5/26/2004 -- Representative Jerry Weller (R-Ill.) introduced a bill into the U.S. House of Representatives last week that, if passed, would make technical training tax deductible.

The "Technology Retraining And Investment Now Act of 2004" ("TRAIN ACT," HR 4392) would allow individuals and companies to receive a tax credit for up to 50 percent of technical training costs up to $10,000. Expenses can include training classes (private or public), certification exams and other expenses "essential to assessing skill acquisition."

According to the bill, the tax deduction would be available to workers in all industries in order to help meet the increased use of technology in a variety of careers. Two years ago, Weller introduced a similar bill that would have given the benefits only to IT professionals, but that bill died in committee.

"TRAIN represents R&D for the American worker," Weller said in a printed statement. "TRAIN puts workers on the right track toward being productive competitive and at the forefront of our global, information economy by increasing the opportunities for U.S. workers -- employed and displaced -- to get the [computer] training they need."

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), an organization of IT vendors, worked with Weller to introduce the bill. Other representatives sponsoring its introduction include Congressmen Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), Mike Honda (D-Calif.), Don Manzullo (R-IL), and Congresswoman Nancy Johnson (R-Conn).

CompTIA's Director of US Public Policy Bruce Hahn said the bill is important because it's a "proactive, partial solution" to offshoring. "Our public education system funds K through 12, but Indian government and other countries pay for K through college in sectors that they have targeted [as key for economic growth]," Hahn explained to CertCities.com in an interview yesterday. "While the US budget is not in a position to pay for universal higher education...[this is] an alternative that would create a partnership between business and education to create parity."

Now that the bill is in committee, Hahn said that CompTIA is currently working on building broader support for the initiative to make sure the chair of the Ways and Means will hold hearings on it. "I also encourage all of your readers to write their congressmen in support of this important act," he said.

To read the text of the bill, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/ and search for HR 4392. To read CompTIA's press release supporting the initiative, go here. -Becky Nagel