The brief will not be published during the holidays and will
resume when the new Congress convenes.
Continuing Resolution Will Fund Government Operations through February
15th
In its final hours, the 109th Congress, having failed to pass the
majority of appropriations bill for FY 2007, approved a continuing
resolution (H. J. Res. 102) that will fund federal agencies and
programs for which appropriations had not already been resolved. The
previous resolution expired at midnight on December 8th. President Bush
signed the new continuing resolution which will fund the affected agencies
and programs through February 15th at the lowest level from among the
following three: (1) the Senate-passed appropriations for FY 2007, (2) the
House-passed appropriations for FY 2007, or (3) the FY 2006 enacted
appropriations. As neither the House nor the Senate had passed its FY
2007 spending bill for Labor-HHS-Education, the education and job training
programs will be funded at the FY 2006 level under the continuing
resolution. The uncertainty about funding levels for the remainder of FY
2007 will likely require adjustments for a wide array of domestic programs
at the federal, state, and local levels.
Tax Extenders Bill Would Continue Popular Tax Breaks
In another of its final actions, the 109th Congress passed a package
of tax extenders and trade legislation. In the House, the tax portion
of the bill passed on a vote of 367-45 and the trade portion on a vote of
212-184. The Senate then voted on a combined bill, which passed easily on
a vote of 79 to 9. The bill includes provisions to extend many popular
tax breaks, including college tuition tax deductions of up to $4,000, a
tax deduction of up to $250 for teachers who buy classroom supplies with
their own funds, a 20% research and development tax credit for new
activities for businesses, and the welfare-to-work tax credit. The
total tax cuts from the bill are approximately $38 billion over five
years. President Bush is expected to sign the bill next week.
110th Congress will Convene on January 4th, 2007
The 110th Congress will convene early in the New Year potentially amid
uncertainty over Democrats retaining control of the Senate over the longer
term due to the sudden illness of Democratic Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD).
Senator Reid (D-NV), the incoming majority leader, had said that he plans
to move forward, on the assumption that Senator Johnson will be able to
serve out his term which expires in 2008. If Senator Johnson is unable to
serve when the 110th Congress convenes on January 4th, South Dakota
Republican Governor Michael Rounds would likely appoint a Republican
replacement, resulting in a “50/50” Senate with Vice President Cheney
holding the tie vote.
The uncertainty around Senator Johnson’s condition could also result in
some difficult negotiations between Democrats and Republicans over rules
for organizing the Senate in the 110th Congress.
Congress will also have to deal quickly with appropriations matters for
the remainder of FY 2007. The President’s proposed FY 2008 budget
will be released in early February, thus placing even more pressure on
Congress to act quickly to resolve FY 2007 appropriations. With
Republicans continuing to demand fiscal restraint, and with Democrats
having promised to institute “pay as you go” budget rules for FY 2008
appropriations (that is, increase spending only where there are funds to
pay for it), the budget and appropriations process for both fiscal years
will be highly challenging.
WIA Reauthorization Likely to be Considered in 2007
It is being reported that key legislators intend to bring up WIA
reauthorization early in the 110th Congress, in the hope of enacting a
bi-partisan bill in spring 2007. However, action on WIA could be delayed
if Congress is bogged down by potentially lengthy consideration of the No
Child Left Behind Act.
According to the Employment and Training Reporter, Democratic
congressional staffers will be looking at creating new funding streams via
the WIA reauthorization, for example, a job skills stream for youth.
There was much discussion in the House during the 109th Congress about
merging the existing WIA funding streams.
The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is soliciting
comments regarding an extension of a current Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) clearance for a series of quick turnaround surveys in which
data will be collected from state workforce agencies and local workforce
investment areas. The surveys will focus on issues relating to the
governance, administration, funding, service design, and delivery
structure of workforce programs authorized by the Workforce Investment Act
(WIA).
ETA has developed quick turnaround surveys on several aspects of WIA
services and outreach to businesses, under the current OMB clearance.
Other surveys are also under consideration at this time. The agency has a
continuing need for information on WIA operations and is seeking a further
extension of the clearance for conducting a series of eight (8) to twenty
(20) separate surveys over the next three years.
Comments must be submitted by January 29th, 2007. For more information,
see the Federal Register announcement at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/E6-20266.htm.
