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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 693-4650
Over the past seven years, Congress has joined with us in
honoring our national commitment to America's working families by investing in
skills training and worker health and safety initiatives. These investments
have helped to make our economy, and our nation, stronger than ever before.
Today's House vote reverses course on our successes by voting to cut more than
$1.7 billion or 14 percent, from the President's request for these very same
initiatives that are working for America and keeping Americans working.
The House said no to the nearly 650,000 workers who would
get skills training to help them find a place in the new economy; no to 216,000
dislocated workers who need training and job search assistance; no to 72,000
youth who would benefit from employment and training services; no to 3,100
veterans who deserve employment assistance; no to an ergonomics standard that
would protect millions of workers from debilitating injury; and no to America
leading the world in the fight to end abusive child labor.
Unfortunately, amendments offered by Representatives Obey
and Jackson, Jr. to fund the President's proposed initiatives to invest in
skills training and to raise international labor standards were not adopted. It
is unfortunate that at the very same time as businesses tell us that they
cannot find enough skilled workers, the majority of Congress said no to
providing Americans with the skills needed to keep our economy growing. Failure
to adopt these amedments has real consequences for real working famalies.
Finally, I am especially disappointed by the continuing
assault on the health and safety of working Americans. We know that we can
prevent 300,000 repetitive motion injuries each year by simply finishing our
work on the proposed ergonomics standard. The action to stop our work on a
sensible and economical standard is wrong.
The President has promised a veto if this bill reaches his
desk. The funding levels for vital worker programs must be restored and the
prohibitions against moving forward on OSHA's ergonomic rule must be deleted in
any final action on the FY 2001 Labor/HHS/Education Appropriations bill.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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