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“TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE REFORM ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E695 on April 20, 1999.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE REFORM ACT
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HON. ROBERT T. MATSUI
of california
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, April 20, 1999
Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, joined by my colleague, Mr. Bonior, today I introduce the Trade Adjustment Assistance Reform Act of 1999. This legislation will expand the safety net for American workers by reauthorizing and improving existing adjustment programs for workers who are adversely impacted by trade. It combines the best features of the existing Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and the NAFTA Transitional Adjustment Assistance (NAFTA-TAA) programs into a consolidated TAA program and improves the effectiveness and timeliness of services provided to American workers hurt by international trade.
The bill would authorize the consolidated TAA program for 5 years through fiscal year 2004. Most importantly, the consolidated program would expand eligibility to workers who lose their jobs due to shifts in production by their firm to other countries. Currently, TAA eligibility is restricted to workers hurt by imports and NAFTA-TAA is limited to workers adversely affected by imports from, or shifts in production to, Mexico or Canada only. Our bill will ensure that comprehensive assistance is available to workers who lose their jobs due to imports from, or shifts in production to, any foreign country.
The legislation also ensures that rapid response and basic readjustment services will be made available to workers upon the filing of a petition for TAA eligibility. These services are critical to facilitating rapid reemployment of workers and providing important information relating to the resources available at the Federal, State, and local level to assist them. The measure also requires a one-third reduction in the time period for the Department of Labor to process eligibility petitions under TAA in order to ensure that benefits are made available to trade-impacted workers as soon as possible after their displacement. To ensure that these workers get the assistance they need, the bill provides a much-needed increase in the annual cap on training expenditures to $150 million; a portion of which supports the training costs associated with the expanded ``shift in production'' provision, and a portion of which is needed to fund the significant increase in program caseload currently being experienced.
The legislation also harmonizes the differing rules of the current programs relating to requiring enrollment in training as a condition for receiving income support. The new rules retain the program's emphasis on linking income support to training but permit specified exceptions where appropriate to assist certain workers. In addition, the bill would reduce the hardship currently experienced by workers who attend community colleges by expanding the period for scheduled breaks in a training program during which a worker may continue to receive income support.
In keeping with an increased emphasis on integrated service delivery, the legislation seeks to enhance coordination between the consolidated TAA program and the dislocated worker program under the recently-
enacted Workforce Investment Act. In particular, the bill would significantly improve the accountability of the consolidated program by ensuring that TAA and the dislocated worker program have common performance outcome measures; i.e. information on the placement in employment, earnings, and retention of employment by participants.
The legislation also assures that information will be collected and maintained that identifies the countries to which production is shifted to and, to the extent practical, from which articles are imported. This will include information on the number of certifications relating to imports from, or shifts in production to, Mexico or Canada--which will assist in making eligibility determinations under related NAFTA programs and in assessing the adequacy of the consolidated program.
In addition, this legislation provides for the extension of the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms Program administered by the Department of Commerce under chapter 3 of title II of the Trade Act of 1974. And finally, the bill establishes a Presidential Commission on Workers and Economic Change in the New Economy to make further recommendations on program improvements.
Mr. Speaker, while much of the country is enjoying a booming economy, there are geographic areas and industries which are experiencing significant worker dislocation. It is critical that the Congress support programs that give workers the tools they need to find and prepare for good-paying jobs in the new economy. One of the important ways we can begin to develop a broad consensus on trade policy is to address the negative consequences of globalization by reaffirming and improving on our longstanding commitment to assist workers impacted by trade. I urge my colleagues to join in supporting these reforms.
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