Job training bill stalled in senate

The House- and Senate-passed versions of a job training reauthorization bill have ground to a halt because Senate Democrats are refusing to participate in a conference committee to reconcile the two measures' differences.

The House of Representatives passed the Workforce Reinvestment and Adult Education Act (H.R. 1261) in May 2003 to reauthorize Title II of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, which is set to expire Sept. 30. House leaders attempted to get the legislation moving again in early June of this year by appointing members to a conference committee. However, no move has been made to name Senate participants to the conference committee, even though the Senate voted to approve its version of the bill (S. 1627) last November.

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Senate Democrats are refusing to participate in most conference committees to protest their treatment last year in conference committees that decided the final versions of the highly visible Medicare and energy bills. They have claimed that they were virtually "shut out" of the conference committees and did not have the opportunity to provide input and feedback into drafting the final versions of these critical pieces of legislation.

House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Rep. Howard McKeon, R-Calif., who chairs the subcommittee on workforce competitiveness, sent a letter to Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., urging him to allow the Senate to appoint conferees.

"Inaction by Senate Democrats on key job training reforms is leaving more American workers vulnerable at a time when they need our help the most," Boehner said.

Daschle has said he would consider pending legislation on a case-by-case basis, and, if his office determines that a bill is essential, he will agree to allow Senate Democrats to participate in a conference committee.

The House and Senate versions of the job training reauthorization bill differ widely. Democratic leaders are intent on pushing the Senate version of the bill, strongly opposing the House-passed version, which they say is a GOP attempt to reduce job training programs by consolidating funding into one central and tightly controlled source. The House bill would give governors discretion in allocating federal funds to training and education programs.

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