heard from constituents across my state that these programs are a very critical component of our vocational and technical education system. As we in the Congress work to help our nation prepare for the Twenty- first century, there are few challenges more fundamental to our success than ensuring that our work force has the education and training necessary to compete in the global economy. More and more jobs require technical skills, training that is not offered in our traditional four- year colleges. Our vocational and technical schools, accordingly, are absolutely essential for the students and workers of today. Technical skills lead to higher wages for workers and more competitive businesses. That is why the federal-state-local partnership for vocational and technical education, which has been very successful to date, must be continued. The highest priority for the moment is to get the reauthorization of the Perkins Act programs through the Senate and into conference. The legislative session this year is very short, and we cannot afford to delay passage of this bill any further. That said, however, there are a number of provisions of this bill which need improvement. Foremost among the needed changes, in my view, is that the Senate should accept what the House has proposed in terms of a separate bill for vocational-technical education. This difference is very crucial, for it is essential to preserve the independent mission and funding stream for vocational education. For some time, it appeared that the Senate bill was headed in the wrong direction, removing the separate designation for vocational and technical education and placing these programs into the mix of the overhaul of our job training and retraining programs. That would have been a serious mistake, and I am pleased with the improvements that the managers of this bill have agreed to offer to this legislation. Among the expected changes is an assurance that funding appropriated for vocational-technical education programs will be directed to school- based programs and not diverted to other areas. Additionally, the amendment is expected to ensure that governance for vocational education will remain at the state and local level, and that a strong focus will remain on professional development for teachers and administrators. The House, on the other hand, has proposed a separate legislative authorization for the Perkins Act programs. Despite the forthcoming changes to the Senate bill, I urge the Senate conferees to accept the position of the House with respect to reauthorization. Today, however, I believe that we should send this bill to the conference committee, where I hope that the remaining issues can be resolved, and I urge my colleagues to join me in passing this bill as expeditiously as possible. Workforce Investment Partnership Act Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, the time has come for the Senate to take appropriate steps to ensure that our work force is equipped to meet the challenges we will face in the next century. Today, high-skill, high- wage jobs are being created faster than they can be filled. This is not because of a labor shortage. Instead we are suffering from a ``skill shortage.'' Not enough workers in this country possess the skills necessary to fill these jobs. In order to keep our economy strong and growing, our people must receive the education and training they need to become productive employees in the 21st century. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act of 1997 (WIPA) is the first step in providing the education and training job seekers need to compete for high-wage jobs. This bill would consolidate many narrowly- focused federal vocational education, adult education and job training programs that currently provide a disjointed approach to job training and job placement. Through the establishment of ``one-stop'' customer service centers, job seekers will have a central point of entry to job training programs. These one-stop centers will also offer ``individual training accounts'' allowing job seekers to choose their preferred type of education and job training programs to better accommodate their individual skills or interests. Finally, one-stop centers will provide applicants and employers alike with a centralized source of information about training and employment opportunities available in the area. WIPA's goal of streamlining our many training programs bears great similarity to legislation I introduced in January, 1997, called the Working Americans Opportunity Act. Reforming and improving our nation's job training system has long been a Democratic priority. I am glad to see strong, bipartisan support for WIPA and look forward to working with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to enact this important legislation. The passage of this legislation is of particular importance to the people of South Dakota, where we have recently experienced large scale layoffs in Huron with the closing of the Dakota Pork processing plant, and in Lead with cutbacks at the Homestake Gold mine. People in my home state have been drastically affected by these layoffs. It is my hope that these programs will enable them to receive the training they need to compete for the high-wage jobs of tomorrow. I believe it is very important that any investment we make in education and training produces positive, measurable results. That's why I am pleased this bill ensures that each training provider and agency administering state and local programs is held to a higher level of accountability than in the past. These agencies will be responsible for monitoring and reporting job placement, job retention and average earnings for program graduates. If a program is not performing up to acceptable standards, it will no longer be eligible to receive public funding. It is of particular importance that we act quickly on this bill. Unless it is signed into law by June 1, the Department of Labor will not be able to implement Youth Opportunity Grants. This grant program invests money in poverty-stricken areas to help youth who have left school to get year-round jobs. Appropriations for these grants are contingent on the authorization of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. This worthwhile program deserves a chance to be implemented as it was intended. By working in a bipartisan way to reform vocational education and job training programs, I believe that we can, during this Congress, create opportunities for American workers that will help to keep our economy strong for the next century. Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I rise to offer my support for HR 1385, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. This bill is the result of several years of hard work and bipartisan cooperation by Congress on behalf of our nation's workforce and employers. Our present job training system has become overly bureaucratic, fragmented and duplicative without adequate accountability or assessment measures. Currently, the federal government administers 163 separate programs, scattered across 15 agencies, at a cost of more than $20 billion a year. 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WORKFORCE INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP ACT OF 1997
(Senate - May 05, 1998)

Text of this article available as: TXT PDF [Pages S4252-S4349] WORKFORCE INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP ACT OF 1997 The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will now proceed to the consideration of H.R. 1385, which the clerk will report. The legislative clerk read as follows: A bill (H.R. 1385) to consolidate, coordinate, and improve employment, training, literacy, and vocational rehabilitation programs in the United States, and for other purposes. The Senate resumed consideration of the bill. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will now be 60 minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form for closing remarks prior to final passage. Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, first I yield to the Senator from Minnesota for a unanimous consent request. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. Privilege of the Floor Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Jana O'Leary, who is an intern in my office, [[Page S4253]] be allowed to be in the Chamber for the duration of this debate. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Mr. WELLSTONE. I thank the Chair. Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, the Senate is resuming consideration of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act, S. 1186. This legislation incorporates job training, vocational education, and adult education. Last Friday, the Senate began debate on S. 1186. Amendments by Senators DeWine, Domenici, Lautenberg, and Ashcroft were adopted and made a part of this substitute. We have only today to have the final vote on the legislation, and we have 1 hour equally divided for that purpose. The legislation before this body today is one of the most important proposals we will consider this year. S. 1186 proposes a streamlined, practical, business-oriented approach to job training which empowers States with the ability to transform the current patchwork of programs into a comprehensive system. The purpose of this bill is to better coordinate and to consolidate in certain circumstances 90 federally funded programs and promote joint partnerships between education leaders in the business community in developing a workforce development system that is first rate. Perhaps the best illustration of why we need to revamp our workforce system can be clearly seen on a weekly basis in the want-ad sections of the newspapers throughout the Nation. There are presently 190,000 unfilled positions in the technology field. The reason for the difficulty in filling these positions is not because of low unemployment numbers but because of the lack of skilled workers. Many of these jobs do not require 4 years plus postsecondary education. In fact, if we had the proper high school vocational education system, these could be filled by students graduating from high school. They require an excellent vocational education system and the ability to pursue technical education following high school graduation or receive this education as high school students. One of the most fascinating facts to come out of the Senate Labor Committee's hearings on the workforce is that Malaysia has replicated our tech-prep model. In other words, we have presently a model system with a few schools using it which, if duplicated throughout this country, could provide us with what we need today. The unusual thing is that in this country it takes us a long time to replicate anything through our school systems. Malaysia came over here, studied our Tech- Prep Program, and went back to Malaysia and implemented it overnight-- again, moving them into a position to improve their competitiveness and perhaps exceed our own competitiveness. That is the kind of challenge we have now had delivered to us by our competitors in the international markets. It is up to us to take the steps necessary to ensure that we can meet the international competition which we are facing and not have 190,000 jobs out there begging because we cannot provide the skilled workforce. Fifteen years ago, ``A Nation At Risk'' was published and warned us about this problem. This report posed the question as to whether the United States would have an adequately trained workforce to meet the global challenges of the 21st century. Fifteen years later, here is what we have. According to the latest census information, 22 percent of the population in the United States aged 25 and over have completed less than 12 years of schooling. These are the kinds of problems with which we are faced. A most recent national adult literacy survey indicated that 44 million adults have literacy difficulty. This means that over 20 percent of adults in this country have trouble using reading, writing, and computation skills to say nothing of qualifying for jobs that are available, for which we should have the workforce. The same is true in my State of Vermont. All States have this very serious problem. With the statistics I just mentioned, the United States is still the most productive country in the world, but we are losing our edge to other industrialized nations such as Japan and Germany as well as other rapidly developing countries such as Taiwan, Korea, and China. Recent international exams have demonstrated that notwithstanding this warning we had 15 years ago, we have not made significant headway in being able to meet the challenge of that competition and to provide the workforce for those 190,000 jobs that are going begging right now. Over the past 25 years, the standard of living for those Americans without a 4-year postsecondary degree has plunged. In the next decade, we are in danger of being surpassed as the world's foremost economic power if we do not begin to redefine our priorities at the national, State, and local levels. This is an excellent bill, Mr. President. Senator DeWine, my good friend from Ohio, who was in charge of the subcommittee that developed this bill, along with Senator Wellstone, has produced a wonderful bill. It is going to do a great deal to bring us forward as we face the problems of the Nation and the problems of our national competitiveness. Mr. President, at this point I will be happy to yield the floor. Senator Wellstone, I believe, desires to be heard. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I yield 5 minutes to my colleague, Senator Kerrey, from Nebraska. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska. Mr. KERREY. I thank the Senator from Minnesota. Mr. President, I rise in support of S. 1186, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. This is an initiative that I have been involved with since my days as Governor of Nebraska from 1983 to 1987, and it is something I am proud to see come to fruition in the Senate. All of us understand that in today's global economy, this kind of legislation represents an important step in helping individual Americans achieve their shot at the American dream. One of the most satisfying efforts for me is to help, as a public official, some individual acquire the skills they need to earn a good wage so that they can support themselves and their families. Investments such as vocational education, job training, and adult education play a major role in this effort. But in order to be more effective, these programs need to be streamlined and coordinated in such a way that they work together to provide individuals the information and resources they need to be successful in a job market that demands an increasingly higher skill level. In 1994, along with Senator Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas, I introduced legislation to consolidate 91 job training programs into a single authorization called the Workforce Development Act. The bill also sought to reconnect job training, training-related education, and actual jobs. It also provided States greater flexibility in designing job training systems. Mr. President, I take great pleasure and am pleased that these concepts represented in this legislation are also incorporated into S. 1186. S. 1186 also encourages statewide partnerships consisting of the business community, the education community, the Governor, and local and State elected officials. A key responsibility in this partnership is the development of a State plan. The legislation also encourages one-stop customer service centers which will provide a central point of entry to job training programs. In the last few years in my State of Nebraska, Congress has increased its commitment to preparing individuals for the workforce. We have seen in our State an increase in Federal funding for job training of approximately $1.5 million since 1996; for vocational education, we have seen an increase of about $700,000; and for adult education, about $460,000. Mr. President, I would like to call this to the attention of my colleagues. I suspect, if they are like me, sometimes these program names get confusing, and I wonder whether or not they have any impact. In Nebraska, the $6.276 million allocation of Federal job training funds in 1997 provided 4,000 of my citizens with the skills they need to become more productive and to earn a higher living and satisfy the market demand, as the Senator from Vermont identified. There are many jobs out there that are unfilled simply because we cannot find people with skills. Mr. President, 4,000 of those jobs were filled; 4,000 of those people are happier. [[Page S4254]] In addition, vocational and applied technology education grants assisted 70,000 secondary students and 47,800 post-secondary students who now have higher skills, a technical education they otherwise would not have had. They are going to get a shot at the American dream. They are going to be happier. They are going to be healthier. As I said, there are very few things that are more gratifying than having an individual say to you, ``Thank you for helping me get a shot at the American dream,'' and 17,340 adults in a single year were assisted in my State as a consequence of the $1.7 million in addition education. This is an investment with an excellent return. The legislation will not only help more individuals achieve the American dream but will also help our Nation become the best educated, most productive country in the world as we enter the 21st century. