WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACT REAUTHORIZATION
WHEREAS,
this year, 21 million workers – more than one in seven workers nationally –
will seek assistance from our nation’s workforce system, over 2.3 million
private sector jobs have been lost and the job market for these workers is
becoming more difficult; and
WHEREAS,
though the national unemployment rate has declined slightly, it is still very
high in some states and urban areas and there is a national youth unemployment
and skills crisis; and
WHEREAS,
the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), which was developed by Congress to
create a flexible job training system that meets the skills requirements of U.S.
workers and employers for jobs for the 21st Century, expired on
September 20, 2003; and
WHEREAS,
the U.S. Conference of Mayors has worked closely with Congress over the past
year and a half to develop a WIA reauthorization proposal that ensures that strong
local authority and flexibility for local elected officials and their workforce
investment boards (WIBs) remains at the core of WIA reauthorization to meet the
needs of local and regional labor markets; and
WHEREAS,
H.R. 1261, The Workforce Reinvestment and
Adult Education Act of 2003, the
bill approved by the House addressed governance issues to retain a
locally-based, demand driven system, which allowed the Senate bill, The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 2003, S.
1627, to focus on further improvements to the WIA system, and includes a
majority of the Conference of Mayor’s proposals; and
WHEREAS,
the enactment of WIA reauthorization legislation that enhances the
locally-based, demand driven system and addresses key challenges in
implementation is extremely important at this fragile time in our nation’s
economic recovery, so that there will not be an interruption in the consistent
development of a high quality U.S. workforce system that is needed to support
the U.S. economy; and
WHEREAS,
the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 Budget
proposal consolidates and cuts WIA funding through a state-block grant
which includes the adult formula program, the dislocated worker formula program
and the Wagner Peyser employment service and cuts youth formula funding by 25
percent to fund a new, untried initiative; and
WHEREAS,
the President’s “Better Training for
Better Jobs” proposal, introduced on April 5 of this year, has made major departures from both the
House bill, which passed on May 8, 2003 with a vote of 220 – 204, and the
Senate bill, which passed by unanimous consent on November 14, 2003, by
eliminating the locally-based, demand driven system, and creating a
state-directed block grant system which includes the adult formula, the
dislocated worker formula and the Employment Service, and would also include
the youth formula which would allow the Governor to eliminate youth services,
and is a departure from the President’s FY 2005 Budget proposal,
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the U.S. Conference of Mayors calls on
Congress and the Administration to ensure that any action of legislation,
regulations, budget process or pilot programs:
· Increases
direct funding to the local level where the services are provided and does not
lessen WIA funds to local areas through a state block grant or any other means,
· Does not shift
more program design, decision-making or authority to the Governors through a
state block grant, expanded waiver authority or any other means,
· Does not cause
unnecessary disruptions or structural changes to this relatively young
system,
· Does not lessen
youth formula dollars to local areas and
· Does not allow
for the elimination of youth services through a state block grant or any other
means; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the U.S. Conference of Mayors urges
Congress to move ahead in a Conference of H.R. 1261 and S. 1627 to complete a
bipartisan agreement on reauthorization of WIA as soon as possible, in order to
finalize further improvements in the nation’s workforce investment system; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the U.S. Conference of Mayors calls on
Congress to include in the final Conference agreement of H.R. 1261 and S. 1627
and in the final WIA reauthorization legislation the following:
Governance – an
agreement that ensures and enhances a continued strong, locally-based,
business-led workforce investment system; ensures the appointment of local
boards by local elected officials; protects the designation of high-performing
workforce areas; maintains but does not expand current WIA waiver authority
(beyond the expedited waiver authority); maintains the business majority
requirement for membership on State Boards; includes Chief Elected Officials
and Local WIB members on the State Boards;
focuses the role of the state WIB authority around guidance for
development of a comprehensive One-Stop system and does not provide state
boards with certification authority over the One Stops; ensures that regional
planning is conducted only after first consulting with local boards and local
elected officials; and ensures that any regional plan incorporates the plans of
each of the local areas within the region.
Funding – an
agreement that in no way lessens funding to local areas through a state block
grant or any other means, and provides resources and tools to address the huge
poverty issues in cities.
Youth – an
agreement that protects the $1 billion currently provided for Youth formula
funding for both in-school and out-of-school youth ages 14-21, allows for
continued, innovative services for in-school youth and is not included in any
block grant.
One-Stop
Infrastructure Funding – an agreement that adequately funds the One-Stop
infrastructure among the mandatory One-Stop partners to allow more training and
services to be delivered under WIA, such as a separate authorization for such
infrastructure funding.
Administrative Costs
Definition – an agreement that maintains and codifies the definition of
administrative costs in current regulations which was carefully developed and
well vetted through lengthy negotiations between DOL, the states and the
locals, tested and supported by the Inspector General.
Data
– In the determination of state and local funding decisions, and such other
activities and functions that require the use of data for carrying out the
requirements of this Act, an agreement that calls for Department of Labor to
use the most recent data available, including data collected as the result of
the 2000 census, in order that the national workforce investment system most
accurately reflects the true needs of America’s workers and employers across
the country.
Performance
Standards – an agreement that includes a business measure, does not
include an “efficiency” measure, and that uses a regression model to encourage
services for the hardest to serve.
Expenditures
– an agreement that fairly holds States and local areas accountable for system
expenditures based upon accrued expenditures (in future program years).
Training
– an agreement that continues to authorize training for low wage workers
for jobs that provide self-sufficiency, simplifies training reporting
requirements, and provides for local input.
Business
Services – an agreement that encourages innovative services and
strategies for serving employers and ensures the relevance of the WIA system
for business; and
IT FURTHER RESOLVED, in the absence of
WIA passage, that the current agreement on administrative costs that was
carefully developed and well vetted through lengthy negotiations between DOL,
the states and the locals, and was tested and supported by the Inspector
General, be maintained.
©2004 U.S. Conference of Mayors 