Congress is currently in recess. The Senate will reconvene on April 10th and the House on April 16th. This is an excellent time to visit with your Members of Congress to discuss WIA reauthorization and funding issues.

Prior to adjournment, legislators passed two items that had been occupying much of their time in recent weeks:

Budget Resolution

Last Thursday, the House passed its $2.9 billion budget resolution on a vote of 216-210. The resolution, as crafted by House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt (D-SC), is intended to produce a surplus of $153 billion by FY 2012, while following pay-as-you-go rules that would require tax cuts and entitlement spending to be offset. How the offsets would be accomplished is left to the jurisdiction of the appropriate committees. The resolution increases domestic discretionary spending by $24 billion over the President’s FY 2008 request. The House and Senate now must confer to iron out differences in their respective versions of the resolution.

Defense Supplemental Bill

On Thursday, the Senate passed its $123.2 billion supplemental spending bill for defense appropriations on a vote of 51-47. Negotiations over differences in the House and Senate versions of the bill will take place during the recess. Both chambers included timetables in their bills regarding withdrawal from Iraq, and the President has indicated he will veto such a bill.

Minimum-wage increase/small-business tax cut provisions are included in both versions of the supplemental. It is not clear at this point if these provisions will continue to move with the defense supplemental, or be considered separately. A minimum-wage increase has been identified as a priority by the Democratic leadership, but they have not committed to a date for final passage of such legislation.

TAA Examined at House Education and Labor Committee Hearing

Several witnesses testified last week before the House Education and Labor Committee at its hearing on How Effective are Existing Programs in Helping Workers Impacted by International Trade? The witness list included several national policy experts, a worker whose plant was closed, and a state workforce development director. Much of the testimony focused on the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act (TAA), which is due for reauthorization this year.

Witnesses indicated that TAA does not reach enough workers, is not adequately funded, has too stringent requirements, and is difficult for workers to understand and access. Legislation was introduced earlier this year to expand TAA beyond the manufacturing sector to service workers and public employees.

An archived webcast of the hearing and copies of the witnesses’ written testimony are available on the Committee’s website at http://edworkforce.house.gov/hearings/fc032607.shtml .

Grants Will Assist Mature Workers to Transition into High-Demand Careers

The MetLife Foundation/Civic Ventures Community College Encore Career Grants will be awarded to innovative community colleges that are creating new ways for adults 50+ to transition to "encore careers." Up to ten community colleges will receive grants of up to $25,000 each to help attract, prepare, or place adults 50+ in new “purpose-driven” careers in education, healthcare, and social services—all sectors facing critical labor shortages. The deadline for community colleges to apply is May 1, 2007. For more information, see http://www.civicventures.org/communitycolleges/.

For the latest information on new funding programs, upcoming grant deadlines, conferences, trainings, and other relevant information for grant seekers, see the GrantStation Insider distributed to you weekly as an NAWB member service and benefit in partnership with GrantStation.

Tri-State Grants Will Develop Workers in Life Sciences Industry

Business, education, government, economic development, and workforce leaders in a 13-county region encompassing Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania formed the Delaware Valley Innovation Network (DVIN) to transform the way the tri-state region prepares workers for high-skilled jobs in the life sciences industry. The DVIN has been awarded $6.6 million in grants through two U.S. Department of Labor grants—a $5.1 million WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development) grant, and a $1.5 million Advanced Manufacturing grant. For more information, see http://www.state.nj.us/labor/press/2007/0306TriStateIn ovation.htm.