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act represents a good bipartisan effort to increase opportunities for American citizens. I look forward to seeing it move through Congress, and I congratulate and thank sincerely the distinguished chairman of the committee, Senator Jeffords of Vermont, and the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, Senator Wellstone, as well as the chairman of the subcommittee, Senator DeWine. On behalf of the tens of thousands of Nebraskans who will receive the benefits of this program, I thank you. Mr. WELLSTONE addressed the Chair. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I ask if, after 10 minutes, I might be so notified? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator will be notified. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, first of all, let me thank Chairman Jeffords for his leadership. He had a lot to do with this piece of legislation. We did a lot of work on the Subcommittee on Employment and Training, but Senator Jeffords and Senator Kennedy were absolutely critical to bringing this piece of legislation finally to the floor and keeping all of us together. Senator DeWine--it was really a labor of love working with him. He has just put all of himself into this piece of legislation. He has done a great job. I would also like to thank a couple of other people: On Senator Kennedy's staff, Jeff Teitz, who is out on the floor with me today, for his work, and Brian Ahlberg who works with me and has put hundreds of hours into this, as have a number of other very talented people. I am not going to go into all of the specific provisions. I really want to take some time to thank some people who helped out. But let me just say, S. 1186, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act, is an important piece of legislation. The President correctly observed that the bill is ``essential to widening the circle of opportunity for more Americans and keeping our economy growing steady and strong.'' My concern all along has been that over the past couple of years there has been some discussion about cutting funding for job training programs. That would be the worst thing in the world for us to do. I think what we have now done, in a bipartisan way, is we brought people together around to job training that really takes root at the community level. We are talking about a program that is more streamlined. We decentralize it. There are accountable job performance measures, as there should be. The Governors have a key role to play, but they are in partnership with local communities. And at local levels of government, whether they be county or city, you have key decisionmakers as well. The private sector is an essential part of this, as should be the case, because a lot of these jobs that will be created will be in the private sector. We are talking about, you know, that goal that I think is the most important goal for most families in our country, which is to earn a decent living and to be able to raise your children successfully. This is all about doing that. In addition, we have kept separate funding for adults and youth and dislocated workers. We don't have a straight block grant program; we keep our priorities at the national level. I think we should do that. The out-of-school youth initiative is extremely important, targeting funds to youth in high-poverty areas, both urban and rural. Please colleagues--and I don't think too many colleagues make this mistake, but quite often when we talk about ``youth'' or ``lack of jobs'' or ``young people dropping out of schools'' or ``inadequate housing'' or ``inadequate education'' or ``affordable child care'' or ``affordable health care,'' we think about these issues as urban issues. These issues are every bit as important to rural America. The problems are more hidden but they are no less real. The nice thing about the out-of- school initiative is that it is already paid for. Congress has already provided $250 million in an advance appropriation. I want to take special note of the contribution of Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, who testified at one of our subcommittee hearings. I want to also take note of our important national job training programs that we have renewed. The Job Corps Program, we have the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center in Saint Paul, which is one of the best performing centers in the country. Last year, we had Ralph DiBattista and Dave McKenzie, the current director--Ralph was a former director--at a hearing on youth training. They were joined by Susan Lees, who is an impressive young trainee at the center, on her way to becoming an auto technician at the Ford dealership. The bill also renews current Native American programs and migrant and seasonal farm worker programs. And finally the veterans program--I want to say to the veterans community, we heard from you loud and clear. You wanted to have a separate focus on veterans programs, a separate funding stream. We have some additional provisions by way of eligibility to make sure that gulf war veterans, some of whom are really struggling, will be well served; as well as homeless veterans. We have also built into this bill the continuation of Concentrated Employment Programs, rural CEPs. That is to say, in rural areas where there is high concentration of unemployment and poverty, we have a special focus to make sure the job training is out there. I think--and many colleagues have worked on this but I get to say it on the floor of the Senate, with some pride--this is a very Minnesota- like program. The one-stop centers, we have been doing that in our State. The idea of decentralization, of trying to build good partnerships between the Governor and the local community, trying to build good partnerships between the public and private sector with a focus on good job training, good skills development, and job opportunities for people. Job opportunities for people--I can't really think of anything more important for us to be focusing our attention on. So, I want to make it very clear that I am very, very proud of this piece of legislation. I thank my colleagues again--Senator DeWine, Senator Jeffords, and Senator Kennedy as well. Mr. President, how much time do I have left? The PRESIDING OFFICER. There are 18 minutes remaining to the Senator from Minnesota, 23 minutes to the Senator from Vermont. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I don't see other Senators on the floor right now. I might just highlight some amendments to this piece of legislation, to make maximum use of time. There are five amendments to the bill which we have agreed to accept. The first is one by Mr. DeWine. It is the vocational rehabilitation bill. It is extremely important. I think what Senator DeWine has done is basically provided a set of improvements to this piece of legislation. It is an amendment that I strongly support. There is an amendment by Senator Lautenberg which gives units of local government which are currently service delivery areas under the Job Training Partnership Act, and which have a population of 200,000 or more, an automatic right to appeal to the Secretary of Labor a decision by a Governor not to continue that area as an SDA. That also is an amendment which I support. There are two other amendments by Senator Ashcroft which I will my colleague, the chairman, Senator Jeffords, to speak to if he chooses. Mr. JEFFORDS. On my time, I will. Mr. WELLSTONE. I won't use anymore time. I yield the floor. [[Page S4255]] The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time? Mr. JEFFORDS addressed the Chair. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont. Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. President, let me just make a few more comments. I believe Senator DeWine will be here shortly. As was pointed out, there are three bills which are combined in this bill, and I want to talk a little bit about vocational rehabilitation. It is extremely important that as we move forward, we do more and more for our disabled community to give them every possible opportunity to compete for jobs and to demonstrate their capacity to help our Nation's workforce. We place these programs together, although we maintain separate streams of funding to ensure that each of these programs in adult education, vocational education, job training, and vocational rehabilitation will not feel at all threatened that money will be taken from them. It is important at the same time that we recognize the great capacity of people with disabilities to come into the workforce if they are given the opportunity. By placing them in the same bill, it is important to demonstrate that they are ready and willing to take advantage of the opportunities in the workforce in many places which they have been denied. Also, as I mentioned earlier in my statement, the problems we have with the adult workforce is literacy, to a large extent. As the demands become higher and greater on our workforce, we are recognizing that we need more people to move into the workforce to take the jobs that are available. Thus, it is incredibly important that we coordinate adult education along with vocational education. That is the purpose of this bill, to get everybody to work together to improve the workforce of this Nation to meet the competition of nations overseas. While I am pleased with the progress we have made, I believe that we have moved forward on this bill to do everything possible we can to make ourselves more competitive. I will now talk a little bit about a report released by the National Center for Research and Vocational Education which gave a good overview of training in European nations. I think it is important that my colleagues understand the kind of competition we are getting in Europe, and I will say the same is true and maybe even more so in Asia. This report highlights the importance of a cohesive partnership between educators and employers. Employers in Europe are active participants in the governance of work-related education and training in Australia, Great Britain, France and Germany. Another significant finding of the report is that European nations, such as the Netherlands and Denmark, are attempting to develop a technical education system which can survive as either a bridge to additional vocational training or pursuing college-level courses. Although we are not Europe, we are beginning to make some progress. With the passage of S. 1186, that progress will only continue to grow. I am also hopeful that passage of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act will eliminate many of the misconceptions that exist regarding vocational education, adult education and training. Some perceive vocational education as a second-rate education for students who cannot otherwise succeed in the so-called traditional academic path. Nothing--and I say nothing--could be further from the truth. In fact, the opposite in many cases is the situation now. Vocational education courses hold appeal for all students. In my home State of Vermont, over 4,500 students participate in vocational education courses of which 12 percent are adults. A strong technical education system is the best kind of training. As has been pointed out, as we move forward in our lives, the need for vocational education or skills training is going to increase. We are going to change jobs five, six, seven times during our lives as we move into the next century, and we are going to need training continuously. The same is true now with our society. However, we just do not have the appropriate training available. We need to coordinate, we need to get together and figure out how we can provide the skills that are necessary. If employment and training programs are to succeed, a simple, integrated workforce development system must be established that gives States, local communities, employers and students both the assistance and the incentives to participate in our global economy. S. 1186 is a good step in responding to this need. I urge my colleagues to support the passage of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. Before turning to others who may want to speak on this legislation, I again thank my colleagues and coauthors of the bill, in particular Senators Kennedy, DeWine and Wellstone. In particular, I thank the Employment and Training Subcommittee chaired by Senator DeWine, who has done an outstanding job in putting together this bill. Senator Wellstone, the Employment and Training Subcommittee ranking member, has also done a tremendous job in drafting key provisions of this bill. Senator Kennedy and I have been working for many years on this effort, and we are pleased to have Senators DeWine and Wellstone as our partners. I also thank the staff of Senators Wellstone, Kennedy and DeWine, and the staff of the Congressional Research Service and legislative counsel have worked tirelessly on this bill. In addition, I also thank the administration for their hard work. The business community led by the National Alliance for Business, the Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers are also to be commended for their efforts and for their support. I express my appreciation to the Chief State School Officers and other educational organizations who offered constructive comments during the drafting of S. 1186. Most of all, I thank my home State of Vermont for serving as an inspiration for this legislation. Almost 1 year ago, I held a hearing in Vermont on workforce development. Over 100 Vermonters attended and offered various perspectives which have been incorporated in this bill. Also, I thank the State of Mississippi. I went down to the State of Mississippi and found that they had one of the most innovative vocational education systems that I have had the chance to observe. They are dedicated there and doing a fine job. In fact, I noted that their unemployment rate was going down, even though they were losing hundreds of jobs to Mexico. Why? Because of the business community seeing the state of their vocational training and their ability to train for the skills necessary for the jobs that are locating in Mississippi. Thus, they are losing low-wage jobs and replacing them with high-wage jobs. We have, therefore, taken a close look at the Mississippi system and have made sure our bill models their initiative. So I commend those in other States and certainly my own State of Vermont which I mentioned, who have tried to make efforts but they have been hindered to a certain extent by the problems with our present system, the inability to coordinate. This bill is designed to try and provide that coordination, to ensure that all of this country can move now to make sure that we are ready for the future. We established the goals to make sure by the next century we would have moved past our educational difficulties to the greatest extent possible, to make sure that our young people would be ready to enter the workforce, to make sure we provided them the skills not after high school but in high school, as well as to make sure this Nation would be competitive in the year ahead. I yield to my good friend, Senator DeWine, who deserves maximum credit from our side for his productive work in giving us a bill today which we can be proud of, which we can vote for with great confidence. We will improve this Nation's workforce. I yield to Senator DeWine. Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I thank Chairman Jeffords for the work he has done on this bill. It is a real bipartisan bill, as we have pointed out many times on this floor; Senator Wellstone, Senator Kennedy, Senator Jeffords, myself. It is a bill that will truly change the status quo, a bill that will really make a difference. [[Page S4256]] We will be voting on this bill in about half an hour. This legislation, S. 1186, will fundamentally reform our Nation's currently fragmented, duplicative and many times ineffective job training programs. I believe this bill will transform them into a coordinated, accountable, and flexible workforce investment system. Before the Senate votes, I want to spend a few minutes discussing the reasons why the Workforce Investment Partnership Act does enjoy such bipartisan support. One of the most historic, if not the most historic accomplishments of the 105th Congress was the legislation that revolutionized the American welfare system. In passing a bill to end welfare as we knew it, we were empowering the States and local communities to seek a better way to make work, not welfare, the way of life for millions of disadvantaged Americans. The bill we are considering this evening, S. 1186, is a very important extension of that basic welfare reform, continuing the devolution of Federal power to where it rightfully belongs--States, localities--and most importantly, the individuals who are voluntarily seeking training assistance. This bill, S. 1186, recognizes the leadership of States and localities which have show innovation and initiative over the last few years, even in the midst of many times onerous Federal barriers and obstacles. By eradicating outdated rules and regulations, we can remove the barriers that have stymied people in the past. We can empower States and local communities by giving them the tools, the tools and the flexibility that they need to implement real reform, reform that will allow them to provide truly comprehensive training services. This bill, S. 1186, also promotes free market competition. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act establishes an effective and accountable workforce development system, ensuring that training leads to meaningful, long-term employment. Under this bill, training services will be held accountable to high standards. This means they will have to prove training leads ultimately to meaningful, unsubsidized employment, showing how many people were placed, at what cost, and how many people remained employed 6 months, a year or 18 months later. That is true accountability. That is the true measure of whether job training works or does not work. Does the person have a job 6 months or 12 months later, and what kind of a job is it. S. 1186 also has bipartisan support because it eliminates government bureaucracy and promotes personal responsibility. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act would provide training assistance through individual training accounts or vouchers in order to allow the individual seeking assistance to have a say themselves about where, how and what training they will receive. These programs should be tailored to individual needs, not to Washington bureaucrats and what Washington bureaucrats think is best. This bill provides program coordination and simplification. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act incorporates nearly 70 categorical programs, eliminating numerous Federal requirements and mandatory set- asides. This bill authorizes and expands a modified work-flex program which allows States to approve requests for waivers of Federal statutory and regulatory requirements submitted by their local communities. The bill provides States with the option to submit a unified plan or a single-State plan for the numerous programs incorporated into the legislation. Further, this bill removes income eligibility requirements. States will be allowed to provide all adults who voluntarily seek assistance the comprehensive services available through the one-stop customer service system--services such as job search, placement assistance, skill assessment, and case management. Just like welfare reform, job training reform depends on participation of the business community, the local business community. This bill not only allows for business community involvement, but business community leadership, as well. The private sector must outline its employment needs and assist in the design of training programs so that individuals that receive training assistance obtain long-term, meaningful employment. To summarize, job training reform is needed. It is needed because we can no longer afford the Washington-knows-best attitude that created the current maze of training and related programs. With a few notable exceptions, the evidence on the one-size-fits-all approach reveals far more failures than successes. However, because of Congress' inability to enact reform in the past, States and localities have begun the task of creating their own comprehensive systems which meet the unique needs of their States and local communities. Frankly, they have been frustrated. They have been frustrated by the Federal laws and regulations which prevent them from developing more responsive and more effective workforce investment systems. This bill, the Workforce Investment Partnership act, is designed to reform the Federal Government's role in providing job training assistance to Americans. For too long, that role has been to foster confusion, frustration, and complication. With this bipartisan bill, we offer a new foundation and a positive framework for success. Instead of rules that tie the hands of States and localities, this bill provides the tools, the tools to empower them to develop comprehensive work force investment systems that address the needs of job seekers and employers alike. This morning's Cleveland Plain Dealer, in an editorial, I think, gets it exactly right. ``A Bill That Works. Consolidation could produce job- training programs that do their own jobs better.'' ``A Bill That Works.'' This bill is a road map, a road map to a better system. If we are to achieve the goals we have set--stronger economy, a better trained workforce, true and meaningful welfare reform--we need to begin that journey today. I want to thank all my colleagues who have worked so hard to pass this important bill. I also want to thank all the concerned individuals and groups who have offered their support, including the National Alliance of Business, City of New York, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Council of Chief State School Officers, Society for Human Resource Management, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Cleveland Growth Association, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Association of Private Industry Councils, the National Association of Counties, the American Vocational Association and the National Association of State Directors of Vocational Education Consortium. All of these groups have worked to put this bill together. We have a comprehensive bill that brings about the reform that we all need. In summary, we will be voting in a little over 20 minutes on a bill that will fundamentally reform job training in this country. This reform is long overdue. It is a reform that will bring about more accountability. We will be able to measure success and failure better. It is a bill that will give more authority to the local communities. It will be a bill that will empower the recipients to have more choices in regard to the job training that fits their needs. And it will work. It will work because we are incorporating, as never before, the local business community--not just in the implementation of the plan, but rather in the design of the plan. The one thing that we have seen as we have held hearings across this country, time and time and time again, is how important it is to include the local business community because, ultimately, they are the consumers, along with the people who need the jobs and the people who need the job training. They are all the consumers. It doesn't do any good to design a job training program and train someone for a job and that job does not exist in the local community. That is why the enclosure and inclusion of the business community, making them a part of this process from the very beginning, is such an essential part of this bill. Let me again thank Chairman Jeffords for his work on the bill, along with Senator Kennedy, Senator Wellstone, and the other members of the committee. This bill was passed out of our committee by a unanimous vote. Several of my colleagues have already noted on the floor that this is a committee that has a very wide divergence of points of view. This committee has many members that have opinions that many times do not always [[Page S4257]] agree. But the fact that we were able to pass this bill unanimously out of the committee, I think, shows its bipartisan support and also shows that the status quo was not acceptable, and this bill makes a significant change and improvement in that status quo. I yield the floor. PRE-VOCATIONAL TRAINING Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I have sought recognition to discuss the issue of pre-vocational training in the context of this legislation. In March, I introduced S. 1709, the Job Preparation and Retention Training Act of 1998, which would have authorized a new Labor Department program providing grants to community-based organizations which would provide essential pre-vocational training to individuals who have not successfully entered the workforce. In my floor remarks on March 4 upon introduction of S. 1709, I noted that one such community-based organization, Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America, Inc., has found that the average hourly wage of trainees prior to pre-vocational training was $3.70, but after such training, these same participants started earning an average of $8.00 an hour, with a placement rate of 85 percent into gainful employment. After consultation with Chairman Jeffords, I have decided not to offer my bill as an amendment to the comprehensive job training bill before us, based on assurances that in Conference, he and Chairman DeWine will work with me to ensure that pre-vocational training is more accessible to individuals who are not prepared to fully benefit from the training and skills development provided in S. 1186. Mr. JEFFORDS. I thank my colleague from Pennsylvania for his work on job training and educational issues, both in this context, and as Chairman of the appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over such programs. I will endeavor to work with him on enhancing the issue of pre-vocational training in conference with the House and welcome his input on this critical issue. Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about S. 1186--the Workforce Investment Partnership Act and to applaud the Labor and Human Resources Committee for the bipartisan manner in which the legislation was developed. In the last Congress the opportunity for reform of employment and training programs was lost due to partisan bickering and the insistence on a reform structure which I believe jeopardized the investment in skills training--and in particular the investment in the retraining of dislocated workers. This bill builds on the success of the dislocated worker program and adds other elements which will improve the program. These include establishing One-Stop centers as the framework of the new workforce development system which will improve dislocated worker access to quality information and services, and the proposed skill grants--or Individual Training Account system--which will enable them to make informed choices about training opportunities with qualified vendors. Despite our improving economy, there are always workers who will lose jobs because of economic change. We owe these workers the tools to get back on their feet, through rapid response to plant closings and mass layoffs, job search assistance and retraining for new jobs. I am particularly pleased that this bill includes rapid response and labor- management committees which have been important tools under the current dislocated worker program. This program, where formula grants to states and localities are supplemented by National Reserve Account to allow the Secretary of Labor to respond to emergencies, has been successful in helping hundreds of thousands of workers each year to make mid- career changes. The current dislocated worker program served approximately 540,000 dislocated workers nationwide in the most recent year. Of those who completed the program during that year, 71 percent were employed when they left the program, earning on average 93 percent of their previous wages, and for workers who had received retraining, the wage replacement was 95 percent. The Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Labor conducted an audit of JTPA Title III retraining services to determine how successful retraining was in helping dislocated workers to return to work. The conclusion of the April 1995 report was: ``The purpose of Title III is to return dislocated workers to productive employment. In this context, the program was successful. Program participants were reemployed, remained in the workforce, and regained their prior earning power.'' In my own state of Washington, we have experienced layoffs in the timber and aerospace industries and the assistance provided by Title III of JTPA has been essential to meeting the needs of affected workers. The success of the program is illustrated by the experience of one dislocated worker, Mr. David Hamilton of Valley, Washington. He had a steady income working in the logging industry, but only for six to eight months each year. This created a difficult financial situation when employment was not available. In July 1995, he was laid off from Accord Logging. He decided to investigate career options in the cross-country truck driving field. He learned of the opportunities available through JTPA and began actively seeking financial assistance for training. With only a tenth grade education, his employment opportunities were limited. He knew that he needed a GED, but his assessment test also indicated a deficiency in basic math skills. With his unemployment benefits nearly exhausted, he held steadfastly to his hope of entering the truck driving industry. He pursued his education and training through the Colville Job Service JTPA Title III program. His determination to obtain a Commercial Drivers License increased as he passed his physical and Wonderlic tests (in lieu of a GED). He met the program qualifications for Title III funding and completed his training on February 23, 1997, with excellent grades. He was immediately placed with G & G Trucking and was driving cross-country the following Monday. G & G agreed to assist him with the financing needed