Date: 1995-09-19
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. let me address my colleague. the gentleman from South Carolina . and the concerns that he has. I think we share some of them because we both served in the legislature. and I agree with him that I like the idea of having these boards to be including recipients of the aid. Again. that is. I know. in a lot of our local States we require that anyway. But is that a requirement that should be sent down from Washington? Again. I know I have worked on that. as a legislator. to make sure the people who are subjected to the rules are the ones also involved in the process and serving on those boards. Let me go over some of the concerns I have about the specifics of the managers amendment as it deals with vocational rehab. The proposed amendment would allow. again. the Governor to appoint a board which would develop a plan for allocation of vocational rehab funds between the State and local boards. Again. we may change that. and it may be allowing the legislative involvement. As the managers amendment now stands. it is the Governor. The Governor would appoint the board to develop it. It. again. creates another layer of bureaucracy. Different States could choose to implement vocational rehab programs in different ways. which that is the benefit of it because. again in Texas and South Carolina. although I think we have similar systems. but they are just a little different. to meet the local needs of our States. Some will opt for an alternative approval. while others can offer the approach prescribed elsewhere in this bill. and again we could then lose the national concern. So. again. I think vocational rehab needs to be separated from this bill. like the Senate is doing. and deal with vocational rehab on its own. Our committee held no hearings specifically on title V. and again last Thursday we had the majority staff release the changes of the markup to the bill. Now we have the managers amendment. and we have not spent the time we need to on something as important as vocational rehab. that instead of just today and maybe the last few days. it should be as a separate piece of legislation. I think my colleague. the gentleman from South Carolina. and I could agree on a great deal of things as long as we do not lump people who are vocational rehab recipients in with the general population. Our State and a number of States for 50 years have contributed and made an effort to deal with vocational rehab and to provide funding for it. and they do not particularly want to see Washington come in and say. "Well. we can do it better." I am concerned this bill may provide that guidance. and maybe set up a twotier system. from what some States may be doing. and depending on what the Governor may decide to do. whether it is included in the legislation.or not. This amendment would not address other problems that are in the full bill regarding vocational rehab services. Paragraph 105(B)(2)(d) of title V would continue to make the service plan optional. thereby removing program accountability for the direction and quality of the services. Again. we are on the floor of the House in Washington. DC. but the real people who need to know about this legislation. on the streets and in the facilities in Houston. TX and around this country. we want to make sure they are receiving that quality that they may not get if we pass this bill and this managers amendment today. This bill would continue to not contain any mechanism for .the States to control the quality and appropriateness of those vocational rehab services. That is why. again. Mr. Chairman. I rise in opposing the managers amendment. and later on today we will have an amendment to title- V that will strike title V and include and ask that vocational rehab be separated so we can get on to reforming our job training for everyone and not having vocational rehab recipients lost in this process. because that is my concern and that is the concern of a number of the groups who have been the beneficiaries of these services for many years.