Bill Clinton: “I rise to announce that today I am introducing The Access to Employment and English Acquisition Act with Senator Ensign…”

“I rise to announce that today I am introducing The Access to Employment and English Acquisition Act with Senator Ensign and Senator Bingaman. I am grateful to both Senators for working with me to develop this legislation. I consider them partners in the important effort to expand opportunities for job training for Limited English Proficient individuals. I also want to thank the dedicated individuals at the New York Immigration Coalition, the National Immigration Law Center, the National Council at La Raza and the Immigration Forum for their significant contributions to this proposal. It is vitally important that our workforce investment system be responsive to the needs of those who do not speak English. Immigrants and Limited English Proficient individuals play a crucial role in the New York State and U.S. economy. Immigrants account for nearly half of the growth in the civilian labor force between 1990 and 2000 and immigrants are projected to account for all of the growth in the prime-age labor force between 2000 and 2020. Immigrants fill critical jobs, are the backbone of many industries, and are net contributors to the Nation's tax base. Without current and future immigrants in the workforce, our aging society will be short of workers; short of savings and investment to support national economic growth; and short of tax revenues to finance government services and Social Security outlays.”