to purchase a tractor. Within six months he became an owner-operator. As an owner- operator, he will earn between $12 and $18 per hour. He now has a reliable source of income and greater financial security. The success of Mr. Hamilton and other dislocated worker program participants is why I am so pleased that S. 1186 is designed to assure that funding for dislocated workers will be maintained. This is an important improvement over last year's bill and I thank the authors of S. 1186 for their attention to this critical item. Mr. President, I also ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record a letter from Mr. Rick Bender, President of Washington State's Labor Council. I have been working with Chairman Jeffords to address Title III in the bill which provided training funds only after labor consultations have been performed. I am hopeful that the Department will work with respective labor organizations to continue this successful communication. Washington State has developed a Community Based Rapid Response policy that quickly meets the various needs and concerns of dislocated workers. Mr. Bender has been at the forefront of this effort and provides a compelling argument to continue this consultation. There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Seattle, WA, March 25, 1998. Hon. Patty Murray, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Dear Senator Murray: The Workforce Investment Partnership Act (S. 1186) is ready to come to the floor of the US Senate for action. The Act, as written, is missing a crucial provision of benefit to Union members. The current JTPA Act provides that, ``. . . any program conducted with funds made available under Title III which will provide services to a substantial number of members of a labor organization will be established only after full consultation with such labor organization.'' (Sec. 311(b)(7)). This provision is ominously absent from the new bill. The new legislation will cause irreparable harm to our Union members who suffer layoff through plant closure due to the failure to require labor consultation when planning services for them. The language quoted above has enabled the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, to assist its affiliates in demanding appropriate levels of service for their members who are facing long term layoff. The ability to demand that funding be pulled from bad [[Page S4258]] retraining programs has been key to the success of Labor's active participation in workforce employment and training programs in Washington State. The Washington State Labor Council presently operates a contract with Washington State Employment Security to provide Rapid Response services to our union members whose plant(s) may be closing or downsizing. By actively invoking this language, we make the workforce development system move towards a customized approach toward service and training design, which takes the needs of working men and women and their families into account. Without this language in the bill service and training design will take the convenience of service agencies into account, not our members' needs. Any assistance you can provide to insert this crucial provision into S. 1186, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act, will be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Rick S. Bender, President. Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I rise today to add my voice to the bipartisan chorus in support of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. I commend the sponsors for their excellent work. Senators Jeffords, DeWine, Kennedy, and Wellstone have done an outstanding job of crafting legislation that is long overdue. For too long American workers have had to struggle through a complex system of dozens of different job training and educational programs to get the skills they needed to enter, or reenter the job market. Today, the Senate takes concrete steps to streamline the current system so that getting the help they need will be easier for the workers of America. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act simplifies the search for a job by encouraging communities to establish a ``one stop shopping'' location. Localities will have one location where an individual can go to get help finding a job or search out skill training opportunities. At this location all of the options will be laid out, and the choice will be up to the worker. Inherent in this idea is that there will be no wrong door. No longer will a person be told, ``We can't help you here because you don't qualify for these programs. Maybe they can help you down the hall.'' That sort of bureaucratic run around results in inefficiency and frustrates the very people we are trying to help. This job training reform bill focuses on shifting power back to the states and local communities. Government, business, labor, and community groups will collaborate on strategies that fit the economic situation of the individual state and locality. The Senate version of this bill also takes the important step of allowing states to keep reforms they have made that are working. Wisconsin has made many changes to its job training system on its own initiative that have been ground- breaking and very successful. I am pleased the Committee recognizes that there is no need to replace programs that are already doing the job and meeting the goals set forth in this legislation. I am also pleased we maintain our commitment to helping at risk youth. This bill ensures that providing opportunities for kids on the edge will continue, and that the funds will move quickly to those who need it most. I hope that the Conference Committee can quickly complete its work so that the $250 million set aside in last year's budget for Out-of-School Youth will become available before the July 1 deadline. These kids need our help to become productive citizens and contribute to society. If Congress fails to complete action before July 1, these young people will be forced to wait even longer for our support. In today's global economy, our people are our greatest resource. With the rise in information and technology, the nations that are the most creative, most innovative, and most inventive will have the edge. The United States currently has the lead in these sectors and this bill will help our people maintain their advantage through continuing their education and updating their skills. Our nation's continued prosperity, and the prosperity of our workers, hinges on a well-trained workforce. This bill helps ensure that our current economic growth will continue into the future and be shared by all Americans. Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I rise in support of S. 1579, the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, of which I am proud to be an original co-sponsor. I would like to commend Senators Jeffords, DeWine, Kennedy, and Wellstone, for making reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act a priority, and for including this legislation as an amendment to the Workforce legislation. The State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program provides $2.2 billion in formula grant assistance to States to help individuals with disabilities prepare for and engage in gainful employment. Since established by the Smith-Fess act 75 years ago, state vocational rehabilitation programs have served some nine million people. This program promotes economic independence for people with disabilities, and the numbers reflect that. In 1992, Congress made major changes to the Act, namely, increasing consumer participation, streamlining processes, and reducing unnecessary paperwork. In the bill before us today, we have built on the '92 amendments. The bill preserves and strengthens the themes of the '92 amendments, while fine-tuning and aligning the Act with other workforce reforms. The Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 strengthen the role of the consumer throughout the vocational rehabilitation process, particularly in the development of the individual's employment plan. This reauthorization reduces unnecessary burdens on State VR agencies by streamlining the State plan; indeed, the bill reduces the 36 State plan requirements in current law to 24. The bill also refocuses the State plan on improving outcomes for individuals with disabilities by requiring States to develop, jointly with the State Rehabilitation Council, annual goals and strategies for improving results. Access of Social Security beneficiaries to VR services is facilitated, and unnecessary gatekeeping is eliminated, by making SSI and SSDI beneficiaries presumptively eligible for services under the VR States Grants program. This change will eliminate the need for the VR agency to determine on a case-by-case basis whether individuals ``require'' VR services in order to gain employment. Under this bill, if a person receiving SSI or SSDI walks through the door of a VR agency, that person will be presumed eligible for VR services. As the Administrator of the Iowa VR agency explained to me, ``now we don't have to spend time and money determining whether an individual on SSI or SSDI is eligible for services. Instead, we can focus our resources where they should be focused--on assisting our consumers in obtaining employment.'' Of particular interest to me and to Senator Dodd are the changes to Section 508 of the Act, which pertain to electronic and information technology accessibility. This section will make it easier for individuals with disabilities who are federal employees to obtain the assistive technology they need in order to do their jobs. Finally, this bill widens employment opportunities for people with disabilities by establishing linkages with larger statewide workforce systems. I would like to point out, however, as Senators Jeffords, DeWine, and Kennedy already have, that vocational rehabilitation agencies will not be required to spend any of their federal allotment on activities other than those that help provide jobs for people with disabilities. In sum, the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 bring us closer to the goal of fostering independence for people with disabilities by providing them with the services they need in order to enter the workforce. I would like to thank Senators DeWine, Jeffords, Kennedy, Wellstone, and Dodd, and the Clinton Administration, for their leadership in developing this bill in a bipartisan manner. I also would like to commend all the staff members who worked on this bill. Without their tireless efforts, we would never have been able to bring this important reauthorization to the floor. Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I share the widespread support for this important legislation. This bill would consolidate and reauthorize job training and vocational education programs. This bill enables states to create a unified plan for all social services related to job training and vocational and adult education. Job training and vocational education are vital programs which prepare individuals to compete in today's changing global economy. An estimated 346,000 high-tech jobs are going [[Page S4259]] unfilled nationwide. The increasing shortage of highly trained workers threatens our nation's economic growth and our productivity. This measure will help address these short-comings and prepare more of America's workers, and thus America's businesses, for the Twenty-first century. We live in a capitalist society with a free market economy. Employers seek to hire the best qualified job candidates. S. 1186 simply provides a means to help individuals acquire the skills necessary to compete. The acquisition of these skills will best help individuals thrive as our economy continues to grow. Too many of our citizens have been left behind the growing economy of the past years, and this measure will help them keep up with the new economy. I believe that S. 1186 also supports our commitment to move individuals from welfare to work. Job training prepares individuals to compete in the marketplace, and remain free from government assistance. For all of the foregoing reasons, I support this bill. One important part of this legislation is the reauthorization of the programs under the Carl D. Perkins Vocation and Applied Technology Education Act. I have heard from constituents across my state that these programs are a very critical component of our vocational and technical education system. As we in the Congress work to help our nation prepare for the Twenty- first century, there are few challenges more fundamental to our success than ensuring that our work force has the education and training necessary to compete in the global economy. More and more jobs require technical skills, training that is not offered in our traditional four- year colleges. Our vocational and technical schools, accordingly, are absolutely essential for the students and workers of today. Technical skills lead to higher wages for workers and more competitive businesses. That is why the federal-state-local partnership for vocational and technical education, which has been very successful to date, must be continued. The highest priority for the moment is to get the reauthorization of the Perkins Act programs through the Senate and into conference. The legislative session this year is very short, and we cannot afford to delay passage of this bill any further. That said, however, there are a number of provisions of this bill which need improvement. Foremost among the needed changes, in my view, is that the Senate should accept what the House has proposed in terms of a separate bill for vocational-technical education. This difference is very crucial, for it is essential to preserve the independent mission and funding stream for vocational education. For some time, it appeared that the Senate bill was headed in the wrong direction, removing the separate designation for vocational and technical education and placing these programs into the mix of the overhaul of our job training and retraining programs. That would have been a serious mistake, and I am pleased with the improvements that the managers of this bill have agreed to offer to this legislation. Among the expected changes is an assurance that funding appropriated for vocational-technical education programs will be directed to school- based programs and not diverted to other areas. Additionally, the amendment is expected to ensure that governance for vocational education will remain at the state and local level, and that a strong focus will remain on professional development for teachers and administrators. The House, on the other hand, has proposed a separate legislative authorization for the Perkins Act programs. Despite the forthcoming changes to the Senate bill, I urge the Senate conferees to accept the position of the House with respect to reauthorization. Today, however, I believe that we should send this bill to the conference committee, where I hope that the remaining issues can be resolved, and I urge my colleagues to join me in passing this bill as expeditiously as possible. Workforce Investment Partnership Act Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, the time has come for the Senate to take appropriate steps to ensure that our work force is equipped to meet the challenges we will face in the next century. Today, high-skill, high- wage jobs are being created faster than they can be filled. This is not because of a labor shortage. Instead we are suffering from a ``skill shortage.'' Not enough workers in this country possess the skills necessary to fill these jobs. In order to keep our economy strong and growing, our people must receive the education and training they need to become productive employees in the 21st century. