Stephanie Tubbs Jones: “I rise to address the House about how the Republicans' fiscal year 2007 budget resolution will create serious problems…”

“I rise to address the House about how the Republicans' fiscal year 2007 budget resolution will create serious problems for women and children. The budget resolution put forth by the Republicans, which we will vote on tomorrow, undercuts and undervalues women's contributions to the American labor force. The wage gap among women and men continues today. Women earn on average 76 cents to every dollar that a man earns. The Republican budget resolution eliminates the Women in Apprenticeships and Nontraditional Occupations Act. This program, which only costs $1 million per year, provides grants to employers to help recruit, train and retain women in nontraditional, well-paying jobs. The budget also cuts funding for the Women's Bureau in the Department of Labor, the only Federal agency with primary responsibility for serving and promoting interests of working women. I urge my colleagues to defeat the Republican budget resolution. ____________________”