The existing demonstration projects are supported entirely with McKinney Act funds. When resources are transferred to HUD, DOL grantees may compete for funds and will be encouraged to submit proposals that demonstrate a comprehensive approach to serving the homeless.

Question. What has been learned from the demonstration programs to date regarding job training for homeless individuals?

Answer. These programs have been effective in assisting homeless persons to become more economically self-sufficient through employment and upgraded housing. To illustrate, in ETA's Job Training for the Homeless Demonstration Program, after two years of program activity (as of September 30, 1990), approximately 10,800 clients have received training and 5,400 have been placed in unsubsidized jobs. Approximately 40% of those placed in jobs were employed 13 weeks later.

Question. What are the impediments to providing job

training to homeless individuals?

Answer. Our demonstrations have shown that various sorts of impediments complicate the provision of job training to homeless individuals. Many impediments can be found among the demographic characteristics of homeless persons. Most common are alcohol and drug abuse, lack of education, and emotional and mental illness. Physical disability and a criminal record also are significant impediments. A substantial number of the homeless manifest more than one impediment.

To take advantage of job training, homeless individuals require effective social support systems, outreach services and case management that can identify needs and ensure that these needs are met. A relevant factor here is that this group seems to experience much poorer health (in terms of both illnesses and injuries) than that of the general population.

Personal impediments can cause a job training program to have dropout and turnover problems, particularly if needed supportive services are not readily available in the surrounding community.

BACKLOG IN PROCESSING OF BLACK LUNG CLAIMS

Question. Madam Secretary, have the backlogs in processing Black Lung Claims been eliminated at the Benefits Review Board and at the Office of Administrative Law Judges.

Answer. During fiscal year 1990, the Office of Administrative Law Judges had eliminated its backlog of black lung cases. However, a final decision in the 'Lukman' case meant that approximately 1,400 black lung appeals pending before the Benefits Review Board were transferred almost in block back to the Office

of Administrative Law Judges. A slight backlog in black lung claims processing is now being seen at the Office of Administrative Law Judges as this block of 'Lukman' cases is processed. This backlog will be essentially eliminated by the end of fiscal year 1991, and will eliminated in total during fiscal year 1992.

The Benefits Review Board (BRB) has continued to reduce its backlog of pending black lung claims. In fiscal year 1990, the total case processing timeframe for black lung cases pending before the BRB was approximately 25 months, which included a period of 13 months in which black lung claims were in actual backlog status. During fiscal year 1991 the BRB is projected to reduce its black lung case processing timeframe to approximately 14 months, which includes a period of only two months in which black lung claims were in actual backlog status. In fiscal year 1992 we believe that the backlog of black lung claims will be eliminated at the BRB, and that black lung claims will be processed within one year of receipt at the Board.

Question. Is the Department aware of any judicial action which might lead to new backlogs?

Answer. The Supreme Court of the United States granted certiorari in Pauley v. Bethenergy Mines, Inc. and consolidated cases. In essence, the issue to be resolved is whether 30 U.S.C. Section 902 (f) (2) invalidates the U.S. Department of Labor's interim rebuttal regulations (20 CFR 727.203(b)(3) and (b)(4)).

These consolidated cases may result in the resolution of certain issues left unresolved by the Supreme Court in Pittston Coal Group v. Sebben 488 U.S. 105 (1988).

While we do not know the number of cases which would be affected, in the Sebben's case the Supreme Court used the figure of 90,000 possible claimants. We think a more realistic figure is, assuming the worst, 20,000 or so cases would be referred to Office of Administrative Law Judges from the Office of Worker Compensation Programs, if the court found for Pauley.

QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY SENATOR GORTON

IMPLEMENTING DISPLACED HOMEMAKERS SELF-SUFFICIENCY ASSISTANCE ACT

Question: The President signed the Displaced Homemakers Self-Sufficiency Assistance Act in November to provide needed employment assistance to the nation's 16 million displaced homemakers.

How will the Department implement this program?

Answer: Funding for this program was not a part of the FY 1991 base of the Department's budget. The Budget Enforcement Act of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 sets a cap on different components of the Federal budget. If Congress appropriates funds for this program, we will develop an

implementation plan. It should be noted that displaced homemakers may be eligible for services under the Job Training

Partnership Act and may receive job search assistance from the employment service.

PROMOTING NONTRADITIONAL TRAINING EFFORTS FOR WOMEN

Question:

What efforts will the Department undertake to promote nontraditional training efforts for women to address the

continued occupational segregation of women in traditional female training and jobs?

Answer: The Department has examined its activities related to women in skilled trades and has put together an aggressive plan to more effectively coordinate and enforce the Department's responsibilities in this area. Three agencies have major responsibilities in this area: the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training (BAT/ETA), the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP/ESA), and the Women's Bureau. The initiative contains four major components: enforcement, education and technical assistance, recruitment, and retention.

The Women's Bureau will encourage the retention and placement of women in the skilled trades across the country through its Workforce Quality Clearinghouse model preapprenticeship and apprenticeship programs for training women in nontraditional skills; the Bureau will encourage the expansion to other federal building projects of the Federal Office Building Construction Project model program created by Stein & Company, Chicago, Illinois, and the Women in Skilled Trades Program (WIST) model program created by the Oakland, California Private Industry Council. It will continue it outreach activities with the National Tradeswomen Network and serve as a liaison with other DOL agencies. The Bureau will participate with OFCCP and BAT on their outreach and research activities to promote women in nontraditional careers.

In the area of education and technical assistance, the Bureau will publish a Directory of Nontraditional Training and Employment Programs for Women, an annotated listing by state of the various state, federal, local and community programs and organizations that assist women in obtaining skilled, nontraditional jobs and related training. This directory will also include related information from the Workforce Quality Clearinghouse data/information base.

WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE

Question: The glass ceiling project focuses efforts on only a small number of women who have reached the top levels of their profession. What can the Department do to expand this project to enhance the mobility and opportunity of all women workers so that they are fairly considered for promotion at all levels?

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Answer: The "glass ceiling" project is intended to insure that women and minorities meet no barriers to moving from entry level jobs to middle management and up as high and as far as their talents and abilities take them. The project is just one of several efforts of the Department to ensure equal employment opportunity for women at all levels. OFCCP has at least three other activities underway designed to enhance the employment opportunities for women through affirmative action:

1. Routine compliance reviews: OFCCP conducts between 5,000 and 6,000 compliance reviews each year. A

focus of every one of these is to determine that there are not barriers to the advancement of women and that the contractor is making good faith efforts to take affirmative actions to ensure equal employment opportunity.

2. Women in nontraditional jobs: The Department has been examining the barriers and opportunities for advancement of women in the construction and aerospace industries. The two task forces are making specific recommendations to improve the affirmative action compliance of these two industries.

3. OFCCP and BAT joint enforcement: The OFCCP and the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training will join forces to improve the enforcement of the equal employment opportunity requirements of 29 CFR Part 30 for

apprenticeship programs. These two agencies will draw upon the expertise and experience of the Women's Bureau to enhance the affirmative action results of these efforts.

The "glass ceiling" project is only one part of our total enforcement strategy designed to enhance the employment opportunities for women as well as minorities, individuals with disabilities and Vietnam era and disabled veterans at all levels of employment.