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act of 1997 (WIPA) is the first step in providing the education and training job seekers need to compete for high-wage jobs. This bill would consolidate many narrowly- focused federal vocational education, adult education and job training programs that currently provide a disjointed approach to job training and job placement. Through the establishment of ``one-stop'' customer service centers, job seekers will have a central point of entry to job training programs. These one-stop centers will also offer ``individual training accounts'' allowing job seekers to choose their preferred type of education and job training programs to better accommodate their individual skills or interests. Finally, one-stop centers will provide applicants and employers alike with a centralized source of information about training and employment opportunities available in the area. WIPA's goal of streamlining our many training programs bears great similarity to legislation I introduced in January, 1997, called the Working Americans Opportunity Act. Reforming and improving our nation's job training system has long been a Democratic priority. I am glad to see strong, bipartisan support for WIPA and look forward to working with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to enact this important legislation. The passage of this legislation is of particular importance to the people of South Dakota, where we have recently experienced large scale layoffs in Huron with the closing of the Dakota Pork processing plant, and in Lead with cutbacks at the Homestake Gold mine. People in my home state have been drastically affected by these layoffs. It is my hope that these programs will enable them to receive the training they need to compete for the high-wage jobs of tomorrow. I believe it is very important that any investment we make in education and training produces positive, measurable results. That's why I am pleased this bill ensures that each training provider and agency administering state and local programs is held to a higher level of accountability than in the past. These agencies will be responsible for monitoring and reporting job placement, job retention and average earnings for program graduates. If a program is not performing up to acceptable standards, it will no longer be eligible to receive public funding. It is of particular importance that we act quickly on this bill. Unless it is signed into law by June 1, the Department of Labor will not be able to implement Youth Opportunity Grants. This grant program invests money in poverty-stricken areas to help youth who have left school to get year-round jobs. Appropriations for these grants are contingent on the authorization of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. This worthwhile program deserves a chance to be implemented as it was intended. By working in a bipartisan way to reform vocational education and job training programs, I believe that we can, during this Congress, create opportunities for American workers that will help to keep our economy strong for the next century. Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I rise to offer my support for HR 1385, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. This bill is the result of several years of hard work and bipartisan cooperation by Congress on behalf of our nation's workforce and employers. Our present job training system has become overly bureaucratic, fragmented and duplicative without adequate accountability or assessment measures. Currently, the federal government administers 163 separate programs, scattered across 15 agencies, at a cost of more than $20 billion a year. The Workforce Investment Partnership Ac

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WORKFORCE INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP ACT OF 1997
(Senate - May 05, 1998)

Text of this article available as: TXT PDF [Pages S4252-S4349] WORKFORCE INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP ACT OF 1997 The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will now proceed to the consideration of H.R. 1385, which the clerk will report. The legislative clerk read as follows: A bill (H.R. 1385) to consolidate, coordinate, and improve employment, training, literacy, and vocational rehabilitation programs in the United States, and for other purposes. The Senate resumed consideration of the bill. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will now be 60 minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form for closing remarks prior to final passage. Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, first I yield to the Senator from Minnesota for a unanimous consent request. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. Privilege of the Floor Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Jana O'Leary, who is an intern in my office, [[Page S4253]] be allowed to be in the Chamber for the duration of this debate. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Mr. WELLSTONE. I thank the Chair. Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, the Senate is resuming consideration of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act, S. 1186. This legislation incorporates job training, vocational education, and adult education. Last Friday, the Senate began debate on S. 1186. Amendments by Senators DeWine, Domenici, Lautenberg, and Ashcroft were adopted and made a part of this substitute. We have only today to have the final vote on the legislation, and we have 1 hour equally divided for that purpose. The legislation before this body today is one of the most important proposals we will consider this year. S. 1186 proposes a streamlined, practical, business-oriented approach to job training which empowers States with the ability to transform the current patchwork of programs into a comprehensive system. The purpose of this bill is to better coordinate and to consolidate in certain circumstances 90 federally funded programs and promote joint partnerships between education leaders in the business community in developing a workforce development system that is first rate. Perhaps the best illustration of why we need to revamp our workforce system can be clearly seen on a weekly basis in the want-ad sections of the newspapers throughout the Nation. There are presently 190,000 unfilled positions in the technology field. The reason for the difficulty in filling these positions is not because of low unemployment numbers but because of the lack of skilled workers. Many of these jobs do not require 4 years plus postsecondary education. In fact, if we had the proper high school vocational education system, these could be filled by students graduating from high school. They require an excellent vocational education system and the ability to pursue technical education following high school graduation or receive this education as high school students. One of the most fascinating facts to come out of the Senate Labor Committee's hearings on the workforce is that Malaysia has replicated our tech-prep model. In other words, we have presently a model system with a few schools using it which, if duplicated throughout this country, could provide us with what we need today. The unusual thing is that in this country it takes us a long time to replicate anything through our school systems. Malaysia came over here, studied our Tech- Prep Program, and went back to Malaysia and implemented it overnight-- again, moving them into a position to improve their competitiveness and perhaps exceed our own competitiveness. That is the kind of challenge we have now had delivered to us by our competitors in the international markets. It is up to us to take the steps necessary to ensure that we can meet the international competition which we are facing and not have 190,000 jobs out there begging because we cannot provide the skilled workforce. Fifteen years ago, ``A Nation At Risk'' was published and warned us about this problem. This report posed the question as to whether the United States would have an adequately trained workforce to meet the global challenges of the 21st century. Fifteen years later, here is what we have. According to the latest census information, 22 percent of the population in the United States aged 25 and over have completed less than 12 years of schooling. These are the kinds of problems with which we are faced. A most recent national adult literacy survey indicated that 44 million adults have literacy difficulty. This means that over 20 percent of adults in this country have trouble using reading, writing, and computation skills to say nothing of qualifying for jobs that are available, for which we should have the workforce. The same is true in my State of Vermont. All States have this very serious problem. With the statistics I just mentioned, the United States is still the most productive country in the world, but we are losing our edge to other industrialized nations such as Japan and Germany as well as other rapidly developing countries such as Taiwan, Korea, and China. Recent international exams have demonstrated that notwithstanding this warning we had 15 years ago, we have not made significant headway in being able to meet the challenge of that competition and to provide the workforce for those 190,000 jobs that are going begging right now. Over the past 25 years, the standard of living for those Americans without a 4-year postsecondary degree has plunged. In the next decade, we are in danger of being surpassed as the world's foremost economic power if we do not begin to redefine our priorities at the national, State, and local levels. This is an excellent bill, Mr. President. Senator DeWine, my good friend from Ohio, who was in charge of the subcommittee that developed this bill, along with Senator Wellstone, has produced a wonderful bill. It is going to do a great deal to bring us forward as we face the problems of the Nation and the problems of our national competitiveness. Mr. President, at this point I will be happy to yield the floor. Senator Wellstone, I believe, desires to be heard. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I yield 5 minutes to my colleague, Senator Kerrey, from Nebraska. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska. Mr. KERREY. I thank the Senator from Minnesota. Mr. President, I rise in support of S. 1186, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. This is an initiative that I have been involved with since my days as Governor of Nebraska from 1983 to 1987, and it is something I am proud to see come to fruition in the Senate. All of us understand that in today's global economy, this kind of legislation represents an important step in helping individual Americans achieve their shot at the American dream. One of the most satisfying efforts for me is to help, as a public official, some individual acquire the skills they need to earn a good wage so that they can support themselves and their families. Investments such as vocational education, job training, and adult education play a major role in this effort. But in order to be more effective, these programs need to be streamlined and coordinated in such a way that they work together to provide individuals the information and resources they need to be successful in a job market that demands an increasingly higher skill level. In 1994, along with Senator Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas, I introduced legislation to consolidate 91 job training programs into a single authorization called the Workforce Development Act. The bill also sought to reconnect job training, training-related education, and actual jobs. It also provided States greater flexibility in designing job training systems. Mr. President, I take great pleasure and am pleased that these concepts represented in this legislation are also incorporated into S. 1186. S. 1186 also encourages statewide partnerships consisting of the business community, the education community, the Governor, and local and State elected officials. A key responsibility in this partnership is the development of a State plan. The legislation also encourages one-stop customer service centers which will provide a central point of entry to job training programs. In the last few years in my State of Nebraska, Congress has increased its commitment to preparing individuals for the workforce. We have seen in our State an increase in Federal funding for job training of approximately $1.5 million since 1996; for vocational education, we have seen an increase of about $700,000; and for adult education, about $460,000. Mr. President, I would like to call this to the attention of my colleagues. I suspect, if they are like me, sometimes these program names get confusing, and I wonder whether or not they have any impact. In Nebraska, the $6.276 million allocation of Federal job training funds in 1997 provided 4,000 of my citizens with the skills they need to become more productive and to earn a higher living and satisfy the market demand, as the Senator from Vermont identified. There are many jobs out there that are unfilled simply because we cannot find people with skills. Mr. President, 4,000 of those jobs were filled; 4,000 of those people are happier. [[Page S4254]] In addition, vocational and applied technology education grants assisted 70,000 secondary students and 47,800 post-secondary students who now have higher skills, a technical education they otherwise would not have had. They are going to get a shot at the American dream. They are going to be happier. They are going to be healthier. As I said, there are very few things that are more gratifying than having an individual say to you, ``Thank you for helping me get a shot at the American dream,'' and 17,340 adults in a single year were assisted in my State as a consequence of the $1.7 million in addition education. This is an investment with an excellent return. The legislation will not only help more individuals achieve the American dream but will also help our Nation become the best educated, most productive country in the world as we enter the 21st century. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act represents a good bipartisan effort to increase opportunities for American citizens. I look forward to seeing it move through Congress, and I congratulate and thank sincerely the distinguished chairman of the committee, Senator Jeffords of Vermont, and the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, Senator Wellstone, as well as the chairman of the subcommittee, Senator DeWine. On behalf of the tens of thousands of Nebraskans who will receive the benefits of this program, I thank you. Mr. WELLSTONE addressed the Chair. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I ask if, after 10 minutes, I might be so notified? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator will be notified. