|
Congress has adjourned until after the November elections. The Senate is scheduled to come back for a lame duck session on November 17th at 12:00 p.m.
Congress Announces New $150 Billion Economic Stimulus Package
Both the House and Senate are likely to return to Washington the week of November 17 for a lame-duck session to deal with a second economic stimulus bill.
On October 15, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA) vowed to hold a lame-duck session to pass a $150 billion economic stimulus package which includes funding for states, New Deal-style public works projects, extended unemployment benefits, expanded eligibility for food stamps and tax rebate payments or tax credits for middle-class workers.
She also called for all relevant committees to schedule hearings in the coming weeks on the key provisions of the new economic stimulus package. Under Chair George Miller (CA), the House Education and Labor Committee will hold the following hearings:
On Economic Recovery
- Friday, October 24: The Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing on the nation's severe unemployment outlook and strategies to spur job growth.
On the Financial Meltdown
- Wednesday, October 22: The Education and Labor Committee will hold a field hearing in San Francisco on 401(k) losses and what we can do to improve retirement security.
Also on October 15, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) unveiled his plans to develop a $150 billion economic stimulus package which includes public works projects, middle-class tax cuts and mortgage relief. Reid’s plan calls for a jobs-rich program of road and school construction projects as well as tax breaks for companies that keep jobs in America and an extension of tax-free unemployment benefits. Additionally, Senator Reid proposes a dramatic increase in funds dedicated to repair the nation’s ailing roads and bridges.
As previously reported, the House passed a $61 billion stimulus bill (HR 7110) last month that included most of the Democratic proposals currently being considered for the new stimulus package, excluding tax-rebate checks. The bill died in the Senate, and faced a veto threat from President Bush. The question now is how big the next stimulus package will be, and what will be included.
As most economists are focusing on job creation (via infrastructure investments) and on state and local relief, there have been few discussions on job training. It is crucial that you have your mayors and WIB directors contact their members of Congress to ask that both new House and Senate stimulus packages maintain the same funding levels for Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and job training activities as in previously-passed economic stimulus bills. The Unemployment Relief Act of 2008 (H.R. 7110) provided $500 million for workforce funding including $400 million for WIA Dislocated Workers and Youth formula programs. On the Senate side, the Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (S. 3604) proposed $600 million for WIA -- $300 million for dislocated worker employment and training activities and $300 million for youth employment and training activities.
In addition to the economic stimulus packages, Congress may also take up issues in bankruptcy and foreclosure upon returning for its lame-duck session in November.
|
|
New from DOL
U.S. Department of Labor distributes $34 million to states for Trade Adjustment Assistance
On October 1, 2008, U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced the release of $34 million to assist 19 states in providing career training as well as job search and relocation assistance to U.S. workers who lose their jobs for trade-related reasons. These states include the following: Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, and West Virginia.
Please visit the link below for the news release, which includes expenditures for each state.
http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/eta20081377.htm
New Report from the American Electronics Association (AeA)
U.S. Tech Industry Adds 78,300 Jobs from January to July 2008
This October the AeA released a report highlighting the employment trends in the field of technology. It includes the following findings:
- The U.S. high-tech industry employed 5.9 million people as of July 2008, the highest level since 2002.
- The tech industry added 78,300 jobs from January to July 2008, lagging behind pace of the 111,400 jobs added in the same period in 2007.
- January to July 2008 tech job growth also lagged that of the U.S. private sector, 1.3 percent compared to 2.0 percent.
- High-tech manufacturing is shedding jobs for the second consecutive year, 2,500 from January to July 2008.
- The high-tech services sectors added 80,800 U.S. jobs in the last seven months, a rise of 1.8 percent.
- Within the high-tech services sectors, employment growth was led by engineering and tech services (+50,000) and software services, (+42,300).
For a full report please click the link provided below:
http://usmayors.org/workforce/documents/AEATechIndustryReportOCT08.pdf
News Article on the New Apollo Program for Green Jobs from the Detroit Free Press
Green Jobs Program Pushed, Aiming for 5 million Positions
By Katherine Yung
On October 16, 2008, the Detroit Free Press released an article on U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow’s (MI) unveiling of the New Apollo Program in Detroit. It is a ten year program to create 5 million green jobs in the United States. It is a ten year program with a projected budget of $500 billion, spending $50 billion a year to retool factories to build renewable energy systems and alternative-fuel vehicles. Detroit is one of eight cities across the nation where the Apollo Alliance, a collation of environmental and labor groups, are introducing their plans through the new program.
Please follow the link below to obtain the news article:
http://www.freep.com/article/20081016/BUSINESS06/810160398
|
