This document records the oral and written testimony of persons testifying at Congressional hearings about proposed amendments to change and improve the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) of 1982. Witnesses testifying and/or presenting written testimony at the hearings included several Representatives, the Secretary of Labor (Lynn Martin), and representatives of local JTPA programs, Private Industry Councils, literacy programs, unions, and public agencies in the New Jersey and Pennsylvania areas. Witnesses said that there is concern about lack of oversight and fraud in the program, but that audits have found the actual incidence of fraud to be very small. Witnesses also stressed that the program has been successful and that more complicated government regulations could do more harm than good. Changes were suggested to allow the program to serve more than the "cream" of the eligible population, and additional funding was proposed to expand JTPA services to more than the 5 percent that are presently being served. More stringent and specific performance standards were also advocated. (KC)

This document reports on a congressional hearing on race and sex discrimination in the operation of the Job Training Partnership Act. It examines findings of a General Accounting Office investigation that revealed that women received disparate treatment in job training services in nearly two-thirds of the localities surveyed and that black males received fewer and less intensive services than white males. Testimony includes statements, letters, and prepared statements from representatives in Congress and individuals representing the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration; Directorate of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Labor; and the General Accounting Office. Appendixes include questions and answers for the record from two individual representing the Department of Labor. (YLB)