Prepared statements, letters, supplemental materials, etc.—Continued Watson, Diane E., chairperson, Senate Committee on Health and Wel- fare, California Legislature, letter to Chairman Hawkins, dated Febru- APPENDIX Boyle, Howard A., chairman, Los Angeles Regional Coalition of Service Pro- viders, Inc., Los Angeles, Calif.: Letter to "Dear Decision Maker," dated March 13, 1984, enclosing, "Serv- Letter to: "Each Supervisor," subject: County employment and training Grossenbacher, Karl W., chief, Job Training Partnership Office, Employment Development Department, State of California: Letter to A. Brooks Firestone, founder and general partner, Firestone Vineyard, Los Olivos, Calif., dated October 27, 1983, with several at- Letter to Chairman Hawkins, dated February 24, 1984, enclosing several Service Delivery Area Field Liaison Guide, overview, with several attach- Hellerman, Manuel, chairman, for the Social Services Commission, City of "Executive Summary," subject: County employment and training pro- gram. Letter to, dated December 5, 1983, enclosing declaration of findings for Letter to "Each Supervisor," subject: Reports on county employment and training program, dated January 9, 1984. Letter to "Each Supervisor," subject: Financing requirements of county 304 516 523 535 661 Kiddoo, Kay, director, Employment Development Department, State of Cali- 463 399 Motion by Supervisor Edmund D. Edelman 520 Pei, Chih Hsing, executive director, Chinese Restaurants Association, City of 518 Sklar, Morton H., project director and legal counsel, Jobs Watch Project, "Major JTPA Problems for Youth in Houston, Women in Los Angeles,” Watson, Diane E., chairperson, California Legislature, senate Committee on Page 478 469 466 OVERSIGHT HEARING ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE JOB TRAINING PARTNERSHIP ACT TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1984 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, Los Angeles, Calif. The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 9 a.m., in room 1122, State Office Building, 107 South Broadway, Los Angeles, Calif., Hon. Augustus Hawkins (chairman) presiding. Members present: Representatives Hawkins, Dymally, and Marti nez. Staff present: Susan G. McGuire, staff director; Carole Schanzer, deputy staff director; Beth Buehlmann, Republican senior legislative associate. Mr. HAWKINS. The Subcommittee on Employment Opportunities of the House Education and Labor Committee is called to order. This morning the hearing will focus on the implementation of the Job Training Partnership Act. The members present this morning are Congressman Matthew Martinez with the 30th District, who is seated to my left, and Congressman Mervyn Dymally of the 31st District, who is seated to my right. The meeting was scheduled at 9 o'clock to accommodate members of the board of supervisors. I don't see any of those members present, but we will call on them when they arrive this morning. Supervisor Hahn has indicated that he would not be able to attend until early this afternoon. All of the board members have been invited. Supervisor Dana, who was to have represented the views of the board, recently declined. As I have indicated, Mr. Hahn is also expected to appear, as well as Mr. Edelman. The chief administrative officer, Mr. Harry Hufford, will also be representing the board this morning. We wanted to make it clear that we felt that the presentation of the plan officially to the members of this committee would be done by the official representatives of the board of supervisors. Fifteen months ago Congress enacted the Job Training Partnership Act to replace the expiring CETA legislation. As one of the primary authors of this legislation, as well as its predecessor, I am well aware of the difficult decisions which were made, first, to assure a continued Federal commitment to job training for the economically disadvantaged, and, second, to provide a delicate balance between the rights and responsibilities of the parties to the part (1) nership-local government, State government, private employers and the Federal Government as well. It was then my strong belief, and it is a belief I continue to hold, that the decisions on appropriate training are best made at the local level, taking into account local economic conditions and the particular demographic factors. It has been most disappointing to witness the almost total abdication of responsibility for policy development, technical assistance and monitoring which the Department of Labor has demonstrated. It is, therefore, vitally important that the Congress carry on vigorous and responsible oversight to assure compliance with the intent of the law and to evaluate the effectiveness of the programs carried out under the act. We will hold the new act accountable to the same standards by which the CETA programs were judged. It is in this context that the Subcommittee on Employment Opportunities has come to Los Angeles this morning to review the Los Angeles County Job Training Partnership Act program. I recognize that the actual implementation of the act is in its infancy. Plans have only been operational since October 1983, and there is, as yet, little information on which to base a judgment on the success or failure of any particular program. However, the governance structure established under JTPA, as well as many of the programmatic aspects of the act, reflect such a significant departure from CETA that it is important to get an early assessment of policy changes resulting from these provisions. It is for this reason this morning's hearing will focus on the policies driving the program in Los Angeles County. We will be following with great interest in the coming months the implementation of the Los Angeles County plan and its service to various segments of the county's eligible population. While much of the controversy surrounding the Los Angeles County plan focuses on the targeted service to general relief recipients, I believe this issue illustrates the tragic shortcomings of our national employment policies. While unemployment is still at historically high levels nationwide and while unemployment among certain groups in the labor force, including blacks, Hispanics, and youth, is at a catastrophic level, funds for employment and training programs unfortunately have been declining. Since 1981 Federal funds for employment and training declined by two-thirds; at the same time, the number of persons unemployed climbed by 50 percent. It is not surprising that one needy group is pitted against others when funds to assist jobless individuals are so limited. At this time, the Chair would like to call on Mr. Martinez for a statement, if he desires to make one. STATEMENT OF HON. MATTHEW G. MARTINEZ, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA Mr. MARTINEZ. Well, to be very brief, first to thank you, Mr. Chairman, for giving us the opportunity to hear this testimony today. I have read some of the articles concerning the apparent abuse of the Job Training Partnership Act program. When, in the Labor Committee, we talked about this program, I saw great hope for my |