mr. chairman , i rise in opposition to h.r. 27 , the job training improvement act . 
this bill fails to improve the workforce investment act and falls short of the promises our government made to provide training and career opportunities for the unemployed . 
h.r. 27 is fatally flawed and undermines our current national workforce policy . 
it eliminates various worker-training programs , rolls back protection against religious discrimination , and potentially damages the stability of important social programs . 
we can not neglect the unemployed , underemployed and dislocated workers of america who need ample and widespread funding for federal job training services . 
despite a suffering economy and high unemployment , this bill undercuts the ability of our government to provide for these vital workers and erodes congressional authority and accountability over workforce funds . 
under the provisions of h.r. 27 , funding will be shifted from wia partner programs to pay for the wia infrastructure and core services costs . 
this transfer will weaken vital programs such as tanf , adult education , unemployment insurance , child support enforcement , and veterans employment programs . 
why would we threaten these vital social programs by passing a flawed bill that does not even assure more training would result from the transfer of funds ? 
h.r. 27 also contains explicit discriminatory provisions . 
by repealing long-standing civil rights protections that were signed into law by president reagan , this bill allows job-training providers to discriminate on the basis of religion . 
since 1982 , these provisions have been included in the bill and received bipartisan support . 
we can not allow this gross inequity to tear at the fabric of a fundamental american principle -- the inalienable right to fair and equal treatment under the law . 
this is why i strongly support congressman scott 's amendment that will restore these basic civil rights and my faith in our legislative process . 
we can not allow ourselves to drastically depart from previous workforce policy by eliminating worker training programs , destabilizing essential social programs , and writing discriminatory provisions into law . 
this so-called workforce investment act is not an acceptable or responsible proposal to provide needed services to our nation 's unemployed . 
i urge my colleagues to join me in voting no on final passage . 
