 An email bulletin on national issues, exclusively for NAWB
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Appropriations UpdateThe House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education is scheduled to mark up their FY 2007 bill on Wednesday, June 7th. It is expected that most programs, including workforce investment programs, will receive some level of reduction. Republican moderates are still pressing the leadership to restore funding for the domestic programs in this appropriations bill, but it is likely that the budget-cutters will prevail at this juncture. The next step after this mark-up is the passage of the bill on the floor of the House. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis (R-CA) continues to indicate his desire to pass the full bill before Congress adjourns for the July 4th holiday recess. It is important that workforce boards continue to be in touch with their Members of Congress about the impacts of budget cuts on their local job seekers and employers. Budget UpdateHouse-Senate conferees are close to final agreement on the $92.2 billion plus FY’06 emergency war and hurricane relief funding bill. They are set to meet Tuesday evening to consider the conference report. GOP leaders are aiming to complete action on the bill this week, with votes set for this Friday (tentatively) in both chambers if final agreement is reached. Congress Establishes “National One-Stop Month”On May 22nd, the House formerly adopted H.R. 808, a resolution supporting the goals of “National One-Stop Month.” The resolution was sponsored by Representative Ric Keller (R-FL), Chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Twenty-First Century Competitiveness, and co-sponsored by Representative Buck McKeon (R-CA), Chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. The resolution became public on May 15th, when Rep. Keller spoke at the grand opening of the new One-Stop Career Center in Kissimmee, Florida, which replaces the one destroyed by Hurricane Charley. The event was hosted by Workforce Central Florida, the local workforce investment board headed by Gary Earl, President/CEO.
Congress Taking Aim At Labor Oversight Of Job CorpsSenator Arlen Specter (R-PA), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, offered an amendment to the Senate FY06 emergency supplemental bill that places the Job Corps program within the Labor Secretary's office. While the House version does not include similar language, House Republicans expect that a Job Corps overhaul will be included in the conference report. Announcements
Brevard County's Business Services: Now Featured on Workforce 3 OneThe Brevard County WIB is now featured on Workforce3one, DOL/ETA's website to share tools and initiatives to facilitate a demand driven workforce system. Click on the following link to hear about the Brevard County Job Link and its approach to providing service to business. http://www.workforce3one.org/public/misc/podcast_info.cfm?id=927 Brevard County has created tiers of service, known as Key Accounts, based upon factors such as the firm's industry, the wages and benefits it pays, its past relationship with Brevard and a variety of other factors. Once on the site you can hear an interview with Lisa Rice President/Executive Director for Brevard Workforce Development Board, Inc. and Jim Burton, President of Manchester Copper Products, LLC offering their perspectives on Brevard's approach. Also included is a description of Brevard's Key Account services and related factors for each tier of service. To share your story with others, please contact Patrick Cassidy cassidyp@nawb.org or go directly to the site www.workforce3one.org.
NCWD Host Webcast entitled Job Seeker/Consumer-Directed Funding on July 8th @ 1:00 p.m. EST.This session will focus on ways that a job seeker can have a great influence on, if not control over, how funding is used to assist them in their job development. Viewers will learn about strategies that several sites have used to increase a job seeker's co-enrollment in various systems to reach their employment outcomes. Presenters will offer strategies, examples of various funding opportunities, resources, and materials to assist sites to consider co-enrollment activities as a part of other employment-related services, both for inclusion in these services and for funding these services in a facilitated approach. Click on http://www.onestops.info/website.php?page=cetraining for more details. To register for the webinar email Rachael.webb@umb.edu
HUD Announces Grant Awards under Community Outreach Partnership Program and HSIAC Programs.Community Outreach Partnership Center Awards The HUD contact for COPC is Ms. Susan Brunson (202-708-3061).
Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program Grant AwardsHUD has also announced that 11 institutions will benefit from grant awards under the Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program (HSIAC). This program provides funds for a wide range of eligible activities under the Community Development Block Grant including housing rehabilitation and financing, property demolition or acquisition, public facilities, economic development, business entrepreneurship, and fair housing programs. The institutions receiving FY 2005 funds are located in Arizona, California, Texas, and Washington State. Click here for more information Grant Announcement / Listing of Grantees New Publication
Rockefeller Institute Releases new report entitled “Impact of Proposed 2007 Federal Budget Actions on States.”The Rockefeller Institute of Government has released a new report titled “Impact of Proposed 2007 Federal Budget Actions on States,” by Donald Boyd. In this final of three reports on current financial challenges and issues facing state and local governments, Boyd notes that, while federal budget actions should have only a limited impact on state budgets in the near term, states over the longer term should anticipate significant pressure from constrained federal spending as Washington grapples with the ballooning deficit. To view the report, please visit http://rfs.rockinst.org.
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Vol VI Issue 12 IN THIS ISSUE:
 Upcoming Congressional Recess: Call to Action Task Have you invited your Congressional House Representatives to visit your One-Stop or meet with your WIB during the upcoming Congressional recess? It is crucial that every Member have personal contacts when they are home for the Memorial Day May 29-June 2.
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