Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I rise to speak about a piece of legislation just introduced, S. 3849, the Job Preservation for Parents in Poverty Act, which is simply an extension of a program that has placed tens of thousands of people into jobs in this recession and is working. We want to make sure it is extended because of how effective it has been to help people find and keep jobs. This legislation is fully offset. I wish to spend a couple minutes talking about the provisions that make it so effective.

First, I thank a number of Senators who have led the fight--Senator Kerry, as well as our assistant majority leader, Senator Durbin, for the work they have done, as well as others--and for the testimony we received from people across the country. I know in my case one person who spent a good deal of time making it clear to me and to others across southern Pennsylvania and even across the State about the effectiveness of this program was Mayor Nutter of Philadelphia who, like any mayor in the country in the middle of a recession, doesn't have the luxury of dealing with programs that don't work. He can only support and endorse programs that are working to create jobs. In a city such as Philadelphia, which still has a high unemployment rate, Mayor Nutter has relied upon this program, which is a rapid attachment effort to create jobs and keep people in those jobs.

We know the unemployment rates are intolerably too high. In our State we have 585,000 people out of work, just about 9.5 percent unemployment. Our poverty figures are going through the roof at the same time. We are seeing, in short, the real impact of this horrific recession.

One of the best ways to deal with that crisis is to have an extension of an important program that we refer to in Pennsylvania as the Pennsylvania Way to Work Program. It is helping keep people out of poverty and providing people with jobs; in this case, 12,000 people in Pennsylvania. I could go down the list of other States as well, but I won't. In our State, 12,864 adults have been helped by this program as well as summer youth, more than 7,800, for a total of 20,718.

It is fully offset. If we don't extend it, in many, if not most, States, these programs will be shut down. It is working. It is not only creating jobs, it is keeping people out of poverty because they are working. I would think everyone would want to support programs that are working and keeping people out of poverty.

It is critically important that we extend the program. I am grateful for the help our assistant majority leader, Senator Durbin, has provided.

I yield the floor.

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