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, first of all, let me thank Chairman Jeffords for his leadership. He had a lot to do with this piece of legislation. We did a lot of work on the Subcommittee on Employment and Training, but Senator Jeffords and Senator Kennedy were absolutely critical to bringing this piece of legislation finally to the floor and keeping all of us together. Senator DeWine--it was really a labor of love working with him. He has just put all of himself into this piece of legislation. He has done a great job. I would also like to thank a couple of other people: On Senator Kennedy's staff, Jeff Teitz, who is out on the floor with me today, for his work, and Brian Ahlberg who works with me and has put hundreds of hours into this, as have a number of other very talented people. I am not going to go into all of the specific provisions. I really want to take some time to thank some people who helped out. But let me just say, S. 1186, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act, is an important piece of legislation. The President correctly observed that the bill is ``essential to widening the circle of opportunity for more Americans and keeping our economy growing steady and strong.'' My concern all along has been that over the past couple of years there has been some discussion about cutting funding for job training programs. That would be the worst thing in the world for us to do. I think what we have now done, in a bipartisan way, is we brought people together around to job training that really takes root at the community level. We are talking about a program that is more streamlined. We decentralize it. There are accountable job performance measures, as there should be. The Governors have a key role to play, but they are in partnership with local communities. And at local levels of government, whether they be county or city, you have key decisionmakers as well. The private sector is an essential part of this, as should be the case, because a lot of these jobs that will be created will be in the private sector. We are talking about, you know, that goal that I think is the most important goal for most families in our country, which is to earn a decent living and to be able to raise your children successfully. This is all about doing that. In addition, we have kept separate funding for adults and youth and dislocated workers. We don't have a straight block grant program; we keep our priorities at the national level. I think we should do that. The out-of-school youth initiative is extremely important, targeting funds to youth in high-poverty areas, both urban and rural. Please colleagues--and I don't think too many colleagues make this mistake, but quite often when we talk about ``youth'' or ``lack of jobs'' or ``young people dropping out of schools'' or ``inadequate housing'' or ``inadequate education'' or ``affordable child care'' or ``affordable health care,'' we think about these issues as urban issues. These issues are every bit as important to rural America. The problems are more hidden but they are no less real. The nice thing about the out-of- school initiative is that it is already paid for. Congress has already provided $250 million in an advance appropriation. I want to take special note of the contribution of Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, who testified at one of our subcommittee hearings. I want to also take note of our important national job training programs that we have renewed. The Job Corps Program, we have the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center in Saint Paul, which is one of the best performing centers in the country. Last year, we had Ralph DiBattista and Dave McKenzie, the current director--Ralph was a former director--at a hearing on youth training. They were joined by Susan Lees, who is an impressive young trainee at the center, on her way to becoming an auto technician at the Ford dealership. The bill also renews current Native American programs and migrant and seasonal farm worker programs. And finally the veterans program--I want to say to the veterans community, we heard from you loud and clear. You wanted to have a separate focus on veterans programs, a separate funding stream. We have some additional provisions by way of eligibility to make sure that gulf war veterans, some of whom are really struggling, will be well served; as well as homeless veterans. We have also built into this bill the continuation of Concentrated Employment Programs, rural CEPs. That is to say, in rural areas where there is high concentration of unemployment and poverty, we have a special focus to make sure the job training is out there. I think--and many colleagues have worked on this but I get to say it on the floor of the Senate, with some pride--this is a very Minnesota- like program. The one-stop centers, we have been doing that in our State. The idea of decentralization, of trying to build good partnerships between the Governor and the local community, trying to build good partnerships between the public and private sector with a focus on good job training, good skills development, and job opportunities for people. Job opportunities for people--I can't really think of anything more important for us to be focusing our attention on. So, I want to make it very clear that I am very, very proud of this piece of legislation. I thank my colleagues again--Senator DeWine, Senator Jeffords, and Senator Kennedy as well. Mr. President, how much time do I have left? The PRESIDING OFFICER. There are 18 minutes remaining to the Senator from Minnesota, 23 minutes to the Senator from Vermont. Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I don't see other Senators on the floor right now. I might just highlight some amendments to this piece of legislation, to make maximum use of time. There are five amendments to the bill which we have agreed to accept. The first is one by Mr. DeWine. It is the vocational rehabilitation bill. It is extremely important. I think what Senator DeWine has done is basically provided a set of improvements to this piece of legislation. It is an amendment that I strongly support. There is an amendment by Senator Lautenberg which gives units of local government which are currently service delivery areas under the Job Training Partnership Act, and which have a population of 200,000 or more, an automatic right to appeal to the Secretary of Labor a decision by a Governor not to continue that area as an SDA. That also is an amendment which I support. There are two other amendments by Senator Ashcroft which I will my colleague, the chairman, Senator Jeffords, to speak to if he chooses. Mr. JEFFORDS. On my time, I will. Mr. WELLSTONE. I won't use anymore time. I yield the floor. [[Page S4255]] The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time? Mr. JEFFORDS addressed the Chair. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont. Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. President, let me just make a few more comments. I believe Senator DeWine will be here shortly. As was pointed out, there are three bills which are combined in this bill, and I want to talk a little bit about vocational rehabilitation. It is extremely important that as we move forward, we do more and more for our disabled community to give them every possible opportunity to compete for jobs and to demonstrate their capacity to help our Nation's workforce. We place these programs together, although we maintain separate streams of funding to ensure that each of these programs in adult education, vocational education, job training, and vocational rehabilitation will not feel at all threatened that money will be taken from them. It is important at the same time that we recognize the great capacity of people with disabilities to come into the workforce if they are given the opportunity. By placing them in the same bill, it is important to demonstrate that they are ready and willing to take advantage of the opportunities in the workforce in many places which they have been denied. Also, as I mentioned earlier in my statement, the problems we have with the adult workforce is literacy, to a large extent. As the demands become higher and greater on our workforce, we are recognizing that we need more people to move into the workforce to take the jobs that are available. Thus, it is incredibly important that we coordinate adult education along with vocational education. That is the purpose of this bill, to get everybody to work together to improve the workforce of this Nation to meet the competition of nations overseas. While I am pleased with the progress we have made, I believe that we have moved forward on this bill to do everything possible we can to make ourselves more competitive. I will now talk a little bit about a report released by the National Center for Research and Vocational Education which gave a good overview of training in European nations. I think it is important that my colleagues understand the kind of competition we are getting in Europe, and I will say the same is true and maybe even more so in Asia. This report highlights the importance of a cohesive partnership between educators and employers. Employers in Europe are active participants in the governance of work-related education and training in Australia, Great Britain, France and Germany. Another significant finding of the report is that European nations, such as the Netherlands and Denmark, are attempting to develop a technical education system which can survive as either a bridge to additional vocational training or pursuing college-level courses. Although we are not Europe, we are beginning to make some progress. With the passage of S. 1186, that progress will only continue to grow. I am also hopeful that passage of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act will eliminate many of the misconceptions that exist regarding vocational education, adult education and training. Some perceive vocational education as a second-rate education for students who cannot otherwise succeed in the so-called traditional academic path. Nothing--and I say nothing--could be further from the truth. In fact, the opposite in many cases is the situation now. Vocational education courses hold appeal for all students. In my home State of Vermont, over 4,500 students participate in vocational education courses of which 12 percent are adults. A strong technical education system is the best kind of training. As has been pointed out, as we move forward in our lives, the need for vocational education or skills training is going to increase. We are going to change jobs five, six, seven times during our lives as we move into the next century, and we are going to need training continuously. The same is true now with our society. However, we just do not have the appropriate training available. We need to coordinate, we need to get together and figure out how we can provide the skills that are necessary. If employment and training programs are to succeed, a simple, integrated workforce development system must be established that gives States, local communities, employers and students both the assistance and the incentives to participate in our global economy. S. 1186 is a good step in responding to this need. I urge my colleagues to support the passage of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. Before turning to others who may want to speak on this legislation, I again thank my colleagues and coauthors of the bill, in particular Senators Kennedy, DeWine and Wellstone. In particular, I thank the Employment and Training Subcommittee chaired by Senator DeWine, who has done an outstanding job in putting together this bill. Senator Wellstone, the Employment and Training Subcommittee ranking member, has also done a tremendous job in drafting key provisions of this bill. Senator Kennedy and I have been working for many years on this effort, and we are pleased to have Senators DeWine and Wellstone as our partners. I also thank the staff of Senators Wellstone, Kennedy and DeWine, and the staff of the Congressional Research Service and legislative counsel have worked tirelessly on this bill. In addition, I also thank the administration for their hard work. The business community led by the National Alliance for Business, the Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers are also to be commended for their efforts and for their support. I express my appreciation to the Chief State School Officers and other educational organizations who offered constructive comments during the drafting of S. 1186. Most of all, I thank my home State of Vermont for serving as an inspiration for this legislation. Almost 1 year ago, I held a hearing in Vermont on workforce development. Over 100 Vermonters attended and offered various perspectives which have been incorporated in this bill. Also, I thank the State of Mississippi. I went down to the State of Mississippi and found that they had one of the most innovative vocational education systems that I have had the chance to observe. They are dedicated there and doing a fine job. In fact, I noted that their unemployment rate was going down, even though they were losing hundreds of jobs to Mexico. Why? Because of the business community seeing the state of their vocational training and their ability to train for the skills necessary for the jobs that are locating in Mississippi. Thus, they are losing low-wage jobs and replacing them with high-wage jobs. We have, therefore, taken a close look at the Mississippi system and have made sure our bill models their initiative. So I commend those in other States and certainly my own State of Vermont which I mentioned, who have tried to make efforts but they have been hindered to a certain extent by the problems with our present system, the inability to coordinate. This bill is designed to try and provide that coordination, to ensure that all of this country can move now to make sure that we are ready for the future. We established the goals to make sure by the next century we would have moved past our educational difficulties to the greatest extent possible, to make sure that our young people would be ready to enter the workforce, to make sure we provided them the skills not after high school but in high school, as well as to make sure this Nation would be competitive in the year ahead. I yield to my good friend, Senator DeWine, who deserves maximum credit from our side for his productive work in giving us a bill today which we can be proud of, which we can vote for with great confidence. We will improve this Nation's workforce. I yield to Senator DeWine. Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I thank Chairman Jeffords for the work he has done on this bill. It is a real bipartisan bill, as we have pointed out many times on this floor; Senator Wellstone, Senator Kennedy, Senator Jeffords, myself. It is a bill that will truly change the status quo, a bill that will really make a difference. [[Page S4256]] We will be voting on this bill in about half an hour. This legislation, S. 1186, will fundamentally reform our Nation's currently fragmented, duplicative and many times ineffective job training programs. I believe this bill will transform them into a coordinated, accountable, and flexible workforce investment system. Before the Senate votes, I want to spend a few minutes discussing the reasons why the Workforce Investment Partnership Act does enjoy such bipartisan support. One of the most historic, if not the most historic accomplishments of the 105th Congress was the legislation that revolutionized the American welfare system. In passing a bill to end welfare as we knew it, we were empowering the States and local communities to seek a better way to make work, not welfare, the way of life for millions of disadvantaged Americans. The bill we are considering this evening, S. 1186, is a very important extension of that basic welfare reform, continuing the devolution of Federal power to where it rightfully belongs--States, localities--and most importantly, the individuals who are voluntarily seeking training assistance. This bill, S. 1186, recognizes the leadership of States and localities which have show innovation and initiative over the last few years, even in the midst of many times onerous Federal barriers and obstacles. By eradicating outdated rules and regulations, we can remove the barriers that have stymied people in the past. We can empower States and local communities by giving them the tools, the tools and the flexibility that they need to implement real reform, reform that will allow them to provide truly comprehensive training services. This bill, S. 1186, also promotes free market competition. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act establishes an effective and accountable workforce development system, ensuring that training leads to meaningful, long-term employment. Under this bill, training services will be held accountable to high standards. This means they will have to prove training leads ultimately to meaningful, unsubsidized employment, showing how many people were placed, at what cost, and how many people remained employed 6 months, a year or 18 months later. That is true accountability. That is the true measure of whether job training works or does not work. Does the person have a job 6 months or 12 months later, and what kind of a job is it. S. 1186 also has bipartisan support because it eliminates government bureaucracy and promotes personal responsibility. