By Joan Crigger
January 10, 2005

Representative Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (CA), Chair of the Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness of the Housed Education and the Workforce Committee, introduced new legislation January 4 to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). The bill, H.R. 27, is the beginning of an early attempt to move quickly to reauthorize WIA.

Although majority staff indicated that there were only a few minor "tweaks" in the new legislation, the bill does include Personal Responsibility Accounts (PRA's), Community-based Job Training, and a new definition for "Accrued Expenditures."

A bill was passed by the House last year to create PRA's but it went no where in the Senate. Currently, DOL has funded seven pilot states to operate PRA's. They are: Florida, Idaho, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Texas and West Virginia. PRA's would offer accounts of up to $3,000 each to eligible individuals to purchase job training and key services such as child care and transportation. Recipients would be able to keep the balance of the account as a cash re- employment bonus if they become re-employed within 13 weeks.

Community-Based Job Training is the new community college initiative that was proposed by President Bush last year and funded at $250 million. It is for a national demonstration designed to develop local solutions to high-growth, high'skill industries working with community colleges.

The Senate is also expected to move quickly but has not indicated at this time when they will introduce a bill. Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Michael Enzi (WY) and Ranking Member Edward M. Kennedy (MA) have both indicated that they want to pass a bi-partisan bill early in the year.