Washinton, DC July 26, 2007 at 10:00am .... NWA President John Twomey will testify at the House Education and Labor Subcommittee hearing on WIA reauthorization scheduled to be held on Thursday, July 26th at 10am. The hearing is likely to be webcast on the Committee's website live. This hearing will be the second, and likely the last hearing according to Committee sources, in the House on WIA reauthorization.

NWA will be the only national organization representing locals that has been invited by the Subcommittee to testify on reauthorization and will be a terrific opportunity to highlight NWA's key recommendations for reauthorization. NWA has been working closely with Committee Members in preparation for this hearing. Other expected witnesses include representatives from NGA, AFSCME, Vocational Rehabilitation, and other workforce organizations involved in the Department's WIRED initiative.

Twomey will use the opportunity to testimony to urge the Subcommittee to quickly reauthorization of WIA, particularly after the House WIA funding rescission, which was a direct result of DOL's claim of large unspent WIA formula carryover. Reauthorization will provide Congress with the ability to revise the way DOL currently collects WIA system spending and ensure it receives accurate information, preventing DOL from continuing to claim large amounts of WIA carryover as a rationale for budget cuts or future rescissions.

Please email us at for a copy of the testimoney at info@nwaonline.org, or click the following link.

About the National Workforce Association

The National Workforce Association is a membership organization dedicated to strengthening the nation's workforce development system. Formerly called the National Association of County Training and Employment Professionals, NWA is one of the largest of over 23 affiliates with NACo (National Association of Counties). NWA's goal is to: · provide expertise and input to federal, state and local elected officials to enable them to make sound policy decisions about the workforce system and · promote innovation and excellent performance in locally based workforce programs through conferences, training sessions, publications and peer- to-peer exchanges.