In addition, ETA is soliciting comments concerning the proposed
extension of the data collection for the Workforce Investment Act:
National Emergency Grant (NEG) Assistance—Application and Reporting
Procedures. Comments must be submitted on or before January 16th,
2007. For more information, see http://www.doleta.gov/OMBCN/OMB%201205-0439.cfm.
From February 24th to March 3rd, 2007, entrepreneurs, educators,
community leaders, and young people across the U.S. will celebrate the
power of entrepreneurship. The initiative will enhance ongoing
interest and provide an educational kick-start for the uninitiated,
serving as an inspiration for young people to begin a journey to fulfill
their potential as self-starters and entrepreneurs. EntrepreneurshipWeek
USA – an initiative of The Kaufmann Foundation and sponsors including the
New York Times and Inc. magazine – is designed to ignite the nation’s
consciousness around the importance of being entrepreneurial. For more
information, see http://www.entrepreneurshipweekusa.com.
The Workforce Strategy Center has just released Working Together:
Aligning State Systems and Policies for Individual and Regional
Prosperity. The report offers practical recommendations for
improving economic well-being through the alignment of educational,
workforce, and economic development policies. It focuses on six areas in
which policymakers can take action to enhance outcomes for students along
the educational pipeline, align public policies and systems, and support
individual and regional economic development. To view the report, see the
Center’s website at http://www.workforcestrategy.org.
The National Network of Sector Partners (NSSP) recently launched a
new clearinghouse to help policymakers, sector initiative leaders, and
supporters of sector strategies to design and establish state policies to
support sector initiatives. The clearinghouse is a component of the
Accelerating the Adoption of State Sector Strategies Project, a
partnership of NSSP, the National Governors’ Association, and the
Corporation for a Skilled Workforce. The clearinghouse includes a new
website, a Webinar series, and primer on sector strategies for
policymakers and sector leaders. The clearinghouse will host webinars
on December 12th, 2006 and January 18th, 2007. For more information,
see http://www.sectorstrategies.org/.
The State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI) reports that the
Census Bureau’s recently- released 2005 educational attainment data
indicate that 27.7% of U.S. adults age 25 years and older had received a
bachelor’s degree or higher. States/districts with the highest
percentage of such adults included the District of Columbia (46.9%),
Connecticut (36.8%), Massachusetts (36.6%), Maryland (36.3%), and New
Jersey (36.3%). For more information, see SSTI’s analysis at http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/112706t.htm.
The National Governors’ Association (NGA) reports that California’s
Department of Social Services has announced that it will reward county
CalWORKS agencies with funding increases if agencies meet target
employment rates. Counties may earn up to 5% of their annual Temporary
Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) allotment by showing substantial
annual improvement in specified indicators demonstrating improved
employment outcomes. For more information, see the NGA website at http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga.
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Vol VI Issue 22
December 15, 2006
IN THIS ISSUE:
Washington Update
ETA Seeks Public Comment on Data Collection
EntrepreneurshipWeek USA Will Celebrate Power of
Entrepreneurship
New Report Focuses on Alignment of Workforce,
Education, and Economic Policies
Clearinghouse Will Support State Sector Strategies
Census Bureau Releases Educational Attainment Data by
State
State News, California
New WIB Board Member Training
WIB Members in Action: Making an Impact on the Community,
a new on-line training for workforce board members developed by NAWB and
the Dynamic Works Institute, will be presented “in-person” at the NAWB
Forum as a pre-conference workshop. Laurie Moran, NAWB Board Member and
President of the Danville, Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce, and
Patrick Cassidy, Senior Advisor, NAWB Professional Development, will
provide an interactive session to orient new members and provide fresh
ideas and proven strategies to move your Board to the next level.
Registration for this pre-conference workshop also includes free access to
a follow-up webinar. For more information, see http://www.nawb.org/forum/Pre-con2.pdf.
Critical Success Factors for WIBs
A new report spearheaded by several workforce development entities in
Missouri and prepared by the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce will be
discussed at an Issue Forum during the NAWB Forum in February 2007.
Benchmarking Workforce Investment Boards: Critical Success Factors
2006 results from an examination of exemplary practices used by
leading workforce boards across the country, and additionally reflects
input from the Missouri-based steering committee and an advisory board
representing several national associations with a stake in workforce
development. It identifies sixteen critical success factors for strong and
effective boards. To view the report, see http://www.skilledwork.org/pdfs/WIB%20Benchmarking%20Critical%20Success%20Factors.pdf
Call to Action Task
It is important that NAWB Members contact their Member of Congress
during adjournment to educate them about the potential impacts of budget
cuts on their local job seekers and employers.
Forum 2007
Early bird registration for NAWB’s Forum 2007 ends December 22, 2006.
Go to http://www.nawb.org/forum/registrationform.pdf
to register now and save!
Got News to Share?
If you have news to share of interest to NAWB’s members, please email a
BRIEF article (one or two paragraphs) to gworkforce@netscape.net. Please
include contact information so that we may follow up with you for any
clarification. We will only include items as our editorial policy permits.
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