Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 180 - Veterans Education and Employment Amendments of 1991

(House Floor)
(Penny (D) MN and 4 others)

The Administration has no objection to the concepts in H.R. 180, but objects to certain specific provisions in the bill which would:

—   Extend the definition of "veteran of the Vietnam era" from December 31, 1991, to December 31, 1994, for the purpose of establishing staffing levels in the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP). Extending the definition would not affect the employment services available to Vietnam veterans or their eligibility for the services. Its effect would be on the number of staff in the State employment service agencies. The formula for establishing staffing levels was developed in the 1970's and does not reflect the current beneficiary or service volume. The Administration is willing to work with Congress to establish a more realistic staffing formula.

—   Establish, in law, a new Advisory Committee on Veterans Employment and Training within the Department of Labor. The Secretary of Labor already has an advisory Committee on Veterans Employment.

—   Allow Post-Vietnam Era Veterans' Educational Assistance (VEAP) participants to receive an educational assistance allowance for flight training. The Congress repealed flight training assistance in 1981 because it was being used for recreational and not vocational purposes.

In addition, H.R. 180 is objectionable because it does not include offsets to the increases in direct spending provided in the bill, as required by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (OBRA).

Scoring for the Purpose of Pay-As-You-Go and Caps

H.R. 180 would increase direct spending; therefore, is subject to the pay-as-you-go requirement of OBRA. No offsets to the direct spending increases are provided in the bill. Because this bill is not fully offset, a budget point of order would apply in the Senate. If, contrary to the Administration's recommendation, the Senate waives the point of order, enactment of H.R. 180 would add to the end of year pay-as-you-go requirement, which must be met to avoid sequester.

OMB's preliminary scoring estimates for this bill are presented in the table below. Final scoring of this legislation may deviate from this estimate. If H.R. 180 were enacted, final OMB scoring estimates would be published five days after enactment, as required under OBRA. The cumulative effect of all enacted legislation on the pay-as-you-go requirement will be issued in monthly reports transmitted to Congress.

Range of Estimates for Pay-As-You-Go
Fiscal Years
($ in millions)

In addition, H.R. 180 would transfer funding from a discretionary account to a mandatory account, thereby decreasing the discretionary cap by approximately $270,000 annually.