By Shannon Holmes
February 9, 2004

Mayor's workforce directors from cities across the country gathered in Washington, D.C. for The U.S. Conference of Mayors Workforce Development Council (WDC) Annual Meeting held in conjunction with the 72nd Annual Winter Conference of Mayors. Larry Fitch, President and CEO of San Diego Partnership Inc. and President of the WDC, welcomed board of trustees and council members from cities across the country including Albany (NY), Baltimore, Boston, Bridgeport (CT), Chicago, Columbus (GA), Detroit, Denver, El Paso, Fort Wayne, Gary, Hartford (CT), Hawthorne (CA), Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City (MO), Las Vegas, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Louisville, Macon (GA), Mobile (AL), Nashville, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland (OR), Providence, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Vincennes (IN).

The primary issues addressed at the meeting were the Reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 and youth development in the workforce system. WDC members also joined the Mayors at the Standing Committee on Workforce Development.

Workforce Investment Act Reauthorization

The reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 has been the main focus of the Workforce Development Council over the past year. The proposal that the Administration put forward early last year would have taken away local control of the workforce system and put it under the control of Governors. Under the leadership of Representative Howard "Buck" McKeon (CA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness of the House Education and Workforce Committee, no major governance changes that would take power away from the chief local elected officials are in HR 1261, Workforce Reinvestment and Adult Education Act of 2003. This was passed by the House on May 8, 2003. With the groundwork done on the governance issue by Representative McKeon, the Local Coalition, which includes The U.S. Conference of Mayors, National Association of Counties, National Association of Workforce Boards and National Workforce Association, was able to work with the Senate to ensure strong local control of the workforce system. The Senate version, S. 1621, maintains local control with chief local elected officials and includes numerous legislative language recommendations submitted by the Local Coalition.

A panel discussion was held on the WIA reauthorization. Panelists were Lindsay Lovlien, Legislative Assistant for Senator John Ensign (NV) member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee; Jane Oates, Senior Education Advisor for the Senate HELP Committee; and Stephanie Milburn, Majority Professional Staff for the House Education and the Workforce Committee. The three panelists concurred that even though no conferees from either the House or Senate have been appointed yet, the sooner they are appointed, the faster the legislation will move forward. These committees will also consider other major reauthorizations this year. These include Higher Education and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Milburn told WDC members that although there are very similar issues are addressed in both versions of the bill, there are just differences on how to go about doing so. She said these issues will be sorted out in the House Senate Conference Committee. Furthermore, she added that the House is committed to the consolidated block grant funding stream and the faith-based initiative in the bill.

Oates indicated that more than likely there will be a compromise on the consolidated block grant by including a pilot demonstration, but, she said, the faith-based initiative was an issue that would be worked out by the Congressional Members, not staff.

Panelists believe the Conference process would be well underway by the beginning of spring.

Representatives from the local coalition also summarized the key local issues pertaining to WIA reauthorization. They discussed how the groups will continue working together, and with Conferees, as the process moves forward to ensure strong local control over the local workforce system. Local coalition members attending the briefing were: Daria Daniel, Associate Legislative Director of the National Association of Counties; Stephanie Powers, CEO of the National Association of Workforce Boards; John Smith, Chief Operating Officer of the National Workforce Association and Mary Gardner Clagett, Deputy Director of Workforce Development Policy of the National Center on Education and the Economy.

WIA Reauthorization issues of major concern to mayors are increased authority for chief local elected officials and their WIBs, no decreases in funding at the local level, addressing the youth employment and skills crisis, increasing investment in skills training, funding the One'stop system and enhancing services to business. For more detailed information on mayors' positions on WIA Reauthorization please visit www.usmayors.org.

Youth Development

With growing concern about youth development in the over all workforce system and the ending of the Youth Opportunity Grants, The U.S. Conference of Mayors, along with the National Center on Education and the Economy, sponsored a meeting of the Youth Opportunity (YO) Grant sites from across the country in Kansas City (MO) at the beginning of January. The goal was to bring together the Workforce Development Directors, Workforce Investment Board Chairs and the Youth Opportunity Directors from each of the YO sites to determine what lessons had been learned from the successful program and how to incorporate these lessons into the overall youth development system.

Steve Corona, President of Job Works in Fort Wayne; Conny Doty, Director of the City of Boston Jobs and Community Services; Terry Hudson, Executive Director of Houston Works USA; and Robert Sainz, Assistant General Manager of the City of Los Angeles Community Development Department, provided a summary of the meeting to WDC members. Speakers said several positive things that resulted from the YO grant program. First, youth enrolled in the program have been helped and entire communities where the YO centers were established have been positively impacted.

WDC members believe the story of the program's success needs to be told. Also, policy makers must be made aware that the end of the YO program will have a negative impact. The statistics from DOL have indicated that the YO program has exceed the goals promised to Congress at a lower cost than originally projected.

Keynote Address

Maria K. Flynn, Acting Administrator of the Office of Policy Development, Evaluation and Research in the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) at the Department of Labor, gave the keynote address. Flynn indicated that the FY 2005 budget would look very similar to President's FY 2004 budget, and that the consolidated block grant funding for WIA programming would once again be submitted as part of the budget. The ETA budget will include the President's Community College and Ex-offender Job Training Initiatives he mentioned during the State of the Union message on January 20.

As, to WIA reauthorization, Flynn stated that the Administration officially supports the House version, HR 1261, passed in May. She highlighted three key issues that the Department of Labor (DOL) will work to ensure that they are included in the reauthorization during conference between the House and Senate versions. These are consolidation of funding into a single block grant, infrastructure funding, and eliminating automatic local area designation. Flynn said:

• DOL strongly supports a single block grant to states.
• DOL prefers the House infrastructure funding language with no local opt-out provision.
• DOL does not like the automatic designation language, preferring governors to have control.

Flynn also spoke in detail about the High Growth Job Training Initiative the Department of Labor has undertaken. This initiative is designed to address the skills shortage that exists across this country in the high growth industries. Some of the industries that are being targeted through the initiative are health care, information technology, biotechnology, geo'space, energy, retail, construction and hospitality. She informed WDC members that the purpose of the initiative is to transition from declining industries to industries of growth. Flynn further encouraged all WDC members to participate in the High Growth Job Training Initiative in the coming months ahead.

Connections to Outside the Workforce System

To further link local one'stop centers and initiatives to other partners and organizations active in the workforce system, four groups were invited to address the members of WDC on various topics. These range from retail training models to jobs in mortgage banking. Attending the meeting were Bob Giloth, Director of Family Economic Success for The Annie E. Casey Foundation; Dan Thoms, Vice President of Education at the Mortgage Bankers Association; Dr. Tim Giannoni, Vice President of ADCS Youth Services; and Kathryn Jo Mannes, Manager of Workforce Initiatives at the National Retail Federation. Each stressed the importance of strengthening the connection between their organization and the overall workforce system, especially through the one'stop centers. Additionally they expressed their commitment to work to attain a seamless system between the workforce system and their initiatives.