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act would provide training assistance through individual training accounts or vouchers in order to allow the individual seeking assistance to have a say themselves about where, how and what training they will receive. These programs should be tailored to individual needs, not to Washington bureaucrats and what Washington bureaucrats think is best. This bill provides program coordination and simplification. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act incorporates nearly 70 categorical programs, eliminating numerous Federal requirements and mandatory set- asides. This bill authorizes and expands a modified work-flex program which allows States to approve requests for waivers of Federal statutory and regulatory requirements submitted by their local communities. The bill provides States with the option to submit a unified plan or a single-State plan for the numerous programs incorporated into the legislation. Further, this bill removes income eligibility requirements. States will be allowed to provide all adults who voluntarily seek assistance the comprehensive services available through the one-stop customer service system--services such as job search, placement assistance, skill assessment, and case management. Just like welfare reform, job training reform depends on participation of the business community, the local business community. This bill not only allows for business community involvement, but business community leadership, as well. The private sector must outline its employment needs and assist in the design of training programs so that individuals that receive training assistance obtain long-term, meaningful employment. To summarize, job training reform is needed. It is needed because we can no longer afford the Washington-knows-best attitude that created the current maze of training and related programs. With a few notable exceptions, the evidence on the one-size-fits-all approach reveals far more failures than successes. However, because of Congress' inability to enact reform in the past, States and localities have begun the task of creating their own comprehensive systems which meet the unique needs of their States and local communities. Frankly, they have been frustrated. They have been frustrated by the Federal laws and regulations which prevent them from developing more responsive and more effective workforce investment systems. This bill, the Workforce Investment Partnership act, is designed to reform the Federal Government's role in providing job training assistance to Americans. For too long, that role has been to foster confusion, frustration, and complication. With this bipartisan bill, we offer a new foundation and a positive framework for success. Instead of rules that tie the hands of States and localities, this bill provides the tools, the tools to empower them to develop comprehensive work force investment systems that address the needs of job seekers and employers alike. This morning's Cleveland Plain Dealer, in an editorial, I think, gets it exactly right. ``A Bill That Works. Consolidation could produce job- training programs that do their own jobs better.'' ``A Bill That Works.'' This bill is a road map, a road map to a better system. If we are to achieve the goals we have set--stronger economy, a better trained workforce, true and meaningful welfare reform--we need to begin that journey today. I want to thank all my colleagues who have worked so hard to pass this important bill. I also want to thank all the concerned individuals and groups who have offered their support, including the National Alliance of Business, City of New York, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Council of Chief State School Officers, Society for Human Resource Management, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Cleveland Growth Association, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Association of Private Industry Councils, the National Association of Counties, the American Vocational Association and the National Association of State Directors of Vocational Education Consortium. All of these groups have worked to put this bill together. We have a comprehensive bill that brings about the reform that we all need. In summary, we will be voting in a little over 20 minutes on a bill that will fundamentally reform job training in this country. This reform is long overdue. It is a reform that will bring about more accountability. We will be able to measure success and failure better. It is a bill that will give more authority to the local communities. It will be a bill that will empower the recipients to have more choices in regard to the job training that fits their needs. And it will work. It will work because we are incorporating, as never before, the local business community--not just in the implementation of the plan, but rather in the design of the plan. The one thing that we have seen as we have held hearings across this country, time and time and time again, is how important it is to include the local business community because, ultimately, they are the consumers, along with the people who need the jobs and the people who need the job training. They are all the consumers. It doesn't do any good to design a job training program and train someone for a job and that job does not exist in the local community. That is why the enclosure and inclusion of the business community, making them a part of this process from the very beginning, is such an essential part of this bill. Let me again thank Chairman Jeffords for his work on the bill, along with Senator Kennedy, Senator Wellstone, and the other members of the committee. This bill was passed out of our committee by a unanimous vote. Several of my colleagues have already noted on the floor that this is a committee that has a very wide divergence of points of view. This committee has many members that have opinions that many times do not always [[Page S4257]] agree. But the fact that we were able to pass this bill unanimously out of the committee, I think, shows its bipartisan support and also shows that the status quo was not acceptable, and this bill makes a significant change and improvement in that status quo. I yield the floor. PRE-VOCATIONAL TRAINING Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I have sought recognition to discuss the issue of pre-vocational training in the context of this legislation. In March, I introduced S. 1709, the Job Preparation and Retention Training Act of 1998, which would have authorized a new Labor Department program providing grants to community-based organizations which would provide essential pre-vocational training to individuals who have not successfully entered the workforce. In my floor remarks on March 4 upon introduction of S. 1709, I noted that one such community-based organization, Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America, Inc., has found that the average hourly wage of trainees prior to pre-vocational training was $3.70, but after such training, these same participants started earning an average of $8.00 an hour, with a placement rate of 85 percent into gainful employment. After consultation with Chairman Jeffords, I have decided not to offer my bill as an amendment to the comprehensive job training bill before us, based on assurances that in Conference, he and Chairman DeWine will work with me to ensure that pre-vocational training is more accessible to individuals who are not prepared to fully benefit from the training and skills development provided in S. 1186. Mr. JEFFORDS. I thank my colleague from Pennsylvania for his work on job training and educational issues, both in this context, and as Chairman of the appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over such programs. I will endeavor to work with him on enhancing the issue of pre-vocational training in conference with the House and welcome his input on this critical issue. Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about S. 1186--the Workforce Investment Partnership Act and to applaud the Labor and Human Resources Committee for the bipartisan manner in which the legislation was developed. In the last Congress the opportunity for reform of employment and training programs was lost due to partisan bickering and the insistence on a reform structure which I believe jeopardized the investment in skills training--and in particular the investment in the retraining of dislocated workers. This bill builds on the success of the dislocated worker program and adds other elements which will improve the program. These include establishing One-Stop centers as the framework of the new workforce development system which will improve dislocated worker access to quality information and services, and the proposed skill grants--or Individual Training Account system--which will enable them to make informed choices about training opportunities with qualified vendors. Despite our improving economy, there are always workers who will lose jobs because of economic change. We owe these workers the tools to get back on their feet, through rapid response to plant closings and mass layoffs, job search assistance and retraining for new jobs. I am particularly pleased that this bill includes rapid response and labor- management committees which have been important tools under the current dislocated worker program. This program, where formula grants to states and localities are supplemented by National Reserve Account to allow the Secretary of Labor to respond to emergencies, has been successful in helping hundreds of thousands of workers each year to make mid- career changes. The current dislocated worker program served approximately 540,000 dislocated workers nationwide in the most recent year. Of those who completed the program during that year, 71 percent were employed when they left the program, earning on average 93 percent of their previous wages, and for workers who had received retraining, the wage replacement was 95 percent. The Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Labor conducted an audit of JTPA Title III retraining services to determine how successful retraining was in helping dislocated workers to return to work. The conclusion of the April 1995 report was: ``The purpose of Title III is to return dislocated workers to productive employment. In this context, the program was successful. Program participants were reemployed, remained in the workforce, and regained their prior earning power.'' In my own state of Washington, we have experienced layoffs in the timber and aerospace industries and the assistance provided by Title III of JTPA has been essential to meeting the needs of affected workers. The success of the program is illustrated by the experience of one dislocated worker, Mr. David Hamilton of Valley, Washington. He had a steady income working in the logging industry, but only for six to eight months each year. This created a difficult financial situation when employment was not available. In July 1995, he was laid off from Accord Logging. He decided to investigate career options in the cross-country truck driving field. He learned of the opportunities available through JTPA and began actively seeking financial assistance for training. With only a tenth grade education, his employment opportunities were limited. He knew that he needed a GED, but his assessment test also indicated a deficiency in basic math skills. With his unemployment benefits nearly exhausted, he held steadfastly to his hope of entering the truck driving industry. He pursued his education and training through the Colville Job Service JTPA Title III program. His determination to obtain a Commercial Drivers License increased as he passed his physical and Wonderlic tests (in lieu of a GED). He met the program qualifications for Title III funding and completed his training on February 23, 1997, with excellent grades. He was immediately placed with G & G Trucking and was driving cross-country the following Monday. G & G agreed to assist him with the financing needed to purchase a tractor. Within six months he became an owner-operator. As an owner- operator, he will earn between $12 and $18 per hour. He now has a reliable source of income and greater financial security. The success of Mr. Hamilton and other dislocated worker program participants is why I am so pleased that S. 1186 is designed to assure that funding for dislocated workers will be maintained. This is an important improvement over last year's bill and I thank the authors of S. 1186 for their attention to this critical item. Mr. President, I also ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record a letter from Mr. Rick Bender, President of Washington State's Labor Council. I have been working with Chairman Jeffords to address Title III in the bill which provided training funds only after labor consultations have been performed. I am hopeful that the Department will work with respective labor organizations to continue this successful communication. Washington State has developed a Community Based Rapid Response policy that quickly meets the various needs and concerns of dislocated workers. Mr. Bender has been at the forefront of this effort and provides a compelling argument to continue this consultation. There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Seattle, WA, March 25, 1998. Hon. Patty Murray, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Dear Senator Murray: The Workforce Investment Partnership Act (S. 1186) is ready to come to the floor of the US Senate for action. The Act, as written, is missing a crucial provision of benefit to Union members. The current JTPA Act provides that, ``. . . any program conducted with funds made available under Title III which will provide services to a substantial number of members of a labor organization will be established only after full consultation with such labor organization.'' (Sec. 311(b)(7)). This provision is ominously absent from the new bill. The new legislation will cause irreparable harm to our Union members who suffer layoff through plant closure due to the failure to require labor consultation when planning services for them. The language quoted above has enabled the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, to assist its affiliates in demanding appropriate levels of service for their members who are facing long term layoff. The ability to demand that funding be pulled from bad [[Page S4258]] retraining programs has been key to the success of Labor's active participation in workforce employment and training programs in Washington State. The Washington State Labor Council presently operates a contract with Washington State Employment Security to provide Rapid Response services to our union members whose plant(s) may be closing or downsizing. By actively invoking this language, we make the workforce development system move towards a customized approach toward service and training design, which takes the needs of working men and women and their families into account. Without this language in the bill service and training design will take the convenience of service agencies into account, not our members' needs. Any assistance you can provide to insert this crucial provision into S. 1186, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act, will be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Rick S. Bender, President. Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I rise today to add my voice to the bipartisan chorus in support of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. I commend the sponsors for their excellent work. Senators Jeffords, DeWine, Kennedy, and Wellstone have done an outstanding job of crafting legislation that is long overdue. For too long American workers have had to struggle through a complex system of dozens of different job training and educational programs to get the skills they needed to enter, or reenter the job market. Today, the Senate takes concrete steps to streamline the current system so that getting the help they need will be easier for the workers of America. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act simplifies the search for a job by encouraging communities to establish a ``one stop shopping'' location. Localities will have one location where an individual can go to get help finding a job or search out skill training opportunities. At this location all of the options will be laid out, and the choice will be up to the worker. Inherent in this idea is that there will be no wrong door. No longer will a person be told, ``We can't help you here because you don't qualify for these programs. Maybe they can help you down the hall.'' That sort of bureaucratic run around results in inefficiency and frustrates the very people we are trying to help. This job training reform bill focuses on shifting power back to the states and local communities. Government, business, labor, and community groups will collaborate on strategies that fit the economic situation of the individual state and locality. The Senate version of this bill also takes the important step of allowing states to keep reforms they have made that are working. Wisconsin has made many changes to its job training system on its own initiative that have been ground- breaking and very successful. I am pleased the Committee recognizes that there is no need to replace programs that are already doing the job and meeting the goals set forth in this legislation. I am also pleased we maintain our commitment to helping at risk youth. This bill ensures that providing opportunities for kids on the edge will continue, and that the funds will move quickly to those who need it most. I hope that the Conference Committee can quickly complete its work so that the $250 million set aside in last year's budget for Out-of-School Youth will become available before the July 1 deadline. These kids need our help to become productive citizens and contribute to society. If Congress fails to complete action before July 1, these young people will be forced to wait even longer for our support. In today's global economy, our people are our greatest resource. With the rise in information and technology, the nations that are the most creative, most innovative, and most inventive will have the edge. The United States currently has the lead in these sectors and this bill will help our people maintain their advantage through continuing their education and updating their skills. Our nation's continued prosperity, and the prosperity of our workers, hinges on a well-trained workforce. This bill helps ensure that our current economic growth will continue into the future and be shared by all Americans. Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I rise in support of S. 1579, the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, of which I am proud to be an original co-sponsor. I would like to commend Senators Jeffords, DeWine, Kennedy, and Wellstone, for making reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act a priority, and for including this legislation as an amendment to the Workforce legislation. The State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program provides $2.2 billion in formula grant assistance to States to help individuals with disabilities prepare for and engage in gainful employment. Since established by the Smith-Fess act 75 years ago, state vocational rehabilitation programs have served some nine million people. This program promotes economic independence for people with disabilities, and the numbers reflect that. In 1992, Congress made major changes to the Act, namely, increasing consumer participation, streamlining processes, and reducing unnecessary paperwork. In the bill before us today, we have built on the '92 amendments. The bill preserves and strengthens the themes of the '92 amendments, while fine-tuning and aligning the Act with other workforce reforms. The Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 strengthen the role of the consumer throughout the vocational rehabilitation process, particularly in the development of the individual's employment plan. This reauthorization reduces unnecessary burdens on State VR agencies by streamlining the State plan; indeed, the bill reduces the 36 State plan requirements in current law to 24. The bill also refocuses the State plan on improving outcomes for individuals with disabilities by requiring States to develop, jointly with the State Rehabilitation Council, annual goals and strategies for improving results. Access of Social Security beneficiaries to VR services is facilitated, and unnecessary gatekeeping is eliminated, by making SSI and SSDI beneficiaries presumptively eligible for services under the VR States Grants program. This change will eliminate the need for the VR agency to determine on a case-by-case basis whether individuals ``require'' VR services in order to gain employment. Under this bill, if a person receiving SSI or SSDI walks through the door of a VR agency, that person will be presumed eligible for VR services. As the Administrator of the Iowa VR agency explained to me, ``now we don't have to spend time and money determining whether an individual on SSI or SSDI is eligible for services. Instead, we can focus our resources where they should be focused--on assisting our consumers in obtaining employment.'' Of particular interest to me and to Senator Dodd are the changes to Section 508 of the Act, which pertain to electronic and information technology accessibility. This section will make it easier for individuals with disabilities who are federal employees to obtain the assistive technology they need in order to do their jobs. Finally, this bill widens employment opportunities for people with disabilities by establishing linkages with larger statewide workforce systems. I would like to point out, however, as Senators Jeffords, DeWine, and Kennedy already have, that vocational rehabilitation agencies will not be required to spend any of their federal allotment on activities other than those that help provide jobs for people with disabilities. In sum, the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 bring us closer to the goal of fostering independence for people with disabilities by providing them with the services they need in order to enter the workforce. I would like to thank Senators DeWine, Jeffords, Kennedy, Wellstone, and Dodd, and the Clinton Administration, for their leadership in developing this bill in a bipartisan manner. I also would like to commend all the staff members who worked on this bill. Without their tireless efforts, we would never have been able to bring this important reauthorization to the floor. Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I share the widespread support for this important legislation. This bill would consolidate and reauthorize job training and vocational education programs. This bill enables states to create a unified plan for all social services related to job training and vocational and adult education. Job training and vocational education are vital programs which prepare individuals to compete in today's changing global economy. An estimated 346,000 high-tech jobs are going [[Page S4259]] unfilled nationwide. The increasing shortage of highly trained workers threatens our nation's economic growth and our productivity. This measure will help address these short-comings and prepare more of America's workers, and thus America's businesses, for the Twenty-first century. We live in a capitalist society with a free market economy. Employers seek to hire the best qualified job candidates. S. 1186 simply provides a means to help individuals acquire the skills necessary to compete. The acquisition of these skills will best help individuals thrive as our economy continues to grow. Too many of our citizens have been left behind the growing economy of the past years, and this measure will help them keep up with the new economy. I believe that S. 1186 also supports our commitment to move individuals from welfare to work. Job training prepares individuals to compete in the marketplace, and remain free from government assistance. For all of the foregoing reasons, I support this bill. One important part of this legislation is the reauthorization of the programs under the Carl D. Perkins Vocation and Applied Technology Education Act. I have heard from constituents across my state that these programs are a very critical component of our vocational and technical education system. As we in the Congress work to help our nation prepare for the Twenty- first century, there are few challenges more fundamental to our success than ensuring that our work force has the education and training necessary to compete in the global economy. More and more jobs require technical skills, training that is not offered in our traditional four- year colleges. Our vocational and technical schools, accordingly, are absolutely essential for the students and workers of today. Technical skills lead to higher wages for workers and more competitive businesses. That is why the federal-state-local partnership for vocational and technical education, which has been very successful to date, must be continued. The highest priority for the moment is to get the reauthorization of the Perkins Act programs through the Senate and into conference. The legislative session this year is very short, and we cannot afford to delay passage of this bill any further. That said, however, there are a number of provisions of this bill which need improvement. Foremost among the needed changes, in my view, is that the Senate should accept what the House has proposed in terms of a separate bill for vocational-technical education. This difference is very crucial, for it is essential to preserve the independent mission and funding stream for vocational education. For some time, it appeared that the Senate bill was headed in the wrong direction, removing the separate designation for vocational and technical education and placing these programs into the mix of the overhaul of our job training and retraining programs. That would have been a serious mistake, and I am pleased with the improvements that the managers of this bill have agreed to offer to this legislation. Among the expected changes is an assurance that funding appropriated for vocational-technical education programs will be directed to school- based programs and not diverted to other areas. Additionally, the amendment is expected to ensure that governance for vocational education will remain at the state and local level, and that a strong focus will remain on professional development for teachers and administrators. The House, on the other hand, has proposed a separate legislative authorization for the Perkins Act programs. Despite the forthcoming changes to the Senate bill, I urge the Senate conferees to accept the position of the House with respect to reauthorization. Today, however, I believe that we should send this bill to the conference committee, where I hope that the remaining issues can be resolved, and I urge my colleagues to join me in passing this bill as expeditiously as possible. Workforce Investment Partnership Act Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, the time has come for the Senate to take appropriate steps to ensure that our work force is equipped to meet the challenges we will face in the next century. Today, high-skill, high- wage jobs are being created faster than they can be filled. This is not because of a labor shortage. Instead we are suffering from a ``skill shortage.'' Not enough workers in this country possess the skills necessary to fill these jobs. In order to keep our economy strong and growing, our people must receive the education and training they need to become productive employees in the 21st century. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act of 1997 (WIPA) is the first step in providing the education and training job seekers need to compete for high-wage jobs. This bill would consolidate many narrowly- focused federal vocational education, adult education and job training programs that currently provide a disjointed approach to job training and job placement. Through the establishment of ``one-stop'' customer service centers, job seekers will have a central point of entry to job training programs. These one-stop centers will also offer ``individual training accounts'' allowing job seekers to choose their preferred type of education and job training programs to better accommodate their individual skills or interests. Finally, one-stop centers will provide applicants and employers alike with a centralized source of information about training and employment opportunities available in the area. WIPA's goal of streamlining our many training programs bears great similarity to legislation I introduced in January, 1997, called the Working Americans Opportunity Act. Reforming and improving our nation's job training system has long been a Democratic priority. I am glad to see strong, bipartisan support for WIPA and look forward to working with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to enact this important legislation. The passage of this legislation is of particular importance to the people of South Dakota, where we have recently experienced large scale layoffs in Huron with the closing of the Dakota Pork processing plant, and in Lead with cutbacks at the Homestake Gold mine. People in my home state have been drastically affected by these layoffs. It is my hope that these programs will enable them to receive the training they need to compete for the high-wage jobs of tomorrow. I believe it is very important that any investment we make in education and training produces positive, measurable results. That's why I am pleased this bill ensures that each training provider and agency administering state and local programs is held to a higher level of accountability than in the past. These agencies will be responsible for monitoring and reporting job placement, job retention and average earnings for program graduates. If a program is not performing up to acceptable standards, it will no longer be eligible to receive public funding. It is of particular importance that we act quickly on this bill. Unless it is signed into law by June 1, the Department of Labor will not be able to implement Youth Opportunity Grants. This grant program invests money in poverty-stricken areas to help youth who have left school to get year-round jobs. Appropriations for these grants are contingent on the authorization of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. This worthwhile program deserves a chance to be implemented as it was intended. By working in a bipartisan way to reform vocational education and job training programs, I believe that we can, during this Congress, create opportunities for American workers that will help to keep our economy strong for the next century. Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I rise to offer my support for HR 1385, the Workforce Investment Partnership Act. This bill is the result of several years of hard work and bipartisan cooperation by Congress on behalf of our nation's workforce and employers. Our present job training system has become overly bureaucratic, fragmented and duplicative without adequate accountability or assessment measures. Currently, the federal government administers 163 separate programs, scattered across 15 agencies, at a cost of more than $20 billion a year. The Workforce Investment Partnership Act addresses these problems by c

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