On the recordFebruary 17, 2011
I rise today to urge the Senate to quickly pass a long-term extension of the Trade Adjustment Assistance, TAA, program for workers, as well as the Andean Trade Preference program. These programs make our workforce more competitive in the global marketplace and support jobs in North Carolina. Both are critical Federal programs to North Carolina, and both expired this past Saturday. North Carolina's workforce has been particularly hard hit as manufacturing has suffered, factories have closed, and companies have moved operations overseas. The TAA program for workers offers benefits, including job retraining, to workers displaced by imports or a shift of production to other countries. Once a laid-off worker has exhausted State unemployment benefits, he or she can qualify to receive supplemental benefits under TAA. These include weekly cash payments equal to unemployment benefits. To qualify, the worker must be involved in job retraining. TAA payments can last for 52 weeks if a worker is in job training and 26 weeks more if a worker needs remedial education. Many North Carolinians who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own have turned to our network of affordable community colleges to retool their skills.
