|
|
|
Washington Update
|
|
Congress has adjourned until after the November elections. The Senate is scheduled to return for a lame duck session on November 17th at 12:00 p.m. Though not confirmed, the House is considering returning shortly after Thanksgiving to address the new economic stimulus.
Second Economic Stimulus Package
House Democratic leaders appear to be moving toward bringing a $100 billion economic stimulus package to the floor during a lame-duck session the week of November 17, with Education and Labor Chairman George Miller apparently playing a significant role.
According to aides, a stimulus package in the $100 billion range was discussed Tuesday with House Democratic leaders talking about including federal matching funds for state Medicaid programs, an extension of unemployment benefits, expanded food stamp spending and money for infrastructure projects.
Direction and timing of their efforts still depends on the presidential race and the extent of Democratic wins in both the House and Senate. Discussions are on-going and whether or not a stimulus moves forward in a lame-duck session hinges on whether or not Democratic Presidential candidate Senator Barak Obama of Illinois takes over the White House.
It is not clear whether President Bush would sign off on a second package or tie its fate to other administration priorities, such as the Columbia Free Trade Agreement.
As WIA continues to be in play in the second stimulus package, it is crucial that your mayors and WIB directors contact their members of Congress to ask that both new House and Senate stimulus packages increase the funding levels for Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and job training activities.
BELOW ARE DRAFT LETTERS TO SEND TO YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS
Click below for draft letter to House Representatives
http://usmayors.org/workforce/documents/2008SampleLetterinSupportofWIAFunding-House.pdf
Clink link below for draft letter to Senators
http://usmayors.org/workforce/documents/2008SampleLetterinSupportofWIAFunding-Senate.pdf
|
|
Upcoming Meetings
|
|
Workforce Development Council
Board and Annual Winter Meeting
The U.S. Conference of Mayors 77th Annual Winter Meeting
The Capital Hilton Hotel
Washington, DC
January 16-17, 2009
The next WDC Board and Annual Winter Meeting will be held on January 16-17, 2009 as part of The U.S. Conference of Mayors 77th Annual Winter Meeting. The meeting will be held at the Capital Hilton Hotel, 16th & K Streets, NW in Washington, D.C.
Mayors will meet on January 17-19 at the Capital Hilton Hotel.
Click here to access a draft agenda for the WDC meeting.
You may now register for the WDC Annual Winter Meeting online by going to http://usmayors.org/registration, and selecting the Workforce Development Council link to access the registration form. Because 2009 is an Inaugural year, there is an increased demand for hotel rooms in Washington for these dates. Due to the increased demand, USCM will offer hotel reservations to MAYORS ONLY through the Inaugural dates of January 19 & 20, 2009. The deadline for guaranteed hotel rooms is December 19, 2008.
If you prefer, you may complete the registration form manually. To access the registration and hotel reservation forms click here. Please fax the forms to our meetings department at (202) 467-4276.
If you have any questions, please contact Ida Mukendi at (202) 861-6724 or imukendi@usmayors.org.
I hope to see you in January!
|
|
Reports, Announcements, and Articles
|
|
New from CLASP
Creating Postsecondary Pathways to Good Jobs for Young High School Dropouts
By Linda Harris and Evelyn Ganzglass
This paper advocates expansion and better integration of efforts to connect high school dropouts between the ages of 16 and 24 to pathways to postsecondary credentials that have value in the labor market. The paper highlights examples of innovations in policy, program delivery, pedagogy in adult education, youth development and dropout recovery, and postsecondary education that should be built upon in developing more robust and successful dropout recovery and postsecondary education policies and practices to open the door to higher wages and career opportunities for this population. The authors urge federal officials, governors, school administrators, college officials, workforce leaders and employers to provide leadership in building the supports and pathways at scale to bring dropout youth back into the education and labor market mainstream.
Click here to view the document.
New from MDRC
A Comparison of Two Job Club Strategies: The Effects of Enhanced Versus Traditional Job Clubs in Los Angeles
By David Navarro, Gilda Azurdia, and Gayle Hamilton
This report presents interim results from an evaluation in Los Angeles County that is comparing two different strategies for job placement. One strategy, the Enhanced Job Club (EJC) model, seeks to place individuals in jobs that are in line with their careers of interest, under the theory that this might result in greater job retention and advancement. The other strategy, the Traditional Job Club (TJC) model, seeks to place individuals quickly in any type of job, under the theory that any job provides good training in work skills and may lead to better job opportunities. The evaluation is part of the Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) project, which was conceived by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Click here to view the document.
|
|
ETA Releases
|
|
|
|
