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As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, Congress is struggling to complete work on its remaining appropriations bills and two reconciliation packages—one for spending cuts in mandatory programs and the other a package of tax cuts. House Republican leaders have encountered considerable resistance from Democrats and from some moderate Republicans on these reconciliation packages, and are working to garner the 218 votes necessary to ensure their passage. This week, House Majority Whip Roy Blunt announced that the House would work into the weekend if necessary to pass the spending reconciliation. Currently, there are four appropriations bills in conference, including the Labor/Health & Human Services/Education bill, H.R. 3010. Conferees are proposing to cut as much a $1.4 billion overall from the Labor/HHS/Education bill compared to FY 2005. Current expectations are that both chambers of Congress will recess for the Thanksgiving holiday, and then reconvene to complete their work before final adjournment of the first session of the 109th Congress. If all FY 2006 appropriations bills are not completed by November 18th, Congress will need to pass a continuing resolution to fund some federal agencies and programs. Correction: NAWB’s e-mail blast dated October 31, 2005, incorrectly labeled a column of information regarding appropriations under the Labor/HHS/Education bill (H.R. 3010). The third and last column of the side-by-side comparison of appropriations should be labeled “FY 2005 Actual.” Click here for the corrected version of NAWB's Alert dated October 31, 2005. DOL Announces New Tool for Assisting Wounded Veterans The U.S. Department of Labor has launched a new web tool, REALifelines, to help wounded and injured veterans successfully transition into civilian employment. For more information, see http://www.dol.gov/elaws/realifelines.htm. Gulf Coast Business Reinvestment Forum to be Held November 28th-29th The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the International Economic Development Council, in partnership with the states of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, are sponsoring the “Gulf Coast Business Reinvestment Forum” on November 28th-29th, 2005, in Washington, DC. The Forum will bring together key business, investment, and economic recovery leaders and experts. The goal of the Forum is to develop a clearer understanding of the scope of the problem brought on by the hurricane disasters and to develop realistic, achievable actions that will produce not only recovery, but also long-term economic viability for the Region. NAWB has been invited to participate. WIBs in the Gulf Region should contact NAWB’s CEO Stephanie Powers for any discussion regarding this Forum. Webinar Series on Customized Employment The National Center on Workforce and Disability and the Adult Institute for Community Inclusion conducted the first in a series of web conferences on Customized Employment on November 15th. This introductory webinar will be followed by four additional web conferences on November 29th, December 13th, January 3rd, and January 17th. Customized employment is an effective strategy to meet the employment needs of both job seekers and employers, and is being used throughout the country to help individuals with complex lives, including individuals with disabilities, to obtain employment and increased economic independence. For more information, see http://www.onestops.info/website.php?page=cetraining. New Economy Strategies and The Council on Competitiveness have released the results of their 2005 Innovation Survey of corporate executives on the changing nature of innovation. When asked to rank the most valuable assets to their company’s innovation capacity, respondents cited access to a science and engineering talent pool, availability of entrepreneurial managers, and a communications infrastructure. They cited poor communications infrastructure, lack of a science and engineering talent pool, a poor K-12 education system, and low quality of life as factors that eliminate a region from a company’s prospective list of area to create or relocate innovation centers. To read the Executive Summary, see http://innovateamerica.org/download/2005_National_Innovation_Survey.pdf.
State News, Florida
The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded a grant of $4.3 million to the Florida Agency for Workforce innovation to create approximately 575 temporary jobs to aid in the cleanup and recovery efforts taking place in Florida as a result of damage caused by Hurricane Wilma. The grant will also be used for humanitarian aid efforts and to provide employment and training services to workers dislocated due to the hurricane. For more information, see http://www.doleta.gov/whatsnew/new_releases/2005-11-03.cfm. 22 Northeast Indiana high schools are participating in a pilot program aimed at preparing high-school students with workforce readiness skills that are important to have after graduation. The Indiana Department of Workforce Development's (IDWD) WorkEthic program works in collaboration with area high schools and businesses to provide students a recognized credential system to measure and commend student’s workforce readiness skills based on a number of criteria. For more information, see http://www.in.gov/dwd/newsroom/news_releases/NR_10-13-05.pdf.
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Vol V Issue 7 IN THIS ISSUE:
National Association of Workforce Boards |