House passes Porter’s unemployment bill

Suzanne Struglinski

Friday, June 4, 2004 | 11:24 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- The unemployed could be able to access $3,000 in federal funds to help pay for job training, child care and other services as they look for work, based on a bill passed in the House Thursday.

With a 213 to 203 vote, the House narrowly passed Rep. Jon Porter's Worker Reemployment Accounts Act along party lines. Only Republicans voted in favor of the bill, with Democrats strongly opposing it.

President Bush supported the bill since it fulfilled a program he recommended a year ago.

"These innovative accounts that I proposed last year put decision-making and resources directly in the hands of individuals who need the most help getting back to work," Bush said, calling on the Senate to also approve the program.

The bill creates a pilot program for Personal Reemployment Accounts of up to $3,000 that qualified unemployed could use to pay for job training, child care, transportation, moving expenses, computer classes or any combination.

"Personal Reemployment Accounts are an important reform in federal job training, because workers decide how to use the funds to maximize their likelihood of securing a job," Bush said. If a recipient finds a job within 13 week, the remaining money in the account becomes a "reemployment bonus" he or she can keep.

"This bill is about empowering Americans to find good paying jobs, and giving individuals the tools and resources they need to help them re-enter the workforce," Porter, R-Nev., said. "In today's changing economy, jobs require more alternative and diverse skill levels. This legislation helps keep the American worker trained to meet the needs of our ever more knowledge-based economy."

Only four Republicans and one Independent member voted against the bill.

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., who joined other House Democrats voting against the bill, said, "Rather than help Southern Nevada residents find work, this legislation unfairly limits access to job training and other employment services. Workers could have to pay for services now available under existing programs and could be barred from using job training programs for one year.

"What we should be giving America's unemployed workers is assistance to make ends meet and training for new careers, not an untested program that takes away resources from other vital services."

Democrats also complained the bill creates the account but does not provide any new money to fund them.

Porter's Democratic opponent for the state's 3rd Congressional District also came out against the plan, calling it a "risky scheme."

Tom Gallagher said the plan "is nothing but a cynical ploy to look like he cares about workers, when the fact is it has no chance of becoming law, and if it did, it would actually hurt workers."

"If Jon Porter really cared about the unemployed, he wouldn't have voted 10 times against extending unemployment benefits for the thousands of Nevadan's who can't find jobs," Gallagher said.