By Josie Hathway
June 27, 2005

During the Workforce Development Standing Committee meeting at the 73rd Annual Conference of Mayors in Chicago, Rochester (NY) Mayor William A. Johnson, Jr., Acting Chair of the Workforce Development Standing Committee, led the mayors in discussion and consideration of policy resolutions. Christina Reyna, Intergovernmental Assistant in the Office of Intergovernmental and Congressional Affairs at the U.S. Department of Labor, brought greetings from Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Elaine Chao and reported on the Administration's proposed reforms for the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) reauthorization.

Reyna indicated that neither the House passed WIA reauthorization bill, H.R. 27, the Job Training Improvement Act, nor the Senate Committee passed bill, S. 1021, The Workforce Investment Act Amendments of 2005, which includes the Administration's WIA Plus proposal. WIA Plus builds on the Administration's proposal for a consolidated state block grant that combines WIA Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth programs and the Wagner-Peyser Employment Service program. In addition to the consolidated block grant, WIA Plus will give governors the option of consolidating up to five other federal employment and training programs that are currently administered by DOL, the Department of Education and Agriculture. States would have complete authority to design the consolidated program, which means that states could choose to eliminate local workforce investment boards.

Reyna said that the Administration looks forward to the Senate floor consideration of S. 1021 in order to pursue WIA Plus and the Administration's other WIA reauthorization proposals that were not included in S. 1021. S. 1021 which passed by unanimous consent on May 18 in the Senate, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee was the result of a strong bi-partisan process. Both S. 1021 and H.R. 27, which passed in the House on March 2, strongly support the locally delivered, business led workforce system.

Ray Worden, Long Beach Workforce Development Bureau Manager and President of the Mayor's Workforce Development Council (WDC), which provides policy and program support to the committee, addressed the mayors. Worden reported on the growing needs of disconnected youth and the need for reinstatement of a summer jobs program and restoration of youth funding which has been decimated in recent years. Pembroke Pines (FL) Mayor Frank C. Ortis said, "If we don't have funding to train youth, won't be able to keep high-growth, high'skilled jobs in our cities."

Joan Crigger of the Conference staff reported that there are proposals in several states to restructure and eliminate the local workforce system, particularly in Indiana and Idaho. Johnson said, "This is a very disturbing development, and we oppose efforts by governors to take away local authority." Ortis offered an amendment to resolution #84, opposing efforts by governors to dilute or eliminate local control of the workforce system. The amendment passed unanimously.

The Workforce Development Committee unanimously passed the following resolutions:

Resolution #84: Maintaining Local Authority and Resources for the Workforce Investment System, as amended;

Resolution # 85: Investing in America's Youth;

Resolution # 48: Investment in Human Capital Development;

Resolution #86: Maintain Function-Based Accounting in the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and WIA Reauthorization;

Resolution # 87: Federal Minimum Hourly Wage Rate Adjustment;

Resolution # 45: Building a Framework for 21st Century Skills;

Resolution #88: Increase Funding for YouthBuild; and

Resolution #92: Expanding the National Investment in After'school and Out-of'school Programs.