RECESS
“EXTRA” EDITION
...YEAR
LONG CONTINUING RESOLUTION MEANS STABLE FUNDING FOR
WIA...
The 109th
Congress came to a close last week with a Continuing Resolution
passed to continue funding for the government through February 15.
Nine of eleven FY 07 appropriations bills were not completed,
including Labor-HHS, which funds WIA programs.
The incoming
Democratic Chairmen of the House and Senate Appropriations
Committees, David Obey and Robert Byrd, decided this week that they
will not take up the unresolved FY 07 appropriations bills when the
110th Congress convenes in January. Instead, they will pass a year
long Continuing Resolution that will fund the remaining bills at
current FY 06 funding levels. No earmarks will be included in these
bills.
What does this
mean for the workforce system? It is a good outcome for WIA as FY 06
funding levels are slightly higher than proposed in the FY 07 House
and Senate Labor-HHS bills. It also means that there will be no WIA
rescission and FY 06 restrictions imposed by appropriators to
prevent states from redesignating local areas and blocking DOL from
changing the definition of administrative costs will continue for
another year.
The House and
Senate will convene the first week of January with a very active
agenda for the House in the first two weeks focused on implementing
the Democrats “100 hour” campaign agenda.
While the
reauthorization of WIA is not part of this campaign agenda, House
and Senate authorizers would like to take this bill up in Committee
in the first few months of the new Congress. Senate authorizers have
told us they will work on a bipartisan basis using their last
reauthorization bill as the basis to craft a new bill, while House
Democrats have indicated that they would like to craft a new
reauthorization bill.
We will
continue to work with both chambers to ensure that the local
workforce system is protected.
Editor’s note -
the next edition of the Workforce Times will appear in mid-January
after the commencement of the new Congress. Happy
Holidays!
Thank you
for your support at the Fifth Annual NWA
Conference!
We look forward
to seeing you next year --- Mark your calendar and join us in St.
Petersburg... Saturday, December 1 - Tuesday, December 4,
2007
NWA Offers
Legislative Briefings for Local Workforce Boards
The National
Workforce Association (NWA) is pleased to announce the availability
of specially designed legislative briefing sessions to help state
and local workforce agencies develop effective educational programs,
strengthen outreach to local and state elected officials, broaden
the appeal for your local workforce agenda, successfully communicate
the achievements of your local One-Stop operations, and strengthen
your responsiveness to the workforce development
community.
These
legislative sessions will be customized to meet your local areas
needs and give you a better understanding about the role your member
of Congress plays in the Workforce Development system here in
Washington. Each legislative briefing will provide practical steps
that will be designed to forward the work being accomplished by your
state and local workforce director, WIB members, staff and partners,
One-Stop managers and contractors, state workforce associations,
local economic development representatives, and local elected
officials. Through the presentation of the legislative briefing
sessions, NWA has been very successful in bringing the necessary
attention to the workforce development issue. These sessions support
the continuous improvement of the system and will aid you in your
understanding of the WIA Reauthorization process. To see details
about the next special session click
here, or call 202 842-4004 Ext. 232.
